*Chapter 11*

The dark cave

...

The ponies had found the white mountains.

Everypony stood aghast at their ghostly and pallidly frightening splendor. The mountains, justly earning their namesake, were formed of a pure white stone that none of the ponies could recognize, not even the well-studied Mirrorrim. After recovering slightly from his shock, Blaze became aware enough to realize that the ship was still moving. "Uh, Mirror, are you still powering us forward?" He asked her.

Mirrorrim shook her silver head. "Not at all," she responded. "Perhaps the Breezies magic is still at play here."

"Well if we keep going the way we're going, we'll crash into the coastline," Fairweather said.

"No, look. There is an alcove dead ahead. That is where we are being lead." Mirror pointed a hoof at the ship's twelve o' clock, and sure enough, there was a wide opening in the cliff face. To Blaze, it appeared not unlike a great, black maw that stood ready to swallow them all whole.

"So, who are we supposed ta be findin' in here again, Mirror?" Ivy Leagues asked.

"Valentinian, the Stallion of Steel," was her verbatim response.

Valentinian, the second of the two alicorn creators of the Elements of Harmony. Seeing as Blaze, Dusk, and Fairweather had already had their elements re-polarized, it would be Ivy Leagues, Nova Burst, and Mirrorrim that would be answering to Valentinian. That is assuming that the alicorn was still alive. However, even at that thought, Blaze somehow already knew that the apparently mighty creature had no doubt found a way to preserve his life span, just as Princess Fimbulvetr did.

The Ponyvillian was entering the dark alcove now, and the darkness of the night was replaced with the ever-solid lack of natural illumination. Blaze could feel Dusk huddle against him. "It's alright, Dusk," he soothed her. "Nothing to be afraid of here." Of course, he was only half confident in his words to Dusk. He had no way of knowing what, if anything, was waiting for them inside this cave.

The ship glided long silently as it was guided by the intangible magic of the Breezies. Just as Blaze was wishing his eyes would finally adjust to this solid stretch of darkness, there was the flash of guiding light. On either side of the ship, along the alcove walls, bright purple torches began to ignite themselves. The torches flared to life one after another, seemingly following the ship, or rather, guiding it.

"Look there!" Nova said, pointing ahead of them. Just a click forward from their position stood a landing, obviously intended for a ship such a this. "You don't think this Valentinian guy is waiting for us, do you?"

"In all likelihood, he may be," said Mirrorrim. "I've no doubt that he shares some form of connection with Princess Fimbulvetr, and if that is indeed the case, then he knows we are coming."

"Ah wonder whut he'll be like..." Ivy thought aloud.

Blaze tried to mentally conjure an image of a pony who was worthy of the title 'Stallion of Steel'. He was probably built like a rock...or a mountain.

Or both.

The Ponyvillian came to gentle stop just at the edge of the prepared dock. Fairweather lowered the gangway and the group descended onto the planks. "So now I guess we go up the big white stairs?" Nova said with an obvious sort of irony.

"I see no other way," Mirror said as she began climbing the enormous staircase.

So the ponies climbed the great marble staircase, their way illuminated by more of the mysterious purple torches. At the top, was a yet another entrance to a deep, black cave. "What is it with this guy and caves?" Nova said aloud.

"Well, we are inside a mountain," Fairweather said. "That pretty much makes everything a cave."

"Don' it ever..." Ivy said in agreement.

So the ponies trotted their way deeper and deeper into the mountain cave. The only sounds to be heard were the reverberated echos of their hoofsteps and the occasional gentle drip of water dripping from the natural stone ceiling. Nova Burst, who due to his briskly impatient pace was now at the head of the group, was busy casting his head this way and that, while trying to find something more interesting to look at other than solid stone, didn't immediately see the obstruction he was headed strait for. And when he finally cast his eyes forward again, was when he came nose to nose with it.

With the swiftness of pegesus-born instinct, his wings sprung open and he fluttered backwards several feet in reactive panic. "Holy sh-" Nova Burst made a effort to temper his outcry in the presence of youth such as Summer Dusk.

The rest of the ponies galloped to his side. "Nova, what is it?" Summer Blaze asked him.

Nova Burst was busy staring into the shadows that lie directly ahead of him. "I don't know..." he said slowly. "It kinda looked like..." He took a few steps forward, "Hey, are you still there?" he said into the darkness.

"Nova, are you losin' it?" Ivy prodded him. "Ain't nopony there."

Nova ignored him as he crept forward, leaving the others to watch his progress. After a second of silence, there was a cry of, "Guys, come look at this!" The group trotted up to find Nova's discovery. It was a pony. More precisely, it was a stone pony. It was an alicorn stallion just a bit taller than Nova Burst himself. It was depicted wearing battle Armor of some ancient order and was hewn with its eyes cast vigilantly forward, as though scanning eternally for some distant oncoming threat.

"This...this isn't Valentinian, is it?" Fairweather asked cautiously.

"A relief of him, perhaps," Mirrorrim said. "At any rate, it is just a statue, not the pony himself."

"Um...it's not just a statue..." Summer Dusk said breathlessly.

"What do you mean, Dusk?" Blaze asked her.

In answer, she pointed her hoof into the cavern. As the others turned their gazes in it's direction, they all let out a uniform gasp.

Dusk was right, it wasn't just a statue. It was just one of the statues.

Stretched out before them, spanning the entirety of the tunnel were hundreds...thousands...of the same exact alicorn statue. Each and every last one of them were identical, down to the most minute detail. Their empty marble eyes all staring interminably in the same direction. "Son of a bit..." Blaze whispered in awe.

"Jus' whut are we lookin' at here?" Ivy said out loud.

Silence was the only response to his question. As Blaze took in the stares of the thousands of pony statues glaring blankly past him was when he seemingly came to his senses. "Alright, let's move on," he said.

"Gladly," Dusk concurred.

The group continued through the endless ranks of the stone ponies, and for some reason, Blaze found himself unwilling to look even a single one in the eye. Dusk kept as close as she could as they made their way through the scores of statues. The ponies marched on like this for some time. Blaze seemed to lose track of not only the passing time, but his sense of depth. Just how deep were they inside of this mountain? How much further would they have to go? No words were exchanged between the ponies, just nervous fleeting glances around the eerily illuminated cave walls.

After another seemingly interminable length of silent travel, the group of ponies came to the foot of another massive staircase that lead up into a dark cavern beyond. "More stairs...great," Nova Burst moaned. He spread his wings in preparation of flight, however an annoyed look from Fairweather kept his hooves firmly on the ground. She walked passed Nova as she took the lead up the tremendous staircase of stone.

At the very top two more of the purple torches came to life. Nova stopped and frowned up at the nearest one. "Do these things seem kinda familiar to anypony else?" he said. "Like they might belong somewhere else?"

Blaze laughed. "Well if you're expecting some crazy merchant pony to pop up and be all like, "Got something that might interest you stranger..." then you'd be mistaken."

"Could you two focus on the task at hoof here?" Mirrorrim said to the two stallions. Thoroughly admonished, they fell into step with the rest of the group as they entered the enormous cavern. The darkness of the place pressed over Blaze like an ever-present blanket. Though he could barely see his own hoof in front of his face, he could feel the sheer size of this cavern.

The sound of their hoofsteps blended together into somewhat of a ruckus that was amplified by the empty space around them. But even amongst that, it was Nova's voice that rang loudest of all. "Oh,what, no more torches?" He shouted crossly. "We come all this way and now you wanna leave us in the dark?" He continued walking forward, although having no knowledge or no clear sight of anything that may lie inside this place. After a few more steps, Nova found something...with his face. He rubbed his smarting muzzle with his hoof as he cried "What the hay was that!?"

As though in answer, the cavern was flooded with the familiar purple light and the object that Nova had walked headlong into was revealed.

At first, it appeared to be one of the pony statues that the group had passed on their way to this place. But this one was larger, much larger than any that came before it. If Blaze stacked himself three high, he would just barely tickle the chin of this massive stonework.

"Ah'll tell ya whut..." Ivy Leagues began with an audible tremble in his voice. "Whoever this Valentinian guy was, he took himself real serious like."

Whilst the other ponies hung back in apprehension, Nova and Mirror stepped forward to examine the statue further. Mirror was in awe at its sheer size and crafted ferocity. "This is quite amazing,"she said more to herself than anypony else. "But if I'm not mistaken..." She rapped smartly on one of the pony's forelegs and a tinny bang vibrated throughout the statue. "It is made of steel," Mirror deduced. "And it is hollow."

"Meaning what?" Nova asked her with a raised eyebrow.

Mirror deliberated her response for a moment. "A suit of armor perhaps?"

Nova did a double take between Mirror and the massive armored statue. "A suit of armor?" He said incredulously. "For who?! What pony on earth could possibly be this big?"
After Mirror's statement of being a suit of armor as opposed to a simple statue, Blaze re-scrutinized the object.

The steel the armor was made from was pitch black in color and now that he looked more closely he could see that it was covered in spots of rust and other signs of disrepair. The over all motif of the thing seemed to be something drawn from a nightmare. It's deep black pallor was brought to sharper relief by the number of spines and other sharp extremities protruding from its figure. The mane and tail of the thing seemed to be formed of long blades attached to the body by even longer screws. The wings of the armor were folded down at the sides, of course, these too were formed of sword blades. The head of the armor was slightly elongated, and the eye holes were hauntingly empty; pitch black ports that seemed to stare nowhere and everywhere.

But perhaps strangest of all, where this alicorn's horn should be, was a single massive sword blade. Like the rest of the ensemble it was jet black but, if at all possible, even more so. The material of the sword did not reflect light as steel should. Instead, the light seemed to shine through it, leading Blaze to believe that it was made not of steel, but of crystal.

It all, the armor was terrifyingly intimidating.

"So we found a big armor, so whut?" Ivy said. "Whut does this have ta do with this Valentinian feller?"

"Well if it proves anything, it tells us Valentinian is as dead as we originally thought," Fairweather said. "Or perhaps we have the wrong place?"

Nova turned to Fairweather "The book said he was in the white mountains. And we're in the white mountains. So unless you know of another-"

"That's exactly it," Mirrorrim interjected. "Mountains is a plural word, Nova, which means that Valentinian may not be in this particular mountain. So what I suggest now is-"

"Who goes there?"

Everypony flinched together into a panicked group. "What the buck was that?" Nova whispered. They all stayed in a frightened silence as they scanned the cave for the source of the bellowing voice.

"I will ask but one more time. Who goes there? Who comes to this place seeking the Stallion of Steel?"

Gathering her nerves, Mirrorrim nosed out from the rest of the group and said,"Please, we have come to this place on an urgent mission on behalf of Princess Celestia."

"Celestia..." the incredible voice mused. "It has been many a century since I last heard that name spoken, and even then, it does not fail to fill me with hatred."

Mirrorrim instantly knew she had to change her tact. "We have had audience with Fimbulvetr, the Princess of Saba, and the Elements of Harmony of her dominion have been changed to meet the needs of our mission." Seeing as there was no being for Mirror to formally direct her voice at, she cast her head this way and that, trying to project her voice over every inch of the cavern. "We now humbly request the same of the great Valentinian. If he could aid us in our time of need against Nightmare Moon, all of Equestria would be endlessly grateful."

"Knows how ta lay it on thick, don' she?" Ivy said .

The voice was silent for some time, as though in thought. "I can indeed sense Fimbulvetr's influence about you," it said. "Unity, innocence, and responsibility...interesting."

Seeing the pause in the great voice, Mirror opted to continue. "Seeing as the final three elements fall into Valentinian's jurisdiction, and we are but powerless to change them ourselves..."

"So you come asking for Valentinian's assistance?"

"Yes, please," Mirror said. "If you could possibly show us a way to him, we would-"

"Ignorant foal, I AM Valentinian!" The colossal pony armor in the center of the cavern suddenly whipped its terrifying head around to stare right at Mirrorrim, it's previously empty eye holes aglow with ghostly white light.

Mirror screamed and galloped to the other side of the cavern with fright-hastened speed. "Dusk, get behind me!" Blaze ordered, as he himself did his best to shrink against the far cavern wall. Everypony stood in fascinated, disbelieving horror as the pony armor slowly came to life.

First it worked on freeing its mighty steel hooves from the ground, which have been anchored in place by centuries of rust and sediment buildup. Having extricated its hooves, the massive pony armor proceeded to work loose the joints in its legs and neck. Every movement brought with it screams of anciently rusted metal being forced into motion after millenniums of inactivity. And now it advanced on them. The armor's titanic hoofsteps seemed to shake the very ceiling of the cavern. With each step it took there was the whirring and grinding of machinery, and jets of steam escaped from its every crevice. As it took position in front of the frightened ponies it spread its terrible wings of steel and stared mercilessly down on them with its lighted unblinking eyes. "Sendor Valentinian now stands before you. Look upon me and tremble."

Blaze's immediate thought was how this pony had earned the name 'Stallion of Steel', his second thought however, was much more disturbing. Just moments ago, Mirrorrim had assessed the great machination to be hollow; as in nothing inside of it. And yet it was able to move freely and even speak. Just what was this? Blaze was aware of no technology that could make a monstrosity such as this, and on that note, what allowed it to move like this? His further contemplation was interrupted by Nova Burst. "Tremble?" The black pegasus said incredulously. "You want us to tremble?"

Blaze whipped his head in Nova's direction. "Nova, are you crazy?!" He said in highly strained whisper. "I know you're tough and all, but this thing will murder you!"

Nova either didn't hear him, or didn't care. (Or knowing Nova it was a combination of the two.) He walked out to meet the giant pony armor with his head held in undaunted defiance. "We came here for your help, not because we want it, but because we need it; Equestria needs it. It's your duty, having created the elements in the first place." Nova then enacted an old pegasus-born gesture; spreading his wings in an attempt to intimidate his adversary; trying to look bigger than he really was. "If you think your little scare tactics got me shook, you better think again." He looked around the cavern, everywhere but the great steel stallion before him. "Now why don't you stop messing around and come out to face us for real?"

A silence had fallen over the cavern. The group silent for fear of this pony armor squashing Nova under one of its boulder-sized hooves; and the steel stallion silent in a revere of almost unwarranted admiration. "Tell me, pegasus, what is your name?" It said at length.

Nova smiled cockily. "Name's Nova Burst," he said. "Some ponies call me the 'Supernova'".

Summer Blaze planted his face in his hoof. Of all the times for Nova to be his wise-ass self, why did he choose now?

"Nova Burst," the pony armor began. "You have asked of me to reveal myself to you as I truly am, and I have done just that. What you see before you is indeed what's left of me, Sendor Valentinian."

At first Nova looked as though he did not understand. He cast a look to the rest of the group, as though appealing for support. And, sensing Valentinian's new docility, they walked out to Nova's side. Nopony really knew what to make of what they were just told, save for Mirror and her natural studious curiosity. "Um...I am not sure I understand you, Valentinian. What do you mean, 'What's left of you'?"

Valentinian creaked his neck to look in Mirrorrim's direction. "After what I have done; the steps I've taken; I'm not sure there is any pony left in me."

The ponies looked to one another, trying to make sense of his statement."C'mon dude, speak English already; you're losing me!" Nova Burst said.

Valentinian considered Nova. "Young pony," he said. "Have you ever been in love?"

Nova's ears fell and the color rose in his face at the asking of this seemingly harmless question. "Well...I-I uh..." Nova fumbled to find any coherent words at all. And unless Blaze was terribly mistaken, he could have sworn that Nova shot the most infinitesimal of all glances at Mirrorrim. "That's...you know..."

"Well I have; and still am," Valentinian said. "But as it so happens, the pony I love is, most ironically, your greatest enemy at the present time."

"Nightmare Moon?" Fairweather said aghast.

"More precisely, Princess Luna," Mirrorrim corrected.

"Yes," the steel pony confirmed. "My one true love is indeed the greatest threat to the world as of now. But the Luna I remember so fondly is not gone forever. Everything I did to myself, I did out of love, and for the potential of eternal life; an eternal life with Luna. But fate had other plans." Valentinian lapsed into a moment of silence, for reflection and for verbal reload. "If you ponies are willing to listen; I will tell you of how this twist of fate came to be, and why I entrapped myself in this cursed steel facade."

"Of course we will listen," Mirrorrim said for the group. The others nodded assent.

"Very well," Valentinian said. "Then listen closely..."

*End of Chapter 11*

A/N:

Hello again. And it's with this greeting that I bring apologies as well. As you have no doubt noticed by now...I don't update on a regular basis. There really are months between each of my chapters. If I can quote J.D. Salinger here, I would akin my all of my fics to a station platform kiss; spontaneous enough to begin with, but rather inhibited in follow-through, and with somewhat of a forehead-bumping aspect.

In other words, they start off great, but eventually lose momentum. My problem is that I write strictly on impulse; which is why I have so many unfinished stories. Not to mention the other things happening, like playing pokemon X and Final Fantasy XIII-Lighting Returns, and Dead Space 3( Which I think I feel a fic coming on for...stupid impulse...)

Sorry to bore you guys with all this, but I know it sucks for the followers of my stories to be given so little content from me. Listen to me; talking like I'm the only author on this site :/

Anyway, let's wrap up with a recommendation. If you want another great pony fic, check out Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying by fanfiction user l0x0r , truly amazing work, can't recommend it enough!

Thanks to all for reading and I'll see you...when I see you.

-B.D. Skunkworks