Broken Worlds: A Sea Of Tears

My arms were crossed over my chest as I stood in the doorway of the Castle Canterlot conference room. Twilight Sparkle was holding a meeting with her friends to discuss what they would be doing in the immediate future as I watched over them dutifully. I knew there was no reason to stand watch, but I felt disconnected from their group and decided it was best to keep my distance for now.

So, I watched.

“Well, I'm going to New Phoenix,” Joseph said plainly. “Anyone who wants to join me is more than welcome, but nothing is stopping me from saving Tess from those sick fucks.”

Princess Twilight nodded. “I wasn't going to stop you; I'm supporting your mission because not only is Tess an Element of Harmony and therefore and irreplaceable asset in our fight against BlackTech, but she's also your sister. I know my older brother would have done the same thing for me if he were in your place,” she added fondly with a hint of sadness.

Shining Armor. I had listened to Twilight talk about him late at night when neither of us could sleep. He was a strong, confident stallion with bright, blue eyes and a wavy blue mane; she had shown me a picture of him from when he was made captain of Canterlot’s royal guard, and he looked like a strong and heroic figure. I would have been glad to have met him, but Twilight regretfully informed me that he was killed in battle many years ago.

I didn't ask any more questions after that.

“I already volunteered to go with Joseph,” Cyrus reminded us. “I know the layout of New Phoenix like the back of my hand, so I can sneak us past the perimeter undetected. There's a few catches, though,” he added uncertainly. “One, we can't bring anything electronic devices or magical artifacts with us; anything with microchips or circuit boards can be tracked and hacked, and anything with magic can be detected and identified as an Equestrian threat.” He turned his attention to Princess Twilight. “Which brings up the issue of his connection with the Elements of Harmony,” he continued worriedly. “Would this link have any affect on his genetic makeup, making him out-of-the-ordinary from other humans?”

Princess Twilight nodded. “Yes, BlackTech would be able to see that Joseph was not an ordinary human if they had the equipment to detect magical sources,” she said affirmatively. “However, with a special dampening spell, I could temporarily nullify that connection.”

Joseph nodded. “I'll take anything I can get,” he said thankfully, shifting in his chair as his exoskeleton was causing him some visible discomfort.

I felt sorry for him; he could no longer walk unaided, and his sister had been abducted by BlackTech, who was probably torturing or experimenting on her. BlackTech. Just thinking that word made me bristle with rage, and I could feel the blades sheathed in my back loosen in preparation for combat. Even I didn't fully understand my abilities or what I was capable of, but I knew that whatever tools I had at my disposal were going to be focused on fighting BlackTech and protecting my friends.

“I'll join you as well,” Marcus said dutifully. “Cyrus may know the layout of the city and be strong enough to rip both of a man's arms off, but you'll need my stealth and combat expertise if you're going to be sneaking around in the heaviest BlackTech-occupied city in the world.”

Twilight nodded. “I hate to put so many bearers in danger, but our resources are very limited right now; we don't have very many humans in Canterlot that would be able to take your place, after all,” she explained uncertainly, and then looked at me. “As for you, Crystal Midnight…”

I stepped forward respectfully. “Yes, Princess?” I responded.

Twilight giggled. “Now I know how Celestia and Cadence felt when I habitually called them by their title rather than their name,” she remarked. “Little over four years ago, my friends and I ventured to a place called 'The Fissure’,” she began. “It was inhabited by creatures like yourself, other Crystal Knights. If you would like, I could travel there with you and help you search for answers about who you really are, and what made you lose your memories.”

A surge of hope rushed through my body. “Really? That would be wonderful, Princess!” I exclaimed eagerly.

Twilight giggled once again. “Just ‘Twilight’ is fine, Midnight,” she reminded me humorously, and addressed the group as a whole. “It's getting late, everyone; I'd suggest getting as much sleep as you can tonight, for we all have long journeys ahead of us tomorrow.”

~-~-~-~-~

“Princess Twilight?” I whispered quietly, “I'm sorry to bother you, but I can't sleep tonight.”

The lavender alicorn sat up in her bed and patted a spot beside her, giving me a tired but warm smile. “Bad dream?” She asked kindly as I sat down on the plush mattress.

I shrugged. “Sort of,” I explained worriedly. “I was visited by an alicorn.”

Twilight gasped. “Princess Luna?!” She exclaimed quietly, being careful to not wake Spike, who was stretched out at the lower end of the bed.

I shook my head. “No, this alicorn was a Prince,” he informed me. “His pelt was grey, and his mane and eyes were brown.” I shuddered at the thought of his eyes. “He seemed so… angry,” I continued. “He gave off such an overpowering feeling of hostility, and I tried to run away from him, but these walls of crystal rose up behind me and boxed me in…”

Twilight gave me a gentle pat on the shoulder. “Well, normally I'd be terrified of anything that could give you nightmares, but I think I know who that alicorn was,” she explained comfortingly. “He was an alicorn named Allen. He actually used to be a human, but that's a long story. He had control over crystals, and vanished from Canterlot about two years ago.” The princess sighed sadly. “I miss him so much…”

I shifted slightly. “I'm sorry I upset you, Princess,” I said apologetically as I began to stand, but Twilight placed a hoof on my arm that told me to stay.

“It's okay, Midnight,” she said quietly. “To be honest, I haven't missed him quite as much since I met you,” she added. “He was such a passionate and devoted stallion when it came to protecting his friends and stopping villains, just like you.”

I nodded slowly. “Thank you, Princess,” I replied humbly.

Twilight smiled and placed her head on her pillow, holding me in a warm hug. She had done this many nights before, when I had lain beside her, and it always helped calm me down. There was a sort of familiarity in the embrace, like something from my forgotten memories would spring forth at any moment if she just held on a little bit longer.

I figured it wouldn't do anything for my amnesia, but that night I tried something new.

As we both laid there, blanketed in starlight from the nearby window, I wrapped my arms around Princess Twilight and returned her embrace, and for the first time I felt at peace. No tension, no anger, no fear; I no longer even felt bothered by my nightmare.

~-~-~-~-~

Breathe in.

I stared at my target: a crude bundle of tree limbs and twigs shaped like a human. I even salvaged a helmet from the battlefield outside the city gates.

Breathe out.

“Stand down, human,” I said in a low, calming voice. “I don't want to hurt you.” I circled the figure slowly, my blades held readied at my sides. “Lower your weapons and come with me, and you will not be harmed.”

The dummy stood motionless, and I tilted my head slightly. “You dare to challenge me?” I growled angrily, “you've tried my patience and stretched the limits of my mercy!” I charged forward to attack, imagining my strikes before they landed; my right blade slashing down the human's chest, and the left one cutting through his neck. Just as my mental image was about to become a reality, my crudely-made target raised an arm and grabbed my wrist mid-swing. The arm grabbing me wasn't made of wood, though; it was made of gray, decayed-looking flesh. I looked up at the “head”, and saw a scowling face looking back at me, it's ice-blue eyes staring back at me through a mess of tangled, white hair.

“You will never be free of me,” it growled, reaching with its free arm to grab my throat. “I'll finish what I started thousands of years ago, and your Elements of Harmony won't stop me this time!”

I let out a choked cry and slashed with my unrestrained arm, chopping the head off and falling to the ground as I gasped for breath. When I looked up, the training dummy was just as wooden as it had been when I built it, now a head shorter.

“Midnight, are you okay?” I turned around and saw Marcus approaching me at a brisk jog, a concerned look on his face. “I heard you shouting, thought something was wrong.”

I looked back at my hand-made mannequin. “Yes, I'm fine,” I said uncertainly. “Thank you.”

Marcus gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder, being gentle not to cut himself on my jagged edges. “You know, I never got a chance to thank you for your help the other day,” he said slowly. “I can usually handle Victor in a one-on-one fight, but if you hadn't taken out that android that he had with him…” the human sighed heavily. “Well, I probably wouldn't be standing here right now. So, thank you, really.”

I nodded, still staring at the wooden statue fearfully. “Don't mention it,” I reassured him breathlessly, and Marcus continued on his jog. When he was out of earshot, I grabbed a handful of shards from my forearm and hurled them at the dummy with an angry yell, causing it to tip over backwards and break apart. “I don't know who you are, or what I was,” I growled at the broken branches, “but I can promise you this: nothing is going to hurt my friends as long as I'm still standing.”

“Crystal Midnight?” Twilight's voice startled me, and I spun round apprehensively to see her, Spike, and Brave Wind watching me. “Sorry; your appearance and attitude make it easy to forget how easy it is to scare you,” she apologized with a slight chuckle. “Are you ready? Marcus, Joseph, and Cyrus are doing some last-minute preparations for their mission, so I figured we'd get started.”

I sheathed my blades in my back and gazed at my companions as Brave Wind spoke up. “A beautiful alicorn princess, an incredibly handsome pegasus soldier, an adolescent dragon, and a freaky-ass Crystal Knight,” he said thoughtfully. “I pity any human asshole who tries to stand in our way!”