Refracted Love

Chapters

Chapter 1: Scraps
Chapter 2: Ponyville
Chapter 3: Lesson One
Chapter 4: The Project
Chapter 5: Differences
Chapter 6: Forgiveness
Chapter 7: Fracture
Chapter 8: Secrets
Chapter 9: Family
Chapter 10: Don't Say Goodbye
Chapter 11: Return
Chapter 12: Back in town
Chapter 13: Homecoming
Chapter 14: Return of the King
Chapter 15: Old Friends

Chapter 1: Scraps

Refracted Love

Chapter 1

Scraps

In the Crystal Empire a small crimson unicorn colt with a jet black mane and bright purple eyes carefully made his way through the dark rainy streets of the crystal city. He ducked behind a trash can to avoid a pair of guards. After the two had left he quietly made his way to the Crystal Castle. He crawled through the storm drain until he came out to where the scraps from the kitchen were put out for trash. After the chef had gone back inside the colt quickly opened the trash and began to rifle through the trash.

He let out a sigh at the barely edible apple core and half eaten piece of crystal cherry pie. The colt looked up to see an open window just a few feet above him. He weighed his options on finding another place for food. He began to stack nearby trash cans and struggled to get on top of his makeshift ladder. He carefully balanced himself on top of the cans and stealthily made his way through the window. As he lifted himself off of trash can tower his weight made his creation fall to the ground.

He heard hoof steps and quickly hid behind a statue. He heard the guard stop in front of the window and let out a sigh. “I keep telling that maid to remember to close these things.” He said as he slammed the window shut and continued with his route. The small colt checked for other guards and silently made his way into the kitchen.

The colt’s eyes boggle at the stacks of bread and freshly made goods. He quickly grabbed a roll and shoved it into his mouth. The red colt couldn’t believe the flavor of the rolls. As he reached for another he accidentally knocked over some pots and pans, the metal implements fell to the floor with a loud clang. The chef instantly burst into the room and saw the small colt bolt through the side door.

“Thief!” He yelled as two guards chased after the intruder. The colt ran down a random series of hallways as he heard a loud noise fill the hallway. The colt looked behind him to see more guards give chase. As he rounded a corner his face hit a soft pink object, knocking him onto his back. The colt looked up to see a pink Unicorn mare with wings and holding a confused look on her face. The guards quickly surrounded the colt with spears drawn.

“Guards! What is the meaning of this?” The mare said as she looked at the group of stallions.

“We caught this intruder your highness.” One of them answered as he gave a salute. The pink pony raised an eyebrow and looked at the colt who was shaking in fear.

“Return to your posts, I will deal with him personally.”

“But your highness-”

“That is an order sergeant. Follow it.” She said in a stern tone.

“He could be an assassin sent to kill you ma’am.” One of the guards protested. The colt’s stomach let out a loud growl of hunger causing him to blush. The Pink mare looked at the guards with a raised eyebrow.

“An assassin on an empty stomach? I’m more interested to know how he got past your best guards.” She said in a stern tone. “I suggest you return to your posts before I report this incident to my husband.” The guards immediately made themselves scarce leaving the Alicorn and fear stricken colt alone in the hallway.

The Alicorn then shifted her gaze to the shivering colt. Her expression softened and smiled at the crimson unicorn. “Are you alright?” She asked as she offered him her hoof. The colt looked at her in confusion and hesitantly allowed the mare to help him up. “Why were you in the castle?”

“I was hungry.” He said as his ears dropped to the sides of his head.

“We can’t have that now can we?” She said as she turned to go back down the hallway. “Are you coming?” She asked with a smile. The small red colt looked at her in confusion and trotted up next to her. The two ponies made their way back into the kitchen and the pink Alicorn made herself some tea and a sandwich for the red colt who looked at her in confusion. “Here you go.” She said with a smile. He dove into the sandwich and felt the food fill his empty stomach. The Alicorn sat down across from him with her tea in hoof. “Why did you come to the castle looking for food?”

“The trash didn’t have any scraps in it so I-”

“What? Don’t your parents feed you?” She asked in shock. Te colt lowered his head and gave a small sniffle.

“I don’t have any parents.” He said in a low tone. The Alicorn put a hoof to her mouth in surprise.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” An awkward silence fell between the two for several minutes. “Are you on your own?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you have a name?”

“It’s Geode.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Geode, you can call me Cadence.” She said with a warm smile. The colt gave her a nod and stated to trot towards the exit. “Where are you going?”

“To find a dry place to sleep.” He said as he looked out the window.

“I refuse to let a little colt catch his death out in a storm.” She said as she shut the door with her magic. “You can use one of our guest rooms.”

“I don’t have any money to give.”

“Don’t worry about it.” She said with a smile. The two began to walk back down the hallway. Cadence looked at the colt who kept his eyes forward.

“That guard called me something before. Intruder, what’s that mean?”

“It means you were in a place you weren’t supposed to be in.” She said with a smile. “That reminds me, how did you get in here anyway?”

“Since I’m an intruder I guess I came in ‘tru’ the window.” He said with a small smile. The pink Alicorn started to laugh at the response.

“Ha, good one. I still can’t believe that you managed to outsmart my guards.”

“I just ran away.” He said with a shrug.

“Looks like I’ll have to update the security around here.” She said with a smile. Cadence then noticed a small chain necklace with a fine cut amethyst hanging between two silver spheres. “What’s that necklace from?” Geode looked down at the small purple rock and his smile dropped.

“I think it belonged to my mother.” He said in a low tone.

“Must be special to you then.” She said as she put a hoof on his shoulder.

“Yeah, I’ve always had it with me.” Geode said with a shrug. The Princess opened a door to reveal a large room with a Queen sized bed against the far wall.

“Feel free to grab yourself a snack if you get hungry.” She said with a warm smile. The red colt looked up at her with a weak grin.

“Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it. Goodnight.” She said as she smiled and closed the door. Geode looked around the room in amazement. He trotted into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror.

Man I’m a mess. He thought as he let out a sigh. Geode got into the tub and turned on the shower. The colt let the warm water wash over his tired and dirty body. Despite being a Crystal Pony his coat remained it’s dull red color. He felt his black mane droop over his eyes, Geode felt three days worth of grime and dirt wash off his body. He turned the water off and eventually made his way into the massive bed. The colt laid his head on the soft pillow and eventually drifted off to sleep.

The colt opened his eyes and felt Celestia’s sun blaze through the massive windows. Geode rubbed his eyes and got off the massive bed. Geode made his way into the restroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He let out a sigh and trotted back into the massive room and heard a knock on the door. The colt trotted over to the door to see the smiling face of the pink Alicorn.

“Good morning. How’d you sleep?”

“Great.” He said with a smile.

“Breakfast is being served if you’re hungry.”

“Sure.” He said as he and the Alicorn made their way to the dinning hall.The red colt sat across from the Pink Alicorn. The two were served crystal berry omelets with sides of toast and fruit.

“What will you do now?” She asked as he finished his meal.

“Head back out there, see if I can scrape together enough money for a train ticket out of here.” He said as he finished his food.

“You want to leave?” She asked in surprise.

“I’ve been here for over one thousand years. I want to go out and see the world.” He said as he looked out the window.

“On your own?”

“Is there any other way to travel?” He said in a stagnant tone.

“You’re only a colt!” She protested.

“So? I can take care of myself just fine.”

“You don’t even have a Cutie Mark.” She said as she pointed to his blank flank.

“The best way for me to get it is to go out in the world and explore my options.”

“I will not sit idly by and let a young colt grow up on the street!” She stammered.

“I appreciate the offer Cadence but you’re a Princess. You have bigger things to worry about then just some random colt you caught rifling through your trash.”

“Nothing is more important than the well being of my subjects.” She said with a warm smile. Her eyes instantly lit up at an idea. “What if I got you a train ticket out of here and got you a roof over your head? You get to see the world and I know that you won’t be on your own.” The scarlet colt looked at her in amazement.

“Y-you’d do that for me?”

“Of course. Just give me a little bit of time.” She said with a warm smile. She withdrew a quill and parchment. After she had finished scribbling the message she made it vanish. “All we have to do is wait for a reply.”

Author's Note

Hey everypony! his is my first fic centered around the CMC. Hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 2: Ponyville

Chapter 2

Ponyville.

Two days later.

Geode, Cadence and Shinning Armor were making their way through the streets of the Crystal empire towards the train station. The colt was wearing a dark red cloak that covered his head and mane. The two adult ponies were talking amongst themselves as the colt kept quiet and followed them to the train station. As they arrived the colt’s eyes boggled at the large train. One of the cars opened to reveal a lavender unicorn mare with a smile on her face.

Cadence rushed forward, started to chant and make a few gestures with her hooves. The dance ended with the two mares waving their tails in the air. Geode looked up at Shinning Armor with a confused look on his face. “Do they do that every time they see each other?”

“Yeah, they go way back.” He said with a smile.

“Shinning!” The mare said as she hugged the white stallion.

“Hey Twiley.” He said as he returned the gesture. The lavender mare then noticed the crimson colt looking at her with a raised eyebrow. The Pink Alicorn trotted next to the colt and smiled at him.

“Geode this is Twilight Sparkle. She’s going to look after you while you’re in Ponyville okay?” She said in a soft tone.

“Nice to meet you.” She said as she walked over to the colt who took a step back from the mare. Cadence looked down at him and put a hoof on his shoulder and smiled at him.

“Relax, Twilight’s my sister in law and I trust her completely.” She said with a warm smile. The colt gulped and trotted towards the mare. “He’s just a little shy.” Cadence said as she looked at Twilight.

“She doesn’t run an orphanage does she?” He asked in a fear filled tone.

“No, I run the local library.” She said with a smile.

“Really? Awesome!” He said as a massive smile crept across his face.

“You like to read?” She said in surprise.

“Yeah, but this library here is boring, there aren’t many adventure books. Mostly history books which I’ve already read.” Twilight smiled at him as she looked at the colt.

“Looks like you two are going to get along just fine.” Cadence said with a smile. “If theres any problems just send me a message.” The colt trotted up to her and gave her a hug which Cadence gladly returned. Shinning armor stepped forward and gave him a small box.

“Here, so you’ll always have a little piece of home to carry with you.” Geode looked at the stallion in confusion as he handed him the box. The trains whistle blew signaling its departure. “Have a safe trip you two.” He said with a smile. Twilight and the colt entered the train car and took a seat near the window.

Geode waved goodbye and watched as the shinning city escaped his view. He sat back in his seat and opened the box the guard captain had given him. He opened it to reveal a small crystal dagger. Geode looked at the small weapon and grinned. A small piece of paper with writing on it fell onto the floor. The small colt picked it up and read the message.

I figured this would be better than a crystal doll.

~Captain Shinning Armor.

Geode smiled at the gift and withdrew the blade to see that it was made out of an Amethyst and a Garnet. He put the knife back into it’s sheath and rested it on the seat. Twilight looked at the colt with a raised eyebrow. “So Geode, are you able to use any spells?”

“Just some levitation and basic stuff like that.” He said as he looked back at the mare.

“That’s good. Mind if I ask why you want to leave your home?”

“Same reason I gave Princess Cadence, I’ve been in the same place for over one-thousand years. It gets boring after a while and I know that Cadence is too busy to look after me.” He said with a shrug.

“You seem very mature for your age.”

“When you live on the streets you need to grow up quickly.” He said as he sat back on the seat.

“How old are you?”

“Over one-thousand years old.” He said with a weak grin. Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes. “Okay that joke is getting old. If you don’t count that then thirteen. Why?”

“Just curious. I took the liberty of enrolling you in school and the other students are around your age.” She said with a smile. Geode gulped and looked at the mare with nervousness in his eyes.

“Um...Ms. Twilight.” He said ina nervous one.

“You can just call me Twilight.” She said with a smile.

“Okay Twilight, I don’t get along with other colts and fillies.” He said in a nervous tone.

“Why not?”

“I’m just better off on my own. Never really tried to make friends.” He said with a shrug.

“So what did you do all the time?”

“Went to the library and read books.”

“I used to be the same way when I was just a filly.” She said with a giggle. “Don’t worry there are plenty of friendly ponies in Ponyville that would love to be your friend.” The colt nodded and rested his head against the window as he drifted off to sleep.

Geode’s eyes fluttered open as the train came to a halt. He stretched his back and looked out the window to see a small town bustling with ponies of different colors and races. The colt’s eyes boggled at the sight and a smile crept across his face. Twilight smiled and motioned him to follow her. Geode complied and followed the lavender mare off the train station and made their way through town. The two unicorns were then approached by a white unicorn mare with a flowing purple mane.

“Twilight darling, how was your trip?” She asked as she gave the mare a small hug.

“Great, how are you doing?”

“Fabulous!” The mare said in a ‘sing song’ tone. Rarity then noticed the small crimson colt next to her friend. “Who’s this?”

“This is-”

“Don’t tell me you’re an aunt!” Rarity said as she grinned. Twilight looked at the colt who looked back at her in confusion.

“No, this is Geode. He wanted to get out of the Crystal Empire so I’m looking after him while he’s in Ponyville.”

“What about his par-” Twilight shook her head at the mare. “Oh I see.” Geode looked at the white mare in confusion.

“Geode this is Rarity, a very close friend of mine.” She said with a smile.

“Nice to meet you Geode.”

“Likewise.” He said with a weak smile. Rarity looked up at the clock tower and put a hoof to her mouth in surprise.

“I’m terribly sorry Twilight, but I must get to the post office and pick up a bottle of perfume I ordered. Ta-ta!” She said with a wave.

“She seems nice.” The colt said with a smile.

“Rarity is one of the most generous ponies in Ponyville. She has a younger sister about your age.” Geode lowered his head and continued to make his way through the street with the lavender mare leading. The two soon came to a large tree in the center of town. The lavender mare opened the door and the colt’s eyes boggled at the vast amount of books in the mares collection.

“Hey Twilight, how was the Crystal Empire?” Geode looked up the stairs and let out a small yelp as he saw a small purple dragon walking towards them. “Who’s he?”

“Spike this is Geode. Geode this is Spike, my number one assistant.” She said with a smile. The dragon smiled at the colt who had an uneasy look on his face.

“Y-you’re a dragon.”

“Yup, nice to meet ya.” He said as he held out a claw. Geode gulped and hesitantly shook it. “So why are you here again?”

“Geode is going to be staying with us for a while. Could you go get the guest room ready?”

“On it!” Spike said as he zoomed up the stairs. Geode looked at the mare in surprise.

“He’s your assistant?”

“That’s right. Don’t worry, Spike is only a baby dragon and is very friendly.”

“He won’t try to eat me right?”

“No, he’s a vegetarian.” The mare said with a smile. The purple hurried back down stairs with a smile on his face.

“Done.”

“That was quick.” Twilight said in surprise.

“I usually crash in there when you go on one of your crazy study sprints.” Spike said as he rolled his eyes. Twilight blushed and shook her head.

“Follow me.” Twilight said as she started to trot upstairs with the small colt following close behind. She opened the door to reveal a twin sized bed, a desk and a bookshelf stacked with books. “Here ya go. You can read the books whenever you want, this is a library after all.”

“Thanks.” The small colt said with a grin.

“How about a tour of the town? We need to get your school supplies anyway.” Twilight suggested. Geode shrugged and gave a slight nod. “Excellent.” Twilight said as she and the colt made their way out of the library and onto the busy street. Geode kept his hood up and stuck close to the lavender mare. The two entered the quill shop to be greeted by a white earth pony stallion with a black mustache.

“Twilight Sparkle, my number one customer. Don’t tell me you’ve already burned through those quills I sold you yesterday?” He said with a laugh.

“No, I’m here to pick up some quills for my friend here.” She said as she looked at the timid colt.

“I see, how about a starter kit?”

“That would be wonderful.” The stallion bent over behind the counter and withdrew a plastic wrapped set of three quills and an ink well.

“That’ll be five bits.” The mare paid the stallion and exited the store with the small colt following close behind. Geode heard his stomach growl and felt himself blush.

“I haven’t had lunch either.” Twilight said with a smile. The two trotted into a bright pink building and took a seat in a booth. The two opened their menus and skimmed the types of food. “What do you feel like having?” The mare asked as she looked at the colt.

“Um....maybe the hay fries?” He said in confusion.

“Hey Twilight.” The two unicorns looked over to see a bright pink earth pony mare with a bouncy, curly mane. “What can I get....Oh a new pony!” She said as she looked at the colt.

“Geode, this is Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie this is Geode. He just got in town this morning.”

“Nice to meet you. You can call me Pinkie.”

“H-hi.” He said as he gulped.

“So what can I get you two?” The mare asked as she withdrew a pencil and pad.

“I’ll have a dandelion sandwich and Geode wanted the hay fries. Is that right?” The crimson colt nodded.

“Okie dokie lokie! I’ll be right back.” She said as she went back into the kitchen.

“Who and what was that?” Geode asked as he looked at Twilight in confusion.

“That’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie. You’ll get used to her eventually.” She said with a grin. “So Geode, how do you like Ponyville so far?”

“It’s okay.” He said with a shrug. “Still to early for me to form an opinion.”

“I can see that it is your first day after all.” She said as their food arrived. Geode looked at the hay fries in confusion. “What’s up?”

“How do you eat these?”

“You just eat them. You’ve never had hay fries before?” The cold shook his head. He picked one up in his hoof and took a small bite. His eyes grew wide at the taste.

“This is awesome!”

“What did you usually eat?”

“What ever I could find. So mostly bread, some crystal berries and rocks.”

“Rocks?” Twilight asked in confusion.

“I can live off the minerals in rocks and gem stones.”

“Like dragons?”

“Yeah, they don’t taste good but they keep me from going hungry.” He said as he took another bite from the food in front of him. The two finished their food and made their way back onto the street.

“So are you looking forward to school tomorrow?”

“I guess. I’m still nervous. I don’t have a good track record when it comes to making friends.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know no one ever talked to me back in the empire. That’s one reason why I wanted to get out and see the world.” He said in a low tone.

“Why wouldn’t the other ponies talk to you?”

“I don’t know. They acted like I had the plague or something.” He said in a low tone.

“Well, I can safely say that Ponyville is not like that at all. The ponies here are very friendly and welcoming.”

“No offense but that pink one seems a little too welcoming.” He said as he raised an eyebrow.

“Relax, that’s only Pinkie everypony else around here is level headed and-” She was cut off as a cyan Pegasus mare landed in front of the two unicorns.

“Hey Twi. What’s up?”

“Morning Rainbow. I was just giving Geode here a tour of Ponyville.” She said as she looked at the red colt.

“Sup dude?” The Pegasus said with a grin.

“Not much.”

“So is he like a foreign exchange student or something?” Rainbow asked.

“Sort of, I’m from the Crystal Empire.”

“Really? Cool.” She said with a grin. “So what are you doing with Twilight?”

“He’s staying with me while he’s in Ponyville.”

“That makes sense.” She said with a shrug. “I gotta get back to work Twilight. See ya later Geode.” The mare said as she took flight.

“Who was that?”

“That was Rainbow Dash. She’s another close friend of mine.”

“You’re friends with everypony in this town aren’t you?” He said with a smug grin on his face.

“Like I said, the ponies here are very welcoming.” She said with a smile. The two made their way back through the small town. The unicorns stopped at a wooden stand that held bright red fruit. Geode looked up to see an orange mare with a brown Stetson hat operating the stand.

“Howdy Twilight.” She said in a southern accent.

“Good afternoon Applejack. How are the sales going?”

“Mighty fine.” Her gaze then shifted to the colt who was staring at the fruit. “Who’s this little guy?”

“This is Geode, he’s from the Crystal Empire.” Twilight said with a smile. Applejack looked at the colt in surprise and grinned.

“Nice to meet you Geode.” The mare said with a smile. Geode gave the farmer a nod Twilight said her goodbyes and the two walked up to a wooden building with a sign out front.

“This is the school house. School starts at eight o’clock and goes to one.”

“Sounds simple enough.” He said with a nod. Twilight noticed that the daylight was starting to disappear.

“It’s getting late. We should probably head back.” The colt nodded and the two made their way back to the library. As they walked inside Geode realized the room was pitch black. The lights flipped on to reveal a large amount of ponies in the library.

“SURPRISE!” The small colt looked at the mob in confusion. Soon a bright pink mare trotted up to them with a smile on her face.

“Are ya surprised?” She asked with a wide grin.

“Yeah, to say the least.” He said with a gulp. The ponies gave a small chuckle and started to socialize with one another. Geode stuck to the corners and managed to avoid any social interactions with the ponies. He silently made his way upstairs and entered his room. As he laid down on the bed the door opened to reveal the lavender mare.

“Hey where’d you go?”

“I appreciate the effort but I’m not a party pony.” He said in a flat tone.

“I used to be like that and-”

“Remember one thing Twilight, I’m not you. I’ve survived this long on my own and I’m doing just fine. The only reason I’m here because I owe Princess Cadence for allowing me to stay the night in the palace.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight looked at the colt in surprise. “Again I appreciate the effort but I’m not that type of pony.” He said as he turned on his side. Twilight felt her jaw drop at the colt’s words. She was about to say something but felt someone tug her tail. She looked down to see Spike with a blank look on his face.

“Let him be Twilight, he’ll come around.” He said as he gave her a reasuring nod.

“How?”

“Remember your first night here? When I tried to get you to do the same thing?” Twilight was about to protest but found no argument.

“You’re right. Theres a lot for him to take in and it’s only his first day.” She said as she closed the door. Inside the room Geode laid in the bed staring up at the ceiling.

At least I’m finally out of that city. He thought as he felt sleep take hold of him.

Chapter 3: Lesson One

Chapter 3

Lesson One

Geode and Twilight made their way through the quiet streets of Ponyville just as the stores were opening up. Geode donned his scarlet cloak that Cadence had given him the previous morning. The colt had been in difficult situations before when he was trying to sneak by some ponies. Yet he couldn’t stop his teeth from chattering as the two unicorns made their way to the school house. He saw multiple ponies arriving at the school being greeted by a maroon Earth Pony mare with a pink mane and three sunflowers with smiling faces on them as a Cutie Mark.

Twilight and Geode made their way to the door and were greeted by the mare. “Morning Twilight.” She said with a warm smile.

“Morning Cherilee.” The maroon mare then shifted her gaze.

“This must be Geode.” The colt nodded his head and gulped.

“He’s a little shy.” Twilight said with a smile.

“Perfectly understandable. I was nervous on my first day of school too.” She said with a warm smile. Twilight gave Geode a reassuring pat on the back as he walked inside with the mare. Once he was inside his gaze fell upon a group of fillies and colts sitting at desks talking and laughing with one another.

“Alright my little ponies, settle down. We have a new student joining the class today.” The ponies stopped talking and gave the teacher their full attention. “Allow me to introduce Geode.”

“H-hello.” He said with a small nod.

“Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?” The mare suggested.

“Well, I’m from the Crystal Empire.” The group of fillies and colts let out a collective gasp and began whispering to one another. A light blue Pegasus colt raised his hoof.

“Yes, Rumble?”

“If he’s from the Crystal Empire then why isn’t he sparkling?”

“I’m not in the empire right now and Crystal ponies sparkle after they discover their special talent.” Geode said as he looked at his blank flank. He looked to the back of the room to see three fillies high hoofing.

“That’s very interesting Geode. Take a seat next to.....Applebloom.” She said as she pointed to a yellow Earth pony filly with a red mane that was being held back by a bright red bow. Geode let out a sigh and made his way to the back of the class and took his seat next to the filly who was smiling at him. Geode ignored the pony and faced the front of the class where the teacher began to write numbers on the board. “Okay class let’s continue with our multiplication tables.” She said as the class let out a collective groan.

Geode took notes and paid close attention to the numbers being written on the board. “If you practice enough then you’ll be able to multiply three hundred and six by four thousand and eight.” The teach and the students let out a collective chuckle.

“One million, two hundred twenty-six thousand, four hundred and forty-eight.” Geode answered.

“I’m sorry what was that?” The teacher asked.

“The answer to that question is one million, two hundred twenty-six thousand, four hundred and forty-eight.” The ponies looked at him and back at the mare in surprise. Cherilee pulled out an abacus and took a few minutes to calculate it.

“That’s.....correct.” She said in amazement. The class’s jaws dropped and looked at the scarlet colt in surprise. “Geode where did you learn to calculate mathematics like that?”

“I'm staying in a library so I’m around math books.” He said with a shrug, The mare was cut off by the recess bell chiming in the room. The ponies eagerly got to their hooves and made their way outside carrying their bag lunches. Geode did the same and found a warm rock out in the courtyard to sit on. He pulled out his lunch and looked at the odd sandwich. He shrugged and scarfed the food down and pulled out a magic book that Twilight had lent him from the library.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Across the courtyard Applebloom, an orange Pegasus filly with a purple mane and a white unicorn filly with a curly light purple and white mane were sitting under a tree giggling to themselves. “I can’t believe it! A Crystal Pony in our class! Maybe he can help us get our Cutie Marks.” The unicorn squeaked in delight.

“Settle down there Sweetie Belle. We don’t know anything about him.” Applebloom said as she raised a hoof.

“What’s there to know? He seems like a cool guy.” The Pegasus said as she sipped on her juice box.

“I’m with Scootaloo.” Sweetie Belle answered.

“Heads up Crusaders. Trouble ahead.” The yellow filly pointed over towards the crimson colt. Geode stopped reading as he saw two shadows appear on the edge of his book. He looked up to see two Earth pony fillies smiling at him. One was grey with her mane in a braid and was wearing a pair of blue rimmed glasses. The other was bright pink with a purple mane with a white stripe running through it that was kept in place by a tiara sitting on her head.

“Can I help you two?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“We just wanted to extend an invitation to be part of the cool pony club.” The pink one said with pride in her voice. “I’m Diamond Tiara, the Queen of the club and this is Silver Spoon second in command.” She said as she pointed to the silver filly.

“What does this club do?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“All the cool things to do in town.” Silver Spoon added. The pink filly cast an icy glare at three fillies making their way over to them. The three fillies had less then pleased looks strewn across their faces.

“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. A trio of blank flanks.” Tiara said with a laugh.

“Why you-” The orange Pegasus stammered.

“Yawn. I have no time for you three talentless hacks. Why don’t you just go and see if you can get your Cutie Marks in being invisible?” She said with a cruel laugh.

“Hey! What’s your problem?” The fillies looked up to see the crimson colt with a frown on his face. Even though he was just a colt, Geode was easily taller then the fillies by a good five inches.

“We’re just making sure you don’t go making friends with the wrong sort of ponies.” Silver added.

“I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself and you might want to get those glasses checked because incase you haven’t noticed, I’m a blank flank too.” He said as he pointed to his back thigh. He then looked at the pink filly. “And you. What gives you the right to make fun of those three?” The three fillies had now noticed that the other ponies had grouped around them.

“Th-they don’t have talent!” She stammered.

“So? It doesn’t mean you’re better then they are. They can do anything, while your skills are already set and locked in place.” The crowds jaws hit the ground at the words. “Just because they don’t have a talent now doesn’t mean they won’t ever have on and who knows? Their talent maybe greater then all of ours combined.” He said as he picked up his book and started to trot away from the crowd.

“Y-you’re just a big nerd!” Tiara yelled. Geode looked back at the mare and smirked.

“Wow, that was brutal comeback.” He said with his voice dripping in sarcasm. “I think I might die from those words. Wait I feel something....yep I’m dying.” He said as he clutched his chest and ‘died’ in a dramatic fashion. The crowd erupted in laughter as the two fillies stared at him with daggers in their eyes. Geode ended the charade and got to his hooves. “In all seriousness, you two need to grow up.” He said as the recess bell rang and the ponies made their way back into the building and took their seats.

The rest of class dragged on as the teacher continued to ramble on about the number system. Out of the corner of his eye, Geode noticed that several ponies were glancing at him from time to time. He shrugged it off and turned back to his workbook. The final bell rang and the ponies hastily exited the building. Geode did the same only to be stopped by three fillies with smiles on their faces. “Can I help you three?”

“We just wanted to say thanks for sticking up for us.” Sweetie Belle said with a smile.

“Oh that. Forget about it.” He said with a shrug.

“Why did you help us out?” Scootaloo asked.

“I just can’t stand ponies like that.” The three fillies gathered in a huddle and whispered to one another. Geode cocked an eyebrow as the fillies nodded and broke the huddle. The three had wide grins on their faces as Applebloom walked forward.

“We wondering if you’d like to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders.” The yellow filly said with a smile.

“The what?” He said in confusion.

“We’re on a crusade.” Scootaloo interjected.

“To find our special talents!” Sweetie Belle added. Geode let out a sigh and looked at the fillies with a blank expression on his face.

“No thanks.” The fillies dropped their jaws in surprise.

“Why not?” The three said in unison.

“I’m not what you’d call a team player.” He said as he made his way back into town with the ponies following him.

“But, you don’t have your Cutie Mark and we don’t have ours. We could help each other out!” Applebloom said.

“I’m guessing you’re Applejacks little sister?”

“Y-yeah, how’d you know that?”

“Take a wild guess partner.” He said in a southern accent.

“Oh the accent.....Hey! Are you making fun of the way I talk?” She said as she narrowed her eyes.

“No, I was stating that you and your sister have similar speech patterns.”

“The same what?” Geode rolled his eyes and let out a sigh.

“You both sound alike.” He said as he continued to walk down the road. The fillies chased after the colt who let out a groan. “Listen I appreciate the offer, but I’m better on my own.”

“You like being alone?” Sweetie Belle asked in confusion.

“It’s the way I am and how I live.” The fillies looked at one another in confusion and sadness. “I’ll see you three around.” Geode said as he headed towards the library. The colt opened the library door to see Twilight sitting at her desk rifling through some papers. She looked up and smiled at the colt.

“Hey Geode, how was your first day?”

“Adequate.” He said in a flat tone. “If you need me I’ll be upstairs doing my homework.” The colt said as he ascended the staircase. Twilight smiled and returned to her work. Five minutes later a familiar maroon mare trotted inside with a smile on her face.

“Hello Cherilee, what’s up?”

“Oh nothing much I just had a few questions about Geode.” She said with a smile.

“Like what? Did he do something wrong in class today?”

“Quite the opposite. Geode is a borderline genius.” The lavender mare looked at the school teacher in surprise. “I gave a hypothetical math question and he solved it in ten seconds flat.”

“What was the question?”

“What do you get when you multiply three hundred and six by four thousand and eight?” The lavender mare thought for a moment and pulled out her abacus and began to calculate.

“It’s one million, two hundred twenty-six thousand, four hundred and forty-eight.”

“That’s what Geode said. Only he didn’t use an abacus.”

“Are you telling me that he calculated that answer in his head?” The teacher gave her a nod. “That’s almost impossible. How can he be that smart?”

“He said that you had math books here.”

“Yeah, basic arithmetic and a few others, but nothing that complex.” She said in surprise. The two were cut off as they heard the door close upstairs. Geode looked at the two mares in confusion.

“Hey Ms.Cherilee.”

“Good afternoon Geode, how was your first day?”

“Can’t complain.” He said as he descended the staircase. “Hey Twilight, do you have a map I can use?”

“Yeah sure. There are a few in the drawer. Why do you need it?” She asked as she pointed to the cabinet on the far side of the room.

“I’m still getting used to the town and I don’t want to get lost.” He said as he took the small map. “I’m going out for a bit.”

“What about your homework?”

“It’s done. Check it if you want, it’s on the desk upstairs.” He said as he trotted towards the door.

“Be back by dark.” Twilight said as the colt walked out the door. Twilight looked at the mare in confusion.

“What is it Twilight?”

“What did you assign them for homework?”

“To read chapter three in the text book and answer questions one through twenty-six. Why?”

“He came home five minutes ago.” The two mares walked upstairs into the colts room and found the pages of paper sitting on the desk. Twilight levitated the paper over to the mare and looked at her in anticipation. “Are they correct?” The maroon mare scanned the page and looked at the mare in surprise.

“Yes, I knew he was smart but not this smart.” She said in surprise. Twilight rubbed her chin as she thought. “So what do we do?”

“Nothing right now. Keep a close eye on him, I’ll do the same.” She said with a nod.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Geode looked at the map as he made his way through Ponyville. He reached the center of down and scooped up a small pile of dirt. He let it fall to the ground and brushed his hoof off. As he continued through the town he marked certain locations on his map. The crimson colt made his way to the outskirts of town where he saw a vast orchard holding thousands of the red fruit.

His eyes boggled at the sunlight reflecting off the apples. The colt then heard a loud noise coming from behind him. As he turned around he felt a large wooden barrel collide with his face and pushing him into the ground. The barrel smashed against a nearby tree stopping it’s movement. One end opened up and three fillies came pouring out of it in a dizzy state. “What happened?” The orange filly asked as she tried to regain her balance.

“I think we hit something.” The white Unicorn said as she shook her head. The three fillies then heard a low groan coming from a small rut in the dirt.

“Uh-oh.” Applebloom said as they trotted over to see a half buried crimson Unicorn colt. Geode opened his eyes and dug himself out of the small patch of dirt that surrounded him. As he shook his head he noticed three fillies running up to him. “Are ya okay?” Applebloom asked as they approached the colt. Geode shook his head and looked at the three fillies with a blank expression.

“Yeah, I’m fine. What were you three doing in that barrel?” He asked as he looked at the wooden cylinder laying against the tree.

“We were trying to get our barrel rolling Cutie Mark.” Scootaloo added. Geode looked at them in confusion. As he took a step his hooves collapsed beneath him and he felt his face hit the dirt. The fillies quickly rushed over to him as he got to his hooves for a second time.

“I’m fine. I just need a minute.” He said as he started to pant.

“We’re really sorry we hit you and-”

“APPLEBLOOM!” A familiar voice yelled. “What in tarnation are y’all doing?” Her eyes then fell upon the crimson colt who looked at her in confusion. “Geode? What are ya doing out here?”

“Just walking around and getting used to the town.” He said with a grin. The colt took another step and he staggered.

“You okay hun?” She asked as she noticed the large black and blue bump on his head.

“Yeah, I just-”

“It’s out fault!” Applebloom interjected. The orange mare and red colt looked at the three fillies in confusion. “We were in that barrel and we accidentally hit him.” The mare looked at her younger sister with a sour look on her face.

“What have ah told ya about looking where you’re going. I have to lecture Rainbow Dash about this twice a week. Ah thought my own kin would-”

“If I may interject. I wasn’t paying attention, so it’s partially my fault.” He said as he rubbed his head.

“We’ll worry about that later. Lets just get some ice on that bump.”

“Trust me I’m-”

“Twilight will bite my head off if I don’t do something. So quit yer yapping and follow me.” She said in a stern tone. The red colt gulped and followed the orange mare back towards the house. Geode noticed a large red stallion hauling a plow in a fresh patch of dirt. As they entered the farm house the sweet smell of animals and cinnamon filled the room. He sat on the couch as the orange mare trotted into the kitchen and withdrew an ice pack. The three fillies sat on the couch next to him with concerned looks on their faces. “Better?” She asked as the colt levitated the ice pack on his head.

“Yeah, thanks.” He said as he let out a sigh.

“I take it your a friend of my sisters?”

“Well-”

“You bet!” Scootaloo answered. Geode looked at them in confusion. “He totally told off Diamond Tiara today.”

“You mean that bratty pink filly that call’s y’all blank flanks and what not?”

“Yep. That’s her.” Sweetie Belle said with a sigh. The mare smiled at the colt who still had the confused look on his face.

“Any friend of Applebloom’s is a friend of mine.” She said with a smile. “Ah gotta get back to work. Y’all play nice now ya hear.” She said as she trotted out the door. Geode looked at the fillies in confusion.

“Why did you guys help me out?”

“You stood up for us back there. Us blank flanks gotta stick together.” Sweetie Belle said with a smile.

“Thanks.” He said as he let out a sigh. He removed the ice pack and got to his hooves.

“Where are ya going?” Applebloom asked.

“I need to do something.”

“What?”

“I want to get a layout of the town and the outskirts.” He said in a flat tone.

“We have one of those!” Applebloom interjected. Geode looked at the filly in surprise. “It’s at our club house.” The other crusaders looked at the farmer in surprise. “We could show ya if ya want.”

“I guess.” He said with a shrug. The fillies trotted ahead and whispered to one another.

“Why did you invite him to see our secret Crusader headquarters?” Scootaloo asked.

“Ah figured if he saw our club house then maybe he’d wanna join.” She said with a smile. The two fillies had a wide grin on their faces. Geode paid little attention to the fillies conversation. The crimson colt focused on the ground and payed close attention to the path and the feeling of the dirt crunching beneath his hooves. “Here we are.” The colt looked up to see a pink wooden club house built into a tree.

The fillies led the colt inside their club house. Geode looked in surprise at the wooden interior. There was a podium, a ladder leading up to an observation deck and a few poster hung up around the room. “This is the Crusader Headquarters.” Sweetie Belle said with a smile.

“How many of you are there?”

“Just the three of us in Ponyville and Applebloom’s cousin is working on the Manehattan branch.” Scootaloo added. Geode looked around the place and noticed the fine wood work.

“Mind telling me why you guys have a bulls eye in the middle of the floor?” He asked as he looked at a painted on target.

“That’s our thinking spot.” The white unicorn said as she sat down and had a blank expression on her face. “It’s where we come up with all our genius plans.”

“Like that barrel idea?” He said with a smirk.

“Okay, so not all of them are genius.” Scootaloo said as she rolled her eyes.

“You guys said you had a map?”

“Right here.” The crimson colt looked over to see the yellow filly pointing at a crude drawing of a few landmarks. A big red X was drawn over the library. Geode face hoofed at the sight.

“Ugh, I knew this was too good to be true.” He said under his breath. The colt then looked to see the three fillies smiling at him. “What?”

“Do ya wanna join?”

“I already told you three I have no interest in joining your club.” He said in a flat tone. The fillies looked at him in surprise.

“B-but, we showed you our club house and-”

“I never said I was gonna join.” He said as he let out a sigh. “Look, you three are nice and all, but I’m just a lot better off on my own.” The colt opened the door just in time for his face be met with a flying water balloon. Geode wiped the water from his face to see four colts standing in a row.

“A vast ye scurvy dog! Ye gone and hit the recruit!” Geode looked in surprise as he saw a white earth pony with a brown spot on his head talking with an accent to the other three colts. He was donning an eyepatch and a pirate hat. The other was a blue Pegasus colt with a red bandanna tied around his neck. The other two were unicorns. One was a rusty yellow and was the tallest one of the group with a snail as a Cutie Mark. The other was a dark green and was a bit more portly. He had a scissor mark on his flank.

Geode watched in confusion as the four colts made their way up to the red unicorn. “Who’re you?” He asked as he wiped the water from his face.

“I be captain Pip. This be me first mate Rumble and our two deck hooves Snips and Snails.” The earth pony said with a grin. “Ye showed courage today on the battlefield against the pink Kraken and the grey menace.” Geode looked at the costumed pony in confusion.

“You mean those two bratty fillies?” The four pirates nodded.

“Aye! I’d like to have ya on our crew.” The colt said with a laugh.

Is this guy for real? Geode thought as he let out a sigh. “As I just finished explaining to theses three, I’m not interested in joining a club.” He said as he looked back at the fillies. “Believe me when I tell you that I’m doing you all a favor when I say that staying away from me is for your own good.” The unicorn side stepped the group and continued on his way leaving the other ponies with confused looks on their faces. The red colt pulled the map he was using before and marked the school house.

The red colt finished marking the map and made his way back to the large tree in the center of town. As he opened the door he saw the purple dragon putting a few books away on the shelf. The colt nodded and quietly made his way upstairs. Geode rolled the map up and hid it underneath his mattress. The red colt laid back on his bed and let out a sigh. It’s for their own good that they leave me alone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the farm Applebloom was sitting at the dinner table with Applejack and the rest of her family. Applebloom sat in silence as she poked at her food. “What’s wrong sugar cube? You barely touched yer supper.” The orange mare asked with a concerned look on her face.

“Nothing. Just trying to figure something out is all.”

“What?”

“You know Geode right?” The mare nodded. “Well, since he doesn’t have a Cutie Mark I thought we’d invite him to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

“That’s mighty kind of ya.”

“Ah know, but he refused. Pip even asked him to join his pirate crew and he turned them down too.” The mare raised an eyebrow at the statement.

“Why would he go and do a thing like that?”

“He said he was better off on his own and that he was doing us a favor.” She said with a shrug.

“Keep in mind that Geode is still new. He’s probably just shy.”

“He didn’t seem that way when he stood up to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.” The filly left the conversation at that and dug into her food.

Chapter 4: The Project

Chapter 4

The Project

It had been a week since Geode’s first day. The colt sat in his desk as the maroon mare discussed literature that seemed more trouble then it’s worth. He took notes and put his things away as the lunch bell rang. He got to his hooves and made his way towards the door. “May I speak to you for a moment in private Geode?” The colt waited until the last pony left before trotting up to the mare's desk.

“Is there something wrong? Did I do bad on a test or something?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“No, your grades are good. Best in the class might I add.” The colt nodded. “It’s just that I haven’t seen you talk to any of the other children.” Geode rolled his eyes.

“Oh that.”

“Yes, that. Why don’t you?”

“Look Ms. Cherilee, I just prefer to be by myself.” He said with a shrug.

“Why? Everypony needs friends.” She said with a grin.

“That’s debatable.” He said in a flat tone. “I’ve survived this long without friends and I’ve turned out alright.” He said with a shrug.

“I still don’t understand why a colt your age-”

“Keep in mind I’m over a thousand years old.” He said in a stern tone.

“I know but-”

“No offense Ms. Cherilee, but it’s none of your concern. My grades are good and that’s all that matters while I’m here. Right?” The mare was dumbfounded at the colts’ words. The mare let out a sigh and waved him off. Geode nodded and levitated his lunch and bag over to his side as he walked out the door. The mare rubbed her head with her hooves as she tried to process the information. She let out a deep breath as she thought of a plan.

Lunch went relatively fast. Geode went off by himself and cracked open his copy of Daring Do. Across the way the Cute Mark Crusaders were in a paper ball fight with Pip and his pirate crew. Geode glanced over and watched the battle unfold. What the CMC lacked in numbers they made up for in determination. The pirates gained the upper hoof for a second but soon found themselves at the mercy of the fillies. Geode looked down at his book and let out a saddened sigh. Quit dreaming. I’ve been down that road before and it never ends well. He snapped out of the trance as he heard the school bell ring.

Geode and the other children came back inside and took their seats as Cherilee stood up in front of the class. “Alright class listen up. I will be breaking you all into two pony teams to work on a project.” The class let out a collective groan. “Now now. This is a fun project. All I want you and your partner to do is to find out more about one another.” Geode let out a grunt. “Just so everypony is on the same page, this assignment is worth ten precent of your final grade and you each represent half of the final score. So if one of you only contributes then you both of you will only receive half credit.” The ponies looked at one another in confusion and fear.

The mare then pulled out two hats with slips of paper inside of it. “I’ve taken the liberty of writing all of your names down and putting them in a hat.” She said as she held up the two black top hats. “Half of your names are in this hat and the other half is in this one.” She said as she pointed to the head accessories.

She reached her hoof inside and withdrew a slip of paper. “Scootaloo you will be working with....” Scootaloo was bitting her hooves in anticipation. “Pipsqueak.” Scootaloo let out a sigh of relief as did the young colt. Thankfully Tiara and Spoon were paired together, which was load off of everypony’s mind.

“Sweetie Belle your partner is.....Rumble.” Sweetie Belle felt her cheeks flare up as the colt gave her a friendly nod. “Applebloom your partner is...” Cherilee reached her hoof down into the hat and picked up the slip she was waiting to use. “Geode.” Both ponies face hoofed at the announcement. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo gave her a small pat on the back of reassurance. “That’s all the names. The project is due on Monday.” She said as the bell rang. The ponies collected their belongings and trotted out the door. Applebloom waited for the other ponies to leave and trotted up to the teacher.

“Um. Ms. Cherilee can ah ask you something?” She asked in a nervous tone.

“Sure. What is it?”

“Can you switch mah partner with someone a bit more.....social?” She asked in a low tone.

“Sorry Applebloom, but Everypony has a partner.”

“But he’s just so...different then everypony else. He told me he doesn’t want any friends.”

“I noticed and it’s why I think you may be able to help him with that.” She said with a warm smile.

“Me?” The filly said in confusion.

“You’re one of the nicest fillies I know and I think you might be able to get Geode to come out of his shell. Don’t forget that he’s from a different country and from a different era.” She said in a sweet tone. “He’s still getting used to things around here.” Applebloom smiled and let out a sigh.

“This ain’t gonna be easy.” She said with a low groan.

“Things worth getting in life usually aren’t easy. Who knows? You might get a Cutie Mark out of it.” Cherilee smiled as the filly’s eyes widened and a massive smile grew across her face.

“Really?”

“Only one way to find out.” The filly let out a laugh and charged out the door after her two friends.

Geode let out a grunt as he entered the library. The colt made his way upstairs and set his bag to the side. “Me and my big mouth. I should’ve seen this coming.” He said as he face hoofed. The colt got to his hooves and exited his room with his map in his bag. As he opened the door he was confronted by a yellow filly with a blank expression on her face. “What?”

“You know darn well. We gotta work on this project.” She said with a sigh. Geode rolled his eyes and tried to side step the filly, only to be met with a yellow hoof colliding with his chest and forcing him to the ground. The small filly was now standing over his body and was pressing her forehead against his. “Look here ya varmint. Ah don’t like it either, but we gotta do this. AJ will tan my hide if I fail this thing and I bet Twilight will be mighty cross with ya as well.” Geode’s eyes shrank at the thought of the element of magic loosing it.

“Fine. You made your point. Mind getting off me?”

“What’s going on here?” The two foals looked up to see Spike looking at them with a raised eyebrow.

“Howdy Spike.” She said as she got off the colt.

“What were you two doing?”

“Just getting my point across.” Applebloom said as Geode got to his hooves

“Ms. Cherilee assigned us as partners for a project. Applebloom and I were just on our way out to discuss it.” Geode said in a flat tone. Spike shrugged and went about his business. The colt looked at the filly who had a raised eyebrow. “So where should we go?”

“Club house I reckon.”

“You know I’m not a member right?” He said as the two made their way through town.

“Ah know that. Ah just figured it be more fun instead of the library.”

“I have no complaint.” He said with a shrug. Applebloom then noticed the purple crystal hanging around the colt’s neck.

“What’s that from?” She asked as she pointed to the necklace.

“This? It belonged to my mom. I’ve had it with me for as long as I can remember.” He said as he looked at it.

“Can I see it?”

“No. Sorry but this is really special to me.”

“It’s fine. Same thing with my bow.” She said as she pointed to the red bow that held back her red mane. “It was my moms’.” Geode gulped and let out a sigh.

“How long have you tried to get your Cutie Mark?” He asked trying to change the subject.

“Forever. We’ve tried everything from planting to zip lining.” She said with a groan.

“What’s zip lining?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“What? Where have you been?”

“In an empire for the last thousand years. Cut me some slack.” He said as he dead panned.

“Oh, sorry ah forgot. What about you?”

“I stopped trying.” He said in a low tone. The filly looked at him in shock.

“Why? It’s your special talent.”

“I've just accepted the possibility that I might be a blank flank forever and that’s fine by me.” He said in a bold tone.

“B-but you’ll never find your special talent if you don’t try.”

“I don’t care. What’s gonna happen if I don’t? I can survive on my brains and wits.”

“That’s another thing, how’d you get so smart?”

“When you’re trapped in the same place for a thousand years you need to keep busy or you’ll go crazy. I spent most of my time reading books.” He said with a shrug.

“What was it like?” The colt sighed.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He said in a low tone. The filly nodded as the two arrived at the club house. They opened the door to see the other two crusaders with their partners. The gave them a nod. Applebloom and the colt sat off on the corner of the club in two bean bag chairs. The two withdrew a small note pad and quill. “Okay let’s get this over with.” He said as he sat back.

“Okay then. What’s your favorite movie?” Applebloom asked.

“What’s a movie?” The ponies looked at him in surprise.

“Are ye soft in the head?” The pirate pony asked.

“Hey, I’ve been in the same place for over a thousand years. Sorry if I’m not up to date on all the latest trends.” He said in a rough tone.

“A movie is like a book only instead of reading it you can see ponies act it out.” Sweetie Belle said with a smile.

“Like a play?” He asked.

“Yeah only like twenty percent cooler.” Scootaloo added.

“Sounds interesting.” He commented. Rumble then perked his head up.

“Theres that new Daring Do movie playing in town. We could go and see that!” The blue colt said with a grin.

“They made a movie out of that book?” Geode said in surprise.

“Eeyup. I heard it got good reviews. Wanna go?” Applebloom asked.

“Sure. I just need some bits from Twilight.” He said as he got to his hooves.

“Same here. We’ll meet you there.” Sweetie Belle added. The ponies left the club house and went back into town. Geode walked into the library to see Twilight sitting at her desk behind a wall of papers.

“Hey Geode what’s up?” She said with a smile.

“Applebloom and a few other kids are going to go see a.....dang it what’s it called again? A Movie?”

“Really? Which one?”

“The new Daring Do. Which is why I’m here, can I have some bits?”

“Sure just give me a second.” She said as she got to her hooves. The lavender mare trotted over to the counter and retrieved a small bit bag. “So who are you going with?”

“Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Ruble and Pipsqueak. It’s for a project.”

“What project?”

“Ms. Cherilee split us up into groups and we gotta write about our partner. One of the questions asked was ‘what my favorite movie’ was and since I’ve never seen one before I figured I’d check that off the list.” The mare gave him a nod and handed him the bits.

“Have fun.” She said as the colt walked out the door. As he walked through the street he was joined by Rumble and Pipsqueak, each carrying their own bits. The three colts nodded and made their way to the center of town.

“So matey, how ye be liking our fair town?” The pirate asked.

“Why do you talk like that?”

“Makes me sound a bit more intimidating.” The colt said in a more refined accent. Geode shook his head and let out a sigh.

“To answer your question, it’s a nice change from the empire. A lot more....rustic.” He said with a small nod. The colts were soon joined by the three fillies in front of the movie house. “So this is the movie place?”

“Eeyup. Lets get inside and find some seats.” Applebloom said as the group walked inside the building. The colt saw that a teenage pony was operating the concessions counter behind a cash register.

“Welcome to Ponyville Matinee. How can I help you?”

“We’d like six tickets to the new Daring Do movie.” Applebloom said as she put her bits on the table. The stallion looked at the white filly with a raised eyebrow.

“Sorry miss, but this movie is a bit too violent for you.” Sweetie Belle let out a groan. Geode approached the counter and waved for the stallion to come closer.

“Maybe you can over look it just this once.” He said as he reached into his cloak and withdrew a medium sized Emerald. The stallion looked to his sides twice and gave the colt the six tickets as Geode handed him the gem. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

“You as well sir. Enjoy the movie.” Geode nodded and handed out the tickets to his companions who looked at him in surprise.

“That was the finest haggling me eyes ever saw!” The pirate pony said with a grin.

“What haggling? I just made the stallion a better offer. C’mon, let’s get going.” He said with a smirk. The ponies made their way down the hall and into the theatre. As Geode took his seats he noticed that Sweetie Belle and Rumble were walking out of the theatre. “Where are you two going?”

“To get some popcorn and soda.” Sweetie Belle answered.

“Want anything?” Rumble asked.

“What’s popcorn?” The ponies looked at him in confusion. Applebloom face hoofed and let out a sigh.

“Just get him a small popcorn and a soda.” The farmer filly said as she handed them each a few bits. The two nodded and left the group of ponies sitting in their seats; the orange Pegasus filly was sitting next to the pirate Earth pony and Applebloom was sitting next to the crimson unicorn. Sweetie Belle and Rumble returned with the assortment of snacks. Applebloom handed him the small paper box filled with the odd food. Geode took one of the kernels in his mouth and bit down.

“Wow! This is great!” He exclaimed.

“Shhh! It’s starting!” Applebloom said as the lights dimmed. The colt’s eyes boggled at the large screen projecting the tan Pegasus mare. Halfway into the flick Applebloom had finished her popcorn and reached her hoof into Geode’s own bucket. The colt was too mesmerized by the action movie to care. As Daring stepped on a slate of stone the floor suddenly opened to reveal a pit of spikes and snakes. The yellow filly let out a gasp and grabbed the colts hoof. Geode snapped out of the trance and saw a small blush creep across her face.

The filly let go of his hoof and watched the remainder of the movie in silence. The screen faded to black and the lights brightened. Geode rubbed his eyes as they readjusted themselves to the light. The group of foals trotted out of the theatre with smiles on their faces. “So how’d you like the movie?” Scootaloo asked as she looked at the crimson colt.

“Awesome!” He said with a smile.

“Aye, a fine time was had by all!” The pirate yelled. The group of ponies were then approached by three Pegasus stallions. One was brown while the other two were mustard yellow and grey.

“Alright kids let make this quick. Hand over your bits.” The grey one said as he held out his hoof.

“Why would we do that?” Scootaloo said as she narrowed her gaze.

“Give them up or else!” The stallion said as he cracked his hooves.

“No!” Applebloom yelled. The grey Pegasus swung at her only to be blocked by a red hoof. Geode squeezed on the stallions hoof and started to push it back towards the Pegasus who had a confused look on his face.

“What the?” He said as the clot threw his hoof up and delivered a quick jab to the stallions chest. The stallion staggered back and gave rough cough.

“You gonna let that little shrimp push ya around End zone?” The brown Pegasus said as he pointed at the red colt. The grey stallion charged at the colt with anger in his eyes. The colt quickly dodged him and followed up with a kick to the stallions jaw sending him to the ground. The other stallions looked in disbelief at the colt who got in a defensive stance.

The two stallions charged forward. Geode quickly avoided the attack and landed on the yellow stallions back. The colt delivered a quick strike to the spot between the stallions wings causing him to slump to the ground. He jumped off the Pegasus’s back just as the brown stallion swung at him. Geode felt the stallions hoof collide with his face.

The foals looked in surprise as the colt didn’t budge from his standing position. The brown Pegasus looked in shock at the colt’s unbruised face. Geode grabbed the stallions head and head butted him. The Pegasus stumbled backwards and tripped over his unconscious yellow companion. Geode let out a sigh and looked back at the foals who’s mouths were agate.

“THAT WAS AWESOME!” Scootaloo exclaimed. The other foals soon crowded around him with smiles on their faces. “How did you do that?”

“When you live on your own you have to learn how to defend yourself.” He then heard a groan escape one of the stallions mouths. “Look, let’s just get out of her. When these guys wake up they’re gonna be angry.” The colt said as he turned around.

“Wait what about the project?” Applebloom asked.

“We’ll meet up tomorrow at the clubhouse around ten. Okay?” The filly nodded as the red colt trotted away from the group. The two colts did the same leaving the fillies to walk home with each other.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Geode entered the library and let out a sigh. The purple mare was in the kitchen along with the dragon. Twilight smiled at the colt and waved him over to the table where his place was set. “So how was the movie Geode?” Twilight asked.

“It was amazing. Guess I missed more than I thought while I was in the empire.” He said as he ate the food.

“You saw the new Daring Do movie with the CMC right?” Spike asked.

“Yeah why?”

“That movie is PG-13 and Sweetie Belle is only twelve. How’d you get her in?”

“I can be very persuasive.” He said as he withdrew an emerald. Twilight’s jaw dropped.

“You bribed him?”

“I only offered him a proposition and he accepted.” He said with a smug grin. Twilight frowned a the colt.

“You know that bribing is wrong right?”

“Hey my rule is do what you need to do in order to achieve your goals.” He said with a shrug.

“It’s wrong!” Twilight stammered. Geode shrugged and let out a sigh.

“Look Twilight I had to do a lot of things in the empire to survive. I’m not proud of it, but it happened.” He said as he got to his hooves and walked away from the table.

“Where did you even get that jewel?”

“I dug it up. What do you think I do in my spare time?” He said as he ascended the stairs and trotted into his room. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw there was a small crack where he had head butted the stallion. He walked over to his bag and pulled out a small vial filled with a brown substance. He dumped the vial on the injured area and the crack started to disappear. The colt let out a sigh of relief and laid down to rest.

Chapter 5: Differences

Chapter 5

Differences

Applebloom was waiting at the front of her club house tapping her hoof against the dirt waiting for the red colt. As she did the fight from yesterday flashed in her mind. How did he fight like that? Why did he defend us and why in the name of Celestia can’t ah get him out of mah head? She groaned at the last part. The yellow filly laid down on her back and stared up at the sky. She closed her eyes for a few minutes and drifted off to sleep.

The filly was awoken by someone nudging her shoulder. Applebloom woke up to see the red colt wearing a deep red cloak staring down at her with a raised eyebrow. Applebloom felt her face turn red as she got to her hooves and looked at the colt. “What in the hay took ya so dang long?” She asked as she noticed that he was covered in dirt.

“Sheesh, sorry for being five minutes late.” He said as he rolled his eyes and brushed himself off.

“Why are ya covered in dirt?”

“I had something to take care of.”

“What?”

“Personal business.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means it’s personal and none of your business.” He said in a flat tone.

“Can I axe you something?” She said in a nervous filled voice.

“Axe away. Just mind where you’re swinging.” He said as the two walked into the club house.

“How did you beat up those stallions yesterday? They were three times our size and you took them down like they were nothing.” She said as Geode noticed the other four ponies in the club house.

“Aye. It was a fine spectacle. Surprising though.” Pip said as he looked at the colt.

“Oh that? I hit a series of pressure points in their bodies.” The foals looked at him in confusion. “Okay, there are hundreds of pressure points scattered throughout your body. Hitting one in the right place with enough force can seriously injure a pony.” The foals let out a collective ‘oh’ sound.

“How do you know where to hit?” Scootaloo asked.

“Just read a basic book on pony anatomy and they’re in easy spots to remember.” He said as he trotted over to the orange filly. “There’s a small cluster of them on a Pegasus’s back just in between their wings.” He said as he pointed to Scootaloo’s joints. “There are a few located in the jaw and behind the forehead.” The ponies then remembered how he took each of the stallions down.

“So how come you didn’t get hurt when you head butted that stallion?” Rumble asked.

“Everyone always said I was hard headed and I wanted to see if it was true.” He said with a smirk. “I’d also appreciate it if you all kept that little incident to yourselves. I don’t need Twilight giving me an earful about fighting when I get home.”

“Um, I already told Rainbow Dash about it.” Scootaloo said with a small grin.

“I told my big bro about it too.” Rumble said as he raised a hoof.

“I may have mentioned it to Rarity.” *Squee* Sweetie Belle said as she grinned. The colt face hoofed and let out a groan.

“Thanks guys. Now I’m gonna hear it from Twilight when I get back.” He said as he sat down on the wooden floor. Applebloom shrugged and took a seat in a bean bag chair as she withdrew a pencil and paper.

“Alright ya’ll, let’s get to work. This project ain’t gonna do itself.” The ponies nodded and got in their respected groups. “Okay so we’ll check favorite movie off the list. What about favorite book?” Applebloom asked.

“Probably ‘Lord of the Ponies’. One of my all time favorites.” Geode said with a smile.

“Never heard of it.” Scootaloo answered.

“Not surprising. It was written a thousand years ago. My personal copy is autographed by the author, R.J. Colton.” He said with a smile.

“Okay. Here’s a good one; what do you want to be when you grow up?” Geode scratched his chin and shrugged.

“Don’t know. What about you?”

“Well, I’ll find out when I get my Cutie Mark.” The filly said as she looked at her blank flank.

“You think Cutie Marks are that important?”

“Of course they are! They tell us what our special talent is and what we’re meant to do!”

“The only thing in this world that can do that is YOU.” He said as he pointed to the filly. “Your Cutie Mark won’t show until you’ve accepted that and you find something you love to do.” He said as he let out a sigh.

“That’s what everypony keeps telling us and nothing has happened yet!” Scootaloo interjected.

“So you guys are talentless?”

“NO! I fixed up this club house just fine!” Applebloom stammered.

“You fixed this place up?” He said in surprise.

“She sure did. This place was wreck when we first got it.” Sweetie interjected.

“Yeah! She added on a whole second floor.” Scootaloo said as she pointed to a nearby ladder.

“So you’re good at building things?” Geode asked.

“I guess.”

“Maybe that’s-”

“It ain’t. I don’t know why but I know it’s not my special talent.” Applebloom said as she glared at the colt.

“Maybe you’re just being stubborn.”

“Maybe you should shut yer trap and answer the question.” She said in a stern tone. Geode rolled his eyes and raised his hooves as he backed off.

“Fine, forget I mentioned it.” He said as he let out a sigh. “I guess, become stronger.” He said with a shrug.

“Why?”

“I have my own reasons.” Geode spat out.

“Fine. Be all mysterious and what not.” The filly said as she rolled her eyes. “What’s your hobby?”

“Don’t have one.” He said in a flat tone.

“What in the hay do you do after school?”

“Homework. Duh.”

“Till dinner? I doubt it. You probably get it done in ten minutes.” Rumble added.

“Aye, ye not be making much sense lad.” The pirate said as he joined the conversation.

“Is it so surprising that I don’t have a hobby? What about you?” Geode spat back at the yellow filly.

“I hang out with my friends and try to find my Cutie Mark.” She said as the other foals in the room got to their hooves and trotted over to him.

“I don’t have a hobby.” He said in a stern tone.

“Fine. Whatever let’s just get this over with.” She said with a sigh.

“Finally something we agree on. What’s the next question?”

“Why are you such a jerk?” Scootaloo interjected. The colt narrowed his eyes and grunted. “All we’ve done is try to be nice to you and you treat us like dirt.”

“Oh please. The only reason you’re doing this is for the faint hope that you’ll get your Cutie Marks out of it.” The yellow filly gulped. “I heard Cherilee talk to you the other day. In the end Ponies always want something in return.” He said as he got to his hooves.

“Well, yes. That was true at first, but I was trying to be friendly.” Applebloom said in a challenging tone. “Let me ask you this why did you defend us yesterday? You could have easily taken off and left us in the dust. Instead you chose to fight. Why?”

“I’ve run away too many times in my life plus, I wanted to test myself and those stallions provided me with a good opportunity.” He said in a flat tone. The foals looked at him in confusion. “In my experience the closer you are to somepony the only thing they’ll need is a shorter knife for when they stab you in the back.” He said as he walked towards the door.

“Hey where are you going?” Applebloom yelled.

“Out. I need to check on something.” He said as he closed the door behind him. The filly growled and let out a groan of frustration.

“Wow, and ponies say I have issues.” Pip added in his normal sounding voice.

“Seriously what’s up with him?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Don’t know, but I know one way we can find out.” Rumble added.

“How?”

“We follow him.”

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Why not? He’s hiding something!” Scootaloo added.

“Ah agree with Scootaloo. That colt is up to something.” Applebloom said as she walked out the door with the other foals following close behind. The foals trotted back into town looking for the crimson colt.

“Maybe he went back to the library.” Rumble suggested.

“Good idea. We’ll check there first.” Applebloom said as the group made their way towards the library. The filly opened the door to see the purple dragon with an armful of books and Twilight sitting at her desk with a pair of glassed on her nose and using her magic to hold a quill that was dancing along a piece of paper. The mare looked up and smiled at them.

“Hello girls. Is Geode with you?”

“Nope. Is he here?”

“No, I haven’t seen him since early this morning.”

“How early?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“He left around six in the morning. I was pulling an all night’r and I heard him leave. He said you guys were meeting at the club house to work on the project.”

“We were supposed to meet him at ten o’clock.” Scootaloo added.

“Did he not show up?”

“No, he showed up and then left. Which is why we’re trying to find him.” Rumble added.

“Why did he leave?” Twilight asked in surprise. The foals shrugged as Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Applejack entered the library.

“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said with a grin.

“Hey Squirt. What are you guys doing here?” She asked as she looked at the group of foals.

“Looking for Geode. He pulled a disappearing act on us.” Sweetie Belle said with a groan.

“Relax, any colt who could beat up those three jerks can easily handle himself.” Rainbow said with a smirk.

“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked as she trotted up to her friends with a cocked eyebrow.

“You didn’t hear? Jeez Twi, you really need to get out more.” Rainbow said as she rolled her eyes.

“What? Tell me.” The lavender mare said as she looked at her friend in anticipation.

“Scoot told me that Geode completely flattened three stallions last night.” The lavender mare’s jaw dropped.

“Sweetie Belle told me the same thing.” Rarity added.

“Same with Applebloom.” The farmer said as the three looked at the stunned purple Unicorn.

“I told ya ah wasn’t lying!” Applebloom yelled in annoyance. “Look, we’re getting off topic here ah need to find him so that we can get this project done.” She said as she face hoofed.

“Sorry girls like I said, I haven’t seen him all day.” Twilight said with a shrug. “I’ll let you know if I do.”

“Thank Twilight. C’mon y’all we’d better start searching again.” Applebloom said as the group trotted out of the library and back onto the street. “Maybe we’d better split up. We’d cover more ground that way.”

“Good idea. We’ll meet back at the club house in an hour.” Sweetie Belle said with a smile. Applebloom went off on her own and searched the far end of town. After stopping at Sugar Cube corner she looked at the clock tower and saw that her hour was up. The little filly made her way back to the club house she decided to take a detour through the edge of her orchard. As she came to the clearing she looked into the forest to see a crimson mass in the ground.

There he is! She thought as she charged into the thicket. When I get my hooves on him ah’m gonna-. She stopped as she heard some faint sniffling coming from the colt. Is he.....crying? Applebloom’s face when to that of angry to sympathetic. She slowly walked up to the curled up colt and took a moment to look him over. “Geode?” The colt instantly got to his hooves and spun around to see the yellow filly.

“What do you want?” He yelled. Even though he had his hood on Applebloom could see the tears flowing from his eyes.

“Ah-ah just came looking for ya is all.” The colt withdrew two clip boards from his coat and threw them in front of the filly.

“There! The project is done. Now leave me alone!” He yelled. Applebloom looked at the clip boards and then back at the colt who still held the gaze.

“It was about your parent’s wasn’t it?” She asked the colt blinked twice in surprise. The filly slowly drew closer to the colt. “Trust me ah know how it feels to loose somepony close to ya. Both mah folks are gone too.” Geode was stunned as the filly wrapped her hooves around him and held him close. His brain lurched and his head pounded in pain. The colt quickly broke the embrace and backed away.

“We are NOT the same!” He yelled. “What makes you think you know anything about me huh?” Geode bellowed at the filly who took a step back. “You had Applejack and your brother to look after you. I had NO ONE! I had to fend for myself for a thousand years!” He said as the tears flowed. Applebloom felt tears form in her eyes. The colt’s tears made his red fur darker and his eyes were filled with as much rage as sadness. “Just leave me alone!” Geode’s horn flared and vanished in a flash of light.

Applebloom was stunned at the colt’s words. She picked up the clip boards between her teeth and slowly made her way back to the club house. As she entered the wooden structure the other four foals got to their hooves. “There you are!” Scootaloo said. “We were getting worried and-” The orange filly notice that the farmer had a sad look on her face. “You okay Applebloom?” She said as the group crowded around her.

“Y-yeah ah’m fine. It’s getting late, I’ll catch y’all later.” She said as she galloped out the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Geode slowly trotted through town with his head covered by his hood and hung it low. As he walked into the library he saw Twilight sitting at her desk with a raised eyebrow. Geode felt her gaze on him. “What?”

“Why didn’t you tell me about the fight?” She asked as she got to her hooves and trotted over to him.

“I didn’t think it concerned you.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight put a hoof on his head and looked him over. “I’m fine!”

“Still, I’m angry you didn’t tell me.” She said as he eyes narrowed.

“Again, I don’t see how it’s any of your business.”

“Look here Geode. I promised Cadence that I’d look after you and-”

“Which is the only reason you’re doing it in the first place. I never asked for this. No pony ever takes MY opinion into account.” The colt spat out. “I was doing fine before Cadence caught me and I don’t need her or your charity.”

“How dare you! I open up my home to you and I even try to understand you and all you do is disrespect me!”

“You think you know me? HA that’s a laugh! I’m not like you Twilight. You were raised in pampered Canterlot while I was scrounging around in the dirt looking for food.” Geode bypassed the stunned mare and made his way upstairs. Twilight groaned and trotted back over to her desk and continued reading.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Applebloom walked up to her sisters bedroom door and knocked on it. It opened a few seconds later to reveal the orange mare with her hair down. “Hey sis, what’s up?”

“Ah gotta tell ya something.” The mare nodded and led the filly inside and closed the door behind her.

“What’s up?”

“It’s about Geode. Ah found him this afternoon crying.”

“Crying? That colt is usually tough as nails.”

“That’s the point. Ah guessed he was crying about his folks being gone so I tried to relate to him. Ya know, to make him feel better.” She said as she sat on the bed.

“Well, ah guess I see the reason in that.”

“Yeah, but then he said that I had you, Big Mac and Granny Smith to look after me. He had no pony to help him, he spent the last thousand years all on his own.” Applejack put a hoof to her mouth in shock. “I guess my problem is....how can I become friends with a pony like that?”

“Ah don’t know sugar cube. I can’t even begin to imagine what he went through.”

“I’m just worried about him is all.” She said with a groan. Applejack bit her lip and let out a sigh.

“Ah don’t know. All we can do is wait and see, he’s still getting used to things around here. I’ll go talk to Twilight, maybe she has some advice.” She said with a smile.

“Thanks sis.” The filly said with a smile. Applejack got to her hooves and walked her sister out the door. The orange mare trotted down stairs and saw her brother reading on the couch.

“I’ll be back later Mac. I gotta ask Twi something.”

“Alright.” he said with a nod. Applejack tipped her hat and made her way out of her home and back into the quiet town.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight sat at the dinner table across from the purple dragon who had a skeptical look on his face. “C’mon Twilight, don’t you think you were a little harsh? So he got in a fight. Big deal. From what the others told me he defended them.”

“Spike, he shouldn’t have done that.”

“What was he supposed to do? Let them take their bit’s and beat him up?” He said with a shrug. The two were interrupted by a knock at the door. Twilight trotted up to the door and let out a sigh.

“Sorry, the library is closed.” She snapped at the noise.

“Twi, it’s Applejack can I come in?” Twilight hastily opened the door hearing her friends voice.”Thank ya kindly. You okay?”

“Sorry about that AJ. Geode and I had a little....argument before.”

“That’s why I’m here. He said a few things to Applebloom and she’s kinda torn up about it.” Twilight’s jaw dropped.

“Did he make fun of her?”

“No, he didn’t do anything like that.” She said as she put a hoof on her friends shoulder. “Applebloom found him crying today and when she offered help he bit her head off and stormed off.”

“He was crying?” The librarian said in surprise. “About what?”

“Applebloom figured it was about his folks. Geode told her that he’s been on his own for over a thousand years.”

“Okay, we already knew that.”

“A thousand years Twilight. Think about that. No pony to talk to for a thousand years is enough to drive anypony to the edge.” Spike interjected. Twilight gave it a thought and let out a sigh.

“I’m not sure what to do. I’ll send Cadence a letter and see if she can dig anything up on him.”

“Good idea.” Applejack said. “I just thought I’d let you know, since you’re looking after him and what not.”

“Thanks for telling me AJ. Want some tea before you go?”

“Nah. I’ll see ya tomorrow.” She said as she smiled and left the large tree. Twilight closed the door behind her and looked back at the dragon who had a quill and paper in his claw.

“Ready?”

“Ready.” Spike said as he cracked his wrist.

“Dear Princess Cadence.” The mare started.

Chapter 6: Forgiveness

Chapter 6

Forgiveness

Geode found himself walking through the crystal lined streets of his former home. He kept his head low and broke into a gallop. He saw a mob of shadows approaching him. Geode turned around and high tailed it in the opposite direction. He darted down an alley hearing the shadows in hot pursuit. He then came face to face with a large brick wall and all route’s of escape was cut off. The colt heard the crowd converge on him. He ducked as one of them threw a tin can at him. Soon the rest of the crowd picked up items and started hurtling things at the colt. Geode dodged one item after another and heard them clang and crash into the wall behind him.

“Freak!” One of the stallions yelled.

“Why don’t you just go away!” Geode was then hit in the head by a metal can. The colt staggered backwards.

“He’s a monster don’t even look at him.” A mare said as she stood in front of her two foals.

“Freak, why don’t you just die!” Geode felt another object collide with his head. The colt curled up in a ball on the ground and held his hooves over his head in fear as the mob converged on him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Geode woke up in a cold sweat and his heart pounding. “Geode? Are you okay?” The colt looked beside him to see the lavender mare looking at him with a worried look on her face.

“N-nothing. Just a bad dream.” Twilight put a hoof to his head.

“Geode, you’re not okay. I know a night terror when I see one.” She said in a nervous tone.

“It’s just a bad dream.” He said in a low tone. The mare sat on his bed and looked at the colt.

“Geode....please I want to help you. AJ came by yesterday and told me that Applebloom saw you crying.” She said in a sympathetic tone. Geode’s mind lurched as he remembered the incident.

“You have enough on your plate. I can handle things on my own.” He said as he hung his head.

“Please, I know I’m not the best at showing it, but I’m worried about you.” The crimson colt let out a sigh and looked back at the mare.

“Back when I was in the Empire no pony talked to me. They just....ignored me like I was some type of freak.” He said as he hung his head low. “Even when I tried to play with the other foals they would yell at me and run away.” Twilight put a hoof to her mouth in shock. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t put this on you. You have enough to-” He was cut off as the mare wrapped her hooves around him and brought him close. Geode froze in the mares embrace.

“That’s all over now. I’m here for you. You don’t have to do everything on your own anymore.” Twilight said as tears trickled down her cheek. Geode was still stunned at the mares action. The colt felt a sharp pain in his head but ignored it. The colt nervously returned the gesture and wrapped his hooves around the mare. Twilight ran a hoof through his mane and smiled. Geode felt his tears flow over uncontrollably. “You okay Geode?”

“Y-yeah. I just need some time.” He said as he broke the embrace.

“That’s fine. I’m gonna make some breakfast. Come down when you’re ready okay?” She said with a warm smile. Geode nodded as the mare left the room. As she closed the door the colt grabbed his head in pain. He laid back down on the bed and tried to sift through the memories.

Faust Damn it! Why is this so hard?

Remember what they did!

They didn’t know. He thought as the pain faded and he trotted down stairs. Twilight levitated the plates onto the table as Spike cooked on the stove. The mare smiled as the colt took his seat at the table. “Hey Twilight, I’m really, really sorry about what I said yesterday. I was out of line.” Twilight gave him a smile.

“It’s fine. I shouldn’t have been so hard on you about you defending your friends.”

“Not sure if I can call them my friends, on account of how I told Applebloom off yesterday.” He said as spike put the plate of pancakes in front of him. “Thanks Spike.”

“No problem.” The dragon said.

“Maybe if you apologize they’ll stay your friends.” She said as the group started to eat. Geode shrugged and dug into the pancakes. As they ate Spike noticed the gem hanging around the colt’s neck.

“Hey Geode, what’s that crystal?”

“Just something my mom gave me.” He said with a shrug.

“Never seen one like it before.”

“It’s from the Crystal Empire so it’s not too surprising.” Twilight added.

“True, I’d better find a gem book in this place.” Spike said as he finished his stack. Geode soon finished his and walked back upstairs to grab his coat. As he reached for it he hesitated and decided to leave it hanging up on the back of his chair. He trotted back downstairs and exited the large tree. He put a hoof to shield his eyes from Celestia’s sun.The red colt trotted down the dirt road and thought how he was going to apologize to the filly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Princess Cadence trotted through the crystal line streets as she approached the grand library. As she walked inside several ponies gasped and bowed their heads. Cadence smiled and quickly made her way to the front desk where an elderly mare sat behind. The mare quickly got to her hooves and bowed to the pink Alicorn. “Good morning your majesty. How can I help you?”

“Good morning to you as well. I need to look at your personnel records.”

“Might I ask why?”

“I’m trying to look up something about a friend of mine and I’d like to see his medical and psychological records.” She said with a smile.

“I see. Let me get my assistant, he’s in charge of those records.” She said as she trotted behind a book shelf. Cadence waited patiently until the mare returned with a dark blue crystal stallion with bright red eyes and a white mane.

“I understand my services are required?” He said in a cheerful voice.

“Yes, I’m looking for the records of colt name Geode.” That stallion looked at her in confusion.

“I don’t know anypony by that name. Let’s check in the archives and we’ll see if we can dig something up.” The Alicorn nodded and followed the stallion deep into the library. The two arrived in front of a massive steel door and stopped. The stallion with drew a key that fitted into the lock and he gave it a turn as he pushed the door open.

“I know I should have asked this sooner but, what’s your name?”

“It’s Stone Hammer your highness.”

“Thank you for doing this for me Stone.”

“Think noting of it. I’m here to serve you milady.” He said with a bow. The two trotted past dozens of racks filled with files until they stopped. “You said his name was Geode?” The mare nodded. “Any other information about him?”

“Well, he’s a colt, his coat is deep red, he has a black mane and he’s a Unicorn.” The stallion froze at the description.

“Did you say a red unicorn colt?”

“Yes, why?” The stallion narrowed his eyes and raised an eyebrow.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your interest in him?”

“He’s staying with a friend of mine and she’d like a copy of his medical record.” The stallion bit his lip.

“So he’s out of the empire?”

“Yes, why?” She asked in a suspicious tone.

“I know who you’re talking about, but we have no files on him.” The Alicorn looked at him in shock.

“What? Why?”

“You must understand that during Sombra’s rule several files and documents were destroyed, or went missing. His file must have been in that mix.” Cadence looked at him in disappointment. “I’m sorry ma’am but it’s the truth.”

“I understand. Thank you for your time.” She said in a defeated tone. The mare gave him a smile as she left the room. The stallion returned the gesture and waved goodbye. As the door closed the stallion’s face turned to anger and he slammed a hoof into the wall.

“That bitch!” He said under his breath. He quietly returned to his desk and jotted something down on a note. After he finished writing he trotted over to a pigeon and tied it to it’s leg. “You know where to go.” He said as he opened the window and the bird took flight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Geode trotted up to the farm house and gulped as he snuck by the large red stallion. As he approached the door he let out a sigh and knocked three times on the hard wooden surface. The door opened to reveal an elderly green mare with a grey mane. “Well, howdy there sonny. What can I do for ya?”

“Is Applebloom home?”

“She sure is, she’s just brushing her mane. She’ll be down in a few minutes.” She said in a calm tone. “C’mon in. Make yourself at home.” Geode nodded and followed the mare inside and sat on the couch. The mare sat in an old rocking chair. “So what’s yer name then sonny?”

“It’s Geode.” The mares eyes lit up and a smile crept across her face.

“So you’re the young colt mah granddaughter hasn’t stopped talking about.” Geode felt his face heat up.

“She talks about me?” He asked in a nervous tone.

“She sure does. Almost every night at the dinner table she eventually brings you up.” She said with a smile.

“GRANNY!” The two looked up to see the blushing yellow filly making her way down the stairs. Geode thanked Celestia that his dark red fur hid his small blush. “Mind telling me why you’re here?” She asked in a flat tone. Geode gulped and got to his hooves.

“Can we talk?”

“We’re talking right now.”

“I mean in privacy.”

“Ah don’t-” She was cut off as the green mare got to her hooves and walked out of the room whistling a small tune. The yellow filly sighed and looked back at the colt. “Fine.”

“I came here to apologize.” The filly looked at him in confusion. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. I was just....”

“Stressed out?” She asked.

“Yeah. Look when I left the empire I mostly wanted to escape my problems. I guess I’m just scared that my problems will follow me here.” He said in a low tone. “Not to mention you surprised me yesterday with that stunt you pulled.”

“What stunt?” The filly asked as she raised an eyebrow.

“You know when you found me yesterday. When you.....Dang, what’s that thing called?” He asked as he scratched his chin.

“You mean when ah hugged you?” She said as a small blush appeared on her face.

“Yeah that thing.” He said as his face grew brighter. “It’s been a while since anypony’s ever done that.”

“Really? How long are we talking here?”

“About a thousand years.” He said in a low tone. “I understand if you don’t want to be my friend anymore. I’ll just-” He was caught off guard as the filly wrapped her hooves around him and brought him into a hug. Geode blushed brightly at the motion and returned the gesture. Applebloom felt her face flare up as she ran hoof through his mane.

Wow, his mane is REALLY soft. She thought to herself.

“Awwe.” The two instantly broke apart as they heard the voice coming from the kitchen. The two looked over and saw a mirror that held their reflections.

“L-let’s get out of here Geode.” Applebloom said as she tried to hide her blush.

“Right behind you.” He said as the two foals dashed out of the farm house. Back inside Granny smith held the mirror and quietly giggled to herself as Applejack walked through the door way and looked at her grandmother with a confused look on her face.

“What’s up Granny?” The orange mare asked.

“Oh nothing dear, nothing at all.” She said in an innocent tone.

“Have you seen Applebloom?”

“She just left with that little red Unicorn colt.” She said with a giggle.

“Well, I’m glad those two are getting along.”

“Oh trust me missy, they are.” She said with another giggle. The mare raised an eyebrow at the mares words. “Let me just say this, she’s gonna need some advice later on and I hope you’ll be there for her.”

“Of course! I love mah little sis and I’ll help her in anyway I can!”

“Good to hear.” She said with a smile.

The two foals hurried off the farm and towards the club house. The two walked along the dirt road and avoided eye contact. Geode felt the filly’s gaze on him and thanked Celestia again for his dark red coat. “So Geode, what do you do in your spare time?”

“I read mostly. Not much to do around the library.” He said as they entered the club house. The two looked in confusion as they saw Rumble and Sweetie Belle rubbing their heads in frustration as Pip and Scootaloo were quarreling with one another.

“NINJAS!” Scootaloo yelled.

“PIRATES!” The Earth pony fired back.

“NINJAS!”

“PIRATES!”

“Okay, what the hay is going on here?” Applebloom asked.

“They’re fighting over which is better, Pirates or Ninjas.” Rumble breathed out. The two foals were now pressing their foreheads together and growling at one another. Geode let out a sigh and separated the two.

“Easy you two, Pirates and Ninjas are equally awesome. The two have as many strengths as weaknesses.”

“Pirates are invincible!” Pip yelled.

“They may be strong in numbers but they lack stealth. Appearing on a massive ship waving a flag is like broadcasting to the world that those ponies are up to no good.”

“HA!” Scootaloo said.

“Ninjas also have a main weakness. While they are extremely stealthy they lack strength and are considered very underhanded. Pirates at least have their own code and Ninjas use dirty tricks to get their way. Pirates are at fault there as well.” The foals looked at him in amazement. “If put in a fight the two would probably cancel each other out and they would both cheat to win.” The foals looked at him in surprise. “Just my opinion though. I can’t deny that Pirates and Ninjas are great and it’s very enjoyable to see their adventures.” The red colt finished as the foals jaws dropped.

“Good point.” The orange filly said as she let out a sigh.

“Aye, ye be speaking words of truth.” Pip said with a nod. Sweetie Belle and Rumble let out a sigh of relief.

“Look guys. I’ve been treating you poorly and I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?” He asked in a sincere tone. The foals looked at Applebloom who had a wide grin on her face. The foals grinned at him and nodded their heads.

“It’s alright we all get stressed out sometimes.” Rumble said with a smile.

“Hey....you guys wanna see something awesome?” Geode asked.

“Yeah!” The group shouted.

“Fine, just don’t tell anypony about it.”

“Got it!” Sweetie Belle chimed.

“Promise?”

“Cross out hearts, hope to fly stick, a cupcake in my eye.” The five foals said as the did a series of hoof gestures.

“What was that?”

“That be a Pinkie Promise lad.” Pip answered.

“Pinkie Promise?”

“Once you make it you can’t break it.” Scootaloo said as the colt shrugged.

“Good enough for me.” He said as he led them out of the club house and into the streets of Ponyville. Geode talked with Rumble up front along with Pip while the CMC hung back and whispered to one another.

“So do you guys have your project done?” Applebloom asked.

“Yep, Rumble is so cool.” Sweetie Belle said with a sigh.

“Sound like somepony is crushing.” Scootaloo said with smug look on her face. Sweetie Belle’s face turned bright red.

“Oh yeah?.....Well, what about you and Pip? I’ve seen how you look at him.”

“SHHH!” She said as she covered her friends hoof with her own. “He’ll hear you!”

“Settle down you two.” Applebloom said as she stepped between her two friends.

“Oh stop acting all high and mighty Applebloom. We both see how you act around Geode.” The yellow filly’s face turned bright red.

“H-he’s just a friend.” She stammered.

“Then why are you blushing?” Sweetie Belle asked. The three fillies huddled up and hung back from the colts.

“Are you guys coming?” Rumble asked as he looked at the fillies.

“Um...ah just remembered ah gotta help Applejack with ah.......something.” Applebloom said as she rubbed her mane.

“Y-yeah same with us. See ya!” The orange filly said as the three galloped away from the colts. The three bewildered colts looked at one another in confusion.

“Dude, fillies are crazy.” Rumble breathed out.

“Aye.”

“No argument here.”

“Still, Sweetie isn’t so bad.” The blue Pegasus said with a grin.

“She be a siren out to steal yer soul.”

“Oh yeah? Well, what does that make Scootaloo?” The Pirate immediately shut his mouth.

“You leave the lass out of this, she be a fine deckhoof.”

“You both sound ridiculous.” Geode said as he face hoofed.

“What about Applebloom huh? I saw how you looked at her.” Rumble said as the crimson colt blushed. “Ugh! What’s happening to us?”

“It’s these fillies. They’re driving us insane.” Geode added.

“Aye we were alway on the same side, us against them.” Pip said as he looked at the blue colt.

“No matter the them we were always us.” Pip said as the colts stopped walking and let out a collective sigh.

“Guys we are WAY out of our element here. Who do we know that could help us out?” Geode asked.

“Aye, we be going off the edge of the map.” Pip said as the colts thought for a moment. Rumble’s eyes shrank at a realization.

“OH! My brother can help us! He’s had mare friends before.”

“Good thinking. Tis why ye be my first mate.” He said with a smile. “Turn East towards the shore.” He said as he started to walk off.

“Um Captain, my house is that way.” Rumble said as he pointed in the opposite direction.

“Mind if I come along?” Geode asked.

“Prate folk only.” Pip said with a grin. Geode let out a sigh and looked at the two.

“Permission to join your crew?” The earth pony raised an eyebrow at him. “Captain.” The red colt breathed out.

“Welcome aboard. Ye could be.....the black powder pony.” Pip said with a grin.

“What?”

“In charge of the cannons.” Rumble explained.

“Sounds good to me.” He said as the three sped off towards the blue colt’s home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The three fillies trotted inside Carousel Boutique as the yellow and orange fillies held their heads low. “You sure about this Sweetie Belle?” Applebloom asked.

“Trust me girls, if there’s anypony in Ponyville who knows about colts its Rarity.” She said as they made their way upstairs. “Rarity?” The filly asked as the group walked into the sewing room where they saw the white mare sitting at her sewing table.

“In a minute Sweetie I must finish this design for a client.”

“But we need your help and-”

“I said in a minute.” Rarity said in an annoyed tone.

“C’mon Crusaders maybe Rainbow Dash knows how to deal with colts.” The orange filly said. Rarity stopped working as her ear twitched at the sound and instantly dashed in front of the door.

“What’s this about colts?” She asked as she glared at the fillies.

“We’re have a little trouble.....understanding them. We were gonna ask you but since you’re too busy-” Applebloom tried to say.

“NONSENSE! This is far more important than some silly design.” The mare was visibly giddy as she pulled a large couch out of nowhere and sat on it. “Oh my little sister has finally started to like colts!” She said with a loud giggle. “Now tell me all about your troubles.” The fillies looked at one another and nodded.

“Let’s start at the beginning.” Sweetie Belle said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After stopping at a costume store in town the three continued to make their way towards the blue colt’s house. Geode let out a grunt at the black bandana tied around his neck. “Why do I have to wear this thing?”

“It shows that yer part of my crew.” He said as he pointed to Rumbled red handkerchief. Geode groaned as the blue colt stopped in front of his house.

“We’re here.” He said as he knocked on the door. A light blue Pegasus mare with a white mane answered the door.

“Oh there’s my little Rumbly.” She said with a smile.

“MOM!” He yelled in embarrassment as the other two colts let out a small laugh.

“Nice to see you Pip.”

“Tis always a pleasure lass.” He said as he tipped his hat.

“Who’s this?”

“This be Geode our new recruit.” Pip said with a grin.

“Hi.” He said with a small wave.

“Hey mom, is Thunderlane around?”

“Yes, he’s in his room. Why?”

“We need to talk to him about-” Geode immediately grabbed the Captains mouth.

“We’re learning about the weather and Rumble mentioned that he works for the weather team. So who better to ask about the weather then someone who works with it.” He lied with a grin on his face.

“Nice to see you’ve taken an interest in your studies. Come on in.” She said with a smile.

“You be planning a mutiny!” Pip whispered to the colt.

“Hey keep in mind that Rumbles mom WAS a filly. How can we trust her?” Geode said back to the captain. Pip was about to protest but found no argument. The small blue colt knocked on the wooden door in front of him and waited patiently. The door opened to reveal a tall dark Pegasus stallion with a white mane.

“Hey lil bro, what’s up?” He asked in a cheery tone.

“Can we talk to you in private?” Rumble asked as he checked his corners.

“Sure. These your friends?”

“Yeah.” He said as the colts trotted inside. The room was decorated with a few mare posters laying on their backs on large couches, beds and various other surfaces. Other posters were of Pegasi in a tight blue uniforms.

“So what’s troubling you?” The stallion said as he sat on his bed and opened up a magazine.

“The local sirens be driving us mad and almost caused friendly fire amongst the crew!” Pip said. Thunderlane looked at the colt in confusion as Geode face hoofed.

“Um...translation.”

“The fillies are driving us nuts and we don’t know why.” Geode said in a flat tone. Thunderlane closed the reading material and looked at the three with a grin.

“Well, well, well. Looks like my little bro is finally starting to take an interest in fillies.” He said with a smug grin.

“Yeah, I figured you’d be the best one to ask.” The blue colt said with a grin.

“You came to the right stallion.” He said with a grin. “Gents, take a seat and I’ll teach you my tools of the trade.” The colts shrugged and took a seat on the floor. “So tell me which fillies got your attention then?”

“He be infatuated with the lass of Belle.” Pip bellowed. Thunderlane took a moment to process the colts words.

“Sweetie Belle? As in Rarity’s sister?” The blushing blue colt nodded. “Dude. Props.” He said as he hoof bumped his brother. “What about you guys?”

“Well, Pip likes Scootaloo.” Geode said with a grin. The fuming captain glared at the red colt.

“Geode has a crush on Applebloom.” Rumble said defending his captain. Thunderlane looked at the colts in bewilderment and stuck out his hoof. The three bumped it and gave a small grin.

“Wow, you three know how to pick em. Tough break.....What’s your name?” He asked as he looked at the red colt.

“It’s Geode and why is it a tough break?” The colt asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“Applebloom has the two most protective siblings in Ponyville. Rarity can be a hoof full but she won’t threaten to kick you into Appaloosa.” He said in a calm tone. “Scootaloo’s fine, I work with her dad he’s seems level headed.”

“So what do we do?”

“Aye our compass be pointing in all directions!” The captain answered. Thunderlane scratched his chin.

“This may take a while. Get comfortable.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Across town the CMC had just finished explaining their situation to Rarity who was waiting eagerly for them to finish their tale. “So that’s when we came here.” Scootaloo finished.

“Oh that is just so precious!” Rarity cooed.

“So what do we do?” Applebloom asked.

“Well, I suggest you make yourself presentable.”

“What about that look you give them?” Sweetie asked.

“Oh the look.” Rarity smiled as she bit her lip. “That will drive any stallion wild. Only use it in an emergency.” Applebloom and Scootaloo face hoofed and quickly got to their hooves. “Where are you two going?”

“I can’t take this much sappy in one day. I’m going to find Rainbow Dash.”

“Right behind you.” Applebloom said as she followed her friend out the door. “Meet back at the club house when your done.” She said as the door closed behind her. Sweetie Belle looked back at her sister who was smiling at her.

“Now pay attention Sweetie Belle. This look is a sure fire way to get any colt or stallion to swoon over you.”

“Okay, let’s do it!” She said with a smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Rarity was teaching Sweetie Belle the ‘look’ Thunderlane was transferring his collective knowledge into the three confused colts. “Also never lie. For the love of Celestia NEVER lie to them. Fillies are smarter than you, they will find out and when they do...oh trust me, heads will roll.” Thunderlane said as he shivered.

“Bro, your scaring us.” Rumble said in a nervous tone.

“Sorry. If you get anything from what I’ve said it’s this; Fillies and mares are crazy. You need to be careful at all times.” He said as he looked at the clock. “Sorry bro, I got to head out.” The stallion said as he got to his hooves. The three colts looked at one another in confusion. The three colts walked outside and looked at one another.

“Well, that sure cleared somethings up for us.” Geode said in a sarcastic tone.

“Aye, your brother made no sense. Starting to make me head hurt.” Pip said as he looked at the blue colt.

“Sorry, I didn’t know what he was saying either.” Rumble said with a sigh.

“Look guys, let’s just keep our heads level and this whole thing will just blow over.” Geode said with a groan. They sky turned dark and it started to rain. “C’mon guys let’s head for shelter.” The colts nodded and made their way back towards the club house. The red colt opened it to see the three fillies conversing with one another. The six foals instantly blushed and avoided eye contact. Sweetie Belle got to her hooves and trotted up to Rumble.

“H-hi Sweetie Belle.” He said as he felt sweat form on his head. The White filly let her hair down, pushed her lips together and batted her eyelashes. Rumble gulped and felt his heart rate double.

“You know Rumble. I always thought you were kinda.......cute.” She sad in a soft voice. Rumble stood there with a bright blush on his face and stiff a board. “Rumble?” Sweetie said as she waved her hoof in front of him.

“I think you just broke him.” Scootaloo chimed in. A sudden bolt of lightning snapped the blue colt out of his trance. The foals let out a yelp and quickly got back inside the club house. Pip looked out the window to see that the small sprinkle had turned into a massive storm.

“There be a storm a brewing like the kinds I never seen.”

“We gotta get out of here.” Geode said as another flash of lightning struck nearby. “We need to find some real shelter.”

“Like what? The town and the farm are too far away!” Applebloom exclaimed.

“If we can’t go through the storm then we’ll go under it!” Geode said as he walked towards the door. The foals looked at him in confusion. He opened the door and pointed to a rock across the field. “If we can make it to that rock then we’ll be fine.”

“Are you crazy?” Pip yelled.

“It’s better than staying here. We are in a tree after all.” Geode exclaimed. Another crack of lightning struck a nearby tree branch sending it to the ground smoldering. “I don’t know about you but I’m getting out of here.”

“I’m with him.” Rumble said as he walked over to him.

“Wait up lad! This captain stays with his crew.” Pipsqueak said with a smile. The three fillies looked at one another and reluctantly followed them outside into the storm The foals stayed close together as they made their way through the howling winds. The foals heard another crack. The foals looked up to see another branch fall from a nearby tree. The burning piece of wood was headed straight for them. Geode’s horn flared on instinct and two large rocks shielded them from the burning branch. The colt continued to lead the group towards the rock against the rain, wind and lightning.

The foals soon reach the rock and watched in confusion as the red colt tried to push a rock aside. “What in the name of Celestia are you doing?” Rumble yelled.

“Hang on, almost got it.” He said as he slowly levitated the rock aside.

“What use could moving a big rock possibly-” She was cut off as the rock came lose revealing a good sized hole in the ground with a ladder going straight down. “Be?” Scootaloo said in a weak voice.

“C’mon!” The colt said as he directed them down into the hole.

“No way, no how am I going down there!” The farmer exclaimed. Another bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree which made them jump. “Ah take that back.” She said as she hurried down the hole. One by one the foals made their way onto the ladder and started to descend. Geode used his magic to levitate the rock back on top of the hole. As he climbed down the long ladder. He heard somepony scream and four other voices cry out. Geode picked his back hooves up and slid down the ladder until he reached the bottom where the other five foals were resting on a mattress.

The red colt helped them to their hooves and looked around, but saw nothing but darkness. “It...its pretty dark down here.” Sweetie Belle said in a scared tone.

“Hang on a second.” The crimson colt’s horn started to glow and a bright red light stared to shine from it. The ponies looked around and saw that they were in a massive tunnel network that seemed to go on forever. “Welcome TO MY LAIR!” He said with a smile.

“W-where are we?” Rumble asked.

“About a mile below the field outside the club house.”

“What...how did.....when?” The Captain stuttered.

“Remember that awesome thing I wanted to show you guys this morning?” The foals nodded. “This is a little project I’ve been working on since I got to Ponyville.”

“You made this?”

“Yup.”

“Won’t the water seep in?” Scootaloo asked.

“Not if you have hydro sealing charm like I do.”

“Hydro what?” Applebloom asked.

“I made this place water proof.” The foals let out a collective ‘oh’ at the word. “C’mon, we gotta get moving.”

“To where?”

“The library. Twilight has some weather needle that absorbs lightning. We’ll be safe there for the time being.” He said as they started to trot down the dark tunnel. Geode led the way with his horn creating a sphere of light that enveloped the foals. A few times Applebloom heard a small rock come from the walls and grabbed the red colt’s hoof on instinct. Geode blushed at the action but played dumb.

“Hey why are there purple jewels on the side?” Rumble asked as he saw an Amethyst pushed into the side of the wall.

“It’s how I now where I’m going. Purple goes to the library, yellow to the field and so on.” He said with a smile. The foals entered a larger room and saw a ladder on the other side of the open space.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in the library Twilight was reading a book by the fire place.as she heard a hard knock on the door. The purple mare got to her hooves and opened the door to see the six foals soaking wet and shivering.

“Can you let us in? We’re freeing out flanks off out here!” Scootaloo exclaimed. Twilight quickly brought the foals inside. The six foals immediately went towards the roaring fire and and basked in the warmth.

“Spike go get some blankets.” Twilight said as she put a kettle on for tea.

“On it.” The dragon said as he hurried upstairs. The foals shook themselves dry and sat on the couch.

“Where were you six?” Twilight asked as she levitated them each a cup.

“We were out in the club house when the storm hit. We needed to find shelter so we came here.” Geode said as he sipped his warm beverage.

“Why didn’t you go to the farm?” Spike asked as he came down the stairs carrying six large blankets.

“That involves going through the orchard and last time I checked thunderstorms and trees don’t mix.” Geode said as she shivered.

“Oh. That makes sense.” Geode made the zipper closing motion over his mouth at the other foals who nodded. Spike gave them each a blanket which they gladly accepted. Twilight quickly wrote a note and made it vanish in a puff of smoke.

“I sent a message to AJ, Rarity and Rainbow letting them know that you’re here and will come pick you up.” Twilight said with a smile. The foals gave her a friendly nod as she returned to her reading. The group of ponies huddled together and whispered to one another.

“So Geode, how did you build that tunnel system?” Rumble asked.

“How do you think? I dug it.”

“But, you’ve only been here for two weeks. Something like that would have taken months to build.” Applebloom said.

“I’m just good at it. It’s not even done yet.” He said as he sipped his drink.

“So that’s why you were covered in dirt yesterday?” Applebloom asked.

“Yeah, I just finished that tunnel we went through.”

“How did you get that good at digging?” Rumble asked.

“When you’re sealed away for a thousand years you need to find a way to keep yourself busy or you’ll go crazy.”

“So you dug. For a thousand years?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yup. Made tunnels all over the Empire.” He said with a laugh. The door suddenly swung open to reveal a white mare with a purple raincoat and hat.

“Oh Sweetie thank heavens!” She said as she ran over and hugged her sister. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She said with a smile. Rarity then noticed the three colts in the room. “Oh yeah Rarity this is Pipsqueak and Rumble.” She said as she pointed to the two colts.

“Hi.” Rumble said with a smile.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance lass.” The pirate said as he tipped his hat. Rarity gave him a weak smile and turned her attention back to the blue colt who looked at her in confusion.

“Oh Sweetie you undersold him when you told me he was cute.” She said with a smile. The blue colt instantly blushed along with the white filly.

“RARITY!” She whined. The door opened again to reveal Applejack and Rainbow Dash soaking wet.

“Applebloom!” AJ said as she rushed over to her sister. “Are ya okay?”

“I’m fine sis.” She said as the orange mare wrapped her in a hug.

“Ah went to go get ya from the club house. I was worried sick when I saw that you weren’t there.”

“Sorry, but Geode said that it wouldn’t be safe there. Being that it was in a tree and all.”

“Good thinking.” She said as she looked at the red colt.

“Do you need an escort home Pip?” Twilight asked.

“He can stay at my place. My mom won’t mind.” Rumble said as he, the Captain and Scootaloo mad their way towards the door.

“I’ll take Scoot’s home.” The cyan mare said which caused the filly to smile. As they left to leave Geode trotted up to them with a grin on his faces.

“Hey Captain, Scootaloo.” The foals looked back at him in confusion. “You’re both wrong, Knights are way cooler.”The foals were about to argue but left it be as they ventured out into the storm. Rarity levitated a rain coat over to her sister and the two made their way out the door. Twilight gave the two farmers each a rain coat and gave them a nod.

“Thank ya kindly Twilight.”

“It’s no problem the weather is supposed to get worse.” She said with a smile. The two farmers made their way to the door and out into the pouring rain. The yellow filly hung back for a second and waved the red colt over. Geode got to his hooves and walked over to the filly.

“Ah just wanted to thank ya for getting us out of there.” She said with a blush on her face.

“N-no problem.” He said as his face brightened. The filly leaned her head in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. The colt’s eyes shrank and his right eye lid started to twitch. A long awkward silence fell between the two.

“So.....see you in school tomorrow!” she said before she raced out the door leaving the stunned colt standing in the doorway. Geode snapped out of the trance and looked back to see Spike with a smug grin on his face. The dragon was about to say something but was stopped as Geode raised a hoof.

“Not a word.” He said in a stern tone. The dragon nodded and gave a small chuckle as the two walked over to the dinner table.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deep in the Crystal Empire archives several cloaked ponies sat a t a long table with the moonlight shining through a window. The surrounding corridors were lit by candlelight illuminating the stone pillars. The cloaked figure at the end of the table slowly sat up. “Why have you called this meeting Quill?” He said as he coughed.

“My apologies, but I have information that could put a hold on our plans.” The hooded ponies looked at one another in confusion. “‘He’ has left the empire.”

“What?”

“Cadence was looking for his file and she mentioned that he left the empire.”

“What should we do about her?” Another figure asked.

“She is just a fly. The colt is the real problem.” The dark figure said as he stood up. “Find him. Then bring him back here.” He said with a loud cough. “Send out the scouts.” The hooded stallions bowed their heads and raised their left hooves.

“For the Order.” The ponies quickly dispersed and left the dark and damp hallways.

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long. Finals are literally a week away and I had to put in more hours at my job.
If you can spot the M*A*S*H* referance then you are awesome.

Chapter 7: Fracture

Chapter 7

Fracture

Geode was sitting with Pip and Rumble underneath a nearby tree. The three sat in silence not daring to break the pregnant pause between them. Geode looked across the way field and saw the CMC doing the same. As he stared he saw the yellow filly turn her head and immediately looked away with a bright blush on his face. “What’s up Geode?” Rumble asked.

“Aye, ye been more quiet than a clam.” Pip said as he looked at the red colt.

“N-nothing.”

“Tis not wise to lie to yer captain.”

“Fine. After you left yesterday.....Applebloom.....Well.....” He said as he tried to find the right words. “She....kissed me.” The two colt’s jaws dropped in surprise.

“On the lips?” Rumble asked.

“No, on the cheek.” He said as his blush intensified.

“So what did you do?”

“I wasn’t really expecting it.” He exclaimed. The red colt let out a sigh as he looked at the two. The colt’s looked over to see Snips and snails running across the field at a breakneck pace shouting.

“MS.CHERILEE!” They yelled as they ran up to the maroon mare.

“What is it?” She asked as she saw the shocked looks on their faces.

“We’ve got a major problem.” The colt’s cringed as they remembered the last time they used those words. Right before the Ursa Minor incident.

“Please tell me you didn’t drag an Ursa into town again.” She said as she face hoofed.

“We were just on the edge of the field getting our ball and-” The small green Unicorn colt was cut off as an enraged manticore with a baseball sized bruise on it’s head. The beast let out a massive growl.

“EVERYPONY GET INSIDE AND STAY TOGETHER!” Cherilee yelled as the foals quickly ran inside and locked the door. The foals crowded together and watched in fear as the door started to budge and crack. “Okay everypony, stay still and let me get a head count.” The mare said in a hushed tone. Geode felt the yellow filly grab his hoof in fear as tears flowed down her face. Geode looked beside him and saw the same looks of fear and doom strewn across their faces.

The beast banged against the door again causing some of the frame to splinter and crack. The red colt got to his hooves and trotted over to the maroon mare who was trying to comfort a crying foal. “Hey Cherilee, is there a back door to this place?” He asked in a stagnant tone.

“Yes, why?”

“Take it.” He said as he trotted over to the window. “I’ll buy you guys enough time so you can escape and get help.” He said as he opened a window. The mare instantly got to her hooves.

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!” She yelled in a commanding tone. “I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!”

“I’m not asking, I’m telling you to run!” He said as he faced the window. Applebloom trotted over to him and grabbed his tail.

“Are you insane? Tat thing will tear you apart.” She said with tears in her eyes.

“Somepony has to lead that thing away.”

“I’ll-”

“Get the others out of here. You all still have a purpose to find and fulfill.” He said in a flat tone. The filly looked at him with tears flowing down her face. The colt looked at the filly and gave a heavy sigh.

“What about you?”

“I don’t have one. Not anymore.” He said as he saw the door frame crack. “Get going!” He barked as he jumped out the window and landed on his hooves.

The manticore raised it’s right claw, to crush the door. As the beast got ready to attack it felt a massive pain form on it’s back. The beast looked back to see a small red Unicorn colt with it’s horn glowing. The manticore growled and turned it’s attention back to Geode who quickly levitated a few rocks and fired them at the beast who let out a cry of pain. The beast charged at the colt with it’s tail aiming for his chest.

Geode dodged as the poison tipped tail jabbed at him. The colt backed away leading the beast away from the school house. The mare looked in amazement as the colt led the beast away as they quietly snuck out of the back. The CMC and Pirates watched in amazement as the colt dodged blow after blow. The red colt looked over to see the foals making their way out of the school house. He mouthed ‘run.’ The colt looked up to see the manticores tail slam into his chest, cutting the purple crystal necklace off his body. The colt was launched back into a nearby tree. “Geode!” The yellow filly yelled. The beast turned around and saw the other foals.

The light reflecting off the pink filly’s tiara hit the manticore in the eye, enraging it. The beast charged towards the group of fleeing foals. As the beast closed in on the pack a large object sprang up from the ground. The manticores jaws clamped around something small and incredibly hard. The foals looked to see that the red colt’s right hoof was inside the manticores mouth.

“What’s wrong? Can’t get a good taste?” Geode said as the beast released it’s grip in pain. The foals looked and saw that the manticores teeth were all but broken. Applebloom looked in amazement as she saw the panting red colt. She looked closer and saw that there were cracks all across his body. “GO!” He barked. The foals nodded as the manticore set it’s sights back on the red colt. The beast swung it’s claw and connected with the cult who was flung a good thirty feet away from the beast. Geode felt his strength leaving his body as he struggled to get to his hooves. His vision started to blur and he tasted blood in his mouth. A blazing pain in his neck started to form and he collapsed to the ground. His eyes snapped open as he heard a scream come from the filly.

Applebloom started to run as the manticore’s gaze fell upon her. As the manticore lunged to bite down on the filly it’s jaw was met with a rock that seemed to grow from the ground. The beast was repelled onto it’s hind legs in time for the red colt to follow up with a quick kick to the beasts gut with his rock encased back hoof. Geode started to stagger as the beasts tail lashed out at the red Unicorn. The tail hit it’s mark, dead center of the colt’s chest. Geode cried out in pain as he felt the tail make contact with his body.

Geode felt darkness slowly taking him. NOT YET! The colt’s horn flared and he rose to his hooves. The pain in his right shoulder was back, stronger than ever. He ignored it and focused what ever magic he had left into his horn.

“APPLEBLOOM!” The filly looked over to see her older sister along with her friends being led by Cherilee. The magic surrounding the colt’s horn changed from it’s normal red color to pitch black. The white’s of his eyes turned green as his purple pupils became spliced. A single bolt erupted from his horn that collided with the beats. The ponies watched in surprise as the manticore was encased in a massive black crystal. Twilight looked at the colt who had turned to look at them. The mare noticed an odd type of rash coming from the colt’s right shoulder that spread over his face.

As the colt took a step forward he felt a wave of pain engulf his body. Out of the corner of her eye the lavender mare saw the shining purple crystal necklace race towards the colt and wrap itself around his neck. The marks started to recede from the colt’s body. The colt’s eyes returned to normal and he collapsed. Twilight and the others rushed to his side with tears in their eyes. They watched in surprise as the colt’s coat started to crack and break away. They let out a gasp as the colt’s coat was riddled with scars and burn marks. The thing that caught Twilight’s eye was a small mark on the colt’s right shoulder.

Twilight quickly levitated him no to her back and vanished in a bright flash of purple light. The pair appeared inside the hospital lobby. "SOMEPONY PLEASE HELP HIM!" The mare yelled as a group of nurses and doctors got the colt on a stretcher.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in the empire the elderly cloaked figure’s eyes grew wide and an evil grin grew on his face. “Found you.” He said with a chuckle. Another cloaked figure came to his side. “He’s in Ponyville. Go and....collect him.”

“At once sir.” The stallion said as he bowed and galloped out of the room. The elderly cloaked figure laughed as he sat alone in the darkness.

Author's Note

Sorry for the short chapter everypony. I just wanted to get this out before finals started.

Chapter 8: Secrets

Chapter 8

Secrets

Twilight and the others waited outside the emergency room with nothing but worry on their minds. The group looked up as the doctor came out of the doors holding a clip board. Twilight immediately rushed up to him with tears in her eyes. “How is he doctor?”

“Geode is one tough colt. Despite his injuries, no poison entered his system. Even if it did we couldn’t administer the antidote the normal way.” He said as he looked at the chart.

“Why’s that?” Rainbow asked.

“Every time we tried to put an I.V. in him the needle ends up breaking.” The ponies looked at one another in confusion.

“Can we see him?” Applebloom asked.

“He’s still unconscious, but stable.” He said as he stepped aside and let them in. The group let out a gasp as they saw the red colt lying in the hospital bed. Twilight walked up next to the bed and looked at the sleeping colt. The doctor removes his glasses and ran his eyes over his scarred body. “These are old wounds. I haven’t the slightest idea how they were formed.” The doctor said before leaving the room. Twilight put a hoof on his head and let out a tear filled sigh.

The group of ponies looked in surprise as a bright pink light filled the room. They looked in amazement as they saw Princess Cadence standing before them with a worried look on her face. “I came as soon as I heard.” She said as she rushed over to the colt. “What happened?”

“Th-there was a manticore and he saved us.” Applebloom said with tears in her eyes.

“He beat a manticore?” Cadence said in confusion.

“Yeah. We saw it.” Applejack said as she looked at the pink Alicorn.

“How could he do that when he’s just a colt?”

“I don’t know.” Twilight said in a low tone. “Did you find out anything in the Empire?” Twilight asked.

“No, several records were destroyed during Sombra’s rule. Geode’s must have been one of them.” She said with a sigh. Her eyes then fell upon the mark on the colt’s neck. “What is that?”

“I don’t know. What ever that mark is it feels...wrong.” She said as a small shiver ran down her spine. Cadence looked over at the colt and felt tears form in her eyes.

“What in the name of Celestia happened to him?”

“I don’t know. I’m not even sure if I want to know.” Twilight said as she looked at her sister in law. The ponies looked over to the door opening to reveal the white nurse.

“I’m sorry everypony but visiting hours are up. You can see him tomorrow.” The mares let out a sigh and exited the room Twilight stopped next to the mare with a worried look on her face.

“If anything changes anything at all-”

“You’ll be the first to know.” She said with a smile. Twilight smiled and let out a sigh as she left the room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Geode awoke in a dark, damp city street. He rubbed his head as he got to his hooves. He walked over to a dumpster and looked into a broken mirror and looked at hi scarred skin. He let out a gasp as he remembered the incident from that day. “NO, NO, NO! NOT AGAIN!” He yelled as he slammed his hoof into the broken mirror. He laid down on the ground and curled up into a ball. He felt the tears run down his cheek as he started to shake.

Geode looked up to see a tall dark blue Unicorn mare look down at him with sympathy in her eyes. “There, there. Everything will be okay.” She said as she patted him on the head.

“Easy for you to say.” He said in a cold tone.

“I know how you feel.”

“Yeah right. How could you possibly know that?” He said as he wiped the tears from his eyes. The colt looked in surprise as he saw that the unicorn had a set of dark blue wings.

“Like you, I too have been gone for one thousand years.” Geode’s mind clicked as he recognized the mare.

“Y-you’re Princess Luna.”

“Correct.” She said as she sat next to the colt. “I know all too well what it’s like to be alone.” Luna said in a low tone. “When I returned I was met with distrust, anger and fear from the ponies that I was to protect. I can’t blame them. I tried to destroy all of Equestria at one point.”

“At least you have your sister.” He said with a sniffle.

“True. Although she can’t forgive herself and seeing her hide her guilt tears me apart.” She said as a tear formed in her eye. “I know how you feel Geode. You’re angry, sad, alone and it hurts inside.” She said as she put a wing around the colt and drew him close to her. “No pony should ever have to go through what I have.” Geode couldn’t hold back the tears any longer and buried his face into her side as he cried. “It’s okay. You’ve been holding back those tears for so long.” She said as she tightened the embrace.

Luna looked down at the colt and let her own tears flow as she saw a smaller version of herself. The red colt looked up at her with tears in his eyes. “What do I do now? Twilight and the others think I’m some kind of freak!” He said through the cries.

“Twilight Sparkle believes in many things, but that is not one of them.” She said with a faint smile. “She looks out and want’s the best for you.”

“I know. I’m just.....scarred.” He said as he sniffled. The alicorn nodded and looked at the colt’s scars. “You want to know don’t you?” He said as he looked at his body.

“Only if you want to tell me.” Geode took a deep breath and tried to form words.

“I can’t. It’s too hard.” He said in a defeated tone.

“May I?’ The Princess asked as she put her hooves on either side of his head. The colt nodded and closed his eyes. Luna pressed her forehead against his as her horn glowed. The colt felt the mares mind swimming in his memories. He felt her presence dive into his inner most thoughts. Luna instantly pulled back and let out a gasp as tears streamed down here face. “Geode....I’m so sorry.”

“Please, please don’t tell anypony about it.” He said as he looked at the ground in shame. Luna brought him into another hug and let the tears roll down her face.

“Your secret is safe with me. I strongly suggest that you at least tell Twilight.” The Princess said as she wiped the tears away.

“I know. I’m just scarred. I don’t want to lose anyone else.” He said in a low tone.

“You won’t.” She said with a smile. “I’m sorry, I must go now. Remember that you are not alone.” The dream started to fade.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Geode felt the warm rays of light shine onto his body through the hospital window. His eyes fluttered open to see a lavender mare with a concerned look on her face.“Twilight?” He said as he tried to sit up. The mare instantly wrapped him in a tight hug and cried. The colt returned the gesture.

“Don’t you EVER do that again!” She said through the sobs. “We were so worried. I was so worried.” She said as she broke the embrace.

“Sorry, somepony had to do something.” He said as he slowly sat up. Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder.

“Take it easy. You’re still recovering.”

“Relax it’ll take more than a manticore to kill me.” He said as he sat up and stretched. The nurse trotted in to the room and smiled.

“Glad to see that you’re awake.” She said with a smile as a grey unicorn wearing a white lab coat and a stethoscope around his neck. The stallion trotted up and put the medical instrument to the colt’s chest. “You seem to be fully healed.”

“So I can leave?”

“Yes, we just need to fill out some paperwork and Twilight is free to take you home.” He said with a smile. Geode nodded and got to his hooves. The two unicorns walked out of the hospital with smiles on their faces.

“”Hang on a second.” The red colt said as he walked outside the hospital. His horn glowed and the surrounding dirt creeped up his arm and encased his body. Twilight watched in amazement as the dirt shifted and settled on his body covering up his injuries showing his dark red coat. “Much better.” He said as the two continued walking down the road. Geode noticed that Twilight was staring at him. “You obviously have a lot of questions.”

“You don’t have to-”

“Yes, I do it’s only fair.” He said as a loud growl escaped his stomach. “Right I after I get some food. I’d rather eat tree bark than the stuff they serve at the hospital.” He said as he stuck his tongue out.

“You’re just a picky eater.”

“You’re talking to a colt who can eat rocks and gems.” He said in a flat tone.

“Point taken. Let’s stop at Sugar Cube Corner.”

“Is there a party waiting for me there?”

“No. I told Pinkie to give you some breathing room so you can heal.”

“That’s a relief.” He said as the two walked inside the pastry shop. The two sat down at a booth and red over the menu. A familiar pink mare came out with a spring in her step.

“HEY!” She said as she hugged the red colt. “How are ya feeling?”

“Can’t.......breathe!” He said as he felt the pink mare crushing him in the hug.

“Sorry!” She said as she let go. “What can I get you?”

“I’ll go with the pancakes.” Geode said with a smile.

“Likewise.” Twilight said as she folded the menu and handed it to the mare.

“Okay I’ll have those out in a second.” She said as she trotted off. Geode sat back and let out a yawn.

“Tired?”

“Yeah, I had an odd dream.”

“Princess Luna?” She asked. Geode looked at her in surprise.

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“I asked her to.” Geode’s eyes shrank. “I was worried about you and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Did she tell you anything?”

“No, I figured it would be an invasion of privacy if I asked.” She said as she looked down.

“It’s fine.” He said as their food arrived. The two unicorns started eating their meals. As the colt continued eating he was suddenly tackled by out of his seat a group of foals. “GAH!” Geode opened his eyes to see the CMC and the other two colts smiling at him.

“You’re okay!” The yellow filly said with a smile.

“Yeah, more or less.” He said as he got to his hooves.

“You took on a full grown Manticore and turned it into a lawn ornament!” Rumble yelled.

“Oh that? I could’ve done that at anytime.” He said as he continued eating. The ponies looked at him in shock. “What?”

“How can you do that?” Twilight asked.

“I can use magic.” He said in a flat tone.

“Why didn’t you tell me you could do that?”

“Keep in mind that no pony has seen that kind of magic in over a thousand years. I didn’t want you to freak out.” He said in a calm tone.

“Kinda late for that one.” Sweetie added.

“Speaking of witch. I’d better dig out that manticore.” He said as he got to his hooves.

“How did you know he was still stuck?” Twilight asked.

“I’m the only one that can undo the spell.” He said as he walked back outside and made his way towards the schoolhouse. The foals and the mare quickly followed behind him. The group was soon joined by Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash. The group made their way in front of the school yard to see Fluttershy and Princess Cadence waiting for them in front of the crystal encased manticore.

“I’m gad to see that you’re okay Geode.” Cadence said with a warm smile. The red colt nodded and walked up to the frozen manticore.

If I did this then I must have used IT. Geode let out a sigh and his horn flared. The group looked in amazement as the colt put his hoof on the black crystal. The rock started to crack and fall to pieces releasing the manticore’s head.

“Hey Flutters. Why don’t you calm that thing down first?” Rainbow suggested. The yellow mare nodded and flew up to the beast’s exposed head. The mare locked eyes with the manticore.

“Now you listen here mister; Geode is going to let you go and then you are going to go straight home.” She said in a stern tone. The beast growled at the mare who intensified her stare. “What was that?” She said as the beast gulped in fear. The Manticore whimpered and nodded it’s head slowly. “Good boy.” Fluttershy looked at the colt and nodded. Geode returned the gesture and focused. The rest of the rock prison crumbled away freeing the manticore. The beast stretched and growled. The mare frowned as she looked at the beast. The manticore grunted and ran back into the woods.

The colt let out a sigh as he looked at the black crystal shards. His horn flared and he started to vaporize the small shards until a series of small ash piles were all that remained. The ponies looked at him in confusion as he continued the action. Once the last crystal was destroyed he looked back at the ponies and let out a sigh. “I’ll explain everything. Just not here.” He said in a flat tone. The ponies nodded and made their way towards the library. He leaned over and whispered to the mares who nodded. Geode entered the large tree with the mares following close behind.

Applejack held her hoof out stopping the foals. “Listen kids, this is some adult talk. Ya’ll better head home.” The foals frowned at the mare.

“But-”

“Ah want no arguing.” The three fillies nodded and gave the mare their best puppy dog face. “Oh no. Not the look.” Applejack said as she looked away. Princess Cadence stepped beside her.

“Nice try girls, but I invented that look.” Cadence said as she shook her head. The fillies looked down in disappointment. “Look girls, I know you want to help but this is something only we can handle.” She said in a flat tone. The crystal Princess looked to see the sad looks on the foal’s faces. “I’ll give you an update after Geode has told me everything deal?”

“You got it!” They said as they ran off. The Alicorn Princess smiled and closed the door behind her. She sat beside the other mares on the couch and waited for the crimson colt to start.

“Okay, time for a history lesson.” He said as let out a sigh. “As you all know the last king of The Crystal Empire was Sombra.” The ponies nodded. “He was defeated by Princess Celestia and Luna over one thousand years ago.”

“Yeah, we know that.” Rainbow said in an impatient tone.

“What you don’t know is that after Sombra was sealed away he left behind a few.....followers.”

“Followers?” Cadence said in confusion.

“Yes, a group of ponies that supported him and acted as his personal guard and advisors.” He said in a reluctant tone. “They’re called the Order of Corruption.” The red colt’s horn glowed and his shell crumbled away revealing his scared body. He pointed to the mark on his neck. “This is their mark.” The ponies looked at him in fear and confusion.

“So you were.....one of the Corrupted?”

“No. Most of the Corrupted were forcibly converted.” He said in a reluctant tone.

“How were they ‘converted’?” Cadence asked.

“Sombra fused his magic inside of them and in turn he had control over their minds. Granted it only worked one out of ten times.”

“What do you mean?”

“The ones that couldn’t adapt to the magic went mad and Sombra.....eliminated them.” He said as he lowered his head. The mares looked at each other and gulped. A small tear welled up in his eye. Twilight trotted over and put a hoof on his shoulder.

“So why didn’t you know....follow Sombra?” Rainbow asked.

“I survived, but I kept my sanity. His followers were intrigued and they kept me alive for their experiments.” The Crystal Princess put a hoof to her mouth in shock. “After the first fifty years I managed to escape with a small group of rebels. We dug ourselves in and waited for the ran away from him.” He said as he sat down on the floor. “We went underground where he couldn’t find us. We spent the next four hundred years digging, making tunnels underneath the Empire.”

“How come you’re not old and wrinkly?” Pinkie asked.

“Sombra made it so that as long as his influence was present that we wouldn’t age. He needed slaves that would work for all eternity if need be.” He said in a low tone. “The other escapee’s and I formed a resistance to fight Sombra’s influence. We blew up power plant’s, freed other ponies from the slave labor camps. Killed corrupted members. Everything and anything we could do to fight him.” The pink Alicorn looked at him in shock.

“Geode. H-have you killed anypony?” The red colt looked at her in a flat tone.

“I didn’t have a choice.” He said in a flat tone. “We all did our part. It was going well for about two hundred years until I was captured and they gave me this.” He said as he pointed towards the mark. “The Rebellion launched a full scale offensive to get me back. They succeeded, but....They used me to track us back to our headquarters.” He said as he hung his head in shame. “Everyone was captured, everyone except me.” The mare’s let out a gasp.

“How did you escape?”

“I ran away and I kept digging.” He said as he wiped a tear from his eye. “Kept training, adapting.”

“Why didn’t Sombra find you again?”

“He couldn’t.” He said in a flat tone.

“How?”

“Okay here’s a question; What is the one thing that Unicorn magic has no effect on?” He asked as he looked at the mare’s confused faces. “C’mon Twilight you’re the smart one here.”

“I honestly don’t know.” She said with a shrug.

“Rarity?”

“How would I know?”

“You work with them every day.” He said as he looked at the confused mare. “Here’s another hint and I’m quoting you on this. ‘A mare’s best friend.’”

“Diamonds!” She exclaimed.

“Correct! Unicorn magic in all of it’s power has one huge weakness. Diamonds.”

“So you hid in a diamond cave?” Applejack asked.

“Something like that. Tell me, have any of you heard of Creeping Rock?” He asked as he got to his hooves. The ponies looked at one another in surprise. “Really? You don’t know what’s powering your empire?” He asked as he looked at Cadence.

“What are you talking about?” The Princess said in confusion.

“They Crystal Heart. It is literally the heart of the empire.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The Empire is alive!” He exclaimed. “If you take a wrecking ball and destroy a building then the heart will repair it, due to the fact that the entire empire is made from creeping rock. A self repairing rock that can be adapted to almost anything.” The ponies were in utter shock at the words. “I applied it to a diamond and it started to grow.”

“How did you hide from Sombra?” Twilight asked.

“I applied the creeping rock diamond mix to my skeleton.” The ponies looked at him in confusion. “Check it if you want.” He said as he looked at the white mare. Rarity’s horn flared and started to blink. As she drew closer to the colt the blinking intensified until it shined brightly when she stood no less than five inches away from the colt. “Sombra’s magic had that one weakness and he knew it.”

“What happened next?”

“I started training, getting control of my magic. I had a lot of time on my hooves so I put it to good use. I collapsed the old tunnels and made new ones lines with diamond so they couldn’t track it.” He said in a flat tone. “Honed my skills until I was ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“To kill Sombra.” He said in a flat tone. The ponies looked at him in shock.

“Why?” Cadence asked.

“Let’s see, threw the empire into disarray, took away our freedom and killed a whole lot of my friends! Do I need any other reasons than those?” He yelled.

“I meant why did YOU have to do it?”

“I was the only one who could.” He said as he took a deep breath. “Sombra was powerful but he was still bound by the Royal Code.”

“The what now?” Applejack asked.

“It’s a set of rules that every pony must follow when they take the throne. No exceptions.” Cadence clarified. “I had to take them as well.”

“What happens if someone breaks them?”

“Then the magic that is used to bind the ruler destroys him or her.” Cadence said in a reluctant tone.

“Correct and the reigning King or Queen can be replaced by a few different ways. One is through death then the next heir takes the throne. Two; The heart choses the next one to succeed it. Three; if the reigning monarch is challenged to a formal duel and loses. The victor becomes the new ruler.” He said with a sigh. “That was the one thing Sombra was scared of. Someone beating him and taking the throne from him. He’s bound by the code, but he found a loophole in the system and exploited it.” The red colt said with a sigh. “In order for a new monarch to be chosen they must be two things. Born in the Empire and strong enough to defend it.

“What loophole?” Cadence asked. The red colt sat down on the ground and let out a sigh.

“Tell me Cadence. How many Crystal Unicorns do you see walking around?” The mare thought for a moment and scratched her chin.

“None.”

“Right. Sombra is the reason for that.” The red colt let out another sigh and held back a tear. He eliminated the competition.”

“What?” Twilight said.

“He exterminated every single Unicorn that was in the empire.” A dead silence fell over the room. “I’m not just a Crystal Unicorn. I’m the last Crystal Unicorn.” Twilight felt tears roll down her face and hugged the colt. The mare’s felt tears boil over and run down their cheeks.

“What happened to other resistance members?” Cadence asked through the tears.

“They were taken away. Brainwashed by Sombra to see me as an enemy. That’s where most of these came from.” He said as he pointed to the scars.

“Why didn’t you fight back? You could’ve taken them.” Rainbow said through the tears.

“I couldn’t blame them. They were being manipulated and even though they hurt me, I couldn’t hurt them.” He said as he lowered his head. “I was always training myself to face Sombra. By the time the Empire returned I was ready.”

“You had to face him?” Cadence said.

“I was the only one that stood a remote chance. It was all I had left. My friends and family were lost to me. Vengeance drove me forward. All I ever thought about was beating him and saving the empire.” He said as he took a step back. “Then I hit a snag in my plan.”

“What snag?” Twilight asked.

“You.” He said as he looked at her. The mare’s put the pieces together in their mind and started to cry. “I spent close to a millennium preparing for the moment when I would finally defeat Sombra. Then you all show up and beat him without so much batting an eyelash.” He said in a rough tone.

“Geode.....we’re-” The red colt raised a hoof.

“I don’t blame you. You didn’t know. At first I was happy that somepony had finally come to save us, but I was sorely mistaken.”

“Why?” Applejack asked.

“I thought that once Sombra was defeated the memory charm placed on my friends would be lifted and I’d have them back. I was wrong.” Cadence looked at him in shock. “The spell will only be lifted once all of Sombra’s magic is gone from this world.”

“What are you saying? It is gone.” Rainbow said. The red colt shook his head.

“No, it isn’t.” He said as he pointed to the mark on his neck. “In order for it to be gone for good then everypony with this mark must die.” He said in a reluctant tone. The ponies looked at him with tears flowing down their faces. “Once the other members of the Corrupted are killed, I’ll be the only one left. Then and only then will the Empire be free from Sombra forever.”

“Wait, so the Corrupted are still alive?” Cadence said.

“Yes, they disappeared after you defeated Sombra. I don’t have the slightest clue where or who they are.” He said as he hung his head. Once I saw that the spell didn’t break I never felt more alone. I had lost more than just my friends. That’s when I truly despaired. In all the world there was no one that needed me. I was....unnecessary.” He said as the tears flowed. Twilight wrapped him in a tight hug and cried. “I continued living as I always had. In the tunnels scrounging for food at night. I decided to try my luck at the Castle which brings us to the present.” The Alicorn Princess broke down and joined the hug along with the other mares. Geode returned the embrace.

“H-how did you seal Sombra’s magic?” Cadence asked as she broke the hug.

“With this.” He said as he pointed to his necklace. “It seals away his magic and I don’t fall under his control.” The mare’s remembered the black crystal he used to seal the Manticore.

“What is the point of the dirt you attach to yourself?” Rarity asked.

“I can funnel my magic into the earth and attach it to my body. Not only to hide my scars but it also acts as a shell.” He said as his horn glowed and the dirt formed around his body again. “I can also manipulate it for offensive purposes.” He said as he formed the shifting earth into a sword and shield.

“But you-”

“Just because my bones are diamond hard doesn’t mean that my organs and blood vessels are. I can still bruise and bleed.” He said as the earth covered his body and hid his scars. The mare’s wiped their tears away and looked at the colt. “That’s everything.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight wrapped him in another hug and smiled.

“You don’t have to be on your own anymore.” She said with a sniffle. “We all care about you and we would never do anything to hurt you.” Geode smiled and returned the gesture.

“I know.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Outside the library a hooded stallion peered into the window and smirked. He trotted over to a dark alley and pulled out a crystal. The rock shined brightly and an image of the older hooded figure appeared. “I’ve found him master.”

“Excellent.” The elder pony said with a cough.

“He’s staying with the Element of Magic. She’s very powerful.”

“Keep an eye on him until it’s time to strike.”

“Yes, sir.” He said as he raised his right hoof. “For the Order.” He said before the image faded away.

Chapter 9: Family

Chapter 9

Family

It has been a week since Geode told the others about his origins. Once the CMC asked him and he told them that Sombra would hold fighting competitions as entertainment. They luckily bought it and didn’t ask about his scars. Over the course of the week Sweetie Belle and Rumble had become an official couple while the other four remained silent. The CMC and the Pirate crew had a sleep over in the club house. Geode woke up to find that Applebloom was sleeping right next to him. He had concluded that she must have rolled over to him in her sleep.

The red colt got to his hooves and let out a yawn. He was soon joined by the other two pirates and the three crusaders. A knock on the door caught their attention. The wooden door opened to reveal the orange mare with a smile on her face. “Howdy. Did y’all sleep okay?”

“Yup.” They all said in unison.

“Good to hear. Breakfast is being served at the farm house.” She said with a smile. The foals nodded and rolled up their sleeping bags. The group made their way out of the club house and trotted towards the farm. The yellow filly was blushing brightly as she walked next to the red colt who refused to make eye contact. The group walked into the farmhouse and sat down at the breakfast table with a stack of apple pancakes set in the center. The ponies happily fed themselves and conversed with one another. Geode looked at the clock and got to his hooves.

“Thanks for having me over, but I’ve got to head back to the library. Twilight wanted me back ASAP for some reason.” He said with a shrug.

“It’s alright. Head on home.” Big Mac said with a smile. The red colt nodded and hurried out the door with his bag over his back. The colt’s horn flared and he vanished in a flash of red light. The colt landed in a pile bushed that was across the street from the library. He quickly brushed himself off and got to his hooves.

He stopped moving when he saw Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, a white unicorn mare with purple stripped hair trotting next to a light blue Unicorn stallion with a dark blue mane enter the library. Up in the sky a familiar cyan mare with a flowing Rainbow mane trotting along the road and had noticed him. “Hey Geode, what are you doing in the bushes?”

“Two ponies just walked into the library with Cadence and Shining Armor.”

“Oh! Those are Twilight’s parents.” She said as she connected the dots.

“Her parents?” The colt said in surprise.

“Yeah, she mentioned that they were coming by. She didn’t tell you?” The colt shook his head. “Must have just slipped her mind.” The colt rubbed his chin with his hoof for a moment. His eyes went wide and a mischievous smile spread across his face.

“There’s only one logical thing I can do now.”

“What?”

“I have to mess with them and you’re going to help me.” He said with a grin.

“Messing with Twilight? I am so in! What’s your plan?” The colt drew her close and whispered something into her ear. “Okay.....Uh huh......Oh that is so good!” She said with a laugh.

“Glad you like it. Now let’s get cracking.” He said as his horn flared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back across town the CMC and the Pirate crew were in the clubhouse talking to one another. The yellow filly paced back and forth across the wooden floor of the clubhouse causing the lose floor boards to creak. “Applebloom if you keep walking like that then you’re gonna create ruts in the floor.” Scootaloo teased.

“I’m just bored.”

“Wouldn’t be if Geode were here right?” Sweetie Belle teased. The yellow filly’s face turned bright red.

“S-so. He’s just fun to talk to.” She argued.

“You stink at lying lass.” Pip retorted.

“Look Applebloom. Geode is a cool colt but you just can’t expect him to show up whenever you want him to.” Rumble said with a sigh. The group was then interrupted by a loud knocking at the door. The blue colt walked over to the door just to have it burst open by a frantic red unicorn colt. Geode barged in and hid under the table. “I must use this power for good!” Rumble yelled as he held up his right hoof. The foals crowded around the shaking colt.

“Geode what happened?” Applebloom asked in a concerned tone.

“No time to explain. I gotta hide!” The red colt said as he ran around the room.

“From what?” Sweetie Belle asked. A faint knock was heard on the door followed by a sweet voice.

“Hello? Applebloom, Sweetie Belle,Scootaloo? Are you in there?” The foals recognized the voice of the librarian. The blue colt trotted over to the door and opened it a crack. “You’re Rumble correct?” She asked as her eyes fell upon the colt.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I was just wondering if you’ve seen Geode around.” She said in a sweet tone. Rumble noticed the mare’s twitching eye and her disheveled mane.

“Um...” He thought as he glanced back at the colt who was mouthing the word ‘No.’ “Sorry, Ms. Twilight. I haven’t seen him since this morning.” He lied.

“Okay then. If you do see him then tell him to come see me.” She said as she trotted away from the clubhouse. The blue colt closed the door and trotted over to the red colt that was hiding under the table.

“What was-”

“Shhh!” Geode said as he quietly trotted over to the window and watched as the mare left. “Thank Celestia.” He said as he let out a sigh of relief.

“What in the hay was that about?” Applebloom asked. “Ah haven’t seen Twilight that worked up since the Smarty Pants incident.” She said as she raised and eyebrow.

“Right, I decided to pull a prank on Twilight and it kinda got......out of hoof.” He said as he started his tale.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Twilight? We’re here.” Cadence said as she and the other three ponies entered the library.

“I’ll be right down.” Twilight said as she looked around the room. “Spike, have you seen Geode?” She asked as she looked at the purple dragon.

“Nope. Not since we dropped him off last night at the club house.” The dragon said with a shrug. “I’m sure he’ll be here any minute.” The mare let out a sigh and calmed herself.

“You’re right. I’m sure he’s fine.” She said as she trotted downstairs. The mare smiled as she saw the ponies sitting down at the table.

“Twilight!” The white mare said with a smile. Twilight hurried over and gave them each a hug. Twilight then did her traditional greeting with Cadence and hugged her brother.

“It’s great to see you.” The blue stallion said with a smile.

“It’s nice to see you too dad.” She said as the ponies sat down. Cadence looked around the room and scratched her chin.

“Hey Twilight, where’s Geode?” Cadence asked.

“Who?” The white mare asked.

“You didn’t tell them?” Shining asked as he looked at his sister.

“What is he talking about?”

“Sorry, I’ve just been so busy lately that it slipped my mind.” She said with a shrug.

“Who is Geode?” The white mare asked now getting annoyed.

“Right....um.....Geode is-” The mare was cut off as Rainbow Dash entered the library with a smile on her face. Twilight’s eyes shrank as she saw a small harness on the mares chest holding a small red unicorn foal no bigger than Pound or Pumpkin Cake.

“Hey Twilight I’m just.....Oh hey Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle.” She said as she noticed the two visitors.

“Rainbow, we haven’t seen you since the wedding.” The white mare said with a warm smile.

“Yeah it’s been a while Mrs. Sparkle.”

“Please dear, we’re all friends here. Call me Velvet.” The white mare then noticed the red foal yawning. “Well....I didn’t know you had a colt.” She said trying to make the conversation seem less awkward.

“Oh, he’s not mine. I was just watching him while Twilight cleaned up the library.” Cadence, Shining Armor and Spike put the pieces together in their heads. The dragon put a claw over his mouth trying to muffle his laughter.

“What are you talking about?” The blue stallion asked as sweat formed on his forehead.

“This is Geode.” She said as she held up the small red colt. The foal opened his purple eyes and reached towards Twilight.

“Mommy!” He said with a giggle. The white mare looked at Twilight who had a dumbfounded look on her face. The white mare fainted on the ground along with the blue stallion. Twilight’s face was bright red with anger and embarrassment. Rainbow, Spike, and Geode couldn’t contain it any longer and burst into laughter. The red colt’s concentration was broken and he returned to his original form.

“Oh man! Your face was priceless!” Rainbow said as she laid on the ground holding her sides next to the laughing colt. Shining was next to his parents with a small bottle of smelling salts.

“Hey did it just get warmer in here all of a sudden?” Geode asked as he wiped the tears from his eyes. He looked at the cyan mare who’s face was now pale. The red colt looked over at the lavender mare who’s mane was now a bright red inferno and her eyes were ruby red.

“EVERY PONY FOR THEMSELVES!” Rainbow yelled as she flew out a nearby open window. Geode let out a gulp and took a step back. He looked over at Shining who had a the same look of fear on his face.

“Run.” He whispered. The colt nodded and summoned a small purple rock. He threw it on the ground releasing a cloud of purple smoke. Once the smoke had cleared the red colt had vanished. The lavender mare shifted back to her usual state taking heavy breaths.

“Deep breaths Twilight. In and out.” She said as she and the Unicorn went through the motions.

“He is SO going to get it when I catch him!” She said as she trotted out the door.

“Shining go after her. I’ll explain everything to your parents.” The stallion gave her a quick peck on the cheek and hurried after his sister. Cadence looked over at her father and mother in law as they came to and sat up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The colt finished his tale as the foals looked at the colt in amazement, hilarity and shock. “So I ran here as fast as I could.”

“Dude that was awesome!” Scootaloo said with a laugh.

“Are y’all insane?” Applebloom yelled.

“It was just a small prank. I didn’t know her folks would faint.” He said with a sigh. He looked at the filly and groaned. “I’ll go and apologize once she’s calmed down and doesn’t have a mane made of fire.” He said as he trotted towards the door.

“What will you do until then?” Rumble asked.

“Lay low and try to avoid Twilight.” As he opened the door he was met with a firm white wall of fur. He looked up to see Shining Armor looking at him with a blank expression on his face. “Uh-oh.” Geode said as he gulped.

“Geode, what a coincidence. Let’s talk.” He said as he put a hoof on the colt’s shoulder. Geode looked back at the group who had worried looks on their faces. The colt followed the white stallion away from the clubhouse. “I managed to persuade Twilight to go back to the library. So don’t worry about running into her.”

“That’s a relief.” He said as he wiped the sweat off his brow.

“Interesting prank.” He said in a flat tone.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that your parent’s would faint.” He said in a low tone.

“They’re fine. A little shaken up, but fine.” He said as he looked at the colt. Geode kept his head low. “If it makes you feel any better, I used to pull all sorts of pranks on my parent’s when I was your age.”

“Really?”

“Yup, same goes for Twiley.” He said with a chuckle. “I once enchanted her ink so that it would vanish after she wrote something down.” He said with a chuckle.

“Classic. Did she always do that fire mane thing?”

“That is a rage shift. It happens when a Unicorn is put under a lot of emotional stress and their magic tends to get out of hoof.” He said with a sigh.

“Every Unicorn can do that?”

“Yeah, I’ve been there myself.” He said as he let out a sigh. The colt still had a glum look on his face. “How about we talk more over a scoop of ice cream? My treat.” He said with a smile. The red colt stopped walking and looked at the guard captain with a look of surprise on his face.

“Wait, I prank your sister, cause your folks to faint and you’re offering to buy me ice cream? I don’t mean to cause offense, but I fail to see the logic here.” Geode said in confusion.

“If you were a stallion I’d take you to a bar. Since you’re not, ice cream is the next best thing.”

“Well, I am over one thousand years old.” He said with a grin.

“I doubt the bartender will buy that.” The stallion said with a grin. “C’mon, Twilight tells me that Pinkie’s ice cream is the best.” He said as the two made their way towards the sweet shop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the library Cadence and the other ponies had calmed down and were having a pot of tea. Cadence had just finished explaining the situation with the red colt as Twilight walked back into the library and joined them. “So you’ve been taking care of him for how long?” Velvet asked as she looked at her daughter.

“About a month now.” Twilight said as she sipped her tea. Cadence sipped her drink and looked at the blue stallion who had a blank expression on his face.

“Honestly Cadence, you sent a teenage Unicorn colt to live with my daughter when you knew nothing about him?” He asked in a condescending tone.

“I understand Starlight. I didn’t know what else to do.” Cadence said in a defeated tone.

“You could have put him in an orphanage.”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that dad.” Twilight said with a sigh. “I’ll admit Geode has been a little....difficult." She said with a sigh. "But, I know that he’s changing for the better.” She said as she sipped her tea. “Just imagine being locked away for one thousand years. Something like that takes a toll.”

“I still don’t see why you couldn’t have put him in a foster home.” The blue stallion said with a sigh. Cadence looked at Twilight who had an uneasy look on her face.

“King Sombra put a curse on the crystal ponies, so that they see Geode as a threat and attack him on sight.” The two ponies looked at her in shock. “Living on the streets was the only way he felt safe. It would be like giving him a death sentence if I sent him to one of those places.” She said in a low tone.

“How long have you known this?” Velvet asked as she felt tears in her eyes.

“He only told us this a week ago.” Twilight said as she looked down in her glass. “Look, I know I don’t know that much about him but, I know I can help him.”

“What do you know about this spell?” Star asked.

“I’ve got some scholars from Canterlot researching it. Unfortunately exposure to a spell like that over a long period of time could take years to break down and dissolve.” Cadence said in a low tone. “Geode can’t go back to the Empire. At least not with that spell affecting their minds.” The pink Alicorn said in a low tone. Velvet held back her tears and focused her attention on her daughter.

“Okay Twilight. Why did you really call us here?”

“What are you talking about?” THe lavender mare asked in confusion.

“Twiley, I know when you’re lying to me.” She said in a flat tone.

“Is that because you’re a psychiatrist?” Twilight said in a stagnant tone.

“No, it’s because I’m your mother.” Twilight let out a sigh and levitated a piece of paper over to her parent’s The mare pulled out her reading glasses and read over the parchment. Her eyes shrank as she handed it to her husband. Star’s eyes quickly read through the words and looked back at his daughter.

“You’re serious about this?” Star asked.

“I am.” The group was interrupted by a few knocks on the door. “Come in.” The door opened to reveal the white Unicorn stallion and the red unicorn colt with a regretful look on his face. The guard captain gave the colt a slight nudge and a reassuring grin.

“I’m sorry.” Geode said in a low tone. “I’m sorry I tricked you all like that. It was extremely immature of me and I hope I caused no offense to you or your parents.” He said as he looked at the other two adult ponies who looked at him in amazement. Velvet looked at her husband and chuckled.

“Well, that’s more of an apology I’ve ever heard from Shining.” Velvet said as she looked at the blushing Unicorn stallion. The mare got to her hooves and bent down to his eyes level. “It’s nice to meet you Geode. I’m Velvet Sparkle and my husband is Starlight Sparkle.”

“Nice, to make your acquaintance.” He said in a flat tone.

“Oh lighten up Star. At least he’s honest.” Velvet said with a warm smile. “Not to mention he’s so cute!” She said as she pinched his cheek. The red colt rubbed his face and gave a weak grin. “Twilight and Cadence were just telling us about you.”

“I hope that it’s all good things.”

“For the most part.” The blue stallion said. “I have to say though, I haven’t been scared like that since Shinning put pink mane dye in my shampoo.” The red colt looked up at the guard captain who hid a small snicker.

“If you don’t mind me asking. Are you just visiting Twilight or is there some other reason why you’re here?” The adult ponies looked at one another and grinned.

“He’s a sharp one.” Velvet chimed. Twilight walked over to the colt with a smile on her face. She led the two of them over and sat them down at the table with the other Unicorns.

“Geode, I called my parents here so you could meet them.” She said with a smile. The colt looked at her with a quizzical look on his face “I called them here so I could get their opinion on letting me adopt you.” Geode felt the gears in his brain stop at the mares words.

“Y-you want to adopt me?” He asked in a timid tone.

“Yes.” The red colt looked down at his hooves and felt tears well up in his eyes. He looked at the two adult Unicorns who had smiles on their faces.

“From what we’ve seen and what Cadence has told us you remind us of Twilight and Shinning when they were your age.” Star said with a smile.

“You seem like a gentlecolt and Twilight has done a good job so far.” Velvet chimed. The red colt felt Twilight wrap a hoof around his shoulder.

“This can only happen if you want it to.” Twilight said as she showed him the paperwork. The colt couldn’t hold back the tears any longer and smiled.

“Yeah, let’s do it.” He said as he hugged the mare. Twilight returned the gesture she, was soon joined by the other ponies and the dragon. The group broke the embrace and filled out the proper paperwork.

“Honestly Shining, Twilight is tied with you in the grand plan.” Velvet teased. The white stallion felt his face go red as the pink Alicorn chuckled. “You two had better get working on it.” She chimed.

“Settle down dear.” Star said as he put a hoof on his wife’s shoulder.

“Grand plan?” Geode asked in confusion.

“Shining may have gotten married first but I have cute colt like you which makes us officially tied.” Twilight said with a grin. Shining blushed and face hoofed. Geode chuckled as he put the pieces together. The red colt smiled as he spent the rest of the afternoon with his new family.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deep in the Everfree Forest the cloaked stallion withdrew a dark crystal and placed it on the ground in front of the fire place. A projection of the older stallion appeared on the wall. “What do have to report?” He asked in a rough tone.

“The element of magic just adopted the twerp.” The elderly stallion let out a grunt.

“We need to act fast. Since he told the pink ditz about us we’ve had to bunker down more than ever.” He said in a cold voice.

“I may have the solution we seek master.” The cloaked stallion said with a grin on his face.

“I’m listening.”

“There’s a holiday this weekend where everypony wears a costume and dresses up like monsters. They then go around and collect candy.” He said in an annoyed tone.

“For what purpose?”

“Something about ‘paying tribute to Nightmare Moon.’” The stallion shrugged. “I believe that that would be the best time to strike.” The elderly stallion scratched his chin and thought for a moment.

“Don’t disappoint me.”

“Never sir.” The stallion said with a salute. The image vanished as the stallion laid back against the rock and smirked. “Soon, soon the master will rise.” He said as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 10: Don't Say Goodbye

Chapter 10

Don’t Say Goodbye.

Geode sat in his room planning for his first Nightmare Night celebration. The sky outside was turning orange as the sun went down. He went through multiple ideas in his head, but they seemed idiotic. Hmm....maybe a barbarian? Nah. He thought as he exited his room. The red colt trotted downstairs to see Twilight looking at her Starswirl the Bearded outfit and smiled.

“Hey Geode, what are you going as?”

“I’m still trying to figure it out.” He said with a sigh.

“I told you to plan ahead.” She said in a nagging tone.

“Yes, mom.” He said in a sarcastic tone. The stallion sat on the couch and let out a sigh. The colt cracked open his copy of Lord of the Ponies: The Coltship of the Horseshoe. The red colt started reading where he left off. After getting through two pages an idea hit him. Geode closed the book and ran outside. “I’ll be right back Twilight.” He said as he hoped down into the tunnel system. Geode galloped down the passage until he got to the main room and made his horn flare. A chest appeared in front of him. The red colt smiled as he opened the chest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Across town at the Crusader clubhouse The CMC were putting their costumes on. The orange filly had donned a pirate hat and a brown coat over her back. The filly was also sporting a wooden sword and a cap pistol. Sweetie Belle was donning a white Princess outfit with a matching tiara. The farmer was wearing her mane in a ponytail and a dark cloak that dropped across her back. She had a pumpkin hat with two triangle eyes cut out in the front.

“So what are you again Applebloom?” Scootaloo asked.

“Like ah said before, I’m a pumpkin demon.” The filly said as the three walked out of their club house. The fillies then met up with Rainbow Dash, who was dressed up like Daring Do. Applejack, who was wearing a scarecrow outfit. Rumble and Pipsqueak. The blue colt was wearing a wonderbolt outfit, while the white earth pony who usually sported pirate attire was wearing a black mask with a similar dark costume. The orange filly thanked that she was wearing a mask to cover her blushing cheeks.

“Hey Pip.....I thought you were going to be a pirate.” Scootaloo said in a nervous voice.

“Aye, I was......I mean. You talked about ninja’s so much that I decided to look them up and they seemed cool.” He said as he blushed. The orange filly could feel her heart beating one hundred times a minute.

“Can we get going?” Rumble asked.

“I’m with ya on that one. There are tons of pranks to pull tonight.” Dash said with a laugh. As she took a step forward the ground opened up and a mud covered Geode made bone chilling scream. Rainbow immediately hopped twenty feet into the air with a scream. The red colt fell on his back clutching his sides at her reaction.

“Gotcha!” He yelled as the farmer snickered to herself.

“Good one kid. You got me.” Rainbow said as she landed on the ground. Applebloom felt her face flare up as she saw the colt brush the mud off his body revealing his deep red coat.

“Hey where’s your costume?” Rumble asked.

“Oh right I’ll be right back.” He said as his horn flared and a sphere of rock formed around him. Scootaloo walked up next to Applebloom with a smug grin on her face.

“Your night is already made.” The yellow filly blushed at the Pegasus’s words.

“Oh hush.” She stammered.

“Come on now AB.” The orange mare said with a smile. “Ah've seen how you look at him.”

“SIS!” The filly yelled.

“Relax squirt. Everypony has a crush at your age.” Rainbow said with a sigh.

“Really? I doubt he’s my knight-” She was cut off as the sphere broke away. The ponies looked in surprise as they saw the small red colt donning a shining suit of crystal like armor. The rocks were a deep red and the head piece covered the back of his head allowing his black mane to stick out. His face was exposed revealing his smile. “In shining armor.” She finished as she felt her face flare up.

“Well, what do you think?” He asked as he looked at the ponies.

“Dude you look awesome!” Rainbow said with a smile.

“How’d you make that?” Applejack asked.

“Just something I threw together last minute.” He said as he cracked his neck. He then noticed Applebloom’s costume and he blushed.

“You look......good.” The filly said with a smile.

“As do you. Now let’s go.” He said as he trotted off through the town. The group of foals were soon joined by Twilight and Spike. The lavender mare was wearing her Starswirl the Bearded costume. While Spike was wearing a dragon outfit.

“Hey guys.” Spike said with a smile.

“Sup Spike. Real creative costume.” Geode said in a sarcastic tone.

“Ha ha. What are you supposed to be?”

“A knight.” He said in a flat tone.

“Nice costume. When did you make it?” Twilight asked.

“Five minutes ago.” Geode said with a grin. Pinkie rushed up dressed up as a chicken.

“Enough talk! Time is candy!” She said in a serious tone.

“Aren’t you a little old for this Pinkie?” Geode asked as he cocked an eyebrow.

“To old for candy?” The pink mare let out a gasp. “Never!” She said as she took off into the town. The ponies rolled their eyes and made their way through the packed streets of Ponyville.

“Hey why don’t we get a group picture?” Pip suggested. The foals nodded and got in front of a tan Unicorn stallion who had a camera. Geode was between Applebloom and Rumble. The foals all smiled as the unicorn made the camera flash. The stallion opened the back and made six copies and levitated them over to the foals. After the picture the adult’s went off to chat with one another. The foals ventured off into the dark street’s of Ponyville.

The foals stopped at a house and rang the doorbell. The foals held open their bags. After they received their they compared with one another. “I got a piece of gum.” The farmer announced.

“I got a packet of licorice.” Rumble chimed. Geode stuck his hoof into his bag and felt something hard.

“I got a rock.” The red colt said as he looked at the red object. The foals giggled at his response. “What?”

“That’s not a rock. It’s a jaw breaker. You suck on it.” Pip clarified.

“Hey why don’t we split up? We can get loads more candy that way.” Rumble said with a smile.

“Good idea. We’ll meet back at the club house in an hour.” Pip said with a smile. The ponies broke into teams of two; Pip went with Scootaloo, Sweetie went with the Wonderbolt and Geode left with Applebloom by his side. The two foals kept quite as they tried to hide their blush from one another.

“So.....how did ya make that costume in five minutes?” Applebloom asked.

“Magic.” He said as he gulped. “What are you supposed to be?”

“A pumpkin demon.” She said as she blushed.

“Looks good.” He said as the two went to the next house. The two foals continued to go to the house chatting with one another. Once in a while Geode felt like he was being watched by something from the shadows. “So Applebloom, Where’s Big Mac?”

“He’s off giving carriage rides to ponies around town and my sis is running the apple bobbing station.” She said with a smile.

“Wanna go do that?” He asked.

“Nah.” She said with a shrug. “Wanna go for a walk in the park?” She asks with a bright blush on her face.

“Um...sure.” He said as he gulped. The two ponies made their way into the park and looked up towards the sky to see the moon shining brightly that was accented by the stars. “The sky looks good.” Geode said trying to make conversation.

“Yeah, it does.” The filly blushed as the moonlight hit the colt’s costume making him shine a bright red. The filly sat closer to the colt. The filly gulped and gathered her courage. “Hey Geode can ah ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“What....What do you see me as?” The colt thanked Celestia for his deep red coat to help hide his blush.

“I see you as a very close friend.” He said with a gulp.

“A friend?” She asked.

“Well....maybe a little more than that. I don’t know.” He said as his blush intensified. The filly looked at him and felt her chest start to beat loudly. Her body seemed to act on it’s own as he face drew closer to the blushing colt’s. Geode kept still as the filly drew her face closer to his. The colt could feel the filly’s breath against his face.

Geode’s eyes shrank as he saw a shadow burst from the trees and towards himself and the filly. Geode grabbed the filly and jumped out of the way of the shadowy figure. “What in tarnation?” Applebloom said in shock.

“Applebloom. Run.” Geode said with fear in his voice as he gazed upon the figure.

“What?”

“RUN!” He said as he threw her on his back and started to run away from the figure who charged at him. The red colt’s horn glowed and several walls of stone appeared behind him. The shadowy figure maneuvered through the walls and chased the two foals through the park. Geode’s horn glowed and a hole opened up in the ground. The tow foals went inside and found themselves in Geode’s tunnel system.

“What are we doing down here?” Applebloom asked. Geode ignored the question and started shooting the support beams to the tunnel. As he reached the halfway point he heard the dark figure enter the tunnel and gallop after them. Geode waited at the end of the tunnel and smiled at the shadowy figure.

“To quote Gandcolt the Grey; YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” The colt kicked the last support lose and the dirt from above started to fill in the tunnel. Geode’s horn glowed as he grabbed Applebloom and jumped up towards the ceiling. A bright red beam came from his horn and made a solid hole up to the surface. The colt grabbed the edges of the hole by his hooves and ran up the wall towards the surface.

Twilight and her other friends were walking through town when a bright red magical beam shot up in front of them. The ponies looked down into the hole and saw Geode running towards the surface. Twilight’s horn flared and levitated him and the filly out as a massive amount of dirt spat out of the hole. The red colt landed and stared to pant heavily.

“Geode, what in the name of Celestia is going on?” Twilight yelled.

“Remember those Corrupted guys I told you about?” The mares nodded. “Looks like they’re still around.” He then got to his hooves and ignited his horn. The soil around him latched to his hooves and the red colt closed his yes. “Still down there huh?” He said as he sent a pulse of magic through the dirt and saw the outline of the stallion trying to dig up towards the surface. The red colt’s eyes started to glow as he raised his right hoof. He quickly brought it down on the earth and sent a massive wave of magic run through the earth.

The ponies above felt the ground starting to shake and ducked underneath a few tables. As the shaking stopped the earth around the red colt crumbled away as he fell back and started to pant. Twilight and the others rushed to his side with concerned looks on their faces. The red colt slowly sat up and caught his breath.

Deep below the surface the shadowy stallion felt all of his bones break and was laying in utter darkness. Master lend me the strength to complete my task. He thought as a pain on his left leg started to grow. The stallion opened his eyes which were now pitch black and spliced. The stallion grinned as he felt power flow through his broken body.

The red colt’s eyes shrank as he felt a growing pain form in his shoulder. “No way.” He said as the ground started to shake again. A shadowy figure burst from the ground and landed in front of the group of mares. The once crystal blue stallion was wrapped in shadows and was heavily bleeding.

“That hurt brat. Time for some payback.” He said in a spite filled tone. As he took a step forward Twilight immediately blocked his path along with the other five mares.

“You lay a hoof on him and I’ll break you in half!” Twilight yelled. The stallion smirked and slammed his right hoof into the purple mare sending her flying against a table. Applejack and Rainbow Dash charged at the stallion who smirked and two shadows turned into two massive clubs and slammed the mares against the ground.

“I don’t have time for this.” He stated. Pinkie appeared with what looked like a bright blue cannon with a pumpkin shoved in the end.

“Eat this! Pumpkin Party Special!” She yelled as she hit the button on the back sending the orange vegetable flying at the stallion. The stallion smiled as two shadow’s formed blades and cut the pumpkin and cannon in half. The explosion from the cannon sent the pink mare flying back into a brick wall. Fluttershy was shaking as she stood between the dark pony and the colt. She glared at the stallion who seemed to freeze in place.

“What in the name of-”

“You do not! I REPEAT, DO NOT HURT MY FRIENDS!” She yelled. The stallion stood still as the shadows changed into tentacles and grabbed her hooves. The tentacles then whipped her into the side of the building.

“Now where was I? Oh yes.” He said as he glared at the barely conscious colt.

“Get away from them!” Geode bellowed. The stallion made the shadows into a large hammer and brought it down on the red colt’s body causing his armor to crack and come off. Geode could feel his diamond hard bones press against his inner organs and his mouth quickly filled with his own blood. As the stallion took another step forward he felt something land behind him. He spun around to see an enraged Princess Luna with her horn flaring a blue aura. The dark Princess brought her hoof down on the stallion who started to cough up blood.

“THOU SHALL PAY FOR ACTIONS AGAINST OUR FRIENDS!” She yelled using the royal Canterlot voice. Her horn flared and a series of pillars sprouted up around the shadowy stallion. The stallion tried to move his body but found no strength.

“What? But the power-” He said as the shadows stared to dissipate.

“GUARDS! WATCH HIM!” Luna yelled as four night guards appeared and stood guard around the stallion. Luna quickly rushed over to Geode’s side and looked at the injured colt. “Are you alright Geode?” She asked in a worried tone.

“I’m fine. Go check on the others.” He said as he slowly got to his hooves. Luna nodded and hurried over to Twilight. The lavender mare opened her eyes to see Luna looking down at her with a concerned look on her face. Twilight sat up and felt a splitting pain in her head.

“Princess Luna? What are you doing here?” She asked as she put a hoof to her head in pain.

“I sensed a large amount of dark magic in Ponyville and I came as soon as I was able.” She said as she helped her to her hooves. The Unicorn’s eyes shrank as she remembered the events.

“GEODE!” She yelled as she ran over to the injured colt. Luna watched as the other mares sat up and looked around to see that the festivities had turned into a disaster. Geode was sitting up as Twilight looked him over and the five other foals crowded around their friend. The other mares limped over to the crimson colt who was panting heavily. “Are you okay?” She asked in a concerned tone.

“I’ve been through worse.” He said as he got to his hooves. Luna let out a sigh and summoned a quill and parchment. She scribbled a quick note and made the piece of paper vanish.

“I’ve sent my sister and Captain Armor a letter of what transpired here.” Luna said as she looked at the mares.

“Thank you Princess.” Twilight said as she hugged the colt.

“What did that psycho want?” Dash asked in confusion.

“Me.” Geode said as he hung his head in shame. “That’s a corrupted member.” The mares looked at him in shock and then over to the guarded stallion. “My guess is that he was sent to kill me.” He said as he lowered his head. A bright flash of light filled the town causing the ponies to shut their eyes. As they opened their eyes they saw Princess Celestia standing beside Shining Armor. The guard Captain rushed over to his sister’s side and breathed a sigh of relief.

The tall Alicorn Princess walked in front of the force field and stared at the barely conscious stallion. “You will tell us everything you know.” She said in a stagnant tone.

“You’ll have to make me.” He barked.

“Very well. Guards, escort him to the dungeon.” She said as the night guards nodded. The barrier was released and the guards surrounded the stallion. Geode saw the guard Captain approach the stallion with an angered look on his face. His eyes shrank as the stallion put something in his mouth and bit down on it.

“Shining get away from him!” Geode yelled.

“Huh?” The prisoner’s body started to shift and contort. Geode’s horn flared and slammed his hooves onto the ground. The stallion was suddenly surrounded by four massive rock walls, cut off from the guards and their captain.

“What are you-” Shining was cut off as a massive crystal broke through the walls and sprouted towards the sky. The massive crystal started to break apart and fall to the ground. “What did he just do?” The captain asked.

“He ate a creeping rock bomb. It’s a type of suicide pill Sombra issued for his soldiers. It explodes and makes the body into a living bomb.” Geode said with a sigh. The colt felt his vision blur as he blacked out. Shining Armor hurried over to him and scanned him with his horn

“He’ll be okay. He’s just exhausted. A good nights rest is all he needs.” Shining said with a sigh. Celestia trotted up to the colt and looked at Twilight with a blank expression on her face.

“Twilight, meet me in the library.” She said as she walked off towards the tree. “Bring Captain Armor and Luna with you as well.” She said without stopping to look back at her student. Twilight gulped and followed the white Alicorn with the sleeping red colt on her back. The other mares rounded up the foals and went home.

Twilight had a feeling of dread as she entered the library and saw Princess Celestia sitting down waiting for them patiently. Twilight walked up stairs and gently placed the red colt in his bed. Twilight silently closed the door and made her way downstairs. Luna had made a pot of tea and was pouring it in a cup for their sister and the two Unicorns. Twilight took her seat across from her teacher.

“What did you want to discuss Princess?” Twilight asked.

“It’s about Geode. I’m sorry Twilight, but.....I have to take him away.” The other ponies looked at the solar god in shock.

“What why?” Twilight stammered.

“It’s for his protection. It’s obvious that these...Corrupted members Cadence had mentioned are still alive and will most likely come after him again.” She said with a sigh.

“Isn’t that a little extreme your highness?” Shining asked. The Alicorn narrowed her eyes at the stallion who gulped.

“I agree with Captain Armor sister. The poor child has spent a thousand years-” Luna was cut off as the white alicorn raised a hoof.

“I’m well aware of the hardships he’s gone through.” She said in a flat tone.

“So you should know that it would only damage him further.” Luna protested.

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.” Celestia said in a stagnant tone. Twilight glared at her mentor in confusion.

“Princess, I don’t understand. You’ve never acted like this before. Why are you so fixated on Geode?” Twilight yelled. The Alicorn Princess let out a sigh

“I’m concerned for his safety and as Cadence explained to me. He still hasn’t gotten control of his magic.”

“I’ve been teaching him.” Twilight stammered. “Please Princess, don’t take him away.” Twilight begged with tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry Twilight, but my decision is final.” She said in a low tone. “I will return tomorrow for him.” She said as she got to her hooves. “Come Luna, we’re leaving.” The blue Alicorn looked at Twilight with a saddened look on her face.

“Yes, sister.” Luna said in a spiteful tone. The guard captain gave his sister a hug and nodded at her.

“It’ll be okay.” He said trying to sound reassuring. The captain stood beside the Princess’s and vanished in a flash of light. Twilight slumped to the ground and felt tears roll down her face. Spike walked over to her and put a claw on her shoulder.

“It’ll be okay Twilight. Celestia is a great teacher and you can go and see him whenever you want.” Spike said with a smile. Twilight wiped the tears away and sniffled.

“You’re right Spike. Geode might even be excited, he’ll learn from the best.” She said trying to convince herself. The mare trotted upstairs and peeked into the colt’s room. She saw him sleeping peacefully. The mare smiled as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Twilight closed the door and made her way to her own room. The mare crawled into her bed and tried to get some sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight woke up mid morning to the sound of somepony knocking on her door. She let out a heavy sigh and made her way to the door. She opened int to see Celestia, Luna, Cadence along with her friends and the other five foals. “Hey Twilight.” The farmer said as she and the others entered. “The Princess came to our houses last night and filled us in.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Twilight said in a saddened tone. “Still, it’s a good opportunity he get’s to study under Celestia after all.” She said as she forced a smile.

“Ya don’t have to lie to us Twi. We know how you feel.” Dash said with a sad look on her face.

“We wanted to say goodbye and wish him luck.” Rumble said with a smile.

“I think he’d like that.” She said as she went upstairs and trotted into the colt’s room. She saw the red object sleeping on it’s side with the covers pulled over.”Geode. It’s time to get up. There’s something we need to talk about.” The red colt refused to budge. “C’mon Geode.” She said as she jostled him. As he hoof touched his shoulder she heard a cracking noise. She screamed as the colt’s body broke apart like a glass vase.

The ponies hurried upstairs and looked at the scared mare and the empty bed filled with dirt. “What happened here?” Cadence asked.

“I just tapped him on the shoulder and then this!” She yelled as she pointed to the mound of earth. The dragon then noticed a red jewel in the center of the dirt.

“Hey what’s this?” He asked as he held up the jewel.

“That’s a recorder crystal. It’s a way of holding messages.” Cadence clarified. The dragon handed it to Twilight. As the rock touched her hoof the crystal started to glow and an image of the red colt appeared before them.

"Twilight if you’re getting this now then that means that you’ve discovered my rock clone. I heard the conversation you and the Princess had last night.” The mare held her head in shame. “I know you want what’s best for me but I refuse to be treated like a prisoner again. I do agree with the Princess on one note; It’s too dangerous for me to stay here.”

The mare’s felt tears forming in their eyes. “Don’t bother looking for me. I’m probably hundreds of miles away by now. I need to discover my own path in this world.” The image had tears in it’s eyes. “I’ve had to say goodbye to a lot of friends and I refuse to say it here. This isn’t goodbye, I’ll be back someday.” The yellow filly couldn’t stop the torrent of tears running down her face. “I’ll see you all again.” The image started to smile as it faded away.

The ponies looked in shock as the image of the smiling colt evaporated. Applejack was comforting her distraught sister as Twilight slumped to the floor. Celestia gulped and hung her head as a small smile crept across Luna’s face. Good luck Geode. The blue Princess thought as a tear rolled down her cheek.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Off in the distance the red colt smiled as sun started to rise and the sunlight beamed over a mountain. Geode had a small set of saddlebags over his back and the red cloak Cadence had given him before he left for Ponyville as well as the knife he had received from the guard Captain.

“I think it’s time for a new adventure.” He said with a smile as he ran down the road with a smile on his face.

Author's Note

If you caught the Charlie Brown reference then you are awesome.

Sorry this took so long.

Chapter 11: Return

Chapter 11

Return

Five Years later.

The yellow Earth pony mare finished her last tree and wiped the sweat off her brow. Applebloom’s mane was in a long braid with a bow above her right ear and at the end of the braid, which had a red bow at the end of it. Her tail was together by a red hair tie at the end in a pony tail fashion. A green checkered handkerchief hung from her neck. Her flank also donned her very own Cutie Mark, a hammer behind a red apple.

“Applebloom? Did ya finish the row?” Applejack called out as she looked at her sister.

“Yeah, ah’m heading back.” She said with a smile. The yellow eigtteen year old mare trotted down the road towards her home. The yellow mare passed her brother and gave him a friendly nod.

“Dinner will be ready in a few sis.” He said with a grin. Applebloom smiled and walked up to her room. The mare laid down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. The mare let out a sigh and looked over to her window and her mind drifted to her friends. Sweetie Belle had been busy with her new record album and was currently on vacation and was spending some long overdue time with Rumble, who was on leave from the Wonderbolt academy.

Scootaloo was partnered with Rumble in the academy and they were easily the top of their class. Pipsqueak had earned his Cutie Mark in Navigation and was helping the royal guard with reading maps and compass’s. The orange Pegasus even managed to sneak off base once or twice to see her colt friend. Applebloom let out a sigh as she reached under her handkerchief and pulled out a small red heart shaped crystal on a metal chain.

The mare held the rock close and let out a sigh as she remembered how she acquired the treasure.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been a week since the crystal colt had left the small town. Applebloom was still getting over the fact that he was gone. The small filly was lying in the park with a sad look on her face. The filly’s sadness was interrupted by a familiar blonde maned grey Pegasus mare. “Hey Applebloom!” She said with a smile.

“What do ya want Ditzy? I’m not in the mood.” She said with a groan.

“Oh, I see. I just came cause I have a letter for you.” The mare said in a low tone. The filly let out a sigh and sat up.

“Ah’m mighty sorry about that Ditzy. I’m just a bit sad is all.” She said with a sigh.

“It’s okay. Here’s your letter.” She said with a smile. The filly cocked an eyebrow as the mare handed her a muffin.

“Um Ditzy, is this one of those muffin-grams?”

“Oops. Sorry about that.” She said as she took the muffin back. “Here’s your letter.” She said as she handed her a manila envelope. The mare took off to the skies leaving the filly alone with the package.

What in the hay is this thing? She thought as she opened it. Her eyes shrank as a red gem in the shape of an apple came tumbling out along with a letter the farmer picked up the slip of paper and started reading it to herself.

Dear Applebloom

I’m so sorry for how I left. I had to. My presence in Ponyville has become a burden to you all. I know how you feel about me and I feel the same way. Leaving Ponyville was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my long years of living. The filly felt tears well up in her eyes. This is more than just a gem, it’s a promise that I’ll come back one day. I am begging you that you keep this to yourself. It will only make everypony else worry.

Sincerely, Geode.

The filly hugged the letter and put the necklace around her neck. She looked at it and felt fresh tears roll down her cheek.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been five years. Five long years since that day. Despite her friend’s efforts to help her move on the yellow pony kept faith that her knight would return. A sudden knock on the door took the filly out of the trance and quickly put the necklace safely tucked away behind her handkerchief.

“Applebloom, supper’s ready.” Applejack said in a cheery tone.

“Ah’ll be right down sis.” The mare said as she got to her hooves. The mare trotted downstairs and sat beside her older brother who was sitting next to a familiar maroon mare. Mac had married Cherilee two years ago and the two couldn’t have been happier. “How was school Ms-....Ah mean Cherilee?”

“Oh just wonderful. How’s your construction going on the barn?”

“Good, ah got the third beam in place and I should be able to get the fourth in by tomorrow afternoon.” She said with a smile.

“Caramel! You better get your sorry flank down here before ah have to come up and drag you out myself!” The orange mare bellowed upstairs.

“I’m coming I’m coming.” Soon a light brown earth pony stallion with a neatly combed brown mane made his way into the kitchen. “Sheesh, I said I would be a minute.” He said as he sat down next to the orange mare.

“Ah know and I literally gave you minute.” She teased. The stallion rolled his eyes as the mare pecked him on the cheek.

“Enough of that you two. It’s supper time.” Granny smith said as she put the pot on a wood coaster.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the center of town a dark brown Unicorn stallion wearing a long red coat made his way into town. A black hood covering his equally black mane covering and face. The stallion made his way through the town. He felt a sudden tugging at his coat. He looked down to see a white unicorn filly with a pink mane staring at him. “Well, hello there.” He said with a smile. The filly smiled back at him. “Are you lost?” He asked as he crouched down. The filly nodded with a nervous look in her eye.

“Yes, I’m here visiting my aunt and I got lost in the crowd.” She said in a nervous tone.

“Well, let’s go find her then.” Geode said with a smile. The filly smiled and followed the red stallion. “So what’s your name?” He asked as he looked at the filly.

“Rising Dawn. You?”

“You can just call me G.” He said with a grin.

“What kind of name is that?” She asked as she cocked her head.

“My name. So where did you last see your aunt?”

“Um....we were at a sweet shop.”

“Sugar Cube Corner?”

“Yeah! That’s it!” She said with a smile. The two walked through the busy streets as the sun started to set. The filly noticed that the stallion had two small rock mallet’s hanging from his sides. “What do you need those for G?” The red stallion looked at his hammers.

“Oh these? They’re for work.” He said with a smile. The stallion was hit with nostalgia as he entered the sweet shop. He saw a familiar pink mare standing behind the counter smiling.

“Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner how can I.....DAWN! There you are!” She said as she galloped up to the filly.

“Sorry Aunt Pinkie. I kinda got lost.” The filly said with a weak grin on her face. Geode pulled his hat over his face to hide his surprised expression. “Good thing I ran into...Hey where’d he go?” The filly said as the space that the stallion once occupied was now empty.

The red stallion galloped through the small town keeping his hat pulled over his head. That was way too close!

Wait why am I running? He thought to himself.

I don’t know. I just....freaked out! The stallion stopped running and caught his breath. as he sat on a bench in town he looked down at his hooves and saw a flyer that caught his eye. He picked it up and saw that both Scootaloo and rumble were advertising for the Wonderbolts along with Rainbow Dash. The stallion felt a smile creep across his face at the sight of the two.

“Excuse me sir.” The stallion looked to his left to see a familiar white guard stallion with a long blue mane and a short blue beard. “I’m looking for a small white Unicorn filly with a pink mane. Have you seen her?” G felt a small bead of sweat from on his head and his tongue dry up. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I’m fine. I saw the filly enter the sweet shop down town.”

“Sugar Cube Corner?” Shining asked.

“That’s the place.”

“Thanks.” He said with a smile. As the the white stallion started to walk away something scratched at the back of his mind. “Hey I didn’t get your-” He stopped when he saw the that the pony had left the area and seemed to vanish. Shining stroked his beard and pushed the thought out of his mind as he hurried to the sweet shop.

The stallion kept his head low as he hurried through the streets. As he neared the edge of town he was hit with a wave of nostalgia as his eyes fell upon the schoolhouse. It was still the same color and had the same sign out front. The red stallion gulped as he trotted along a familiar path leading up to an old club house. He gulped as he approached the old structure.

Some of the wooden boards on the exterior were starting to rot. The stallion put a hoof on the side wall and let out a sigh. He looked on the door to see another flyer advertising Sweetie Belle’s new hit song.

I hope everyone is okay. He thought as he turned around and went back towards the town. The stallion walked past Sugar Cube Corner agin and heard a few familiar voices coming from the inside.

“C’mon Applebloom. Any one of theses stallions would be lucky to be with you.” Scootaloo whined.

“Ah said I’ll pass.”

“You’re still waiting for Geode to come back? It’s been five years!” Pip exclaimed.

“H-he promised that he’d come back.” She said trying to sound strong.

She waited for me? All this time? He thought to himself.

“Look, we know how you feel. We miss him too.” Rumble said with a sigh. The brown stallion entered the establishment undetected. He sat down in the seat across from them. The door opened to reveal four ponies enter the sweet shop. The stallion easily recognized the two mares that were followed by two stallions. One was a dark blue Pegasus and the other was atan Earth pony.

“What are you losers doing now?” The pink mare said with a scoff.

“Just beat it Tiara.” Scootaloo spat out.

“What it’s not our fault that the monster ran away from you.” Spoon said with an evil cackle.

“Spoon, Tiara. Say one more thing and I’ll snap ya’ll like a dry twig.” Applebloom said in a calm but anger filled voice. The two stallions then stepped forward. “Scared to fight mare to mare?”

“Why should I bother with somepony like you?” Tiara scoffed. As the yellow filly quickly got to her hooves her face was met with a tan hoof to her face. Before anypony moved the stallion was blind sided by a brown hoof and was sent flying into the far wall causing the wall to crack.

“Who the buck are you?” The pink mare yelled. The commotion had attracted the attention of a few ponies. Including a familiar lavender Unicorn. The blue Pegasus grabbed a nearby stool and bashed it against the hooded stallion’s head. The stranger didn’t move a muscle until he turned around and stared at the nervous stallion.

“My turn.” The brown Unicorn picked the Pegasus up by his mane and threw him through the window. “Next?” He asked as he looked at the two prissy mares who were shaking in fear. “Good.” He said in a flat tone. As he looked to his left he saw the group of ponies smile at him.

“Thanks new guy! That was awesome.” Scootaloo said with a smile. The group was then joined by Pinkie and the other ponies including the white filly from before. Dawn let out a gasp at the stallion.

“Hey this is the stallion that helped me find my way back!” She yelled. Shining raised an eyebrow and trotted up to him.

“Thanks for pointing my daughter in the right direction.” He said with a grin.

“I-It was no trouble.” The stallion’s eyes shrank as Twilight trotted up to him.

“Are you okay? These stools are made out of solid oak.” She asked in a concerned tone.

“It’s okay. I’m hard headed.” He said as he gave a small tap on his head. As his hoof connected with his scalp the ponies heard an audible cracking sound. “Oh no.” He said in a hushed tone. The ponies eyes shrank as the crack spread down the right side of the stallion’s face. The brown surface fell to the ground and shattered like clay, revealing a deep red color.

Silence fell over the room as the stallion looked at the shocked ponies. Twilight put the pieces together as she stared into the stallion’s deep purple eyes. “G-Geode? Is that you?” She asked with tears in her eyes. The stallion could feel the tears starting to flow over making the rest of his disguise crumble around him. The small filly looked at the adult’s who all had looks of shock, surprise and wonderment on their faces.

Before the stallion could answer, the lavender mare wrapped her hooves around her adopted son and cried into his shoulder. The stallion returned the hug and smiled in the mare’s embrace.The group of ponies then crowded around him. The colt was met with friendly high hooves and hugs.

“You know what this calls for?” Pinkie yelled.

“I can guess.” Geode said with a smile. “A Party?”

“YES!” She yelled.

“Still the same as ever I see.” He said with a smile. The two beaten stallions limped out of the pastry shop with the two annoying mares in hot pursuit.

“I’m so glad that you’re okay.” Twilight said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Likewise.”

“Okay who his this guy?” Dawn asked as she looked at the white stallion.

“Dawn, this is your cousin Geode. The one I told you about, remember?” The white filly thought for a moment and soon came to the revelation.

“NO WAY!” She said with a smile.

“So where have you been all this time?” Rumble asked.

“I’ve been traveling all around Equestria. Seeing the world like I wanted to.” He said with a grin. The five friends then felt a little disappointed by his words. “The funny thing is that where ever I went my mind always drifted back to this town.” He said with a smile. The ponies gave him a warm smile at the words.

“So what have you been doing for the past five years?” Shining asked.

“I’ve been seeing the world and catching up on what I missed. By the way Pinkie.” The pink mare looked at the red stallion. “Your folks say hi. I worked on your rock farm just before I came here.”

“YAY!” She exclaimed. As the night went on Geode had noticed that Applebloom kept relatively quiet and seemed to look away when he looked at her. The stallion let out a sigh and walked over to her while the other ponies were busy conversing with one another. The mare sat down at a nearby table and held her head in her hooves.

“Can I sit with you?” Geode asked as he looked at the mare.

“Sure.” She said in an uneasy tone. The stallion sat across from her and let out a sigh.

“Look Applebloom I-”

“Why didn’t you write?” She asked in low voice. “Ah waited for five years. Five years!” she said as a tear started to form in her eye.

“I know and I’m sorry. It’s just that.....” The stallion lowered his head in shame. “I figured that you all would be better off without me.” The mare looked at him in shock.

“How can ya even say that? You’re our friend!” She yelled.

“You saw what happened that night. If anything ever happened to you because of me.....I’d never forgive myself.” He said in a low tone. The mare looked at him with a sad look on her face. “You all mean a lot to me. Especially you.”

“Me?” She asked as her face turned bright red.

“In a way. You were my first real friend. Even when I pushed you away your stubbornness persisted and you started to grow on me.” The red stallion felt his cheeks flare up as he chose his next words. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I really-” Geode was cut off as the yellow mare wrapped her hooves around him and pressed her lips against his. The stallion’s mind short circuited at the mare’s action and left him frozen.

Applebloom broke the embrace and gave him a sheepish grin. “Sorry, ah’ve been waiting a long while to do that.” She said with a smile.

“Worth it?” He asked.

“Definitely.” The mare said with a smile.

“FINALLY!” The two looked over to see the other ponies watching them with wide grins on their faces. “Seriously, I thought I was gonna become an old mare before that was going to happen.” Scootaloo yelled. The two ponies covered their faces with their hooves. Geode looked over to see Shining winking at him.

“Oh sweet Celestia.” Geode groaned.

“So Geode where are you going to stay?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“He can stay with m-” The white earth pony stallion was cut off as the orange Pegasus lightly hit him in the ribs.

“We’ve got room at the farm.” The orange mare said with a smile.

“You sure I don’t want to be a bother.” Geode said as he cocked an eyebrow.

“Nonsense! Yer practically family Geode. Got any objections bloom?” AJ asked.

“Do ya even need to ask?” She deadpanned. The ponies started to vacate the sweet shop and go home. Geode walked Twilight and Shining home. He noticed that Dawn was asleep on the guard’s back and snoring softly.

“Dawn seems like a good filly.”

“Oh trust me she can be a real hoofful sometimes.” Shining said with a grin.

“I caught her trying to put itching powder in your armor earlier today.” Twilight said with a giggle. Geode stopped as they came to his old home.

“You sure you don’t want to sleep here? I can get a hotel and-” Geode raised a hoof at the white stallion.

“No, there will be plenty of time for Twilight and I to catch up.” He said with a smile. “Say hi to Cadence for me. I’ll see you tomorrow mom.” He said as he made his way towards the orchard. Twilight felt a small tear of joy fill her eye as she heard the word she hadn’t heard in five years.

Geode was happily greeted by Granny Smith and Cherilee as he walked through the door. The stallion made his way up the stairs and into the guest room. As he tried to fall asleep the door opened to reveal the yellow mare with a smile on her face. Before Geode could say anything the mare crawled under the covers next to the stallion and smiled.

“Goodnight.” She said as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Geode wrapped his hooves around the mare and fell asleep with her in his arms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the Crystal Empire the elderly hooded stallion was sitting at the head of the table with only four others. The stallion slammed his hoof down on the table in frustration. “How could this have happened? We had over one hundred followers when the empire returned and now there are only four before me.”

“The colt has grown stronger and had been taking us apart brick by brick.” One of them said with a gulp. The elderly stallion slumped in his seat and rubbed his temples with his hooves.

“What should we do sir?” Another asked.

“We just need to wait a little longer. The spell will be completed and all pieces will be put in place.” He said with a sigh. “Send the little bastard a message that we’re still around.”

“Sir!” One of the stallions said as he ran off into the shadows. The other three stallions smiled as they looked at their leader.

“He’ll die won’t he?” One of them asked.

“It matters little. The time is coming my brothers. Soon we shall have not only this empire but all of Equestria in our hooves.” He said with a cackle. “Everything is going according to plan.”

Author's Note

Sorry for the lateness.

Chapter 12: Back in town

Chapter 12

Back in Town

“Boop.” Geode felt something tap his nose as he laid in the bed at Sweet Apple Acres. “Boop.” Geode opened his eyes to see Applebloom with a smile on her face. “Morning.”

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“Booping your nose.” She said as she did it again. The stallion rolled his eyes and got to his hooves. “How’d you sleep?” She asked.

“Best sleep I’ve had in a very long time.” He said as he kissed her on the cheek. The mare smiled and walked with the stallion down the stairs. The other Earth ponies were sitting at the table as Granny Smith started serving the food.

“There you two are.” Applejack said with a smile. “Ah was about to call for ya.”

“Sorry sis.” The yellow mare said with a smile. The two sat down across from Mac who was in between Applejack and his wife. “Hey Mac ah was wondering if ah could have the day off.”

“Ah don’t know Bloom we-” He was cut off as the mares sitting beside him discretely punched him in the ribs. “Caramel?” The stallion said as he fought through the pain.

“I’m not getting involved.” He said as he sipped his coffee trying to not notice the death stare Applejack was giving him.

“Good boy.” The orange mare said with a smile. “You two have a nice day off.” The mare said with a smile. The young couple smiled and finished their food. The red stallion and the yellow mare made their way down the dirt path towards town. The yellow mare stopped and scratched her chin.

“Something wrong?” Geode asked.

“Just remembered that ah had to do something.”

“What?” The yellow mare then slapped him across the face. “Okay, ow!” He said as he rubbed the sore spot.

“That was for leaving!” She yelled.

“Fine I deserved-” He was cut off as the mare kissed him.

“That was for coming back.” She said with a smile. “If you ever run off like that again then I’ll-”

“Snap my horn off?” He asked with a wince.

“I’ll snap something off.” She said in a rough tone. The red stallion gulped as the mare giggled.

“C’mon. Let’s go, ah want to hear about all the things you did.”

“Right, why don’t we find everypony and we’ll meet up at the library. I’m sure Twilight is as eager to hear my story as you all are.” He said with a smile. The mare nodded and the two trotted off to meet with their friends.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The cloaked green crystal stallion got off the train and made his way through the small town. He kept his head lowered and made his way through the streets until he saw a red unicorn stallion with a black mane. He quickly ducked behind a building and started to observe the stallion.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Geode along with the group of friends made their way towards the library.

“So Pip. When did you give up your eye patch for a compass?” Geode asked.

“Ah, yes. In my pirate exploits I started studying old maps Twilight had at the library. Soon I started to draw my own maps and the rest is history.” He said with a shrug. Geode grinned as he knocked on the door to the library. The door swung open and he was tackled by a familiar pink Alicorn mare.

“GEODE! IT’S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!” Cadence yelled as she locked him in a death hug.

“Cadence...can’t breath!” The stallion said as he gasped for air.

“Sorry!” She said as she let go of him. “When Twilight told me that you were back I was so excited!” She said with a giggle.

“It’s good to see you too.” He said as he got to his hooves. The group trotted inside to see Twilight along with Shining Armor and Dawn sitting at the kitchen table. The group of friends sat down as Twilight poured them each a cup of tea. The stallion also saw a seven foot purple dragon carrying a few extra chairs. “Spike?”

“Hey dude.” He said as he put the chairs down and hoof bumped him. “Wow look how big you got!”

“I can say the same thing about you!” He then looked over at the lavender mare. “What have you been feeding him?” The ponies snickered and took their seats.

“So Geode tell us. What have you been doing for the past five years?” Shining said with a smile.

“I’ve been running. Faster than I ever have and I’ve been running my whole life.” He said as he sipped his glass. “Now it’s time for me to stop. I’ve made a decision.”

“What’s that?” Twilight asked.

“I’ve spent the last four years systematically taking out Corrupted members.” He said in a flat tone. “I don’t know what they’re planning, but it’s big and it involves the Empire in some way.”

“What do you mean by ‘taking out?’” Cadence said with a gulp.

“I’ve found a way to strip Sombra’s magic from them.” He said with a smile. “After I had beaten them to the point so that they can’t move I’d take the magic away which, resulted in amnesia. The I’d send them back to the empire fully cured and in control of their minds.” He said with a grin. Twilight looked at the red stallion in amazement.

“How does it work?” Twilight asked.

“I can show you in a few minutes.” He said with a smirk.

“How?” The red stallion pulled out one of his hammers and slammed it on the hard wood floor. The group heard a loud scream coming from outside. “What was that?” Twilight asked. The red stallion got to his hooves and trotted outside accompanied by the other ponies. The ponies saw a massive rock sticking up out of the ground.

“Wait for it.” He said as the screaming grew louder. Geode looked up and saw a dark green hooded Crystal stallion falling from the sky. The object landed with loud thud. The ponied cringed as Cadence covered Dawn’s eyes. Geode walked up to the green mass struggling on the ground and lifted his head up by his mane. “Ah Lt. Archer. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“So you’re the brat.” He said as Geode let go of him. The stallion sat up and glared at the red stallion.

“This is your one chance, surrender and I’ll get rid of that annoying voice in your head.” He said with a smirk.

“Um, no thanks.” The stallion’s coat turned from swamp green to a jet black and his eyes spliced.

“Ah yes. Two can play at that game.” The red stallion’s horn glowed and the mark on his neck started to spread across his body. His coat turned jet black and his eyes were spliced. “Now let’s have a good old fashioned fight.” The red stallion lunged forward and kicked the stallion down the street and towards the woods. Archer hit the dirt hard and quickly got to his hooves. The stallion looked up to see the other dark stallion turning back to his normal red color and his eyes returned to their normal size.

“So, you’ve gotten control over it have you?”

“More or less. Oh and I’d watch where you’re standing if I were you.” The stallion looked down to see that the ground had engulfed his hooves. He looked back to see the other ponies galloping up to him. “Ah just in time.” He said as rocks formed around the stallion’s neck and started to grow around his body.

“Let me go you whore spawn!”

“Oi! Watch the language.” Geode said in a stern tone. The red stallion then touched his horn to his head and made it glow. The trapped stallion felt a pain in his head and started to scream and pain. Shining was about to intervene when Twilight held him back. The dark coloring around the green stallion started to go into the red stallion’s horn. Once all the dark color had faded away Geode released the stallion.

“What? Where am I?” The stallion asked. Geode smiled and put a hoof on the stallion’s shoulder.

“Ponyville, you’re about three hundred miles from the Crystal Empire. Take the twelve o’clock train and go home.”

“Y-yes. Good idea.” He said as he rubbed his head in pain. He looked at the pink Alicorn and the group and gave a nod. The ponies watched him walk away and stared back at the red stallion.

“What did you just do?” Twilight asked.

“I took in all the magic, the memories everything the corrupted did to him and removed it.” He said with a grin. “Instead of killing him I gave him his freedom back.” The red stallion suddenly stumbled only to be caught by the white stallion.

“Are ya okay?” Applebloom asked.

“Yeah, it’s just doing that takes a lot of magic.” He said with a sigh.

“How many times have you done that?”

“Including him, seventy-two times.” He said as he cracked his neck. “I think I’m finally ready.”

“Ready for what?” Cadence asked.

“I’m going back to the empire.” Geode said with a smile.

“WHAT?” The ponies yelled.

“You said that they would attack you on sight!” Shining protested.

“That was before I could change the way I look and I have a plan.” He said with a smile.

“Which is?” Rumble asked.

“I find the senior Corrupted member and Purify him. Once that is done I use the same spell on the Crystal heart to amplify the effects across the entire Empire, thus destroying the last remains of King Sombra permanently.”

“This sounds risky.” Cadence said. “How are you even going to find this leader anyway?”

“Oh he’ll find me. The crystal fair is only a few days away correct?” The pink mare nodded. “Then it’s simple, I enter the fair under a false name and disguise myself.”

“Out of the question.” Twilight exclaimed. “You’re putting your life on the line for this plan you just came up with!”

“I’ve been planning this for three years Twilight. There was only one piece in the plan I didn’t count on.”

“What’s that?” Applebloom asked.

“Wanting to come back here so badly.” He said as he hung his head. “These Corrupted ponies drove me from my home, killed and enslaved my friends. It’s time I put a stop to them. Once and for all.” He said as he stood up. “So if you need me I have an order to bring down.” He said as he started walking away from the group. He felt something tug at his cloak.

“Hold it right there you.” The farmer said in a stern tone. “Ah ain’t letting you leave twice.”

“Applebloom....I have to do this.” He said in a saddened voice.

“Not without me ya ain’t.” She said with a smile.

“Count us in too.” Rumble said with a smile.

“It’s gonna be dangerous.” Geode said to the ponies.

“This Captain never abandons his deck hoof.” Pip said reverting to his pirate accent.

“I suppose talking you out of it is futile.” Twilight said with a smile. “At least you learned something from me.” She said as she rolled her eyes.

“I’m in.” Shining said with a smile.

“One rule Uncle.” He said in serious tone. “Shave that thing off your face. You look like a hobo.” He said as he pointed to the stallion’s facial hair.

“What? No I don’t. Cadence loves the beard.” He then turned to the pink Alicorn. “Right honey?” The pink mare started whistling to herself. “Twiley?” The lavender unicorn adverted her eyes. Shining then looked down to his daughter “Dawn, you like daddy’s beard right?” He asked with a hopeful smile. The pink filly immediately stuck her tongue out at the guard captain.

“Me no like.” The filly said with a small giggle.

“Dawn. Grammar.” Twilight said.

“I don’t like it.” The lavender unicorn smiled at her niece while Shining held his head in defeat.

“Right in the pride.” Geode commented. “Okay then, we’ll leave tomorrow morning then.” He said with a smile. “Time for a homecoming.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in the Empire the elderly stallion waited in the dark corridor for a report. Another dark hooded stallion galloped up to him.

“Archer failed sir.”

“As expected. It matters little. The board is set and the pieces are in place.” He said with a wicked grin. “Soon my brother. Soon, we will rule this kingdom and then the world will bow before us.” He said as he looked back at the shadow covered stallion.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long update everypony. Been working on other fics.

Chapter 13: Homecoming

Chapter 13

Homecoming

The group of friends along with the Elements boarded the train station and headed off towards the Crystal Empire. Princess Cadence, Shining Armor and Dawn had teleported back to the empire early that morning. Applebloom sat next to the red stallion while Twilight sat across from him. On the long Train ride Applebloom noticed something she hadn’t before about the red stallion.

“Geode! You still don’t have a Cutie Mark.” The other ponies turned their heads towards the crystal stallion’s flank and saw that it was still blank.

“Yeah, so?”

“Why don’t you have one?”

“Like I told you, I don’t care if I’ve got one or not.” He said with a shrug.

“Ah still can’t believe that.” She said in a low tone.

“It doesn’t matter to me anymore.” He said as the train pulled to a stop. The ponies exited the cart and Geode disguised himself in a brown dirt shell. The stallion kept his head low as he traversed through the old streets.

“You okay?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, it’s just been a while since I’ve been here.” He said with a sigh. “I was this age when Sombra took the throne.”

“What? But you were just a colt when I met you.” Twilight said.

“He used an age spell on me to make me younger and weaker so he could experiment on me.” Geode said in a low tone. “Sorry guys, I have to go take care of a few things. I’ll see you at the fair.” Before the ponies could protest he vanished in a flash of red light.

“Where’s he off to?” Scootaloo asked.

“He probably needs some time. This place is probably bringing back some....unpleasant memories.” Twilight said in a worried tone. “C’mon let’s go to the castle.” The lavender mare said with a smile. The group of ponies nodded and made their way through the crowd and towards the massive crystal castle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Geode materialized in an underground tunnel. The walls were glistening with diamonds. The stallion removed his brown disguise and walked down the pathway that laid before him. Geode kept his head low as he came to an opening. Water was dripping from the stalactites attached to the ceiling.

The room was wide and had a single tombstone sticking out of the ground. Behind it was a statue of a crystal pony mare. Geode stopped in front of it and laid down with tears in his eyes.

“Hey mom, I’m back.” He said with a sniffle. “I’m.....I’m sorry.” He said as the words tore at his heart. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to save you, dad or any of them.” The stallion wiped the tears from his eyes only for a new reservoir to burst forward.

“Don’t worry. I won’t fail this time. I will rid this world of Sombra’s influence!” He said as he stood up. “Just wait a bit longer. I’ll be home soon.” He said as he smiled with the tears still flowing from his face.

As the red stallion walked away, a drop of water from a stalactite fell onto the stone statue’s right eye and ran down the side of it’s cheek. Geode walked back through the tunnel into a small hole that spread into another wide room. The red stallion trotted over to a small chest and unlocked the hatch with an old key. A small crystal blue light filled the room as he opened the lid. Geode smiled and levitated the shard over to a work bench. “Now, it ends.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back on the surface the group of ponies made their way into the crystal palace. The five younger ponies’s eye boggled at the spectacle. Twilight was soon greeted by Shining Armor and Dawn.

“Aunt Twilight!” The filly squeaked as she hugged the lavender mare.

“Take it easy Dawn, I saw you yesterday.” She said with a smile. Twilight giggled as she saw some small cut’s on her brother’s face. “Had some trouble this morning?”

“No comment.” Shining said as he rubbed his now beardless chin. “I miss it already.”

“Oh don’t be a foal.” The lavender mare teased. The librarian then approached the pink Alicorn and smiled. The five friends then started to explore the castle. Twilight followed Cadence to a pair of shining doors decorated in jewels. “What’s this room?”

“Ah yes this is the archives of the Crystal Empire.” She said with a smile. Cadence opened the doors to reveal several racks of books. Twilight’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened at the vast collection. “I knew that you’d get a kick out of this place.” She said with a smug grin.

“There....are....no...words.” Twilight said as a young green crystal stallion trotted up to her and the Princess.

“Ah good day to you Princess.” The stallion said with a bow.

“Same to you Tome Cracker.” She said with a nod. “Allow me to introduce my sister in law, Twilight Sparkle.”

“It’s an honor to meet Celestia’s personal protege.” He said with a bow.

“Oh stop.” Twilight said as she rolled her eyes. “Are you the caretaker here?”

“Ye ma’am. I’ve always loved books.” He said with a smile. Cadence grinned and quietly slipped away from the two book worms. Tome and Twilight spent a long while discussing different books that the archives held. As the day neared noon, Twilight had a thought.

“Tome, care to answer a hypothetical question.” She asked in a hope filled voice.

“Hit me.” He said with a smug grin. Twilight giggled and gathered her thoughts.

“What would happen if a pony were to, I don’t know, fuse a spell with the Crystal heart?” She asked in an innocent sounding tone. The green stallion scratched his chin and thought for a moment.

“Well, the spell would be increased ten fold.” Twilight let out a sigh as she found newfound hope in Geode’s plan. “But there is one major drawback.”

“What’s that?”

“You die.”

.........

“I’m sorry. I’m still tired from the train ride. Did you just say that they would die?” She asked hoping that she heard wrong.

“Nope you heard right.”

“What? Why?” She said her voice clearly becoming upset.

“Jeez, take it easy.” Tome said as he collected himself. “If a pony were to fuze their magic with the Crystal Heart it would amplify the magical power enough to rival Celestia’s.” He said in a flat tone. “However, a normal pony body can’t handle that much magic and would undoubtably be destroyed by the raw power that is produced.” Twilight felt a wave of panic wash over her. The lavender mare quickly got to her hooves and galloped towards the fair. Hoping to make it in time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The group of friends sat beside Princess Cadence and watched as the jousting matches took place. Sweetie Belle then noticed the large crystals surrounding the top of the stadium.

“Hey Princess Cadence.” The pink Alicorn looked at the white mare with a smile. “What are all those things?” She asked as she pointed to the large crystals.

“Those are called Transmission Crystals.” She said with a smile. “You see, for over the past few years I have sent many of them to several different locations scattered all over Equestria.” The ponies looked at her in surprise. “The main crystal sends out a magical signal that connects all of the other crystals together and transmits whatever it’s seeing to those crystals.”

“So other ponies can see what’s happening?” Pip asked.

“Correct. I’ve even got a few stationed in the Griffin kingdom too.” The Alicorn said with a smile. The singer smiled and looked around to see that the yellow farm mare was gone.

Geode sat in the locker room with his brown disguise still active and was suiting up for the jousting competition. As he leaned against the side of the entrance he saw a familiar yellow farmer looking for him. He smiled and trotted up to her.

“That you Geode?”

“Eeyup.” He said with a smirk. His horn flared and the top half of his disguise crumbled away showing his red face. “What’s up?”

“Ah just wanted to wish ya luck.” The mare said with a smile. Geode smiled and firmly pressed his lips against hers. The mare was lost in passion as she wrapped her front hooves around the stallion’s neck. The mare stepped back and had a bright blush on her face.

“Thank you Applebloom. For everything.” He said with a warm smile. The trumpet sounded, signaling his turn. He quickly donned his disguise and his helmet before taking his position. Twilight burst through the entrance to the stadium and ran up towards her brother and the pink Princess.

“Cadence!” She yelled at the top of her lungs. The guard Captain and Princess looked in confusion as the mare ran up to them looking very tired and out of breath. “You.......have....to.”

“Easy Twilight, deep breaths.” Cadence said with a sigh. Twilight took a moment to collect herself. “Now what’s wrong?”

“No time to explain! You have to stop Geode!” She said in a panic filled tone. The yellow mare then trotted up to her.

“Why’s that? He’s about to joust.” The lavender mare then looked at the yellow farmer who pointed down with her hoof at the brown stallion with the lance secured on his armor. Twilight screamed in fear as the two warriors lances reached each other’s proximity.

Geode focused and purposely missed his target. The opposing stallion’s lance struck the side of his helmet whit flew off his head and landed on the ground with an audible clang. The ponies all let out a gasp as Geode raised his head and smirked.

C’mon, take the bait. He thought as his disguise crumbled away revealing his dark red coat and jet black mane. The group then saw that the Crystal ponies’s eyes started to change from their original color to a dark purple and light neon green. The crowd then roared in anger as three dark shadows leapt from the crowd and surrounded the red stallion.

“You’ve got some balls kid.” One of them said.

“Figured I’d pay old neighborhood a visit.” He said with a smirk. The elderly member then saw the Guard Captain leap out of his seat and make his way through the possessed crowd. He grunted and slammed his hoof on the ground and the arena was cut off from the stands by a massive wall of black crystal.

“Just so that there are no interruptions.” One of them said as they surrounded him.

“Fair enough.” Geode said as he leapt forward and slammed his now rock covered hoof into the stallion’s head. The force sent him crashing back a good thirty feet before he managed to shake off the blow. The stallion on his left then leapt and activated his shadow magic. The shadows encircled him and produced a long dark lance that was going straight for the stallion’s throat.

Geode quickly dodged the attack and made his rock covered hoof collide with the stallion’s face. As he was about to purify the two he heard a familiar scream come from the audience. He looked up into the stands to see the elderly stallion and several other possessed Crystal Ponies holding his friends with blades to their throats.

“Surrender Twerp or you’re gonna have a lot of graves to dig.” The stallion said in a menacing tone. Geode grunted and made the rock around his hooves collapse and the other two Corrupted members trap him in a shadowy bind.

“Don’t listen to them Geode!” Twilight yelled as she struggled.

“Ah so that’s what you’re going by now eh?” The dark stallion snickered. Geode grunted and cursed under his breath as they led him to the center of the arena.

“So what now? Kill me?” Geode asked. The shadow ponies all looked at him in confusion and laughed.

“Kill you? Oh no. We’ve got much bigger plans for you your highness.” Geode’s eyes shrank as he made the connection. The three stallions then pulled out a piece of paper with a seal on it. The three put the seal on the ground and a dark purple wall sprouted out from each creating a triangular prison. The elder then withdrew along jagged crystal shard and rammed it in the red stallion’s chest.

Applebloom and the others all screamed as they saw the shard started t glow. Soon the entire inside of the triangle was filled with darkness. The shadows faded for a moment and one of the members had a nervous look on his face.

“It’s not strong enough!”

“The release the mind control! We need all the power we can get.” The elder barked. The two nodded and their eyes glowed a neon green as they looked at the crowd. Twilight then felt the blade drop from her throat and heard the metallic clangs of the other blades being dropped. She saw the shimmering ponies all shake and grasp their heads in pain. Twilight and the others charged forward towards the battle field.

Inside the shadow filled triangle, the red stallion felt his strength failing. A feeling of peace crept over him as he held the large he had been working on crystal in his hoof.

Mom, I’m coming home. He thought as he lifted the crystal to his lips. He then felt his crystal necklace glow and envelope him in a red aura. What? Was all he could muster before slipping into unconsciousness.

The friends watched in confusion as they saw a bright red light coming from the darkness. Soon a series of bright red magical roped sot out of the darkness and ripped the red stallion from the darkness. The darkness inside the prison was spiraling out of control. Three dark tentacles grabbed the corrupted members and drew them in.

The two younger stallions screamed in agony as they felt their flesh and bones being dissolved by the black aura. The elder accepted his fate and smiled. “Welcome home my lord.” He said before being enveloped by the darkness. The prison fell and a bright flash of light filled the ponies’s eyes. When it was over they all gasped in horror to see a much younger lookingKing Sombra standing before them.

“It’s good to be back.” He sad in a shadow menacing tone. Shining Armor charged with his sword in a magical grip. Sombra snickered and teleported in front of the blue maned guard and slammed his hoof down onto his face. The white stallion’s face hit the dirt and felt his nose broke. “Ah yes, Captain Armor. Your wife has been a huge thorn in my side for a long while now.” He said as he stepped over the injured stallion and made his way over to the injured red Crystal Unicorn who still had the purple spike in his chest.

Geode struggled to stay awake as he saw a pair of jet black hooves standing right in front of him. He grunted in anger as he saw the young dark Unicorn stallion. Sombra smirked and levitated him up so their eyes met. “To think that I’d be reborn through your shadow, Vermillion Garnet.” The stallion groaned in pain as the dark Unicorn twisted the crystal shard deeper into his chest. “Though I suppose that’s why I left you alive. Isn’t that right brother?”

“Buck you.” Sombra cut out the levitation spell and caught the stallion by the neck with his right hoof and started to squeeze. Sombra then felt the red stallion being ripped from his grip. The red stallion then flung into the lavender mare’s hooves and was soon surrounded by the other ponies. Shining got to his hooves and shook off as he teleported beside his sister.

Sombra started to chuckle which soon broke into a cackle. “You have only prolonged the inevitable.” He said before vanishing in a cloud of smoke. The ponies all looked at one another and back at the barely conscious red stallion. Geode’s vision blurred before he slipped into darkness.

Author's Note

So sorry this took so long.

Chapter 14: Return of the King

Chapter 14

Return of the King

The red stallion’s eyes opened to see a crystal ceiling hanging over head. He looked down at his chest and saw that he had a massive bandage over the puncture wound. The events at the fair came rushing back to him and immediately shot up. He let out a cry of pure pain as he did. The door suddenly burst open to reveal a teary eyed Twilight and Cadence. The two rushed over to his side and hugged him.

“Oh thank Celestia!” Twilight said. “We were so worried about you!” She said as she cried into his shoulder.

“How do you feel?” Cadence asked.

“Lousy.” He said as he hung his head in shame. He slammed his left hoof on the nightstand that was sitting beside him. The small table cracked in half and the two mares jumped back. “I failed again!”

“Failed what?”

“Sombra’s back! I had this one chance to bring him down for good and as always something went wrong and everything got bucked!” He yelled as the other ponies poked their heads into the room. Twilight let out a sigh and put a hoof on his shoulder. “Years of planning right down the crapper!”

“Wait you knew that he was gonna return?” Cadence asked.

“Knew it? I planned on it!” The ponies all looked at him in shock.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” A gruff voice said. The red stallion looked over to see Shining Armor with a bandage on his nose.

“If I did then you would have tried to stop my plan.” He said in a flat tone.

“What is this ‘plan?’” Twilight yelled in frustration. The red stallion let out a sigh and summoned the large crystal he had while he was in the prison.

“This is a shard of the Crystal Heart.” The ponies all looked at the shard. “I turned it into a type of purification crystal. Once they were extracting the dark magic I had absorbed over the years I would consume this and then it would purify every trace of Sombra’s influence.” The ponies all looked at one another in shock.

“That seems like a good plan.” Sweetie Belle chimed.

“No, it isn’t.” Twilight said in a stern tone.

“Why not? Sombra’s magic would be destroyed and-”

“If somepony fuses their magic with the Crystal Heart then they’ll die!” Twilight yelled. Everypony looked at one another in shock. A long silence fell over the room and their heads turned towards the bedridden stallion.

“That was the plan.” The ponies all looked at the red stallion in shock. Twilight raised a hoof and quickly slapped him across the face. The red stallion looked at the now crying mare.

“You’d throw your life away that easily?”

“I spent years planning this.” He said with a sigh. “It was the only way I could save everyone and pay for my mistake.”

“What mistake?” Applebloom asked.

“For not stopping my brother when I had the chance.” He said in a flat tone.

“So Sombra is your brother.” Cadence said in a low tone.

“My older half brother to be exact.” The ponies all let out a gasp. “He’s older by about three years.” Shining then stepped forward.

“Why didn’t you tell any of us this?”

“Oh yeah great idea.” He said in a sarcastic tone. “Hey Captain Armor guess what? I’m the younger brother of possibly the most evil Unicorn to ever walk the face of Equestria!” He said with a dead panned expression.

“Valid point.” He said with a sigh.

“So who are you really?” Twilight asked.

“Vermillion Garnet. I’m one thousand eighteen years old and heir to the Crystal Throne.” The ponies all gulped and looked at him in shock.

“So, you’re royalty?” Applebloom asked.

“Yup.” He said as he tried to get out of bed. As he stood up he was stopped by a lavender hoof.

“Oh no you don’t! Where do you think you’re going?” She asked.

“To finish the job.” He said in a flat tone. “Sombra is still weak, so now is the best time to strike.”

“But your plan failed.” Rumble said.

“Plan A did. I still have plan B.”

“Which is?” Geode the held the shard in his hoof.

“Find Sombra and ram this shard down his throat.” He said in a rough tone. “This way I won’t die and the world is safe.” He said as he got to his hooves. Vermillion felt a large wave of pain and staggered for a moment. He was then wrapped in a light pink aura and placed back on the bed and several straps wrapped around his body.

“On no you don’t!” Cadence said in a stern tone. “You’re in no condition to do anything reckless.” She said as her eyes narrowed. The young stallion’s horn glowed and tried to break free.

“Magic proof restraints. You won’t be going anywhere for a while.” The stallion grunted and bore holes through the guard captain. “Since we have some time on our hooves, I suggest that you start talking.” Shining said in a flat tone.

“Shining he just got stabbed-” The lavender mare was cut off as the injured Unicorn raised his hoof as far as it could go.

“It’s fine Twilight. A wise stallion once said, ‘know thy enemy’ and no pony knows Sombra better than me.” Geode cracked his neck and sat up straight. “What do you want to know?”

“Why is Sombra so....evil?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“That’s easy. When the heir to the throne, or in this case heirs, reach the age of ten they are put in front of the Crystal Heart and are exposed to the raw power of the Empire.” He said in an explanatory tone.

“What happens then?” Shining asked.

“Some are inspired, some run away and sometimes they go mad with power, like Sombra.” He said in a low tone.

“What about you?” Applebloom asked.

“Me? Scared me half to death, been running ever since.” He said with a huff. “That’s only half the story.” He said with a sigh.

“I think that we have a right to know.” Shining said in a flat tone.

“Even when we were younger Sombra always had a dark outlook on life. When it was time for my father to name an heir, usually it was the older sibling and since Sombra is older than me, we both though that it was going to be him.”

“Okay and?” Dash said.

“Instead, he named me.” The ponies all let out a gasp. “Needless to say, Sombra was outraged and humiliated. He vanished from the castle that night and went missing for a while.”

“So he got all jealous? What a drama Queen or King in this instance.” Rarity said.

“I think he was more upset that I’m only his half brother.” The ponies then all leaned in closer to the stallion. “You see, Sombra’s mother died in giving birth to him. My father, King Lapis wasn’t handling it well.”

“So what happened?” Twilight asked.

“From what he told me, he met my mother while roaming the streets disguised as a common pony.” The stallion chuckled. “He did that all the time to see first hoof how his subjects were doing.”

“He sounds like a really nice stallion.” Sweetie said.

“Records say that the Crystal Heart shined the brightest when King Lapis was on the throne.” Cadence said with a smile. “I also recall Aunt Celestia talking about his kindness towards all of his subjects.”

“That’s dad.” Vermillion said with a smile. “Anyway, one day a mare by the name of Ruby Heliotrope asked to see the royal gems to get new ideas for her growing jewelry business.” He said with a grin. “My father being the gentle soul he was granted her request. The two eventually became friends, then a relation ship and then...well, you know.” He said as he blushed.

“Sombra was a pure Unicorn while I's half Crystal Pony.” Vermillion stated. “After I was exposed to the Heart I saw many images.”

“What did you see?” Shining asked.

“Sombra’s rise to power and the vanishing of an empire.” He said with a sigh. “I convinced myself that it was a mistake. Now I’m paying the price.”

“You knew what would happen?” Shining bellowed.

“I thought it was a nightmare!” He yelled. “By the time I realized it wasn’t,” He said as he hung his head. “it was too late.” Applebloom put a hoof on his shoulder. “While my father was on his death bed, he told me of a defense mechanism he built into the empire.”

“What mechanism?” Shining asked.

“You’re a soldier shining, when you have an infected wound what do you do?” The guard stallion thought for a moment and his eyes shrank.

“You isolate it from the rest of the body.” The ponies connected the dots and gulped. “You were the one who sealed the empire?” Shining asked.

“Correct.”

“Why?”

“I had no choice.” He said in a low tone. “Sombra’s influence was spreading to the borders and I had to stop him.” Another wave of pane ensnared his body.

“Okay, I think that’s enough for now.” Cadence said. “We need to figure out what to do about Sombra.”

“I told you, I’ll-”

“You’ve done more than enough.” Twilight said as she put a hoof on his shoulder. “We can handle Sombra.”

“Yeah dude, take a break.” Rumble said.

“But-”

“We’ve taken on Nightmare Moon, sealed Discord, kicked every Changeling out of Canterlot and we rescued the Crystal Heart.” Dash stated. “We got this.” Vermillion hung his head and let out a sigh in defeat. Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder and gave a weak smile.

“Just rest. We can handle this.” The door opened to reveal a teal crystal mare with a white nurse cap sitting on top of her mane.

“Okay everypony, he needs his rest.” She said with a sigh. The group nodded and slowly made their way out of the room. Applebloom gave him a quick peck on the cheek before leaving. Vermillion sighed and hung his head in shame. The red stallion laid his head on the pillow and eventually fell asleep.

Hours later, a purple crystal mare with a white nurse cap sitting on top of her mane. As she approached the room with two guards standing outside with spears at their sides. The two guards looked at the mare and allowed her to pass. The mare gave them a friendly nod and entered the room.

The nurse trotted over to the sleeping red stallion and smirked. She tapped him on the shoulder and he stirred.

“Rise and shine little brother.” Vermillion’s eyes snapped open and his mouth was immediately covered by a hoof. The nurse’s form started to crumble to reveal a familiar black stallion. “Shhh!” He said as the stallion struggled in his restraints. “Oh please, if I wanted to kill you then I would have already.” He said as he slowly pulled his hoof away.

“What do you want?” Vermillion said in a rough tone.

“Just to talk. That’s all.” He said in a hushed tone. “You may be a thorn in my side, but you’re still my little brother and your eyes may yet be opened to the truth.”

“What truth?”

“That this country, this world is rotten.” Sombra hissed. “Government officials that get away with the most horrid of acts and getting away with nothing more that a slap on the wrist.” He said in a dark tone.

“Like you.”

“I am nothing like them.” He said as he glared at his brother. “I tried to create a society where everypony was treated equally and remained where they belonged.”

“Beneath your hoof.” Vermillion spat out.

“I made this country strong! I built it and raised it higher!”

“Nothing should be built on the backs of slaves.” Sombra scoffed.

“You sound just like that old fool.”

“He was your father too Sombra.” Vermillion stated. “Just turn yourself in and maybe-”

“What? They’ll go easy on me?” He said with a laugh. “I doubt it.” He said as he leaned in closer to the bound stallion. “I’m offering you a choice. The same choice I gave you all those years ago.” He said with a grin. “Join me. We were meant to rule together.”

“Rule maybe, not dominate.” Vermillion said.

“Now that the other’s know the truth, they will come to hate you as they did me.” Vermillion gulped. “I am you and you are me.”

“I’m nothing like you!”

“Oh really?” Sombra said with a laugh. “Tell me then, how did it feel?” Vermillion gulped. “Tell me how it felt to seal away an entire empire.” The red stallion bit his lip. “An entire civilization gone in a blink of an eye. You must have felt like god.”

“Shut up!” Vermillion said. The door burst open and the guards had their spears drawn. Sombra’s red horn flared and trapped the two guards in black crystal.

“Think about it little brother.” He said with an evil grin. “Oh, and be sure to keep your eye on the news.”

“What did you do?”

“Absolutely nothing,” He said as he trotted over to the window and opened it up. “yet.” The door burst open revealing the guard Captain and the Crystal Princess. “Until next time.” He said before turning into a shadow and flying out of the window. Shining raced towards the window and shot several bolts of magic at the shadow before it vanished from sight. Cadence ran towards Vermillion and put a hoof on his shoulder.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

“No, he just wanted to talk.”

“Why?” Shining asked.

“He’s still my brother.” He said with a sigh.

“He’s a monster and-”

“I know what he is Captain!” He yelled. “I tried to talk him into giving himself in, but he refused.” He said as he hung his head in shame. Cadence sighed as Shining trotted over to him.

“It’s obvious that you’re not safe here.”

“I’m not safe anywhere.” He said with a sigh. “Sombra know’s the Empire like that back of his hoof.”

“Then we need to get you on the first train out.”

“I ran away once and I haven’t stopped since.” Vermillion yelled. “I’m not running away again.” Shining bit his lip and sighed.

“Okay, I won’t stop you.” He said as he undid the braces. Vermillion got to his hooves and started to walk out of the room. He felt a blunt object strike the back of his head and a grunt of pain.

“Really Shining?” Vermillion said. “I thought that Twi would mention my diamond hard skeleton.” He said as he turned to look at the guard Captain who slowly got to his hooves.

“She did.” Vermillion then felt a shocking sensation go through his body before blacking out. A guard stallion with his horn glowing caught the falling Prince. “Sorry about this Geode, but it’s for your own good.”

“What did you do?” Cadence yelled.

“I sent a small jolt of my magic into his system.” The guard stallion said. “He’ll be fine in a few hours.” Cadence glared at her husband with fire in her eyes.

“It was the only way to get him out of the Empire safely.” He said with a sigh. Cadence glared at her husband. She looked at the knocked out red Unicorn and sighed.

“Alright, I see your point.” She said as she hung her head. “I guess it is for the best until this whole ordeal is taken care of.” The stallion nodded and hoisted the red Unicorn on his back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vermillion slowly opened his eyes to see Applebloom sitting on a chair fast asleep in a corner. The stallion looked at his surroundings and clutched his head in pain. The groan caused the yellow mare to stir and she let out a yawn. She saw her colt friend rubbing his eyes and made her way over to him.

“Ugh.” Was all he let out as the door opened to reveal the other five ponies he grew up with.

“How do you feel dude?” Rumble asked.

“Like crap, it feels like the room is moving.” He said as he clutched his head.

“Well, that’s to be expected.” Pip said in a nervous tone. The stallion quickly got to his hooves and pulled the curtains aside. His jaw dropped when he saw the woods passing by at an alarming rate and the sound of a train whistle filling his ears. “We went through Trottingham five minutes ago.”

Damn you Armor! The stallion thought to himself

“How long was I out for?”

“About twelve hours.” Sweetie said. Vermillion sighed and put his head in his hooves.

“So, you’re really a Prince?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yeah, I am.” Applebloom walked up to him and scowled.

“Why didn’t ya tell me?”

“How was I supposed to tell you that I’m Sombra’s half brother?” He fired back. “I didn’t want ponies to know. Now he’s back and I’m running away....again.” Applebloom hugged him and ran a hoof through his mane.

“You need to chill man.” Rumble said. “Shining Armor, Princess Cadence and the Elements can handle him.”

“Not to mention, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia.” Pip stated.

“The element’s, three Alicorns and the Captain of the royal guard.” Vermillion pondered. “The ultimate team,” The group all smiled. “and it still won’t be enough.”

“How can you say that?” Scootaloo said.

“Look, the only reason that Celestia and Luna beat him before was because he split his power in half. Now that he’s back to full strength, not even they can handle him!” He protested.

“How do you know?”

“I’m his brother, it’s my job to know.” The ponies then heard a hard knock on the door. “Come in.” A golden armored guard poked his head in and looked at the group.

“There’s something you all should see.” He said with a gulp. The six ponies followed him out into the main car where a T.V. was set up and was getting a feed from the Crystal Empire. Vermillion’s eyes shrank as he saw the shadowy stallion with a grin on his face.

“Good morning everypony, My name is King Sombra.” He said with a wicked grin. “Some of you may have heard of me. Anyway, I’ll just be interrupting your regularly scheduled programing for just a moment.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The door to the crystal throne room burst open to reveal Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. The two looked at the Crystal throne to see the dark stallion sitting on the throne with a malicious grin on his face. The two looked around to see several large transmitter crystals floating in the air.

“Right on cue.” He said with a laugh. “Now all of Equestria can see you fall.”

“You’re under arrest Sombra! Yield!” Shining bellowed. The dark stallion roared in laughter at his words.

“Oh I’m so scared.” He said in a mocking tone. “Just hide behind your wife and do whatever it is that you do Armor.” He said as he waved him off. Shining’s horn glowed and let lose a volley of spells at the stallion. The dark King turned his body to shadow and rushed towards him. Sombra clenched his hoof and slammed it into the side of the white stallion’s helmet.

The force from the punch caused a massive dent and the young Prince to go flying against the wall.

“Shining!” Cadence yelled. She glared at the dark stallion with tears running down her face. Sombra made the ‘bring it on gesture’ with his hoof. Cadence’s horn flared and a bright pink crystal staff appeared before her.

“Now we’re gonna have some fun!” Sombra yelled as a jet black scythe appeared in his dark grip. The two rushed towards each other and locked blow for blow. Sombra saw an opening and managed to cut the pink Alicorn’s cheek. Cadence took a few steps back and wiped the blood off her face.

The two continued to fight and were met with stalemate after stalemate. Cadence was panting and she could feel her magic beginning to weaken. Sombra smirked and took note of it.

“What’s wrong Cadie? Running out of steam?” He said in a mocking tone. “Maybe you should send that deadbeat of a husband to fight for you?” Cadence gritted her teeth at the stallion. No pony insults her husband and gets away with it.

She charged forward and slammed the staff into the scythe. Sombra’s horn glowed black and shot a massive beam at the Alicorn. The blast struck Cadence and black crystal encased her. “Time to break up this party.” He said as he raised the scythe and swung. A white blur came between the weapon and the helpless Princess. Red blood splashed across the dark King’s face and the crystal’s surface.

The long black blade was going through the guard Captain’s left side and sticking out his right. Like fish caught on a hook. Sombra stood the scythe upwards and shook his head. “Pity, I wanted to play with him a little bit longer.” He said with a sigh. “Oh well.” The dark stallion swung the blade and the guard was sent flying into the wall.

The dark King then heard a loud cracking noise. He turned around to see the Crystal Princess breaking free. Her eyes were glowing with magic. He felt her gaze pierce his very soul and he could see the river of tears that were streaming down her face. Magic swirled around her and her horn had a casing of lightning around it.

“You monster!” She yelled as the rest of the prison broke free. Sombra grinned and laughed like a mad pony.

“Yes, this is what I’ve been waiting for!” He yelled. “Those eyes filled with anger, that hatred radiating from you, that power!” Sombra licked his lips and grinned. “Exquisite!” Cadence’s horn flared and thousands of swords appeared in the air. All pointing towards the dark King. She launched them all at once and hopefully destroy the dark stallion. Sombra’s horn glowed and a massive wall of black crystal shielded him.

The stallion turned to his shadow form and rushed towards the enraged Alicorn. Sombra was eye to eye with her and he shot a bolt of dark magic into the pink pony’s horn. Cadence’s face shifted from enraged to fear filled. Her magic fizzled out and her eyes turned neon green with purple aura seeping from them.

“N-no......Twilight........everyone.” Her mind was filled with images of death, the crumbling empire and the feeling of complete failure. Sombra then delivered a series of slashes and punches. Cadence recoiled and managed to break through the illusion only to be met with a dark hoof being slammed into her face.

The pink mare felt her wings crack as she hit the back wall. She fell forwards and felt her face collide with the hard crystal floor. Sombra chuckled and levitated the pink mare up by her front hooves. The dark stallion grinned and put his hoof to the mare’s chin. Cadence spat a mouth full of blood in his face.

“Looks like you’ve still got some fight in you.” He said as he slapped her across the face. “Did you really think that you could defeat me so easily?” He laughed. “Brave of you to face me alone, but also stupid.”

“W-who said,” The mare said in a low tone. “I was alone?” Sombra raised an eyebrow before a purple magical bolt exploded over his head. Sombra jumped out of the cloud of smoke and looked to the far wall to see six mares wielding their Element’s of Harmony.

“Oh how cute, you brought back up.” He said as he got in a fighting stance.

“Just die you monster!” Twilight yelled. The group of mares all stood in formation. One by one their element’s started to glow with power and the air around them crackled with raw magic. A beam of pure rainbow’s shot from the center of the group and filled the room with light. Sombra shielded his eyes from the blast and was over taken by the light’s power.

The light soon faded and the six mares started to pant heavily. Cadence slowly limped over to her fallen husband and cried over his body. Shining groaned in pain as he felt his wive’s weight on him.

“Cadence.....your crying is making it hard for me to breathe.” He wheezed out.

“Oh thank Celestia!” Twilight said as she ignited her horn. A purple aura enveloped the white stallion and his hooves started to heal. As the last of the wounds were sealed shut Twilight helped her bother to his hooves.

“It’s over.” Cadence said with a sigh.

“Oh I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” The group froze and a chill creeped down their spine. They saw their shadows stretching towards the center of the floor. The shades combined and took the form of the dark stallion. Twilight tried to focus what was left of her magic but was stopped as the group was trapped against the wall by jet black crystals that were holding them by their hooves. “Good try though.”

“How is this possible?” Twilight said as she tried to break free. “The elements are supposed to destroy evil!” Sombra laughed and trotted over to the mare.

“Since you’re the brains of the group I’ll keep it simple.” He said as he took a deep breath. “Instantaneous biological metacrisis.” The lavender mare thought for a moment before she made the connection. “Ah you figured it out then.”

“What’s he talking about Twi?” Applejack asked.

“I was born out of your little Geode.” He said as he put a hoof under the lavender mare’s chin. “The elements sensed the piece of your ‘son’ within me and therefore your attack was ineffective.” He said with a laugh. “Oh this is just dreamy. Six elements of Harmony, a Princess and a captain.” He said with a laugh. “This isn’t even the main event yet!”

“What are you talking about?” Shining barked.

“You see, I’ve been broadcasting this through those transmission crystals.” He said as he walked over to Cadence. “The entire world just watched me thrash you all around.” His horn glowed and one of the massive gems hovered in front of him. “I can just imagine the look on Tia and Luna’s face. I do hope you all have been paying attention, cause this is where it get’s interesting and I must thank you Cadence. My plan couldn’t have come to fruition without you.”

“What are you talking about?” She spat out.

“You do know that this entire kingdom is made of a compound called creeping rock correct?”

“So?” Shining yelled.

“So thick headed.” Sombra said as he face hoofed. “You see Creeping rock responds to the magic of the empire. In this case it’s used for transmitting images,” He then threw on an evil smirk as he levitated one of the large gems in front of the group. “lets say somepony wanted it for a.....different purpose.” The group all gasped.

“Now I hope that all of you at home are paying attention. This is going to be...spectacular!” The image then shifted to a thriving city. “Behold the massive city of Stalliongrad.” The black stallion then held up his hoof. “Behold the power I possess!” As he slammed his hoof down on the floor, the ponies watched in horror as the transmission gem in the center of the city crash landed.

As the gem hit the earth spikes of jet black crystal started sprouting up from the ground. Houses were destroyed, tree’s were uprooted and ponies were being impaled. Ponies all around the world watched in horror at the display. When the dust settled, the entire city was now a forest of black crystals and the rivers were filed with blood. “One again I must thank you Princess Cadence!” He said with a laugh. “Thank you for being the complete dupe that you are!”

Cadence was shaken to the core and hung her head in shame. “Oh and Celestia,” He said turning back to the large gem. “if I see any of your troops poking around my borders then so help me, I will activate all of them.” The group gasped at the words. “Any attempt to tamper with the gems will automatically result in detonation. Even I don’t have control of that part.” He said with a shrug. “My demands are simple, Stay out of the Crystal Empire’s affairs and your cities will be spared.”

“I suppose you’re thinking, ‘why doesn’t he want more?’” He said with a sigh. “I only want what’s rightfully mine.” He said in a flat tone. “You have one hour until I activate another one and trust me Princess I have so many targets.” His horn flared and several gems showed different locations. “Like the hustle and bustling city of Manehattan, or the majestic city of Canterlot.”

His grin then widened as he thought of something. “Possibly the quaint little town of Ponyville.” The mares all gasped at the words. “The choice is yours Celestia, you have one hour. Don’t keep me waiting.” His horn flared and the transmission was cut out.

The dark stallion let out a sigh and walked back over to his throne. His horn glowed and the entire decor was changed to pitch black. “It’s good to be the King.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The T.V. screen in the train car was then shattered by a red magic bolt hitting the glass surface. The five friends saw the red Unicorn huffing and puffing as his horn glowed a dark red.

“That bucking monster!” He yelled.

“All those ponies.” Sweetie Belle said as she cried on Rumble’s shoulder.

“Applejack.” The farmer said with tears in her eyes.

“Are they-”

“Sombra would want them alive.” Vermillion stated.

“W-why?” Pip said.

“Leverage probably.” Vermillion said as he slumped to the ground. Applebloom wrapped him in a warm hug trying to comfort him. “It’s all my fault.”

“No it ain’t!” She yelled. “You’re not him!”

“It’s my fault that this happened! If I had been able to take my shot then-” His face was met by a firm yellow hoof.

“Finish that sentence and I’ll buck ya into next Tuesday.” She said with tears in her eyes. “Right now, we gotta think of something.”

“Like what?” Rumble said. “If any of Celestia’s guards go anywhere near him he’ll just blow up another town!”

“Last time I checked we ain’t guards!” Scootaloo yelled. “We gotta do something!” Vermilion put a hoof to his chin and thought.

“There may be one thing.” He said as the group looked at him. “If we can lure Sombra away from the heart his magic will decrease in strength, maybe enough for me to take him out.”

“How are we gonna get in there though?” Sweetie asked.

“I may be able to access one of my old tunnels.”

“How are we gonna find out way once inside the castle?” Ruble asked.

“I remember helping Shining armor plan escape routes.” Pip piped up.

“We’re not guards they’ll destroy us!” Scootaloo said.

“No we’re not guards,” the red stallion started. “we’re Crusaders.” The ponies all looked at one another. “I don’t expect any of you to come with me,” He said with a sigh. “but even I know I cant do this alone.” He said as he bit his lip.

“You won’t have to.” Applebloom said with a smile. “Ah’m with ya all the way.” She said as she put her hoof on his.

“Count me in to.” Rumble said.

“Same.” Sweetie said.

“Aye!” Pip said in his pirate accent.

“This is the worst idea ever, of all time.” Scootaloo said. “But breaking stuff and causing trouble is what we Crusaders do best right?” She said as she joined the huddle.

“Hey guard!” Rumble yelled. “Stop this crazy thing!”

“Aye sir.” The guard said with a chuckle. The train pulled to a stop in the next town and the six exited the train. The group gathered the supplies they’d need for the long road ahead of them. Geode looked out on top of a hill and saw the sun starting to rise. He looked at his companions and nodded.

“Cutie Mark Crusader Operation: Save The Crystal Empire is Go!” With determination in their hearts and the fate of the world on their shoulders, the six friends started their final crusade.

Author's Note

Sorry for the lateness!

Chapter 15: Old Friends

Chapter 15

Old Friends

As the next hour came around The two Princess’s of Equestria found themselves at the border of the crystal Empire with heavy hearts. The King of shadows escorted by a group of black armored ponies. Sombra grinned as he saw the two scowling.

“Ah Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, so good to see you again.” Luna growled at the stallion. “That’s quite unbecoming of a Princess.”

“Enough.” Celestia said as she stamped her hoof on the ground.

“So, have you accepted my agreement?”

“Do you give me your word that you won’t hurt the ponies?” Celestia asked.

“Of course, your highness. Why would I want to hurt my own subjects?” He said in an innocent voice.

“And that you also release Twilight Sparkle, her friends, Shinning Armor and Princess Cadence.” Luna added.

“Um, no.” He said in a flat tone. “They openly attacked and tried to kill me. As King, I have every right to execute them.” Celestia’s eyes shrank. “Since I’m a merciful ruler,” He said with a small smile. “I’m keeping them as political prisoners. They get three meals a day and any wounds they sustained will be healed.”

The dark stallion then turned and trotted away. “Pleasure doing business with you.” Celestia’s eyes were burning as she casted a death glare at the dark stallion. Luna looked at her sister and gulped.

“Come Luna. We must return to Canterlot.” Celestia said as she turned away.

“But sister-”

“We have to go.” Luna’s eyes shrank as she saw a few tears roll down her sister’s cheek.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been seven days since Sombra took over the Empire. The Crystal ponies were in chains once more while the six Elements were forced into maintaining the castle and Shining was locked away deep in the dungeon. The only comforting thought the white stallion had was that he had managed to get his daughter out of the Empire before the plan confronting Sombra went out the window. Cadence was magically chained to Sombra at all times.

Outside the crystal wall, the red stallion and the five other Crusaders snuck around towards the outskirts of kingdom. Geode had told the group of ponies to use the name he made when he got to Ponyville. As they walked through some rock fields the red stallion stopped and put his ear to the ground.

“What are you doing Geode?” Rumble asked.

“Shhh!” He said as he tapped the ground with his hoof. “We’re right above one of my old tunnels.”

“Great." Pip said. “Lets get digging.” Geode grinned and held up his hoof. His horn glowed a bright red and grew five times it size in width and length. The stallion jumped up high and fell head first as his horn started to turn and drill into the dirt. The group watched in amazement as the stallion's horn cut through the stone like a hot knife through butter and made a large hole. The red body then vanished and fell into the hole. The group looked down and saw the red Unicorn’s horn glowing.

“It’s all clear.” The ponies nodded and hopped down into the pit. Sweetie immediately activated her horn and illuminated the tunnel. Geode’s horn glowed and the hole he had dug was sealed up. “Don’t want anypony following us in here.” He said before he sat on the ground and panted.

“You okay?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yeah, that horn drill just uses a lot of power and puts a strain on my horn.” He said with a sigh. Sweetie focused her light and saw that his horn was smoking. “I usually dunk my head in a bucket of water after I dig out a tunnel like this.”

“So that’s how you made those back in Ponyville?” Pip asked.

“Yup.” He said as he lightly tapped his horn. “C’mon, we’d better get moving.” The stallion said as the group made their way down the long carved tunnel. The interior reflected Sweetie Belle’s light spell down the hall way. Sweetie flinched when she heard a rock fall.

“What was that?” She asked with a gulp.

“Is there somepony else down here?” Rumble asked.

“Impossible. These caverns haven’t been used in centuries.” Geode said. “No pony even knows that they’re here except for me.” He said as they came to the end of the tunnel. The stallion’s smile shattered when he saw a yellow crystal stallion walked forwards wearing a set of silver armor with a red plume sticking out of his helmet.

The group of five turned and looked at the red Unicorn. “Well....except for him.” He said with a gulp. The stallion trotted forwards and drew his blade. “Guys run.” Geode said as his horn glowed.

“Not a chance.” Applebloom said as she stood next to him and cracked her hooves.

“These guys wanna rumble?” The blue Pegasus said as he cracked his neck.

“On guard!” Pip said as he got in a defensive stance. The armored stallion trotted up to Geode and looked at him with an unwavering gaze. The guard stopped in front of the red stallion and dropped his sword before removing his helmet to show his faded black mane. The red stallion extinguished his horn and motioned for the others to back off.

“General Amber Shield.” Geode said with a gulp. The stallion hung his head and slumped to the ground.

“Forgive me your highness.” He said as a few tears filled the old soldier’s eyes. The stallion sobbed and punched the hard stone ground with his hoof. “I’ve done terrible, terrible things. Not only to your family, but to you as well.” The red stallion patted him on the back and helped him up.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Geode said as he glared into the man’s golden eyes. “Sombra used a very powerful mind control spell on you. No pony, safe for an Alicorn or two, could have resisted it.” The stallion raised his head and took a deep breath.

“We can talk this out later, right now we need your help.” Geode said as he picked up the stallion’s sword. Geode pointed the handle towards the old General. “Can I count on you?” The stallion looked at the sword and gave him a smile and nod. “The on your hooves soldier. That’s an order.”

“Yes sir!” He yelled as he saluted the red stallion.

“Ahem!” Bloom said under her breath.

“Oh right, guys this is General Amber Shield. Ranking General of the resistance and my old foal sitter.”

“Your old what?” Rumble yelled.

“What? Twilight had a Princess, I had a General.” He said with a shrug. “Anyway, he is going to help us take down Sombra, free your sisters and save an entire empire.”

“Can we really trust him?” Scootaloo asked.

“Without a doubt.” Geode said. “He had my back for three hundred years during the resistance.” The other members shrugged and followed the guard down the hall way. The group introduced themselves as they walked and told the guard what had happened up above.

“I see. So its begun again.”

“Unfortunately yes,” Geode stated. “but it will be short lived.” He said in a serious tone. “I need a way to get inside in order to free the elements, Cadence and Shining Armor before facing Sombra.” He said as he walked next to the stallion.

“It’ll be far from easy. No doubt Sombra is looking into these old networks as we speak.” The General sighed.

“Figured. He won’t be fooled a second time. Any information?”

“We know that Captain Shining Armor is being held in the lowest dungeon and is under guard at all times.” The stallion said. “The elements are acting as servants and just as the Captain, are under constant watch.”

“What about Cadence?”

“She is under Sombra’s personal watch and has her chained to him twenty-four seven.”

“Sounds bad.” Sweetie commented.

“We’d better start planning then.” Geode said. Scootaloo then stopped walking.

“Are you insane? Sombra’s got an entire army at his disposal!” She gulped. There’s no possible way we can win.” The older stallion grinned and chuckled as the group neared the end of the passage. “What’s so funny?”

“Sombra isn’t the only pony with an army.” The red stallion said as they exited the tunnel. The group shielded their eyes to the light and their jaws hit the floor. Before them stood at least three hundred armored mares and stallions. The massive army stood at attention when they saw the red Unicorn and the General. The older stallion gave Geode a nudge and the red stallion took a deep breath.

“You all know me and I you.” He said as he saw several of the guards gulp and beads of sweat form on their brows. “I want it to be made clear that I don’t hold any of you accountable for your actions. You were not yourselves.” Some of the guards hung their heads in shame. “We may discuss things later. Right now we have to save this empire before Sombra’s influence spreads. I won’t force any of you to do this for me. If those of you wish to leave and be with your families, then no pony will stop you.”

The red stallion’s eyes scanned the room and saw not one of the guards budge. “Right then. Let’s get to work.” The army cheered and saluted the red Unicorn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The dark King looked out towards the far reaches of his black jeweled kingdom and smiled. Beside him, wrapped in magical chains was the pink Alicorn. Her horn had been rendered useless thanks to the small black gems that Sombra had placed on her horn that soaked up any magic. Her wings were magically tied to her back and the ties only seemed to get tighter each time she tried to break them.

“A beautiful sight no?” Sombra chuckled as Cadence looked out at her once shining kingdom. The pink Alicorn casted him a death glare. “Oh come now Cadence. I spared your husband despite his...aggressive attitude along with those six other mares. What more could you possibly want?”

“My kingdom returned and my subjects set free.” She said as she narrowed her eyes.

“Good one.” He chuckled as he tugged on the chain that was around her neck. “Any who time for bed.” He yawned. His horn glowed and the chain around her neck vanished. Cadence knew that Sombra easily had a few platoons of mind controlled guards stationed outside the doors and window. Without her wings or magic she couldn’t be of much use.

The pink mare laid down in the pile of hay that was her bed for the time being. She only prayed for her husband’s and daughter’s safety as she quietly drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long update. Trying to get back into the swing of things.