He dashed through the trees and jumped over a dead branch, then, passing an anthill, he recognized the clearing he had been looking for. Pineapple stepped out of the forest. The sun warmed his light brown coat as he slowed down, turning his head to orient himself.
His ears folded down.
"Hey, this isn't the place," he said, looking back. "Melody?"
He groaned. Melody was not there. She had been right behind him, how could he have lost her - again?
No matter, she would find her way back without him. Melody had always been the deer with better orientation. Pineapple rolled his eyes and kept walking.
He had indeed been wrong; this was not the clearing he had been looking for. This one was covered with white flowers, not yellow ones, and the stream was on the left side instead of the right. Had he accidentally run south?
Sometimes he suspected that the Crystal Forest deliberately changed its layout, similar to its cousin in the South, the Everfree Forest.
Whatever. He decided to head to the stream and drink some water. Finding your way was always easier when you were not thirsty.
A shadow passed over him. Pineapple twitched, a shiver running down his spine. That had been a very large shadow. He looked up.
The shadow returned in a wide arc, then it dove, heading right for Pineapple. His eyes shrank to pinpricks. It was a dragon. A blue, big-ass, hungry dragon. And apparently he had picked Pineapple for lunch.
Run, you idiot, he told himself, run for your damn life! Run, run, run...
Pineapple repeated the command to himself like a chant, urging himself on as he dashed towards the treeline. The dragon was right on his tail. The focused gaze of violet eyes pierced into his back.
A claw reached for him and Pineapple quickly changed direction. Unfortunately, that brought him away from the trees and back into the area without foliage.
The dragon beat his wings and made another dive. This time, the claw closed around Pineapple's barrel.
He struggled to break free but his legs only hit thin air, the dragon had him firmly in his grasp.
"Oh gods and stars, I don't wanna die," Pineapple cried, tears streaming down from his eyes. Being a whimp without a sense of direction had been fine all this time but today it would be his downfall. "Let me go, you overgrown lizard!" He did not care that he was shouting at a beast twenty times taller than him - what was there left to lose?
The rhythm of the dragon's wings became irregular. The grip around Pineapple's barrel loosened. To his shock and surprise, the dragon said, "Very well."
The dragon landed, beating his enomous wings one more time, and gently put Pineapple down.
Frozen in shock, Pineapple stared at the dragon. The blue beast folded its wings and stepped closer to Pineapple. Now he could see that the creature's belly was brighter than the rest of it and its head was adorned with bright blue crystals and sharp, long horns.
"S-stop!" Pineapple struggled to get back on his hooves but his legs felt heavy and numb. His heart was still racing like crazy but why did the rest if his body not do its job?
And yet, the dragon halted. He actually sat down on his haunches. Was Pineapple wrong or did he actually look embarrassed?
The surprises did not end, though. The dragon appeared to be shrinking! At first Pineapple thought the shock had done something to his brain, making him see things that were not there, but no, the dragon's size was decreasing so rapidly that you could watch it happening.
As he reached the height of Princess Celestia, the dragon's scales disappeared, getting replaced by blue fur. The wings retracted back into his barrel. The claws became hooves. A straight horn sprouted on his forehead and a long, slightly shaggy mane in a vibrant blue framed the - unicorn's head.
The dragon had turned into a sky blue unicorn, tall for a pony and regal-looking. The Cutie Mark of the creature was a cut gem in the centre of a six-pointed star. Was it a changeling? But why had he tried to hunt down Pineapple, then?
"Whrgh -" Pineapple cleared his throat and tried again. "Who are you?"
The unicorn sighed. "A fool, apparently." He stretched out his hoof, offering to help Pineapple up. When the deer did not react, the unicorn smiled apologetically. "That's not my name, though. It's Kalec. I'm sorry for giving you such a shock. I wasn't aware that deer are sentient here."
"What?!" Pineapple finally managed to stand up. Wobbling towards Kalec, he lowered his head, pointing his antlers at the unicorn - a desperate and sort of pointless warning.
Kalec grimaced guiltily. "I'm not from around here," he said lightly, then, with more emphasis, "I do apologize. Are you hurt?"
"Uh..." Pineapple blinked, looking at himself. "I don't think so," he said slowly. "Only got scared out of my damn mind!" He raised his voice, his legs trembling as the adrenaline rush subsided. "What kind of a changeling doesn't know we're sentient? Did you grow up under a rock?"
Now Kalec looked even more embarrased. "No, I am actually a dragon," he said. "But... I prefer to adapt my shape according to the situation. I'm on my way to the Crystal Empire, got hungry along the way and... alas, here we are."
Pineapple shook his head. "That's kind of a lame story," he said angrily. "And hardly a reason to eat me!"
"No, of course not." Kalec readily agreed. "I promise I'll stick to vegetarian meals while I'm here."
Pineapple suddenly realized that the hungry look was still in Kalec's eyes, even though the unicorn tried to hide it. He was beginning to feel bad for the supposed dragon. Pineapple made a decision.
"Alright," he said through gritted teeth. "If you're okay with berries, pie and salad, I think I can help you out."
Kalec's brow furrowed. "Seriously?"
Pineapple straightened up. "Yes. I'm not a savage. When there's somepony in need of help, we do what we can."
"I don't know what to say," Kalec muttered. "This is unexpected. Thank you. What's your name?"
"Pineapple."
"Pine-... er, well met."
"I hope so," Pineapple snorted. "Now let's go before I change my mind."
"Sorry again," said Kalec. He lit his horn to cast a spell.
Pineapple instinctively made a step backwards.
A pair of purple saddlebags appeared on Kalec's back. He opened one of them and pulled a large book from it. Next, a pencil appeared in a magical flash. Kalec made a note in the book, then put it back into the saddlebag. He did not make the bag disappear, though.
"There." When Kalec saw Pineapple's confused frown, he smiled. "It's a journal," he explained. "I document every encounter I have on Equestria, for my colleagues. They don't know anything about deer, for instance, or ponies."
"Er, okay. Anyway, let's go."
"Lead the way."
Pineapple entered the forest, Kalec in his tow. The unicorn curiously looked around, his blue eyes noticing even the smallest creature that flew through the trees.
He really behaved like a stranger.
"So," said Pineapple as they walked under the green roof, "What brings you to Equestria?"
"An invitation from Twilight Sparkle," said Kalec. "But it had not been for me specifically. I volunteered. Initially, a friend of mine wanted to go but I convinced him otherwise."
"Where do you hail from, then? I can't place your accent."
"Oh, you wouldn't know it." Kalec smiled. "It's from a place called Dalaran."
"You're right, never heard of it," Pineapple confirmed. "Is it a forest on another continent?"
"A city, perhaps the size of Canterlot. It's a city of mages and I am one of them. I didn't hatch there, though."
"Huh... Watch your step, there's some rabbit holes here."
"Do you live in this forest? Or is your settlement nearby?" Kalec asked.
"In the forest, of course. There's a deer community at the heart of almost every big forest. Except where the Kirin live."
Kalec seemed impressed. "I see," he said.
"You know," said Pineapple with a sideways glance at the unicorn, "you better don't tell my tribe you're a dragon. There's no need to ruffle their feathers."
"Alright, that's fair. Were you serious about the pie?"
"Of course!"
"Well, in that case," said Kalec with a grin.
"You're weird," Pineapple decided.
"I can live with 'weird'." Kalec chuckled. "Promise, I won't eat any of your friends."
"Please, not my enemies, either."
"If you insist." He could not tell whether Kalec was joking or not.
"I always assumed dragons were kind of rude," said Pineapple thoughtfully. "But the, er, misunderstanding aside, you seem like a nice guy."
"Thanks. Though I wish my first impression as an Azerothian diplomat wouldn't have been me trying to gobble you up."
They kept on walking for a while. Sunrays shone through the trees, dancing on the forest ground. The chirping of birds filled the silence that stretched out between the deer and the dragon.
Pineapple halted. He looked around. He went back a few paces, then turned again.
"Oh, crap," he sighed.
"What is it?"
"Ngh." Pineapple grimaced. "Do you know why my family calls me Pineapple? Because I keep confusing things. They say I'd even get lost on a tropical island ten feet wide. My actual name is Pinecone. But no deer calls me that."
"Are you implying that we got lost." It was more of a statement than a question.
Pineapple hung his head. "Yeah. Could you, I dunno, maybe fly up and see if you can find a village west of here?"
"But you just said you didn't want me to reveal -"
"I know what I said!" Pineapple snapped. He huffed, then took a deep breath. "It's just... all that talk of lunch made me hungry, too," he admitted.
Kalec raised an eyebrow. He lit his horn and disappeared in a flash of blue light.
His voice called down from a tall fir, "Aha! I can see it! It's not far, maybe ten minutes of walking."
Pineapple flinched as Kalec reappeared next to him. The mage gave him an encouraging smile. "We're nearly there."
Pineapple felt heat creeping up his neck. So close to the village and he had once again done it and gotten lost.
Leaves rustled. They turned their heads towards the sound. Another deer approached them, this one without antlers. She looked both upset snd relieved as she saw them.
"There you are! Where the hay have you been? And... who's your friend?"
"Uh..." Pineapple smiled awkwardly at Melody, then his eyes wandered to the disguised dragon. "This is Kalec. He's here for lunch."
Melody tilted her head, giving Kalec a warm smile.
"So Pineapple picked you up, huh? Talk about luck, we're the only deer around for miles. Oh, I'm Melody, by the way, but you can call me Mel."
Kalec's mouth twitched at Melody's choice of words. He exchanged a look with Pineapple.
"Come on, I don't bite," said Melody, waving at Kalec to follow her. She turned around and swiftly skipped over roots and bushes. She was already nearly out of sight when Kalec blinked and quickly ran after her.
Pineapple rolled his eyes, rubbing the slightly bruised side of his barrel.
Then, he realized he was standing there alone.
"Stars dammit."
Pineapple ran in the general direction they had left. Angry at himself for hesitating, he desperately tried to get a glimpse of them.
A small light appeared in front of his face. It looked like the light from a unicorn horn, sent by the spellcaster. The purple wisp danced up an down, urging him to follow it. The dragon had left Pineapple a guide.
"Thanks, Kalec," Pineapple muttered happily, following the magic light.
News of the Empire [Slice of Life]
Peridot stared at the board, looking at the lines the teacher had written but not really seeing them. The letters blurred into each other. She rubbed her eyes. No, she would not lay her head on the desk. Even though it felt so tempting. No, she would not nap... pay attention... would not... nap...
The school bell rang. Startled, Peridot jumped up. She shoved her book, notepad and pen into her saddlebag and joined the crowd that poured into the hallway.
Peridot threaded through the mass of fillies and colts, looking for Eclipse. She had a feeling he would want to head out with her today.
A yellow colt passed her by, looking shaken. He eyed her as if she had done something wrong, then disappeared into the crowd. Peridot shrugged and kept looking. Maybe Eclipse was already outside. He liked to play on the school yard, under the tallest tree.
A filly, maybe two years younger than her, gave Peridot a strange look.
"What?" Peridot asked.
"Your brother is a weirdo," said the filly.
"Hey, that's not very nice of you," Peridot scolded her.
"I don't care if it's nice if it's true," snapped the filly, then quickly ran away before Peridot could respond.
"Stupid kids," Peridot muttered, getting worried. She slid her saddlebag off her back and leaned it against the tall oak. Eclipse was not here.
"Eclipse?" Peridot called, her hoof against her cheek. "Where are you?" A few heads turned, but the school yard was already half empty, so Peridot did not care.
"Up here," a small voice came from above her.
She looked up. A slate grey pegasus sat in the lowest branch of the oak, his bag next to him.
"Eclipse! What are you doing up there? Are you even allowed to fly here?" Peridot asked.
"What do I care? It's not like anypony can stop me."
"Er." Peridot sighed. "Well, I don't wanna shout so could you maybe... ?"
"Fine." Eclipse spread his wings, snatched his bag with a hoof and jumped off the branch. He glided to the ground. "I don't want to stay here any longer than I have to," he said, folding his wings.
Peridot nudged her brother with her elbow.
"What's going on? What the hay happened?" Now that she could look into his eyes, she realized that they were bloodshot. Eclipse had been crying. "Did they say something stupid?"
"No." Eclipse said it like a question.
"Then what?"
The grey colt sighed. His ears pinned back. "They kept looking at me funny."
"Funny?"
They left the school compound to head home. Eclipse kicked at a pebble.
"Yeah. Well, not Ha Ha kind of funny. Mr Coelistine made a joke and some of us laughed, including me. That's when it started. I think it's my fangs."
Peridot made a face. "Probably, yeah." She put her foreleg over his back. "I'm sorry."
"Not your fault," Eclipse sniffed. "You can't help it if I look like Sombra."
"Oh, come on, you don't look like Sombra," Peridot said firmly. "One, you're a pegasus, two, your eyes are blue, three, you're a kid, and four, Sombra is a jerk and you're not."
"Hm," Eclipse grunted, apparently not in the mood to agree.
White Alloy stopped hammering when he heard somepony knocking. He put the half-finished ring aside and slid the hammer off his hoof. Using his magic, he opened the workshop door.
A depressed Eclipse looked at him.
"Whoa, buddy, what happened?" White asked, embracing his son.
"They're scared of my fangs," Eclipse sobbed, hugging White back.
They stayed like this for a while. White stroked the mane of his son and held him tightly.
"Come on, let's go downstairs," said White. "I can finish this later."
Eclipse took a sip from the hot chocolate his Dad had made him. It was the perfect drink, he had to admit, for somepony who felt bad. Well, it was generally a drink that made everything better. He usually asked for hot chocolate as a birthday gift even though it was in mid-summer.
"Have you thought of something you'd like for your birthday?" White asked, apparently thinking the same thing. "It's in three weeks, you know."
"I know," Eclipse muttered. He put the cup down on the coffee table and sighed, his ears folding down. Then they went up again. "Dad?"
"Hm?"
"Do I have a Crystalling day?"
White frowned. "Er, no. Why?"
"Well, I have a birthday, but the other ponies also have their day of Crystalling. Was I never crystalled?"
White rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He hesitated. "Ah, you see, we gave you a birthday since we don't know when you were born. Everypony was born, right? But we didn't have you crystalled, no."
"But why?"
"Ponies do that when their foals are still very young. When we adopted you, you were already around eight years old."
"Huh." Eclipse stared at the cup.
"Where is this coming from?" White asked.
"Dunno, just came to my mind. Guess I just feel more different today. With the stupid kids at school and all."
"Don't let it get to you. It'll grow old soon enough. You'll see, in a few days they'll have forgotten about the whole fangs thing."
Eclipse shook his head.
"You're too smart, too kind and too awesome to become the weird kid now," said White.
"Are you serious, Dad? All of those things make it more likely to become the weirdo."
"Well... hm. You know what? You keep being you. Don't try to please the others by trying to be something you're not. You really don't have to do that. We will always love you anyway, got it?"
"M-hm." Eclipse nodded, wiping his cheeks.
White stood up and took the cup into his magic. "I'm gonna finish that ring, you wanna help me?"
Eclipse nodded. "Yeah," he said.
"Why do you think he wants it?" White looked at his wife, tilting his head. He leaned onto the small coffee table.
Feather Rush idly stirred her coffee with a spoon. Taking a sip, she closed her eyes for a moment. As she still remained silent, White realized she was stalling.
"I think..." she said slowly, "I think he wants something to prove he belongs."
"But we keep telling him that we love him," White said incredulously. "We care for him and everything. Shouldn't that be enough?"
Feather fell silent again. She looked outside the large window. Ponies walked along the road. It was late; the sun had already set so there were hardly any children to be seen. The street lights reflected on the crystal surface of the fancier houses, casting stars upon the cobblestones.
"Maybe it should be enough. But apparently it's not." She pulled a face.
"You think it's because it's an official kind of thing? When we adopted him, he hardly even knew any words so we decided not to host a party." White rubbed his muzzle. "Could have been a mistake." He groaned, leaning onto his hoof as his ears folded down. "I just wanna do right by him, Feather."
"You are the best father a pony could wish for, honey. Don't beat yourself up over it."
"I try." White sat up straight. "Still. Do you think the Crystalling is an option? Or is it too late?"
Feather smiled. "I'd be on board with it. Well, that is if you are. Okay, actually, I love the idea," she admitted. "It could be a great chance to reaffirm our bonds as a family."
"Sounds good to me." Now White was convinced. He nodded slowly.
"There's just one problem," Feather said. "We're going to need a Crystaller."
To her surprise, White gave a lopsided smile. "Guess whom Eclipse wants for that."
Feather finished her coffee. "Darren should be home by now, right?"
White laughed. "You didn't even ask."
Shrugging, Feather just smirked.
Eclipse ran through the school corridor, his hooves clattering on the tiles.
"Eclipse, no running in the hallways!" Mister Coelistine's voice was kind but firm.
"Sorry!" Eclipse slowed down, using his wings to gain air resistance. He skidded to a halt in front of his history teacher. "Actually, sir, I've got a question," he panted.
"Shoot." Mister Coelistine smiled invitingly.
"I, er, um," Eclipse stammered, suddenly shy. He lowered his voice. "Can a human be a Crystaller?"
"Huh." The unicorn's eyes narrowed as he looked to his side. "I... I think so, if they are a citizen of the Empire. How come you're wondering?"
Eclipse blushed. "It's a secret."
"Well, in that case, I won't pry. But I suggest you go ask your Mom about it. I bet as a City Guard she knows that kind of thing."
"Huh, guess so," Eclipse muttered, nodding. "Thanks, then," he added.
"We're getting late for class, buddy, come on." Mister Coelistine opened the door to the classroom. A cacophony of foal's voices overlapping each other greeted him, only to die down quickly as he entered. He had that effect on every class he taught. Everypony liked Mister Coelistine.
Eclipse quickly went to his seat and unpacked. This time, the stares from his classmates almost did not bother him. He just could not help but smile a little.
"So, who do you want to invite?" Feather asked her son. "Which of your classmates?"
Eclipse hummed. "Actually..." he said slowly, "none... of them."
"But I thought you wanted to belong. Wouldn't it help if you invited some of them?"
"Do I have to?" Eclipse asked glumly.
"It was your idea... Are you sure you want that Cr-"
"Yes, I do!" Eclipse said quickly. "I just want to invite good friends, though. Like Deep. He's alright. See - I don't wanna pretend to be best pals with my classmates. But I really want that Crystalling. It's kind of... It just comfirms that I'm a crystal pony. Sort of. You know what I mean, right?"
"I think I do," said Feather with a smile. "Still Waters, okay. That's one pony, then. Who else?"
"Well, Nylene, of course," said Eclipse. "She's with Darren anyway."
"I see."
Eclipse jumped off his seat and paced around the kitchen while Feather took the pen into her mouth. The scratching of the writing utensil on paper urged Eclipse to go on.
"Also Deep's Dad. And Indigo Blaze."
Feather wrote the names down. "Now - these are all adults. Any more kids you want to have at your party?"
"Uhm." Eclipse looked lost. "I was thinking to invite Vol'Shalai and his son. Xan'tu is fourteen or something. I bet he'd like to come and see our world. Since the new portal is stable he can come over without the time problem."
"What time problem?"
"Remember when I was lost on Azeroth?"
"How could I forget," Feather said dryly.
Eclipse stopped pacing. "Before the portal, time over there went by, like, thirty times as fast," he explained. "But Archmage Khadgar and Princess Twilight found a way to solve that problem. Khadgar says that as long as the connection is stable, time is 'synchronized'. They need to interrupt the portal once in a while, though, so it doesn't break down on its own."
"That sounds terribly complicated."
"I don't really understand most of it," Eclipse admitted. "It's wizard stuff."
"But what I'm getting from this is that you'll need to send out invitations to a different world," Feather stated.
Eclipse nodded. "I can send them to Canterlot. Darren said his friend over there can get them to the portal."
"You really thought this through, huh." Feather set the quill down, looking at her son with amazement.
He shrugged. "Peridot helped me. We stayed up late. Cause I couldn't sleep. I was just too excited, you know."
"So, we've got Deep and Abs, Nylene, Blaze, Vol'Shalai and his son -"
"Jonathan comes, too, of course!" Eclipse said quickly.
"- Jonathan -"
"And Fluttershy."
"Fluttershy," said Feather, writing the name down. "Anypony else?"
"... Frank, son of Allison," Eclipse said after a while. "Carl and Vera Fletcher. If their parents let them. I'm not sure about that. It's a pity Tarik is busy on the Broken Isles," he muttered. "I can't reach him for the next year or so."
"Oof. Alright... You need to spell those names for me."
"Oh, don't worry about it, Mom. I can write the letters. It's not that many. I mean, we just need to think up the text once and then I can translate it into Orcish and Common. Then, we copy them as many times as we want with the copy machine Twilight gifted to the City Guard Station."
Feather felt sweat broke out in her neck. This was going to be one Tartarus of an organisational effort...
"Mom."
Feather jumped with an involuntary yelp. Eclipse suddenly stood right next to her, accelerated by his shadow powers.
"Sorry. Mom, why are you nervous? It's my party, isn't it?"
"Yes, of course..." Feather tried to smile at him. "We'll find a way to make everypony happy while they're here."
"Yeah! But that's probably not gonna be hard. Vol'Shalai loves to cook and Nylene could take care of the cake, she loves sweet stuff. And I don't really care about anything else. We just need a place and a time. And a crystal, of course."
Holding her breath, Nylene pressed the piping bag together in her clawed hands. She had to get this right or else it would look ridiculous. Now, one last curve and the Equestrian "s" would be finished.
There. The Night Elf beheld her work. Congratulations, the letters on the frosting said. Supposedly. At least the shapes looked exactly the same as the paper template Darren had written for her. Nylene smiled.
"Done," she said proudly. "Where shall I put it?"
"Right here on top of the counter will be good." Darren pointed at said counter, then resumed rummaging in the drawer. He grunted in discontent. "We need more forks. This kitchen is ill-equipped for this number of people. Why did I agree to this?"
"Darren, it will be fine. The ponies rarely use forks, half of them have magic and we still have spoons."
"Hm. That will work."
"I hope he likes it," Nylene said. "See you later, I need to change. There's even frosting on my wings. And I can sense your grin from over here," she added as she turned to go to the bedroom.
"I didn't say anything," Darren said innocently.
A rumbling from outside caught his attention. "That must be them."
The wheels of a carriage squeaked to a halt. The two crystal ponies who had pulled it lifted their harnesses off their backs in unison. The blue earth pony cantered over to the carriage and opened the car door.
"We're here!"
"Yes!" a boy's voice sounded off. Deep, his coat the same blue as his father's and his mane just as brown, albeit much longer, jumped out and looked around.
"Are all yar rides dis bumpy?" A slightly battered-looking troll climbed out after him, careful not to hit his head on the car door. "Well, thanks for - what did ya call it again?"
"Carpooling." Abs grinned. "Your Equestrian is pretty good." He helped Blaze to fold the straps of his harness - the unicorn was not as used to pulling carriages as he was - while Deep peered back into the carriage, a worried frown on his muzzle.
"You okay?"
An incomprehensible murmur was heard from the carriage.
"He sounds alright," Deep said dryly. "Oh, hey, there's Darren." He waved at the approaching human.
"You made it," Darren said with a grin. "You can leave the carriage right there, this is literally the end of the road."
Blaze brushed some dust off his bright yellow coat. He lit his horn to withdraw something from the back of the carriage. Approaching Darren, he bumped his hoof with the knight's fist.
"Yeah, pretty remote. Suspiciously remote." Blaze winked.
Darren rolled his eyes.
"It's so that nobody hears the moans and screams," said Abs. He turned back to Deep. "You got the gift?"
"Just a second, Dad." The teenaged pony went back into the carriage. He returned with a rectangular paper-wrapped item in his hooves and with a blue-skinned, lanky troll that looked like the younger version of the one who was currently greeting Darren with a bear hug.
"Darren, my man! Thanks for da invitation!" Vol'Shalai grinned from ear to ear.
His son stood awkwardly next to Deep. He looked uncomfortable.
"Xan'tu did not like da idea of leaving any and all weapons at home," said Vol'Shalai in Orcish so Xan'tu would understand him. "He be not used to doing magic without his staff. But it makes sense dat ya need some kind of border control when it comes to a portal. Can't blame the Princesses for dat, really. Dis be a vacation, den. Eh, son?"
Xan'tu nodded obediently. He peered over Darren's shoulder. Glancing at the only pony his age, he asked Deep, "Darren's house?"
Deep nodded. "Come on, let's see who else is there." They both trailed off to the building.
"I gotta tell ya from ya niece dat da humans couldn't come along. Dey can't afford a long journey like dis. Also, I tink their fadda didn't allow it. Sorry about dat." Vol'Shalai shrugged, raising his brows. "Anyway, thanks for having us. I been dying ta see what ya place looks like."
Darren waved Vol'Shaiai's thanks off. "I'm not the actual host, I just provide the location. Eclipse and his family are not here, yet."
"I see. Anyting we can do ta help? I got da bowl of Darkspear stew just as promised. It's in da back of the car."
"You can get that and we can get some water for the other gift. Those are flowers, right?" Darren pointed at the wrapped bouquet in Blaze's magic field.
"Correct. Observant as always." Blaze smiled. "By the way, I think I saw the other carriage a mile back so Eclipse and family should be here soon. Are Deep, Blaze and I gonna be the only Equestrians?"
"Technically, I am one, too," said Darren with a smirk. "I'm legally a citizen of the Empire."
"Ah, so that's why you're can be the Crystaller!" Blaze realized. "I wondered how Feather got the permit for that so quickly."
"Exactly. She didn't need one."
Blaze and Abs followed Darren inside. They wiped their hooves on the doormat very carefully. Darren went into the kitchen corner to get water for the flowers.
Abs noticed the big cake on the counter. His mouth watered instantly. He stretched out a hoof.
"If you so much as touch it before the celebration, I shall wear your entrails as a necklace."
He jumped, then relaxed when he saw the grinning Night Elf standing next to him.
"Thanks for the heart attack, Nylene," Abs said with a lopsided smile, looking up at her.
"Nice to see you again." Nylene adjusted the dark bandage over her eyes. "In a way."
"The cake looks amazing," Blaze said with his calm, deep voice.
"Thank you," Nylene said sweetly. Her leathery wings twitched a little. "It took me a day to make it. I do hope Eclipse likes it." She turned her head like a bird sensing its prey. "The trolls are here, aren't they."
"What do my eyes see! My favourite demon hunter." Vol'Shalai made a bow, then gasped when Nylene pulled him into an unexpected hug. "Huh. I don't remember ya to be da hugging type. Not dat I mind."
"A year in Equestria will do that to you," said Nylene. "And your son is here, too. Welcome," she added in Orcish.
The younger troll's eyes widened, then narrowed. Vol'Shalai elbowed him in the rib cage, jerking his head towards Nylene.
"Xan'tu, son of Vol'Shalai," Xan'tu said stiffly, stretching out a hand. He suddenly looked as if he had swallowed a broomstick.
"Nylene Felbane." The Night Elf and young Darkspear Troll shook hands. "You're grinning again, aren't you, Darren," said Nylene, slightly annoyed.
"Friendship is magic," Darren muttered to Abs who also tried to hide a grin at the awkward introduction between the members of two hostile factions.
It had been a good choice to pick a sunny day for the celebration. Darren's small house would not have been able to hold all the guests.
Darren and Nylene had set up two long tables in the garden. Butterflies flew between their legs as they distributed the plates and cups. Xan'tu apparently wanted to make a good impression; he helped his father to reheat the stew in the kitchen.
Blaze and Abs moved one of the tables to gain more space on the lawn while Deep just stood in the kitchen, staring longingly at the cake. Ocean blue frosting covered the delicious-smelling dish. A single candle decorated the cake and green letters said, "Congratulations". When Deep felt Nylene's bandaged gaze on himself, he twitched and quickly joined Xan'tu.
Half an hour later, the other carriage arrived, spilling out Eclipse's family: a unicorn stallion with a peach-coloured coat, a green earth pony mare and their two children. The two crystal pegasi who had pulled the car took their harnesses off. The stallion exchanged a few words with one of them. They nodded and flew off.
"Hi," White said to Darren with a small nod.
"White Alloy," Darren greeted him, thus introducing him to Vol'Shalai who stood a few steps back. "And Feather Rush."
They bumped hooves and fists. Eclipse stormed towards Darren to hug him while his orange-coated sister waved shyly at the troll.
"Hello, likkle pony," said Vol'Shalai, approaching Peridot and crouching down to get closer to eye level with her. "Ya must be Peridot, eh? Nice ta meet ya. I be Vol'Shalai, from Azeroth."
"Hello," Peridot said, blushing a little. Vol'Shalai was more than twice as tall as her father. Long, curved tusks protruded from his jaws and he wore his mane in a red Mohawk. The troll was dressed in vibrant colours, his shirt bearing an orange zig zag pattern.
"We already got da stew ready," Vol'Shalai now told Feather and White. "If ya want, we can serve it. Or what be da plan?"
"We want to eat first, then have the ceremony in the garden," White said, exchanging a look with his wife.
"Got it. Hey, Peridot, wanna come inside and see da cake?"
"Uh, okay?" Peridot cast a nervous glance at her mother. Feather just nodded with a shrug so Peridot followed Vol'Shalai into the house. She gave off a delighted squeak when she saw Nylene. The elf gave Peridot a hug, then she joined Darren outside. Nylene's blue flowing dress swayed with every elegant step she took.
"Welcome, everyone," said Nylene.
Eclipse detached himself from Darren, who shortly ruffled his mane, and quickly hugged Nylene. Then, he cantered over to his parents and beckoned them to follow him into the garden.
Nylene touched Darren's arm and muttered, "May we talk?" in Common.
"Hm, what is it?" Darren raised a brow.
"What are we going to do about the two pegasi hiding in the shrub?"
Darren's blue eyes widened, then he smirked mischievously. "Let's surprise them later."
"Agreed." Nylene gave Darren a kiss, then she left to check if the cake was still untouched.
"Did they spot us?" Wall Fly whispered nervously. She ducked down even lower, careful not to touch any twigs or leaves.
"Don't think so." Bold Line grinned. "What, you nervous?"
"Course I am. It was your idea to follow them by being their cabbies, you didn't say there would be more of those creatures!" Fly hissed. Her yellow coat bristled as she cast an angry stare at her colleague.
"Sh, be quiet! I can't make out what they're saying." Bold nudged Fly to get the camera out. "Hm. Now they're going inside."
"I can see that."
"Sh! You take pictures, I'll try to get closer."
Fly rolled her eyes. "Yes, sir," she muttered mockingly, rolling her eyes.
"I think it really is a Crystalling," Bold whispered. "For the grey pegasus."
"Eclipse, his name is Eclipse." Fly glanced back at Bold. "I thought you were sure about this."
"I did read the article," Bold said angrily. "I know what he's called."
Fly grinned. Bold Line had not been there when Darren Houndslayer and Eclipse had been given a whole award ceremony for supposedly saving the Empire from King Sombra's final attack. Bold had been at home to celebrate the Crystalling of Princess Flurry Heart with his folks. Instead, his intern of all ponies, who lived alone, had gotten the chance to photograph and interview Princess Cadence on the fight in the castle. Bold prided himself on being where the action was - but this time, he had struck out. And that was something that irked him like a blade of grass stuck in the gap between two teeth. Thus his attempt to get some news out of the little colt, even if it was just his Crystalling. The Crystalling of a Shadow pony, if you wanted to believe the rumors.
Wall Fly had to agree that this was a solid chance to gain some fame, so she had decided to tag along. Now Bold's attitude was beginning to get on her nerves.
Fly and Bold watched silently as the pale, grey-haired human, Darren, stood there, presenting Eclipse to the guests as a new citizen of the Empire. He touched the grey colt's forehead with a crystal shard the exact colour as the Crystal Heart, then everyone cheered and congratulated Eclipse.
Fly took three more pictures, then fiddled with her camera to change the film.
Bold inched closer to the lawn, ducking low under the rose bush. Moments like this, he was glad that the natural colour of his coat was a dark green. It was perfect for things like this.
The guests, both ponies and strange bipedal creatures, crowded Eclipse to give him presents. Detective Indigo Blaze had brought tulips, identical to Eclipse's Cutie Mark. Bold's eyes widened. "The Shadow pony's Cutie Mark is a white flower?" he muttered, confused.
The blue earth pony and his son gave Eclipse a book about something or other. They stepped aside and Bold had to put a hoof into his own mouth.
He had not identified all of the guests before; they must have entered the house while he and Wall Fly had snuck around it. Another white-haired human, this one younger and taller than Darren, stood there, giving Eclipse a wooden staff with a sapphire tip. And there was Fluttershy, an Element Bearer!
Bold felt sweat breaking out on his back. It they got caught, they would be so screwed.
Deep watched as Jonathan gave Eclipse his gift - a magical wand to better focus his powers - and smiled absent-mindedly.
He was glad to have met Eclipse. The colt may be a few years younger but he was smart for his age and extremely enthusiastic when it came to tabletop and role playing games. In Eclipse and his sister, Deep hat found two kindred spirits. It served the colt right to get his own Crystalling ceremony.
Deep wandered around the lawn a little, halting in front of a particularly dense array of bushes. The rose bush looked nice - Nylene or Darren probably trimmed it once in a while. This seemed to be the edge of the garden; the grass beyond this point was much taller and dotted with all kinds of flowers. The warm summer sun shone down on the lawn but the rose bush was below a tree, protected from direct sunlight.
The bush rustled. Maybe it was a squirrel. Then, someone said in Equestrian, "Crap."
Deep jumped up with a surprised shout. "There's something in there!" he called, pointing at the rose bush.
Bold watched the blue Crystal pony as he slowly moved towards the bush they were hiding in. What was he even doing? Looking for something? No, his movements seemed too aimless for that.
Now that he was this close, Bold realized how much the pony resembled the other blue one. They had to be related, maybe father and son. Come to think of it, the father seemed strangely familiar. Bold could have sworn he had seen him around the city before but he could not remember where.
Oh, great, now he was sitting down right next to him. Bold stiffened. He had to back away or else they would be discovered. Slowly, he crept backwards, poking Wall Fly's side to retreat. Bold stepped on a twig and twitched in surprise as he brushed against the bush. "Crap," he muttered automatically, then clasped his mouth with a hoof.
Too late. The teenaged colt called out - and promptly, the tall elf woman dashed forward. She moved so fast Bold could hardly make her out. Spreading her draconic wings, she ducked below the branches. With a decisive pull, she raised both Wall Fly and Bold Line up by their scruffs like naughty kittens.
"What!" Jonathan jumped up and raised his hands. A golden shimmer of Light magic spread around his fingers, encasing him, Fluttershy and Peridot with a shield bubble.
Nylene smirked, still holding the two shivering pegasi in her grasp. One of them had a camera hanging from her neck. Both helplessly flailed their limbs about.
"Reporters," White Alloy said with a sigh.
"Not just any reporters." His wife stared at them angrily. "They cover stories in our precinct. I know those faces. This," Feather pointed at the green stallion, "is Bold Line. I don't know the other one, though."
Nylene took this as a cue to shake the mare a little. "Well?"
"Wall Fly, News of the Empire," the dejected pegasus pressed out.
Feather sighed curtly. "Why are you here?" she demanded.
"We heard there's gonna be a Crystalling of a Shadow pony," Bold said quickly. "We weren't aware there would be so many... creatures."
"Those creatures are my friends," Eclipse piped up, stepping forward. "You've got no right to do this! This was supposed to be private!" He spread his wings and assumed a defensive stance. Dark purple smoke rose from his coat, wrapping Eclipse in shadows.
"He's right. You are trespassing." That was Darren. He stepped forward, stopped next to Eclipse, and raised a hand. His eyes glowed in a cold blue. A collective shiver ran through the guests as the air temperature around them dropped significantly.
Nylene let go of the reporters. They slumped to the ground like wet rags. At Darren's unspoken command, ice formed around their ankles and wing tips, weighing them down before they could even think of taking flight.
"What shall we do with them?" Nylene asked. "Cage them?"
"Fry dem wit lightning?" That offer came from Vol'Shalai, whose three-fingered hands crackled with magic. A fireball rotated on the outstretched palm of his son. Indigo Blaze had lit his horn and pointed it at the two shivering pegasi, ready to cast a spell, while an orb of golden fire took shape on Jonathan's palm. He slowly raised it until it faced the reporters.
"This is overkill," Deep muttered to Abs. His father nodded sagely. The corner of his mouth curled upwards, though.
"Guys, maybe, please, tone it down a notch," Fluttershy began, but in that moment Wall Fly already broke into tears.
"We're sorry!" She sobbed, ducking low to become a smaller target. Her ears pinned back as she looked at Eclipse with pleading eyes. "We just wanted a story! But I, I don't care anymore! Please don't kill us - we won't tell anypony about this - I swear!"
Bold Line stared at her, his eyes wide. "What the hay is the matter with you? You don't actually believe they would lay a hoof... or whatever on us! They're obviously bluffing. There'd be severe consequences if they blasted us into next week!"
"There would?" Nylene asked, genuinely surprised.
"Well, we don't gotta tell anybody," Vol'Shalai said with a shrug.
"True," Jonathan agreed. "Also, we're in the middle of nowhere..." His voice trailed off ominously.
Feather covered her face with a hoof and groaned. Peridot hid behind her mother, shivering a little.
Fluttershy cried, "Please stop, everyone! The mare looks - terribly s-scared -" She began to stammer as she noticed that everyone looked at her. "Please," she repeated with a squeak.
Darren sighed, looking guilty as he saw how distraught Fluttershy was. He lowered his hand. "While I don't appreciate you disturbing our celebration," - Wall Fly shrank down even more while Bold Line's eyes darted from fireball to lightning ball to Light orb - "I suppose it's Eclipse and his family you actually offended." Darren turned to Feather and White. "So what do you want us to do?"
"Just arresting them will be fine," Feather said. "Right, Eclipse?"
"Uh, yeah," Eclipse stuttered. "Th-that sounds reasonable."
"Alright." Blaze extinguished the magic of his horn. Instead of casting a spell, he exchanged a look with Abs. Both of them stepped forward. Each firmly grabbed the foreleg of one reporter.
The ice around the pegasi's feet melted. Fly and Bold slowly staggered to their feet, rubbing their hurting joints. The two guards led the reporters towards the house, with Vol'Shalai, Nylene and Jonathan in tow. Darren heard Abs telling the two pegasi about their rights, his voice fading away as they entered the building.
Looking slightly disappointed, Xan'tu let his fireball fade away.
Darren knelt down next to Eclipse.
"You alright?" He asked the grey colt.
"I guess. I just... dunno. I wanted to do this to... to confirm that I'm a member of the Empire, you know. But to them," Eclipse pointed at the reporters, "I'm just 'the Shadow pony' again. It's not fair." He hung his head. "No, I'm not really okay."
Feather eyed him. She put a careful hoof on Eclipse's shoulder. "Hey, rain cloud, we still have some cake left. How about a slice?"
"Oh, good idea," said Fluttershy, perking up.
Eclipse sniffed and wiped his muzzle. "Hm. Alright."
Twenty minutes later, four city guards arrived, all of them pegasi. They landed on the path before the house, shortly oriented themselves, and greeted Detective Blaze. The guards exchanged a few words with Blaze and Feather, then they led the reporters away.
Eclipse watched as the flock took off and disappeared into the distance.
He sat down on his haunches. The grass poked into the side of his flank.
Nylene sat down next to him and stretched out her legs. Putting a wing around him, she nudged his side.
Eclipse heaved a shuddering sigh as his vision blurred.
Feather and White watched their son through the window. When the elf woman sat down next to Eclipse, White put his hoof around his wife.
"You think he'll be alright?" White asked quietly.
He cast a quick look back. Darren and Blaze were busy cleaning the dishes while Abs and Vol'Shalai watched as the children started a game of cards together.
White's attention was drawn back to the window as Feather nodded. "Nylene is kind, she'll find the words. I think he needs to hear them from somepony other than his parents right now."
"Hm." White nodded.
Feather leaned her head on White's shoulder.
Nylene said nothing. She waited, just sitting there. After a while, Jonathan joined them and sat down on Eclipse's other side.
"Hey, kid," he said.
"Hey." Eclipse raised his eyes to exchange a short look with the human. Then, he turned to Nylene.
"Thanks for catching the reporters," he said.
"Anything for my little An'dorei*," Nylene replied.
"Still like it when you call me that," Eclipse muttered.
"I know." Nylene smiled. "We're friends and always shall be."
"And thank the Light for that. Wouldn't want you as my enemy," Jonathan quipped. Growing serious again, he made a face. "Eclipse, you know that you're not just 'the Shadow pony' to us, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"Look at us: We're basically the weirdest accumulation of people you could have. Former undead humans, a demonic elf, two trolls - from the enemy faction no less - city guards, the Element of Kindness... My point is: We're all here to celebrate your day. Even with the unpleasant surprise of those stupid-ass reporters trying to sneak in. They don't know you like we do."
Nylene nodded. "That's true. If not for you, I would not be friends with Vol'Shalai. I would not even be here in Equestria."
"Or I friends with your family," Jonathan added. "And Darren was happy as can be when he told me you wanted to get crystalled."
"R-really?"
"Could have been enough pride for three more ponies," Jonathan affirmed him. "Plus another human maybe."
"Oh. I didn't realize that," Eclipse admitted. "Why is he proud of me, I didn't do anything... except ask him to help, I guess..."
"Are you kidding?" Jonathan raised his brows. "The two of you defeated King Sombra together and fought side by side against death cultists."
"Not that again," Eclipse muttered, slightly annoyed. "I don't wanna make a big deal out of it."
"Well, I still think it's worth mentioning," said Jonathan with a shrug.
"It is not just that," said Nylene. "It is how well you developed over these last months. You made friends in all kind of places, not just Azeroth. Deep, for instance. And do not worry about the number of ponies, rather take care that the friendships you have are of the good variety. The one that lifts you up instead of dragging you down. Hm?" She nudged Eclipse again, hugging him with her wing.
"Guess you're right. I shouldn't worry what strangers think about me," Eclipse said slowly. "Your opinion counts way more to me than theirs." He raised his head. "You know what, I don't care if they write their stupid article about me. We didn't do anything wrong."
"Exactly." Nylene nodded firmly.
Eclipse slowly stood up. He straightened his back. "Thanks," he just said. "I think I know what to do now."
Crystalling of a School Colt
by Wall Fly and Bold Line
You might have wondered if it is possible to overlook a pony when it comes to Crystalling. Some parents are known to have waited with introducing their offspring to the community, yet the oldest foal yet to be crystalled has been three years old. That is, until now. Last weekend, a well-known young pegasus has been crystalled by none other than the human Darren Houndslayer. Eclipse (11), a colt who supposedly originates from the realm of the Umbrum and has been adopted by the White Family a few years ago, expressed the wish to officially become a member of the Crystal Empire.
With a simple celebration, the Crystalling took place in a remote location outside of the city. The guests consisted of several different species, ranging from a Bearer of an Element of Harmony to trolls from a distant land (blue bipedal creatures similar to, but taller than, humans). "This celebration marks a new chapter in Eclipse's life," said Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. "You must be aware that he has been a member of the Empire since he was adopted. Yet by asking for this ceremony, he pledged his allegiance to this land and its rulers. Eclipse has already made friends with diplomats, mages and warriors from distant lands." Big words about a little colt.
The fact remains that we know hardly anything about Eclipse and his Shadow powers. The only time those powers have been witnessed was during his fight against King Sombra, who has not been seen ever since. Neither Eclipse nor his family were available for a comment but Officer Abrasive Paper (43) of the City Guard had something to say: "As far as I am concerned, the kid saved all of our lives. That's about as crystal as it gets."
While some may be wondering what Eclipse may be up to next, the Royal Family seems to be thoroughly relaxed. Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor confirmed the Crystalling with a signed certificate.
Let us hope that this will not be the last thing we hear from the pegasus. If he keeps his streak up, the Crystal Empire might indeed count him among its finest one day.
"Seriously? They dropped all charges?" Letter Switch slapped the freshly printed newspaper copy onto Bold Line's desk.
Bold nodded. He gave a lopsided smile. "Yeah. The White family had a talk with us," he admitted.
"But the Whites weren't -"
"Available for comment, no. Not officially anyway. But Eclipse assured us that his friends just wanted to protect him and wouldn't have harmed us."
"Which would have been more credible if they hadn't frozen us to the ground and threatened to burn, electrocute and imprison us," Wall Fly said flatly.
Switch's eyes widened. "You made a deal, didn't you."
"They apologized for the threat and said they wouldn't press charges, given that we stick to the truth about Eclipse's intentions and withhold any pictures we made," Bold clarified.
"Huh," said Switch. "So you wussed out."
Bold Line raised an eyebrow. "Did you actually read the part where we interviewed both Princess Cadence and the Royal Guard representative? We had the eyes of the Royals on us. I'd say we got off rather easily."
"Yeah," Wall Fly agreed.
"And this fluff piece," Switch tapped the newspaper, "is your truth?"
Bold Line nodded. "And we're sticking with it. Eclipse is a colt who got crystalled later than most because he was adopted, period. We didn't leave the part about his powers out but there's no exaggeration, no embellishment and no calls to action. We should all mind our respective business and let the colt live his life in peace."
"Wow," said Switch. "Well, alright then. I don't care for this rambling of yours but since it was the condition to keep you guys as correpondents, I agreed to have it printed. Just promise me that you'll return to your usual sass with your next article, got it?"
"Sure, whatever," said Bold flatly.
Switch walked off, still shaking his head about Bold and Fly's recklessness.
"So." Wall Fly sat down on Bold's desk.
"So what." Bold gave her a flat look.
His colleague grinned. "How about a piece about the Compassionate Heart Centre? I hear there will be a charity auction next weekend, raising money for homeless kitten and puppies."
"Shut up." Bold Line blushed. "Switch already assigned me the article. But I'm sure there's something fishy about it," he added quickly.
"If you say so." Wall Fly elegantly slid off the desk and cantered away, still grinning from ear to ear.
Author's Note
* An'dorei = Child of the snow
For those who did not read the main story, a short overview on who's who:
- White Alloy (Crystal unicorn) and Feather Rush (Crystal earth pony) are the parents of Peridot (Crystal earth pony) and Eclipse (Shadow pegasus).
- Darren Houndslayer (human) and Nylene Felbane (Night Elf) live together in a small house outside the Crystal Empire.
- Darren, Jonathan (human) and Fluttershy (yes, that one) helped Eclipse to control his Shadow powers. Darren is Eclipse's mentor.
- Detective Indigo Blaze (crystal unicorn), Abrasive Paper "Abs" (crystal earth pony) and Feather Rush are City Guards of the Crystal Empire.
- Still Waters "Deep" (Crystal earth pony) is Abrasive Paper's son.
- Vol'Shalai and his son Xan'tu are Darkspear trolls from Azeroth. They know Darren and Eclipse through Jonathan.
