Northern Stars

by Reviewfilly

Ch.2 - Of a New World

I don’t know how long I’ve been out when I wake up again. Not that it matters, because what I find myself in is a world of pain. It feels like someone stabbed burning stakes into my eyes and my ears are assaulted by screams of a wailing thunderstorm. I feel small blades sticking into my body from below and excruciating, white-hot flames scorching my back. A noisome stench violates my nostrils, causing me to gag and gasp for air. My legs refuse to move, as I lay limp in this hell.

In a blind panic, I try to call forth my magic once more, but I feel only a hollow emptiness inside where my magical reserves should be. I grit my teeth and continue to struggle against the elements. Through sheer determination, the maddening sensations slowly begin to lose their edge.

The thunder in my ears calms to a whispering breeze, the blades below me soften to become those of grass, and the smell of rot fades into that of the earth. The heat on my back melts into a pleasant warmth. The blinding light morphs into vague shapes as my eyes slowly adjust and, after a few bleary blinks, I’m finally able to take a look around.

I find myself laying on a patch of grass, in the middle of a clearing in a forest. My limbs are stretched out in odd angles.

With a groan I shuffle to my hooves and, after a few slight stumbles, I’m finally standing once more. I take a deep breath and let it out. That’s when it hits me. I just took a breath. I’m standing on my hooves. Is it really possible?

I force myself to stay calm, though my rapidly beating heart protests heavily, and take a better look around. The picturesque trees, the rolling hills, and the quiet birdsong tell me what I wanted to know.

I am back.

Though my royal dignity would never allow me to admit it, a part of me wants to celebrate. To just jump and kick around, to scream in joy; instead I compose myself and look up. My eyes still burn a little, but there is one more vital thing I have to know.

Just as I expected. The Sun is still in the sky. Seeing how the world is neither a charred desert, nor a frozen wasteland, I must assume at least some of my old enemies must still be around. If that is, indeed, the case, I have to be very careful. My imprisonment sapped me of most of my strength.

Even if I were to find any of them alone, in my current state they would obliterate me.

I shudder at the thought and stroke my mane. As my hoof passes over my head unobstructed, the absence of my crown reminds me of what I just went through to get here in the first place.

Still, it helps me calm a little. I cannot see any points of interest around, so I pick a random direction and start trotting. I should linger as little as possible, while I’m so vulnerable.

Curious, I think to myself as I walk, I may not be as intimately aware of Equestria’s layout as I know my Empire, but I still should have spotted some landmarks already. If nothing else, that loathsome castle on that mountain should still be there, shouldn’t it?

And yet, as I reach the end of the woods, the land I see is one I should know, but looks utterly alien. Not only is the castle nowhere to be seen, I cannot even spot a single city in sight. A sense of unease fills me, as I observe the endless rolling green hills beyond and try to figure out just where I am.

Before I can get lost in my thoughts, however, I hear the rustling of leaves behind myself. I bless my still overly-sensitive ears as I spin towards the noise. I dig my hooves in and slightly bow my head, so that my horn is pointing towards any would-be assassins.

“Show yourself!” I yell, as my eyes dart between the spots I anticipate an attack from.

It’s merely a show. There is a reason why I always relied on my dark crystals and those ingenious helmets. Though my magic is fearsome, now that I’m unable to call on my power, I am unlikely to stand a chance in horn-to-horn combat.

Suddenly a pony trots out from between the trees, humming some inane tune to herself. A unicorn, with a purplish coat and blue mane. To my chagrin, she looks completely unfazed.

“Stay where you are!” I decide to call out to her again and she finally notices me. Perhaps, I was a bit too hasty in my judgment. Her eyes go wide and I can see her mouth dropping slightly.

“Are you... a new unicorn?” she asks with an amazed voice, its volume quickly going from quiet to almost ear-piercingly loud.

I raise my head back up and stare at the mare in front of me. A wave of confusion hits me, followed quickly by a slight tinge of hurt. Does this simpleton not realize the situation she’s in? Does she not know who she’s facing off against?

No, I cannot think like this. I should put my pride aside and consider this an unexpected blessing. If she knew who I was, I could not allow her to leave. Without knowing her strength and without my power, that could prove problematic.

I feel a light poke on my shoulder. Curses, I need to be more careful, I’m too used to getting lost in thought from when I had nothing else to do. I shake my head and look at her.

“Umm, hello? Equestria to Mr. Mysterious Frown, can you hear me?”

Hmm, she seems to be oblivious and naive. Perhaps I can use that to my advantage.

“Ah, forgive me. I was merely lost in thought,” I say as I put on my best apologetic smile. “They call me Crystal Dusk. How may I address you?”

I cannot believe my ears. She almost falls over from laughing at me. I push my anger back. It’s not the time to be petty.

“Sheesh, mister, it’s like you’re straight out of a drama script,” she says between two laughs.

I groan inside. Fine, so my diplomatic style didn’t impress her. I quickly revise my spiel while she calms down a little.

“Sorry, sorry. My name is Izzy,” she finally replies with saccharine cheerfulness. “Nice to meet you!”

Unexpectedly she steps even closer. Her snout is now mere centimeters from mine. I can’t help but wince as she stares deeply into my soul.

“Huh, weird! I can’t sense even a bit of your luminessence!” she whispers to me, with such conviction that I involuntarily take a step back.

“I... must be tired, that’s why it’s not visible,” I try my best to sound convincing.

What is wrong with her? And what in Tartarus is a ‘luminessence?’

I attempt to chart out a plan to get rid of this crazy unicorn without her causing my doom.

Thankfully, before I need to do anything drastic, I notice with a great deal of relief that she seems to have taken the bait. She steps back and her smile morphs into a concerned frown.

“Gee, Mr. Dusk. Loitering around in a forest to the point of exhaustion is a terribly irresponsible thing to do, don’tcha think?”

“Yes, how silly of me,” I manage to push out. She really is getting on my nerves. Ah, if only my magic worked... Perhaps she wouldn’t talk so much with a crystal growing out of her mouth.

“Do you need me to walk you home?” she asks with concern in her voice. “I wouldn’t want you to collapse here alone or anything.”

What does she think I am? A helpless, old stallion?

“That’s alright. My house is very far from here, I wouldn’t want to trouble you.”

This seems to have confused her. One of her ears flops to the side for a second, as she cocks her head. Then she immediately perks back up.

“Oh, I get it now! You must be an adventurer from a distant city!”

Hmm, yes, something like that could actually be a nice cover.

“Something along those lines, yes. I am actually a traveling mineralogist.” My voice is firm and unwavering. Good, despite all this time spent alone, I can still lie fluently. “I am looking for a city made of crystals.”

Her eyes go wide upon hearing this. Just my luck.

“I simply have to show you my town then, Mr. Dusk! It is a city built around crystals!”

I do not sense my Empire nearby, but is it perhaps possible that my nation has expanded? As ridiculous as it may seem, I cannot entirely rule it out. Either way, I need to visit a city soon anyway, so there is no reason I shouldn’t accept her offer.

“Hmm, yes, perhaps a short visit to top myself up wouldn’t be so bad,” I say, feigning disinterest.

“Great! What are we waiting for then? Let’s go!”

And off she goes.

I try my best to gallop after her. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m still weak and I struggle to keep up.

So much for being concerned about a weary traveler.

Comments

[Odd_Sarge]

Solid start; this is a good blend of Sombra. I'm looking forward to seeing what you've prepared for him.

[Xafilah]

A decent start. Forcing Sombra to throw away his crown in order to escape was particularly devious. Perhaps it's indicative of deeper changes wrought by his banishment; perhaps it's just ruthless, utilitarian determination. Either way, I look forwards to what's coming next

[Bride of Sombra]

I’m excited to read this story and see its interpretation of King Sombra.

[Misty Shadow]

You are doing a good job incorporating Sombra into the world of G5 so far! I also like the way you're writing Izzy, keep it up!