The Sapphire Caves
“Hello, My name is Starshield Stronghorn. I am a Redoak pony from Fernsburg. We’re called Redoak Ponies because the majority of us take on the same color as the redoaks we live alongside. Growing up I was never the strongest or most magically gifted and I knew I could never make it to my dream of being one of the brave guard ponies that protect our village from timber wolves. But as I grew, I found strength in my friends and was eventually granted the opportunity to attend the training program for the Royal Guard. And despite my best efforts, I passed” I miled, garnering a few laughs from friends and family.” and stand here before you all now not as a mere guard but as a soldier for ALL OF EQUESTRIA!” I held up my shining new helmet for all to see, a Solar Flare model for commanding unicorns. A roarous cheer filled through the grounds reaching all the way back to where Celestia herself nodded in regal agreement with my speech. It was the proudest day of my life, the first thing I had ever done to prove to the world I was worth something and even the Princess of all of Equestria praised my graduation. It was a good thing, because tomorrow I would be marching out with my own unit to the front lines.
General Stronghorn, it had a ring to it.
*****
The mud splashed up into my face as I was tossed to the side from the explosive cocktail the hippogryph chucked at me. No fair! he was flying! Patty picked me up, a strong buck who had come from a bakery in ponyville. I knew all of the soldiers in my command and Patty Cake was no exception! “Get up General! They’re coming back for another pass!” I complied, Pointing to a cave that had been dug into the cliff face we fought on.
“Get under cover! Go go! We need to suppress their flight capability!” My horn flared to life as I was pulled back onto my hooves. My shields weren’t that strong but they could hold back the second assault while we broke for cover. I just had to keep in mind, small flat surfaces. Small flat surfaces! The wing of hippogryphs made their second pass, tossing their spears and alchemical mixtures. I ripped into their assault with a myriad of split second shields that broke their line of fire and intercepted those I believed would hit us. Tiny plates of purple magic flashing madly about us as we ran for our lives.
Minty made it, Seahorn, Comet, Breaker, Boulder, Patty and……. IN! I motioned for Comet, Minty, and Breaker to ready their offensive spells, Patty readied his spear and Boulder lived up to his name as he hefted a boulder into bucking position. We made it and we were ready, the Hippogryphs had turned about to make an offensive into the cave and Seahorn was blasting his telepathy to relay our position to the pegasus station nearby. We were going to need air support. “Keep calm everypony! Remember the drill. Precise, aimed shots. This is what we’ve been trained for.” I heard a resounding compliance from what was left of my unit.
We had been decimated up until this point, our pegasi were torn to pieces and the rest dwindled with continued assaults from the air. I knew them all and I planned to visit each of their families personally once we returned.
Seven battles undefeated, we were Equestria’s best and we were at our limit.
“Sir! The enemy isn’t advancing!” Seahorn cut me out of my thoughts. “The Stratus Units are reporting that they’re just waiting out there.”
“What?!” I turned to him searching for an answer. “After everything they lost trying to keep us from reaching the summit they’re just going to let us go, here? We’re so close.” I glanced outside to see the feathered mules just perched on some old trees, sharpening their talons. Damn them. “Comet, What’s our rations looking like?” Comet, clicked his hoof four times. Four days. “We’ll wait them out. Let’s get further in the cave so they can’t get the jump on us while we rest.”
With myself leading the way, and a few glances behind us to make sure we weren’t followed, we made our way inside the mountain. The Stratus Units would be building reinforcements and relief supplies while we waited so we would be fine until our own rations ran out and we could call for a wing rush. The cavern that our small cave opened up into was expansive, and bright! This mountain was rich in glowing gems. I knew a young filly in ponyville who would die for a jackpot like this. A few of my bucks couldn’t stop a ‘woah’ escaping their lips. “Down there.” Boulder chimed in, pointing to a nice flat spot between two sections of stone.
“Good eye hoofman. Let’s get down there and unpacked. we’ll be setting up camp in here for a couple days.” A quick salute all around and we began our climb. Here and there I had to scold Minty or Breaker for trying to hoof away a few gems. Work first, profit later. Of course once we were settled in, and barriers were constructed to restrict an assault from above, I let the two
have their gem hunt by sending them on ‘scouting’ duties. Patty and Seahorn went to their usual lovebirding while Boulder, Comet, and I took to our rations for the night. I pulled a gem from the wall next to us and used a light spell on it, creating a campfire like effect.
The next two days went similarly, us just waiting and Seahorn relaying the messages to Stratus. We would only be down here for another day if all went well. But on that last day Minty came back from his patrol a little too early for my liking, knocking over the pile of gems he’d collected on his previous trips. “General, you might want to come see this.” He hissed at me, his guard helmet sliding off to one side. “I think I know why the Hippogryphs won’t come in here.”
“What are you talking about Minty?” I stood, levitating my armor from beside my bedroll and onto my body. He replied with a hoof wave and darted off. He never was one for words, so I followed him. In turn I was followed by the others. We made our way through a few gem lit passages until we came to a small tunnel that linked to the main chamber of the mountain. Breaker was waiting there for us with stern eyes and a hoof to his lips to keep quiet. Warm air rushed in from the other side. A fear rushed through me as I made my way through to peak down to the bottom of the great chamber. Down below us sleeping on a pile of glittering gold and gems was a massive blue dragon. what I had initially taken for the glitter of more gems at the bottom of the cavern was actually a pile of riches, a dragon’s hoard. “No way…” I whispered. We had been sleeping above this dragon for three days. Then a sudden fluttering motion from above caught my eyes. A hippogryph carrying something golden at the top of the cavern. I squinted my eyes to get a better look. Then he dropped it, a pony soldier helmet? As it clanged it’s way to the ground, it struck me. The dragon would smell pony, and hunt US down. “Run!” I turned to my comrades as the helmet struck true and a roar came from behind me. The dragon was awake. “Go go go!” I ordered as we made our way through the tunnels at full gallop. But even that wasn’t fast enough to keep the monster from finding us.
“Little ponies! Thought you could steal from me!?” Crash! His talons tore through the stone that made the tunnel we were passing through. Sending Boulder tumbling away. Before we could even react we heard the ‘SNAP!’ of a giant maw over meat. “Delectable.” He crooned at us as he began slithering through the large passageways that dug through the whole mountain. “A snack will certainly help me get back to sleep” His massive blue jaws snapped into a small opening, cutting us off and forcing us to take a strange path. We now had no idea where we were going.
“Go go go!” I order as I now lead us down a shaft that would briefly expose us to the main chamber. As luck would have it, this dragon didn’t seem to have any sort of breath or could have simply charred us in the tunnels. “MAKE HOOFPRINTS!” I lead the charge across the stone bridge, seeing the serpentine movements of the dragon beneath us. “BREAKER!”
“On it!” A few quick blasts of magic sent a cascade of stalactites falling to crunch on the dragon’s head, getting a satisfying growl out of him. We made it across and into the next cave entrance, but a crash of stone warned us that going back the way we’d come would be impossible.
“Poniesssss” Came that voice from behind us. there grinning wickedly into the entrances was that sapphire hide and wide toothy grin. “You shouldn’t make me, ANGRAAAAAAAYYYY!!” On that last syllable he bellowed out a ball of blue fire.
“RUUUUNNN!!!!” We bolted down the passage that lead deeper into the earth as an erie heated ball swallowed the world behind us. In a great relief we burst out into a small chamber that lead to several other tunnels. I made a quick head count after the bellowing blue flames dissipated from our point of origin. One, two, three, four….. where’s five? “Breaker?!” I looked over to the entrance we came from to see the horrified expression of pain upon a sapphire statue of the combat unicorn, his golden armor still glinting overtop his body. “Breaker! NO!” Minty stopped me from rushing forward, Patty standing in front of me.
Patty, my right-hoof Stallion, put a hoof against my chest, which welled up in pain. “Don’t you do this to me now Stronghorn! I know that face and it isn’t your fault!”
He was right of course, as always. He would make the claim that I did what protocol demanded and he was right. I sank to my knees, my front hooves planted over my eyes. I had been leading these ponies into a deathtrap. This whole mission was a deathtrap. I slammed my Solar Flare helmet against the stone and gems around me, flinging it to the other side of the cavern. “Buck! I know!” I pulled myself to my hooves, feeling all eyes on me, searching for their next command. I had to be strong. I had to become a shield for them. A shield to protect them from the death they all knew was imminent. I put one hoof in front of the other as I approached the Sapphire pony, my magic enveloping that helmet. The bristles had been turned to solid sapphire. I levitated the helmet from his head, placing a kiss on his forehead. “You loved me, and I could never have returned that favor. But here I owe you that favor, I will carry a piece of you with me always.” I fitted the helmet over my own head, a constant reminder of what I would need to be. I turned to the others, who looked on with a slight shock. I guess they never would have expected me to show affection for anypony. “Let’s find a way out of here.” With that they all lit up, hope returning to their hearts. “Seahorn! your up!”
With a curt nod the Stallion arranged himself in the center of the chamber and let his horn shine like the sun. He sent a pulse through the earth, his body frozen as he awaited the return pulse. Sure enough his magic slammed back into his horn with a snap and sizzle. He recovered quickly and pointed for a passage. This way! It will take us through the main chamber through two more and then outside.” Sonar spell, one of the reasons we had made it to the top of the royal military. Seahorn was simply the best at communication and location magic. There was no equal.
“Good work Echo let’s move!” I lead the charge myself, followed by Seahorn, Patty, Minty, then Comet. Seahorn kept me moving by directing me down forks and splits until we burst into the open air of the main chamber. We were much lower than before but still too high up to jump with any degree of safety. The Dragon was visible as we got halfway across the bridge, snaking its way towards us with terrifying speed through the caverns. We weren’t going to make it in time. I thundered forward, stretching my telekinesis to ease the burdens of my soldiers’ armor and packs.
We picked up speed, That beastial blue dragon would be just too late. Five metres, four, three. Then a great inhale of breath and a shout from Comet. My heart sank, I knew what he was doing. “I won’t let him win!” His rallying cry against anything he thought challenged him or his friends, he simply refused to lose. I felt his familiar blue magic wrap up behind us and release a force great enough to launch us all into the next chamber as the dragon’s breath washed the pathway clean of any signs of him. The chamber ahead was empty, aside from one entrance, our escape.
The dragon was upon us, his massive claws striking through the thinner stone like paper. “This is it ponies! Lay down and I’ll make it quick. Or don’t, I like the squeaking sound you make. HAHAHA!” His face peered into the gaping hole he had made, a single claw slamming down over our only exit.
I couldn’t let them down. If any, these three could still make it! I charged forward, readying my magic. “I won’t let you kill any more of my men!”
“You think you have a choice!?” Bellowed the monster as he swiped his great claw toward me, as I had hoped, freeing the passage for my team. I poured all of my being into this shield, Thick plates thick plates! A sturdy purple barrier formed between me and the dragon’s talons. I could hear Seahorn and Patty shouting something but it was lost on me as the claw impacted my shield. It shattered with easy, but slowed the attack enough for me to avoid the razor sharp talons. Instead of being torn to shreds I was batted like a fly to the far side of the cavern. I impacted head first into something bright, my horn shattering against the crystal in a blinding wash of pain.
I knew I should be dead, and I didn’t feel any better. Something stirred me on though, through the pain, through the tiredness that now filled my body. It willed me to look, to see just enough, to see minty throwing his full force into the dragon. Seahorn and Patty had made it to the next chamber, waving for Minty to follow. But minty wouldn’t listen, odd he was always the first to remove himself from danger. In my daze everything seemed quaint and unimportant as I began to slip away.
But just before I began to give into my final throes I saw Minty unleash a magical barrage of light and force. The dragon was flinching, and enraging. What was that Minty was saying? “You can’t kill my shield!, OUR shield! I won’t let you! He’s protected us through so much! This time I will be his shield!” Had I? I saw the tears stream out from under his helmet. I had, I remembered all of times I had stood in the way of an attack for him, for all of my soldiers. How was I even alive?
Then something that gave my heart a leap, The dragon began to bring his treacherous maw to bear as he inhaled a large breath. In a moment, as the breath began to rip through the air, time slowed to a halt. I stared in wonder at this moment of saving graces, before an ominous voice chimed through my head. “CHILD”
I tried to glance about, but found myself imobile. ‘who?, what happened?’ My thoughts raced.
“I HAVE GIVEN YOU PAUSE TO FIND HARMONY! I AM THAT WHICH YOUR FORM STRUCK SO”
‘what?’
“THERE ARE MANY FORMS OF HARMONY IN THIS WORLD AND EACH ITS OWN VESSEL. I AM A TREE OF HARMONY, THE TREE OF SELF.”
‘I-I don’t understand. Why are you helping me?’
“BECAUSE YOUR CONFLICTIONS HAVE SEARED AWAY YOUR TRUE GIFTS. LOOK TO YOUR FRIEND, DO YOU WANT HIM TO DIE?”
‘I… no’
“THEN YOU MUST LOOK WITHIN” With that, I was adrift in my memories, watching as every death i was responsible for weighed on my heart and my own path began to waiver. I had been fighting, killing and losing friends from conflict after conflict. Every look of sorrow, every dying breath had weighed on me and I had never let it go, Patty’s word had never truly lifted my own loathing. Then my memories carried on back to my childhood, the friends I had, the games we played. The moment I got my cutiemark.
The celestial shield, a shield that burned with the ferocity of all the stars in the sky. One great big shield with a magic purple star pressed into the center. In a moment of foolishness we had stumbled upon timber wolves. My friends and I were terrified, then I remembered the guards and my dreams. My magical epiphany that created an indestructible barrier around my friends. I’d held that barrier for hours on end until the local guards came to rescue us. I remembered how, with all my heart and being, I wanted to protect those that were close to me.
In a flash I was brought back to reality, seeing that motionless scene before me.
‘NO! I will be their shield against the WORLD!’ I thought hard into the crystal tree behind me. I felt warmth wash through me as I was given strength and time began to slowly crawl back to life. I was faster though, I had to be! I rose to my hooves, my shattered horn sparking in defiance of my will. With a strength I had never known before, I focused on all of the horn pieces that had scattered around me and levitated them into a focusing point.
The dragon’s fire filled the whole cavern with it’s petrifying magic and, as it dissipated, gave way to a brilliant violet barrier, emblazoned with that purple star. I had realized the peace within myself and summoned an impenetrable wall that expanded through the whole of the room. The lives I had lost didn’t matter, just those I could still protect. I saw minty look back to me with a goofy grin, eyes pouring water as I pulled myself to all fours and began to make my way forward. “See General!? I knew you could make it!” He cried out. The dragon roared in frustration and began pounding my barrier.
I made my way up to Minty and hugged a hoof over his neck, whispering into his ear as he sobbed. “Run Minty. I face my demons here. This is my fight.” Before he could protest I encased him in a spherical barrier and launched him through the passageway along with Patty and Seahorn. I manipulated a few repulsing barriers to collapse the entrance. Leaving only the dragon and myself.
Once I spotted a pause in the dragon’s thrashing I dropped my barrier. So many more options had opened up to me and I was ready now. Explosive shields, mirror shields, repulsory shields, lightning, fire, ice. It was all under my command now. I could turn my shields into a weapon more powerful than an ancient dragon.
The dragon reared back to strike once more, I smiled.
*****
In a shower of gold and gems, the mountain gave way to a single soldier, a gaping hole punched through the mountain face. When questioned, he declared himself Starshield Shatterhorn, and simply walked away. Only three ponies ever claimed to have truly known him and told stories of his efforts on the field. Protector for the ages, a shield against the world.