Shattered Dimensions: Forgotten Shards

“Okay, gentlemen,” I said confidently as I paced up and down the Crystal Empire training grounds, “we are here today because earlier this week, the Crystal Empire was attacked by a hostile force. In order to properly combat this force, you will all need to learn how to fight a human.” I looked at the line of ponies that stood before me and saw a group of tall, proud stallions who had been put through rigorous training and seen enemies that probably could have smashed me in a fight with little effort. The only reason I was here right now was because I was able to hold my own against Sanguis slightly longer than the other humans that tried fighting him.

I shuddered at the thought of their bodies falling, one by one, as Sanguis simply walked past and beheaded them. He had no remorse or fear for his actions; this is what made him more dangerous than most enemies these guards may have faced.

I glanced over when one of the armored ponies raised a hoof as if he were in a classroom. “Uh, yes?” I asked, confused.

The guard took a step forward and cleared his throat. “We aren’t going to have to fight that… thing that showed up the other day, will we?” he asked nervously, shying away at his comrades’ mocking chuckles.

I gave the nervous stallion a sympathetic smile. At least there was one guard who felt the same about the undead warlord as I did. “You won’t have to face him during training,” I said reassuringly, “this is just so if you do end up having to fight him, you’ll have some idea of what you’re doing. Now, shall we begin?” I suggested, gesturing to a human-shaped mannequin that stood beside me. It was crafted out of some sacks of hay and a couple of wooden poles I had found lying around; I was very proud of it, especially since I only had one hand to craft it with.

“Now, our enemy’s preferred method of combat is close-quarters with that greatsword of his,” I explained as I paced in front of the training dummy, “so you’ll need to keep your distance if he is facing you. Try to attack him when he is distracted, and make sure you run in, strike hard, and run away, because once you’ve given yourself away, he will try to kill you.”

Now some of the more seasoned warriors were starting to look a little nervous.

They all took turns striking the dummy, running behind and slamming their rear hooves against it one by one. Eventually, the nervous guard who had spoken up earlier approached me.

“Excuse me, Mister Allen?” he asked nervously, “I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I don’t think this is a very effective method of training. Is there anything else we can fight?”

I thought about this a moment. I hadn’t quite learned how to use my magic effectively, but maybe I could pull off some sort of simple summoning spell. “I think I could pull something off,” I said, holding out my arms to crack my knuckles, but realized I needed a second hand to do that. I closed my eyes and focused my powers on conjuring a humanoid shape in front of me; nothing too strong, just an enemy that would be able to effectively defend itself against the royal guard.

As I focused, however, my thoughts couldn’t help but wander to another creature that had been summoned the previous year. A monster specially designed to hunt otherworldly creatures and eliminate them with extreme prejudice. I didn’t mean to do it, but my mind just couldn’t help but wander.

I opened my eyes and saw a Crystal Sentinel standing before me, its massive blade arm glinting in the midday sun.

“Die, human!” It screamed, holding the aforementioned blade arm in the air.

I widened my eyes. “Oops,” I muttered, jumping out of the way as the massive sword buried itself in the ground where I stood previously.

I ran as the creature pursued me, knowing I had no way of fighting it; without the sword I had fought the Sentinels with last year, which was made of a special crystal that could penetrate their crystalline hides, I was vastly underpowered. Some of the guards tried to restrain the creature, but it simply picked them off of it with its massive hand and tossed them aside.

“Training’s over! Everybody RUN!” I cried, hoping my warning would get the guards away from the danger. Unfortunately , these guys were seasoned warriors, and weren’t going to let a monster run rampant through their city’s streets. They continued to try and wrestle the Sentinel as it kept a close chase on me, and eventually it said the words I feared it would if the guards didn’t stop interfering.

“Equestrian citizens interfering with elimination of human specimen; deactivating safety protocols,” it said coldly as it tightly gripped one of the guards and pitched him to the side, causing the poor stallion to slam against an adjacent wall with a heavy thud.

I rolled my eyes. “I told you guys to run,” I muttered, and decided to try something new. As the Sentinel drew close, I waved my arms wildly. “Wait! Wait!” I cried loudly, and the creature slowed to a stop.

“Any last words, human filth?” it asked angrily.

I held my hands calmingly. “Easy, pal,” I said slowly, “Do I really look like a human?”

The Sentinel stared at me for a moment. “You identify as ‘human’. You must be eliminated,” it said, raising its arm in the air.

“No I’m not! Look!” I said, holding up my hoof arm. “I’m part pony! I used magic to summon you!” I added, pointing to my horn. To further prove my point, I focused a bit of magic, sending white sparks shooting from my horn’s tip.

The Sentinel continued to stare. It may not have had a face, but I could tell it was confused. “No directives given for human/pony hybrids,” it said thoughtfully. “There is no human threat?”

I was about to give a negative response, but then I realized why I was here in the first place. “Actually, there is a threat you could help us with,” I said slowly. “A human attacked the Crystal Empire a few days ago, and we are training to defend the Empire in case he attacks again. Will you fight with us?”

The Sentinel just stood there; I never knew how weird it would be to talk to something without a face. “How do I know this isn’t some trick?” It said slowly, holding its bladed arm at the ready.

I took a cautious step back. “No, trust me, I’m not a threat!” I said, and grabbed a nearby guard in a friendly hug. “See? I’m nice!” I said, smiling nervously.

The stallion squirmed a little. “Dude, get off me,” he murmured.

I glared at him for a moment. “Shut up and go with it, or I’m mincemeat,” I growled, and smiled back at the Sentinel. After a few moments, the large creature lowered its blade.

“Creature has been identified as human/pony hybrid. Not a threat to Equestrian citizens,” it reported. “Creature has also identified as my creator. What will you have me do, master?” it added inquiringly.

I raised an eyebrow and turned to look at the remaining guards, who were all giving each other uncertain looks. “Boys,” I said slowly, starting to laugh, “It looks like we’ve got ourselves a Crystal Sentinel fighting on our side!”

~-~-~-~-~

The rest of the session went on as normal, with us using the Sentinel in place of the haysack dummy. Since it was so large and unbreakable, it didn’t seem bothered by having several burly stallions kick it in the back over and over again. All it would do is exactly what I told it: turn and swing its arm, being careful to not actually hit the guards as they retreated. Eventually, the guards felt satisfied with their ability to at least stall a human warrior, and they all went home for the day, thanking me for the training. Even the stallions who were injured during the Sentinel’s rampage were happy with how the day went, which was a big surprise.

I walked with the Sentinel to the Crystal Palace, finding the creatures could actually make for decent conversation, despite their lack of emotions. “Now, remember, you don’t hunt humans anymore; just this one particular human who poses a threat to the Crystal Empire,” I explained.

The creature marched beside me dutifully. “Yes, master,” it said flatly.

I rolled my eyes. “You don’t need to call me master,” I said with a slight chuckle, “just call me ‘Allen’.”

“Yes, Allen,” the Sentinel responded, its tone unchanging.

We marched into the palace, where my friends were waiting for me. They smiled at the sight of my arrival, but looks of terror crossed their faces when they saw the lumbering giant that stood beside me.

“SENTINEL!” They all screamed, and ran for cover behind a table.

I laughed at my friends’ panic. “Girls, you don’t need to be afraid,” I explained, “This guy’s on our side! I accidentally summoned him during my training session with the guards, and I was able to convince him to help us out!”

Just then, Princess Luna burst into the room. “Girls, did I hear screaming…” she asked, her eyes widening at the sight of a Crystal Sentinel. “I didn’t let you beasts harm Allen before, and I’m not about to let you harm him now!” she cried as a light blue aura surrounded her horn.

I held up my arms cautiously. “Luna, no!” I cried just as a bolt of lightning shot from the lunar princess’s horn, striking the Sentinel dead-on. The creature screamed in pain, and its body exploded, leaving behind a pair of disembodied legs that quickly turned to dust.

“Luna,” I moaned as I sifted my fingers through the dust as the others approached, “he was on our side!”

Luna walked over by me, a confused look on her face. “He was?” she asked slowly, a guilty look on her face.

“Yes,” I explained, “He helped me train the guards, and he was going to help us fight Sanguis,” I said hopelessly.

Luna lowered her head, ashamed. “I’m sorry, Allen,” she said sadly, “I was worried… I didn’t want it to hurt you like the others tried to do.”

I stood up and patted her head gently. “It’s okay,” I said with a heavy sigh. “Maybe I can summon another…” I said suddenly, and focused my thoughts on another Sentinel.

Luna shook her head. “Allen, your magic is affected by your emotions, remember?” she pointed out. “If you try to force your spells, it won’t work; the Sentinel was probably brought out by your fear.”

I shrugged. “Oh well, then,” I sighed. “At least the guards have some idea of how to defend themselves against Sanguis, I suppose.”

Twilight spoke up. “It is interesting, however; I thought the Sentinels were like machines, controlled by the central pillar with no unique thoughts of their own. However, you were able to convince it you weren’t a threat, and then persuaded it to help train the guards,” she said thoughtfully. “Maybe there is more to learn about Starswirl’s creations than meets the eye.”

I nodded slowly. “I’ll let you know next time I accidentally summon one and it tries to kill me,” I said dryly, and the others burst into laughter.