> Speak Now Or...
>  by The Tyrannical
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"One round? How about it?"

"No thanks."

"Come on, man. Loosen up."

"I'd really rather not."

I checked my phone. 7:52 P.M. We'd been at this for a couple of minutes now. I had to hand it to Trevor, he sure was persistent. 

"Okay Andy, here. Look around you, buddy. What do you see?" 

Oh boy, here we go again. Another one of Trevor's hammed-up speeches. 

Well, it's pretty hard to miss you, Trevor. I thought. You're the only person I know who would wear a huge duster like that, and you still refuse to shave that scruffy black beard of yours. Not even for tomorrow. 

Although I mock his beard a bit, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't the least bit jealous of it. The best I can manage is a patchy goatee.

I thought I may as well indulge him a bit. "I see the same old run-down bar we've been coming to for years." Yes, The Blue Moon had been somewhat of a hub for me and my friends since the end of college. The walls were cracked and covered in tacky photos, the windows were fogged and stained, and I didn't trust half of the chairs in here not to collapse when I sat on them. The only saving grace the place had was that the drinks were way better than you'd expect.

Trevor circled his hand in a motion that signaled for me to go on. "And?" 

"I see.... you guys?" I looked over our table. In addition to Trevor, there was Neil and Brian. The gang was all there, as always.

"Getting closer. What else?"

"I see... uh..." What else was there? I really didn't know. I just wanted him to get to the point.

"You might as well tell him before he hurts himself, Trevor." 

Yeah. Fuck you too, Neil.

"Alright, alright," Trevor interjected. He must've noticed the glare I was giving Neil. "You know what I see, Andy? I see something wonderful and refreshing.  Something you'll never be able to have again after tonight. I see freedom."

Uuugh. 

"When you walk out of that wedding tomorrow a married man, you won't have that anymore. You'll be chained and confined to your wife for the rest of your life, only going out for yourself when Janice allows you to. That's why we're here right now."

"We're going to give you your final night of solitude, and we're going to make it an amazing one," Neil stated after a long drink from his mug. "I say after this, we hit a buffet. Or a strip club."

Yeah, I don't need you guys to describe what a bachelor party is, I thought.

"But," Trevor continued. "We can't do that if you won't loosen up. So, let's have a round."

"I don't want to drink right now, man," I tried to convince him. 

"Oh, take a drink and quit belly achin' would you." Brian said in his thick Irish accent. "We haven't left this place yet to start the actual fun because you got a stick up your ass." Brian always did have a way with words.

I rolled my eyes. "Look, I didn't ask for a party like this."

"Why don't you tell us what's wrong then, bud?" Trevor insisted.

"Nothin's wrong, why does something have to be wrong?" was my response.

"Oh, so first he's all moody and now he refuses to tell us why? You sure this is the groom, Trev'? He acts a bit too feminine." 

I wasn't in the mood to snap at Neil just yet. The idiot would've probably just laughed off my anger anyways. 

"Shut the fuck up, Neil," a familiar, hardy voice adds. 

Thank you, Brian. He actually listens to you for some reason. Most of the time, at least, I internally praise him.

Trevor ignored the both of them. "Is it about tomorrow?" he asked, continuing his line of questioning. 

"I..." I didn't know what to say to him. I've never been any good with trying to describe how I felt. "I guess I'm nervous about tomorrow."

"Why's that?"

Oh boy, how can I phrase this right? my eyes dart around as the words form in my head. "What if I, like, screw up?"

Trevor shook his head slightly. "...I don't know what ya mean, mate."

"Maybe he means he's worried about the reception. Like, he'll somehow be stupid enough to screw up saying 'I do,'"  Neil suggested with a shit-eating grin.

"No no, there's a difference between that and screwin' up, Andy," Brian continued the tangent, assuming that what Neil had said was correct. "Like, you know that footage of the Hindenburg blowing up? That's the difference." 

Then the red-headed madman went right back to his drink. 

What the hell kind of analogy was that?  "Uh, thanks but that's not what I mean." 

Trevor looked somewhat impatient at this point. "Well what do you mean, then? Explain." 

I sighed in resignation. To their credit, none of them interrupted me while I tried to think of a way to properly explain how I felt. Not even an insult from Neil. "Janice is amazing. She's probably one of the best things that's ever happened to me. But, like, I'm wondering if I'm doing the right thing?"

"A bit late to be getting stage fright, Andy." Trevor was giving me a look like he was about to give me a scolding. "You're not getting cold feet, are you?"

"What? No!" I backtracked. "I just... I don't know! I'm so nervous about this I feel like I'm going to explode! Things will never be the same again, and... and..." 

"Calm down, Andy," Oh great advice, Brian. Like telling a sick person just to feel better.

"Calm down? I'm completely fine!"  I lied at full volume, standing up from my seat. It was probably a good thing the pub was completely empty. Saves everyone from having to deal with the angered giant that was myself. No, only my friends had to deal with me right now. Although none of them seemed worried. For some reason I found that slightly annoying. 

"There's no need to be over-dramatic, Barbara." You get one guess as to who said that. 

"Neil, I swear to god—!"

"Listen here, Andy," Trevor commanded, interrupting me from saying something I'd probably regret later. "I understand you're under a bit of pressure right now. I understand that you're nervous, but that's all it is. Just last-minute jitters. It's only natural to be feeling a bit intimidated. Because tomorrow, you get to marry the woman of your dreams. Tomorrow is the beginning of your life!" 

"More like the end of it." I heard Neil mutter to Brian. I regret to say that an annoying voice in the back of my head didn't disagree with him as I sat back down on my creaky chair.

"But with every beginning, there comes an end." Geez, and Neil was calling me dramatic. "Though you may start your life with Janice, you will lose your freedom. Nights like this will not come so easily for you anymore. That is why we are all here tonight! Tonight, we are going to make your final hours of freedom the best that we can!"

Neil and Brian gave a small cheer to that. I had to admit, he was making me feel better too. He always did know what to say to me. 

Without warning, Trevor rose from his seat at our table and swiftly made his way to the bartender. There awaiting him on the bar were four shots on a tray. When he came back to our table, he brought the little glasses of alcohol with him. How he managed to order these drinks without me noticing was beyond me. The sly bastard.

"Now, Andrew. Will you take a shot so we can get this show on the road?" Trevor asked as he handed me my own glass.

I mumbled to myself. "What is it? Irish car bomb?"

There was a stiff pause before Brian chimed in. "...No, Andy." 

"It's freedom," Trevor quipped.

I had heard that word too many times it was starting to grate on me. "Seriously, what is it?" I retried.

"Christ' sake! Drink it already!" an impatient Brian barked at me. 

"Alright! Sheesh, calm your freckles," I forfeited.

Reluctantly, I took the poison from Trevor's hand. Brian and Neil both took their glasses as well. In that moment, I can't explain why, but all my worries just melted away. Seeing my best friends all together like this, happy and ready for fun, gave me some sort of joy I couldn't describe. Trevor, Brian, even Neil. We may have our differences, but they've always been there for me. I wouldn't give these guys up for anything. 

I looked them over once more before a big, stupid grin spread across my face. They appeared eager for me to say the next words, as if they knew exactly what I was going to say.

"Bottoms up." Here goes the first of many shots.

They all approved, and finished poured their drinks down their throats faster than I could even lift mine off the table. I hesitantly glanced at it for a final split second. What was it? There was only one way to find out. Besides, Trevor knew what I liked, and If I couldn't trust my best man then who could I trust?

I lifted the glass to my lips and...

And that's about all I remember of that evening. The rest of the night could've been the best of my life, or just another average outing for me and my friends. It doesn't matter right now.

Because my earliest memory after that moment is standing blankly in a snowy desert with a bone-chilling blizzard raging at the moment. Really, that's how it happened. One moment I was sitting with my friends in an old pub, and the next I'm standing in the middle of arctic nowhere. I've never just blanked out like that, what happened?

Whatever transpired, it didn't matter now. I was currently stuck alone in Antarctica. I think. Or Greenland? That place has snow, right? Where else on earth was like this? I really didn't know. I couldn't think straight because It was so freezing. I could've been anywhere in the world, and... 

...

My stomach dropped, and my eyes went wide. ...And my wedding was all the way in California!

Thoughts raced in and out of my head as I begun to panic, mainly going something like "No, no, no! This can't be happening!" Millions of profanities left my mouth, and I collapsed to my knees in the icy powder. One prominent thought stayed in my head as I remained there in the stinging cold.

What the hell was in that drink?


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


"The crystal guard is being re-assembled so soon?" Princess Cadence inquired.

Shining Armor looked out the window of the castle's throne room. He could see the snow falling outside of the empire's shield. "Yeah, I know they still look pretty shaken up. I guess being gone for a thousand years will do that to a pony." Shining armor couldn't relate, and quite frankly he was glad for that. 

"I don't expect them to be ready for duty immediately," Cadence understood. "We should give them all the time they need to recover."

"I don't know. I'd rather we be prepared for anything," the cautious unicorn advised. 

"Sweetheart, Sombra is gone for good. We both saw it happen yesterday. What everypony needs now is some well-deserved rest." Cadence responded, knowing the meaning behind Shining's words.

Shining Armor turned away from the window, examining his wife. "Speak for yourself. You still look like you need your sleep."

The caring alicorn blushed at his remark. "I look terrible, don't I?"

Shining knew he shouldn't agree with that. "Wha— No! You... you look great!" 

She didn't. Her mane was frazzled, her bloodshot eyes still had bags under them, and he even noticed her magic was still barely strong enough to levitate a cup of tea. She simply looked drained. 

Cadence rolled her eyes. Shining Armor was a terrible liar. "In that case, I will be returning my room." She actually looked extremely relieved to say that. "Think you can handle things without me, today?"

"Yes. I've got everything under control," Shining saluted, more out of habit as a guard.

She was halfway out of the empty throne room when she turned to address him once more, "Unless Sombra himself comes back from the dead, try not to wake me." 

Shining Armor chuckled. "Yes, dear."

Seconds later, Shining was all alone. He didn't blame his wife for needing so much rest. Any magic user knew that magic, when used in excess, could quickly drain your energy. Cadence had pushed her magic to the limit and further with the shield yesterday. He was thankful they had the crystal heart now, otherwise the only season for their empire would be winter. 

He gazed out the window once again, watching everypony down below on the streets. They were all so cheerful, as if their horrible nightmare had never occurred. Shining Armor knew they were all keeping their troubles inside, but he didn't blame them for it. At least they had purpose to smile once again after so long. Silently, Shining swore that as long as he stood, they would never lose their reason to be happy again. 

Things were looking up for the Crystal Empire.
> Chapter Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As I stood there, shivering and trying to keep as warm as I can with my brown fleece jacket, I realized I was experiencing an unfamiliar emotion.

I was scared. I was genuinely scared.

I didn't know where I was or how I got there, I didn't know how I'd get back home, hell, I didn't even know if I'll make it out of the blizzard alive. The only thing that gave me any bit of comfort was the hope that maybe one of my friends would shout back to me as I continuously screamed their names over the roaring snowstorm. Ten minutes of nothing responding back to me quickly discouraged me from persisting with that.

I had never been so cold in my life. I swore that if I made it out of there, I was never complaining about the warm weather ever again.

For a brief moment, my mind was filled with glee as I remembered the contents of my pockets. Car keys, pocket change, swiss army knife, wallet...


"Cell phone!" I blurted out with a smile as I pulled it out of my pocket. My confidence faded as my phone told me I currently had no service. I delved into my contacts anyway. I had to at least try, and try I did. I must have called every contact I scrolled over, and even though I knew none of the calls would go through, It still crushed me every time an attempted call failed.

And then I scrolled over her name. Janice. The woman I was supposed to marry. A thousand concerns flowed through me. Does she know I'm gone? How is she dealing with this right now? Intentionally or not, I've essentially left her at the altar in front of her friends and family on what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of her life. Oh god, she must be devastated. 

Not only her, but my family as well. What could they be thinking of me? They must be so disappointed. Mom, Dad, all of my relatives...

Two questions remained prominent. Why did this have to happen? How did it happen? 

If somebody was screwing with me, I promised that whoever did this would pay. I would destroy them, make their life a living hell, make him or her regret ever messing with me on my special day. Our special day. 

If I survived the ordeal, that was.

With nothing else I could do, I walked on into the blizzard. Ice began to form on my hair, and my fingers were so cold I could hardly feel them anymore. Putting my hood on protected my ears from the sharp winds, but crossing my arms tucking my hands under my armpits was the only thing I could do for my poor digits. I couldn't see far ahead of me, mostly due to the snow blowing into my eyes anytime I looked up. All I knew for certain was that the surrounding area was almost completely flat, and there were no trees in sight.

I had nothing but the howling wind and my thoughts to listen to while I trudged on in the ankle deep snow. Is this storm getting worse? I think so.

It was so cold. Had I already said that? Because it was. I was trying to move faster, but my body felt like it was working against me. I felt almost frozen in place.

If any of my friends had heard those last few words, they'd laugh like idiots.

"G-gotta keep m-moving," I tried to tell myself in hushed whispers. "Keep moving f-forward." 

As I moved forward in the numbing snow, I noticed the the area gradually turned less flat and more hill-y. Going downhill was no problem, but trying to move up one of these hills was something else entirely. Trying to scale just one of these miniscule mountains probably took me a full two minutes. 

Then I saw that one of the hills was large enough that if I made it to the top, I thought I could scan the area. Maybe see if there was a cave I could hide in, or something. I didn't think that wasn't completely unlikely.

Five of the longest damned minutes of my life later, I was crawling and panting at the top of the hill. I squinted in every direction, looking for a sign of civilization, life, anything. In almost every direction, I could only see the haze of the blizzard. Then I turned to my right. 

Is that...? Yes, I think it is! A soft red glow in the distance. It was a light, and it didn't look too far away.

With newly found strength, I started down the hill as fast as I could towards the source of the light.

And then I tripped. On what? I don't know. All that mattered was that I ungracefully tumbled down the hill, and ice-cold snow found its way inside of my clothes. If I wasn't chilled before, I certainly was right then. I'll spare you the details of my colorful vocabulary at that moment.

As soon as I stood up and shook myself of the offending white powder, I could already feel the snow inside my shirt start to melt, and I remembered hearing that this wasn't the best situation to be in. Being in the cold weather is one thing, but being wet in the cold weather? My chances of crippling hypothermia had just skyrocketed. 

Turned out I did learn something from watching Survivorman. Thanks, Les Stroud.

There was no time to waste. I had to make it to the source of that light before I froze to death. 

As I got closer to the illuminated haze, I noticed that whatever was glowing was definitely more of a pink tint than it was red. It was strange, but if it meant being rescued then I couldn't have given less of a shit! Nearer and nearer, the illumination grew in size and strength. I believed I just might make it out of my frozen hell.

I proceeded closer and closer. There was Just one small pile of snow to climb and then I could see what the light was.

Finally able to look at what it was, I was not expecting what I saw. A gigantic, pink bubble stretched across the land and rose into the dark clouds above. I didn't know what to think of it. 

What the hell am I looking at? Wait... There's something inside. I stared at the colored dome longer than I probably should have, trying to pierce the bubble with my vision. Pushing my sight to the limit, I could see what looked like...

"A city?"


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Shining Armor walked in the crystal castle's hallways with the rejuvenated captain of the crystal guard. His steely coat and gradient mane of green were made even more magnificent to look at under the empire's glittering magic.

"Are you sure that you and your troops are ready, Stone Rend?" Shining asked him. He was surprised that Stone Rend said they were all ready to reassemble the guard. "There's no shame in needing some time. You've all been through a lot."

"Bah!" Stone Rend answered. "You make us all out to be a bunch of fillies. Of course I'm sure. Besides, it's the troops who want to get back in action. They're really itching to start protecting the citizens again, y'know?"

Shining Armor did not appear convinced. "You have nothing to prove, Captain. In fact, Princess Cadence even encourages you all to take your rest." 

Stone Rend merely scoffed. "Sorry Shining Armor, sir, our minds are all made up. We want to get back to work as soon as we can. And don't call me captain. That rank belongs to you now." 

"You don't seem particularly disappointed with having lost your rank, Stone Rend," Shining expressed with surprise. "Aren't you upset?"

"We've been gone for a thousand years, Shining Armor, sir. Last I remember, we were nearly at war with the Minotaur clans, and this 'Canterlot' place didn't even exist! I have no doubt that many other things in Equestria have changed during that time." Stone Rend explained. "I would rather we were led by somepony who was up-to-speed with basic history. They deserve that much."

"If you're certain." Shining Armor had to appreciate Stone's loyalty to his troops. "It's a commendable thing you're doing, Stone Rend." 

"I'm not about to let my pride come before my guard's well-being." 

Shining knew nothing he could say would deter the guards from their decision. With a sigh, he gave up. "Well then, I guess we should start getting the crystal guard up to speed today." 

"That's what I'm talking about," the shining stallion replied. "I'll go let them know the good news. They'll be excited to report for duty!" he remarked as he began to trot off to the barracks. 

"Try not to sound so disappointed!" Shining jokingly shouted after him before he disappeared from sight. Shining Armor knew he'd get along well with the cap— former captain of the guard. Loyal and hardworking, Stone Rend had all the merits of an honorable guard. It was no wonder he used to be the stallion-in-command in his day.

Shining had to wonder how Sombra managed to best the entire crystal guard. Their battle must have been quite a sight to see. Too bad he couldn't ask Stone Rend without re-opening old wounds. 

The guards must feel some sort of obligation, Shining thought as he strolled through the beautiful castle. Maybe they want to make up for their defeat. Shining mentally noted that he would need to deal with that tiny issue later. He needed to plan out how he was going to whip them all into shape.

The Crystal Empire's guard would be fit for duty in no time.
> Chapter Three
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	No matter how long I stared at the pink bubble, I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. What is it, even? Is it some sort of protective force field? Is it impenetrable? Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me, I thought. I really hoped not. The settlement inside was my only chance, and I didn't know what I would do if it turned out I was just losing my mind.

Where on earth was I? What was happening to this place?

I had to save those questions for later, preferably when I wasn't on the verge of getting frostbite. 

With renewed haste, I made my way down the hill towards the strange dome. Only when I was not twenty steps away from it could I comprehend just how large the bubble really was. The pink bulge scaled higher than I can see, and it appeared large enough to cover thirty football fields or more! I had to admit, it was intimidating as hell. 

I supposed now I knew how my opponent felt whenever I got in a fight. I immediately hated the sense of feeling inferior to something else.

Not only was it gigantic, but the thing didn't make any sense! The walls of the barrier didn't look thick at all; in fact it seemed as thin as paper. How was it standing up? Didn't that go against the laws of physics, or whatever? A closer look showed that it obviously wasn't made of glass. My thought process led me to believe that maybe it was some sort of advanced government science experiment to protect cities.

Speaking of, I could still hardly see the one inside. All I knew for sure was that one particularly large building towered high into the sky, but still didn't pierce the dome. Seriously, where is this place?

I could deal with getting my answers later, because I was positive that I was close to safety! 

I lumbered forward until I was right next to the force-field-looking-thing. Reaching a hand out, a thought in the back of my mind told me to pull away, as this thing could be life threatening to the touch. I shoved that thought away. It was either do this, or go back out in the snow and die of hypothermia.

My hand shivering from icy weather, I reached forward with my fingers until they touched the surface of it. I grit my teeth expecting some sort of electric shock, but it never came. In fact, I didn't feel anything. My hand just passed through as if it wasn't there. 

Oh no, it really is just a mirage! I thought in dismay. Regardless, I kept pushing through even with the thought in my head until I was completely on the other side of the bubble. What I saw could only be described as astounding.

Grass. Honest-to-god grass. There wasn't a speck of snow covering the ground, or a howling blizzard threatening to freeze my balls into icicles. In fact, the snow that was stuck in the folds of my clothes began to melt.  I was so relieved that I began to laugh like an idiot. How this was possible, I didn't care! My nightmare was over, I could see my friends and family again! 

And then I looked towards the city. 

I hadn't seen anything like it before. Hundreds, maybe thousands of tiny little houses and trees surrounded the one humongous tower in a perfect circle. The humble little houses all appeared to be carved out of some sort of crystal, shades of colors ranging from rose red to turquoise. The same type of crystal was jutting out of the earth everywhere outside of the city as well, although nobody had tried to make a home out of these ones. 

But no matter what, my eyes always ended up at the grand centerpiece of it all; the large white castle. The very essence of it commanded attention, it was so huge. Lined with alabaster crystals and artistic designs, the titanic tower ended in a single point at the top. 

This looks expensive, was my first and foremost thought.

I knew that earth could be strange sometimes with the places to live, but I had never even heard of something like this! One would think it would be big news, what with the force field protecting keeping this place warm and habitable in the middle of desert wasteland. Maybe I had stumbled upon a secret?  But why would anybody hide that kind of technology?

Just where was I?

Well, surely I'd find out. I decided as soon as I stopped shivering, I'd go try to talk to some of the locals and explain my situation. I might be pretty far out still, but I could just barely make out some of the little blurs walking around on the roads. 

I'll get home, Janice. I promise.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


At the center of the empire, Stone Rend faced twenty other stallions lined up in a row. Each of their glittering coats altered to a purple tint by their enchanted steel armor. Any outsider might find standing underneath the castle a bit daunting, but it was an everyday occurrence for the crystal guard.

"Alright, troops!" Stone Rend barked. "As I have already told the other groups, I am not your acting captain anymore."

Their training forced the guards not to make a sound or move an inch, but Stone could see the worry in their eyes.

"Until further notice, your acting captain is now Shining Armor," the intimidating stallion roared at them. "I can tell some of you seem a bit unnerved! Any of you want to tell me why?" He already knew what was on their minds. 

Most of the stallions chose to remain silent, too cowed to say anything. Seconds later, one of them in the middle of the row spoke up. "Sir. I would like to ask why Shining Armor has been promoted to Captain of the Crystal Guard, sir." Stone Rend recognized the voice well. Dusty Ore was possibly the most outspoken guard he had met, and that trait had gotten him into trouble on more than one occasion. 

"You want to know why?" the former captain parroted. "Well I don't know if any of you have noticed, but we have all been gone for a thousand years. Nopony we knew outside of this city is around anymore, save for the princesses. Cities have been built and dismantled in the time we've been gone! And if you asked me what our current relations were with Griffonia, I couldn't tell you!" Stone Rend lectured them, pacing back and forth along their line. "I think you all get my point. As things are right now, I don't have the knowledge to lead you. 

"Unlike me, Shining Armor, who you will all refer to as 'captain' from now on, has been born in the last century! He will be the one to bring the Crystal Guard up-to-date with current events of Equestria." Stone paused to take a look at his troops. Again, their eyes betrayed their stoic looks. "Now, see here. Shining Armor is a great leader. He is strong, stalwart, and fierce. And if you recall, he also helped to defeat Kin—" Stone fumbled with his words, remembering that monster wasn't in power anymore. "Sombra, yesterday. He is just as dedicated to the safety of this city as we are. I trust him, and I ask all of you to as well.

"Now! Anything else on your minds?" 

They all stood silent. It seemed that Stone Rend's answer had satisfied them all. 

"Good. For now, you are to resume your daily patrols around the empire, but at exactly 12:00, you are all to report to Captain Shining Armor in the castle courtyard. It is there that he will train you all to be the guard that this era demands of you."  Stone Rend took off his helmet. "I know that to some of you it might sound like you're going back to school." 

A nervous Stone Rend rubbed the back of his head with a hoof, hesitating to finish his thought. "Well, that's because that's exactly what's happening."

All of their vigorous training. All of their discipline. All of their years of being in the guard. None of it stopped the loud, collective groan that escaped their mouths. 


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


I never thought I'd see the sun again.

I laid on the warm, dry bed of heaven that was the grass, allowing the green blades to soak up the melted snow which dripped off of my fleece coat. Through the top of the dome, I could see the sun shining through. I had to say, it was a nice alternative to the snowstorm out there. 

Well, I figure I've been on the ground for long enough, I thought as I threw off my hood. I didn't want to waste any more time. Looking towards the settlement, I got off my rear and put it in gear. It was time to talk to some of the people down there. 

I had quite a ways to go before I reached the edge of the city, so of course my mind began to wander. Almost always landing on the million dollar question 'where the rollerblading Christ am I?' I was absolutely sure it wasn't America. Somewhere in Europe, maybe? I had no idea. I just hoped I wasn't breaking any laws by being inside this force-field town place. 

My thoughts stopped as I suddenly felt a pain in my right foot. While I was thinking to myself, I had apparently managed to step on one of those tiny crystals jutting out from the ground. This one might have been really small, but damn was it sharp! I didn't last very long jumping around on one foot, as I fell right back on my ass again. I'm really glad there were no children around, because at that moment I said some profanities that I felt disturbed for even saying. 

Taking off my shoe and looking underneath confirmed my thoughts. The tiny rock had poked right through my shoe just to stab me in the foot. Damn it, I had just bought these shoes a month ago. I consider myself extremely lucky that, by some miracle, it didn't draw blood. 

I scanned the ground for the stupid little mineral. I certainly didn't want some other unfortunate fool to step on the death trap. My eyes fell upon a jewel as blue as a Hawaiian sea. It looked barely bigger than a large marble, but the edge of it threatened murder. I was able to pull it out of the ground, with a lot of digging and extra effort. The crystal was bigger than I thought at first. Now that it was fully exposed, the thing was about as long as a comb.

I don't know what compelled me to do it, (most likely the potential worth of a crystal,) but I slipped the gem in my pocket. Who knew, it might come in handy sometime. 

A bit of pain still occurred anytime I stood on my right foot, but I didn't want to stop and rest again. I couldn't wait any longer to get home; I've already been gone long enough as it is.

The edge of town was in sight, and I'm noticing how different it is to see this place up close. Now that I can make out all the details, this city became something out of a fantasy. The crystal houses, the design of the walkways, it was all beautiful, really. It's a shame I was in such a rush. Under better circumstances, I would love to explore this place. I'd have to try and come visit here someday after I got out of here. 

Wherever that was.

Soon, I was officially inside the town, surrounded by these crystal houses, or whatever they were. They had doors and windows, so I assumed they were houses. I mean, the doors looked really small, but whatever. I was a pretty big guy after all. 

Where were all the people? I swear when I walked inside the barrier, I could see people walking around like it was nobody's business. I hadn't imagined them! Now I can't find anyone to save my life. Maybe they were all inside? 

Looking around, I spotted the nearest crystal building and made my way to it. The house was colored a maroon color, and even had a garden out front by which, one could clearly see by the drops of water on the flower petals, was watered recently. 

I hated meeting new people. It's always such an awkward experience for me. But I had to get home somehow, and I didn't know where else to go to in this town. It was better to get it over with.

I walked up the stairs to the front door, and knocked. I waited for quite a while before I heard a woman spout some unintelligible gibberish on the other side. Oh thank god, somebody does live here! I thought. I could hear her turning the door handle on the other side. The portal opened and...

...out stepped some sort of purple, four-legged animal.
> Chapter Four
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	What the actual....

I don't know how long I just stood there on the doorstep, staring at the hoofed, quadrupedal... thing that had opened the door. The creature's violet fur was so vibrant that it was literally shining like an amethyst. In addition to the white hair on top of it's head, it also sported a bushy tail of matching color. And it's eyes. Those gigantic eyes were like nothing I had ever seen before. The violet things were the stuff of poetry, I could stare at them for hours. 

All in all, the weird creature appeared to be some kind of miniature, mutated horse. 

Taking all of this in proved to be too much for me, as my jaw bobbed up and down trying to form words. The thing in front of me looked to be having the same problem I was, as if it was too scared to do anything. Wait, was this thing intelligent?

Fortunately for me, the animal took the liberty of making the first move whilst I gazed at it in silent shock. Unfortunately for me, it decided to screech at the top of it's lungs and slam the door in my face. I guess it was scared of me. Or maybe it found me really ugly. I don't know.

I was breathing a bit heavily, still reeling from the shock of discovering the house's inhabitant. Never in my wildest childhood animal books had I seen anything like that. Talk about awkward first meetings. 

Was that thing intelligent? Like a human? was the first thought to buzz into my head. The pony had seemed to be smart enough to open and close doors, and it had also responded to my knocking. I didn't want to rush to conclusions, but it all seemed to add up to one theory.

Intelligent life did exist.

I backed away slowly from the door. I really didn't know how to react to this new information. Some weird alien species lived in this city? Where were the humans? 

Oh, shit! Are there any humans here? The questions just kept piling on, and I wasn't smart enough to answer any of them. God, how I hated it!

I'll try another house! Maybe the crystal houses are only populated by the new species as a sort of designation by the humans, or whatever. I rationalized. Yeah, it was a weak theory and I knew it, but I needed something here. I was having one of the worst days of my life.

Traveling through the abnormal suburbia, I spotted the most normal house I could find. Rather than the shimmering crystal walls, this one looked to be completely carved out of dull, gray stone. I mean it may have still been pretty shiny, and It was still kind of built in the 'multiple sides' style the gem houses were sporting. But it had a flat roof, and that was good enough for me. 

I swiftly rushed past the multiple gardens and fences, when something caught my peripheral vision. One of those alien pony things had its head poked out the door, staring right at me. As soon as I turned to look at it, the door slammed shut. with an annoyed grunt, I ignored it. "Just keep going, Andrew. It'll be done with soon enough," I quietly hoped. 

I didn't slow down as I hurried to the door. The first knock I gave was more or less just me slamming into the wooden entry. Two forceful whacks followed soon after. 

I heard a voice from the other side. I couldn't make out what it was saying, but it sounded like a human male. My hopes were cut short as the voice opened the door, and revealed himself to be another one of those alien horses. This one looked bigger and more muscly than the last one and sported a shorter blue hairdo. I guess this one was a dude? Good to know they have genders, I guess.

"No..." I muttered under my breath as I took a step back. Behind him I could see what looked like the interior of a bar? If my experience with The Blue Moon was anything to go off of.

This creature was giving me the same treatment the first one did, what with the silent bug-eyed staring. Only instead of screeching in my face, this one sounded... different. 

“Fs… svool?”

...What?

“Blf xzm fmwvIhgzmw nv, irtsg?”

Was... was it talking to me? What language was that? 

"You can speak?" I tried to ask it.

"Dszg?”

"Huh?" Yeah, that was definitely not English. Fuck me sideways, I couldn't communicate with it.

The alien continued to speak, but I couldn't make heads or tails out of what it was trying to say. That wasn't Spanish, I knew that much. (Thank you, high school.) It didn't sound like any French or Italian I've ever heard... didn't sound German either, I knew a little bit of that as well. 

...Okay, maybe the only German word I know is "scheiße." Shut up.

Let's see... what other languages were there? Was it Arabic, maybe? I've rarely if ever heard any of that language. Japanese? Chinese? Is Norwegian a language? Wait, what did I care? Even if I knew what language it was, It wasn't like I'd be able to speak it anyways!

"Bah!" I finally said out loud. "Screw this! Screw you! I just want to get home!" I turned and stormed away, probably leaving the poor thing in confusion. He probably couldn't understand me either, but I didn't care. I just wanted to find the people behind this.

Someone else had to be here. Someone of my species. Maybe there was somebody out on the street I could talk to and get this whole mess sorted out. I was too afraid to knock on another door, for fear of finding another alien steed.

"I gotta keep calm." I audibly told myself. "Any minute now, I'll run into a scientist gathering data or something out here. Then they'll tell me I stumbled upon a secret experiment and send me back home where nobody will believe me when I tell them about the intelligent ponies. Yeah..." My nervous chuckling would tell anybody that I didn't even believe that at this point.

I had to keep going.

My legs were moving faster. I'm basically running at this point, getting closer and closer to the main street. Little did I know, getting out of the alley and turning the corner would only show me one thing. A colorful plethora of horses, everywhere. Roaming the streets, sitting at tables, talking to each other, doing everything an intelligent species would do. And not a single human in sight.

I didn't want to admit it, I didn't even want to acknowledge it. It was ridiculous and childish to even think of the possibility, but the evidence pointed to the outcome.

Wherever I was, it certainly wasn't earth.

In a lame attempt to cope with my horrible situation, I tried some referential humor to calm myself. "Toby, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." 

The dog was named Toby, right? You know, from The Wizard of Oz? 

...

God damn it if I get out of here, I'm never going to take a drink again!


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


"—and so, the Minotaurs were out of options, and were forced to call upon Princess Celestia for her help." Shining Armor droned on in front of the guards.

The castle's training ground, once an area used for honing physical fitness, had been transformed into an giant improptu classroom. On the grass inside the track ring, at least forty stallions and a couple mares all sat in rows of tables, each one free of the armor which sat next to them. At the end of the field the makeshift desks faced, Shining Armor stood on a podium, reciting a millennium of history from textbooks and his own knowledge. 

It was safe to say that at least half of the guards were bored out of their minds, but most of them forced themselves to pay attention. Some didn't see the point of it, but Shining Armor was firm about the gravity of this history lesson. He was glad that Stone Rend at least knew the importance of it all. 

Shining Armor could tell that the trained enforcers were straining to absorb the information, but he continued on with his lecture. "With the princess' help, Minotaur shaman Brugadd was able to discover a cure for the devastating Horn Plague. It was this event that began to ease relations between the two... uh..." In the middle of his tale, Shining Armor spotted a hoof near the back raised among the crowd. "Uh... yes, mister...?"

"Dusty Ore, Captain," the rust stallion finished for him. "I'm just a bit confused. Back in our time, the king of the bovine would have sooner condemned his people than ask us ponies for help. What happened?"

"Also I kind of have to use the bathroom." Another guard spoke.

Shining Armor choked on his breath upon hearing the minotaurs being so casually referred to as "bovine." Such a remark nowadays would be seen as extremely racist in everypony's eyes. Although, Shining Armor realized that the rest of the guards had no problem with such a slur. They had continued as though he hadn't said anything wrong.

Shining took a deep breath and shut his eyes. They're from another time. Things were different one thousand years ago, he had to remind himself. 

"Okay, so..." Shining Armor groaned. "First of all, I would like for you all to refrain from calling them... 'bovine.'" The very word was poisonous for him to say. "And to answer your question, you're right. King Gangor did not ask for Celestia's help. His grandson, Tarbuul did. When Gangor died, the minotaurs grudge against ponies soon followed. It was only until a third of the minotaur population was infected with the fatal disease that King Tarbuul decided to do anything about it. Under Tarbuul's leadership, the minotaurs and ponies were able to— " 

"Wait, why shouldn't we call 'em bovine? That's what we've always called 'em." another voice interrupted, followed by faint murmurs of agreement. 

Shining Armor fumbled with his words. This was not the direction he was expecting this lesson to take. 

Why do I have to be the one to explain this? "Okay, If you'll let me continue my lecture, I can explain to you how relations between minotaurs and ponies furthered into peac—"

"Sir, I really have to use the bathroom," came the voice from earlier.

"Just wait for a little, I need you all to hear this." Shining assured them. Shining was about to continue his spiel when more voices heckled him. 

"Hey! Where's my helmet!? Where did you put it!?" one stallion accused.

"I didn't do anything with your helmet!" another defended.

"Oh so it just vanished, did it? You're a liar!"

"I said I didn't do anything with it! Maybe you just misplaced it like the idiot you are!"

Shining decided he had enough of their little spat. "You two! Cut that out! I'm trying to teach a class here!"

The two guards at their table both begrudgingly slouched in their chairs, glaring daggers at each other. 

"Sir, can I please go use the restroom?" the stallion retried desperately.

"I kind of have to go now too...." somepony murmured near the front.

"No! No bathroom breaks!" The exasperated captain huffed. "You all said you wanted to get back into it as soon as possible, but as it is right now you all need your knowledge tested! So let me speak and we'll be done!" But his voice seemed to fall upon deaf ears. The quantity of voices only increased, along with his frustration.

"Wait, we're gonna be tested on this?"

"Seriously, where did you put my helmet!?"

"Would you shut up about your stupid helmet!?"

"Aw sweet, a bit!"

"Captain! Bash is clicking his tongue to annoy me!"

"Am not!"	

"Why do I have an extra helmet?"

"Oh dear Celestia, my bladder is going to explode!"

Shining Armor's face met the wooden surface of the podium.
> Chapter Five
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Amethyst Glory had to had to hurry. There may not be much time left.

Through the streets of the Empire she searched frantically for a guard, but to no avail. The only sight that met her purple eyes was the population cheerfully going about their lives. 

A bunch of fools they were! Didn't they know that a minion of Sombra was on the loose!? 

She would try to tell everypony about the danger herself, but she had gained a... reputation in this city. Nopony would listen to her. They'd all believe she was a foal crying wolf.

She shuddered in remembrance of the creature. The thing had waltzed right up to her doorstep and pierced her resolve with it's soul-rending gaze. Not to mention those hideous claws! She just about though it would rip her throat out before she slammed her door and hid inside her house. Amethyst felt lucky to be alive to tell the tale.

"Where is a single guard!? Useless brutes!" she blurted in frustration. She received a few looks from the crystal ponies around her, but most of them rolled their eyes when they discovered who caused the outburst. 

She decided the marketplace was a good area to try. There had to be a guard there, making sure nopony was foolish enough to steal from the vendors. 

The frantic mare picked up her pace, shaking the long strands of hair out of her eyes. Her mane was an unkempt mess at this point, but it didn't matter right now. There were much more catastrophic problems to worry about. 

Her sprinting came to a stop when she spotted it in the corner of her eye. An armor clad, crystal guard walking with a spring in his step towards the castle. Relief washed over her as she called out for the stallion. "Guard! Oh my stars, Guard!"

The stallion in question turned only to give a look of horrifying realization. Amethyst Glory needed to report a 'problem' to the guard. Again. She was well known for constantly harassing the guards for petty problems. There wasn't one guard in their ranks who didn't know who she was, or dreaded having to tend to her next.

"Thank Celestia, I found you! Where are the rest of you, anyways!?" she huffed.

The defender sighed. "Miss Glory. Always a... pleasure to see you. What seems to be the problem this time around?"

"Oh, it's terrible! A horrible creature has invaded our home!"

"You mean like the 'horrible' fox that 'invaded our home' last time?" he scoffed.

"Much worse than that!" she spoke in a shrill voice. "I believe an agent of Sombra himself has wormed it's way here!"

The stallion's surprised gaze lasted about a second before it turned into an annoyed stare. "Miss Glory, I'm really not in the mood for your jokes right now."

"Wha— I am not joking!" Amethyst stomped a hoof. "I'm completely serious!"

"To be quite frank, miss Amethyst, you are serious about all of your reports to the crystal guard. More often than not, they turn out to be rather trivial."

"Trivial!? Why, you big oaf! I'm trying to help save us!"

"Alright, alright, I apologize, miss. I'll hear you out." he conceded.

"Hmph! This is the thanks I get."  She took a moment to get her bearings before she told her tale. "Now, I was tending to my chores at my house in the west district, when I hear a knock on my front door. Being the polite mare that I am, I decided not to ignore whoever might have been rudely interrupting my daily routine." 

The guard could see where this story was going, and he already didn't believe her.

"To my horror, a tall and menacing monster the likes of which I've never seen before was standing on my doorstep! It stood on two legs, and looked large enough to devour me whole! Just being near that thing gave me a bad vibe!"

The guard stood unfazed. "So then what happened?"

"Why, I locked my door, ran upstairs and hid in my bedroom! When I peeked out my window, I saw it lumbering off somewhere else. When I was sure it had disappeared, I ran faster than I ever have in my life to find you! You simply must do something, the very air around that thing felt wrong!"

He shook his head. "Are you sure you didn't just see a bovine, miss Glory?" 

"This thing was unlike any minotaur I've ever seen, if it was one! The legs just weren't right, and it didn't have any horns." The distraught mare took a moment to ponder, trying to remember any other important details of the monster.

"Miss Glory, I'm sure whatever it was you saw, it's actually nothing to worry about." The unimpressed guard derailed her train of thought. 

"Nothing to worry about!?"

"I mean no offense when I say this, but it's rare for you to report a problem that is actually.... well... a problem."

"What about that swarm of horrible insects!? If I didn't see them coming from a mile away, they would've destroyed our crops!" she quickly rebutted.

"You mean the swarm of tiny birds? That weren't harmful in any way?" he replied. "What kind of bug would even live in this climate?"

"Oh...right." Amethyst felt sheepish as she remembered the event in it's entirety. "But you must do something about this! I may not always be right about what I see, but I assure you I have only the best of intentions!"

He was about to reply when a new voice cut him off from afar. "Excuse me! Guard!" Amethyst turned to see a gruff, turquoise stallion she didn't recognize trotting up behind her. 

The two ponies regarded the stranger for a moment before the guard spoke up. "How can I serve you, mister...?" 

"Glass Pond, sir," he nodded in acknowledgement.

The guard's visage brightened upon hearing his name. "Ah yes, mister Pond. How was business at The Thorny Rose last night?" 

"Same as every Crystal Fair night. Place was packed full, especially after Sombra's defeat. 'Twas a night to remember," he recalled fondly. "But that's a story for another time."

"Right. What did you need, mister Pond?" the guard inquired.

"Well, I was searching to find one of you when I couldn't help but overhear you two talking about Amethyst's issue."

"You heard all that?" she asked quizzically.

"As a bartender, you develop a good ear. Anyways, I wanted to tell you that I had a similar experience to Amethyst's. A creature I've never seen before is lurking around."

"You saw him too?" Amethyst nearly hollered.

"The thing knocked on my door and stared right at me. And let me tell you, it may have looked similar to one, but this was no Minotaur."

"Ha! What did I say?" Amethyst sneered at the guard.

"But I'm not so sure about the whole "agent of Sombra" thing."

The indignant mare adapted a confused look. "What? Why else would it be here? We're finally rid of Sombra and coincidentally this new creature shows up out of the blue? I don't think so!"

"I don't know what it could be here for, ma'am. All I know is that it didn't seem very friendly when I tried to communicate with it. Just yelled some gibberish at me and stormed off."

"And you're sure about this, mister Pond?" the guard asked.

"Sure as the moon rises at night," he said with confidence. "Besides, I didn't get the best feeling from being around it either. I mean, maybe this thing doesn't have anything to do with Sombra, but I don't think any good can come from having this new creature roaming around the way it is right now."

The guard considered them both for a moment before he gave a resigned sigh. "Well alright, I suppose it never hurts to be too cautious. We'll find this newcomer and assess the situation from there." 

Glass Pond smiled. "Thank you, sir."

The guard nodded. "Now, if there's nothing left to say, then I should be on my way. New captain's corralling the guards together, and I don't want to be late for that. Farewell, Mister Pond." He pivoted back towards Amethyst. "And farewell to you too, miss Glory."

And without another word, he trotted off. 

"Hey! You best do something about this soon, you hear!?" Amethyst hoped her words reached his ears as he disappeared from sight. 

"Y'know," the bartender started. "I think you worry too much sometimes, ma'am." 

The confused mare had almost forgotten about the stranger still present. "I'm sorry, have we met before?"

"Yeah, last year you accused me of murder." He stated blankly. "Or should I say one thousand one years ago?"

"I...." A blush quickly found it's way onto her face. "Can you really blame me for that!? I saw you dashing into your house with blood splattered all over you!"

"That was paint."


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Damn, I hated snow. The stuff might've been fun for the grade school snow-days, but when your boss is an idiot who doesn't get that it's near impossible to drive in such a frozen-over hell, snow isn't exactly as fun as you remember it to be. 

I could hardly see out of my car's windshield as I raced to my job as fast as I could. Though, I actually wasn't going very fast at all. If I dared to go faster than ten miles under the speed limit, the ice under my tires would most likely carry my car into disaster. I guess it's a good thing nobody else was following behind me.

Not eager to be late, I checked my watch. 8:13. Oh wait, 8:14 now. I had sixteen minutes to drive three more miles. Provided nothing went wrong, I could make definitely make it. Which, of course, meant that something would totally go wrong.

I didn't want to be out here right now. I didn't want to be risking my safety for a job I didn't even like that much, but I'd already been late before. If I showed up to work late again, I don't know if I'll be able to keep my job. But I needed to put food on my table, and I was tired of mooching off of my parents.

Why do I bother. Even if I did get fired, I bet I could find a better job anyways, I thought. Deep down, I knew that wasn't true. I'd try my hardest to apply for every job I could, and none of them would call me back because apparently god had it out for me. Hell, I was lucky to get this job at the coffee shop. 

Before I knew it, I was reminiscing about my old job at the closed down bar. Being a bouncer at The Bottomless Tankard was probably the best job I've had. I didn't have to do much, just throw out anyone who got too rowdy. And, being the incredible hulk that I was, overpowering people was something that came naturally to me. Those were the days. I'd come in, sit in a nearby corner and chat it up with the bartender all night. Ah, I missed Jim. Funny guy.

In my daze of nostalgia, I did not notice the stop sign which was coming up very fast. Nor did I see the Toyota in front of me which had already come to a full stop. 

Panicking, I slammed my foot on the brakes. It may have stopped the wheels from turning, but as predicted, the black ice on the road pushed me onward at higher speeds than I would have liked. 

Now I know there was something I was supposed to do in this kind of situation, but instead I just froze up. I didn't swerve out of the way, or do anything. Instead I just kept my foot pressed against the brake pedal as hard as I could and said my prayers. 

The good news is that my car did slow down quite a bit. Bad news is that it only came to a full stop when my bumper thudded against the Toyota in front of me. Figures. The one car I see in these deserted streets and I run right into it.

"Oh, shit..." Looked like I was gonna be late. At least I had an excuse this time.

The voice from the other car was, predictably, rather upset. "What the fucking hell! Who's the absolute shithead that ran into me!?" 

Ho, boy. I understood he was mad, but I hoped for his sake he wasn't picking for a fist fight. The raging guy who stepped out of the driver's seat looked about as strong as a pile of sticks. To my surprise, he wasn't the only one who was in the car. From the passenger's door, I could see a redheaded guy stepping out as well. He looked a lot stronger (and more neutral) than the other one, but nothing I couldn't handle if he was planning on being this guy's goon. 

Well, time to step out and assess the damage, I thought with disdain.

"Hey, jackass! What the hell's your problem, huh!?" the same guy screamed at me. Before I could get out of my car, he was at my window screaming bloody murder. At least now I could get a better look at him. Short, black hair, blue hoodie, and some bony looking fingers to boot. 

I was not in the mood for this right now. I had only woken up about an hour ago and I already wanted to go back to sleep. Maybe I could defuse the situation before it got any worse. 

I rolled down my window to confront the raving jerk outside, talking with as much care as I could. "Hey, glad to see you're alright." Really, I was. "Look, I'm really sorry about this. I could hardly see out my windshield, and I tried to brake but—"

"But apparently you're a moron who doesn't know how to drive!?" he rudely interrupted. "Christ, how did you even get your drivers license!?" It seemed this guy wanted to test my patience. I guess he couldn't see how big I was from outside? 

"Look buddy, there's no reason to be getting mad. It isn't gonna solve anything right now." I rubbed my temples. "Let's just calm down, alright?"

"No reason!? You crashed into my car!" his hollering was attracting a bit of attention from the occasional passerby. "I'd say there's plenty reason to be upset, you idiot!"

Idiot? Oh, he's on the edge of a knife right now.  I was beginning to boil with rage like he was. "I'm warning you. Calm down, or this will get ugly." I threatened from my driver's seat. Hopefully he'd have the common sense to back off.

He didn't. "What's the matter, Dumbo? Don't like having your obvious mistakes pointed out to you?"

That's it. You wanna go, motherfucker? Let's go. I hated being called stupid. I knew I wasn't very smart at times, but I despise being labeled one of those stereotypical big oafs. So naturally, I wanted to break this guy's fingers. 

My car door forcefully flew open, nearly hitting the douche in the gut. Stepping out of my car, I now stood to my full height looking down on him. The angry stranger only now realized what a mistake he made. The look on his face was priceless. I bet he was wishing he hadn't prodded the bear so much now. Too bad for him.

Before I could knock out all of his teeth with one punch, his buddy from earlier stepped in between us. "Woah, woah wait, stop! I'm sorry about that. You'll have to excuse my friend here, he can be a bit of a handful sometimes," he spoke with a heavy accent. I was pretty sure it was, like, Scottish, or something. "Now why don't we all just take this down a notch, eh? Look." He directed out attention to our cars. More specifically, the point of contact. What I saw was a bit surprising: There wasn't a noticeable dent in either of our automobiles. "Hardly anything to write home about, am I right?"

I had to agree. "Yeah..." I conceded with a sigh.

"Now you," the redhead said to Asshole McDickbag. "need to apologize to him."

Asshole simply decided to scoff at the idea, but a firm glare from his companion quickly adjusted his attitude. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry I blew up at you like that. It's... been a rough morning." 

What, did your mom die or something? Although I haven't been the best at dealing with loss in the past, either. "Yeah, I can relate," I grumbled. "So, what do we wanna about this?" 

The two strangers took a few steps towards the collision. They were talking to each other just quietly enough that I couldn't make out what they were saying. I simply opted to stand in the snow quietly, even though I was freezing to absolute zero. Turns out a baseball cap and light coat were not enough to keep me warm in this weather.

After a minute or so they turned to face me again, the red headed one with a sly smirk on his face. Asshole didn't share the smile, but he seemed a lot less upset.

"Well it looks like it's your lucky day, buddy," McDickbag told me. "We've decided we shouldn't get our insurance companies involved in this... minor bump." 

"That works for me," I quickly said. "Again, I'm really sor—"

"On one condition!" the accent guy stopped me. "Tonight, we all go to the bar on the other side of town, and you buy us a drink." He couldn't contain his grin from stretching ear to ear. No way the lanky jerk came up with that idea himself. He doesn't seem like the type to get along with people easily. 

You know, I might've been stretched for cash, but what they were asking wasn't really unreasonable. Besides, I'm sure I'd want a drink too after today. I wasn't looking forward to seeing Asshole again, but his friend seemed fairly nice. 

And hell, I was a bit lonely these days. I'd settle for any sort of human contact at this point. "Alright, that's more than reasonable. What time do you want to meet?"

Redhead was beaming at this point. "Nine o'clock. Don't be late." 

"And just to make sure you don't skip out..." Asshole swiftly swiped the baseball hat off my head, exposing my black buzz cut. I let out a cry of protest before he cut in again. "We're just gonna hold on to this until we see each other again." 

Asshole finally gave a small sneer of his own, but his friend actually returned it with a glare of his own. Yeah, I felt the same way.

"Look, if you just come to the bar tonight then you'll get this back no problem, right?" Asshole reasoned.

"I wasn't going to skip out," I defended.

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

Ooh, I wanted to wipe that smug look off his face! I liked that hat, too... "Fine. Look, I gotta go."

Redhead nodded. "Very well. We'll see you later, mister...?"

"Andrew," I told them, heading back to my car. "You two?"

"Brian," he answered. Well, I didn't have to rely on calling him Redhead anymore.

"Neil." 

...Eh, I was gonna stick with calling him Asshole McDickbag.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


I know it may not seem like it, but that was actually a fond memory of mine. My life really turned around after that moment. Before I met Neil and Brian, I was in an antisocial rut. Every day that passed just... did. After I met those two bastards, I had something to look forward to again.

"Brian. Neil." Those words came out as a mere whisper.

I had collapsed against the side of some horse's gem house after wandering around like a brain-dead zombie for a couple of minutes. I didn't know what what to do. Part of me was still thinking this was all a dream and I would wake up any moment now. I had pinched myself several times to the point where I drew blood. 

"Please. Wake up," I whimpered.

I feel so hopeless sitting here and remembering what I used to have. I felt like I had the wind knocked out of me and I couldn't get back up. I wanted to go home. To see my friends and family again. But it was all taken away from me. The only things I had left were the clothes on my body. 

What could I do? I didn't know. So instead I sat there and wallowed in despair.
> Chapter Six
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A single pair of stallions stood facing each other on the track field, which was now devoid of any tables or podiums. Only the natural grass of the field was there to grace their hooves. Surrounding them were their compatriots, watching with interest as Shining Armor spouted his monologue. 

"When I blow the whistle, you will begin," he promptly stated. "Ready..."

The two armored guards took on their battle stances.

"Set..."

Their glares hardened, but like everyone else, they kept silent. In that brief moment, the tension could've been cut with a knife.

Then the whistle sounded, and the two ponies blitzed towards each-other with great force.

Shining Armor had to admit that the ensuing struggle between the two fighters was impressive, but he quickly confirmed that it was just as he had previously hypothesized. They were still trained in the old ways of Equestrian combat. Judging from these two, he could guess that the rest of guard would fight like they would as well.

Shining Armor had some work to do, but that was alright for him. He rather enjoyed this part of the job.

A stallion was thrown to the ground, while the other quickly pushed his advantage and followed up with a painful hold. It didn't take a genius to figure out the forelegs weren't supposed to bend that way. Some of the observing guards had even winced in ghostly pain. 

After a bit of listening to the poor stallion's grunts of pain, Shining Armor stepped in. "Alright, that's enough. Dusty, release him." The cheers of the watching stallions died down as Dusty Ore complied. Walking back to join the crowd, the pained stallion rubbed his legs in an attempt to soothe his deescalating pain, and Dusty Ore sported a wide grin as he received praise from all who placed their bets on him.

"Well, wasn't that interesting?" Shining remarked out loud, earning a few murmurs of agreement among the crowd. "I certainly learned a lot from watching you two go at it. You all want to know what I gathered?" 

Only eager silence met his ears.

"I learned that you scrubs need some serious work! What I just witnessed was barely passable!" he half-lied at them. Many bewildered looks met Shining's eyes, but he continued. "It seems that even combat techniques have changed in the past thousand years. Don't worry, I don't hold it against any of you. It just means it's time to run a lot more drills!"

Hushed whispers were passed in the sizable crowd. "We can't really be that bad, can we sir?" a curious voice among them demanded.

"There's a multitude of things that you all need improvement on, if that sparring match was anything to go off of. Outdated techniques, missed opportunities for well placed..." his voiced trailed off as an idea popped into his head. "You know what? How about rather than try to explain it, I show you?" He repositioned himself where Dusty Ore once stood in the ring. "Who would like to face off against me?"

Nopony immediately volunteered. It took a few seconds of the guards looking at each other expectantly before one did take up his offer and walked out of the surrounding crowd to face his captain. A few shouts of encouragement from his fellow guards helped to boost his morale.

Shining Armor regarded the tall ruby unicorn for a moment. Shining mentally admitted he was impressed by the size of this guard, but he knew it wouldn't help him in the end. "And your name is?"

"Coral, sir," he replied.

"Well Coral, come at me," Shining told him, getting into a battle stance of his own.

And like the obedient subordinate he was, Coral did just that and charged headfirst. 

A confident Shining was ready for him, galloping to meet the unicorn halfway through his charge. Coral did not stop his sprint,as he was intent on delivering a lightning-fast hoof to Shining's face. To the surprise of the spectating guards, Shining ducked under Coral's jab faster than anypony thought was possible, and wrapped his forelegs around the outstretched hoof above him. Utilizing his incredible strength, Shining lifted Coral off of his hooves and threw him across the field. 

Coral had been rendered a mess on the ground in less than ten seconds.

"Practice is over, Coral." Shining gleefully mocked with a chuckle. "Why don't you show me you're really made of?"

The stallion lifted himself off the ground, shaking his salmon mane out of his eyes. Looking at his surroundings, he realized that Shining Armor had tossed him right where he was originally standing. The fight may as well have not even started.

As he readied himself to engage his captain again, Coral wondered what he had gotten himself into.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


I don't know how long I sat there in the shade between the two buildings, just moping. It couldn't have been very long though, as the shadows had hardly moved since I sat down.

I'm if sure somebody else were here in my situation, they'd be able to find out where they were, or make a plan and follow through. They'd find out what the hell the story is behind this alien city, and find their way home with ease. 

I really wish I could be that guy. I wanted to be that guy, but I just wasn't. That guy would be on his feet by now, looking for clues or whatever. That was the kind of guy she deserved. Not the one pathetically whimpering in a dark corner. 

Every once in a while, I'd spy one of those shimmering pony things walking by. It only served to remind me of my current situation, and my wallowing would start all over again. 

My hand rustled around in my pockets, searching for my cell phone. I figured that now that I'm inside this... weird bubble force field, maybe by some miracle it would grant me service. I had to pull out everything else in my pocket before I could get it out of there, and when I did I was not amused. Still no service.

"Yeah, great. Just fucking great." I ran a hand through my hair, taking a deep breath. I really didn't have a way out of this.

One by one, everything went back into my pockets. Phone, swiss army knife, gem that damn near impaled itself on my foot. I was doing it all subconsciously until I picked up my wallet. Instead of slipping it back in my pants, I opened it up. I needed a bit of relief. I needed to see her face.

I silently mulled over the small picture I pulled out. There was Janice, smiling back at me. Her short brown hair, her flawless skin, and her bright green eyes. The mere sight of her was so comforting to me that it managed to curl my lips as well.

I was pushed back onto my feet as I put the picture away. Maybe I really couldn't get out of here, but I wouldn't let it be said that I didn't try my damned hardest to get home. Because Janice deserved just that. 

I couldn't give up. I had a wedding to get to. 


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Shining Armor stood unscathed, and didn't even break a sweat. Coral was a collapsed wreck on the grass.

"Is this really all you troops have to offer? My little sister could probably fight better than this!" he fibbed as Coral managed to slowly pick himself up. "If this the way you all handle unarmed training, I can't imagine what your skills with weapons are like!" He badgered the guilty audience of guards. They all knew in the back of their minds that they wouldn't have fared much better against Shining than their compatriot.

"You all better brace yourselves, because we're gonna wail on each other! Get in formation!" 

At his command, the surrounding crowd quickly transformed from an unorganized clump to five organized rows of ten. Shining gave a subtle smirk upon seeing Coral back on his feet as though he didn't just get the snot beaten out of him. Maybe these guards had more in them than Shining had initially guessed.

"Now, everypony! Starting with you," Shining pointed to the stallion in the front corner. "The guard to your right is now your enemy. Show me what you can do!"


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


I decided to try and keep a low profile, as I was still not sure about these things being completely docile. So I kept to the shadows, wherever I could find them, and moved when hardly anyone was in sight or paying any attention. Where I was going, I had no idea. I just continued on forward in hopes that I would find something of interest.

Great plan, I know.

One thing I hadn't noticed about these aliens before was that every single one of them seems to have a tattoo right on their ass. No tattoo was the same, though. I saw images of gems, pillows, musical notes, elements, animals, and more.  Sometimes it was hard to make out what the tattoo was depicting because their skin would shimmer in the sunlight so god-damned much.

What the actual fuck are these things? Why do they all have tattoos? 

Boy, I wish those were the only questions on my mind. I could go on forever about this place and how I didn't understand anything about it. Why go through the trouble of living in the arctic if none of you can tolerate the cold temperature? I'd silently inquire. Why not just build your city somewhere else more habitable? Or maybe their entire world covered in snow? 

I really needed to stop asking questions. It wasn't getting me anywhere. Speaking of getting anywhere, I didn't know where I currently was. I mean, it was kind of hard to get lost seeing as how there's a gigantic white spire in the center of the city, but everywhere in this city looked the same. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was the area of the city I had entered in.

"Wait..." Up ahead of me behind a couple crystal houses, I could see a large crowd of those pony creatures. What they were all doing over there was beyond me. 

Now that I thought about it, most of the areas I had been in had been somewhat sparse in population. Maybe this was where they all went? But why? What was going on over there?

Ignoring the part of my brain telling me I'm not good at being stealthy, I strode up as quietly as I could and hid in between the two houses. What I saw caused my stomach to grumble in desire. 

A market, mostly consisting of food. 


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Everypony was beating the stuffing out of each other, and Shining was loving it.

With every match he passed by, he would call out something they were doing wrong, or give them both advice. He was flattered to see that some of them were even attempting to pull off some of the moves he had performed on Coral. Some were met with success, but most of them were off with their execution, and Shining reprimanded them for it. 

He did so adore this part of the job. Training the guards to become better fighters was something he prided himself on.

Just when he was getting caught up in it all, a voice behind him sounded. "Captain."

Shining Armor turned to see a guard half a head shorter than he was, saluting and standing at attention. "Oh, hello. Aren't you supposed to be wailing on somepony else right now?" Shining asked.

"Yes. I called for a brief pause while I talked to you about a problem I encountered before I came to the guard's fitness training."

Shining raised an eyebrow. "A problem? You didn't think to report this earlier?"

"I never got the chance to. Besides, it isn't exactly urgent."

The exasperated captain sighed. "Well, you're here now. What is it?"

"I recently received a couple complaints from some of the locals, telling me about some sort of deformed bovine roaming the streets."

"First of all, minotaur, if you will," Shining clarified. "Second, what's wrong with a visitor to the Empire?"

"The citizens seem to believe that the bovi—" A hard glare from Shining forced the guard to rethink his wording. "Minotaur... will cause some sort of trouble."

Shining contemplate this information. A deformed minotaur? It sounded to him like the citizens were being a bit paranoid. And racist. But he couldn't very well ignore it in case it did turn out to be trouble. "Fine, I will deal with this." He finally said. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. You can return to your fight."

With a final salute, the guard ventured back to his enemy. Shining watched him for a short while before turning to his left, where two familiar guards were already going at it.

"Coral! Dusty! Front and center!" He barked at them.

The two stallions, wrestling each other on the grass, perked up upon hearing their captain call for them. They promptly released one another from their iron grips, and swiftly made their way to their intimidating captain.

"Sir!" they said in unison with a hoof raised to their foreheads.

Shining began his debriefing. "I have a task for you two..."
	
> Chapter Seven
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I gazed wistfully at the stands of fresh produce from my hiding place. The numerous amount of ponies here were all on a mission for one of the many vendors, with bags hanging from their sides and even trading around what I had to guess was currency. I should have been amazed at how these things were able to set up their own economy even, but it's hard to be impressed with anything when your stomach is growling at magnitude eight.

My belly was aching so loudly that a couple of the passing ponies (which, at the risk of being racist, I had taken to calling them,) seemed to look around, trying to find the source of the disturbing noise. That's how loud it was. 

All of the best food stands were out of reach, and there was no way I could get to them without being seen. Luckily for me, between a pony selling cabbages and another sporting some carrots, I spotted a stand which was selling what had to be the most appetizing berries I've ever seen directly across the road. Those things looked beautiful, I tell ya. A work of living art! I had to get some. Unfortunately, not only would my presence probably scare everything there, but unless U.S. dollars are universal, I had no way of paying for them. 

And if that wasn't trouble enough, the stall of fruits was being supervised by a much larger pony. A gradient of purple hair, turquoise body, and boy did he look pissed off. At least, I think it was a dude. My point is, you'd have to be desperate to try to steal from him. But I was that desperate, and those berries looked so worth it anyways. Besides, I could take him on if it came to blows. 

But how would I get some without being seen? I'm not stealthy, and I'm sure to be spotted if I stay here too long.

Sheesh, you'd think I haven't eaten in days with how hungry I am! Actually, given how I had no idea what happened between the events at the bar and coming to in the frozen desert, it was very possible that I hadn't actually eaten in a while. 

In a once in a lifetime opportunity for me, I hatched an idea. Me! Hatching an idea that could actually work! Who knew, right?

Wasting no time, I felt around my deep pockets for the stupid crystal I had stepped on earlier. With the blue rock in hand, I watched the passing crowd for my chance, and waited.

And there he was across the street to my far left, walking on by and minding his own business. He looked frail and small, like he'd be knocked out easily by this thing. I felt somewhat bad knowing what I was about to do, but he'd be fine in the end. 

Making sure noone was looking in my direction, I gripped the rock in hand and hurled it as hard as could at the back of the small pony's head. 

Boom, direct hit. As expected, the blow was enough to take him down. Thank you, high school football. 

A bunch of other ponies immediately noticed him collapse, and before I knew it, they all hurried to huddle around him. Even the angry looking one at the berry stand left his post to see what the hubbub was about. Perfect.

With nobody on my right paying attention and everyone else on my left tending to the injured pony, I channeled Sonic the Hedgehog and sprinted across the street behind the berry stall. With great vigor, I reached into one of the baskets around me and grabbed a handful of the incredibly appetizing fruits. 

Just to be safe, I looked back towards the distracted crowd. Sheesh, I know it's strange to see somebody randomly fall to the ground, but I didn't hit the guy that hard. I didn't think he'd need a hundred ponies to help him. Strange, really, but what's done is done, and now I had a fistful of food.

Oh my god, I can't believe this worked! I silently celebrated as I lifted the multicolored berries to my mouth. Maybe I don't give myself enough credit. I just may be able to get out of here and... and...

...

I didn't finish the thought as I was currently spitting out the rabbit turds these ponies called food. "What the hell!? These berries taste like shit!" I whispered in disgust. Eating these things was like eating dirt and mosquitoes. Seriously, these were up there on the list of most disgusting foods I have ever eaten. Just past Tofu and right behind McDonalds.

In my attempts to remove the taste from my mouth, I hadn't noticed the tiniest pony ever, standing right next to me and staring at me with blue eyes the size of dinner plates. 

Oh shit, how long has she been there!? She wasn't moving or saying anything, so I had a small amount of time to absorb this situation. If I had to guess from her size, she looked like she was only a child. What really confused me was that she didn't have a tattoo on her ass like all the others. So they're definitely not born with it. Was getting a tattoo a coming of age thing for these ponies? Whatever, I had to shoo her off or risk getting caught. I hoped nobody would believe her when she said she found an alien. 

"Shoo, shoo!" I tried to tell her, but to no avail. "Go away!" I whispered loudly, batting an arm at her. She backed up a bit, but she didn't seem to get the message still.

Suddenly, the kid looked off into the distance and began to say... something... very loudly in their unintelligible language.. "Nlnnb, nlnnb! Ollp dszg r ulfmw!" 

"No, shh! Be quiet!" I pleaded. 

She didn't listen. She was too busy screaming for everyone to hear. I had to get her to shut up. In an act of desperation, I tried to shoo her off again. This time more aggressively by gently nudging her away or swinging my arms in the air, gesturing for her to go away. She was still obliviously yelling at the heavens and not paying attention to me. 

To my eternal bad luck, one of my wild arm swings went a bit too far, and knocked into the stand I was hiding behind. This caused the box of dogshit-berries sitting precariously on top of the stand's edge to fall over.

Right onto the kid's head.

Well, it got her to shut up, but now I faced a bigger problem. Upon lifting the box off of her, I saw her eyes begin to water, and her lip began to quiver. 

I knew what was about to happen. "Oh no. No no no no, please don't—"

Too late. She was crying and screaming at the top of her lungs now. Praying I hadn't hurt the poor kid, I picked her up and held her in a lame and creepy attempt to comfort her and get her to stop crying, but it wasn't working. To be fair, I'd be pretty freaked out too if an alien I've never seen before hoisted me into the air. What was I thinking?

It only took about ten seconds for me to realize that every single pony in the crowd was now gazing slack jawed at me. Holding a crying child next to a ransacked dogshit-berry stand. I can imagine how bad it looked.

I opted to chuckle guiltily and slowly put down the crying child before I addressed the masses. "Uh... hello?"

And I guess that was their cue to release a collective scream and panic. Hollering and running, they all emptied out faster than I thought was humanly— er... horse-ly(?) possible. In less than a minute, they had all run away or hid in their homes. Even the big tough stall guy, the crying kid, and the one I injured with the crystal seemed to have disappeared from sight. I guess I really spooked them. 

"Great. Can't wait to see what repercussions this will have, I thought in bitter defeat. Well, might as well take the time to see if I can find something actually edible.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


"What are we looking for, again?" Dusty Ore asked repeatedly. He and Coral had donned their spears and enchanted coat color-changing armor, and were both patrolling the streets in search of the 'strange visitor' that had been reported.

"For the last time Dusty, I don't know. The captain just told us to go find what looks like a b— minotaur, and assess whether or not it's a threat," Coral responded, more than a little annoyed at his partner's constant nagging. "If it is, we bring it back with us. If not, then this was an immense waste of time."

Dusty nickered in Coral's direction. "You're not really going to start with that 'bovine and minotaur' manure, are you?"

"Hey, I'm not too fond of our current captain, but he's right about one thing. If we're going to live in this time, we need to start changing the way we do things," Coral stated. "Besides, we don't exactly want to anger a minotaur." 

"Like I care." Dusty snickered. "Also, 'not too fond of him?' You're just saying that because he whooped your sorry flank." 

"I am not," Coral pouted.

"Except you are. You're mad because he humiliated you in front of us all, and now you're never going to hear the end of it from us," the snarky stallion remarked.

"Shut up."

"The truth hurts, doesn't it? Well, you're gonna have to—"

"No, I mean actually shut up. You hear that?"

Dusty and Coral both paused and stood still, honing in on their sense of hearing. What they heard didn't sound promising. 

"Screaming? What's happening over there?" 

"Sounds like it's coming from way over there," Coral pointed out before he took off running. "Come on! I bet that's where we'll find our target!"

"Right behind you!" Dusty replied, sprinting after Coral.

Coral feared what he would find. On occasion they would run past a pony currently running away from their destination. The two defenders stopped one mare with a crying filly to ask what was happening, but she was hysterical and raving about some horrid beast that nearly devoured her daughter. Hearing this only quickened their pace.

"Do you still think it's a minotaur?" Dusty called to Coral.

"I don't know what we'll find! All I know is that it's up to no good!"

Dusty thought for a moment. "I can only imagine what foul things the beast is doing right now!"


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


"P-too! What the fuck, does everything here taste terrible!?" I exclaimed as I spit out the chunks of chewed apple. I had been from stall to stall and every food I ate tasted horrible, and each one I threw it away. At this rate, I would have to choose a food and stick with it. Even if it tasted bad, food is food. I couldn't very well die of starvation after coming this far. That would just be pathetic.

Tossing the apple aside, I made my way to the next stall. Along the way, my journey was interrupted when I stepped on something familiar. The blue crystal I lobbed at that pony's head. Upon closer inspection of it, I began to see why such a large crowd had formed around him earlier.

The crystal had a red splotch on it. A single taste of it confirmed my suspicions. That wasn't ketchup.

"Oh..." If I didn't feel bad before, I certainly did now. I must've really hurt the guy. I didn't think he would be that fragile! I didn't even know these things could bleed! I just thought they were purely made of crystals, or whatever!

I wanted to throw the stupid rock away again, but I didn't want to hit anyone else with it. So with much umbrage, the dirtied mineral went back into my pocket. 

Deciding now was not the time to mope, I went back to scanning the market. Cabbages, watermelons, carrots, all of which looked deceivingly delicious. Maybe I'd try the watermelon later, but I knew better about the other two.

I was still secretly hoping for a wagon full of cheeseburgers to appear.

My eyes finally fell upon the last abandoned cart in tow. But this one didn't have produce on it, rather it sported what looked like fresh baked pastries. So now I knew these ponies could cook, too. I guess that's good to know. I mean, it would be a lot better to know if they ate steak or bacon, but I doubted it.

Now, I knew fruit and vegetables would taste bad, but I wasn't exactly sure about baked goods. Maybe these would be different. They weren't sparkling like the rest of the foods being sold around here, so that could make a difference. Reluctantly, I stepped up to grab what looked like an ordinary muffin. I slowly lifted it to my lips, expecting it to be laced with poison ivy, or something equally terrible, but nothing bad ever came to taste buds. In fact, it tasted... bland.

"Good enough for me." Before long, I was digging into a box full of the flavorless muffins working them down with the power of fifty Oliver Twists.

I was still halfway through the last one in the box when I heard a shout from behind me. "Szog!" 

Turning around with a mouthful of muffin, I spotted the source of the noise. Two brilliantly shiny purple ponies in silver armor, both of which were carrying some sharp looking spears on their backs and looking severely pissed off and baffled at the same time.

...How do they plan on using those spears, exactly? I wondered. It wasn't like they had hands to carry them with. I decided I'd save it for later. Right now, it looked like I was busted.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


"What in the name of Celestia is that thing!?" Dusty questioned as the creature turned to face the two armored guards. "It's hideous!" Whatever it was, it was doing quite a number to that pastry cart. 

"It's gigantic," Coral spouted. "But that's supposed to be a minotaur? Are those.... clothes?"

The beast swallowed the muffin currently in it's mouth, and began to walk towards them on it's two legs. The two guards realized this and immediately readied their battle stances. Whatever the thing was, it seemed to understand they were being a bit apprehensive, and stopped in it's tracks with it's upper appendages held in the air.

"What's it doing?" Dusty asked.

"I don't know. Let's approach it slowly."

With each wary step they took, the monster didn't move. Coral disliked how the beast did not seem afraid or intimidated by them in the least.

Only when they flanked the creature on both sides did they try to communicate with it. "What manner of creature are you?" Coral asked.

"Dszg?" it said, facing Coral. The language it spoke was like nothing they had ever heard before.

Coral hesitated. "Do you understand us?"

"Uli tlw'h hzpv, hkvzp Vmtorhs!" Whatever it said, it seemed to be getting annoyed. 

"That's not Equestrian. What is that?" Dusty asked his partner from afar.

"I have no idea."

The two legged creature gave a sigh. "Ollp, R'n hliib zylfg trermt vevibylwb z hxaiv, yfg..." 

The unknown entity continued it's long rant while Coral and Dusty eased up. The two decided to walk closer to each other while the individual spoke in it's strange language. 

"...zmw gszg'h nb hglib, zoirtsg?" The bipedal fellow finished, leaving the two guardians puzzled.

"Do you think it's dangerous?" Coral asked Dusty.

"Maybe. It hasn't exactly tried to attack us, yet."

"Well, we know it's intelligent. Has there been any newly discovered species in the last thousand years?"

Dusty rolled his eyes. "Don't ask me. I wasn't paying attention during the captain's lecture." 

"Look at it's legs." Coral marveled, poking at the creature with a hoof. "I've never seen anything like— Gah."

"What's wrong?"

Coral brought a hoof to his head. "I don't know, I just suddenly felt... weaker."

Dusty faltered. "Are... are you alright?" 

"Yeah, I'm good now. Strange, it only happened when I touched him."

"You think he did it on purpose?"

"Not sure, but we can't let him roam around the city as he is right now."

"Right. We should take him to the Captain. He'll know what to do."Dusty paused. "It is a he, right?"

"I assume so."


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Oh my god, what the hell are they saying?

Ever since I tried to explain to them my situation, they've just been talking back and forth and prodding me with their nubby little hooves, much to my annoyance.

The two security guards (or whatever they were) didn't seem to be on edge anymore, so that was good I guess. Means this little encounter will probably go smoothly. Although it would be going even better if we spoke the same damn language.

Wait a minute, what's on his head? I hadn't noticed it at first, but one of these ponies had some sort of pointy protrusion sticking out of his forehead. "A horn? Oh, you're kidding me." It was silly to consider, but here I was in the presence of a real live unicorn. "What's next, Sasquatch?"

Then one of the enforcers had moved behind me. What were they doing now?

"Nlev!" he barked at me. No idea what he wanted from me, but it didn't sound polite. The unicorn one in front of me said the same thing, but I still didn't get what they were trying to communicate. I cocked my head at him. 

To my displeasure, I felt the one behind me give me a push. Or at least he tried to and I only budged one step. In the process, the guy must've passed some static electricity on to me, because I felt a tiny little shock. Seconds later I saw the armored guard behind me, struggling for breath. I knew I was strong, but man these things were lightweights. 

Whatever. Served him right. Don't push, asshole.

Although, I have been feeling pretty good these past few hours. I felt like I could lift a horse right now. And not one of these puny little pony things. I'm talking one of those big-ass shire horses that are about as tall I am. 

I silently wondered why I was feeling this way while the unicorn soldier in front of me said some gibberish and went to the aid of the weak one behind me. 

I shook my head. What is the deal with these things?


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


"Are you alright, Dusty? Come on, don't collapse on me now." Coral was wary to see his friend out of energy so fast. 

"I'm alright, I'm fine." 

"Sure you are. You were panting like a wolf in heat just seconds ago." Coral joked.

"No really, I'm fine now." Dusty flexed every muscle in his body to prove it. "You weren't kidding about touching him." 

"So he won't cooperate with us, and we can't physically move him without some major effort," Coral stated, looking at the strange being who was currently staring wide eyed at the Crystal Castle. "How are we going to get him back to the Captain?"

Dusty pondered on the topic for a moment. "Can you use your magic to levitate him?"

"That might be pushing my magic the limit, but provided we hurry back, I think I can hold him for that long. Good idea."

Dusty held his head high. "Heh, I try."	

Approaching the creature from the front, a pink glow enveloped Coral's horn. The large individual seemed intrigued by this, and bent over to inspect it further. Coral backed off, afraid of the being's touch.

Dusty waited for Coral to lift the thing off the ground so they could get going, but it never happened. "Hey, Coral, quit fooling around. Pick him up already."

"I can't!" Coral said through strain. "My magic doesn't interact with him, it's like there's nothing there!"

"What? Don't tell me this thing is magic resistant, too?"

"No, if it were magic resistant, I would be able to at least touch him with my spells. This is something else entirely." Coral said, deactivating his horn. "Hold on a moment. Let me try something." Closing his eyes, Coral tapped into his magic once again. 

"Alright, I'll bite. What, exactly, are you doing?" a confused Dusty requested.

"Shh. I'm concentrating." Coral said, pointing his horn at the very confused looking creature.

"Really, what are you doi—"

"By Celestia's horn!" Coral blurted out in a panic.

"What, what's wrong!?"

"He doesn't have any magical properties! None!"

"What does that mean?"

Coral couldn't believe his colleague's ignorance. "You really don't know?"

"Let's just say I didn't pay attention in school." Dusty said sheepishly.

"You're hopeless."

Dusty nickered. "Spare me your attitude and give me the nutshell version of the lesson."

"Alright, fine. Essentially, everypony has a sort of magic in their being. Unicorns, pegasi, even earth ponies. It allows us to live the way we do, using magic, interacting with the weather and growing crops with ease." Coral hastily told. "In fact, every living thing on Equus has some sort of magic in their being. Gryphons, minotaurs, even plants and animals. Granted, a lot of these beings have very little magical essence to them, but to have none at all? It's an impossibility. Even Sombra himself had magical properties." The mere mention of that name earned an internal shiver from both stallions.

"So, what does this mean for him?" Dusty directed towards the very bored alien.

"I... I don't know. It's impossible to predict what exactly this thing can do." Coral admitted, examining the alien species. "But I think it's connected to the fact that we can't touch him. And who knows? It could be connected to something, or somepony, even worse."

Dusty could guess who Coral was hinting at. "Well we definitely can't let him roam around now, but how are we supposed to get him back to the castle?"

Coral contemplated their predicament. When he set out to deal with this issue, he never expected anything like this. He could stay with the unknown specimen and have Dusty go back to the castle to retrieve the captain, but he wasn't sure he could take it in a fight alone if the situation got out of hand. 

"I've got hoofcuffs. Will those work?"

An idea popped into Coral's head. "If I levitate these onto him, maybe I can guide him to the castle by grabbing the hoofcuffs with my magic."

"Sure, might as well try."


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


I was so close to just walking away at this point. After that unicorn did the weird thing with his horn, I lost interest shortly afterwards. Now they've just been talking to each other again, occasionally looking back at me with expressions I couldn't discern. Did they even need me here, or could I just go?

I'll give them both five more minutes, and then I'm gone. I thought. They can follow if they want, but I'm not just gonna sit here forever when I should be trying to find a way back...

...Are those handcuffs floating towards me?
> Chapter Eight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I am not proud to say that I've had some brushes with the law. Whether they were misunderstandings or extremely minor offenses, all of my encounters with the police have sucked the big one. 

Quick note for all of you young rapscallions: If you're gonna hop a fence, be absolutely certain there isn't a police officer directly on the other side of it. 

What I'm trying to say here is that I was no stranger to handcuffs, but this situation was certainly a new experience for me. Not only was I being arrested by small, horse-like aliens, but those handcuffs were floating towards me all on their own. There weren't any strings or hands to hold them, only that weird salmon glow around them. Which, coincidentally, was the same color of the unicorn's glowing horn. 

Ah, I see now. The unicorn had magic powers. I should be going on and on about how that's impossible, but I had long since stopped being surprised and baffled by such things. My lack of wonder also could have had something to do with the fact that I was being arrested. 

I backed away slowly from the ghostly cuffs. I didn't want to go to their jail! For all I knew, I wouldn't be coming back if I went with them. I didn't have the time to go through jail, either! I needed to be finding my way back to earth, and I seriously doubted that sitting in a cell would help me with that.

Plus, judging from how small these ponies are, that wouldn't be a very big cell. That wouldn't do at all, since I'm a big man and I need my space.

So, relying on my instinct, I moved my wrists away from the cuffs which threatened to clamp onto them. But the metal bracelet kept trying for my poor hands. I can't imagine how I looked at that moment.

"Hey, stop! I haven't done anything wrong!" I tried to tell them while dancing my arms around the air. I didn't really expect them to understand. Especially not when they're blabbing at me in their backwards-ass language.

Trying to defuse the situation, I decided to grab the cuffs out of the air. They yielded to my grasp fairly well, thankfully. I half-thought I would have a tug-of-war with the air. As I expected, Unicorn dude began spouting his drivel at me again. My mind told me that I wanted to deck him in his exposed jaw, but my conscience argued that would only make this bad situation even worse. 

Instead, I stupidly opt to talk back to him, knowing full well it would have the same effect as trying to crack a boulder using tissue paper. "Dude, I'm not your enemy here! Calm the fuck down!" I retried, advancing on him slightly. 

His horn began to glow pink again. Using his weird-ass unicorn powers, the spear on his back gracefully twirled around in the air before pointing it's sharp end at my chest. I took it he felt a bit intimidated by me if he felt he had to use that thing.

"Oh..." I meekly squeaked out. I immediately stopped and held my hands in the air, dropping the cuffs to the ground. My death was only a single thrust away and I knew it. 

Being on the verge of injury or death wasn't a new experience for me. I've had my fair share of knives pulled on me, but it never get's any better to deal with. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and my brain was trying to register a million thoughts at once. Really the only thought I could clearly register was Holy shit, he's gonna kill me. 

Pushing all the cluttered thoughts aside, I thought fast. If I could grab the handcuffs out of the air so easily, maybe I can do the same with the spear? I only hoped that I could grab the shaft faster than he could thrust into me.

This was no time for innuendo. Shut the fuck up. 

As though fate had given me a break, I successfully managed to swipe the polearm from the unicorn's... floaty grasp thing. The unicorn looked at me in horror upon realizing his weapon was now in my hands. As if he thought I was going to murder him right then and there. I wasn't that type of guy, though, so lucky him.

Seeing as how the tiny spear had no practical use in comparison to a big guy like myself, I decided to get rid of it. (Plus, I had no idea how to use a spear properly.) So I drive it headfirst onto the smooth pavement of the road. The sheer force of the impact caused the spear to splinter like a twig in a wood chipper. 

And I wasn't even trying that hard. Strange.

I decided I would process that information later, as the unicorn now looked a lot more intimidated by me. I wanted so hard to teach him a lesson and do to him as I did the spear, but my conscience thankfully got the better of me again. So I took a knee and hunched over to reach eye level with him. As softly as I could, I told him. "Look. I'm sorry, but I don't have time for this. I'm gonna go now. You can follow, but I'm not going with you." I tried using hand gestures to help him understand better what I was saying, but I doubted it worked.

Eager to get out of this situation, I moved to walk away from the guard. Talk about bad first meetings. I really hope these two ponies aren't the vengeful type. 

Those two... Two? Wait, where'd the other one go?  

Answering my question immediately, I heard the sound of clanking metal around my ankles, and found myself falling back down to the ground. I managed to get a good scrape on my forearm in the process. I looked down at my feet to see that the other pony had managed to sneak up behind me and clamp the handcuffs on my ankles. How he did it without hands, I have no idea.

"What the fuck good is that gonna do you, asshole!?" I screamed at the pony who held a smarmy smile on his face. If he came any closer to me, he wouldn't have had that face anymore. 

"That's fucking it! I'm done with this!" I raved at them. 


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


The beast had been incapacitated by the sly actions of Dusty Ore. The stallion may have been able to stealthily put the hoof cuffs on the creature's lower legs while he wasn't looking, but touching the alien species was literally exhausting. Dusty mentally noted he hadn't been this exhausted since Stone Rend made him do ten laps around the whole Crystal Empire. 

"Snap out of it, Coral," he huffed at the Unicorn.

"Right. I'm fine," Coral responded distantly. "Captain's going to have my head for losing that spear."

"Worry about that later. Right now we have to get this thing back to the... to the..." his train of thought derailed entirely upon seeing the unknown specimen angrily pulling at the chains on his legs. 

And the links were bending to it's will.

"Quick! Use another pair!" Dusty said, tossing Coral the other set of shackles they had brought with them 

Coral caught the cuffs in his magic and flung them towards the beast, but the thing was a split second faster. The hoofcuffs that bound his lower legs snapped in two, and he had uninhibited movement once again. It looked up just in time to witness the second pair flying over to his paws, and swiped them out of the air yet again. 

"Oh, for the love of Luna!" Coral exclaimed in annoyance. His irritation was cut short as the enraged alien screamed his language at them both, advancing on them in it's fury.

"It's getting violent! We have no choice but to use force!" Dusty decreed.

"Careful! Don't get too close!" Coral warned.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


"—that nothing about this god damn place makes any sense! Why do you idiots live in the fucking North Pole!? Why the fuck does everyone here have a tramp stamp!? And why do your fucking-ass berries taste like shit!?" I had been pushed too far today. Not to rip off a popular quote, but you wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

They only watched with caution as I went on with my tirade. I was sick of this. I was sick of being lost, I was sick of worrying for my friends and family.

But most of all, I was sick of these damn colorful horses. I had tolerated their stupid language, their shitty produce, and now these two jokers had the nerve to arrest me after everything I had been through today. The mere sight of them right now made my blood boil. 

To my confusion, the non-unicorn one bites the blunt end of the spear and tosses it off of his back to his magical friend. After doing so, he starts running towards me with violent intent clear in his eyes. Not that I understood how he could've used that spear, but wouldn't one think it made more sense to keep the spear with you when fighting your opponent? 

I didn't have time to ponder the thought long as he was already up in my business, landing a good punch (kick?) to my right shin. I grunted in pain and dropped down to one knee, not in pain but from having lost my balance. 

Yeah, balance. That's it.

Instinctively, I swatted my arm at him, but he jumped away from me just in time. Seeing I was in a vulnerable position, the pony ran up to my right side faster than I could pivot to face him. He turned around, and with an audible grunt, the pony raised his hind legs and kicked me square in the jaw. 

Actually, this wasn't the first time this had happened to me. Let's just say that back then I didn't know enough not to approach a horse from behind. 

And just like the last time horse hooves decked me in the head, I went down. I inspected my mouth with a hand to make sure my jaw wasn't broken, and sluggishly pushed myself back onto my knees. a quick look at my opponent told me that, while he looked like he just got out of a wrestling match, he was still coming at me. Intent on pushing his advantage. 

"Not this time!" I hissed at him. I had won countless fistfights with dozens of douchebags, and bested brawls with the odds stacked against me. There wasn't a chance in hell I was going to let these two schmucks beat me. 

As soon as he got near me, I managed to catch him off guard and grab the fucker by his neck with both hands. Taking advantage of the situation, I stood up with the pony still in my grip, lifting him off the ground. He makes a few choking noises, but I'm not even putting any real force behind my grasp. He'd be fine.

Funny, I expected the pony to be much heavier. Also, it turned out these things weren't made of solid rock like their glittery coats suggested at first glance. They were actually covered in hair. How did their fur shine like jewelery? I wanted to ask what the deal was with that, but this situation did not call for it, and they wouldn't understand me anyways.

A shout from my side turns my attention to the very angry looking unicorn with the spear caught in his magic. The spear made a beeline for my abdomen, and I couldn't grab it because I needed two hands to hold this thick-necked shitlord. Thinking quickly, I turned 90 degrees to my left so that the spear would pierce his friend instead of me. To my joy, I could see the spear stopping just short of the guards reflective fur and moving back to the unicorn's side. I had him right where I wanted him.

He tries howling at me once more, but I was in no mood to hear it. Getting a better grip on the hostage in my arms, I flexed my muscles and hurled him full force at his unicorn buddy. Seeing as how he weighs virtually nothing to me, I have no problem throwing him that far and scoring a direct hit. Again, thank you high school football.

What I did have a bit of a problem with, is that my throw is strong enough to send the pony, and the unicorn he crashed into, sailing far away from me. Seriously I must have thrown the pony at mach two, because damn did those guys go far. The only proof I had that they ever stood near me was the spear laying on the ground, alongside one of their helmets. I had hit him so hard that his helmet came off.

Now I knew that wasn't natural. What the heck was going on with these ponies?

I didn't care at the moment. Right then, my anger was my main driving force. "That's right! Why don'tcha suck on that, you fucking horses!" I taunted at them, kicking the metal helmet that was at my feet. That thing went pretty far as well, but I didn't pay attention to where it landed. I doubted they heard me, seeing as they were a pile of limbs more than fifty yards away from me, but I deserved to gloat at this point. "Stupid ponies, thinking they can take me in a fight."

With my confidence rising, I dusted myself off and stood up straight. I walked away from the scene with a smile on my face. It's about time things finally went my way, I smugly thought. I'm going home, and nothing is gonna stop me. 

Especially not these damn ponies.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


With Dusty Ore on top of Coral, the two guardians laid on the ground defeated. Dusty was breathing quite heavily from the amount of physical contact he made with the beast, and couldn't move at the moment if he tried. 

Coral was also still reeling from the devastating blow. He never expected the monster to be strong enough to hurl them both across the pavement. His helmet was missing too. He figured it must have flown off upon the impact with Dusty, and was probably also the reason his head was currently pounding.

Tying to regain his senses, Coral directed his attention to the heaving stallion on top of him. "Dusty... Dusty, are you alright?" 

"Just..." Dusty inhaled sharply. "Just give me... a minute," he weakly replied.

Coral wanted to put more time into making sure his friend was alright, but there were bigger things he had to worry about. "Do you see the creature anywhere?" 

A few weak turns of his head later, Dusty replied "Nope."

"Ponyfeathers," Coral cursed, letting his head fall back onto the floor. "We need to tell the captain about this."

"Sure. Just... let's lay here for a while?" The drained guard rasped.

Coral managed to wriggle his way out of under Dusty and stand up on all fours, making sure he wasn't hurt too badly. "Nope. Come on, you might need medical care," he denied, leaning forward to help up his partner.

"We should also tell the captain about that... monster," Dusty said, rising off the road.

"Right."

A few moments passed in silence while Coral helped up his associate. Neither of them wanted to speak of their humiliating defeat. 

"What do you think it was?" Dusty broke the silence.

"I don't know. If I'm being honest, it might be related to... Sombra." Both stallions visibly shuddered at that name. "But what I know for sure is that we are going to take it down," Coral growled. "No matter what."
> Chapter Nine
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	There was not a single guard who wasn't actively exercising in the courtyard, and by extension, there wasn't a single guard who wasn't tired and aching. Their new captain had every stallion working overtime, whether it was running laps around the track or supporting their bodies with the tips of their wings.

"Keep going, Grit! Push yourself!" he ordered a visibly exhausted stallion on the track. So far, Shining Armor was impressed by the crystal guard's endurance and ability. The numerous stallions had held out for longer than most of the guard back in Canterlot; certainly longer than he expected. Not one of them was lacking in the physical department. But that didn't mean he couldn't push them a bit further. With a bit more time, the Crystal guard could be turned into some of Equestria's finest troops.

What he didn't expect to see were the two guards he sent out earlier, coming back from their mission just as tired and spent as everypony else. He spotted them coming through the door with heavy breaths, and with a couple dents in their armor. Seeing the two of them in their drained state gave Shining Armor some pause. 

With heavy steps, he approached the two scouts, and a foreboding feeling began to rise in his chest. Something told him he would not like what he was about to hear.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Suddenly, he had vision.

It was blurred and fuzzy vision, but still, it was vision. It was a slow process, but everything eventually became clear to him. Objects took their normal shape, and undecipherable blobs regained their corners and edges. 

The long hall he awoke in was tinted multiple shades of a bland white, and many empty cots lined the walls. The window at the end of the hall to his left clearly showed that it was still bright and early in the day. 

The excruciating pain in his head was the next thing he noticed, but not by choice. When he attempted to lift himself off the rock-hard mattress of his own, the headache raged in his cranium, and he found himself lifting a hoof to feel the back of his head. He was a bit surprised to find the bandaging wrapped around his head when he attempted to do so.

"Welcome back, dear," a cheery voice spoke from his right side. "Take it slowly, now."

A quick look to his right found the source of the voice. A peach pegasus mare, donned in a nurses outfit. Surprisingly enough, she was the only other one in the long hall besides himself. 

"What... where?" he stumbled to ask. 

"Don't worry, dear. You're in the infirmary. You took a nasty blow to the back of your head and fell unconscious," she stated as though it was an everyday occurrence. "Luckily for you, it turned out to be nothing too bad. No damage to the brain or broken skull we could see."

"How did I—?" he tried to communicate, trying to find the words. He felt like he wanted to throw up instead. "I remember being in the market, and..." 

The nurse perked up at that. "Oh, well I was minding my own business in here when a couple of raving ponies dropped you off here saying you were struck by a crystal. I think they were also shouting something about some sort of monster?" she shrugged her wings. "I'm not sure what it is they're worried about, but the whole thing has me worried, too!" she didn't seem nearly as worried as she claimed, but he guessed she was putting up a front for him. 

"A monster?" He lifted a hoof back to the bandage, this time attempting to remove it. If he found a mirror, he might be able to see how bad the injury really was. Plus he found the wrapping seriously itchy.  

"You shouldn't mess with that bandaging, dear. It's there to cover the staples."

He froze. "Staples. Oh." That was enough to deter him from further tampering with the cloth around his head. "S-so, now what should I do, miss...?"

"Call me Nurse Poppy, Dear. And right now you don't have to do anything but lay there," she smiled. "But what should I call you? I didn't get much information from the two who dumped you here before they ran off."

The injured stallion ran a hoof through his short, messy mane before answering. "My name is Shamrock," he returned. "Who exactly dropped me off here?"

"Sorry, dear. I didn't get their names." 

"Oh well. Maybe I can ask around outside and see what happened." Shamrock moved to get off the cot he was lying on, but the pain in his head begged him to stay still, and he fell back against the pillow. 

"Well Mr. Shamrock, I can't recommend you go outside yet. Not just because of your condition, but with the way things are out there, I fear it might not be wise to go outside," the nurse stated with a wary glance out the window. "But in the meantime, I'd like to run a few tests on your senses and make absolutely sure everything in your head is still functioning properly," the nurse advised, reaching for a stack of papers on a nearby shelf. 

Shamrock also gazed outside the window, confirming what Nurse Poppy said to be true. No ponies were trotting on by or talking outside. In his daze, the entire situation just now started to dawn on him. Whatever was going on outside, his injury must've been connected. Reminded of the painful days when Sombra ruled, he felt so helpless. It was as though he had no choice in the matter. 

A quiet rage started to build within him as his head pounded. Shamrock hated feeling helpless. 

"Okay dear! Now I'm going to hold up these cards and you're going to read all the letters from left to right," Poppy debriefed, with cards held in her wing. "Shall we?"

"Do I have a choice?" Shamrock scoffed.

Poppy didn't seem to care about the snide remark, if she noticed it. "Well, sure you do. I just hope you make the smart decision!"

The injured stallion gave an annoyed grunt. "Fine."

Her smile stretched even wider, "Alright, dear. Cover your left eye with a hoof and begin with the top row of letters."

Shamrock nickered and complied.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Shining wasn't convinced. "You must be joking." 

"We do not jest, sir," Coral reassured.

Shining Armor looked them over in disbelief. "I send you two on a simple mission, and you come back telling me that not only did whatever-it-was snap it's hoofcuffs in two, but it defeated two trained soldiers in battle and is now roaming around the city!?"

"We told you sir, we couldn't come in direct contact with him."

"And exactly why is that, again?"

Coral hesitated, unsure if the captain would believe them. "Any physical contact with creature swiftly exhausted all energy from us, sir. Not only that, but the creature seemed to actively negate all magic used on it. When I performed a magical examination, I detected no magical properties from it. I'm not certain, but I believe these variables are all related."

Silence fell upon the three stallions. Neither of the two guards could tell what Shining was thinking by his unreadable blank expression. 

"That's impossible," Shining finally responded.

"It's the truth, sir," Dusty argued.

Shining Armor remained unconvinced. "But It goes against everything we know about magic 101! What you're explaining could rewrite some of our most basic understandings of magic! A living thing without a magical essence is like an ocean without water, or a Timberwolf without wood! It just doesn't work." His sister must've been rubbing off on him quite a bit for him to fly off the handle like this.

Coral was at a loss for words. "I don't know what you want me to tell you, sir."

Shining Armor deflated. He immediately felt guilty ranting at them both, remembering that a good leader kept a level head at all times. A look around showed that most if not all the guards on the field had long since stopped their exercises to listen in on the conversation. Some looked worried, or afraid. Others were harder to read. 

He took a deep breath. "Nothing to be done about it now. Where did you two last see the creature?"

"We found it ransacking the western marketplaces, but it disappeared after our encounter," Dusty Ore filled the captain in.

"Very well," Shining Armor said before he turned to the onlooking crowd of eavesdropping guards. "All pegasi! Front and center!" At his command, a line of the numerous winged ponies immediately stood in front of him at the ready. "I want you all to scour the Crystal Empire to search for this creature. It is bipedal, wearing clothes, and roughly has the shape of a minotaur! If any of you do happen to spot this thing, report back to me on the double. Do not engage! You all hear me?"

A unanimous "Sir! Yes, sir!" was their answer before Shining sent them off. 

"Stone Rend!" he called out among the clump of guards. "Where are you?"

"Right here, sir," a gruff voice said behind him.

Shining would've jumped in surprise, were it not for the masculine image he needed to keep up. Keeping a cool appearance, he addressed the former captain. "You sure are discreet for a large stallion."

"Thank you, sir."

"Stone Rend, take however many guards you need, and warn the citizens of this danger. Tell them to stay in their homes and lock their doors for their own safety."

"Yes, sir," he loyally saluted.

Shining turned before remembering to add one last detail, "And Stone? Do your best not to alarm them. The last thing they need right now is to worry about a powerful entity."

Stone gave a knowing nod. "Trust me, sir," He replied with a determined glower. "We are all well aware of what they're going through."


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


I'm sure I've said it before, but I'll say it again: this is the worst day of my life. 

"Welp. Now what do I fucking do?"

My adrenaline had long since worn off after my fight with the guards, and after realizing I still had no plan, my confidence soon went along with it. I soon found myself slumped in an alleyway that looked suspiciously identical to the one I was moping in earlier today. I decided that laying low would be my best bet for a while.

I crossed my arms in thought, wondering how long it would take until the ponies sent their ranks out for my blood again. I may not be very smart, but even I knew that scrap with the two privates was only the beginning. And I'll be honest, they weren't half bad soldiers. They managed to get a few good licks on me, if the marks on my body were anything to go off of.

It was right then upon examining my body that I found I had no such marks. The bruise on my face that should've been swelling up and making half my face numb? Non-existent. The scrape on my arm from when I was tripped? Gone. I wouldn't have to deal with any of the injuries I suffered in the past hour or two, because they had all gone and healed.

On one hand, I should've been happy about that, but on the other hand, what the fuck was happening to me?

I inspected the rest of my body on instinct, trying to locate any old scab or wound so I could find out I was just going crazy. Upon lifting my shirt, I find nothing that would indicate I had ever been injured. 

Not even...

"Oh, hell no," I mutter in shock. "Where's my scar!?"


                                                                                                                                                


"Maybe it wasn't so bad," Brian tried to comfort.

I scoffed at the suggestion. "You weren't there. The guy wanted me out of his office as soon as possible."

Neil smirks as he lifts his drink to his mouth. "Can't say I blame him. You're pretty horrible."

"Fuck you, too."

I've had a pretty bad day. On top of waking up late for a job interview and nearly getting run over by a semi truck on the way there, I botched said interview so terribly that I'd rather not say how. Things only went downhill from there, and now I'm in the middle of explaining it to to Neil and Brian at our regular spot in the bar. Truth is, I didn't even expect to see them here tonight. I walked in here hoping to drown my sorrows, and there they both were, waving me over. 

"Pretty busy here tonight," I casually remarked, observing the crowded place.

Brian nodded. "Eeyup. Can't remember the last time it was this busy." 

"Okay, so how exactly did you botch the interview? I doubt you're stupid enough to go in there unprepared," Neil asks, genuinely curious.

I sigh heavily before answering. "No, it wasn't because I was unprepared. See, it all started when the guy's wife—"

Our conversation was cut short as a loud crashing of chairs gains the attention of everybody in the bar. Us included. All eyes are on the three men in a face-off. Two of the men are both glaring daggers at the scruffy-looking guy. Their chairs were toppled on the floor, obviously the result of them both standing up in anger. 

The man with an admittedly impressive goatee put his hands up, obviously in an attempt to cool things down. "Hey, hey, let's all just settle down now."

"Not this time, Greene!" one of the other two guys bark. 

Assuming these dudes had their fair share of alcohol, I knew where this was going. I had seen it all too many times during my time as a bouncer. It wouldn't be long before the fists started flying. Speaking of bouncers, does this place even have one? And if so, where was he? It was about time for him to come break it up or throw these guys out.

I must have blinked, because before I knew it, the two goons were on the goatee guy, (Greene, I think was his name.) intent on beating him to a pulp. The bartender is yelling something at them all, probably trying to tell them to scram. 

The lone, bearded fighter was putting up a decent fight in defense, but it was a hopeless situation for him. One of the two brutes was holding Greene in place while the other wailed on him. Cowards. If you can't fight by yourself then don't fight at all, I say.

Among the panicked cries of the crowd, I decided I had seen enough. If nobody was going to put a stop to this, it would get out of hand, and I didn't see anybody stepping up. Those two guys needed to go.

I took off my hat and placed it on our table before I leaned in closer to Brian and Neil so they could hear me over the noise, "Have I ever told you guys I used to work as a bouncer?" 

They only have time to gawk at me for half a second and blurt out "You're not seriously going to—" before I'm out of my seat and stepping towards the ongoing fight.

I can feel the eyes of the customers on me as I lumber towards the spat. I guess it is pretty hard to miss someone of my size. Unfortunately, this means that the jerk holding "Greene" spots me approaching and warns his partner. Dang, and I was hoping to catch at least one of them off guard. Oh well.

"Fuck off! This isn't your business!" One of them tries to intimidate me by advancing slightly. 

Time to work my magic. "Either you and your friend leave now, or I make you both leave with headaches."

"Fuck you!" he says, throwing a punch at me. There are a million ways I could turn this punch around on the guy, but just for kicks I decide to go full on intimidating. I let his fist connect with my jaw. I don't make any grunts of pain or anything, even though it did sting a bit. Sluggishly, I turn my head back around to blankly stare back at the guy who felt brave just mere moments ago. Oh yeah, he looked afraid now.

I flex my hand before clenching it into a fist, and with all the power I can muster, I fire my arm at him. As soon as my lightning-fast punch hits, he falls to the floor and writhes in pain. He was being over dramatic, I didn't even hit him as hard as I could've.

That just left the other guy still holding onto his struggling victim. He doesn't seem phased by my show of strength as he throws his hostage to the side. He just looked really pissed that I took out his butt-buddy. In his drunken stupor, he charges and wildly swings his arm towards me. I easily caught it without a second thought and held onto it. While he attempted to get his right arm back, I headbutted him. I swear I heard Brian let out a cheer as I did so, as if he was getting a kick out of this. 

I love Brian and all, but I swear that guy's a little off his rocker.

Well, that took care of them. Both of them are on the ground and it doesn't look like they're getting up anytime soon. All that was left to do was make sure "Greene" was alright, and throw these jokers out of here. The whole room is silent as I walk over to the victim, who is getting up by himself already. I offer him a hand, and he accepts it with a ghost of a smile.

"Are you alright?" I ask him.

Greene cracks his neck. "Yeah, yeah. I'm alright. I didn't even feel it." 

"Well, that's good to he—"

"Watch out!" He suddenly blurts, pointing behind me. My eyes follow his finger just in time to see one of the brutes had got back up, and was now lunging at me with a switchblade in his hand. I hear a few screams right before he thrusts it at my gut, intent on turning me into a shish-kebab. 

I try to dodge out of his way, but it's not enough for the blade to miss entirely. A lash of pain shoots through my body as the knife slashes across my left side, cutting deeper than I would like. Over my own grunt of pain, I hear a few more cries of fear and my name being shouted. Probably Neil or Brian. 

Okay, here's the thing: Getting slashed by a knife hurts a lot more than I let on. Especially when the side of your torso is the area affected. You can hardly make any movements without experiencing sharp pain, or possibly making the injury worse. So I'm not in the best position here, anymore.

Shit, I should've payed more attention. Idiot! I berate myself. The switchblade guy wastes no time, and intends to push his advantage while one of arms is wrapped around my side to cover the bleeding. I can't let this happen. Have to disarm him! 

To the brute's surprise, (and mine) Greene had managed to sneak around behind him, giving the goatee stranger the perfect chance to smash an empty bottle on the back of my attacker's head before either of us can do anything. That gets a few more screams out of the audience, and the bogey goes down for good this time. 

It all happened so fast. 

"This is what I get for wanting to handle things maturely," he frowns before looking towards the audience. "Someone call the police," he says before examining me in my state. "...And maybe an ambulance, too." 

Hustled, nervous chatter seems to return throughout the room and my two friends rush to me and start talking my ear off in concern.

I shake my head. "It's nothing, I'm fine. I'm okay!" 

Brian chimes in as he moves next to me. "Like hell you are! You lose too much blood, you're going down. Doesn't matter how big you are." 

How did he know that? "It's not bleeding that much," I lied. In reality, I didn't know how bad it was, since I was too afraid to move my arm from the wound. But if the mere action of turning my torso slightly to the left gives a good lash of pain, then I should probably keep pressure there 

Neil pops out of nowhere and gives his two cents as well, "Andy, it's like something out of a horror movie. There's blood soaking through your clothes, for god's sake. That's cool to see and all, but not on you."

Aw fuck, it was. Never mind the fact that there's definitely a gaping slit in the side of it from the knife, but the surrounding area of clothing was painted red. I really liked this shirt, too.

Brian grabbed a white rag when I wasn't looking, and hands it to me. "Keep pressure on the wound. We don't need ya bleeding out."

Bleeding out? The cut wasn't that bad. Regardless, I grab the rag, and quickly press it against my injury. Damn it hurts, and I'm sure everybody knows it from the hiss of pain I give. 

"Don't do that again, you fucking dipshit. You nearly got yourself killed," Neil politely reminded me. 

"You really do care," I half-joked. "Besides, I could've taken him."

Greene doesn't interrupt our conversation, which really could be called "Neil and Brian scolding me for nearly getting gutted like a fish." I kept telling them that I knew what I was doing, but they both remained unconvinced. The two dumbasses that started the fight had been dragged off somewhere else, hopefully to be restrained with rope or something in case they woke up before the cops get here.

The once full bar now only held a fraction of the customers. I guess a barroom brawl can really kill the mood. 

Neil and Brian somehow get wrapped up in their own little conversation, keeping within arm length of me. After being silent for so long, Greene inches over to me and quietly speaks up, "Hey."

"Hey," I parrot.

With an unreadable expression, he continues, "Thanks for the save. I... I'm sorry this happened to you."

"Not your fault. You were trying to calm them down, I saw. What was all that about, anyways?"

Greene avoids eye contact, shuffling around nervously. "They were... old acquaintances of mine. I wronged them both, and I waited too long to try to make things right." He pauses for a moment before subtly adding "I didn't want it to happen like this..."

It was a vague story, but that was all I needed to hear about it. He obviously didn't want to talk about it much either, so I wouldn't press him. 

"By the way," I get his attention. "Thanks for saving me, too."

He cracks a smile at that. "Oh, it was nothin'. The least I could do."

I let out a sigh. "I almost lost a fight. And more with it. I can't remember the last time my enemy got the upper hand on me." I run my free hand over my head, feeling the short bristles of my hair. "I feel ashamed."

"Hey, it could've gone a lot worse, right?"

"Yeah, it could have," I spit. "But it I shouldn't let it get that bad in the first place. I should've been able to handle them both easily, but... I just—"

"Hey, hey, come on now," He cuts me off. "I was there to cover you, and everything turned out for the better, so what's the point in moping about it?" 

"Well... I mean..."

"Why don't you lighten up a bit? The stress can't be good for your cut down there," he smirks. 

Well. Maybe you don't always have to fight alone.

I could hear the faint sound of sirens coming closer, and seeing as how everybody is turning their heads towards the noise, I'm not the only one who notices. The police were finally here, and not a moment too soon. I'm was starting to feel a little lightheaded.

"By the way, I never caught your name," Greene insists before I can do anything else.

"I'm Andrew. And if I remember correctly, you're "Greene", right?" I grin at him.

"Trevor is my first name," he corrects. "I'd prefer you called me that."


                                                                                                                                                


It was unbelievable, really. Every bruise, scratch or scar I've ever had had disappeared or faded away. Even the bad-ass scar I got when I met Trevor.

You might find it strange, but I was pretty miffed about that. That scar was like a trophy to me; the day I saved Trevor from an ass-whooping, and he did the same in return. But now it was just gone, and it just felt wrong to me.

"What the fuck is happening!?" I screamed, only to remember I was trying to lay low. "This place is giving me some super powers or some bullshit and it's freaking me right the fuck out!

"I'm not supposed to just heal every cut and wound instantly using magical Disney powers of imagination. I'm not supposed to be on a world of talking alien horses. I'm not supposed to be here!"

I kick the nearest object, and the poor metal bucket sails high in the sky with a new dent in it's side. I watch as the pail eventually falls from it's remarkable height, bounces off one of the rooftops and lands with a loud clang nearby.

Closer inspection of the area the bucket landed in revealed something I hadn't noticed before; A cellar door, covered in grime and dust. I'd somehow completely overlooked it in the past.

I shamble on over to the wooden doors in the ground to get a better look. One of the handles was missing, and a keyhole was underneath the one handle that remained. One attempt to open it tells me that the doors were indeed locked.

I give a quiet grunt. "Oh well. Wasn't like I needed to get in there anyways," I say, walking away to see what's happening outside my hiding spot. No matter where I looked, I didn't see any ponies walking around. I had at least expected some more of those guards to be looking for me right now. I highly doubted they would just forget about my little run-in with Tweedledee and Tweedledouche.

Once again, I hear the gibberish language, but not where I expect it to be. A glance in the air tells me everything I need to know. 

"No. Fucking. Way." They had wings. The guard ponies had wings, and they were flying around calling to each other. And damn, there was a lot of them. There had to be at least ten of the fuckers flying around, and those were just the ones in sight! 

"What the fuck is with this place? Next thing I know there's gonna be ponies that can burst into flames at will, or shoot lasers out of their eyes!" I say a little louder than I should've. I cover my mouth immediately with one hand, hoping I wasn't heard. But I can hear all the nearby pegasi rattling on in response. Probably saying things like 'What was that noise? Go find out!'

I was gonna be caught if I didn't get out of there, and I don't think I could fight my way through a gang of foes I couldn't even reach. I had to retreat for now, but if I left my cover between these two gem houses, I'd be spotted immediately. What could I do?

Logically, my attention turned towards the cellar door again. But a quick tug at the one handle reminded me that I needed a key. 

The voices of the ponies were getting closer. 

In desperation, I ready one of my legs. "I'll give you a key..." I remark at the cellar. One good stomp, and the doors burst open inwards. One of them even flies off it's hinges. Thanks super powers, I guess.

There's no way the guards didn't hear me break it open, though. And if they're smarter than a fifth grader they'll put two and two together and know something went in here. I don't know what I'm expecting to find in here, a weapon, a good spot to hide in, anything.  just need something I can use to my advantage. I hope it doesn't come to violence right now, but... I don't think there's gonna be any cooperation from either side right now. It's best if I just continue to lay low.

More gibberish language in the distance is all the convincing I need. Hopefully my phone wasn't dead, because I'd be needing the light.

I clamber on down into the hole, thankful I can fit through the damned thing. Wouldn't want to get stuck trying to escape from the aliens. That would just be embarrassing. 

With the pace I'm fleeing at, I reach the floor in no time, though it's nothing to sneeze at. The entrance must be at least 20 feet above me. I waste no time turning on my phone flashlight to see in the darkness, and I'm shocked by what I see. This wasn't some sort of wine cellar or anything like that. It was a giant tunnel, carved out inside the earth. The path extended both to my right and left, and the pitch blackness in either direction told me that there was no end in sight. 

Suddenly I grew weary about this plan, but I hear the chatter of the ponies up top, and that's all the motivation I need to get the heck out of dodge. 

I turned to my right, and hustled into the darkness.
	
> Chapter Ten
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dusty Ore and Coral trotted through the streets, carrying out their orders. Coral's horn glowed, coating his magic around his companion's throat, so as to amplify his voice among the crowd, "Attention, citizens of the Crystal Empire! Due to an emergency, we require that everypony return to their homes and lock their doors for the rest of the day. Repeat: return to your homes, and lock your doors for the rest of the day. This is not a drill." 

Coral quietly mulled to himself as Dusty's voice echoed out. The forced curfew of the citizens only served to rub salt in his wounds from their earlier defeat. All he could do was consider what they could have done differently to subdue the abnormal animal. 

Dusty noticed Coral's sullen look, waiting for the magic to fade from around his neck so he could console him, "I'm not any happier about this either."

"I know," Coral replied, snapping to attention. "I wish I still had my helmet."

"Good thing it's the chest-plate that augments the color of your coat. You'd stick out like a spot of shaved hair with the rest of us guards," Dusty chuckled.

The population around them hastily moved to their homes with worry and confusion visible on their faces. Such an abrupt order was unnerving.

Amethyst Glory was suspicious, to say the least. Her encounter with the strange beast occurred not too long ago, and she was positive that this fiasco was connected. Among the hustling crowd, she walked out to meet the armored duo. She was going to get to the bottom of this.

"Excuse me! Guards!" she called for them, interrupting their mission. 

Dusty answered, "Yes ma'am, what is— oh," he gulped, realizing who it was. "Hello, miss Glory." 

"Yes, just what is all this about?" she huffed. "What is happening that requires us to lock ourselves in?"

Coral put on his best stoic face before answering, "At this time, we can not divulge that information to you. Rest assured, the Crystal Guard will take care of the matter shortly, but right now we need full cooperation from you and the rest of the citizens to ensure your well-being."

Amethyst whinnied at his rehearsed answer. "Don't give me that. I know what this is about! This is because of that creature I saw lurking around our empire, isn't it?" 

She missed the slight dilation of the guard's eyes as Dusty tried to think of a way to calm her down quickly. "Please calm down and return to your home, miss Glory. There is no need to be alarmed."

"Oh really? Then it shouldn't be a problem for you to tell what's going on," she loudly stated for the passing crowd to hear. "As a citizen of the Crystal Empire I demand that you tell us!" 

Curse this mare's nosiness! Dusty spat in his mind, tossing a look to his cohort in armor. Her commotion was turning the heads of several others, much to his dismay. 

Coral tried again, "As I have stated before, we have the situation under control. But at this time we require your full cooperati—"

"No. As a citizen of the Crystal Empire, I have a right to know what is going on. We all do!" Amethyst blurted out for all to hear. "Would you really keep it a secret if Sombra's minion was on the run!?" 

Her words didn't go unnoticed. Ponies stopped in their tracks upon hearing the name of their ex-enslaver, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Before anypony knew it, mares and stallions were flocking around Dusty and Coral, shouting similar complaints.

The crowd steadily grew in size and volume, surrounding Amethyst Glory and the guardian duo. Amethyst inwardly celebrated, knowing that causing this outburst could finally give her the truth.

Coral and Dusty shared a calm look, communicating that they both knew this situation needed to be quelled immediately. Dusty stepped up to Amethyst before attempting to contend with the notorious whistle-blower, and cleared his throat. He wanted to make sure everypony heard his response, "Since you all want the truth, we will confess. There is an aggressive individual running rampant around our home."

A unanimous gasp from the masses sounded.

"Yes. Unfortunately, earlier today a minotaur entered the Crystal empire. He is now on a rampage through our city, and we are all doing our best to detain him," Dusty explained. "But that is all it is, an enraged bovine. There is no agent of Sombra, and Sombra won't be returning ever again."

A collective sigh of relief escaped from everypony.

Dusty continued, "But as we have already told you, we must ask you all to please return to your homes until further noti—"

"Now hold on just a second!" Amethyst butted in. "I have seen this being with my own two eyes! It was no minotaur that I saw!"

That gave the two guards, and the mob, some pause. 

"Did you now?" Coral inquired further.

"It walked right up to my house and knocked on my door!" Amethyst asserted. Coral and Dusty noticed the worried whispers amid the citizens.

"That is a wild tale you have to tell, miss Glory," Dusty said to her before Coral had a chance to respond. "But it wouldn't be the first time now, would it?" 

Amethyst looked offended. "Just what are you implying!?"

Coral smirked ever so slightly, and raised his voice for all to hear, "We've done this dance before, miss Glory. The snow yeti's, the murder accusations; You've had plenty of outbursts exactly like this before."

"Wha— I— How dare you! I know what I saw!" Amethyst fumbled with her words. The crystalline crowd looked less convinced as Dusty Ore went on.

"I mean no offense when I say this miss Glory, but you have a knack for crying 'wolf' when there is none to be seen." Dusty could faintly hear the hushed agreements of the mob. "But now is not the time for any arguments. Regardless of what the creature is, and I assure you it is an enraged minotaur, what we need right now is not a riot. We need for all of you to retreat to the safety of your houses."

The muttering sounds of agreement came from the citizens, and trickled away from the throng little by little. 

"Wait! I'm not lying, I swear!" Amethyst could only sputter as the ponies began to disperse, begging for somepony to listen to her. She tried to argue her point to anypony who walked past, but they simply ignored her or shot a dirty look in her direction. It wasn't long before Amethyst slumped to her haunches, alone in the streets.

"Now please, go home Miss Glory," Dusty requested. "It's not safe outside."

Dusty, proud of his work, trotted away from the dejected mare alongside his armored counterpart. It wasn't long until the smug guard turned to find Coral glaring daggers at him. 

"What?"

"That was a low blow, Dusty," he whispered to him disapprovingly.

Dusty narrowed his eyes. "Would you rather we let her cause an uproar? One of us had to do something and it wasn't as though you were thinking of any ideas."

"We're supposed to protect the citizens, not render them crestfallen," Coral scolded.

Dusty snorted. "Spare me your criticism, white knight. You know as well as I do that we need to step on some hooves every now and then if we want to help others."

"That doesn't excuse what you did," Coral chastised.

"Oh I'm sorry, were you going to do something about it?" Dusty mocked. "Because I saw your slack-jawed stare before I took care of it. You really looked ready to spring into action." 

"You're missing the point, you foal!"

"Oh, am I!? The point was to get the job done, and that's what I did!"

The two locked eyes, daring the other to say more. Before their quarrel could continue, a shadow quickly passed over the both of them, cutting their heated conversation short. The two drones turned their gaze skyward to find the pegasus guards, all soaring in one direction and homing in on one point. One of which Coral recognized.

"Lithosphere!" Coral shouted to the nearest one. "What's going on?" 

"Oh, Coral! Dusty!" the pegasus named Lithosphere noticed them. "The target has been sighted! You two better come along, We're going to need your help!" he yelled from the sky before taking off once again.

Coral and Dusty shared one last glower before they followed after Lithosphere.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Amethyst watched helplessly when the crowd dispersed. Not a single pony had believed her, no matter how much she begged for their trust. 

It didn't take long for everypony to disappear from sight, and for the shrewd sound of the guard's voice to address her again, "Now please, go home miss Glory. It's not safe out here." 

Amethyst could hear the gloating within his sentences, boasting over his manipulative words which turned the citizens against her. She wanted to turn and give the snake of a guard a piece of her mind, but she couldn't bring herself out of her morose state. She doubted the guards were still behind her at this point, anyways.

"Won't anypony believe me?" she whimpered quietly. Did voicing her concerns really mean nothing to the crystal ponies? Was she really only known for being the mare who cried 'wolf'?

"I believe you," a familiar voice chimed in. 

Looking up from the stone walkway, there stood Glass Pond, offering a hoof. 

"Really? You do?" she asked, accepting a lift from the ground.

"I saw the monster too, you know. Certainly didn't look like any 'enraged minotaur,'" he smirked. "So yes, I'm a little interested in what they're hiding." 

Amethyst Glory whinnied in frustration, "Well, why didn't you speak up when I was trying to warn everypony!? I looked like a fool back there!"

"Because the guards were right about one thing; the last thing we need is a riot right now," he calmly reasoned. "Don't misunderstand me, your heart is in the right place, but you're approaching this issue all wrong."

"Wrong? I saw danger, and being the kind mare that I am, I immediately tried to warn the citizens. How was that wrong?"

Glass Pond sighed, "That isn't what I meant, Miss."

"Please, call me Amethyst. There's no need for formalities," she paused. "Pond, was it?"

"Indeed."

The following awkward silence was brief. Amethyst scanned around her, plotting her next move.

"Up there," Amethyst Glory pointed to the heavens. "Look at them."

Glass Pond's eyes followed her hoof, seeing the many pegasi of the guard flying in the same direction. 

"They're all off in a hurry," he commented.

"They must've found something interesting. Maybe the creature itself?" she grinned.

Pond raised an eyebrow. "Maybe. Why?"

"We should investigate and see what's happening."

Glass looked at her incredulously, "We're not even supposed to be outside, Amethyst."

"Do you want to find out the truth or don't you? This is the only way to know. Come on, we'll be discreet," she said before trotting away after the pegasi.

"Do you even know what discreet is?" he said, knowing she couldn't hear him. Reluctantly, Glass Pond followed.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Dusty and Coral dashed to keep up with the pegasi in the sky. It wasn't long before they were lead to a small space between two gem houses. The duo could see that multiple guards were crowding around something, chatting among themselves. Though what it was the pegasi guards had found was hidden behind the armored ponies.

"What's the situation?" Coral asked as him and Dusty trotted forward.

All of them turned to face the newcomers, but only Lithosphere addressed them, "There you two are. Take a look for yourself," he moved out of the way to reveal a trapdoor with it's hinges busted and the entryway opened. 

"A cellar?" Dusty inquired.

Lithosphere shook his head, "Actually, it's an entrance to the old slave mines."

Coral and Dusty simultaneously froze. "Why is there an entrance to the slave mines right next to a random citizen's house?" Dusty asked.

"Actually, there are random entrances all around the Empire. I've got one right next to my house, too," he explained. "But that doesn't matter right now. We have reason to believe that our target retreated into the mines using this entrance."

Coral's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious." 

"I wish I was."

"Does the captain know about this?" Coral asked.

"If he doesn't yet, he will soon. I sent a messenger a while ago."

"That must prove it, then. The unknown creature must really be related to Sombra!" Dusty affirmed. 

"What, just because it fled into the mines? We can't know that for sure," Coral discredited. "Maybe it just needed someplace to hide."

"Why would it need to hide, Coral? You and I both know how powerful it is!"

Lithosphere boisterously cleared his throat, regaining their attention. "There's no time to assume, or argue. Every moment we waste is a moment the target remains at large."

"Alright, so what are we going to do?"

"What else? The captain will obviously have us go in after it," Lithosphere stated as a fact.

Everypony else fell silent. Each guard in the vicinity nervously looked to one another, Coral and Dusty included. Their anxiousness did not go unnoticed by Lithosphere, who also shared in their unease.

Dusty Ore broke the hesitation. "Well good luck then, Lithosphere. I'm sure you can do it."

"Are you daft? I'm not going back in those tunnels," he denied with wide eyes.

"Way to opt out, chicken-wings," a nameless drone threw in his two-cents.

"Who said that!? I'll throw you down there myself!" Lithosphere raged.

The argument escalated quickly, and the entire crowd of crystal guards was soon engaged in a verbal battle. 

But it didn't last long. Coral made sure of that, enveloping his own throat in magic and shouting over them, "Enough! Quit your squabbling!"

Everypony complied, and Coral deactivated his horn. "Bunch of foals, I swear. Arguing about something so trivial."

"Coral's right, this is ridiculous," Dusty sided. "Let's just wait for the captain's reply before we do anything else." 

The guards gave a few groans of compliance, and waited uncomfortably in fear of having to go back down to the mines again. 

Unbeknownst to them all, two citizens observed from around the distant corner.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


"In the slave mines?"

"Yes, sir."

Shining Armor had read about those caves. Back in the day, Sombra's reign ensured that everypony did grueling work when they weren't catching the few hours of sleep he allowed. The massive labyrinth of tunnels spanned even larger than the entirety of the Crystal Empire. Not to mention it was poorly lit, unsanitary, and regulated by dangerous, mindless golems doing Sombra's bidding. Conditions were so horrible that some unlucky slaves never came back out alive. It was safe to say that being down there was the Crystal Empire's own personal Tartarus. 

And the fact that the unknown alien retreated into those mines made everything a lot more difficult.

"Might I ask you something, soldier?" Shining discussed with his back turned. 

"Yes, sir."

"Would you ever want to go back down to the work mines?"

The crystal guard thought about his answer. "I will go wherever I am needed, sir."

"That's not what I asked," Shining Armor wheeled around to face him. "Do you want to go back down in those mines?"

The messenger's stone-face visage finally cracked. Shining Armor could clearly see the pain in his eyes as he replied, "No sir. I lost too much down there. I figure just about everypony lost something down in those tunnels."

Shining gave a light sigh. "I see. Thank you for your answer." 

Their scars were still tender, that much was evident. Sending any amount of soldiers into the mines would do no good. The psychological effects of being in there could inhibit their performance, and the large scale of the mines meant that they could search for days and still never find the intruder. It would effectively be a wild goose chase.

But he knew the thing couldn't stay down there forever. From the earlier reports of the raided markets, Shining Armor knew the creature needed food and water to survive.

Shining made a decision, "Relay this order to them; Keep a pair of guards near every entrance and exit to those mines. And if there's any sign of the criminal emerging, do not engage. Notify me, instead," Shining planned. "And under no circumstances should anypony enter the mines. That is all. Now go, and be quick about it."

"Yes sir!" the armor clad pegasus saluted before trotting out the castle doors. 

Shining Armor made sure he was alone before groaning to himself, "What a nuisance this thing is. At this rate it actually will turn out to be a servant of... of..."

His wife's words echoed, Unless Sombra himself comes back from the dead, try not to wake me.

Shining Armor pushed the thought out of his head. Sombra wasn't returning, and he had the situation under control. All they needed to do was wait, and waking his wife wouldn't help with that. Besides, Cadence still needed her rest.

I can tell her everything when she wakes up on her own, he convinced himself. For now, I need to stay ready in case the monster shows himself again. 

Not much was known about the individual, but one thing was crystal clear to Shining. Who or whatever this outlaw was, it was either very smart, or incredibly lucky.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


For the third time since I entered these stupid caves, I walk face-first into a hanging rock outcropping.

"Fuck my life," I hiss in pain.
> Chapter Eleven
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It's dark down here. Really dark. The only light I have are the dim glows of the crystals imbedded in the jagged walls of the cave which grow brighter as I walk by. It's a marvelous sight, really. Though It doesn't help me much when I trip over every stray stone or slam my head against the low ceiling. I'm sure a normal-sized human being would have no problem navigating this place.

To make things even better, these caves are way colder than I was expecting them to be. It's nowhere near the frozen-over hell that the lands outside the force field were, but it's still enough to make me unwrap my brown fleece jacket from my waist and put it on. If it weren't so dim I'm sure I could see my breath down here.

I don't know where I'm going, either. I'm just not fully convinced I'm not being followed, so I keep trudging forward. I've passed several other possible paths which veered off of the one I was currently on, but for fear of getting lost, I continued on my simple and easy-to-backtrack straight path. Slowly, the way began to dip, until I was essentially walking downhill. 

The path downwards continued for a while, and everything was the same. I'd pass some sort of wooden support arch every now and then, but all they did for me was force me to duck even lower. My back was starting to ache from the hunched-over pose I was sporting, and I was getting a bit desperate for a change of scenery.

And eventually, my wish was granted. Before I could develop scoliosis, the descending path flattened eventually out. The narrow, small cave suddenly became wider, taller, and much less stuffy. I could finally stand to my full height without bashing my skull against the roof. It was only after I crackled my bones and stretched everything that I took in the scenery around me.

I had underestimated earlier just how huge the room was. I couldn't even see the ceiling in the thick darkness. From what I could see though, there were pickaxes and scraps of wood lying around the dusty floors of these caverns. (Mostly near the walls.) Into one wall, a railway traveled through, but there was no mine cart on the tracks that I could see. 

If my cell phone were to be believed, it was almost one in the afternoon. At least it was back on Earth. Here, I might as well throw my phone into the darkness. This thing was nearly useless. Hell, it would be useless once the battery died. 

Suddenly, my legs start hurting, and I find myself sitting on the cave floor trying to massage them. Soon, my entire body follows suit and sharp pains flow through my body. It hurts too much to move at all, and I just feel exhausted. I was feeling just fine a while ago. Incredible, even! Why was I completely drained, now?

My eyes started getting heavy, and the only thing I care about is falling asleep. It occurs to me that I have no idea when the last time I actually slept was. Painfully, I dragged my pathetic corpse near the wall, and bunched up my hood in an attempt to make a pillow. I could figure this stuff out when I woke up. Right now I just... I just really needed to rest.

So I lay in the darkness, and close my eyes.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Amethyst nickered. "Well, what else are we going to do?"

"Use common sense, for one. Do you even have any idea what you suggested we do?"

Glass Pond leaned against the counter to his tavern, silently wishing Amethyst Glory had an off switch. They retreated here after a stray pegasus guard nearly caught them snooping around. She paced around his empty establishment, endlessly contemplating their "next move." He had been learning a lot about his new acquaintance, particularly the fact that she was a bit dense at times. 

"We can't just stop here, we have to find out more about this... this ruse!" Amethyst huffed.

Pond rubbed his forehead. "We don't have to do anything, much less follow the thing into the Celestia-forsaken mines."

"You would give up now?" she accused.

"I'm not giving up, I'm just being patient. Something you seem to have trouble with, might I remind you?"

Amethyst ignored his advice. "Do you ever think of the possibilities? We might not have the time be patient!" she retorted, stomping a hoof. "For all we know, the monster is down there hatching his scheme as we speak!"

"I'd rather be safe and let the guards handle the danger, thank you very much." Losing interest, Glass Pond levitated a filthy rag from nowhere. If I'm trapped in here, I may as well get some work done, he thought. 

"Are you even listening to me?" 

Glass grunted disinterestedly.  

The already-frustrated Amethyst saw red. "Am I just a joke to you!?"

Glass Pond perked his ears up, turning towards the raging mare. 

She narrowed her eyes. "Do you even care for what I have to say!? I am not just some raving old loon!"

The bartender looked accused. "Of course I care for your opinion. Now, settle down! Nopony said anything about calling you a loon."

"Nopony had to say it. I saw the look on all their faces back in the street!" Amethyst  "'She's completely mad,' their faces said. 'She's off her rocker,' their eyes told!"

"What are yo—"

"Then you come along. Possibly the biggest insult thus far!"

"Me!?"

"I have yet to see why you even bothered trying to help!" she flipped her mane. "You hold me back, and belittle me even now! You may have given me an extra push, but every suggestion I make, you try to shoot it down with your... your cowardice!" The last word was spat with every ounce of poison she could muster.

If Glass wasn't insulted then, he certainly was now. "Don't you dare," he whispered dangerously. "Call me a coward."

Pond's face had moved closer to hers with eyes that could burn through steel. Amethyst matched his glower. For a few tense moments, neither of them spoke a word, instead trying to injure each other with their glares.

Glass finally stepped back, with malice still clear on his face. "You want to take action? Fine." He trotted away, motioning for her to follow him. 

Amethyst followed suit as Glass guided them both through his place of residence. The two trotted to an area clearly not meant for customers, as entire sections of the living space were covered in a thin layer of dust. Glass halted his trot suddenly, and before Amethyst could question why, he faced a door she didn't even notice was there. It bore no knob or keyhole, almost seamlessly blending in with the wall.

As if the boards were stuck, glass rammed his entire body into the door. The hidden wall complied and opened with one solid push. They stepped into a small, cramped room which held very few items. Each of which seemed would be of little importance to anypony. The head of a shovel, a couple stray pieces of scrap metal, and a few brown rocks of various shapes. From the ceiling hung an oil lamp tied from a rope, and it was lit by Pond swiftly.

"Why did you bring us here?"

Glass Pond pushed the door shut. "Because every known entrance to the mines are probably guarded by now," he quickly replied, still a bit miffed. "So I'm showing you an entrance that nopony knows about." He kicked around, scanning the floor with his eyes until he found what he was looking for.

Loose floorboards were lifted, and the large, sturdy stones sitting underneath were lifted out as well. 

"You made your own entrance?"

Glass made to untie the lamp from the ceiling, but it was snatched by Amethyst faster than he could get it.

"This is perfect!" she nearly shouted in glee. "I can't believe you didn't mention this sooner!"

Glass Pond snorted. 

"Now we can handle this problem ourselves! Let's hurry!"

As if a switch was flipped, Glass Pond's anger melted away, and calm reason showed it's face again.

He had made a mistake. 


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


The shapeless blobs I see before me shift and warp themselves. They do their dance for a while, and it's not too long before they create a familiar scene. I can faintly hear a voice.

"Bottoms up."

Wait, did I say that?

Neil, Brian and Trevor all followed suit, and soon four shot glasses sat empty on the cheap, creaky table. The bar hadn't changed one bit.

"You still haven't told me what that was," I licked my lips. "Man that was bitter."

"Don't worry, we just roofied your drink," Neil jested. 

"We might as well get out of here now," Brian chimed in. "This place is startin' to wear on me like the Jews did to Hitler."

We all looked his way in disgust. 

I said what we were all thinking, "Brian what the fuck, man?" 

"That wasn't even a very good analogy," Neil mumbled.

"Oh, sixty years later and it's still too soon?" he rolled his eyes. "Pussies."

Oh, now we're in a car. Brian's car, I think it is, since Brian's in the driver's seat, with me and Trevor in the back. Neil called shotgun before anybody, the fucker. It's not like this was supposed to be my night, or anything.

They're arguing about our next destination, and I'm not listening to any of it. It's just a bunch of annoying noise to me. Before I can knock some sense into them, they finally agree on some place I've never heard of. Whatever.

The all-you-can-eat restaurant wasn't high-end in the least, but we ate like kings. I piled my plate with so much food I doubt a weaker man could've even carried it. Chicken, corn, other various meats and veggies, it didn't matter. I gobbled it all up without a second thought, and my friends did the same. Judging from the stares other customers were giving us, I'd say we were making a bit too much noise, too.

I find myself in a dimly lit room, now. The walls are stained, the air smells like cigarettes and sweat, and relatively young women are spinning themselves seductively around metal poles.

So I was in that kind of place, then.

I see my three friends again. They're all sitting with me around a wobbly table, chuckling at one of Trevor's quips. Despite being at a strip club, there's nothing out of the ordinary here.

Then Espresso stepped out of the curtains, and trudged my way.

Apparently my friends thought it was hilarious to find the largest, ugliest stripper they could find and pay her to give me a lap dance. Thus, they found Espresso. Her dark-skinned fat folds rippled with every step she took, I'm pretty sure she could start an earthquake if she wanted to. 

"Come here, suga'," she said in baritone. "I'm-a get you wired." 

In the corner of my eye, I could see three schmucks laughing their heads off at my expense. Those assholes.

Now I'm standing on pavement. I can hear waves crashing against the cliff face ahead of me and my friends. The stars twinkle as we walk up to the metal railing on the edge of a cliff. I can't imagine how we ended up here. I lean against the railing and look out across the ocean horizon, and everyone else joins me. I can't recall ever visiting this place.

"Whose idea was it to come out here?" I ask them. 

They all give confused mumbles. 

"Great, thanks." 

Time passes. I don't know how for how long, but we all just stay there gazing out into the night. It's nice. Good on whoever suggested to come here.

"What is this place, anyways?" I ask.

Trevor answers first, "This is the point that earned the nickname of Pebble's Drop."

That was quite the name. "That's an odd one. Why is it called that?"

"Oh, it's cuz of an old tale that supposedly took place right here a long time ago. I think it's Native American or something." Trevor scratched his beard. 

I look around the area. "You'd think there would be a sign or plaque around here telling that story."

"Not many people come out here. Nobody has time for fairy-tales anymore," Trevor yawned.

Now I'm genuinely curious. "Do any of you know the story?"

"Aw can we not get into it right now?" Brian shut down. "Let's just enjoy the view."

"Actually it's kind of fitting, given the situation." Neil paused to spit over the railing into the ocean. "It's a love story, after all."

I made a mistake here. "Never mind, then. I don't need to hear it," I try to backtrack.

Neil turns to me. "No, no. I insist."

The railings disappears off the cliff, and I nearly stumble forward off the side of the bluff. The pavement beneath me melts away to reveal the dirt and grass. The moon races across the sky in a split second, and the sun takes it's turn doing the same. Day and night dash by a thousand times. Aside from Neil, whose eyes are missing their pupils, my friends aren't here anymore. 

While time speeds backwards, Neil grows taller and skinnier to the point where he towers over me. "After all," the malformed Neil says even though his facial features melted away. "It may help you."

The monster before me vanishes, and I do as well. 


---++---


A grisly man trudged through the woods. The one odd sapphire he held shined in the sunlight; it was all he had left.

He was possibly the most kindest soul known in their region, though strength and beauty was hardly his strong-suit. Those faults reared their ugly heads for him often when others picked a fight with him, or jeered at his ugliness.

This kind man found beauty here on this crag, watching the sun dip into the ocean. Her stunning radiance was matched only by her ferocity in battle. She was strong to her enemies, but open to her friends. 

These two opposites met here, and their stories intertwined. The man offered his sapphire as a gift to her. She could hardly believe his generosity.

They asked each others names. As far as history is concerned, the man was named Pebble, and the woman Thunder. 

Many happy years passed by for Pebble and Thunder. They fought for each other, whether the situation called for the sharpened stone of her weapon, or his warm diplomacy. Their struggles were endless and exhausting, but they never faltered. As long as they had each other, they were content. 

They soon grew to be renowned and respected across the lands. People praised their names, hoping one day they could be as respected as Pebble and Thunder.

Though for every thousand that loved them, there were still few who despised the two.

Old rivals of Pebble emerged once again, jealous that such an ugly man could be with an elegant woman. Their minds sick with hatred, they gathered in great enough numbers that their cowardice was veiled. The evil men set up an ambush on Thunder in the dark of the night when the two lovers slept.

Pebble and Thunder's shelter was raided, and the two victims were dragged out in bindings even Thunder could not break free of. The raiders separated and imprisoned them for weeks, torturing them both relentlessly. 

Thunder tried to fight her way out many times, as did Pebble. They were both struck down each time, but no matter what their captors did, Pebble and Thunder's wills refused to break. 

Then Pebble's enemies hatched a heinous plan. The evil men told Thunder they would kill Pebble unless she lied and convinced him she didn't love him anymore. If she did, the brutes would let them both go free.

Pebble had been beaten, bruised and bloodied many times already, but he held on for her. He had to.

Then Thunder walked into his cell at night, free of bindings. She acted her disdain for him as best as she could, fighting back tears to hold remain convincing. In one final act, she held the sapphire he gave her before in front of him, and told Pebble that she would sell it to show how much his love meant to her.

Pebble was shattered by the end of it. His one light at the end of the tunnel was diminished. This usually calm man screamed, cursing her and his assailants. He was no more the man he used to be. 

Thunder choked back her tears as she left his cell, telling the savages to release them both.

They responded with a knife in her back. She bled out while wringing a mans neck.

The evil men carried the kicking and screaming Pebble to the cliff face where he met the woman who betrayed him. His hollering echoed to the stars as they beat him again, and left him for dead on the cliff under the Northern Lights.

His beaten body was not there the next day, and Thunder's body disappeared as well. Only the sapphire remained as proof they ever existed. 

It is believed that Pebble dragged himself off the cliff, and that Thunder was buried deep beneath the trees of the earth. Some say Pebble became a dark spirit of hatred and greed, Doing whatever he can to trouble others relationships in spite, and others tell that the wind one hears on this cliff is the spirit of Thunder, crying over her horrible mistake. 

Such is the tragic tale of Pebble and Thunder.


---++---


"Andy."

The terrain snaps back to normal, and my companions fade back into existence with me. Brian, Neil and Trevor are staring at me, waiting for me to say anything. 

So I respond. "Neil, that was the most depressing story I've ever heard. What the hell was the point of that?"

"To make an example," he answered. "Thunder was willing to do anything for Pebble, even though he didn't have much to offer her besides kind words. You know why?"

"Why?" I humor him.

Nobody says anything. Instead, all three of them stare at me with dead eyes.

Then they vanish again. I had told them all I'd meet them back at the car. After all the heavy talks and depressing stories, I just needed a few minutes to myself right now.

The Aurora Borealis is dancing in the night sky. 

"The Northern Lights? Here in California?" I raise an eyebrow.

The lights in the sky shine as bright as they can, guiding my eyes to their end at the horizon. I can't explain why, but they send me into a trance. My steps are heavy, carrying me to find just where the auroras ended. 

I can faintly hear a woman's voice in my ear, though that could just be the wind raging around me as I step towards the cliff's edge.

What is carrying me forward? 

I clamber over the safety fence. Some guard against falling it was.

I stop in my tracks just shy of stepping off the cliff face. The sky no longer houses the Northern Lights, because now they occupy the space in front of me. The colorful lights swirl in front of me at breakneck speeds, forcing the air to roar violently. 

Something pulls me forward again, much to my internal dismay. I fight with all of my might, but my mind is nothing compared to the hypnotic spells of the magical essence in front of me.

I step off the cliff, and on to empty air. 

The last thing I hear is my name being called out before a loud bang sounds out. I wonder who that was? It almost sounded like Trevor. 

Pure white is all there is.

A whisper reverberates in my head, "Love will show you the way."

I'm suddenly very cold.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


I awoke in a cold sweat, still deep under the earth. I had never had a such a vivid dream before, and I remembered everything about it.

I wipe the sweat off my brow with a hand, contemplating what I just saw. Pebble's Drop. That unnoticeable tourist attraction had something to do with my transportation to this alien world. I finally had a clue. Though, how it was supposed to help me now was another matter entirely. 

I hear noises of stone crumbling under force. My breath catches in my throat, and I frantically look around. I couldn't decipher where the sounds where coming from.

The noise gets louder, and I stand back on my feet in preparation for whatever is coming. 

Then the wall of stacked rocks behind me pushes towards me, shaking dust and dirt free. I knew it was a poorly covered tunnel, but I had no idea something could actually be in there. I just assumed it was blocked off to keep people from going in.

I backed away slowly in fear of whatever was attempting to knock down the false wall of boulders. The rocks collapsed, and I steeled myself for the worst.
> Chapter Twelve
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	(NOTE: The following scene with Shamrock and Poppy was moved here from the last chapter. If it seems like you already read this scene, you probably have. It's only 800 words long, though. Sorry in advance.)

"I would also like to remind you that getting a decent amount of sleep each night and eating enough food every day is crucial to your health. You probably think that goes without saying, but you'd be surprised how many patients I've had that don't satisfy those two criteria," Poppy lectured a brooding Shamrock, who laid on the bed. 

Shamrock groaned. He couldn't be more miserable, and Poppy couldn't be more cheerful. Truth be told, her happiness was a small contributing factor to his bitterness.

The gleeful nurse had finished her lecture, and began to tidy up the building for no reason in particular than to tidy up. Shamrock figured it was just so she could give herself something to do while they remained locked inside. 

Shamrock, on the other hoof, had absolutely nothing to occupy himself with. His thoughts were all that he had, and they infuriated him more often than not. His mind kept turning to his bandaged head, and the cause of it. Who injured him and why? What possible purpose could it have other than to harm him for harm's sake?

He was an easy target. He was weak. 

He pivoted his head, his gaze falling upon the four-leafed clover that graced his flanks. Some luck his cutie-mark brought him.

Shamrock laid back down on his cot, smashing a pillow into his face, though careful not to put any pressure on his wound.

Poppy noticed, breaking out of her cleaning spree to address the situation. "Are you alright there, dear? It seems like something's on your mind."

"Leave me alone," Shamrock snapped, removing his pillow.

The smile didn't leave Poppy's face. "Alright! But if you want to get whatever it is off your chest, I'm right here to lend an ear." 

Poppy began to trot away again, and something inside Shamrock forfeited.

"I feel so pathetic," he blurted. 

Poppy silently turned back to him. 

He sat up slowly, and continued after a brief pause, "Even before that wretch Sombra ruled, I haven't been much use anywhere. I could barely hold my job at the local library, I couldn't sleep at night, and I had very few friends. The only positive thing to come out of Sombra's rule was that I was forced to converse with others just to get through each day." Shamrock rubbed his foreleg, gazing at the floor. "But that's all it is with me. Just... getting through each day. Sometimes I even need a visit to the tavern to help." Shamrock noted that the Nurses ever-present smile did not grace her visage anymore, instead replaced by an unintelligible stare. 

Shamrock avoided eye contact. 

A few moments of painful silence later, she spoke, "I can tell you right now that you're not pathetic."

Shamrock snorted. "It's not befitting of a nurse to lie to her patient."

"It's as much of lie as it is to say the sun rises at dawn," Poppy retorted without skipping a beat. "I could lie some more if you'd like. Did you hear that grass is green?"

"Oh, stop it. I don't want your patronization." He narrowed his eyes.

Poppy's smile had come back in full swing. "What do you want?"

Shamrock gazed away towards the window. "I want to feel relevant again. I want to not see a waste of space when I look in the mirror." His hoof went behind his mane, touching his bandages. "I want to be stronger."

Poppy didn't falter. "Then what's stopping you?" 

"Huh?"

"What's stopping you? Honestly."

Shamrock was dumbfounded. "I... I mean... but Sombra—"

"—I'm sure Sombra didn't help matters, but I don't see him anywhere." Poppy turned side to side. "Maybe it won't be easy, but nothing worth fighting for ever is. You have to make an effort and be the change you want."

Shamrock was rendered speechless.

"The way I see it, you've been trudging through everything life has thrown at you, so now it's time you start throwing back! Show the world what you can do." Poppy pointed a hoof in his direction, specifically at the clovers adorning his flank.

Shamrock was slow to respond, "...Yes, you're right." His eyes widened. "Yes, you're right!" He shot up from the bed, a strong look in his face. "You're right! You're absolutely right! I'm not going to do this anymore. I'm going to show everypony what I'm made of!"

Poppy beamed at her work.

"Thank you, Nurse," Shamrock grinned. "You've set me on the right path."

"Oh, it was nothing. Just, please take it easy. You're not doing your head any favors."

Shamrock frowned again, sitting back on the bed. 

"Now you just rest there for now, alright? I'll be right back," Poppy assured, trotting away deeper into the empty building.

Shamrock simply sat on the bed, this time with resolve. With determination. He would not be pushed around by life anymore. From now on, he would be the one doing the pushing. He would make his own luck, rather than waiting for it to come to him.

Shamrock giddily schemed as Poppy's singing voice echoed throughout the room. Shamrock's eyes narrowed. For now, he would rest. As soon as he got out of bed, whoever the beast was that injured him would pay dearly.

Shamrock would take control.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


My heart was racing. My breathing was rapid.

I was in no shape to fight anything, or even flee. I was still exhausted, and everything ached. Whatever little sleep I received hadn't seemed to help at all, either. 

I blame the vivid dream, the damn thing.

The wall of rocks I had fallen asleep next to had been dismantled, revealing a small hole I doubted even a smaller human than I could fit through. Out of the darkness of the hole came a bright light, nothing like the luminescent glow of the gems embedded in the cave walls. This light was more warm, and inviting. Candlelight, I assumed.

I grit my teeth, expecting a million soldiers bearing weapons of all sorts to erupt from the rat tunnel like angry bees from a destroyed hive.

Instead, two armor-less ponies plopped out, dirty and obviously uncomfortable. The purple one carried a lantern in her mouth, but besides that they had nothing on them. These were not soldiers at all.

"What the fuck?" I blurted in confusion.

The two ponies jumped out of their skin, and they gazed towards me with the wide-eyed, fearful looks I've been seeing much too often lately. For only a moment, nobody utters a sound. Then one of the horses releases a scream that banshees would be jealous of, dropping and extinguishing her lantern in the process. I cover my ears as her wailing reverberates throughout the caves, and I notice her partner doing the same thing with his hooves. Then the other pony started to babble his nonsense at her, I assumed to try to get her to calm the fuck down. 

Of course, that was just my guess. These horses still confused the shit out of me. 

Come to think of it, though, these two specific ponies looked familiar, somehow. I wondered if I had seen them before, but It'd have been a lot easier to concentrate if I wasn't feeling like shit and this pony wasn't adding to my headache by loudly panicking. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me again. Certainly wouldn't be the first time today. Really would've been nice to remember the bits about my bachelor party way earlier.

My calves were quivering again, and one leg decided it couldn't hold me up anymore. I fell to my knees, but the two ponies didn't seem to notice. They were too busy hectically trying to talk over one another. 

Both of them seemed scared out of their minds. The white-haired one was completely panicking and yelling, and the blue one was visibly shaking as well. Although he seemed like he was actually trying to remain calm.

Emphasis on "trying."

What were these two even doing here? They were the first things alive I had seen since entering these boring ass caves. Did the ponies live down here, too? Maybe these two are also on the run from the law. 

Their constant attempts at communication wore thin on me. The headache in my cranium was fast becoming a migraine. I just needed them both to... to...

"Shut up!" Yeah, that.

They fell silent at my outburst, and turned back to me. They weren't hollering anymore, but their breaths were still heavy. I was slightly embarrassed to be seen on my knees like I was, so I attempted to stand up again. Only this time when my legs gave out, my entire body crashed to the rocky floor. 

Sneaking a glance at the two newcomers, they looked even more confused than before. Maybe they were wondering why I was so out of energy to the point of collapsing. Well so was I, god damn it.

It would've been so easy just to fall asleep on the floor again. I didn't even mind how uncomfortable it was anymore.

In a strange turn of events, Ms. Screamsalot was brave enough to step forward towards me. The male, however, stayed behind saying more things I couldn't understand. Probably 'what are you doing' or 'get away from him.'

She finally stopped in front of me, though careful to stay out of my reach. "Dsl ziv blf? Dsb ziv blf sviv?" She said, as if I was just magically going to understand her. 

"Please, spare me the bullshit language. I really don't want to deal with it right now."

The male spoke to her again from his safe distance away, and she responded. They conversed a bit more like this, never taking their eyes off me. 

She addressed me again, "Ziv blf Hlnyiz'h nrmrlm?" 

I ignored her. Against my better judgement, I decided to try one more time to stand up, giving it my all. I made good progress this time, standing upright on my right leg first, and then focusing on the left one. The ponies seem to find it really interesting too as they won't take their eyes off of me. Slowly I rose, while the two aliens gawked in awe. I stretched my arms out for balance, and finally I was standing on two legs.

Then it threatened to literally come crashing down. I stumbled again, and I hit the floor.

My resulting groan evolves into a frustrated scream, and my fist pounds against the ground. The two horses backed away, I think in fear. 

Why is this happening to me now? I thought. Why can't I even stand up? I'll never find a way back home if I couldn't use my fucking legs! 

My body surrendered, and I flopped against the floor while my balled hand continued to pathetically beat the ground.

Then, in the middle of my angst, came a purple, sparkling hoof. It trembled slightly, sluggishly advancing towards me. I'm not sure what prompted this action. Hell, one look at her expressive face told me that even she seemed unsure of what she was doing. 

Just what was she doing?


---———===———---


"What in Celestia's name are you doing?" A stupefied Glass Pond inquired.

"Quiet," Amethyst Glory responded.

"Don't touch him! He could bite your hoof off!"

Amethyst considered his argument. Here was the unknown beast, easily three times as big as she was and wanted by every guard in the Empire. Sure, at first glance it was terrifying, and the two ponies were scared out of their minds just looking at the thing. She expected it to leap at them, thirsty for their blood. Instead, it hadn't attempted any attack at all. It was simply writhing on the ground, failing to even stand up.

Was this really the thing she had feared all this time? The evil servant of Sombra, determined to bring back it's master and rule at his side? Doubts began to form in Amethyst's mind. 

"Amethyst! For the last time, get away from that thing! It's just trying to lure you in!" Glass barked at her.

She hesitated, slightly reeling her hoof back in. A moment passed before her curiosity got the better of her again, and she found herself reaching out towards the beast.

The creature gave a puzzled look from his small eyes, switching it's gaze between Amethyst and her outstretched hoof. The strange specimen slowly reached out to wrap it's fleshy claws around her foreleg. What came next was one of the strangest feelings Amethyst had ever received. 

As the pale appendage gripped her leg, it was as if a vacuum sucked all of the energy from her while a cold breeze washed over her very being. She recoiled her foreleg, and she regretted her actions as her body collided with the ground. 

Glass Pond's eyes widened, and he ran to her side. "Amethyst!" 


---———===———---


Man, did I feel like a million bucks! I felt like I could lift a train car!

The touch of that horse's leg gave me a sensation I couldn't possibly describe right. It was the same feeling I got when fighting those soldiers on the surface. I felt as though I was being warmed from the inside, and a spring breeze had washed over me at the same time. I know it sounds cheesy, but it was almost felt like it filled me with hope. 

Whatever this alien had done, it was invigorating!

I only wish I could say the same for her; She hit the ground with a grunt immediately. I don't even know what I did to her.

The other one came running to her side, spewing random bullshit both at her and at me. I didn't need to comprehend the language to know he was spouting some choice words at me. I didn't quite appreciate that. 

I ignored him, deciding to give my attempt at standing another shot. I prepared my legs once more, and to my amazement I did so without any issue. My legs felt fine, I didn't feel like I needed more sleep, hell my headache had completely disappeared too. 

Well, what the hell was different!?

It had to do with that handshake. I know it did. These ponies and this world were fucking with me. "You know what, I don't care. I'm just glad I can stand again!" I declare with a smile.

Then a ballistic rock caught me right above my left eye. As I yelped and recoiled in pain whilst clutching my forehead, in the corner of my eye I could see the other horse readying another stone in his hoof. 

Now I really didn't appreciate that.

"What the fuck!? Stop it you cock-sucker!" I indignantly insulted while he let loose with a barrage of stones he just found on the ground. How he was even able to throw anything with hooves is beyond me. All I knew was that he wasn't keen on stopping anytime soon. 

I was perceptive enough to know he was just scared and lashing out. Acting out against him wouldn't really solve anything. I mean, sure, fifteen minutes ago I would've probably clocked him over the head, but I was in a much better mood ever since the magical handshake of power. 

So I opted to run away and give the two horses some space so they could chill the hell out. "Okay, okay, fine! I'm leaving! You two do whatever you want!" I knew they couldn't understand me. Why did I still try to talk to them?

I hurried away from the hail of rocks, still clutching at my head.


---———===———---


Amethyst Glory began to rise again, seeing her companion chuck rocks at a fleeing creature. "Pond, stop it!"

A startled Glass Pond stayed his hoof, and directed his attention to helping Amethyst Glory. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Glass. I was merely disoriented for a moment," She shrugged off his help, standing perfectly on her four hooves. "Where has it gone? Which tunnel did it take?"

"I don't know, and frankly I don't care," Glass Pond huffed. "You found what you wanted, and now we're going to get out of these blasted caves before anything else happens."

"We can't just leave! We've come so far, accomplished so much!"

Glass Pond rolled his eyes. "Really? What have we accomplished then, huh?"

"We've proven the monster to be an enemy! Nothing that sucks the life out of you with a mere touch can possibly be good for the Empire!" Glory protested.

"What do you suppose we do then, Glory? What goose chase do you want to lead us on now?"

"Don't you belittle me," She growled. "We can follow it. Track it down!"

"And for what purpose!?" Glass yelled. "What possible reason do you have to keep following the thing that nearly sucked your soul dry?"

It was Glory's turn to roll her eyes. "Have you not been paying attention? It's a threat to the Empire, and the guards aren't doing anythi—"

"NO!" Glass cut her off. "The real reason!"

"I... I am telling you the real reason!" Amethyst averted his eyes, suddenly finding the floor very interesting.

Glass glare shifted into a flat stare. "No, you're not."

As if a switch was flipped, all fight in Amethyst Glory melted away. She found herself unable to even look in Glass Pond's direction, sitting on her haunches with her head low to the ground.

Though he wasn't sure of the cause of her sudden depression, Glass Pond didn't think he needed to. Feeling a pang of pity for Amethyst, he trotted up to her side, placing a hoof on her withers. "Look, you've won, okay? You proved yourself right, and everypony who doubted you was wrong." He spoke calmly. "Why can't that be enough?"

Amethyst said nothing, but instead gave him a brief, heartbroken gaze before sighing very loudly.

The two ponies sat there, nearly as still as the caves themselves with only the sounds of their breaths to accompany them. 

Both of them blissfully unaware of the unnatural abomination quietly lurking from the tunnel on the far end of the cavern. Both of them oblivious to the fact that they were not alone. 


---———===———---


Sheesh, feisty little horses.

I hadn't gotten very far in the cramped tunnel I chose to flee. I honestly didn't want to continue any deeper into these caves because I had no idea where the god damn hell I was going and it wasn't like there was a directory anywhere nearby.

I double-checked my surroundings. Nope. Definitely no directory in this narrow cavern.

I could go back and try to communicate my situation to these two horses, though judging how that went the last couple times, it would likely turn out for the worse. I also wasn't interested in getting into another scuffle. I could most likely slip around them and retrace my steps back up to the surface, but there's a good chance I'd be captured by those pony guards and... 

You know, now that I thought about it, that didn't seem like a bad thing anymore. Sure, they weren't exactly nice to me, but it wasn't like I handled that conflict back there any better. If I went up there and turned myself in, maybe then I could negotiate myself out of trouble and even find a way back home. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but damn if it wasn't actually the best idea I had right then.

And you know what? the more I thought about it, the better that plan became. "Why the fuck did I even come down here in the first place? Stupid," I berated myself. 

I could still hear Seabiscuit and Agro back in the open cavern loudly conversing about something. Probably still about me. Whatever they were talking about, I couldn't have cared less. I was going to go up to the surface, find the nearest guard and—

The cramped tunnel echoed as my foot collided with the objects on the floor which I hadn't noticed. The dusty chains rattled, noisily sliding among the rocky ground before coming to a stop near something else. At first glance I thought it to be just another rock in the expanse of this cave, but I noticed that this one looked... off. It was a lot larger, rounder, and colored a bit more pale. I lumbered over towards it, crouching down to inspect it. 

Now, I should have learned at this point that this world was full of surprises, and I should expect one at every turn, but I wasn't expecting the item I turned over to have teeth and eye holes. I quickly retracted my arm, gazing wide eyed at the skull of one of those alien ponies. It definitely wasn't a cheap prop; Some poor soul had been left to rot down here. 

My thoughts raced. Is that what this place is? A burial ground? Have I been trampling over the remains of the deceased this whole time without knowing? Why havn't I seen any marked graves if that's the case? My eyes shifted to the chains that had slid to the corner, and I understood. 

This wasn't a cemetery, it was a prison. These ponies were more than willing to kill each other. Whose to say that wouldn't happen to me if I was imprisoned!? I was right to flee from the law!

From where the two ponies where, I heard a shrill scream. 

"No. Fuck that. Fuck this. I'm getting out of here," I proclaimed, and started hobbling in the opposite direction of the pony's scream as fast as I could. If there was someone executing them right now, I wouldn't let them find me.

...Unless they knew these tunnels better than me, which could pretty much be guaranteed. They'd find me sooner or later and I'd just be wandering around with my thumb up my ass. 

My hustle came to a standstill and I decided I had to go back. Not only because it was my only surefire way out of these death caves, but I'd also feel really bad about letting those two other horses get the axe. Damn morals. These aliens were lucky I was so caring. 

I turned, and backtracked to meet whatever doom awaited me.


---———===———---


Glass called out in fear, "Run! Don't let the golem stun you!" 

Glass Pond followed his own advice as the new adversary pursued him. A monster, made entirely of large, floating, blue gems had found the two ponies, and was carrying out the old orders of its late master. One large spire of a crooked jewel rose above the two crystal ponies, pulsing with a sinister glow while its five spider-like legs carried the mass swiftly despite it's awkward size and shape. 

It made an echoing noise, extremely deep in pitch, before its body burned brightly. The point of the walking spire shined a sparking white, and from it fired a magical blast towards Amethyst Glory. 

Knowing full well that the blast would paralyze her should it hit, Amethyst barely leaped out of the way. The spell splattered against the rock wall behind her, and faded away entirely. She turned to her partner, "Pond! We need to get out of here!"

"Come on!" He was ahead of her, sprinting back for the hole they came through. 

The hulking pile of moving crystal made its otherworldly noise that haunted the two ponies memories. The golem aimed at Pond, its top sparking again with the same white energy as before. 

Glass focused instead on the exit, desperately trying to make it to the hole before the monstrosity of gems could reach him. By a cruel twist of fate, the golem was faster than he was, and skittered in front of the hole before the two ponies could make it there. Pond skidded to a halt in stunned fear of the white charging spell on it's spire, realizing he was about to be captured by this enforcer of Sombra.

He was going to be caught again.

"Pond! Look out!" Amethyst galloped to him, throwing her body weight against his just before the fired magic could hit him.

Instead, the violent spell hit her. 

"Amethyst! No!" Glass cried out.

Amethyst's body convulsed in pain, but the scream she attempted mustered no sound. Instead her muscles tensed up, and she froze in an uncomfortable pose on the floor of the hollowed cavern. She could only move her eyes to see either Glass Pond's horrified face, or the imposing crystal golem turning to pursue him next. She wanted to scream at him to run, but her mouth refused to move.

It was at this point where Amethyst Glory realized their fate to be. They were going to be trapped down here again. This monster would imprison them both and they'd be stuck again like the days when Sombra ruled. 

Nopony would come to save them.

Then, from her peripheral vision, out of a cave came a familiar shape. 

"Dszg gsv ufxp rh gszg." 

The attention of every being in the room turned towards the visitor.


---———===———---


I felt like I had said the term "what the fuck" on enough occasions to last a lifetime, but every single time I thought my situation couldn't get any crazier, my reality received an uppercut square to the jaw. 

That being said, what the fuck was that thing? 

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I came back, but this... horror before me was nothing I would have ever imagined possible. It looked like a giant turtle made out of crystals, only it's jewel of a shell was a lot taller and it had five threatening crab legs which looked ready to impale me with ease. It had no mouth, or eyes, or anything but legs and a body. The thing was just a moving pile of minerals that floated together all on their own.

I internally wondered how much this thing would be worth back home.

The noise it made was the stuff of nightmares. It was a deep sound, kind of like the error noise you would get from one of those old windows computers, or the whoosh of a lightsaber. Descriptive, I know.

The situation in here wasn't looking very bright. I could see the lantern still fallen on the ground, only the iron casing had been smashed into several pieces. Not to mention the fact that one of the horses was shaking with fear, and the other horse from before still lay on the ground unmoving. I'm sure I wasn't the cause of that, since she had moved far from the spot where we had the magical handshake.

I had little time to react before the crystal monster thing turned. Whether it was facing me or not, I wasn't sure; The thing didn't have a clear front side to it, but it did begin to crackle with a strange energy at the top of its largest, gnarled crystal. 

With only the warning of another deep noise, it fired a fucking magical beam at me. I leaped out of the way, skidding my chest and chin on the dusty rock of the ground. It stung quite a bit, but I was certain it was a hell of a lot better than getting hit by the sparkling magic fired by an angry jewel monster. 

This is around the point I decided these two horses I didn't even know weren't worth dying over, and attempted to fuck off down some random tunnel. I didn't get far before another blast of white plasma shot by me and gave an audible wham as it slammed against the wall. With all the grace of a rhinoceros on a unicycle, I fell backwards on my ass. It seemed the crystal spider was extremely intent on making me its prey.

I scrambled to my feet while trying to keep an eye on my opponent, not quite sure of what to do. There wasn't anything I could use as cover in this vast expanse of a cavern, and it seemed like charging the thing head on would be suicide. It seemed my only option was to keep trying to escape and hope the thing's aim kept being off. 

In the corner of my eye, I saw the ponies attempting to escape, with one carrying the other on his back. They were moving really slow, but they would make it if I kept this over sized geode occupied long enough.

Another sound from the crab beast snapped me back to reality, and I steeled my nerves. My legs broke out into a sprint, carrying me to the nearest of many paths in the cavern. I looked back at the crystal thing just in time to duck under his next shot. The ball of energy came so close to nailing me in the brain that I'm pretty sure my hair stood on end.

I looked back up just in time to see the mineral monstrosity charging at me, its tip more ablaze with blinding light than ever before. I don't know if this thing had the capacity to show emotion, but damn did it seem pissed off.

I almost said to myself that it couldn't get any worse than this. Almost. Even I knew better than to curse myself like that.


---———===———---


"Hold on, Amethyst! Just hold on!"

With the golems attention shifted to the mysterious creature, Glass Pond saw his opportunity to flee. Picking up and carrying Amethyst was turning out to be a harder task than he judged; not because Amethyst Glory was a large mare, but mostly because Glass Pond himself was a bit lacking when it came to physical ability. As a result, he found himself shuffling towards the escape hole a lot slower than he would like. If only they hadn't strayed so far away from the exit!

It was all such a huge mess. The creature they had been chasing after was now sprinting around the area dodging the spells of a crystal golem which was somehow still lingering around after all this time, and the mere notion of being inside the slave mines was still triggering terrible memories for Glass Pond. For the sake of his pride, he didn't mention this fact to Glory. Speaking of, a strand of her drool was currently trailing down his side as he hoisted her across to the exit. She was going to be out of it for a while. 

All this, and the day was still far from over.

"We're almost there. We won't be taken again, Amethyst!" he reassured, knowing she couldn't respond in her state. By now, the spell had taken control of her, putting her into a hypnotic trance.

A quake rumbled throughout the room, and Pond's slow escape came to a halt. Shards of rock and jewels were shaken loose from all sides of the mine, a couple specks landing on Glass Pond's nose. He gave his surroundings a quick scan, wondering what could possibly be causing the cave to rumble. The bartender looked ahead to his destination, and his heart stopped.

The tunnel he and Glory had entered through, their nearest exit, had caved in.

"No! Not now!"

Pond set down Amethyst a bit harder than intended, but his panic was overtaking him once again. He rushed to his secret tunnel, ready to dig away the rocky refuse. He didn't get far before another shake of his surroundings alerted him to look up, where larger boulders plummeted and threatened to bury him alive. He retreated in time to evade the smashing debris. Although he wasn't crushed, his hope certainly was.

The situation only decayed from there.

As if fate was laughing in their faces, Glass Pond spotted another crystal golem lurk towards them from one of the many mine shafts. This one was more crimson in color, and resembled a slithering snake more than it did an arachnid. The faceless crystal being sparked with the familiar glow of a paralysis spell.

Then came another golem composed of topaz from a hole in the ceiling, where there should have still been rock. The tiny, four-legged creature clinged to the roof and dashed around as several others that looked just like it poured out of the hole.

The rumbling of the cave only increased. From every crack and crevice, golems of every shape, color and size began to swarm the cave.

Pond stumbled back to Amethyst's motionless body as the gem monsters surrounded them. His mind raced, seeking a way to get them both out of this predicament. When nothing came to mind, he simply shouted and cursed at the abominations that circled him.

He was in mid sentence when a bolt struck him in his side. Glass Pond writhed in pain before he could no longer move, and he too fell to the cold, hard floor.

His vision was entirely filled with the devious creatures everywhere he could possibly look, except in one direction, where a small opening between a purple and yellow golem showed the creature they were originally chasing, fleeing down a random corridor. Several golems of different colors gave pursuit. 

Pond knew in the back of his mind that the beast had no chance down here. The golems apparently still ruled these mines.

The various rock beings swarmed the two ponies, and Glass Pond could do nothing more than wallow in regret as the secondary effect of the spell kicked in. 

Glass Pond remembered nothing more.
> Chapter Thirteen
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I hurriedly turned a corner, slamming my hip on a stray outcropping of stone in the process. I wanted to stop to hiss and wince in pain appropriately, but I was certain my pursuers wouldn't give me that chance. In fact, I could hear a cacophony of deep noises not too far behind me. I needed to push through the pain. I could rest later when I wasn't dead.

After the cavern that me and the two horses were in had been completely overrun by the gem monsters, I booked it out of there as fast as I could. Although that didn't mean I had an inkling of where I was running to. I sprinted down the tunnels, taking random twists and turns down other caves trying to get away from the creatures. Every turn I took, I could only pray that it was not leading me to a dead end. 

These things came in many forms and colors, like a rainbow of doom. Most of them had a striking resemblance to animals back on earth, but some came in shapes that didn't make any sense to me.

The one emerging in front of me from one of the many detours, for example, was simply a floating ball of what I assumed to be diamonds. The orb was accompanied by several other tinier black jewels swiftly orbiting around it in a ring.

Though my main thought at the time was less concerned about it's physical shape and more along the lines of Oh sweet holy Jesus it's right in front of me!

I couldn't afford to slow down, so I pulled off a desperate move instead. I mustered whatever energy I hadn't sucked dry, and charged at the white Saturn. Just as the star fired it's beam, I ducked low and slid on my legs. It was a little painful, but I had successfully managed to dodge the bolt and slide under the diamond sphere. I allowed a smirk, continuing to run away from the horde behind me. 

If I wasn't running for my life right then I would've properly celebrated that sweet move. But the noises behind me continued to advance, so I continued to run. 

I didn't even know how much time this chase went on for, but I can say with certainty it lasted too long. It felt like hours of aimless, frantic running down the labyrinth of caves, but it's likely it didn't take nearly that long. 

It all came to a halt when my luck ran out, and I finally hit a dead end in the maze. 

I looked behind me. The imposing crystal monsters basked in the dim illumination of the wall gems, and their fast pace had decreased to a slow, deadly crawl. They had me, and they knew it. 

The diamond star emerged from the colorful crowd, sparking again with that all-too-familiar white glow. 

This is it, I thought. This is the end of the line.

The white ball began to hum louder as it focused all of it's power. Several others repeated it.

I closed my eyes. Between my heavy breaths, I tried to think of appropriate final words.

I wasn't given the chance.The star fired its shot, and it connected with my chest. A hail of other magical blasts followed soon after, peppering my body and the wall behind me, but I can safely say most of them managed to hit me. 

I fell to my knees, staggering. 

...It took me a couple moments that I didn't actually feel anything painful. In fact, I felt just fine. For all the effect the vicious magic had on me, they might as well have been firing water guns.

I stood back up, and I was buffeted again by another hail of beams, but that time I actually felt something; A rising fire, building upon itself. I felt power beyond what I ever had before. It was invigorating.

The diamond star echoed with the rest of the crystal abnormalities again, and I frowned. The thing charged its energy once more, but I wasn't afraid anymore. These things couldn't hurt me with their magic bullshit. I knew I could fight back now.

I ran over towards the crystal star, and with a short grunt I wrapped my arms around it, trying to tear it from the air. 

The effects of my touch were immediate. The swirling shards of diamond that orbited the star plummet to the ground, rattling on the rocky floor, while the star itself began to lose it's pure alabaster color. I could see the white essence in the crystal swirling around inside, rushing in waves into my limbs. As it happened, I felt even more power flow through my arms.

The abomination made it cries, probably trying to protest its capture, but it quickly grew quiet. It didn't take long for the pure white crystal to transform into a lifeless hunk of black rocks in my arms.

At that moment, I finally understood. All those ponies collapsing when they fondled me, and the refreshing feeling I received from their touch? I had somehow gained the ability to absorb energy through physical contact.

I had fucking super powers. It was my childhood dream come true.

For good measure, I threw the dead star against the wall of boulders behind me, and it shattered like glass into a thousand pieces.

"Huh! How about that?" I said with a cocky smile. I turned back towards the other mineral monsters, only to see them moving towards me, intent on bringing me down.

I wasn't having it anymore, so I did what any rational person in my situation would do. I threw my brown coat off, pierced all other sounds with a hardy war cry, and charged the crowd of monsters. 

The crystal demons fell one by one as I threw a flurry of punches and kicks at my surroundings. The gems turned black at the slightest touch, and each darkened crystal meant more power for me. The energy of the monsters flowed into me one by one, and before I knew it I had enough power to hoist a larger one above my head and toss it at a scorpion-like creature of emeralds. 

The entire fight went by in a blur. This mystical feeling of immense focus and strength was one of the most exhilarating things I had experienced. I was moving like I never had before. 

One side effect of having this kind of power? I seemed to be getting a bit... intense.

A maniacal laugh erupted from my smiling mouth as I skewered a golden gorilla-thing with its own arm that I had effortlessly ripped off. "I AM YOUR AGGRESSOR!" I shouted, not even batting an eye at the fact that I was punching solid minerals so hard they fractured. My arm should've been broken many times over.

The struggle was entirely one sided. The crystal monsters couldn't touch me without transforming into lifeless obsidian, and anytime they did it just further invigorated me as an overpowered maniac. Not to mention their magic spell crap had no negative effect on me, and this small hallway meant only a few could take me on at one time. Some of the things had enough intelligence to try to take a swipe at me when I was distracted with another one, but any limb that hit me immediately went dark and fell limp. It didn't seem to deter them though, as several of them tried and failed multiple times to throw their weight at me and overwhelm me. I hardly noticed anything hitting me in my drunk-with-power rage; it was like being assaulted by pillows.

My arm flung at a pink floating eel with the force of an avalanche, careening it against the wall to shatter. I raised my fists above my head. "I AM A GOD!" 

Okay yes, I did go completely overboard. But come on, wouldn't you?

The purple bear-thing I've lifted in my grasp falls victim to the onyx plague too, and after I've crushed it within my grasp, I pivot and realize I have no more targets left. There were no more colored demons for me to destroy, only the blackened remnants of a once intimidating army. 

Rage still consumed my mood. This victory simply wasn't enough for me, I still had so much untapped power to utilize!

"FUCK YOU! AND FUCK YOU!" I jeered, breaking some of the larger remains under my feet. I stomped and trampled the black stones until there was nothing but tiny dark particles littering the ground. With nothing satisfying enough to smash, I switched my attention to the nearest wall, letting loose a storm of punches that had the same effect a jackhammer would. 

I grunted and yelled the whole time, treating the wall like my personal punching bag. Looking back at it, I'm extremely grateful that cave didn't collapse on me.

A full minute passed, and my jabs came to a slow. The rock wall now sported a decent sized hole, and my knuckles weren't any worse for wear. The fatigue began to catch up with me, and soon I was catching my breath and comprehending just how crazy I went.

I fell to my knees again, devoid of energy and out of anger. 

"Good god," I wheezed. "How did it all come to this?"


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


"How long have we been trapped in here?" Shamrock groaned in his seat on the bench.

Her attention leaving her book, Poppy rolled the question over in her head. "I'm not quite sure. If I had to guess, I would say that it's nigh time for sunset."

Shamrock picked at the linen wrapped around his head. "One has to wonder what it is the guards have been doing all day long..."

"I'm sure all will be clear in time," Poppy responded, her eyes going back to the words in the tome. "And hooves off of your bandages, mister."

The injured pony crossed his forelegs, grumbling to himself.

Shamrock had paced around the empty hospital building several times already. Quite frankly, it was a small infirmary; The Empire's library was likely larger. 

Every passing minute grew more sluggish, grating on Shamrock. His head still throbbed on occasion, despite the medicine given to him by the nurse who now sat in a chair near the one, large window. 

The bored-out-of-his-damn-mind pony unburied his head from his forelegs, deciding it was time to begin inquiring some knowledge. His head scheming, Shamrock directed to the content Poppy, "By the way, who was it that dropped me off here at the hospital?"

Poppy finished the sentence she was reading. "I think I already told you that I don't know who they were. The poor souls were too scared out of their minds to stick around for very long, much less explain what exactly was going on outside. Why do you want to know?"

That wasn't good enough for the plotting Shamrock. "I'm just curious to see if they were anypony I know. Can you at least give me a description of what they looked like?"

Poppy scrunched her face, searching her memory. "One was a stallion. Mustard coat, short, violet mane... Does that ring any bells?"

"No," Shamrock snorted. "What about the other pony?"

"He was taller and skinnier. Green coat... brown mane..." 

Shamrock's ears perked up. "Did you see his cutie mark?"

"Yes, actually. It was a depiction of a paint brush."

"Earth Tone," Shamrock pinpointed. "Yes, I know him. Thanks"

"No problem. Glad I could help," Poppy finished, going back to finish her paragraph.

Shamrock had a lead. The mere thought of it was almost enough for Shamrock not to mind the brain-melting stillness that came back in full force. If only he could venture beyond the infirmary walls.

He was about to break the silence again, but a growing noise from outside beat him to it. All ears in the room swiveled towards the source to hear. Shamrock ran to the window where Poppy had situated herself next to. Outside, he spied a pair of crystal guards, a unicorn and an earth pony, patrolling the streets. The unicorn's horn glowed, its aura enveloping the throat of his companion. 

With an amplified voice, the guard announced, "Attention all citizens in this district! You may now safely leave your homes! I repeat, you may now safely leave your homes! The lockdown is now over! Attention all–" The two continued their stroll down the street, shouting the same line over and over until they disappeared from sight.

Shamrock's grin spread wide. "Finally!" 

"Well, that's a bit strange," Poppy said, rubbing her chin. "Why now?"

"Indeed, but at least I can finally take my leave!" Shamrock's grin spread wide, and he swiftly made a beeline for the door.

Poppy's eyes widened, and she jumped from her chair. "Wait, you can't!" 

Shamrock halted. "What?"

"I apologize, I thought I had made myself clear this past while. A head injury is no laughing matter mister Shamrock." Poppy spoke for the first time with a stern attitude, rather than a jovial smile. "You should not be unattended or alone for at least 24 hours, and seeing how you claimed you have nopony at your home, I must keep you here overnight for your own safety."

Shamrock's heart sank. "But... but I had plans for today."

"I'm sorry, dear. This is the way it has to be." Poppy was adamant.

Shamrock slouched, and slunk back to the bench with a sigh.

Poppy felt a pang of guilt witnessing him like that, but she knew keeping him inside was the right thing to do. Determined to find a way to lighten the mood, she addressed him again, "Aw, cheer up dear. It's not all bad! It's only for one day, and I'm certain we can find a way to pass the time!"

Shamrock said nothing at first, instead letting the stillness of the room be his voice. Then he spoke, his back turned to her, "I believe we both missed lunch today," he began with an even voice. "Is there anything we can scrounge up in this place?"

Now that the subject had come up, Poppy realized she was hungry. "Oh, good idea! I'm sure I could find something for us to munch on in the back! We probably have a variety to choose from. Want to come look with me?"

Shamrock mulled it over in silence. "No, I think I'll trust your judgement on this one."

"If you insist. I'll be right back!" and with those words, she trotted away through a distant door and disappeared into another room.

As soon as he heard the door shut, Shamrock stood up, and hastened for the building's exit. He felt bad about lying to such a sweet soul, but he had plans today, and he wouldn't let one nurse stand in his way.

Being as quiet as he could, Shamrock made his way to the hospital entrance.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


When Amethyst Glory came back to reality, she couldn't even see her hooves in front of her face. She blinked several times, hoping there would be some semblance of a difference with each try. The fact of the matter was that wherever she was, no light existed, and there were no gems of light embedded in the rocks.

Besides maybe the faint whisper of a breeze, only the sound of her own heavy breathing graced her ears. The sound of her breaths carried far throughout the emptiness of the void she was in. The stuffy air assaulted her sinuses, nearly forcing a sneeze.

Amethyst did not need to ponder long to recover her memories. She knew exactly where she was.

Her muscles creaked at her movements, begging her to lie still on the floor. Amethyst didn't listen, warily patting around for her surroundings and awkwardly batting at air in search of walls or other objects. 

Her hooves soon came smacked into the fur of another, and her eyes widened. The mere concept of not being alone in this situation was a godsend for Amethyst.

"Pond? Glass Pond is that you?" she prodded the pony, hoping to awaken him.

A quiet groan came from the body, and it attempted to speak. Instead, all that came from his mouth was a regurgitated string of senseless mumblings. From his ramblings, Amethyst deciphered that the voice was indeed Glass Pond, and that the lingering effects of a paralysis spell still clung to him

Amethyst released a sigh. "Don't try to talk yet. The paralysis should wear off in minutes if you stay still and don't fight it," she spoke with familiarity.

The limp corpse of Glass Pond obliged, and hardly moved a muscle save from the rising and falling of his breathing chest.

Amethyst's eyes began to finally adjust to the dark. Shapes began to appear, and she could finally get a chance to scan her environment. Where in the caves they entered were smoother and seemingly tidy, the area they were in now was more warped and twisted. Walls jutted out at awkward angles, and stalagmites littered the uneven floor to rise to their stalactite allies which gripped the ceiling. Possibly the most important bit of information, though, were the iron bars that dotted her surroundings in front of her. Several cells were indented in the dungeon, although none of the ones she could see were occupied by any living creature.

That was, except for the cell that they currently occupied.

Amethyst Glory squinted for vision in her jail. The two prisoners didn't have a lot of space in their cramped cell as it was clearly designed for only one pony to occupy. The uncomfortable mare would have been more distraught at this, but she recalled how Sombra would sometimes throw several crystal ponies into one cell during his rule. 

And oh, how she recalled it. Several other memories came flooding back to her as consequence, and she stifled them with all of her might.

Amethyst lifted her weakened body off the cold, hard ground, dragging her hooves as she limped to the unforgiving bars of their jail. She wrapped her hooves around one metal pole, and pitifully pushed with whatever strength she could muster. She strained herself far above her limit, and her shoving soon became painful. Yet she kept pushing against the obstructions, hanging on desperately to the hope that she could force her way out.

Amethyst's muscles screamed at her as her attempts to escape became frantic, throwing her body weight at the defiant iron bars. "No, come on! Budge!" The realization that she was imprisoned finally hit her after several minutes. 

"Please, I can't be stuck here again!" she yelled, her purple eyes becoming glassy. "Not again! I can't be here! I can't take it!"

Soon, something else screamed at her with lips still numb, "Amethyft! Thtop!"

The bruised mare fell to her haunches with tears streaming down her face. She turned to Glass Pond, only half standing on forelegs that quivered under pressure. His face bore a unreadable mask that only made Amethyst feel shame whenever she looked at it.

She avoided his level gaze, sobbing softly. Several seconds later, she felt his hooves wrap around her and pull her into his warm embrace.

"Sssshhhh" he hushed. "Thettle down. We're not done for yet." 

"I'm s-sorry, Pond. I'm so sorry!" she cried into his fur. "Y-you were right all along, I shouldn't have pried into this matter. But I just kept at it, and now look where we are!"

Her whimpers and sobs ate away at Glass Pond. "No more tears, Amethyft," He pleaded. "We need to keep calm right now." 

It was a painful couple of minutes for both of them to sit through, but Amethyst's overt sobbing eventually quieted down to silent, sniveling apologies. 

"How can you n-not be furious with me? This is all my f-fault!" she stammered.

"Come, now. Don't be so hard on yourself," Glass implored, his feeling returning to his body. "You couldn't have known this would happen."

"B-but you did!" Amethyst blubbered, nearly letting loose more tears. "And I didn't listen! I just called you coward! I was so wrong, Pond. I was so wrong!"

Glass Pond blinked, and released a prolonged breath of air. "Right..."

The two crystal ponies were content to let silence overtake them, save for the sobs of Amethyst which cut through the musty atmosphere. 

"Why did you insist on doing this, Amethyst?" He gently asked of her. "Why go through all this trouble just to track down one creature?"

Her once boisterous sobs downgraded to inaudible whispers, and Amethyst slowly met Glass Pond's eyes as best she could in the dark of the prison, before turning away. "It's a stupid reason."

"Tell me anyways?" It was a simple request. One which he made sure to give her the option of declining. 

It came as a bit of a surprise for Glass when she obliged to answer, "I wanted to be respected again."

Glass said nothing when she paused to snuff the remnants of her weeping. She elaborated, "I used to be somepony important. Somepony whose words carried weight. I would give my opinion on political matters, preferences of foods, or anything else in Equestria. What I talked about didn't matter; Ponies simply wanted to hear what I had to say. I spoke, and they listened."

Glass Pond nearly commented, but held his tongue.

"Then came an... incident," she shivered. "I overreacted about a trivial matter, and my social standing suffered for it. Suddenly, ponies didn't want to hear much from me. I couldn't believe my power had been so reduced because of one incident. I loved having such clout, and it suddenly just disappeared.

"And to my misfortune, it kept happening. What I thought to be threats would turn out to be nothing at all, and before long I was the mare who cried wolf. A raving liar to be laughed off.

"Then to make matters worse, Sombra rose to power." Amethyst stopped to sit herself up from Pond's embrace. "Amongst the chaos and tyranny, I... I tried to make a stand against him."

Glass Pond shifted uncomfortably where he sat.

"He.. he made an example out of me," she managed not to stutter. "I don't know if you yourself saw what happened, but I know a majority of the empire did." Her voice and mannerisms had changed from a pitiful blubber, to a distant monotone. 

Glass noticed, and physically winced at her different behavior. "I won't make you explain it," he told her. Glass Pond had heard many gruesome stories of what Sombra had done to his victims. Too many, for his tastes.

"I don't even need to," she said, brushing her long, white mane back with a hoof. Only through squinting in the vast darkness of their cell could Glass see what Amethyst was revealing. A long, pale, scar streaked down the skin back of her neck, wrapping around to the left of her withers. The hair growing from it was sparse compared to the rest of her purple coat.

"Dear Celestia," Glass responded on instinct before shoving a hoof in his mouth. He had not wanted to be inconsiderate.

"I know," Amethyst said, allowing her hair to fall back down and cover her neck. "Believe me, I know." 

"Obviously, I survived his... violence... but my dignity did not. I was humiliated in front of my peers, and those that hadn't seen what happened knew within hours." She released a shaky sigh, "I had already lost the respect of the whole empire, but the pitying looks of every citizen I passed was even more degrading. Suddenly I was just somepony to feel sorry for, somepony to lament over.

"I was weak. I am weak," Amethyst murmured. "I didn't want to feel this way anymore, so I tried to regain respect.

"So when the monster showed up at my doorstep, I realized that this was my opportunity. I could warn the guards, defeat the beast, and save the empire from a disaster, all while earning the admiration of the Empire again.

"And... well... here we are."

Glass Pond blinked. "You did all this to reclaim your social status? Chasing creatures, breaking laws, even coming back into the slave-mines. All just for your esteem?"

Amethyst cringed at his every word, and couldn't even turn back to face him. 

Pond wanted to be mad. By all rights, he should have been livid, screaming at her or at the very least berating her for be so foolish. But he could not bring up any fury from within him. He knew such words wouldn't help anypony.

To Amethyst's surprise, the next words to leave his mouth were "I've always respected you."

She gave him a skeptical look. "...Always?"

"Remember how you said you used to have devoted followers? I was one of them."

She couldn't believe her ears. "No, you were not! Really?" 

"Yes. I loved hearing the passion in your voice all the time, and still do. Even with all of the mistakes you've made, — your very, very numerous mistakes, — I admire you. Even if you falsely accused me of murder, I appreciate you," He praised, causing her face to run hot. "I respect you, because you are a fighter. When a challenge presents itself to you, you don't turn tail and run away. When the going gets tough, you don't accept it and give up. You do whatever you can to fight it. You don't relent, and you don't quit.

"So yes. I do respect you, Amethyst. I always have."

Amethyst herself was rendered speechless in the dark, and the cold breeze that chilled her bones finally relented. She repositioned herself closer to Pond, closing the distance between them.

"Thank you," She whispered with the ghost of a smile. 

The two sat together briefly, neither of them breaking the peaceful quiet save for a sneeze from Glass Pond.

"I'm sorry I dumped all that onto you," Amethyst remarked. 

"Not at all, I asked to hear it," he replied. "Besides, it's nice to hear, you know? Makes me remember I wasn't alone during Sombra's reign."

She gazed at his stony visage. "Your story isn't pretty either, is it?" 

He shook his head with a straight face. "Nope."

"Well," she started. "I'll listen if you want to talk."

Glass lowered his stare to the uneven, craggy floor. 


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


It's great to set goals in life. Something to set your sights on, something to strive for. It doesn't even have to be a large goal that keeps you going either. It can be something as simple as "start going to bed earlier," or "start watching what you eat." It keeps you fighting through all the struggles and hardships, and makes it all the more sweeter when you manage to accomplish it. However, it also makes things all the more infuriating when those goals come forcefully crashing down upon you. 

Especially if one of your goals is as simple as 'don't get fucking lost.'

"One thing. The one thing I didn't want to do in these caves!" I babbled to the crusty air. "But nooooo, the crystal monsters had to flood out of every crack and asshole in this cavern just to chase me around!" My footsteps carried me through the chilly caves, but if any progress was really being made, I couldn't tell. "Oh, and not to mention the freaks of nature that were chasing me couldn't even hurt me after all! Rendering that little run-around entirely fucking pointless! 

"This whole thing is like a... like a..." I struggled to think of something clever to say. "A bad Scooby-Doo episode!" Oh man, did I nail that shit. I was pissed that nobody was around to hear how incredible that witty remark was. 

I could tell merely from a glimpse at the caves I traversed that I was only screwing myself over and getting even more lost. I knew that my destination was "up," but every turn I saw could only take me deeper into the depths. I would attempt to backtrack out of dead ends, only to find the caves I had been in mere minutes ago had changed shape. 

Sometimes I would lead myself into another large underground opening like the one where I was talking to the two ponies before the gem monsters swarmed into, but they were all lacking in uniqueness, only having more tunnels stemming off to who knows where. 

Those rooms got me thinking about the ponies again, wondering their fate. Had they somehow managed to escape, or were they done in by those crystal things? I inwardly questioned. Honestly, after seeing the skull of another unfortunate soul forgotten and buried in dust, my mind leaned towards the latter. What point do these stupid crystal things serve?

I could hear the familiar deep sounds of those crystal beasts echoing far away. I wondered if they knew I was in here with them. I warily kept treading ahead, knowing I could handle them. 

My legs began to grow tired. I wondered why that could have been, seeing as how I was feeling just fine mere moments ago. The thought of using my newly found power to absorb more power from crystal monsters tempted me. I could do it so easily, those things were nothing to me as I was, and I had an abundant supply of them down here.

Then it hit really me. I could have done beaten them all along, and I didn't even know it. Even when they first swarmed me and the other two horses, I could have won the fight. 

I could have saved those two ponies from their demise. Instead I ran. I ran away in fear, when I had the ability to make everything okay. 

The guilt near ate me from inside right there in those tunnels.

The tunnels began to shapeshift again as I trudged on, from relatively smooth walls and floor to jagged, unclean pathways carved in the rock. I had to duck a couple times again to avoid the sharp stalactites. (Stalagmites? The ones that hang on the ceiling.) Piles of rock littered the cracked ground, and a few crumbled when I brushed past them, interrupting the bitter silence. 

"This day just gets worse and worse," I myself interrupted. "God damn it!"

The baritones of the crystal demons behind me grew louder. They had detected me. I could hear them rushing now, to try and bring my end. 

I narrowed my eyes. Unwrapping my fleece jacket from around my waist, I stretched out my muscly arms and legs. I set my brown coat aside near an uneven wall, and turned to face my attackers. 

It was time for round two. 


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


"Good news for us, dear!" Poppy declared as she trotted back into the wards with a tray of food on her back. "I've found us some leftovers from last night! Are you ready for some of the best sweet potatoes you'll ever... eat?"

Poppy went silent as her eyes scanned the infirmary for her guest, but found nopony. "Dear? Mister Shamrock?" She set aside the food tray on a nearby table, scanning the small building. "Hello? Where did you..."

Then, as her eyes glossed over the front door, the realization dawned on her. She had been played. 

She had been fooled.

She had been lied to.

Her eyebrows furrowed, and the once-cheerful nurse snarled like a chimera. "Oh, you did not!"
> Chapter Fourteen
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Not one day of guarding the Crystal Empire, and Shining Armor had a problem.

Some of these issues were minor. Shining could handle bringing the Crystal Guard up to speed with the rest of Equestria, polishing their armor and making them shine, so to speak. Their occasional shenanigans was a bit irritating, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. No, reassembling the guard was manageable.

This unknown entity, on the other hoof, was a thorn in his side.

Not only had this individual appeared from nowhere, but it had managed to best two of Shining's guards. Not only did it wreak havoc on the morning market, but the person was also a magical anomaly.

And not only was it still at large, but it had slipped away into dark recesses that no crystal pony in their right mind would dare delve into.

'An agent of Sombra,' somepony had deemed it. His guard had claimed it capable of strange powers and immense strength. Shining wanted to believe he was only exaggerating. Still, the thought of it being related to the mad king lingered. He prayed the entity wasn't truly a minion to the enemy they had defeated only yesterday, especially if claims of such abilities were true.

He dared not allow such a rumor spread among the citizens. They had endured so much, and their plight of enslavement under a mad king had only recently come to an end. The crystal ponies were finally happy again. How would they react if they heard of the accused minion of Sombra?

Shining took every step he needed to to ensure the ponies remained oblivious and carefree, hushing the guards and covertly apprehending the mysterious villain in question. 

However, as Shining Armor stared down from the castle balcony, he saw no happiness anymore. In the morning, the crystal ponies trotted around with smiles on their faces. Now, there was only trepidation in the air. He saw no laughter, no smiling, no merriment among them. 

Despite his efforts, they already knew.

Shining Armor blamed himself, reflecting upon his decision to order a mass lock down. Of course the citizens would notice something was wrong after such an order.

Though, on the other hoof, if this person was truly on a rampage, he did prefer if they were all safely indoors.

He was damned if he did, and damned if he didn't.

"Blast it all to Tartarus..." Shining Armor began to have second thoughts about calling off the lockdown, but soon dispelled his worries. The creature would have to come out of the caves eventually, and he had every entrance to the slave mines guarded. He would be well informed when the beast finally emerged, and the citizens would still be able to go about their business. Then they could snuff this threat out quickly and quietly, and be done with this Sombra business.

Candance's words echoed yet again, Unless Sombra himself comes back from the dead, try not to wake me.

No. I'd eat my hoof if it truly was related to Sombra. I can still handle this, Shining assured himself. He never liked to wake his wife anyways; She could be a very angry pony when her sleep was interrupted. 

...Still, it never hurts to be prepared. Shining Armor stood up straight with a determined look in his eye, marching back inside the castle. Especially with an enemy we supposedly can't touch.

"Lieutenant! Where'd you get off to?"

"No need to yell, sir."

"Ah," Shining stopped in his tracks to see Stone Rend standing not three feet away from him. How he managed to get there so quietly, Shining had no idea. "How long have you been there?"

"I had entered the room as soon as you cursed at the window."

Shining Armor sighed. "The citizens can plainly tell that something's brewing in the air," he paced the room. "I can sense it. Can you?"

Stone Rend thought for a moment. "Yes, sir. Though we have yet to fully understand what it is that troubles us."

"Indeed. All we know of this entity is what those two troops told us, and it's not much to go on." Shining halted, his eyes wandering. "Although I don't fault them for that, I wish I had more information on this strange person before I issued the lockdown."

Stone Rend didn't hold his tongue, "You did what you needed to, sir. It's better the citizens are safe and scared then unaware and at risk," he remarked. "Besides, I believe I would have done the same, were it still me."

Shining let out another sigh, "Well, there's nothing to be done about it now. No sense in lamenting past decisions," He faced the stone-faced Stone Rend. "But we can plan for the next time this aggressive person bears his head from the mines." 

"Should we alert Princess Candance sir? I expect she would want an update on this situation."

Shining Armor paled for half a second. "No. You don't want to be the one to wake my wife when she needs her sleep. When she awakens on her own terms, let her know the news." Shining headed for the doorway, signaling for Stone Rend to follow. "But for now, we're going to make some preparations."

"Sir?"

Shining let a sly smile slip, "Lieutenant, what do you know of crossbows?"


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


"—So then his companion tries to flank me to try and get the jump on me. Of course he believed I didn't see him, as if some flunky could escape my trained eye."

Coral stared at nothing in particular, sighing softly. Dusty Ore's tales had fast grown stale.

The two guards remained near one of the mines many entrances, ensuring none came near, in or out.  They had been standing watch over the entrance in question for several hours now, and Coral began to wonder when their duty would change.

"—and then the lout pulls another glass from nowhere, and hurls it at my head while I'm trying to wrestle his friend to the ground! Smashed into pieces upon impact, and bloodied my mane! That's how I got that scar up there," Dusty rambled, folding his ear to show off the damaged skin.

"So you lost the bar fight, then?" Coral humored him. 

Dusty snorted, "They wished. That's the thing about being drunk, it makes the pain go away." Dusty let out a long, satisfying breath. "I really wish I hadn't been banned from the place."

"Well, that's what you get for starting trouble."

"Hey, like I said, they threw the first glass!" Dusty whined indignantly. "At least, I'm almost certain that's how it happened."

"Yes, I'm sure you were completely without fault in that situation."

Dusty Ore nickered. "Oh sorry, were you there? Because if you were, then first of all I really could've used your help," He joked. "Second, had you bore witness, you would realize I was acting quite rationally given the circumstances."

"Really? Because it sounds to me you acted purely on impulse, as you seem to make a habit of doing," Coral wasted no time to jeer. 

Dusty Ore narrowed his eyes. "Do you have something you would like to say to me, Coral?"

"Why do you ask?" Coral returned in monotone.

"You've been deriding me as though I were an adolescent dragon all day. Why?"

Coral wanted no part of this conversation. In truth, there was many things he'd like to say to Dusty Ore, but he knew for a fact that it would only lead to an angered argument from which neither could walk away from without abandoning their duties. Did he want to tell Dusty what he thought? 

"Dusty, I don't want to get into this. It won't end well, I can already—"

"No no no, none of that!" Dusty interrupted. "You are not going to bottle up your issues, and continue to make snide remarks! Be a stallion! Say what your problem is and get it out there."

Coral grit his teeth. 

"Come on," Dusty egged on. "Out with it!"

"My problem," Coral glared, "is that you are a boorish guard."

Dusty raised an eyebrow, allowing Coral to continue.

"Earlier today when we were approached by the mare in the crowd, you demoralized and humiliated her in front of her peers."

Dusty scoffed. "This again? I thought I told you that I had to do what I did, otherwise she—"

"I understand that you did it to defuse a situation," Coral cut off. "I understand that you think the ends justified the means. But by the time you were done antagonizing her, you had this... disgusting smirk on your face. As if you were proud of what you had done.

"I get that we as Crystal Guards will have to make sacrifices sometimes, but... what you did was just not right.  In my opinion, the very moment you start sacrificing for some other cause, the moment you think that ends justify means, I don't see how you can call yourself a Crystal Guard.

"There are others who had your same thought process, Dusty. You know what always became of them? They're cemented in history as Equestrias greatest enemies. The most ruthless warlords."

"So you're saying I'm on a slippery slope to becoming a warlord. Thanks for the warning, Coral," Dusty snarked.

But Dusty's unwanted comment only served to further sour Coral's mood. Here he was, trying to get Dusty to take the conversaion seriously, only to be stonewalled by sarcasm. 

So Coral said something that he knew would make Dusty listen, "And one of them enslaved the Crystal Empire!" And he regretted his words as soon as they left his lips. 

A pregnant pause, and the smirk on Dusty's face disappeared. "...You'd compare me to a tyrant? You'd compare me to that abhorrent bastard Sombra!?"

"No, wait. I didn't mean for—"

"I know very well what you meant, you pansy-picking, sunshine-spewing clod! You think I don't care about the decisions I make?"

"No, Dusty! For all the years I have known you, you have made it very clear that you do not!" Coral countered.

"You do not know me! You don't get to claim moral high ground after what I suffered through. What we've both suffered through! Don't you dare judge me, Coral!"

Both of their glares narrowed. Instead of saying anything more, Coral turned away from Dusty, and resumed his post next to the trap door. With a snort, Dusty did the same.

I knew I shouldn't have said anything. Coral rued.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


"—and right when I'm about done with wiping down the bar, this oaf of a customer turns to the stallion next to him and smashes his drink over his head. Glass shards and alcohol everywhere, rendering my hours of cleaning pointless!" 

In their dank, warped prison, the Amethyst and Glass had fast come to remember something about being in a cell for long periods of time: It was supremely boring. It didn't take long for Glass Pond to try and lift the heavy mood with a lighthearted tale. The effect was small, but noticeable. Before long, the two crystal ponies were conversing as if they were two old friends coincidentally passing each other by in the market. 

Amethyst chuckled a bit at Glass' latest story, "So what did you do about them?"

"Right then? I hid behind my counter," Glass Pond admitted. "These stallions had more muscles than some minotaurs. I wasn't about to get in their way."

A few seconds of silent contemplation passed before Amethyst quipped, "I believe you could have stopped them." 

"Amethyst, come now. I'm sure even you could best me in a hoof wrestling match," Pond rolled his eyes.

Amethyst nickered, "Not with brute strength, you fool. You could've tried diplomacy and talked them down. You have a way around words."

"He who tries to reason with a drunken fool is a fool himself," Glass Pond gave a heavy sigh that spoke volumes of experience. "Nothing I could've said would have helped the situation. Besides, I have no more charisma than one of my regulars." 

Amethyst seemed placated by his answer, but chose to add, "I think you give yourself too little credit." 

"That's exactly what Cold Stone would sa—" Glass Pond driveled absentmindedly, stopping before the last word could finish. As if his sentence was unintelligible unless every word was completely spoken.

Amethyst adapted a puzzled look. "Cold Stone? Who...?" 

Glass Pond didn't speak. Every muscle in his body tightened like taut rope about to snap. Had their surroundings been illuminated, Amethyst might have seen his eyes race to every corner in the room, searching desperately for a topic change.

Amethyst was sharp enough to figure out that she had uncovered an old wound, one that had been festering for some time.

She contemplated pressing the matter. Did she dare try to help alleviate his problems? Pond likely had issues that tangled him like a fly in a spiderweb. Would she try to free him of those bonds? Could she even do so? 

She could certainly try. After all, Glass Pond did try for her.

"Glass. Please tell me?" it was just a simple request. One he could easily deny.

Glass breath was long, weighed down by a heavy pain. "He was... an acquaintance."


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Earth Tone would like to say he was having a nice day. The tall pony would love to tell you that he could finally focus and get back to his passion. He'd be ecstatic to spend one of his first days of freedom in a long time just doing what he loved, blissfully painting away in the peace of his home.

Earth Tone would like to do all of that, but today the unseen forces that guided life simply said "no."

The countless interruptions of acquaintances wanting a chance to chat after so long was ridiculous. Several times he was shaken from his activities by a knock on his front door, and every time Earth Tone groaned. Hadn't these ponies had anything else to do with their newfound time? With all the disruptions eating away at him, he had hoped to clear his head spending some time in the market.

A lot of help that did! Everything had been swell until an unfortunate soul was assaulted in the street. The name of that pony escaped him, but Earth Tone had seen his face before well enough. The mere sight of his blood churned Earth's stomach something fierce.

Then that... thing appeared, attempting to take away a foal! The ghastly claws that the pale creature held that child with, and the deranged look in it's eyes were images Earth would not soon forget. 

Earth wanted immediately to flee the scene then, but was called by another bystander to help move the injured pony to safety. With great care and luck, Earth managed not to get a speck of blood on his coat, and dumped the pony off at the hospital. The pony would still be resting there now, he'd be fine. But Earth wouldn't have said the same about himself if he didn't find shelter soon.

He then hurried home as fast as his legs would allow. And not soon after he fled to the dark, cluttered recesses of his own house, he found himself confined to it by order of the Royal Guard. For the majority of his day, he was forced to sit among the reminder that his home had become a pigsty. 

The mess mostly wasn't his fault. Sure, before the reign of Sombra, he wasn't the cleanest of ponies, but he could easily live. Then the Mad King waged several battles in the Empire, ransacking a few buildings with crystal monsters in the process and shaking a few more to their foundations to go with it. Earth's house was one of several that had been greatly affected by those past events, and he never had the chance to clean up afterwards. Thus, books and other various belongings were strewn about the floor, different colored paints were splattered everywhere, and a few of his works had even been destroyed.

It was another reason he couldn't get back to his art. His work space was so appalling, he could hardly focus in this unorganized chaos. But cleaning and rearranging everything he owned was taking a long while. By the time the Empire's lockdown was called off, he had only succeeded in making a pathway around the clutter to get around his house. 

Combine all of these circumstances, and you had a very upset Earth Tone. 

So if there were to be another knock at the door interrupting his day and spoiling his focus, one could understand why Earth Tone would pivot to face his front door and yell "For the Love of Celestia, JUST LET ME BE!"

But the pony knocking at the door, ears splayed back, asked from the other side, "Uh, sorry if I came at a bad time Earth Tone, but it's important."

With a loud groan, Earth Tone opened his door, and nearly slammed it back in surprise at the ghost on his front step.

"What? I-is that really you, uh..." Earth rolled his memory, trying to place the name of the stallion.

"Shamrock." he deadpanned.

"But— You were— How did—" Earth Tone panicked. 

Shamrock held up a hoof to interrupt, "I won't dance around the matter at hoof. I need your help." 

Earth Tone was at a loss. "Um, with what?"

"Finding the truth."

Truth. Something Earth valued greatly. This pony must've known that, or he just got lucky with his wording. 

With a sigh, Earth tone invited him in, "Why don't you come on in and explain?"


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Glass Pond took a long moment of silence. It was as though he was hoping they could forget what Amethyst had asked.

"Pond?" she pressed.

Glass avoided her gaze. "The truth is, you were right about me," he mumbled. "I'm... a coward."

It took her a short while to mull over his words. Even then, she had trouble responding. "I don't... what? What are you saying? How could you possibly think that of yourself?" The dank prison swiftly swallowed her echoes.

Glass Pond took his time to answer, "Do you know how I got that tunnel leading into the mines from The Thorny Rose?" Glass Pond quizzed. "I dug it myself. During Sombra's tyranny."

Amethyst's face only became more incredulous.

"Back when Sombra was destroying the Empire, torturing and enslaving us, me and my friend were some of the more defiant subjects," Glass told with increasing difficulty. "Me and Cold Stone, we were among those who fought back." He caressed his foreleg gingerly. "We were... quickly discouraged from doing that."

Amethyst rubbed the back of her neck.

"We both found out soon that we needed to keep our protests silent, or risk the worst. We were lucky we weren't killed sooner," he continued. "So we silently endured our enslavement, doing whatever we could to overcome hunger and hard labor."

Glass adjusted his position on the floor before progressing, "Then, one day, I couldn't take it anymore. I decided that I needed to do something about..." his voice caught in his breath. "About it. I planned an escape, and covertly invited everypony I could. Including Stone."

Glass let out a deep sigh. "We didn't have many ponies on our side in the end, but we went ahead with my plan anyways. That's where the secret tunnel came in," he snorted, and though Amethyst couldn't see, Pond narrowed his eyes. "I stupidly thought that if we could get to the surface when nopony knew, we could escape."

Pond swallowed, his voice becoming a faint whisper in the darkness, "I was caught just as I finished digging the tunnel, and I paid the price for it."

Glass Pond fell silent, and the two laid there in nearly-complete silence on the jail's floor. Only their ragged breaths broke the eerie atmosphere. Amethyst knew the story was not yet done, but a voice in the back of her head ordered her to keep quiet for as long as Glass Pond was.

When Glass Pond's voice sounded again after half a minute, he was straining with his words, "Sombra himself tried to force me to give the names of every pony who tried to escape with me so that he could..."  Another ugly pause came in place of ugly words. "When I refused, he... targeted them. He t-tortured Cold Stone."

An empathetic Amethyst wrapped her forelegs around Glass, not receiving any resistance in turn. Soon, she felt damp spots begin to form in her shimmering coat. 

Several false starts later, Pond managed to blubber out another painful sentence. "I was t-told the only way I could make it s-stop was to give the rest of their names..."

"Glass," A horrified Amethyst found herself blurting out. "You don't have to say anything more."

Amethyst held Glass close, his sobs echoing through the twisted corridors of the deep dungeons. 

"They're all gone, Amethyst," Pond's voice was barely intelligible. "All of them."

She instantly regretted any and every negative thing she ever said of the stallion. How could she have possibly known what he had been through? How had he managed to stay sane? 

"He made ice cream." Pond blurted. "He ran a stand that could travel anywhere in the empire. All the little ones loved his ice cream. Even some of the older ponies couldn't resist." Glass moved out of her embrace. "Sometimes he would pull his cart by my bar, I'd talk with him and invite him for a drink, and he would always shake his head with a smile and say 'Maybe next time.' Then he'd be gone to find some customers." Pond sniffled. "That was all he did. He had everything he needed to be happy."

Glass Pond took a pause before his voice dropped to a lower volume, "and I took all of that away. Because of me, we'll never s-see him again."

"So, now you know," He said with finality. "I'm a coward, and I'll forever have to live with that."

With those words, a burning rage awoke within Amethyst Glory. "No! You are many things Glass Pond, but a coward is not one of them."

Glass Pond shook his head bitterly.

"Pond?" she tried, with no response. "Pond! Look at me, and listen."

Reluctantly, his glossy eyes met her stern ones. 

"You are not to blame," she assured. "Don't you think for even a second that your painful death could've saved them. Even if you had sacrificed yourself, do you really think that damnable wretch Sombra would've let the matter go? Do you really think he wouldn't have found another way to get their names?"

Pond's pupils scanned the floor, but Amethyst's hoof guided his head to look back at her. 

"You did not kill them," she stated with unshakable certainty. "Sombra did."

Glass Pond brought a hoof to cover his eyes.

Amethyst Glory gave a gentle smile, and hugged him yet again. "I'm glad that you're still here."

And once again, they both sat there. Far underneath the Empire, holding each other in a dark cell with little hope.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


I was starting to feel the aftermath of round two.

I had fallen to all fours, hurling my stomach contents onto the rocky floor. My clothes had taken a beating this time, too. Several tears now adorned my pants and T-shirt, rendering me a bit haggard-looking. 

My body ran out of energy much too drastically, to the point where I couldn't even move without every muscle and organ groaning in agony. I was lucky that one of those little orange gem monsters scuttled by so that I could grab it and steal its life away. But while that gave me enough energy to be able to move without hurting, my organs still disagreed with me. My stomach twisted and turned, until finally I gave up and barfed.

Barfing was a lot more painful than I remembered, too. I hadn't barfed in forever. The last time I can remember actually vomiting was during high school, when my mom believed I was faking my illness and forced me to go to class. Any other time I said I was sick on a school day, she would've been right. Poor mom.

Thoughts of my mother shaking her head in disappointment at my absence to the wedding danced in my head. 

Poor mom...

I'll make it up to you mom, I thought. I'll make it up to you, dad, Janice, everyone.

If I didn't die of exhaustion on that cave floor, that was. I thought I had stored enough energy from that last scrap to keep me going for hours, maybe even the rest of the day. It had drained away all too quickly for my taste, but really it wasn't any matter. All I had to do was keep finding more of those crystal golem things to leech off of, and its not like there was any shortage of them down here. 

With no small amount of effort, I hoisted myself onto my legs. I could walk for a little longer, at least long enough to find another batch of the rock candy monsters. 

Just thinking of rock candy made me dry heave right there. I loved that stuff normally, but I was in no condition to even think about eating something that sweet.

All that said though, that still left me one problem: I was still lost down here in these caves. I tried my best to remember which paths I took from that merry chase, but I was absolutely sure I was still going down deeper into the earth. If I didn't suffocate or get crushed by a cave in at some point, I think I'd just die of starvation down here. 

Now I was really wishing I hadn't vomited.

To make matters worse, the walls and floor started to become uneven and craggy, making my walking more uncomfortable and effort-consuming than it already was. Whatever force decided to throw me into this world of colored, deformed horses really didn't want to cut me any breaks. 

Yet with very little hope, and no sense of direction, I trudged on. 

Some few minutes of aimless wandering down gradually twisting hallways, and I was rewarded with the melodious sound of gem monsters. A myriad of deep pitches could be heard just around a particularly sharp corner.

I hurried my pace, hoping to soon be temporarily free of this exhaustion curse. I needed my fix of stamina, damn it.

Around the corner I expected round three to be waiting for me. Instead, the noises grew quieter, and the limb of a crimson gem monster slid around another corner and disappeared from sight at the end of the hall. 

"Hey! Get back here!" I half wheezed, half hollered. My hobbling pace quickened. Nearly tripping several times, I chased after the walking energy sources. In the midst of my pursuit, I wondered where the small thing could possibly be running off to in such a hurry. "You won't escape that easy!" 

I turned the next corner to find nothing but a dead end. The monster had vanished into thin air. 

Fuck. What am I supposed to do now... I thought, turning my gaze turned upwards. The dark of the caves prevented me from seeing the ceiling, but something about where I was standing, something about this dead end seemed more... open... about it. I needed more than the faint light from the small minerals sparsely embedded in the cave walls.

My hands rummaged through my pockets, and I found my cell phone. "Please don't be out of battery, please don't be out of battery..." I whispered while I hit the power button. To my relief, the screen of my phone flashed brightly, blinding me for a few moments before showing me my battery was in fact very low. 

Before I could do anything else, I noticed the time. 1:16 A.M. June 13. Was that really the time of this place, or was my phone still going off of Pacific Standard Time back at home? Or maybe the two were synonymous somehow, which the more I actually thought about that notion, the more impossible it sounded. Time zones were most certainly different from planet to planet.

Or dimension to dimension. Still wasn't entirely sure where I was. Whatever.

I didn't linger on that issue for more than a couple seconds, for I knew that thinking about this planet's time zones and comparing it to my own Earth would only lead to utter confusion. Instead, I made to turn on my phone's flashlight. Soon, the back of my phone lit up even brighter, and further ruined my adjusted vision in the dark. 

I pointed my phone at the ceiling, only to find that there was no ceiling. There was only a hole. 

A giant hole. One that stretched wider and larger than would seem physically possible. 

And further than the light would allow me to  see, the walls were lined with a rainbow of gem golems. It would be easier to explain where they weren't. That's how many there were clinging to the expansive walls above me. For that single moment, none of them moved, or even made a sound. 

Then all at once, the bee hive of numerous monstrosities above me came to life. 

I didn't get to say a damn word before a boulder came bouncing down off the face of the walls to squish me. Ungracefully, I dove out of the way, scraping my limbs against the floor and dropping my phone. A loud crashing of rocks smashing against each other sounded out much too close to me, and a few stray pebbles bounced off of my body.

I knew that boulder should've been my end. Even if I wasn't in my weakened state, that errant rock probably would have incapacitated me at the very least. Call me crazy, but I didn't think my unexplained powers protected me from giant, inanimate, no-energy objects crushing me to death.

And that's probably what these damn crystal things were hoping for. All too late, I finally understood what this fiasco was about. I had sprung their trap. Yes, I realize that should've been obvious.

As my heart attempted to escape through my ears, I hurriedly scanned the floor for my phone. My vision could not adapt to the dark soon enough. I needed that light source.

Another crash. I let out a yelp, and several of the monsters above me made their thunking sounds. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were laughing at my predicament. 

Dropping on all fours, I searched once again for my phone, desperate to use its back light to lead me away from here. I could fight these creatures if it were on my terms, but as it was right then, I was very vulnerable. 

Each second of darkness was an eternity to me. I could've died at any moment right then and been none the wiser. I could feel falling dust, and hear the sounds of crashing rock above me. All it would take was one erratic to the head. Hell, I held my breath waiting for that moment.

But thankfully, that moment never came. My fingers found the smooth back of my phone face-down on the ground, and there was light again. 

I shined it upwards into the chaos that was the golem hole. Every one of them was moving now, flailing their limbs or entire structures against the walls they clung to. They dug and smashed the wall, knocking loose every part of the rock surface they collided with. 

None of them were coming down after me. I almost had the opportunity to question why before the cave started to rumble. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that meant. 

And the slabs of earth that came tumbling down confirmed my suspicions that I was going to be crushed in a rock slide.

So I pointed my phone towards the way I came, and ran as fast as my adrenaline would propel. All the while, my world came crashing down around me.

I didn't dare look behind me; the deafening sounds of falling rock confirmed that yes, there was indeed a cave-in happening right now. I ran fast as I could for as long as my depleted body would allow, and I pushed through the pain to keep going still. I would not stop until I didn't hear a single sound behind me anymore.

The cave continued to crumble around me, and smash to bits at my hobbling heels. Stones with edges as sharp as swords plummeted from the ceiling, aiming to crack themselves on my head. I'm forever thankful that my reflexes managed to save me and guide my movements.

The splits in caves were, yet again, taken at random. I had no chance to think, only do. Though, to my credit, I did try to take the ones I thought would lead up. None of them did, but at least I tried.

After several minutes of overexerting myself to avoid certain doom, the roaring of stone destroying itself behind me began to quiet down. I didn't take a chance. Further I pushed, running a fair distance away before I finally turned. Besides a few loose bits of gravel, I could see no more rock falling behind me.

To be fair, I couldn't see much of anything anymore. The cave walls were no longer encrusted with the glowing jewels which faintly lit the way.

I could, however, see that there was definitely no way back for me anymore. In what used to be an empty cave, a pile of boulders, crystals and dirt left no wiggle room to get by. I was blocked in, and even more trapped down here now than I already was.

The caves echoed once more. Not with the sound of a cave in, but with my scream.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Glass Ponds ear flicked, and he lifted his head. "Did you hear something?"

Amethyst lay on the floor next to him, adjusting herself to be slightly less uncomfortable on the rocks. "What?"


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


I fell to all fours yet again, with my right hand grasping my phone. Sharp pain slowly but surely began to encroach every muscle and fiber of my being. My stomach leaped, and I retched my throat out, but I had hardly anything else to purge from my stomach. Only a few gobs of bile and spit made their way to the floor. 

I made to collapse entirely onto the cold, uncomfortable ground. A lot more effort than I care to admit went into making sure I didn't fall onto my own bile. 

A lot of thoughts went through my head in a few short seconds. I legitimately nearly died several times. I couldn't believe I was still alive.  Though, I'd certainly die now that I was officially stuck underground. I couldn't get up, it would hurt too much. 

I could only endure so much of this damn world. 

Then, I didn't have any thoughts. I didn't know what to think anymore, so I didn't. I simply closed my eyes, laid there in the cool cave, and allowed the silence and darkness to overtake my environment. I couldn't feel the aching pain stabbing at my muscles anymore, or anything really. For a brief, dark moment, there was peace. 

It was peace that I considered letting last forever. 

A light skittering noise, one I had heard before, sliced through the quiet. The noise grew, coming closer to my pathetic corpse. I remained unmoving and stilled my breath, for I knew what it was that drew near. The skittering of tiny legs came to a stop, right at my fingertips. Still, I stayed my hand.

Only when I felt the tiniest prick of the football-sized crystal golem's leg on my left hand did I snatch it as fast as I possibly could. The use of energy I didn't even have damn near killed my arm and almost forced me to let go of the orange gem spider by default. Thankfully, my excruciating effort was swiftly rewarded. The color from inside the gem monster's insect appendage drained and flowed towards my touch, serving to tighten my grip. Power once again surged through my veins. I gripped at the topaz until I was sure that it was rendered motionless obsidian. And considering I couldn't see very well, I kept clutching for a full minute longer than I needed to.

I rolled over to lay on my front, and with my muscles only slightly groaning, pushed myself back onto my legs.

I stumbled at first, needing to lean against the nearby wall. After I willed myself to regain my balance, I took another long look at the way I came from, knowing I couldn't go back. 

Then I released the longest sigh of my life. "Maybe down this way," I said, turning around. 

I continued on, ever on the lookout for more crystal monsters, and a way out.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Next to the wall of pink energy, in the furthest corner of the Empire, a small dip in the land sprouted flowers so distinct and colorful that poems could be created from their beauty. And in this patch of verdant life, she stirred from her sleep. Her head lifted from the pillow of moss it lay upon, only to fall back down and drift away once again. In this small ditch of greener grass and vibrant flowers, she rested. 

Still blissfully unaware of the unfamiliar world she was in.
> Chapter Fifteen
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Shamrock sat on the couch in the room opposite Earth Tone, who managed to find a way to angrily pace in his cluttered home. The other end of the couch sat numerous boxes filled with brushes and art tools. At his hooves sat a wide mass of crumpled and torn papers strewn everywhere, and hanging above his head was a gaudy art piece made of paint canisters.

Shamrock silently wondered if Earth Tone ever threw anything away.

"Scandalous! Treasonous! You mean to tell me this entire debacle today was a farce? Enforced by the Royal Guards themselves!?" Earth Tone's shouts stretched in the darkness of his unlit house.

That wasn't exactly what Shamrock had said. He only gave mention that the guards were not telling the full truth, not that they were actively participating in these events. But hey, Earth Tone was giving  his undivided attention now. The fool could interpret Shamrock's words any way he wanted, just as long as it pulled Shamrock closer to his goal. 

"How could they let such a monster roam the city? Why would they let it go free!? What could they possibly gain from—"

Now that Shamrock thought about it, what was his end goal? The green stallion spaced out while Earth Tone ranted. Did he really want to go through with this mad plan? Inciting an uproar against the guards for the truth was noble in its own right, but Shamrock wouldn't fool himself by making that his reason. 

"—doesn't explain how a single entity might elude the trained forces of the Empire! It's just too much to believe that—"

No, Shamrock knew what he wanted was justice. Or revenge. It didn't matter what it was called, he was fighting back against this unfair world now. If the world was going to give him lemons, he'd put them into the trash and grow some strawberries instead.

Or something.

"—and the last time they did this, it led to the infamous cucumber incident! Those Bovine nearly declared war right there because of—!" 

But with all that in mind, what would his 'revenge' even be, exactly? Getting the monster thrown in a deep dark dungeon? No, he already knew that wouldn't be what he wanted to satiate his lust for comeuppance. He needed to personally deliver to this monster that sense of 'Go to Tartarus. I win and you lose. Nobody wrongs me.' But how would he do that? He still had no clue.

"—and then she left me! As though it's some kind of crime against nature to create my art from empty wine bottles and necromancy!"

It occurred to Shamrock that he probably should have been listening. "Earth. I've realized something."

Snapping out of his own world, Earth Tone directed his attention to Shamrock with curious eyes. "Do tell?" 

"Besides what I've heard from the grapevine, I don't actually know what this monster looks like." Shamrock adjusted himself, brushing against the scattered supplies in the room. "You were there when I was assaulted. What did it look like, exactly? It's been described only as a 'deformed minotaur.' What does that mean?"

Earth Tone paused, and lost himself in thought, attempting to remember the image of the horrifying beast. "Well, it has a body like a minotaur, with its chest, bipedal nature, and limbs, but that's about where the similarities end," he recalled. "The creature's legs were much longer, contributing to about half its height, and they bent in a way I'm certain I've never seen before."

"Strange legs, then. What else?" 

"The creature's head is also... unique. Its face was an ugly mockery of a monkeys, and had distinctly dark hair on the top of its head. Oh! And sharp teeth like that of a wolf! It made a point to snarl at us!"

Shamrock nodded, "An ugly biped. Right."

"But that's not all. The hair on its head? The creature was completely hairless otherwise, as far as I could tell."

Shamrock balked at that. "What? Then... does it...?"

Earth Tone read his mind, "The thing wore a layer of clothing that covered its entire being, save for its upper limbs," Earth Tone shuddered. "This pale skinned creature had claws! Why else would it need those if not for shredding it's prey?"

Shamrock would remember all of that for when the time came. Now, he decided, was time to act. "So we both know how dangerous this creature is, and that something needs to be done about it. But this creature is being kept a secret. Earth, we have to do something about this. Every moment this... thing lurks unknown is a threat to the entire Crystal Empire!"

Earth Tone's eyes widened slightly. "Now? Are you certain of this, Shamrock?" 

How like Earth Tone. Balking at any notion of actual action, Shamrock internally criticized before speaking, "This thing could actually be related to Sombra, for all we know. We have to tell the others! They won't listen to me alone, but you are liked and well-known around the Empire. Earth Tone, I need your help to spread the truth. Please."

"What is to be gained from such an idea?" Earth Tone questioned. "Why would we do this?"

"You mean besides the fact that the lives of all the citizens are at risk? I think the more important question is 'how could it hurt?'" 

Earth Tone looked away, suddenly finding the mess on his living room floor much more interesting to gaze at. Earth Tone reconsidered every foreseeable consequence, every possible action again and again, debating with himself if he would help practically start a riot.

Shamrock didn't worry about his decision. In truth, he had the wishy-washy artist right where he wanted him. Shamrock knew that there was no way Earth Tone would refuse.

And when his beliefs were confirmed with the word "Alright," Shamrock couldn't help but smirk.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


You know when you're strolling completely alone for hours not having any idea where you're going in a dark maze and you're constantly on the verge of death, it allows for you to ask yourself a lot of dumb questions.

Like 'why am I still walking?' 

I'd been down here for countless hours. I had every reason to believe I was going to die. The cave behind me collapsed and trapped me, my "superpower" was slowly draining my life away, and I couldn't see for shit. 

But the cave wasn't even my biggest problem. I still had to contend with the fact that I was likely nowhere even remotely near Earth. I had landed in a civilization where I managed to piss off the damn aliens. Oh yeah, and guess what NASA! Intelligent life exists! Surprise, mankind is not alone in the universe! Too bad they're probably bloodthirsty, judging by the bones of some poor sop I defiled down here. This life-changing info is going to die with me on this world. 

By all rights, I could already be considered dead. So why keep walking? 

Well for one, I'd been doing the "my situation is hopeless, waaaah, poor me" routine where I did nothing but mope all day and quite frankly I was tired of it. I'll die trying, thank you very much. 

And who knew? Maybe I'd actually get out of this and everything would be fine. Maybe I'd get lucky.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


I set my pint down on the bar, looking out at the relatively empty bar. "Remind me again when we had to be there?"

"Pretty sure Brian said the movie started at seven thirty," Trevor answered next to me.

A pause sat between us before another important question came to my mind, "What time is it now?"

Trevor lifted his sleeve to check his watch, "seven-oh-seven." 

"So you're telling me we have to drive to the theatre that's, like, half an hour away before the movie starts in twenty minutes."

Trevor stared blankly into the universe, carefully strategizing his next words, "I mean, do you really need to see the previews?"

"Jesus Trevor, what are we still doing here!? Brian and Neil are gonna let us have it, we should've been there already! Come on."

"Wa-wa-wait. Hold on," Trevor pleaded before lifting the rest of his pint to his mouth, and chugged away at his Samuel Adams. Not ten seconds passed before his glass and mustache sported only a couple spots of foam as evidence there even was a drink in the first place. "Alright, let's roll. Don't worry, Brian told me about a shortcut."

That sentence did nothing but cause me worry. "We're never going to make it in time," I realistically stated.

"Don't worry, Andy. Maybe we'll get lucky, right?"

And what a shortcut it was. I especially liked the part when he made me illegally drive across a school yard. That ordeal saved us probably a minute of driving time. Maybe two. Some luck.

We hurried inside the movie theater, finding only Brian at the snack bar getting himself some popcorn. Neil was nowhere in sight.

I made ourselves known. He responded by giving us the most exaggerated bow you can imagine. "You both grace us with your presence! How generous of you two to take some time out of your busy schedule to meet with us!"

Smart-ass. 

"Speaking of 'us', where's Neil?" Trevor questioned.

"Stewing in anger watching the previews right now. Come on, he's saving our seats."

Still showing previews? Then maybe I had time to address an issue that just came up. "You two go on ahead, I gotta go to the bathroom."

"Christ alive," Brian reached into his coat pocket, tearing out a small square of paper and handing it to me. "Alright, here's your ticket. You better hurry if you don't want to miss any plot."

I mumble under my breath some annoyed thoughts while we all temporarily part ways. I had forgotten what sticklers Neil and Brian were when it came to movies. Really, I didn't care as much as they did about seeing this movie. I hadn't even heard of this one before it came out and they've done nothing but talk about wanting to see it since. Not even sure what the film was about; something to do with Mel Gibson? 

I made my way to the men's room where my bladder was swiftly emptied. Afterwards, I drench my hands in cold water for a couple seconds and wipe them off on my pant legs before almost jogging out of the bathroom.

And nearly running chest-first into a rather short woman right outside and around the corner.

In the confusion of me trying to awkwardly twist my body around her to avoid a collision and sputtering out a swear, I fell on my ass, hurting my tailbone on the hard, linoleum floor. In turn, the short girl let out a shriek of surprise, and I guess the lid of her soda came loose as well. Point is, the soda practically exploded in her hand. 

It. Went. Everywhere. 

The drops on my face were easily wiped away, and thankfully my shirt was protected by my now-drenched fleece jacket. My jeans on the other hand now looked as though I never made it to the bathroom in the first place. 

The stranger was worse off, I'd say. Unlike me, she didn't have a coat on to protect her shirt from the torrent of soda, and her pants were in the same condition as mine. Not to mention her probably-really-expensive purse. 

She was really cute too. God damn it.

For the brief moment of shock afterwards, we both stood there and looked at each other, drenched in silence and soda. What a sight this must've been for all other people in the vicinity. 

I attempted to say something first, "I-I'm... didn't see—! Uh... I was just... s-so..." Emphasis on 'attempted.'

Whilst I stammered hopelessly, I could see the shock on her face slowly giving way to something else. I could only discern that she was about to erupt with fury.

Trying to stifle her wrath before a bad situation was made worse, I staggered to my feet and tried to force out an apology, "I-I'm so s-sor— UHPH!" I didn't get very far before I slipped on an ice cube and fell back down to the floor at her feet. 

I hissed in pain before I looked back up at her, and I braced myself for the worst.

'The worst' came in the form of silent laughter. You know the kind where you're laughing so hard that not a single noise comes out of your mouth? Yeah, she was currently doing that.

Wasn't expecting that. "I, uh, are you alright?" I said standing up again, this time very carefully. 

She replied by inhaling deeply, and laughing some more. Audibly this time. She lurched over and swiveled on her bent legs. "I-! I ca-hah! Y-you—! A-HA-hahaha!" Her words were entirely suffocated by her guffaws.

I wasn't entirely sure what to do. "We, uh, we should probably get some paper towels or something." I mentioned, scanning the lobby for napkins and finding them at the nearby snack bar. "There's some over ther—UHFUCK!" As god intended, I slipped yet again on another errant ice cube. I think our beverages are filled with way too much ice these days, if you ask me.

Her silent laughter returned. I looked back to see that she couldn't take it anymore, as she had doubled over and fallen to the floor. 

"Oh for—!" I growled in frustration.

"St-stop! I c- I can't—!" she squeaked. "I-hym gonna pee-hee-hee!"

Ew, lady.

Ignoring the gross comment, I went and snagged a handful of napkins and then some, dabbing a wad of them uselessly against my clothes before walking back over to the hysterical girl. Not as many heads in the passing crowd were turned now, but there were still a few people looking at the girl like she was crazy. 

Me included. "If you're about done with your hysterics, I've got a bunch of napkins here for ya," I said plainly, throwing a few manners out the window. 

Much to my joy, her laughs became more reserved, until they devolved into nice little giggles. "Sorry, I- heh- I couldn't help myself," she said, wiping her eyes.

I offered a hand to her, and lifted her to her feet with ease when she took it. "Yeah, well, I'm really sorry I made you spill your drink. I hope you're alright." 

"Oh, I'm fine! Don't worry about me," she took a wad of the napkins from me, dabbing her pants with them. "I'd say it was worth every penny." 

Finally, I got a good look at her. Turns out, she wasn't very short at all. My mistake. Her shoulder-length brown hair was a bit messy, I could only assume from rolling on the floor. Her face was not long, barely maintaining an oval shape. Her wide nose wasn't nearly as large as mine. Thin brows arched above her olive eyes which stared back at me with amusement, and her cherry lips were curled into a gleeful smile. 

I realized more and more how cute she actually was.

"Well, at least let me buy you another soda."

"You don't have to do that." 

"No, no, I feel bad still and I... uh..." My sentence drifted away from me as I scanned the rest of her hourglass figure, and noticed a glaring issue she may have overlooked. "Uh, your... I mean... Your shirt, uh..."

"What?" Her smile fell. She looked down at her pale shirt, and noticed the same thing I did. Drenched in soda, the piece of clothing had become much more see-through, giving a great view of her bra to anyone that dared glance. "Oh, hell." she covered herself with an arm.

"Yeah..." I remarked. Doing my best to awkwardly stare anywhere else except at her, I took off my fleece jacket "Here. You can, uh... you can take this." I offered. 

I don't know what her expression was like, since I apparently found the snack bar more interesting to look at, but she took it after a brief moment with a quiet "Thanks."

I heard a zipper, and a couple seconds passed before she quipped "You can look back again, hero-guy." 

So I did. As expected, the fleece jacket was oversized for her. It extended to cover halfway to her knees, and only the tips of her fingers poked out of the sleeves. 

"Well, it's better than nothing. It's not like I'm not already covered in soda anyways," she said, gesturing to the soaked spot on the coat. "Thanks again. Really saved me from an embarrassing night out."

Even though I caused it in the first place. "Yeah, no problem," I replied, my heart rate slowing back down. "Sorry, I uh... Sorry. About this whole thing."

She pulled up the sleeves, bunching them up above her elbows. "Seriously, don't worry about it. Accidents happen and all that, right?"

There was a pregnant pause. I searched my head desperately for something to say to her, but my tongue twisted and my breath caught when she made eye contact with me and smiled again. Damn it all, she kept getting cuter by the second.

I was extremely under-prepared for this. 

Whilst I failed at choosing a conversation starter, she took the initiative to yelp "Oh f- I'm supposed to meet my friend in the theater!"

Huh. What a coincidence. "No kidding? I'm actually supposed to be doing the same," I told her before mumbling to myself, "They're gonna give me an earful..."

"Look I-I have to go before the movie starts, but I don't want to steal your coat so..." she reached into her purse, pulling out a basic plastic pen before taking a leftover napkin and putting the pen to it. "Call me sometime, alright? So I can give back your hoodie." 

I took the napkin she offered, and was taken aback at the digits I saw. I just got her number. All according to plan? "Yeah. Yeah, definitely!" I returned her smile with big, goofy grin.

She turned away to rush to her theater before adding at the last moment, "I'll see you later... uh... I never got your name?" 

It took me a second to answer. Still reeling, y'know? "Oh! It's Andy."

She chuckled, "I'll see you later, Andy. Gotta go!"

She hurried away, and I stood there dumbfounded. I kept looking at the piece of paper to confirm that just really happened. Only after several seconds of staring and confirming that the digits didn't magically vanish could I confirm that, no, I was not dreaming.

And beneath the numbers, she had written her name in soft, swanky handwriting.

I immediately put the number into my cell phone, just to make sure that if I lost the note I wouldn't be completely screwed. Even then, I still stored her number safely away in my wallet. No way was I going to screw up this opportunity.

Despite my soaked pants and lack of fleece jacket, I set off to my designated theater in the happiest mood possible, and pondering over how lucky I was...

...and nearly slipped to the floor yet again. I was fortunate enough to catch myself this time. "Mother FUCKER!" I kicked the offending ice cube in righteous revenge. I could see the theater staff staring at me with a mix of holding in laughter and disappointment. Fuck them. Maybe they should get carpeted floors like a normal fucking movie theater.

Just my luck, I guess, I thought to myself before storming off to my designated theater.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Yeah. Maybe I'd get lucky.

That's what I kept telling myself, but in reality I firmly believed that these were my final moments. Walking normally was getting very hard again, my muscles all still ached, and I was getting a bit dizzy and light-headed as well. 

It never occurred to me before how I've met all of my friends right after a disaster took place. I met Neil and Brian by crashing into their car, I was stabbed before I met Trevor, and I met the love of my life after a soda explosion united us. 

It made me wonder who I was going to make friends with in my disastrous situation right now. Jesus? God? They better be damn worth it.

Of course, I thought about home. I thought about seeing the sun again. Earth's sun. I wanted so dearly to be able to walk down the length of the beach again with my dad. I relished the thought of being able to just lay down in my place, falling asleep on my couch. I wanted so dearly to be able to tell all of my friends and family how much they mean to me. Trevor's been by my side through thin and thick, Brian inadvertently saved me from my life of boring solitude, I may butt heads with Neil, but I notice how he looks out for me. 

And then there's Janice. She laughs with me all the time, she always picks me up when I'm down, she teaches me new things every single day, I can't possibly describe how much she does for me. 

...What have I ever done for her? Provide comic relief? Muscles? I did my best never to do wrong by her but beyond that... what did I specifically bring to our relationship?

I thought for countless minutes as I trudged on in the heavy silence of the caves, never finding the solid answer I wanted. 

What more did I offer to her than a ring and my love? I had to give more, but what more could I offer? 

My voice, raspy and quiet as it was, still reverberated in the dank atmosphere, "Maybe... Janice deserves better."

I was pretty sure I had passed a few more remains of those ponies down here. Just fate's casual reminder of what was going to happen to me sooner than I'd like. 

I was still walking.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Resting her head uncomfortably against the wall, Amethyst licked her lips. "I'm getting a bit thirsty."

"That makes two of us." Glass Pond's stomach also growled for good measure. 

"Pond?"

"Yes?"

"What are we going to do?"

Pond sighed, "I honestly don't know, Amethyst. We have to come up with something soon."

"Do you think anypony would realize we're missing eventually? Maybe they'd come looking for us."

Glass slouched and shook his head. "My regulars will just think my bar is closed for the day and not give it a second thought. I think it would be best if we didn't rely on that hope."

"How about the lock on the door? Can we fiddle with it in any way?" 

Glass Pond looked over the strange pad on the door that bore no handle or keyhole, shaking and striking at it with his back legs. The barrier held fast.

"Here, let's both do it at the same time," Amethyst lined herself up with the metal door next to Pond. "On three. One... two... three!" Their combined buck was enough to jostle the gate, but still it remained closed and unbroken. The two ponies did it several more times, coming to a stop when they realized their attempts were not powerful enough to overcome the obstacle. 

"Total Tartarus. The gate's locked tight with a spell. Nothing we do will open it," Glass swore. "If only one of us were a unicorn."

Amethyst and Glass Pond rubbed their aching hind legs for a short while after. The unsuccessful escape attempt hurt more than either cared to admit.

Amethyst, still brainstorming, examined the iron bar closest to the rock wall. "Maybe we could chip away at this wall to make an opening large enough to squeeze through?"

"With what? Our hooves? We'd bruise and bloody our legs to pulps even more."

"Well..." Amethyst scanned the cramped space of the cell, picking up a random stone no bigger than her own eye. "How about this?"

Glass Pond deadpanned. "Somehow I don't think this will work, but lets give it a chance anyways." The rock found its way to Pond's hoof, and he proceeded to bash it against the jagged rock wall next to the metal bar. He scratched and scraped against the unforgiving stone, hoping with each thrust that the wall would start crumbling. 

Instead, the rock in his grip eventually split upon impact, and their hearts did the same. 

"No good," Glass conceded. "Any other ideas?"

Amethyst Glory stared at nothing in particular, rolling her tongue in her mouth. "We could talk about our feelings some more."

Glass sat down and drooped with a sigh. "Amethyst, I... I don't think we are going to make it out of this one," he moped. "When the golems eventually come for us, they'll probably—"

"Lets-!" Amethyst interrupted. "Lets not think about that right now, alright?"

They let the quiet of the caverns wash over them. They both knew what would transpire. They were unruly prisoners, and they knew what the golems did to such slaves.

Amethysts ears perked up. "Wait a second... the golems! When they come for us, that is when we strike!" her voice echoed. "We'll let them make our escape for us!"

The impulse of obvious intrigue on Glass' face betrayed his will to stay incredulous. "How are we going to do that? You know as well as I do that the golems paralyze the prisoners before they open the cell door as a precaution."

"Yes, but what if the golems didn't think they had to?" she implied. "What if they think we're already dead?"

Glass mulled it over for a few seconds, his mind switching back and forth from doubtful to hopeful. "That will never work."

"It could! I remember my previous times in a cell, I saw what they did with those poor souls that had already... expired," she grimaced. "I saw many of those bodies removed from their prisons, and I don't recall a single golem using the stun spell in advance!"

Glass Ponds eyes frantically looked around, his mouth bobbing up and down. 

"Think about it, Pond. Have you ever seen a golem try to stun a corpse?"

His silence was all the confirmation she needed, and she beamed in excitement until Glass spoke up, "Say you're right about this, Glory. Say that the Golem doesn't see through our ruse and stun us on principle. Say that we manage not to get taken by it and rush out the door," Glass hypothesized. "What then? We're still trapped down here, and we'll have a hundred of these monsters chasing us down. We'll simply end up right back here when, not 'if,' they catch us." 

"Well..." Amethyst scrunched her face. "To prevent another chase and capture, we would have to be covert. So if we were to escape, we would need to defeat the golem that opens the door so it couldn't make too big of a racket. Then, we can sneak back to the surface and kindly request that the guards get off of their flanks and do something about the monsters that live down here still!"

"That's a nice idea, but..." Glass couldn't help but notice Amethyst's scowl at his words. "How would we do that?"

"I don't know! Maybe we push it into one of the many pit cells in this dungeon, or maybe we bait it into a trap and lock him into our cell here! Or maybe we find a huge boulder to drop on it, I don't know Pond! But what I do know is that we need to do something, or else we die! I don't see you coming up with anything!" she pointed an accusing hoof.

"I am just—!" Glass stopped himself, and took a deep breath before responding in a more calm manner, "I am just trying to make sure we get out of this alive. We risk a lot on this plan of yours, Amethyst, and we only get one shot at it. We need to be thorough."

"Okay, okay," Amethyst breathed manually. "Y-you're right. I'm sorry, I'm just stressed."

Glass nodded. "I'm sorry too. I haven't exactly been contributing much."

"Alright, so when the golem opens the door, how abou—"

"Wait, shh!" Glory whispered. "Do you hear that?"

Glass listened, and grimaced when he heard what she was talking about. Echoing in the caves not far from them, where the noises of a monster. The tell-tale sounds of a golem. 

"They're coming!" she barely sounded. "Play dead! When I give the signal, get up and run for it!"

He lowered his volume in turn, "Wait! What do we do if we get out!?" 

"Let's try to trap the golem in one of the cells," she responded on the fly.

"But... but how are we—"

"Glass, we'll be alright. We'll figure it out." She stared into his eyes with a fierce determination. "Just lie down and play dead!"

The steps grew in volume. Glass knew he had no time to argue anymore. It was do or die.

Amethyst flopped to her side, facing away from the cell door, and Glass Pond reluctantly did the same. His heart rate increased, and he did his best to stifle his breathing. 

He heard the golem storm into the room.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


These tunnels were just getting straight up ridiculous now.

The floor of the path I was following was more uneven than ever before. Constantly i found myself rising and descending over rocky hills, and tripping all too often on the jutting rocks. A new hazard I had to be on the lookout for came in the form of crevasses. Small tears in the ground that I couldn't see until my leg was already half buried within the ground. Lifting myself out of them wasted more energy I desperately needed, each time getting harder and more painful. These damned cracks were the devil, I hated them so much.

So I went to a snails pace, each step scoping out the rock ahead, making sure there were no hazards I'd run into.

The light of my phone, the only saving grace I had, was out of battery power. Earlier it had shut off automatically right when I was in the middle of investigating some strange marks in the dust on the floor. The indents in the dust and rock were unnatural, like some cargo was being dragged around by a giant gem thing. Also unatural about this area of the caves were the strange shapes cut merely a foot into the walls. As though someone had cut themselves a large stone slab in the shape of a triangle or demented trapezoid. 

That gave me some hesitation to continue, but what was I gonna do, go back?

Besides, given that I was following the same path against my will, I honestly hoped I'd run into another one of those oversized jewels soon enough. I was dying for energy here.

Also, this area of the caves? Not a straight line at all. The path twisted to the left and right, forced me to climb steep inclines and have a bumpy slide down some hills. The biggest joke was that any other path that split off from the cave was impossible to traverse. Some resembled giant pits that I could barely see into, and others were giant holes in the middle of the ceiling. Considering my last experience with such a ceiling hole, I did my best to hug the farthest wall and scuttle away from them quickly and quietly.

Also infuriating about this area was that I could see the occasional small gem monster clinging to the ceiling and skittering away. Since they were way too high out of reach, I could only assume these things now knew not to let me touch them. 

Fucking things. 

Right now however, I was in the middle of making a very important decision. There was finally another split off in the cave, one where I had the choice to go down either tunnel.  I could either continue on straight, or divert my course to the right. There was no bullshit REI rock climb I would have to do, no leap of faith into a hell pit, the path even looked smoother that way.

Before I made my choice, I heard the faint sound of someone's voice in the caves straight ahead. It actually sounded as though they were shouting, they were just much further down the way.

A shrill, short scream followed. A very familiar sounding scream.

"Wait a minute... I recognize that voice!" 

I reconsidered my choices. On one hand, those two ponies I had seen hours earlier in the caves were probably still alive and kicking, and I hadn't inadvertently gotten them killed. Yay. Go me. Bonus: They also likely knew these caves better than me. I could go recruit them and they could show me the way out of here!

On the other hand, they were about to die again by the sound of that scream. They also hated my guts, so I wasn't keen on getting more rocks thrown at me if I went to help. But if they died, my chances of getting out of here dropped, and I would have to bear the guilt of leaving them to their demise again.

Well gee. What to do?

I thought for only a moment. I was to bet they were under attack by another one of those crystal monsters, so it's not like that would be a hard fight if I did go to help. The benefits of going to their rescue were much too enticing for me to resist.

I limped down the path in front of me in a hurry. 


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Their plan had failed almost immediately. 

As soon as the gate had opened, Amethyst gave the signal, and she charged for the open gate.  Amethyst barely managed to get through the door before an arm of white rocks swung at her. She ducked on instinct, the blow of the golem brushing against her mane.

It was with this specific golem that they had misjudged. When the ponies expected a golem to open the gates, they had thought it would've been one of the many average, malformed golems that patrolled the area, as they had always done during Sombra's reign.

Instead, the golem that surfaced was a Warden. A special kind of golem different from the others. Essentially, that meant it was smarter, faster, and on most ocassions, bigger. 

Pond and Glory had the misfortune of encountering a very big one.

Pond, for his part, failed to keep up. Whereas Glory was out of the cell immediately, Glass Pond stumbled to gain solid footing and his nerve. He balked for one moment before deciding to risk it all and charge out. Unfortunately for him, the golem was wise to his advances and swept Pond up in its crushing grasp. 

While the heap of shining rocks held Glass Pond in its grip, he squirmed and beat ineffectively against the rocks that clutched him, while the golems two other limbs fired concentrated bursts of stunning magic at Amethyst Glory. The escapee ran alongside the perimeter of the room and continued to move and turn on impulse to dodge the paralyzing spells.

The light of the magic flashed in the large dungeon, lighting up the room, blinding the two ponies, and casting looming shadows before it all faded to darkness again within mere seconds. Then, the process would repeat itself for every bolt that Amethyst dodged by the skin of her teeth. The shaken mare knew she could not keep this up for much longer. She herself was but a stones throw away from the entrance, but she refused to leave without Glass Pond. 

Pond knew, seeing how she dance away from the large entryway each time. From the clutch of the golem, Pond managed to yell at her, "Amethyst! Run for the exit and get to the surface! Save yourself"

Another missed beam stopped her in her tracks, the Warden golem attempting to predict where she was going. "No!" 

"You have to! You can get help!"

Amethyst wanted to argue, but between struggling to find the words and running for dear life, she was too preoccupied.

"Put away your pride and use your common sense for once! Just go!" Glass ordered from the clutches of the Warden.

"But—"

"NOW!"

Her eyes welled up. Blinking away tears, she defied what she stood for and ran for the dungeon exit.

She chanced one last look back at the Warden as she ran out, seeing it throw Glass Pond violently back into the cell. 

Knowing she was next, she galloped as fast as her hooves would allow down the tunnel away from the creature...

...and ploughed face-first into the legs of another, sending both it and her to the cold, hard ground. 


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Motherfucker that hurt! What the hell hit me!?

I sat back up from the floor, rubbing the side of my head that impacted on the rocky floor. I'm thankful the floor I had landed on wasn't spikier, but the solid headache I now suffered was no joke.

Then, as well as I could, I got a look at my assailant. Just as I had predicted earlier, it was the screaming pony from before, looking as frantic and shaken as ever. Hooray, they were still alive!

Her eyes widened at the sight of me. "M-ml! Mlg blf! Mlg mld!"

Guess it was too much to hope that she'd miraculously learned English by now. "Nope, still don't understand you," I responded in turn. For a moment, I wondered where the other one had gotten off to. "Where are you going in such a hur—"

I didn't finish the sentence. From around the corner, the largest jewel-thing yet floated into our view. 

I think I figured out what happened to this pony's partner.

This thing, its center alone as wide as a couch, was similar to the floating star that I encountered when I went spelunking earlier. Similar in the sense that it was floating, sleeker than the other jewel guards, and sported the pure white color. It was different in that it was much larger, and instead of the smaller white pebbles rotating around in orbit, it sported three sleek, beefy arms of diamond perfectly spaced around it, and each arm ended in with four dangerous looking claws. The thing roared its heavy thunking noise as its ambient, alabaster glow lit up my surroundings.

If I didn't think it was about to try to kill me, I'd have honestly thought it looked cool as hell.

The arm closest to us opened its fingers, and its palm charged with unpleasant lightning before it released the energy towards the pony. 

Impressively, the pony in front of me managed to get out of the line of fire, and the shot of magic collided with the floor before fading away like nothing happened. But with a yelp, she stumbled back down and hit the ground hard yet again just as I noticed the floating white behemoth was aiming another shot at her from a different arm. For her part, she seemed to realize she was fucked right then.

I saw my opportunity. So I sprung to action, and hastened to shield her body with my own. She yelped and struggled against me in surprise for but a moment, then I felt the energy strike of the monster smash against my back.

And it felt. So. Good. After struggling a to get decent surge of energy and having to run on fumes for hours, and then suddenly having all the power I needed course through my very being in seconds? I probably could've climaxed right there.

I stood tall and proud, guffawing in excitement and releasing the little horse I had saved. "Finally!"

"D-dszg?" she spoke. The poor pony seemed to be at a loss.

I turned away from the confused horse, gesturing for her to stay back, and faced the heavily-armed monster. "Hey, handjobber! C'mere!" I threw my hoodie aside, tossing it onto the pony. I saw her fumble with it in confusion in the corner of my eye. "I'm gonna beat you with your own third arm."

The caves boomed the white rocks call, and I charged the floating mass.

My first and only plan was to jump up and grab at the jewel monster's arm, giving it the hug of death that would turn it to that fragile, black state. As I leaped, though, the white mass levitated upwards to get out of my reach. I hadn't noticed that the large diameter of the tunnel allowed for it to do such a thing. Fortunately, it hadn't entirely escaped my clutches, as I now hung in the air, clutching at its arm. Already, I could feel its power flowing through me, and I could see the arm turning gray.

But it was short-lived. The damned horror realized what was happening all too soon, and swung me around with it in a rapid spin. Admittedly I thought this fight would be a cakewalk, so I had let my guard down. My grip loosened, and I was flung to the corner of the tunnel.

I learned right then that I was still able to feel the pain of being smacked against the rock, which meant I hadn't absorbed enough power. Sure enough when I brushed myself off, I saw the grayed arm slowly regain its pure-white glow, and the floating pile of diamonds beeped at me again. 

Seems like I just pissed it off. 

Even better, now it was floating too high to where I couldn't reach and touch it. Swell.

"Well what are you gonna do, idiot? I can take anything you can throw at me!" I mocked. 

The Diamond monstrosity was already rising higher to the ceiling while I was speaking, and as soon as the last word left my mouth, I noticed its hands light up with some blue swirling magic that was more serene than the usual crackling yellow they all did. I had never seen such sorcery before, so I was given pause right there, wondering if I could take what it was about to fire at me.

Then the diamond monster pounded the ceiling with all three arms at once, and swift blue ethereal slices cut a shape into the ceiling above me. I watched then as a chunk of the ceiling came loose, and allowed gravity to do the rest. 

"...Except that." So that was why those cave walls I saw earlier were all cut up in weird shapes.

I leaped to the side, getting out of the way before I became a pancake. Boy, I was doing a lot of action dodges today and every one of them hurt. If I got out of this, I was going to have some PTSD triggered anytime I made a long jump.

A quick glance at my surroundings showed that the pony was long gone, much to my dismay. I needed that damn pony to show me the way out, but it bolted. All because I was too preoccupied with Hover-Hands, here. I'd have to try and track her down after I took care of this thing.

Speaking of, I looked back up at my opponent. It had already slammed that soft blue spell into the ceiling to cut larger chunks above me. This thing did not waste any time.

I got up and continued to make a mad dash around the expansive cavern, swearing and tripping over every obstacle along the way. Boulders fell from above trailing behind each step I made. In the corner of my eye I could see the the Knuckle-dragger itself holding something in its claws, and still hovering too high and out of my reach. I wondered briefly how I was going to be able to beat him if I couldn't touch him.

I noticed the rocks stopped falling when I heard the crashes behind me cease. My relief was only temporary though, as a large stone then launched past me and crumbled against the floor. I looked again to my adversary, realizing he had thrown a rock at me himself and already had another in one hand.

"No thanks, someone's already thrown a rock at me today. I didn't enjo— EEIGH!" My snark was thoroughly interrupted as the ballistic stone missed my head by inches. "Cockbite!"

It reached to the highest part of the wall, pulling out another threateningly large and pointy stone. A third time, it chucked the thing straight at me.

My dodgeball skills failed me at that moment. I screwed up my footing, and the boulder clipped my left shoulder while I yelped. It didn't hurt nearly as much as it should've, thanks to the fix I had initially gotten from the Di-arm-ond, but it did hurt. Thankfully I wasn't sporting a broken arm now. I don't think even my magical powers could heal such a thing.

Okay asshole. Two can play at that game, I thought, clutching my shoulder and rising from the knee I was forced to take. As soon as the golem reached back to the wall for more ammunition, I turned my attention to the ballistic that had clipped me. It had landed a few meters to my side, still in one relatively large piece. Perfect.

Ignoring the aching pain that lingered within my shoulder, I hugged the rock, and lifted as fast as I could. If I were relying purely on my own strength, I probably could have never lifted this thing. Thanks to my superpowers, though, the large erratic was lighter than it should have been.

Oh fuck, it's about to throw more, I noted mentally, bracing myself. Wasting no more time, I lifted the over-sized pebble over my head, and lobbed it back towards the monster as it did the same to me.

Both of our shots found their mark. I was clobbered right in the gut and sent sent sprawling on my back, and the abomination made noises as it reeled back from the direct hit and fell in altitude.

I wheezed, and pushed myself to get up. I think I spent the last of my powers enduring that last blow, but I could worry about the pain later. The heavy hitter had lowered to reachable range, and this was my chance to strike.

So I forced myself onto my feet, and charged.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Amethyst stumbled back into the dungeon, still unbelieving of the events that had just transpired.

She heard a rumble back through the entryway, cringing in fear of the powers that were clashing just outside. She wanted to run away, but decided that she needed to retrieve someone else first.

"Pond!" she called out, running to the cell she had seen him get tossed into. "Pond are you alright!?"

He groaned in pain, "Amethyst? What are you—"

"I am not leaving you behind!" she said, slamming against the bars that kept him in. "I refuse to think solely of myself anymore!"

Another crash was heard outside, and their ears folded at the sound. 

"What's happening out there!?" Glass asked.

"The monster showed up! Not the Warden, but the one we were chasing originally!" she hurriedly explained. "It's fighting the golem right now!"

"What? Why!?"

"I don't know! Pond, it... it saved me."

Glass blinked. "Huh!?"

The caves rumbled with another crash, and a shout was heard. "I'll explain later! We have to get this door open!"

"The— uh! The Warden locked it again!" Glass tripped over his words.

Amethyst cursed the smooth surface of metal that served as the magical locking mechanism. She scanned the floors of the dungeon for something. Anything to bash against the metal bars.

"Amethyst, there's nothing you can d—"

"Do not tell me to leave, Pond! Either we both get out of here or neither of us do!" She cut him off, examining her surroundings some more before something caught her eye. "Stay here!"

Glass deadpanned, "...Okay." 

She galloped off to another prison further along the wall as another shout was heard from outside, followed by the trademarked noise of the golems. The cell she galloped to was busted. Never mind the door of the cell that was off its hinges, but most of the iron bars were loosened and fallen to the floor as well. Amethyst took one of the bars in her mouth and scurried back to Glass's cell while the battle raged on outside.

"Stand clear!" She ordered before attempting to wedge the bar between the cell door and the rest of the gate. More than one attempt was needed. It was no crowbar, but the end of the metal bar was spiked at the top for some odd reason.

She struggled to pry open the door. She pushed and pushed and gave it her all, but still it was not enough. The magic on the door was too much to overcome.

Glass stepped forward to mention something, "Maybe if you—"

"Blf dlm'g vhxzkv nv gsrh grnv!" 

The Warden zoomed into the dungeon room, flailing around haphazardly. The other monster was gripped onto one of its three arms yet again, only this time the thing had managed to get all four limbs wrapped around it. 

"What in Tartarus!?" Glass Pond exclaimed. "What is it doing!?"

Amethyst watched in horror as the Warden golem grabbed the biped by the leg, and peeled him off its arm. Hanging by its leg, the Warden sent the minotaur look-alike hurdling towards an open cell across the room, and it impacted heavily onto the floor inside. 

"Lddd..." it moaned in its defeated state, somehow managing to rise to its feet. The Warden acted swiftly, magically closing the door to the cell before the biped could escape. "Svb! Ml!" it realized, noticing that the gate was now locked.

Its job done, the Warden turned back to Amethyst, who stood stupefied with the iron bar in her grasp. It slowly sunk in for Amethyst. The Warden had won. Her plan had failed.

They were all doomed now.

The Warden was only just starting to charge that familiar yellow lighting in its fists when the sound of bending metal screamed in the hollow caves.  

All attention turned back towards the new prisoner, whom had just torn the gate off of its hinges and freed itself.

"R'n mlg wlmv drgs blf!" it yelled.

The Warden sounded its noise, and floated away from the ponies to finish its fight with the monster.

"It just did that!?" Amethyst questioned. "How is it so strong!?"

Glass Pond watched on from his prison, eyes wide. The monster had just broken the locking spell on the gate in mere seconds. No only that, but the door to the cell was now a bent mess on the floor across the way.

He had an idea. "Amethyst! You have to help it defeat the Warden!"

"What? Me!?"

"I'm stuck in here. You're the only one who can!"

"Why? How!?" she shrieked.

"I- I don't know! But the thing seems confident that it can win. And honestly if it saved you as you say, then it isn't a foe as we originally thought!" Glass explained. "Think about it! It might even be able to free me! It could help us get out of here!"

They both watched as the escapee shouted and tossed a small pebble at the Warden, whom hovered high out of reach. 

"Are you sure?" 

"I think so, yes!" Glass answered. "Something has to be done about the Warden before it calls for more golems anyways!"

"How can I possibly help?" Amethyst looked around the dungeon once again. There was no weapons she could use, nothing she could use to her advantage in here. "I'm not strong enough to hurt the Warden!"

The two ponies watched again in astonishment as the creature lifted a boulder bigger than they were, and heaved it in the Wardens direction. Of which, it missed.

"No, but that thing definitely is! Just give it things to throw!" Glass Pond brainstormed. 

Amethyst looked to the iron bar she once used as a crowbar. "Got it! I'll be back, Pond!" she nodded to him before setting off.

"Glory, wait! Remember, don't touch the bipedal one! It can still suck the life out of you!" Pond advised, pressing his face against the bars of his cell.

"I'll be careful!" she assured before heading back to the broken enclosure she found the iron bar.

Off she set, to aid the creature she was trying to defeat merely hours ago. Amethyst pondered how her day could possibly become any more crazy. 

"Please let us get out of this alive!" she prayed to noone in particular.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Poppy burst through the front door back into the hospital, her replacement lagging behind and entering moments later.

"I can't thank you enough for filling in for me, Silver!" Poppy shouted back to her cohort, retrieving her things and shoving them into her saddlebags. "I know it's a silly thing to worry about, but I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if another pony needed my help while I was out!"

Nurse Silver Vein yawned. "What are you going out for, anyways? I haven't seen you this distraught in a long while," she observed through glazed eyes.

"Another patient left the premises when I specifically told him not to. He could hurt himself, but I won't let that happen!"

"A runaway," she remarked, her voice still level and slow. "So what else did he do to upset you? What's this really about?"

Poppy paused, briefly wondering if she should tell Vein what happened before shaking her head and outright confessing, "He lied to me."

"Oh." Vein knew all too well what that entailed.

"He's a confused individual," Poppy continued, adjusting the straps on her bags. "I can't help but feel he's going to get himself into trouble!"

Vein rolled her eyes, "Typical P'. Always the mother,"

Poppy paid the comment no mind. "Alright, I'm taking off then. Thank you so much for this, Silver!" Poppy thanked with a toothy grin, wrapping Silver Vein in a bear hug. "I can always count on you!"

"It's nothing, P'. Really, I owe you this much," she replied, only half reciprocating her hug. 

Poppy was out the Infirmary's front door, and Silver Vein ventured to her favorite chair in the building. 

Vein honestly thought Poppy, bless her saintly heart, worried too much. The Crystal Empire's local infirmary didn't see much action, so Poppy probably could've stepped out for hours and returned to see that nothing had happened at all. 

Silver Vein found her place, sat down and reached into her own saddlebags. She had a book she needed to finish.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


From a heavy sleep, she slowly returned to reality. 

Cadance's eyelids barely cracked before she released the loudest of yawns. "Wha time is..." she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

She wrestled with her willpower to sit up from the bed, but the warm, soft mattress satisfied her with comfort beyond comfort, and her silky thin sheets entangled her beneath her blanket. 

"Just..." she closed her eyes and yawned once again before turning on her side. "Jus a lil' longer..."

She faded back into slumber.

And in the farthest corner of the Crystal Empire, in a bed of vibrant, rapidly-growing flowers, another individual continued to lay dormant in unwitting solidarity.