Tourmaline

Chapter 2: Whetting the Blade

Camp Spyrius, the training grounds for the Crystal Legion. Over the passage of time since Maredor reclaimed the old colonies hundreds of years ago, the crystal ponies’ military grew weaker and weaker, confident that the Crystal Heart would protect them from any and every threat they faced. Oh, how wrong they were...

Outside the camp, observers felt confident that the legion was doing its best as warriors in reinforced diamond armor marched about, while recruits ran laps on the track. Though deeper into the camp, officers were frantically searching through old documents, implementing every training tactic they found. The camp was in chaos. Drill sergeants had been established for the first time in two hundred years using every training method they read, usually within minutes of reading it. It was not uncommon to see a sergeant reading a handbook while his soldiers trained, trying to prepare their next exercise.

Somber Night was panting, his black coat moist with sweat, clinging to his body in the sunlight that beamed down on him as he ran. Though strengthened through years of farming in the countryside, he was not used to long-term physical endurance such as this, especially while wearing diamond crystal armor. A thin, cyan coated stallion trotted up next to the panting unicorn.

“Somber!? You too!?” The stallion was also panting, the shine of his coat dimmed from exhaustion and perspiration. “I guess they really do have all the stallions in the kingdom here. You alright? You don’t look so good, pal.”

Somber could hardly speak he was panting so hard. “I... asked... for a...” the unicorn could hardly finish his sentence before his friend cut him off.

“You better not have asked for a bucking break. C’mon, I thought you’d be tougher than most of these colts! I mean–”

Now it was Somber’s turn to cut the other pony short. He snapped at the thin stallion next to him. “Sword! I asked for a sword, Thistle-foot!”

“Oh. So you’ve been out here for a while?”

His only reply was a nod.

§

Somber stumbled into the barracks. It had been a long day of intense drilling and training. At least he only had another few days of physical training before he transitioned into full-on weapons training. Eager to collapse onto his cot, he soon saw that rest would not come so soon. Atop his cot was a silver chest, with the royal emblem of the Crystal Empire’s flag gilded on the surface.

Thistle-foot happily trotted into the tent with a sigh of relief. “Damn, nobody’s got a clue what in Tartarus they’re supposed to be doing here! Hey, Somber, how was your day? Um, Somber?”

Somber merely gravitated towards his cot, and with the application of magic he undid the lock on chest, pulling out a note. “Hey, Thistle-foot, take a look at this.”

The cyan stallion complied, trotting over to his companion’s side, Somber read the note aloud.

“Dear Somber Night, as you can likely tell, the legion is hardly ready for war with Maredor. I’ve been reading the reports sent to mom about the status of the training camps and our troops on the front lines. In the North we’re losing ground again, and fast. Other camps are sending out their soldiers early, just given a sword and a lance then told to attack! But I did some digging in the library. When that other unicorn, Starswirl, came around he left some books for us. These are books from the Cirran Empire! Pegasi that fought Maredor when they invaded their land, but the Pegasi actually won! They might've lost on the offensive, but they managed to push Maredor off of their soil.

These aren’t just any books, though. They’re strategy books. And that’s not it, at the bottom of the chest you’ll find a book of spells. Combat spells, to be precise. I want to give you a chance, a chance at beating Maredor. Things might lighten up for us, though. There’s to be a meeting with Equestrian royals tonight! If we can get Equestria on our side, then the odds are in our favor! They lived through years of chaos under a draconequus, they must surely have a capable military! I’ll send you another letter tomorrow when we have an official response from Equestria. With love, Princess Gloriana.”

Thistle-foot stared at his companion, utterly speechless, “Y-you? Princess Gloriana? I’m speechless, Somber.”

The unicorn smugly replied “Well isn’t that a first?”

Thistle-foot put a hoof to his chin trying as he tried to piece it all together in his mind, and then his face lit up with excitement. “Hm, yes... of course! That explains everything! Ever since that time you visited the city a year ago, you’ve spent so little time socializing amongst us, and all it seemed that you could think about was the city. I had believed that it was either the pretty upper-class mares or the bars, when in all actuality it was none other than our beloved Princess Gloriana!” He then hit his hoof against the side of his head in self-frustration, “How did I not notice at all that it was clearly love!? Granted it would be impossible and unrealistic in all aspects to assume a relationship with the princess, but--”

Somber chuckled, halting his friend’s rambling. “Speechless?”

The stallion shrugged. “Well that would just be too good to be true, now wouldn’t it? Never mind my rambling, you’ve got quite a bit of talking yourself, I imagine. How in Galactica’s holy kingdom did you meet her? And why didn’t you tell any of us!? Okay, well I get that there’d be serious consequences to that for both you and the princess...”

The Unicorn sat down on his bed, turning to lay down, resting his head on the pillow staring at the ceiling, hoofs precariously floating above his body. “We happened to both be in the right place at the right time.” Somber laughed, “It was the Crystal Fair, remember? I snuck off to the fair late at night, and she snuck out of the palace to escape the nobles. We bumped into each other near the Crystal Heart, she asked ‘what are you doing here? Are you an Equestrian?’. And to her surprise, I was just the average colt from the countryside. I just happened to be a unicorn with no idea of how and why he was left here as a foal.”

Thistle-foot had settled down into his cot, stretching out his thin crystal legs. “I’m surprised she didn’t just leave you then and there, you know how nobles are. Then again, Gloriana’s anything but your typical noble as I’ve been beginning to notice. Was that your doing?”

“Hardly. She was fascinated with me, probably being a unicorn and all, and she wanted to know more about the country, what the working-class life was like, so I told her about it. She never really cared all that much for the constant routine of the palace. Since then, we’ve met in the same spot every time we can.”

Thistle-foot got himself under the covers of his bed, staring up at the ceiling. “I still can’t believe it, my foalhood friend’s the coltfriend of Princess Gloriana. You know, they say unicorns have royal blood...”

“Thistle...”

“King Somber of the Crystal Empire! War hero, unicorn, farmer!”

“Galactica, you need some sleep.”

The two stallions laughed together, until Thistle-foot’s laughter abruptly halted, transitioning with no hesitation into snores.

I didn’t think he’d crash. Somber thought to himself. The unicorn laid down, holding a book in front of his face with magic. “Armor and Arcana” the book’s title read. Illuminated by one small candle in the dark barracks, he opened the book and began to read.