The Sanctuary of Lights

by SapphireStarlightPony

Blind Faith

Chapter 9
Blind Faith

It was nearly dusk, and the early winter sun was sinking quickly in the western sky, soon to strike the horizon and burst in oranges and yellows like Emberwind's mane. It was neatly lined up with the little yellow flag at the center of the crowd, casting a long shadow across the crowd and across Sapphire Starlight. The flag was nearly completely washed out, paling in comparison to the bright sphere that seemed to rest just beyond it. Sapphire hung her head, staring at the ground to shield her eyes from the searing rays.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Light urged, nudging Sapphire's shoulder. She nodded her quiet agreement and turned to leave.

“Sapphire... How're you holding up?” Emberwind asked, cutting off the white unicorn's escape. Sapphire could see the concern in her friend's eyes.

“I'm just... really tired,” Sapphire said.

“And don't tell Rosebloom,” she added, forcing a faint smile.

“Okay, well with things how they are and all you know you can stay with us a while if you want,” Emberwind said. Sapphire nodded again. Stardust was not the best of roommates, but leaving the dragon-pony alone in the tower seemed likely to be construed as an insult.

“Thanks,” she said, “but really I'm fine.”

“Well at least tell us where you're going,” Emberwind said.

“Over to Light's to work on freeing Brazen,” Sapphire said, stifling a yawn. She hoped the walk would get her blood flowing, else it was likely she'd be going over to Light's to sleep on the floor.

“I'll tell you how it goes later...” she said, looking down the road.

Emberwind nodded slowly and stepped out of Sapphire's path. The white unicorn left with Light at her side. She paused only once to look back at the little yellow flag fluttering in the evening breeze. Many were still there around it, talking quietly. Sometime between her departure and harried return hushed tones and quiet whispers had become the standard of communication for the ponies of Glendale. Looming war had a way of setting souls on edge.

Sapphire's mission was the gossip of choice. Particularly, how Sapphire's mission had ended in failure. The dragon was not defeated, nor was the sanctuary reinforced. She'd taken all the valor Glendale could muster into the lightless reaches and returned with two washed out heroes of an age relegated to the dustiest corners of the Canterlot archives. Little more than a scribe and a monster to common eyes.

Lyric had spent the better part of the last three days at the school entertaining the young with old legends. A few of which Sapphire suspected the storyteller had witnessed with her own eyes.

Stardust had been met with all the shock and terror that Sapphire had expected. Jeering adolescents and sobbing foals was not the hero's welcome that a wounded hero like Stardust deserved. Time was a pitiless foe that afforded Sapphire no opportunity to repatriate the ill-tempered pegasus. For now, she had isolated herself in Sapphire's tower, her presence casting a pall over Sapphire's floundering social life.

But Sapphire Starlight needed no help destroying her social standing. The frosty-maned mare could feel judgmental glances and prying eyes boring into her almost anywhere she went. Some looked with pity, others with concern or distrust. She didn't really blame them. They'd had such great hope and she'd taken that way when her mission had failed. Every day brought more reports on the advance of the wolven horde, joined by even more sinister creatures that the scouts could not identify. Half-glimpsed shadows, indeterminate growls, and unfamiliar prints in the snow were inconclusive sightings at best, but had blossomed into tales of fearsome demons and savage monsters with horrendous claws and yawning mouths of merciless pointed teeth. Those few that dared to venture close enough to peer into the shadow yielded no reports, only little flags marked with clouds and feathers in the old church yard. Even wearing the pariah's mantle, Sapphire's goal hadn't changed. In her eyes her mission had not ended in failure. It simply had not ended.

“You've hardly said a word,” Light said, nudging Sapphire's shoulder again.

“I was just thinking about Stardust,” she said.

“Worried about her?” asked the yellow-furred unicorn.

“She's having a very hard time adjusting,” Sapphire said. It was an indirect answer, but the truth of the matter was complex. While Stardust was back in the waking world and for lack of a better term, healthy, the former pegasus had habits from that ranged from slightly odd to outright worrisome. Regularly Sapphire would find Stardust staring at herself in the mirror with the most contemptible scowls etched into her face, sharp-toothed snarls that might have reduced lesser mirrors to useless shards. The hybrid didn't speak much. The few conversations she did initiate seemed to turn quickly to the macabre. Sapphire was glad it ended there. So far. She wasn't sure how she'd handle things if Stardust started having shouting matches with invisible ponies.

“Stardust is strong and independent,” Light said. “She'll survive this. Otherwise she'd have turned those claws against herself centuries ago.”

Sapphire wrinkled her nose and just nodded. It was exactly what she was thinking but not particularly appropriate for street conversation with everyone so down about the war at their doorsteps. Finally they'd reached Light's door.

“After you,” the young stallion said, bowing with a little flourish. Sapphire smirked and smacked him with her tail as she trotted past.

“Where do we begin?” Sapphire asked once they were both inside.

“Start with the Lunar Stone. Do you remember what I taught you about Crystal Magic?”

“Some,” said Sapphire in an unsteady tone.

“What did I tell you was the most important thing to know about a crystal?” asked Light.

“Composition,” she said. “But we don't know what the Lunar Stone is made of.”

“Take a look at this reference,” Light said. “See anything that looks similar to it?” A book found its way to the floor before Sapphire. The cover was well-worn. It was one of a few Sapphire had often seen open on Light's desk.

“Magicite... Seraphite... Stellacine...Valicite...” she read aloud from the topics as she swept through the pages. “Ah ha! Sacrilite! This has to be it. It says here sacrilite comes from fallen meteors. It is very rare. Larger stones can be used to collect light and distill it into a very potent form of magic. Ponies exposed to charged sacrilite can expect to see increased magical potency at the expense of the sacrilite's charge.”

“Sounds like a good match,” Light said. “Unfortunately I've not got any sacrilite to test with.”

“I imagine not,” Sapphire said. “Of course it would be the one that comes from meteors.”

A knock at the door interrupted the mare's thoughts. She looked up and found Light was digging through the shelves for another book.

“I'll get it,” she said, hurrying to the door. On the stoop was an earth pony. His pelt was light brown and his mane was much darker, almost black. Spilled powder kegs marked his flank.

“Sapphire Starlight, right?” Brisance said. “It's good to see you again!”

Again? Sapphire thought. Have we met? She bit her lip as she struggled to recall where she might have encountered him before. The earth pony's ears drooped.

“It's Brisance,” he prompted, hoping for some sign of recognition in Sapphire's cobalt eyes.

Light appeared at Sapphire's side. “Oh it's Bris, Sapphire how could you forget Bris? You met him last night at the hospital.”

“Right, Bris, sorry, it's been a long few days,” Sapphire said.

“I'm sure it has,” he said, but his face still wore a frown.

Slowly Sapphire was recalling the events of the previous evening. This was the demolitions expert Fleethoof had sent for.

“Oh, come in,” the mare said, stepping aside. Bris brushed past her.

“Emberwind and Dawn Chaser told me I'd find you here. I've been to a few parties like this before,” the demolition pony said. “It's always best to touch base with the leading unicorns in each town about defenses. I offer a different sort of magic that they're often not used to. Usually they've got lots of questions.”

“It's explosives, right?” Sapphire asked.

“That's right,” Bris said. “Earth pony magic how it ought to be. Sudden, fierce, and unstoppable. I've seen my bombs stop dragons cold in their tracks.”

“A few of those might have done us a lot of good,” Sapphire said. “I'm sure the militia will want to talk to you about the bombs and how they should be used.”

“Of course. They're my next appointment. Listen, I know current circumstances aren't.. ideal...” the earth pony hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “...but I was told there might be some amplifying crystals I could get at to spice things up a little.”

“I'm not really sure that we've got anything like that lying around,” Sapphire said, taking a cursory glance around the room for anything she might lay hooves on for him. “Sorry...”

“Yes, sorry,” Light echoed.

The earth pony frowned. “Right, it's fine really. Perhaps another time. I know you've a lot of important work to do. Please call for me if you find any though.”

“Of course,” Sapphire said.

The demolitionist quietly excused himself, leaving Sapphire and Light to their studies. For a while things were quiet save the soft turning of pages. Sapphire switched back and forth between reading the resources Light had provided and helping him to assemble a crystal matrix based on their research. According to the book, a proper matrix would let the unicorns charge a release spell into a small, portable crystal. If they could get the release stone in contact with the Lunar Stone long enough, Brazen would go free. Sapphire was convinced that the super charge the Lunar Stone had been giving to Brazen all this time would be enough to let the valorous earth pony finally defeat his age-old foe. Unfortunately the matrix was more difficult to align than Sapphire could have ever imagined.

“I'm worried about you Sapphire,” Light said after a while. “I can't believe you forgot meeting Bris. It's not like you.”

“I know,” Sapphire sighed. She'd been trying to make sense of it for a while. Yesterday seemed so far away though. The day was so dim in her mind that it seemed like months had transpired in one afternoon.

“You should get some rest Sapphire. Try to clear your head.”

“Yeah, you're right,” the frosty-maned unicorn admitted. “I think Rosebloom would have me back in the hospital already if she weren't so busy with her patients and stocking up on supplies. While we were gone she hired on three new nurses to help mix medicine and take inventory.”

“You're probably right,” Light said. He chuckled to himself as he skimmed through yet another book. Sapphire peered over his shoulder, hoping to see what he was looking for, but the words seemed blurry on the page.

“Good night, Light,” she said.

* * *

Click click clop. Click click clop. The distinctive sound of Stardust's gait alerted Sapphire that she had failed to sneak into the tower without waking her guest. Alternatively she'd begun to wonder if the dragon-pony slept at all.

“Welcome home,” Stardust said flatly. It was a stiff, nearly mechanical comment to which Sapphire could hardly muster the enthusiasm for even the most halfhearted of salutations.

“How're you this evening?” Sapphire said, her words distorted by a yawn that she tried to speak through.

“It was quiet. Have you determined how to free Brazen?” asked Stardust, barely pausing for a breath before moving on to the matter at hand. The answer was going to be the same in the morning, only then Sapphire might have cared to tell it.

“Almost,” the unicorn muttered, hoping it would be enough to get her sleepless house guest to leave her be for the night. It wasn't.

“How close? Do not forget your oath Sapphire Starlight,” Stardust said. Her voice seemed even stiffer than usual.

“I've not forgotten. There's a release spell. It's really complicated, going to take a little longer to figure out. Maybe another day or two.” Sinking into her sheets she wished it were more like three or four days, maybe even a whole week. Brazen had survived 600 years without Sapphire's help. What were a few more days in the shadow of centuries? The softness of her bed was a warm reprieve from sleeping on a beat-up old mat in the snowy northern reaches. Sapphire was eager to welcome their embrace.