Fate’s Substitute CH 5: Iron and Ice

The stench of metal permeated the stale air of the underground parking lot, mixing with the acrid taste of burnt rubber left by the retreating mustang. For Seaskimmer, smell had always been the first of his senses to return upon waking, though he often wished it wasn’t.

There were so many distinctly human odors in this city, and each one was a horror in its own right. Exhaust from millions of cars, mountains of trash heaped along the streets, burnt animal flesh sold by street vendors, and even the humans’ own pungent body odor wafted on the winds. Each and every one would cause him to scrunch his muzzle in disgust; but it was the ever-present tang of metal that haunted him the most, serving as a constant reminder that he was so very, very far from home.

Seaskimmer gingerly laid his head down on the cool concrete and tried to focus his mind, willing his spinning vision to settle. He could almost see the stars and birds circling around his head, like in the early morning cartoons that so many of the other guards were hooked on.

His whole body ached and he was definitely suffering a concussion, but the most worrisome injury was his left foreleg, which was bent at an impossible angle just above the hoof. Even the slightest movement caused the bones to grind beneath his skin, sending a mind-numbing lance of pain through his wrist.

A low, annoyed growl rumbled from his chest when he looked down at the crumpled hoof guard. There was no way that a crash under thirty miles per hour should have done that much damage. Between the enchanted armor he wore, and the innate pegasus resistance to falls, he should have easily bounced off the car, suffering nothing more than a bruise or two.

His muzzle scrunched and his brows furrowed in recognition. Iron — everything about this planet always came back to iron.

Back home, the Princesses were known to use steel to protect their castle and the royal archives, as well as forge the weapons that the guard used. It was an amazingly rare metal as its only source was from meteorites, whose fall to Equis was jealously guarded by Princess Luna. It was so important that the unauthorized sale of starmetal was one of the few crimes punishable by a life-term jail sentence.

Of course, that didn’t mean that there wasn’t a thriving black market centered around the metal and Griffonia's deep pockets. A single pound of pure, un-alloyed iron in the right talons could bring in enough bits to feed and house a family for over a year.

It was a very tempting retirement package that many of the guards dreamed about, and one that Command closely watched for.

The first time Seaskimmer saw a junkyard on Earth, his eyes had swum with bit signs. There were millions of bits in iron just lying around, allowed by the ignorant apes to just rust away. But, the metal was so common on Earth that the humans used it in almost everything, they even had it in their blood.

Rarity, however, was not the only reason that iron was worth so much back home.

Skimmer had never really been a book-learning type of pegasus, leaving that kind of science to the nerdy Canterlot boneheads, but he had been told time and again that iron was an almost perfect magic sink. It resisted all but the most complicated of enchantments and shattered most spell matrices instantly. Even a simple telekinetic field would dissolve on contact with the Nightmare spawned metal.

Skimmer looked down at his dented armor and scowled. The car’s metallic body must have negated the armor’s enchantments and probably messed with his own pegasus magic. Whatever the cause; though, he had to act fast.

They had to catch him — her, had to catch their charge before they were all too late. Seaskimmer may not have liked the humans or their iron infused world, but he’d be damned if he didn’t do everything he could to uphold his vows and protect them from Equestria’s enemies.

He grit his teeth and willed himself to stand on his three good legs, careful to hold the twisted hoof in the air. The dizziness returned and he swayed back and forth as he fought it, feeling like he was rolling along the rough seas atop a very small rowboat. He carefully spread his wings out to use for balance and quietly thqanked the gods for protecting his delicate wings from damage. He felt a bit better, but he was still too woozy to take wing.

The glowing white rectangle of the garage exit loomed in the distance and Seaskimmer’s eyes watered as they tried to adjust to the bright afternoon light. He summoned every ounce of determination he had and slowly hobbled forward, whimpering slightly with each agonizing step.

The clack of his armored hooves against the concrete was a comforting sound, reminding him of his training within the marbled halls of the Royal Palace, but something wasn’t quite right. The whiff of metal was still strong in his nose as he looked down at his body, his pony body.

His pupils shrank in panic and he cursed his crash-addled brain for making such a rookie mistake. He was so used to his disguise activating and deactivating when needed that he had almost trotted out into public with his feathers ruffling in the breeze. He concentrated on the Liar's Promise, willing the enchantment to envelop him in his disguise, but he couldn't feel the normal warmth of magic from any of the armor's enchantments.

With ears turned back he scowled at the armor's chest plate. The normally shiny, golden armor was now dented and scuffed, the luster having faded to the dull red of the thaumatic substrate. His heart sank when he noticed the long, hair-line crack that ran right through several of the usually invisible enchantments and their arcane inscriptions, including the complicated weave of the Liar's Promise.

He shambled in-between two black, off-road Hummers; looking for a place to hide. His teeth ground together as he fought the desire to curse Celestia's name, the throbbing of his foreleg making every step hurt.

As carefully as he could manage, he laid down within the shadows, making sure he didn't jar the leg. With the disguise gone, he would have to hide until another guard came to investigate. He shuddered at the thought of being found.

Two of Command’s worst nightmares were the exposure of Equestrians and true magic to the humans at large. After seeing what the apes could do with technology alone, Skimmer had to agree that it would be best for everypony if the humans continued to live out their short, iron-born lives in total ignorance of one of the universe's fundamental, and most destructive forces.

A small voice in the back of his head argued that hiding the truth was wrong, that the guard shouldn’t have to skulk about in the shadows if what they were doing was right and just. Maybe, just maybe if they learned about magic and had help from Equestria they could better take care of themselves and their world.

Many of the other guards thought that the heavily edited history shown in the My Little Pony cartoon was the first step in truly making contact with humanity. Others thought it was created to be a cover-up, since anyone who saw a sentient pony would be branded a nut who watched too much TV. Either way, Seaskimmer hoped that he could someday ditch the disguise for good.

Hurried footsteps echoed off the concrete walls, focusing Skimmer’s attention. His brow quirked upward in surprise as he listened to the slight hesitation in every other step, realizing that the human suffered a limp. He couldn’t be sure of who it was, but he prayed to whoever would listen that Frost or Summer were coming to help.

Seaskimmer’s ears laid low as he backed up further into the shadows. The problem was that even between the overly large autos, the shadows weren’t all that dark. To make matters worse, three of his hoof guards still had their enchantments intact, allowing the gleaming surfaces to reflect light. He didn’t have time to quietly take his armor off, so he just hoped that the shadows would give enough cover to hide from prying eyes.

“Jesus…” a familiar voice swore from the general direction of the dented BMW, “Jack? JACK!! Where are you?” Seaskimmer’s pained expression morphed into a giant smile at the sound of his Lieutenant’s voice. He was saved, he wouldn’t end up on some examination table like the aliens in all those sci-fi movies he had been forced to watch.

“Frost!” Seaskimmer hissed out in as loud a whisper as possible, not wanting to risk any more attention than necessary. He could actually see the pony’s loafers from underneath the Hummer, and what he saw made his smile falter.

Frostlance was favoring his right leg as he quickly shuffled along. The right pant leg was smeared with tire rubber and blood. Seaskimmer’s ears were pinned back to his skull — none of them had escaped without an injury. The veterans were never going to let them live this down once the whole mess was cleaned up.

Skimmer’s smile grew wide again when he saw his friend round the corner, and he was very relieved to see that Frost was mostly intact, if a bit dirty and scuffed up. The only thing off were the splotches of blood that mottled his clothes.

“Jack, thank god,” a tired, but genuine smile worked its way across his owlish face, “I really dreaded training up another rookie.”

Skimmer smirked, but winced when he mistakenly moved his left foreleg, “Yeah, yeah. It's nice to see you too, L.T. And drop the bucking song and dance when my feathers are showing.”

Frost’s smile became more genuine, though it still held more than a bit of worry. “Skimmer, we need to get you and Summer back to the Rift as soon as possible.”

“I guess that blood's not yours then, huh?" Seakimmer grimaced and his ears drooped low, "I really didn't think she made it.” The mare’s wet, guttural scream was still fresh in his memory.

“Yeah, it’s going to be close. Without the stasis crystal she wouldn’t even stand a chance, which means I don’t have extra one for you." He paused for a moment and gently thumbed the white crystal hanging around his neck, "She'll be alright, the doctors have patched up worse injuries."

Seaskimmer studied the Lieutenant's face. The stallion would never admit it, but he had an absolutely terrible poker face, which often made him a favorite at the other guard’s card tables. Skimmer's ears drooped lower, Summer had been a good partner.

Seaskimmer felt the cool, familiar touch of the officer’s magic gently probe his wounds. The painful, aching areas were soon dulled as a layer of frost encapsulated them. His pulsing headache was also cooled by the Unicorn’s magical touch.

“There, that will have to do for now,” Frost said as he stepped away from Seaskimmer and looked back toward the twin trails of burnt rubber that led toward the parking lot exit.

Skimmer shook his head weakly, “She got away clean, didn’t she?”

“Yep,” Jerry didn’t hesitate to respond, but his angry eyes lingered on the exit. The man’s shoulders drooped in defeat and he knelt back down with his subordinate, “The tracking spell fizzled,” he angrily clenched his hands, but focused back on Skimmer, “Did you at least get a look at the Keystone? Was it still intact?”

Seaskimmer sighed and scuffed his good hoof against the concrete, “She drove like a madmare and I panicked, but that red crystal was glowing like the sun, Frost. There were two other crystals on her necklace, but I have no idea what they were. You’re the bonehead, that’s your department.”

Frost's gaze hardened, “This is important, Skimmer. Was the keystone cracked at all? Could you see any fractures in the gemstone?”

Skimmer warily eyed his superior and thought back to the very little he had been told about the keystones. Why would it matter if the gem was broken or not if she already had her hooves on it? “I was kinda busy hanging on for dear life and it was bright as hell, L.T.; but no, I think the crystal was intact.”

Frost heaved a huge sigh of relief, “Thank Celestia! We still have time...”

“Time for what, if I might ask?”

Seaskimmer's fur stood on end. He was just about to ask the same, exact question; but he had been beaten to the punch by a deep, gravely voice that reverberated through the air like the rumble of an approaching avalanche.

Frost gulped and raised a single, shaky finger to his lips before handing Summerstep's stasis crystal to Skimmer. Their eyes met and an understanding was reached; no matter what happened, Frost wanted both of his subordinates to survive.

The Lieutenant scowled and stood up, fixing his shirt as he walked out into the middle of the aisle to face down whoever had interrupted them.

Skimmer quietly ducked his head under the car, making sure to keep his armor form rattling. From beneath the Hummer he prayed to see a pair of sneakers or loafers, anything human, but he was sorely mistaken. Standing to the left of Frost, in the middle of the lot, were four steel hoof guards attached to the dark grey legs of a pony. The end of the pony's jet black tail swayed back and forth underneath a long red cape.

"Well, I'm all ears." Skimmer could almost hear the smirk in the intruder's voice.

Frost's horn shimmered into existence as he channeled magic away from the Liar's Promise, revealing his true self. His coat was the light blue of pure ice and his mane and tail were glacially white, though you couldn't see much of either under the enchanted armor.

Frost's deep blue eyes narrowed at the intruder, daring him to make the first move.

Seaskimmer fought to suppress a shudder. For Frost to cancel his disguise meant that he knew a real fight was coming — and a magical one at that. Skimmer had only seen one true unicorn duel while he worked with the Canterlot City Watch, and that had been a messy affair. To do that on Earth was insane.

"Who are you?" Frost demanded. He pawed the ground and snorted, getting ready to charge, "This realm is completely off limits! You're obviously not a Guard, so what in Celestia's name are you doing here?"

The intruder barked out a harsh, condescending laugh. "Celestia, hmm? I thought I recognized the reek of solar magic coming from your armor." The intruder took a menacing step closer to Frost, "I was simply out for an afternoon stroll when I chanced upon a very interesting conversation."

The intruder took another step and Frost lit his horn, firing a small warning icicle at the ground in front of the steel-clad pony, spraying his legs with shards of ice. "That's my last warning! Stay back and answer the question!"

Seaskimmer heard an exaggerated sigh and watched from beneath the Hummer as the other pony sat roughly on his haunches. Steel armor completely covered the stallion's torso, but the red cape had opened slightly, revealing a very familiar cutie mark.

A cluster of three black, elongated crystals that burned in a purple and green fire.

Skimmer's eyes became the size of dinner plates. He frantically waved his good leg at his friend to get his attention, but Frost's full concentration was on the one unicorn nopony ever wanted to see again. He tried to shout a warning, but his voice was strangled by fear.

"You know, I'm not exactly sure that I even got a first warning," King Sombra said nonchalantly as he polished his hoof on his armor, but when he didn't get an immediate response, he continued with a subdued growl, "Whatever happened to the famous Equestrian hospitality? Don't your princesses still preach love, tolerance, and friendship ad nauseam?" he chuckled and pointed to himself, "Here I sit, a friendly traveler, looking for a simple conversation, and all I've gotten in return are threats and demands."

Seaskimmer looped the stasis crystal around his neck and quietly picked himself up, hobbling as he backed away from the two unicorns. With his armor damaged and a hoof down, there was no way he could help in this situation — especially against somepony like Sombra.

He tried to signal Frost again, but the Luna cursed stallion had always been blinded by tunnel vision whenever he concentrated too hard.

"My name is Lieutenant Frtostlance of the Equestrian Royal Navy. In the name of the Sun and Moon, I ORDER you to tell me who you are and what you are doing here!" Frost punctuated his declaration by slamming his hoof against the concrete, sending a spider web of cracks radiating outward from the amplified hit.

Seaskimmer silently rounded the tail of the giant SUV and unfurled his wings, preparing to escape. He wanted to take wing before all Tartarus broke loose, but a peculiar sense of morbid curiosity took over, prodding him to look death in the eye. He peered around the side of the Hummer, trying to catch a glimpse of the tyrant; but his breath caught in his throat.

As soon as he poked his head around the corner, Sombra's red and green eye caught his own. The monster's gaze was piercing, so much so that Skimmer could almost feel Sombra's will rooting around in his skull, scouring his memories for his deepest secrets and darkest fears. The King's smirk grew a bit before he returned his attention to the outstretched hoof he had been inspecting, leaving Skimmer trembling in fright.

"Far be it from me to ever disobey the order of a swabbie." Sombra stood back up and gave a mocking, half bow to Frost, "My name is King Sombra. As for why I'm here, I'm simply curious about why were following my pet."

Seaskimmer could hear a slight gasp from Frost as the unicorn took a half step backwards, finally understand who he was facing off against. Frost tried to stammer out a question or a threat, but he was interrupted by the dark king.

"Now," Sombra stretched his back and neck, the vertebrae snapping as they realigned, "I could simply kill you both where you stand and follow your magic and paper trails back to whatever hovel you call home, but it's been a great day so far and I'm feeling generous." Purple energy oozed out of his eyes, waving in a non-existent wind, "So, I'll give you a choice, you can either willingly tell me what I wish to know," his cheshire grin grew wide as he barred his razor sharp teeth and fangs, "or you can happily tell me."

The space around Sombra exploded into a fine, white mist as Frost pulled moisture out of the air and instantly cooled it, obscuring the evil king in a cloud of microscopic snowflakes. Seaskimmer watched in horror as Frost lobbed two incredibly sharp icicles into the mist, only to have them emerge completely intact on the other side.

A deep, rumbling laugh echoed throughout the underground parking-lot and the fluorescent lights started to flicker and dim, "Oh, I had hoped that would be your answer! It's been a long while since I've enjoyed a proper duel."

Fear incarnate lurked within the growing shadows of the quickly darkening garage, but Seaskimmer's wings refused to move. His heart pounded in his ears and every mote of self preservation screamed at him to flee, but the animal side of his brain refused to move. It was hopeless, they were powerless...

Blue lightning arced from Frost's horn as he snarled at the darkness. Wherever the brilliant lightning blazed through the air, a swath of snow formed in its wake, filling the air with a spider's web of enchanted snow. With a toss of his mane the snow began to churn around him, forming an impenetrable blizzard of snow and ice.

Frost grunted and strained within his snowy cocoon as blades of crystalline ice erupted out of the floor and walls of the parking-lot. Natural sunlight from the garage exit was collected, bent, and refracted through the icy spires, bathing even the darkest recesses of the garage in a rainbow of colors.

"You can't hide within the shadows when there aren't any, Sombra!" Frost taunted, his voice resonating through the blades of ice, "You'll have to face me like a stallion, horn to horn!" With Frost's proclamation, the whirlwind of snow and ice spun faster and faster.

A green ray of prismatic light passed over the inky shadows that lurked between two closely packed cars. The hackles on Seaskimmer's back stood on end as he watched the green light seemingly dissolve the shadow, revealing the form of a smirking Sombra. He chuckled as he dipped his horn at the unsuspecting unicorn, unleashing a roiling beam of black and purple energy.

The icy maelstrom instantly reacted to the foreign magic; forming a solid, circular shield of enchanted ice in the path of Sombra's attack. When it hit, the shield cracked and the ice boiled under the strain of repelling the attack; but after a moment of intense concentration, the beam of dark energy was reflected back at its owner.

Sombra's eyebrows shot up in surprise and Skimmer's hopes soared to think that the king might have been caught unaware, but the unicorn's wide smile returned as he easily batted his attack out of existence with a steel hoof guard.

Frost's strained, but triumphant grin caused Sombra to growl and light his horn, summoning three small, impossibly dark orbs out of thin air. They crackled and pulsed with green and purple energies as they slowly orbited his head.

"Your defense was good, even if you tend to use too much magic on theatrics," he bowed his head slightly in respect, "Not that I should be one to comment. But I think there's room for improvement."

Sombra's cheshire grin returned as he lobbed the orbs, one at a time in different directions. They swayed back and forth in the air as they tracked toward Frost, seemingly on random trajectories that Skimmer knew would only end at his friend.

The blizzard died down and the snow formed into three solid shields, each a third the size of the original. Frost grit his teeth and sweat poured from his brow as he focused his concentration on the orbs, waiting for them to hammer his defense. They seemed to slowed down before they hit, darting in one direction or another, but never quite making contact.

Frost's eyes followed their random movements, constantly moving the shields to always keep himself protected. A mad grin played across his face as he struggled to keep up with the intricate movements of the orbs, completely oblivious to the mortal danger he was in.

Seaskimmer needed to warn him; shout, wave, or anything to get his attention, but he remained silent and still. Sombra's bored looking eyes gazed into Skimmer's once more, forcing his body to go rigid from fear. With a trot that was more of a stroll, Sombra causally walked up right beside the preoccupied Lieutenant and lightly tapped his horn with a steel hoof guard.

Frost stumbled forwards as if a hammer had hit him, the magic he had collected around his horn spraying out in useless arks of light as the spellform collapsed. Catching himself before he fell, Frost whipped around, only to see Sombra standing close by with a bright, self-satisfied smile on his face.

"W-what?" Frost sputtered as one of the orbs bopped him playfully on the nose before winking out of existence.

"You're obviously lacking in the finer points, so I'll elighten you. First rule in any of the arcane disciplines; never, ever take your eyes off the target," Sombra taught as he slowly prowled around Frost, his hungry eyes never leaving his target. "The second rule though is my personal favorite; trust your instincts because looks are always deceiving."

all of a sudden, the pillars of ice that illuminated the garage shattered, plunging the entire lot into near darkness. A deep peel of laughter echoed throughout the room.

"I thank you for the honorable duel little pony, but the time for simple games is at an end. Tell me now, why were you chasing that unicorn? If you answer truthfully, I might even let you go."

Frost's vortex of snow sprang to life as he prepared to attack the darkness once again.

"S-skimmer!" Frost called, a touch of panic reaching his voice, "Get out and warn the others. Take Summer with you!" He ordered, and launched a flurry of icicles in all directions.

Seaskimmer hesitated for half a second, wondering if he could really leave his friend to fight the monster alone; but Sombra's gravely voice didn't let him stand idle for long. "Stick around little birdie, I'm sure that I can find a use for you," he finished with a hearty laugh.

Skimmer's wings cut through the air like twin sabers as he launched himself toward the garage exit. His good hoof gripped Summer's stasis crystal protectively to his armor as he banked around the few remaining pillars of ice that Frost had summoned.

With the exit almost upon him, he chanced a look back, hoping to see that Frost was holding his own. But he missed a flap and nearly crashed to the ground when he saw the immense wall of black energy hurtling towards him.

His wings strained and his muscles ached as he pushed his body to go even faster. The exit was so tantalizing close and he could even see the firetrucks parked outside, but Sombra's magic was even closer, licking at his hooves.

He gripped the crystal to his chest and prayed for the protection of anydiety that would listen. For a second, he thought that his prayers had been answered as the crystal flashed brightly and the world turned white, but the darkness overtook them all the same.

Author's Note

Thanks again to Spacecowboy for his help!

Next chapter is mostly done, so expect it in the next week or so.