Broken

by Bicyclette

Chapter 8

Forcing magic through a broken horn was a lot like forcing a square peg in a round hole. It could only be done with a lot of willpower and lack of sound judgement.

Fortunately, Shining Armor had both. The blast from his broken horn had destroyed whatever that shadow monster had been. It had been surprisingly easy, but he didn’t let that bother him.

Now he could get a better look at his surroundings. Beams of sunlight shone through the clouds, illuminating a wide, green field. Only a maple tree stood out in the landscape.

Shining could go to the tree, sit still, or wander in a random direction. He had a headache. With a hoof, he rubbed his forehead and discovered his horn was broken. It didn’t shock him as much as it should have. In fact, he had a dim memory of it breaking, and using it through unbearable pain to save his own life. He sat around for a few minutes trying to grasp his memory, but it kept out of reach as if schoolyard bullies were playing keep away with it.

The longer he sat there, the more he felt his mind slip away. The image of him sitting in the open field forever with a confused look on his face shot into his mind. It scared him as bad as if a monster had jumped in his face. He had to do something.

He walked to the maple tree. It was a lot farther away than he had thought. By the time he arrived, he’d forgotten why he’d tried so hard to get there in the first place.

The tree could have been a thousand years old for how big it was. Shining had never seen a trunk that huge. From its base, it seemed to stretch upward forever.

He circled it, examining it from every direction, and almost tripped over the picnic blanket. He didn’t remember seeing it there before.

He had trampled a meal of cupcakes, sandwiches, and fresh melons.

“What a waste,” said Twilight.

“Sorry,” said Shining. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

Twilight scowled. “Well, this isn’t how I wanted to tell you, but I have some big news.”

“What is it?”

“You see-- wait, is something wrong with your horn?”

“No. What is it?”

Twilight examined him. “What do you remember about me?”

“You’re my sister. You’re the Element of Magic. You’re dating Luna.”

“And?”

Shining frowned. “And what?”

“Those are the only three things about me that you know?”

Shining opened his mouth to say, “Of course not,” but the words didn’t form. It was all he knew about her.

“I think there might be something wrong with my memory,” he said.

“Wake up,” said Twilight.

Shining smiled. “Oh thank goodness. It’s just a dream. That’s what’s wrong. You know, I was a little worried there for a second, but now that I know it’s a dream I’ll wake up any second now.”

“No, you don’t understand,” said Twilight. “It’s not really a dream. It’s more like--”

“You know, I thought this was all building up to some big mystery, but I’m just having a bad dream. Yes, that’s it. I’m sure that will be satisfying to everyone.”

“Shining, listen! You can only wake up if you find the key!”

“What key?”

“It’s different for everyone. It will be something out of place, that shouldn’t belong, but you still recognize.”

“That’s not very helpful, Twily.”

Twilight stomped a hoof, messing up the picnic even more. “I’m doing my best. If you’d just listened to me in the first place this never would have happened.”

“What is happening, anyway?”

Twilight sighed. “What’s the point? I’ve already told you so many times. You’re just going to forget again.”

“Forget what?”

“You know I’m not really Twilight, right?”

“What? No.”

“You remember what you said to her when you were here last time? How she said, ‘How could you?’ Shining, you ruined everything.”

“What are you talking about?”

Twilight sighed. “I don’t know how much you can retain, but do your best to remember this: Find the key.”

Shining nodded. “Okay, I’ll find the key, but I have so many other questions!”

“I’d love to answer them again, but I don't have time. A lot is going on right now, and everyone would appreciate it if you woke up. Where have you been so far?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Of course. Dumb question. Think of it like this; where is a place you want to be?”

Shining thought about it for a few seconds.

“At home. With Cadance.”

“Look there.”

“Okay. Where is it?”

Twilight took a deep breath. Her horn lit up like a full moon in the night sky. With a look of concentration on her face, she opened a portal.

She bore the entire burden herself. It seemed unnecessary to Shining. He would have helped with the magic if she had asked. It’s not like there was anything wrong with his horn.

“Find the key!” said Twilight.

“Is it in the portal?”

“Probably! Find the key!”

“What about you?”

“Just go already! And remember, find the key!”

Shining took a deep breath and jumped through the portal.

Find the key. Find the key. Find the--

Then Shining Armor woke up.

He was at home, in his own bed. His head hurt, but that didn’t surprise him for some reason. He rubbed his forehead and discovered that his horn was broken again.

Again? Why did he think again? It’s never happened before.

This discovery should have made him panic. It was, after all, a pretty big deal for a unicorn’s horn to shatter. But he had the feeling that, in the grand scheme of things, it was the least of his worries.

What in Equestria could have made him think that?

He got out of bed. There was something important he was supposed to do today. He couldn’t remember what it was.

Maybe Cadance would know.

“Honey, are you home?” he called.

No one responded.

Cadance was supposed to be there, he was sure of it. It’s what was supposed to happen. This was wrong.

He was alone.

Author's Note:

by Decaf