Broken Worlds: Age of Ruin

I leaped over the charging creature as it ran at me, its blades waving wildly in an attempt to shred anything it touched. I fired off several bolts of magic, but the creature’s twin swords deflected the energy with its impossible-to-follow movements as it came back around for another strike.

“What is this thing?” Brave Wind cried, looking around frantically for some way out of this situation, and quickly leaped into the air to take shelter in a tree. Spike, although he had no way of fighting, stayed right by my side as I attempted to combat the creature.

I studied the Guardian’s body carefully; it was humanoid, with a jagged, pointed head and an armored body. “It looks like a Crystal Knight,” I shouted back, remembering the creatures my friends and  I had faced shortly before the second Convergence. “I have no idea what this one is doing so far from its home, though!”

We learned that the Knights were separate from the ancient Equestrian defence system that had been created thousands of years ago by Starswirl the Bearded to drive off attacking humans. Crystal Knights weren’t allowed to leave the area of the Badlands known as the Fissure, though; what was this one doing so close to Ponyville?

Having given up on fighting this obviously invulnerable creature, I turned away from him and fled toward Ponyville. “Spike, Brave Wind, come on! Maybe we can outrun it and hide!”

Brave Wind jumped out of the tree he had been hiding in, and glided through the air a few feet above us, constantly looking over his shoulder to check on the Knight’s progress.

“He’s gaining on us!” he cried fearfully, flapping his wings in an attempt to gain every extra inch he could.

I rolled my eyes as we continued our escape. “Your name is pretty ironic, huh?” I huffed between breaths. I was starting to tire, but we weren’t too far from Ponyville; we could rest there.

As we entered Ponyville, I couldn’t help but slow my progress in horror; the once-bustling village I had called home so many years ago was now a ruined ghost town. Shops lay empty and crumbling, scorched by the fires of a forgotten battle, and homes lay in ruin, many of them hardly qualified to be called “homes” anymore. I was well-aware that Ponyville had been destroyed by BlackTech, but I had never seen the destruction for myself.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I gasped when I saw my old residence, Golden Oaks Library; the ages-old tree, large enough to house myself, Spike, and an entire collection of books with room to spare, had been torn apart. Its huge branches lay scattered around and were charred, and the stump had been partially uprooted. I could see that one soldier had decided to carry a can of spray paint with him, as BlackTech’s logo was tagged on the library’s sign; now, a circle with the letters “B” and “T” inside it covered the old sign in messy, black paint.

“My home,” I said in a hushed voice as I slowed to a halt a few yards away from the remains of Golden Oaks. I stared for a long time, until I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. I turned to see the lone Knight who had just been chasing me, whose head was tilted quizzically as it stared at me, confused that I had stopped fleeing. “This was my home!” I snapped tearfully, and I could have sworn the creature flinched at my words.

“Ho… home,” it murmured, its voice an icy whisper. The Knight slowly turned its head to gaze at the charred stump, and it just stood there for a few moments.

“Do you… do you have a home?” I asked gently, taking a few steps forward. This was the first time I had heard a Crystal Guardian speak in a gentle tone like that, and my old scholar instincts kicked in; this was an excellent opportunity to learn about the Crystal Knights and their social structure, as well as why this particular one was so far from home. The Knight took a tense step back as I drew closer, and I realized that it hadn’t attacked us out of anger or malice; it was afraid of us.

The Knight continued to stare at me, its prismatic face showing no emotion. “I… I don’t… know,” it said, its words choppy and forced, as if it was trying to remember how to speak. “All I remember… is the two-legged creatures… They hunt me… They hurt me…” the Knight was beginning to sound angry.

I carefully trotted over to the Knight’s side. “It’s okay,” I said soothingly, “I’m not going to hurt you. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am a Princess from Canterlot, and I’m here in Ponyville to visit some friends,” I explained. “Do you have a name?” Do Crystal Guardians even getnames? I added silently.

The creature looked up at me slowly. “I… I do not know…” it whispered. “I feel as though… I had a name… but it is lost now. The two-legged creatures… they call me… ‘Crystal Midnight’...” it added slowly. “I am not sure… if I like this name… but it is all I have.” It was strange hearing a Crystal Guardian talk like this; when I first encountered them, their voices were full of anger and confidence, but this one was clearly scared and alone.

I tilted my head. “You mean, you can’t remember anything about your past?” I asked the creature, “You have no memories at all?”

Crystal Midnight shook its head. “No… that’s not it… there is an empty space… where memories should lie… but they are gone,” it explained. “Sometimes… I see flashes of emotion… anger… joy… sorrow… love… I cannot recall any names or faces… but I know I had friends, once… I had a life, once.”

I nodded slowly; I felt sorry for this creature, who knew it once had friends who cared for it, but couldn’t even remember its own name. “Well, ‘Crystal Midnight’,” I began slowly, “We Equestrians mean you no harm, so you don’t need to attack us. However, if you see any humans wearing black armor, or have that logo on their clothing,” I said, pointing a hoof at the sign, “Then you may want to avoid them.”

Crystal Midnight glanced at the BlackTech logo that had been vandalized on the library’s sign, and it suddenly bristled with anger. “THEM!” It roared, “THEY ARE THE ONES WHO HUNT ME!” It reached for a crystal spike that protruded from its back and tore it loose, unsheathing a slender, crystal katana from its body. It charged at the sign and demolished it, the Knight’s strikes so fast my eyes could hardly comprehend what was going on. When it was finished, little more than a pile of sawdust lay in front of it. “They attack me… with their strange weapons…” it turned to me slowly. “Why does it hurt?” it inquired, “Why are they the only things that can hurt me?” It’s speech was sounding much better now, as it paused less to find the words to describe its thoughts and feelings.

I sat down next to Crystal Midnight, and motioned for him to do the same. “Their weapons cancel magic,” I explained gently. “Your body, and the bodies of other Crystal Guardians, are made of magical crystals; when their weapons hit you, they’re literally destroying you on a genetic level.”

Crystal Midnight nodded slowly, taking in my words like a foal would from a teacher. “So, their weapons are designed to hurt me,” it said thoughtfully.

I nodded. “You, and everything else in this world. My species, Dragons, Gryphons; every living creature on Equus has some form of magic running through their body. You just have a little more than the rest of us,” I added with a friendly nudge.

I got the feeling that if it had a face, Crystal Midnight would have been smiling right then. “Twilight Sparkle, are you my friend?” it asked suddenly, sounding the slightest bit nervous.

I laughed, finding it hilarious that this 6-foot-tall mass of living glass was worried that it wasn’t my friend. “Of course you are,” I said, patting it on the back with my hoof. “I think that’s what you’ve needed all this time: a friend.”

The Crystal Guardian sighed. “I am glad to hear that,” it said, standing up. “I am afraid I must leave you, Twilight Sparkle,” it said apologetically, “for the two-legged ones may find me if I stay in one place for too long. Tell your companions that I am sorry for attacking you all,” he added, and kneeled before me respectfully. “Should you ever need my help, fire a spell into the air, and I will come to your aid. I hope to see you again soon,” he said wistfully, and ran off without another word.

“Princess, forgive me for using human slang, but you are a badass!” I heard Brave Wind call as he and Spike approached. I rolled my eyes; soldiers, having had more experience than most when it came to humans, usually picked up some of their… less desirable conversational ticks. I didn’t mind too much, however; having two human friends prior to this war gave me a bit of tolerance for their more foul words.

I shrugged. “It just needed a friend to talk to, is all,” I explained nonchalantly. “Now, where is Fluttershy? She said she would be waiting here for me…” I trailed off, scanning the deserted town for any signs of my old friend.

“And here she is, just like I said I would be” I heard a voice say behind me. I turned to see Fluttershy standing behind me, a slight grin on her face. There was a determined look in her eyes I had only seen a few times before, and her mane was much shorter than I remembered it being, but I knew Fluttershy when I saw her. I dashed to greet my old friend, giving her a warm hug for the first time in ages.

“Fluttershy, how are you?” I cried happily, “I saw how the town was, and I was afraid you wouldn’t be here.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Ponyville’s remaining inhabitants have migrated underground,” she explained, motioning for us to follow her to Sugarcube Corner, “We’ve been digging to expand a secret tunnel that Mayor Mare had constructed a while back in case of emergencies; now, we’ve practically rebuilt the city right beneath your hooves.

“Oh, by the way,” Fluttershy added secretively, "there’s another old friend here that’s been very eager to see you again.”

I tilted my head, confused. “What do you mean?” I inquired.

Fluttershy gave me a teasing glance as we arrived at Sugarcube Corner. “Why don’t you go in and see for yourself?” she said, motioning for me to step into the abandoned bakery. I pushed the door open with my forehoof and trotted into the darkened room.

I glanced around, uncertain why Fluttershy had sent me in here. “Hello?” I called into the shadows.

I heard hoofsteps approaching. “I never thought I would see you again,” a faint voice whispered. It sounded tired and defeated, like somepony who had lost hope long ago.

I squinted, struggling to see who I was talking to. “Who are you?” I asked suspiciously.

I could see a pony-shaped silhouette now, drawing closer with each small step. “The only thing that kept me going was the thought that I might see you and the others again,” it continued, “and even though that wish seemed more and more foolish every day, I still kept hoping.” The obscured pony continued to walk towards me, until she was just a few feet in front of me. I saw her emerald green eyes, once filled with strength and now filled with despair and pain. Her mane, which I remembered was always tied in a knot about halfway through, was disheveled and twisted, even missing hair in some spots. Her pelt, which was once strangely clean for a farmhand, was ragged and patchy from years of neglect, and I could see deep scars in some of the areas that her skin stood out.

Many years ago, not long after this war began, I was told that the Apple family had been killed during a BlackTech raid, yet here was one of them now, staring at me like a literal ghost.

“Hey there, Twi,” Applejack said quietly, her eyes beginning to tear up.

I stared back. “A.J.,” I whispered, he name practically a foreign word to me now, “I thought… I thought you were…” my words were cut of when Applejack suddenly wrapped her forehooves around me, and I burst into tears as I returned the embrace.

“There, there, Sugarcube,” Applejack said calmingly, practically sobbing herself, “It’s okay.”

I continued sobbing despite my best efforts to stay calm. “No, it’s not okay,” I wailed, “So you have any idea how long it’s been since I’ve seen any of the old gang? Allen was the last, and he’s…” I trailed off, once again losing my words to tears.

Applejack held me tighter. “I know things have been bad, Twilight, but we’re gonna make them okay soon enough. In your letter, you said you had a plan to end the war; what was it you had in mind?” she asked, changing the subject.

I wiped my eyes and sniffed. “Right, the plan. Have you noticed that you haven’t been able to feel your connection with your Element of Harmony since the war began?” I inquired.

My orange friend looked thoughtful for a moment. “I can’t say that I have, but now that you mention it, I have felt like something was missing in my spirit,” she explained. “Is that what you mean?”

I nodded eagerly. “Yes, that’s it!” I cried, happy that my hypothesis was correct so far. “If we’ve lost our link to the Elements of Harmony, then that can only mean one thing: new bearers have been chosen,” I explained, my voice quickening as I became more excited. “If we can retrieve the Elements and find their new destined bearers, we might be able to muster enough power to launch a final assault on BlackTech!”

Applejack nodded, grinning slightly. “Well, that sounds like a solid plan to me,” she said happily. “But it’s getting late now; how about Fluttershy and I get y’all underground, and you can rest up for the night? We’ll head out in the morning to get the Elements,” she said, and held the front door to Sugarcube Corner. “Come on, y’all; we’ll show ya what’s been going on while you were gone!”

I heard Spike gasp. “Applejack?!” he cried, and practically tackled our friend in a big dragon hug. “This day gets better and better!” he cried happily, and we all howled with laughter as Fluttershy rang the bell on the counter, and a secret trapdoor opened before us.

“Right this way,” Fluttershy said as she motioned towards the newly-revealed tunnel. “Welcome back to Ponyville, Twilight.”