The day bore deceiving clear skies and a gentle breeze that was accompanied by a gentle fall of snow upon the white fields of Equestria. The chilling yet comforting breeze weaved through the air, brushing through the frosted grass that poked out from the settled snow. One wouldn't expect to see such a thing until the winter time, but the Frozen North was known for such common occurrences.
"Not nearly as bad as Dun Morogh," a ragged, male voice muttered from under his breath, letting out a mist as he spoke. The man drudged through a sudden thickness of snow with his foot, lifting it and planting it upon a small mound as he pushed himself towards the incline, trying to get a decent footing. His gauntleted hand brushed through his blonde hair, sweeping it back before running his finger and thumb through his short, full-face beard, sweeping away any snow that got stuck to the hairs. His other hand wielded a large claymore, nearly as big as himself, that gripped the handle tight. He planted the blade into the snow with a whispered shink. "How do you fair in this weather?" he called behind him as he peered over his large blue and golden pauldrons.
A gentle pat whisked through the air as the length of a mithril and gold staff pierced through the snow. An old man past his seventies gripped hold of the top of the long handle with both hands, using it as though it were a hiking pole, dragging himself forward as the snow tugged down on the bottom of his pearl white, blue and gold robe.
"Panagia mou," the man exclaimed with a thick accent. With a heavy breath he stopped, gently leaning against his staff and running a free hand down his long, greyed beard, trying to brush away the snow and dew from it. "Is bloody freezing, Christoph. Too much snow here." His voice was soft and exhausted.
"Come now, Stavros," responded Christoph with a smirk, "you were with us in Northrend, and I didn't hear you complaining then."
"Nai, this because I was too busy smiting Scourge." Stavros shifted his feet through the snow, turning to look behind him. "I still wonder how she can walk around with very little clothes…"
"I heard that, old man," a strong female voice called out. "I'm blind, not deaf!"
A tall woman she was, nearly as tall as Christoph's six-foot three. Her features were like that of a human, with differences being that of her long, pointed ears that swept backwards, and the dark, pale, grey-blue colour of her skin. Her eyes were not one to be compared, having been covered by a length of black cloth for a blindfold. Her body was completely bare besides the brown leather bra around her chest and bright, emerald-green tattoos that ran down her midriff, along her chest, and around her shoulders. Her lower half donned an ankle-length kilt of overlapping cloths of black and dark indigo, with lengths of sharp and jagged runes etched down them.
"You not cold? Eh—not even a little?" asked Stavros, his words feigning concern.
"When you are too busy hunting demons, you do not tend to worry about the petty things like the weather," the woman replied as she passed Stavros before jabbing the rear of one of her double-bladed glaives into the mound, pulling herself up as she gripped the grass through the snow with her toes. "The cold never bothered me anyway."
Through all of the escapade Christoph never took his gaze from the night elf's visage. Despite her eyes being hidden behind the cloth, he did as much as he could to make some semblance of eye contact, but she constantly faced forward, never giving him a notion of attention.
"Christoph," whispered Stavros as he leaned forward into the knight's ear, "are you sure we can trust her—this kynigos daimonon?" This 'demon hunter'.
He knew what she was. They both did. They both understood about her kind and what they sought after. But every demon hunter, as good as they made out to be, always had some sort of hidden agenda. Christoph wanted to put some ounce of faith in her, even if only a small amount… but demon hunters were not mistrusted without good reason.
"I don't know," replied Christoph, "but we've no choice but to stick together until we can work something out—or at least figure out where we are." Lifting the claymore from the ground, Christoph followed the night elf down the other side with careful footing. The decline was greater than what he first thought at first sight. "Careful, Stavros. This is quite a hill."
Stavros groaned as he tried to steady himself with the staff while slowly making his way down, one careful footfall after another. "I could do with a hot bath," he muttered. "Oh, my aching piso…"
A light yawn filled the crystalline bedroom as the princess stretched her forelegs out from under the bed sheets. With half closed sleepy eyes she gazed out of the diamond-like window and into the city below her. A smile sprawled across her muzzle as she watched the other ponies work their days with smiles of their own across the facets of their jewel-like cheeks.
"Another good day," she said to herself. Her eyes shifted to the wooden night stand beside her. The shimmering glow of baby pink enveloped the lengthy horn on her head, spreading to the handle of a sapphire-crafted hair brush. With slow and gentle strokes, the princess ran the fine bristles through her brightly multicoloured mane. "Now, first order of business: to write—"
The double doors of her quarters swung open, slamming into the walls with a loud crash. "P-Princess Cadance!" a stallion cried out as he bolted into the room, his metal-clad steps ringing upon the floor.
Cadance let out a cry from the sudden interruption, startled from the guard's piercing voice in the calm silence. The brush sharply dragged through her mane hard enough the tear out a small clump of it. With a wince she stared at the long locks that stuck to the bristles before turning her gaze to the guard, who was now smiling awkwardly. "I assume you have something important?" she asked with slight frustration upon her words.
"I-I'm really sorry, Princess," the guard replied as he bowed, "but our lookouts have located strange creatures near the outskirts of the empire to the west! I thought it would be best to warn you first."
"What? Strange creatures?" Quickly Cadance swivelled her hind legs around to the side of the bed, jumping out and making her way towards the window. Her gaze set upon the outside of the empire's walls, scanning through the fields of snow the best her eyes could see. "How many did they see?"
"Three, Your Majesty. All of them were… ape-like, standing straight on two legs — with clothes on, too."
"Apes… with clothes? In this region? That sounds very… weird." Cadance turned from the window, quickly making past the guard and into the hallway. The guard followed her close by her side. "What about Shining Armor? Does he know about all of this?"
"He wasn't at his post, Your Majesty; this is why I came to let you know first."
"What!?" Cadance stopped dead in her tracks. "W-where did he go?"
"I don't know, Your Majesty. The captain said something about "the darkness" and teleported away. We've no idea of his whereabouts."
"The darkness?" Silence fell between the two, coupled only by thick tension. Cadence thought for a moment, and then spoke, "Guard, I need you to check in with the Unicorn guards and get whatever information you can about this."
"Right away, Your Majesty!" Giving a quick salute, the guard galloped down the hall as quickly as he could.
A sigh escaped the princess' lips as she turned to the large, stained glass murals that lined the walls between columns. Her eyes looked up and gazed upon the middle of the three; a mural depicting a large, insect-like creature with large wings and flowing, sickly green hair.
"I did not think it would be so soon…"
Snow kicked up and around Stavros as he tumbled sideward down the snowy slope, cursing and yelling with each roll. He collapsed forwards at the bottom, laying sprawled out on his front with his face buried in the snow. With slow movements he pushed himself off of his chest before trying to regain his footing, using his staff for support. "I'm getting too old for this," he exclaimed with bated, exhausted breaths.
Christoph slipped his arm under Stavros', pulling him to his feet. "You'll never get used to the snow, will you?" the knight feigned lack of understanding in jest; he already knew his companion's answer. He continued to walk on.
"Oi, never," Stavros responded, trying to keep up with Christoph while still minding his steps with caution. "This is why I stay in Stormwind."
"That explains why you never ended up visiting the young Prince Anduin in Ironforge. I thought your "I hurt my leg" excuse was a bit lacking. You could have just healed it yourself."
"Ehhh—I did hurt my leg." That much was true. A sly smirk curled at the corner of Stavros' mouth. "I could still walk on it, though." He looked on past the increasing fall of snow, noticing that their third companion stood in the powered field motionless. "Look, Christoph. Teleia; she has stopped."
"I noticed." Swinging the claymore over his shoulder, Christoph approached the stationary night elf. "Something wrong, Teleia?" he asked.
"I sense..." Her head turned to the left, then scanned slowly towards the right, and back again. "I sense a large, strong, magical presence. Almost like Dalaran. It is not too far from here."
"… Demonic?"
Teleia grunted before spitting on the snow to the side, melting a small dip into it. "Thankfully, no. But it is not arcane either. It is… different. Colourful. Peaceful. Soothing." She shivered at the words. "It makes me cringe."
"Not one for flowers and rainbows, eh?" teased Christoph with a light chuckle. But Teleia kept a straight face, not even giving a displeasing reaction. His joke brushed aside, the man cleared his throat. "How far do you think it is?"
"Three-hundred and fifty-eight paces away. Or for Stavros, around nine-hundred."
"Eh, keep it to yourself, alitis sou," chided Stavros as best he could as he hobbled to them, standing beside Christoph with his hands clutched tightly to his staff. "Eh, but you wouldn't be wrong in saying it."
"Well we've no better options, unless there happens to be a cottage nearby," intervened Christoph, "which I highly doubt." He motioned to Teleia with a nod of his head—not that she could see it, though. "Lead the way, Teleia—"
"Not yet," she spoke out suddenly. Her gaze jutted forwards into the distance. Her nose scrunched a little, and her brow furrowed. "I sense someone nearby."
"Filos?" Friend, asked Stavros.
"I'll be sure to ask them when I've run them through."
"Hold off your slicing until after we've discerned their intention," ordered Christoph, placing his hand on the front of her shoulder and pulling her back ever slightly in gesture. The man looked on, his eyes narrowing as a silhouette of a figure began to form in the thinned fog. The figure became darker, then clearer, then finally revealed in its entirety. "Well, won't you look at that. It's a unicorn."
The stallion stood tall with a discerning face, gazing at the trio through the eyeholes on his rose and gold centurion helmet. His ice blue eyes panned from left to right, watching and judging them. "I thought I sensed something foul," he spoke aloud.
"Hah! And it talks, too," mused Christoph with a smile.
"Seems you are famous, Teleia," joked Stavros.
The elf huffed, letting out a cloud of mist from her mouth. "Cute. But I don't do autographs unless it is written in blood—their blood." Her lips curled into a sickening grin. "But I'll be more than happy to sign your body with the tip of my blade."
"That is quite enough," exclaimed Christoph as he turned to her. His attention quickly returned to the equine before him. "I apologize for Teleia. She can be quite… violent."
But no apology could soothe the otherwise discontent expression of the pony knight. "Who are you?" he asked straightforwardly. "What are you doing here?"
"We are members of the Alliance, and we—"
"I was not asking you. I was asking her"
A low giggle rumbled from the night elf's throat. Her grin grew larger, showing an elongated fang. "I am just a poor soul walking on life's long and dangerous road. Oh, and I occasionally have to gut bears for their intestines every once in a while. It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it."
The thought of her brutality made the stallion uneasy. His muzzle scrunched up and his lips quivered. He could feel his stomach churn endlessly. "You have dark humour, and even darker magics," he cried out. "You are not welcome here!"
"Oh. I see. And what if I don't leave, hmm?"
"Teleia, that's enough!" commanded Christoph. "We are not here to cause trouble!"
But the stallion lowered his head, pointing the length of his horn forwards. A veil of cobalt-blue sparkled and swirled around it like a maelstrom. "Then I will remove you by force if I have to!"
The elf raised her glaives, crossing them in front of her with crossed arms. "Good answer. Here I come."
The china cup jittered in the air as Princess Cadance brought the rim of it to her lips, taking quick sips of her tea as she sat upon her crystal throne. "Where could Shining Armor have gone to?" she uttered to herself, trying to think of any place that he frequently visited: the sports stadium, the guard barracks, and that little restaurant down on Ruby Avenue, but no one has seen hair nor fur of him since the day before. "I hope the unicorn guards have some shred of information…" With a sigh she took another, longer sip of her beverage.
"Princess Cadance!" the same guard from earlier cried as he entered the chamber, slamming the doors wide open with a loud bang as they hit the walls. Cadance jumped in her seat, flicking the cup and chucking its warm contents all over her face with an audible splash. "Y-Your Majesty! I'm so sorry!"
A low growl emanated from the increasingly temperamental Alicorn. Her eyes flicked open, seething. Tea dripped down her face and the ends of her mane. Her eyes pierced through her matted hair and through the guard. "… Please stop barging into the room every time you bring news to me."
"Y-yes! Sorry! But, Your Majesty, I bring news of the captain's location!"
"You do!" she exclaimed, wiping her face dry with a nearby napkin. "Where is he?"
"He was spotted outside of the city to the west, apparently heading towards the creatures. He plans to engage them!"
"By himself?" Grasping at the banner that hung behind her, the princess wiped what remained dripping down her mane before galloping down the steps of the throne and through the hall. "I've got to get there quick!"
"Teleia, I told you to stop!"
But Christoph's words fell on deaf ears as the night elf leapt from the snow towards her equine foe with her arms outstretched to the side, gripping tightly at her glaives. With a loud thud she kicked up flakes of snow as she landed. She broke out into a sprint, striding towards the unicorn with great strides. A single glaive thrust forward as she got within range, aimed straight for the its neck.
A flash-filled burst of blue aether erupted just a few inches from the vital point, parrying and redirecting the glaive's tip as though blocked by a wall. The stallion stepped back as the blow made impact, but found little purchase on the frozen ground beneath him as he kept his invisible defence up.
Teleia gave the guard no quarter. She twirled and spun a dance of death that showered upon her opponent nothing but swipes and slashes from her flurrying glaives, all the while showing no sign of fatigue or relent. "Come on, pony," she mocked her opponent despite his stalwart defense. But perhaps some goading can force him to slip up. "I thought you were going to force me to leave?"
Beads of sweat dripped down the unicorn's brow from under his helmet. He tried to keep focus, to keep control over the only line of defence he had. His eyes shook as he tried to keep a constant vigil over his attacker, scanning for any gap, any exploit in her movements.
But there were none. Every movement she made with her arms, every step she made, and every twirl of her body was designed to obscure such things. Her movements were quick and fluid, and every strike was made to parry, to deflect, and attack all at once. It was nothing that he had ever seen before. Perhaps he had bitten off more than he could chew.
"Can't you do anything, Christoph?" pleaded Stavros while he began to wave his hand in circles over the top of his staff.
"It's too dangerous to get close to her when she's like this," admitted Christoph. A low groan escaped his lips. He stood powerless to intervene between her storm of blades. "Stavros, you need to pull her back."
"Sigi, Christoph! I need time!"
But Teleia did not relent on her assault of the straining unicorn. Her glaives constantly bashed against the incorporeal barrier that surrounded him, all the while keeping that gnarly grin. Beads of sweat continued to trickle down the pony's face, gathering under his chin and dropping to the snow. "Growing tired, are you?" she goaded further. Both glaives clashed against the front plate of his armor, bashing the stallion backward as his hooves skidded through the snow, leaving two trails as he did. "I can sense that your magic is next to nothing." Her arms came to rest to her sides, lax and hanging, with her fingers gripping loosely upon the glaives' handles.
Then the glaives dropped down, swinging vertically as they did before sinking into the snow with an audible shinking sound.
"Take your best shot at me," she taunted, flinging her arms outwards, presenting her bare body to him like a living target dummy. "Watching you do nothing but move back and put up defences has earned you my pity. I want to see how strong you are."
Gritting his teeth, the stallion bore his eyes into the smug night elf's chest. The glow around his horn began to widen and brighten. Crackling sparks and bright flashes began to twirl and twist along the length, building up into a small sphere that grew larger and larger the more magic it was fed until becoming the size of a basket ball. "This will put you down for good!"
But before either one of them could act any further, bright flashes of colours erupted from behind the two. The stallion, with his sphere of magic still set upon the tip of his horn, became surrounded in a bubble of bright pink energy that pulled him off the ground ever slightly and tugged him backwards with great force. In shock he flung his head upwards, releasing the orb into the sky above them. Teleia, with a sudden yelp, was pulled backwards as a bright, golden rope of light coiled around her midsection, pulling her back towards Stavros.
"Arketa, Teleia!" chided Stavros as the elf was pulled back into the priest's arm. "That is enough! We should not be making enemies here."
The stallion quickly came to rest upon the ground several meters away from the trio, his hooves finally finding purchase on the snow as the veil of pink dimmed and dissipated into nothingness. "What just—" The stallion turned, giving a soft gasp as his eyes met with another's. "C-Cadance! W-what are you doing here?"
"Making sure my husband doesn't get his flank handed to him, that's what!" snapped Cadance as her narrow eyes gazed through his, but her expression quickly softened. "But I'm glad you're okay, Shining. What are you doing out here?"
"Can you not feel it, Cadance? The dark energies that linger in this place close by?" Shining Armor fixated upon the three that stood only strides before him. "It's coming from that pointy-eared one over there."
"Mocking my ears now, are we?" uttered Teleia. Her sightless gaze shifted from Shining Armor to the glaives that lay dug into the snow. "Oh, I'll be needing those." Quickly she thrust her hands out, palms open and facing forwards. The glaives began to quiver in the snow they sat upon before quickly unsheathing themselves from the ground, making their way back into the elf's gripping fingers.
Cadance glared at the night elf; she too could begin to feel something dwelling within her. Her breaths became slow as malignant thoughts began to plague and play through her mind. She had felt the magic with familiarity, but at the same time vastly different.
"Who are you all?" she asked as she stepped forward a few paces. "What is it that brings you here?"
As soon as Teleia was about to speak, Christoph placed his hand upon her arm and gently pulled her backwards. "I think this matter needs to be handled with diplomacy now," he uttered to the elf, much to her chagrin. The knight stepped forward and planted his blade within the ground as a sign of peace. "Please forgive my companion," he pleaded. "She is more versed with talking with blades than she is with her own mouth. We are members of the Alliance, having been thrown here by sources unknown. We do not even know where 'here' is."
"… So you're not here to bring darkness to the Crystal Empire with your evil magics?" questioned Cadance with a raise eyebrow.
"Uh… No."
"Oh. Okay!" Her expression of suspicion quickly changed to a welcoming smile. "You're all welcome here then."
"Cadance!" interjected Shining Armor. "That was a little too quick to decide upon, you know."
"Oh, don't worry about it, Shining. I can sense their motives to be benevolent. Just trust me on this, okay?"
Shining Armor never relented on his passing judgment on the trio. Though his opinion of them was sour at best, he was at a loss of disapproval of his wife's acceptance. "Okay," he sighed. "But only on one condition."
"What would that be?"
"She is to be questioned first."
"Fine. We'll do that when we get back to the castle."
"W-what! Wait, you mean you're allowing them into our home?"
"Well I'm certainly not going to do the questioning in the middle of the snow. It's way too cold." Cadance smiled as best she could as she turned to her newly invited guests. "You're all welcome in our city. Please, follow us."
With a shake of his head, Shining Armor followed his long time lover as she made her way on towards the Crystal Empire.
Christoph gripped around the handle of his sword once more as he drew it from the ground. "See, Teleia," he said as he began to follow the ponies, "that is what should happen when you encounter new people."
"I still prefer my approach," she responded bluntly, following Christoph. "It's more enjoyable."
Stavros merely shook his head. Lifting the staff from the snow, he began to drudge through once more. "Nine-hundred. Eight-hundred and ninety-nine…"
Chapter 2 - Gathering Thoughts
"Here we are," said Cadance. "This is the Crystal Empire."
Such a marvel it was for the trio to behold such sights. From all around them upon the lush grasslands stood monuments and shapely structures, all of them comprised of precious stones and minerals as far as the eye could see. Even the roads and pavements were made of something resembling marble. Houses and stores were all built from enormous rocks of amethyst and sapphire and diamond and any other kind of precious stone one could think of. But the best part of all was watching the colours shimmer upon the facets of the environment as the sun shone upon them.
A gentle gasp escaped Christoph's lips as he looked up and around. "This is… like nothing I've ever seen before," he uttered slowly, watching as the facets of a nearby building began to shimmer one after the other as he passed them.
"Nai, einai oraios," Stavros replied with a soft-spoken voice. He gently tapped the floor with his staff with each step, trying not to scratch or crack the crystal surface. "Is very nice. Teleia, you should really see—" he was met with a blank glare from the demon hunter as he paused; rather, as blank as it could be considering the blindfold wrapped around her eyes. "Ah. Signommi."
"I'll just have to take your word for it," replied Teleia somewhat calmly, though she made her disdain for Stavros' unwitting remark perfectly clear in her overall tone.
Just as much as Shining Armor was not one to hide his. Every so often the stallion would turn to look back at the three humanoids, glaring at them in suspicion. As he turned to face forwards, he let out a heavy sigh. "I still don't like the idea of having them here, Cadance," he groaned, quiet enough for only Cadence's ears, "especially the woman. You sensed it too, didn't you?"
"I know, Shining," she responded in hushed tones, "but as soon as we reach the castle, we can talk things through. Just be patient and trust me, okay?"
"… Okay," Shining Armor agreed with reluctance. He turned to gaze back at the night elf.
A small smirk spread across the mouth of the demon hunter. "If you keep staring at me like that then your wife might get the wrong idea," she spoke out brashly.
"Gah! What—How did you—" He quickly turned back round, lightly gritting his teeth. "She's really starting to irk me, you know!"
Cadance giggled softly under her breath. "I think it's pretty funny!" she said to the contrary. "Don't take notice of her, hon. She's just trying to get under your coat."
His brow dropped at the thought of Cadance consenting this kind of behaviour. "And why didn't you just teleport us back to the castle?"
"I thought a stroll through the streets would be a nice change from looking down at it through the castle windows." She turned her head to look back at them, smiling. "And I think they're enjoying the sights, too."
Christoph looked down upon the lawn outside one of the buildings, pointing at a jagged formation of sapphire. "Do you think that would look good on the pommel, Stavros?" he suggested as his eyes shifted to the butt of the claymore's handle.
"Ehhh—I think this diamond would be better," the old man replied with a half smile, his gaze planted firmly on a tiny flower-like formation of clear white, shimmering crystals. "Any more blue on you and you'll turn blue!" He let out a hearty, bellyful chuckle at his own humour.
Teleia could hardly hold back a rumbling groan at the two of them. "Gems. Jewellery. Such things shouldn't be at the forefront of a man's mind," she muttered, folding her arms, the blades of her glaives curving around her slender body.
Cadence turned her head back round to the front, though her eyes quickly shifted to her husband. "See? Do you think somepony like that could be evil? Even the blue-skinned one doesn't seem hostile." Shining was just about to speak up before being interrupted by the overly-optimistic alicorn. "Ah. Here we are," she spoke out, announcing their arrival to her guests.
"Welcome to the Crystal Castle."
The five stood within the center of the huge, circular chamber that was the conference room—A place held almost entirely for meetings and gatherings. The abode surrounded the group with tall, crystalline windows that towered tens of feet above them, and thick formations of aquamarine and sapphire that protruded upwards and outwards like wild flowers. Wild as they were, they were an incredible sight to anyone—even to the other crystal ponies.
"Now then," began Cadance, eyeing up the three humanoids from across the large, round, aquamarine-carved table. "I know we've already asked, but could you explain who you are again?"
"Of course," responded Christoph in a calm tone. His hand shifted away from the claymore that leaned against the table, a show of diplomacy, and resting his gauntleted palm gently upon the table's cool surface. "We are from the Alliance—a faction of many different races who aim to protect our lands from those who would do it harm. My name is Christoph Andrews, and I am a paladin of Stormwind."
He turned to the elderly man, who still leaned gently upon his staff and with a hand rested against his lower back. Christoph couldn't help but shift a smirk, and then a gentle smile as his hand guided the ponies' eyes to him. "This is Stavros Kazantzidis. He is the Archbishop of Stormwind's Church of the Holy Light."
"S-Signommi," the old man croaked as his back began to shake, "but do you have a chair I could sit down on? I plati mou ponaei…"
Shining Armor shot the hunched priest a confused glance. "… Um, what did he say?"
"He said his back hurts," clarified Christoph.
"Oh! Sure thing." The stallion leaned his head forward and, as he channelled his magic through his horn in waves and ribbons of cobalt-blue, a small chair appeared in a sudden flash of blue light under Stavros. Sliding forwards, the chair swept out the man's legs from under him as he tumbled back gently into the soft, velvet cushions.
"Ah… Poly kalytera," sighed Stavros as he let his body sink into the soft padding, letting his body and mind relax as the pain began to seep away.
"Now, with that done…" Shining's brow furrowed as he glared straight at the night elf who stood directly opposite from him. "Who is she?"
"This is—"
"I am Teleia Felglaive," she interrupted. Christoph's smile sobered as she spoke. "I am treated as an outcast by my own people, because those close-minded fools cannot see the martyrdom of us demon hunters." She gave a sightless glance at the two humans by her side. "I am only with these two because it is better standing in Felwood waiting for so-called 'adventurers' to turn up, asking for chores like collecting twelve rotten apples just so they can have some hand-me-down boots from yesteryear."
With each passing word she spoke, Cadance felt her body tense up. "M-martyrdom?" the princess repeated, trying to get something out of the night elf that didn't make her feel more discomforted. "What are you a martyr of?"
"Demons," she replied.
"What? Demons? I'm afraid I don't understand."
Teleia sighed, her exasperation never hiding her impatience. "Of course you wouldn't. Demon hunters draw upon the raw energies of the fel—of demonic energy—into themselves as a means to fight against them. Fight fire with fire; use their strength against them. That sort of thing."
"I… don't think that's what they meant when they say, "use their strength against them"," interjected Shining Armor.
"The point is that the imbecile elves and every other mortal race believe that using fel magic is the same as selling your soul to demons. Or punching someone's sainted mother in the face." Her head cocked to one side. "Even these two believe it."
"And yet you still let her join you?" asked the stallion, directing his words to Christoph. "How can you let someone who delves in dark magic join you like a companion in arms—especially someone you don't trust?"
Christoph grimaced as the words struck him. He remained silent, and could only close his eyes in thought of the words that Shining spoke. Or rather, contemplating on their truth. "It is not as simple as that," the man responded as he leaned forward, both hands upon the table and leaning upon them ever so gently. "Teleia has been through a lot with us. She has fought alongside us for years now." Opening his eyes, he turned to her. "I trust her enough that I can depend on her when she is needed.
"But I have seen enough to know that fel magic can corrupt absolutely. I have seen strong men fall to its temptations. I have seen the destruction it sews across entire lands. So someone has to keep her on a leash—like earlier, for example."
A diminished giggle poured from the demon hunter's throat as she gave a smirk. "Oh, Christoph, you flatter me," she quipped, but her uncharacteristic humoured expression soon faded into her usual sober. "But you do not need to worry about this corruption. If the demons have had no hold over me for this long, then what makes you think I would suddenly turn on you now?"
"How—" Cadance gulped, hesitant to even ask. "How long have you had this… power?"
"… I lose track," replied Teleia bluntly with a shrug. "Years. Decades."
" Just how old are you?"
"Well… Give or take a year or two, or several… Two-thousand, eight-hundred, and sixty—No, fifty." Both Cadance and Shining gazed stared at her, their jaws dropping so low that they almost hit the top of the table. "Last year was good. Christoph even helped bake me a cake. Isn't he just a sweetheart?"
"C… Cadance?" Shining whispered into the Princess' ear. "Did she just say… she was nearly three thousand years old?"
"I'm glad I didn't mishear her," she whispered back, trying hard not to let her voice crack. "If that's true, then she—that makes her even older than Celestia and Luna!" The two of them returned their attention back to the three, disregarding their thoughts however much they couldn't believe it.
Cadance cleared her throat gently, trying not to show her own disturbance. "Well… I'm relieved to know that you are of no threat to us. At least, I don't think you are…"
"Oh, it's perfectly fine," assured Teleia, waving off the remark. "Unless you are a demon, or someone who really wants to get under my skin, you will remain as one whole body and not in pieces. Besides—" she shifted from one foot to another "—you have some nice carpeting. Feels better than cold, stone floors."
"Uhh… Thank you," the Princess responded with an awkward smile. "And I'm sorry about Shining Armour's prior forceful nature. But we have dealt with… dark powers before."
Christoph turned his head away, thoughtful of the princess' words. Resting his forefinger and thumb upon his chin, he stroked along his beard before he spoke, "You mentioned that you felt something like this before—that it was similar." His eyes focused to her, stern with a sense of dread. "Has the Legion invaded your world, too?"
""Legion"?" echoed Shining. "No, nothing like that—or at least not a demonic invasion."
Cadance nodded. "You see, some time ago," she began, "an evil being named Queen Chrysalis tried to invade the Crystal Empire for her own dark gain, bringing with her her horde of changelings—creatures who can manipulate their appearance to become anything they wish… including perfect doppelgangers of other ponies. She herself tried to take over the empire by pretending to be me…" With pained eyes she gazed up to her husband, who returned the sentiment. The both of them could never forget such a painful, humiliating event.
" "Horde"," bit Christoph, almost spitting the word as he spoke it. "Seems like every horde I hear about brings nothing but bad news." His head turned toward Stavros as the old man let out an anguished sigh.
"But not all things are as simple as black and white, Christoph," the priest responded, raising from his seat, no longer with his hand upon his back.
"… I suppose not," Christoph relented. Stavros had truth to his words, yes, but he remained stalwart in his negative impressions of the Horde. "But I think we can all agree on one thing: anything that is invasive needs to be pushed back… and exterminated if need be."
For the first time, the five of them found something they could all agree on, all nodding their heads in unison.
"I think that clears most of our concerns," concluded Cadance. "Or at least most of mine. Shining? Do you have any concerns that have yet to be addressed?"
The stallion scanned from one side of the trio to the other, from Christoph, to Stavros… eventually to Teleia. For much longer than anticipated, Shining's eyes locked upon the night elf. Her demeanour was distant, almost as if unfazed, even uncaring, of the pony's disdain towards her. And it unsettled him.
Letting out a sigh, Shining shook his head in reluctant submission. "I don't have anything to object to. I'm fine with them staying here, but… Cadance, can we talk in private for a moment?"
"Yes, of course." She paused for a moment as she glared into Shining's eyes, trying to piece something together out of his expression. It wasn't distrust or fear, but something more complex. After a brief moment, she turned from him and back to the others. "Members of your Alliance, can we ask that you wait outside for a moment? We will be with you shortly."
The two humans nodded, while Teleia remained motionless in her response. Christoph grasped at the handle of his claymore before sheathing it on a large, buckled scabbard on his back. Stavros, with a soft grunt, began to shift along the carpet, using the staff as a walking stick.
"Back to walking on cold floors again," grumbled Teleia. Her toes curled upwards as she made her first step back on the crystal floor.
The sounds of patting on silk and rattling steel filled the chamber as Shining paced in half-circles around the table. At times the stallion's expression would twist with a furrowed brow and a scrunched nose. At other times his eyes would widen and his lips would purse as though in contemplation. But at all times he was deep in thought.
Cadance could only watch her husband wander around, watching his face as she tried to read his mind, his thoughts, through it. At brief moments she just stared down at his hooves as they patted the lush carpet in a steady rhythm. She could swear that he was making parts of it fray and loosen.
"Hon, you're going to ruin the carpet if you keep pacing like that," she eventually let out in half humour. Shining didn't respond though. His head hung low. "What's wrong with you? Ever since yesterday, you've been so cautious, so paranoid… so distant."
Shining stopped. His mind closed off from the heavy, dark thoughts that lingered in his mind enough to see his wife's puzzled and distressed faced within the reflection on the floor. Lifting his head from gazing at the ground, he turned his attention to her, capturing the worry and the hurt in her eyes even more clearly. He sighed and shook his head. "I… I'm so sorry, Cadance," exasperated Shining as he moved closer to her. "It's just that… Well, ever since yesterday, I couldn't help but feel as though something's wrong."
"But you know now that it was just her," assured Cadance, her words soft and gentle. But even she felt the tinge of worry and trouble dancing upon the surface of her thoughts, though her voice did not convey it. She couldn't let it show. "Everything is going to be fine."
"Do you think so, Cadence?" His words were stern and rhetorical. Cadence's eyes jittered before shifting to gaze downwards. Her head followed, hanging slightly. Shining let out a soft sigh as he turned away, looking upwards to the crystal ceiling above him. "I don't know how long these Alliance members have been here, but I have felt the coldness of her magic for a while now. First it was just slight, but it kept growing more the more as the days went by."
Cadence rose her head once more. "But It was probably just—"
"But that's the thing, Cadence, don't you see? If they haven't been here for so long, then what was it that I did feel?" Cadence paused and pondered on her husband's notion. Was she really coming back? With all her heart she hoped that Shining was just paranoid. "Not only that, but… Teleia… The power she holds is different. I hadn't noticed before, but the more I was around her the more I began to notice the difference until it became a striking contrast."
"So she wasn't as dark as you thought she was."
"No." Cadence felt her body lose is tension. She gave an inward sigh of relief, and let a small smile fill her lips. But her heart skipped a beat, just for a second, as she noticed that Shining was not sharing in the relief of the tension. "She is blacker than the darkest night. It… frightens me." Cadences heart sank. She couldn't believe that what he was telling her was true, especially since she seemed so restrained. "Could you not feel it, my love? Feel the darkness permeate through her and through yourself?"
Shining had always been strikingly sensitive to magic—even more so after Queen Chrysalis had used her own dark magics to hypnotize him. Now he had a sense of all magic, and that was something that she could barely fathom. If such darkness could unsettle herself… then how exactly did it make her husband feel beyond frightened?
Cadence swallowed hard. "I do feel it, hon. But…" Her voice trailed off. She gathered her thoughts as to her response, trying to find words that would not start Shining. "If what you say is true, then does that mean that Chrysalis will try to return here once more?"
The stallion shook his head. "I don't know, Cadence. I truly don't know. But that's why I've been away for the last few days now—trying to find something, anything, to either ease my mind or to confirm my suspicions." His voice quietened on the last several words, sounding resigned. "I just don't know what to do."
She could see how tired he looked, both physically and mentally. Cadence strode over to her lover and stood by his side, pressing her soft cheek against his. Her muzzle brushed against the side of his in comfort, in assurance. It's the least I can do, she thought to herself. "Everything will be okay," she said, echoing her words from before. "Nothing will happen to this kingdom. Princess Celestia and Luna, Twilight and her friends, us two—we'll all be here to defend it with all we've got." A small spread on her muzzle. "Besides—we've got something Chrysalis doesn't know about."
Shining turned to her with a quizzical look. "What's that?"
"The Alliance."
