Becoming of a Bigger Brother
Sardonyx, Son of Peridot
“Sardonyx, why do you insist on having such a feminine mane? A warrior does not worry about style.” Garnet trotted up beside me while I was on my daily perimeter around the castle grounds. Boring job, but it brought in money.
I looked over to her and smiled, “Well, I know you obviously have no need to worry about style. I honestly did not even think you knew what the word meant.” I smirked at her and ruffled up her mane, only for it to poof back into its windblown, slicked back form. She only scoffed and stuck her tongue out at me.
Garnet and I have been the closest friends ever since we met in the guard training facility. Everypony was too strict, even for a guard in training. When we ran into each other, we instantly became friends. That, and if there was a pairing in anything, Garnet and I were always paired, by choice or not.
Garnet never really was the best cadet, but she managed to make it through schooling. Her graduation day was before mine, so I sat in the stands to watch her don the royal armor, as was custom for a graduation. The armor was a “Full body tank” as she put it.
It was the finest, strongest metal available, made from pure magic and Thytrosite, a pearly red metal found deep in the planet’s core. The pearly red from the metal increases to a bright orange when infused with magic, so it shone with her red and black mane poking out of the helmet. The lining of the armor was flared out in a wavy line and colored yellow, to look as if the wearer was on fire. The helmet was the same, except that the plume on it was made of magic that was constantly flowing out to look like purple fire. It is harmless to the touch, but if the wearer becomes angry (a skill we were taught to control), the magic becomes hot and can be controlled by the user.
Leave it to unicorns to make awesome weapons.
Her face nearly made me cry from laughter when she had it on. Her smile was a big, toothy grin that could melt anypony’s heart, and yet still manage to be the funniest thing I've ever seen. I can only imagine how proud her parents would have
been to see her like that.
During the ceremony, the graduates would stand in lines. The most spectacular thing happened: When everypony was in their lines, the purple from all of their helmets mixed with each other and sent a huge smoke bubble into the air, which later formed into a huge, purple heart in the sky.
After the ceremony, Garnet told me that all the graduates were planning this as a symbol of their loyalty to the kingdom. The King took note of this and met with each and every one of them to thank them for the heartwarming present.
To this day, I still cherish that memory of her smile and how I nearly threw up from laughter.
“So, what are you doing after duty? I was gonna go get a couple things at the next town over, because they have a new shop there. It’s all weapons.” She said, her eyes glazing over and drool starting. She shook her head and her usual flare came back. “Wanna come? You do need a new shield.” She said, nudging mine.
“Well… I guess. I get off at three thirty. What time does the store close?” I asked, trying to keep up with her pace.
“One.” She said with no small amount of disappointment dripping out of her voice.
“Hey, just go without me. Here,” I said, reaching into my pocket and bringing out a little brown bag, “I want you to take this. It has three hundred bits in it. I was gonna save it for your birthday, but I know how much you like weapons.” I said.
Her eyes were as big as plates at my offer. “Three hununnnn…” She then went cross-eyed and coughed awkwardly.
“Really? Three hundred?” I nodded.
“I want you to get whatever you want, just don’t forget a little trinket for little old me.” I said, putting the coin purse in her armor pocket. She jumped in excitement and put a leg around my neck, pulling me in close.
“Thank you. I just may get you a new shield. Old Vibi isn't looking so good anymore.” She said, and let go.
“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to go get a new one for a while… just haven’t had the time, I guess.” I said.
“Well, I’ll get you the best one I can find.” She smiled and was about to fly off, when I bit her tail and spun her back around.
“Garnet, you know I don’t want anything more than a bracelet or something. Don’t waste money on me.” I smiled and kissed her forehead.
“It wouldn’t be a waste. You know I’d do anything for you. Best friends do things for each other.” She said, preparing her wings for flight.
“Don’t you still have a job to do? Or did you almost get fired again?” I asked with the sarcasm only she can get.
“Hey, that was the hag’s fault, not mine. She should have told me there was a spider in there…” She said, hovering in the air. She kicked my side playfully and took off with her trademark blinding speed, blowing my mane back a little. I shook my head and let my bronze and brown curls fall back in their usual place before continuing my perimeter. I had a smile on my face, even though I was out three hundred bits.
“It’s worth it to see her smile.” I thought to myself.
My happy thoughts stayed with me the rest of the day, and I decided to take some over time on guard duty to make up for the funds I lost with that three hundred bit fallout. I still have no idea why I gave her so much money; it was really no special occasion. I just kept telling myself that her smile is all the reason and I still stand by it.
As I was nearing the end of my extended shift, I checked in with the King himself to make sure he was alright, and to see if he needed assistance with anything. I walked the glittered path to the big, shining red doors of the King’s Chambers and rapped three times, sliding my hoof down the door on the third, which let him know it was me. The King and I were really close because of my family before I was orphaned, so he took it upon himself to be my parent during the summers.
“Come in, and hurry… there’s an emergency!” He called out, and I burst through the door to find him donning his Royal Armor… which is only for dire emergencies.
“Are you alright?” I asked, quickly surveying the room.
“Yes… well, no. Not exactly. There is a dire emergency is the next town over. Tell me, son, have you ever heard of a village by the name of Gloadingstown?” He asked, piecing together his front armor.
“Um… not that I can remember. Why?” I asked.
“Well, it seems a band of Griffins have taken over a community over in the commerce neighborhoods. We have received word that one of our Royal Guardsman has been spotted as a hostage.” He said, slipping on his helmet over his gray mane.
“Who is it, sir?” My mind feared the answer, as I remembered what Garnet had told me.
“A Pegasus pony by the name of Garnet. Garnet… isn’t that the young mare I spot you with through all hours of the day?” He trotted up to a rack on the wall and levitated his sword to his side and strapped it around him.
“She’s my sister.” I said. I already had begun to lose my patience within that two second time-frame, which only meant that I had to get there before I snapped.
He only turned around and looked at me with confusion in his eyes. “Sister? I thought you didn’t have any siblings.”
“I don’t… but she might as well be.” I answered, my face contorting into anger. I sped out of the room and out of the castle, busting through the gate that lead to the common streets. A few ponies stopped to look at me, only to run at the sight…
I knew what I was. I was a Birthstone… but not exactly proud of it.
As I ran towards the before-mentioned town, thanks to directions from a terrified citizen, I could feel my eyes slowly begin to change. Their usual steely grey had now formed to a bright, demonic purple. My mane and tail had morphed themselves into the celestial armor that replaced the armor I had taken off not two minutes before, and my physique changed to that of a two legged beast. As my form changed, running on four legs became harder and more painful so I decided to take advantage of the curse I had been given by running on two.
“I hope Garnet already knows what she is.”
“These ponies are useless… why do we even have hostages anyway? We could so just take our shit and leave.” A group of Gryphons were searching a house for any valuable merchandise that could be sold on the black market.
“Stupid, Taylof knows that we would be insta-paint on the walls if we didn’t have any. The King would have us murdered on the spot.” One Gryphon said as he smacked the former.
Hearing nothing from the Gryphon upstairs, one of the three downstairs ascended them with her weapon drawn, prepared for anything.
Well, not anything.
“Oooh, what a pretty necklace!” She said as she bent down to pick up. The Gryphon slowly turned it over and over again in
her claws, checking it for clarity. The stone that was set in was unfamiliar to her, so she took it downstairs to talk to her friend who was a geologist.
Mediocre, but good enough.
“Hey, Trep? What is this stone?” She asked, handing it to him. He took it and fiddled with the high power glasses resting on his beak.
“This stone… hmmm… the patterns resemble the “Offspring” of a Peridot having not been cut… it is likely a Sardonyx.” He said, proudly handing it back to her with a feeling of smug achievement. The moment it left his claws, the stone released a powerful shockwave, sending all the Gryphons and anything in the room up against the walls with bone shattering force. The stone then let out a blinding light as it took the form of a celestial, two legged creature.
“Where are the hostages.” It said, gripping one of the Gryphons at the neck and shoving him up against the wall. The stony carvings of the being were leaving bruises and cuts at the Gryphon’s neck, which made him yelp in fear and pain.
“The-they’re in the Pub, across the street!” He said, gagging and choking out some of the words. Set on the ground by said creature, he began heaving and coughing as the blood trickled down his neck and matted down the feather and fur on his chest. All the others in the room had taken blows to the head, knocked unconscious.
“Sardonyx!” The faint voice breaking into my subconscious sounded as if it was miles away.
“Noooo… duty’s not for three hours…” I mutter, turning over. The voice continued, and I flattened my ears so I would have to hear it.
“Ugh…” It said. It was voice I recognized, but still decided to ignore. It then lifted my ear and took a big breath. “SARDONYX, WAKE THE BUCK UP!” I was up in a flash, hitting my head on a wooden frame cascading down from the bunk above me. The pain caused me to cringe and hold my head in my hooves for a few seconds before my hearing came back and the sound of giggles got my attention. I turned and saw Garnet gasping for air while laughing her flank off.
“Hey… Gah, what happened? What are we doing home? I thought you were at the store?” The weapon store…
“Yeeaaahhhh, you probably don’t remember what happened. Doc said it should come back in time, and I don’t even remember everything.” She said, resting a hoof on my forehead. It stung a little, but she didn’t keep it there long.
“Well, you still have a fever… that should go away either today or tomorrow. Extensive magic use does that.” She said, walking over to the vanity mirror I kept in my room.
It was my mom’s, lay off.
“What do you mean “Extensive Magic?” The last time I checked, I don’t have a horn.” I raised a hoof to my head, and there was no horn. Just like before.
“Well, King Silt told me some weird stuff when he got to Gloadingstown. There were only about four or five other hostages, and most of the ponies that were in the commerce district fled when they saw the shadows of the Gryphons. When you and a couple of other weird looking things showed up and took over, King Silt got us all out while you kicked some Gryphon as- flank…” She said the last part with a blush on her face because I told her I didn’t like the idea of cussing.
“What’d he tell you?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, he said a bunch of stuff that I didn’t catch. I did hear Birthstone, your name, and like, twelve others.” She said, scrunching her face in thought. “That’s about all I remember. That and Silt told me that the form you were in required a whole lot of magic. I still don’t get that…”
I slid out of bed and instantly regretted it when the chill from outside hit my hind legs, causing the hair on them to stick out.
“Have you had breakfast?” At the mention of food, Garnet’s stomach growled ferociously. “I will be taking that as an “I’m hungry, feed me.” She smiled her goofy smile and sped to the table, nearly falling off of it from her speed.
“Now, that’s all you remember from last night? Anything else?” I asked as I filled two bowls with cereal.
“Last night? Sardonyx, that was a week ago.” She said.
“A week? Seriously?” A question came to mind, which angered me to no small extent. “Garnet, did Silt ever come by to check on you while I was out?” I asked while carrying Garnet’s bowl in my mouth and setting it on the table.
“No,” Figures. “but he did send supplies through the mail. He also told me to give you this letter.” She said, speeding out of the room and shuffling through her room. I could hear her mumble and grunt under her breath during her search as I sat down and started eating. A couple of thuds and grunts of pain later and she was bolting out of the hallway and hoofing me the letter. I flipped open the leaf envelope and slid a small slip of parchment out of it, immediately recognizing my substitute father’s writing style.
“Sardonyx, my son…
As you are hopefully aware by the time you read this letter, I have not come by to greet you and your marefriend. This is because I have magically enchanted this letter to be delivered to you on the time of my passing. I know not how or when I died, and if my closest cohorts are working as they should, nopony else will know this either. I have set a replacement to take over during the time of my passing, one that is to study my every action and copy my form. This is to ensure that the Kingdom does not become a flurry of panic and devastation.
You will need to talk to him. I have informed him of the very moment you meet him, in my form, sitting atop the throne that I have grown to loathe from agonizing hours upon hours of tirelessly attending court sessions and secret gatherings requested by my faithful citizens.
When you approach the replacement, wink twice with your left eye and mouth the words, “I am here for the holly tree.” He will know what to do after that.
Good luck, and I will be watching your every move from the heavens I shall spend eternity upon.” The last bit of the letter was scribbled scratchily, almost as if he was in a hurry.
I re-read the letter five or six times before resting it on the table in front of me. Tears had begun to sting my eyes at the thought of my father figure dying. I let out a shaky breath and slid out of the chair. “Garnet, I’ll be back. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but you’ll definitely need to make dinner. If I’m not back by night, make sure you get up for duty.” I said, and nudged her cheek.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” She asked, returning the gesture.
“I’ll explain when I get back.” I said as I grabbed my lucky Peridot, the necklace of my father, off of my bed-side table. I opened the door and waved bye to Garnet, the letter still taking its toll on my heart. I didn’t know what he meant by “A copy of himself.”
“I guess I’ll find out.”
