Peridot kept her bow aimed steadily at the pegasus across from her. With the weight of the chunk on ice on his wing, he probably wouldn't try another aerial attack, but Peridot was wary of tangling with the sharp end of his hatchet again. The pain of the spot under her dented armor was beginning to nag her, taking Peridot more effort to keep it from distracting her. Hatchet began shuffling sideways, looking for an opening to attack. Peridot mimicked his motions in order to keep him in the middle of her vision, causing the competitors to slowly circle the center of their zone.

Peridot carefully tracked the movement of the stallion's hooves, looking for a clear shot. She saw him pause, perhaps to start a forward strike, so she fired an arrow into the ground next to his left back hoof. Ice erupted from the spot, covering Hatchet's leg and anchoring him to the ground. He tugged at it briefly, but quickly discovered that he was unable to break free. Peridot nocked another arrow, then stood uncertainly in front of her opponent. Sure, she had trapped him, but was that enough to ensure a victory? She glanced at the judges nearby, but wasn't able to determine anything from their expressions. All she could tell was that the fight hadn't ended yet.

A flash of light brought Peridot's attention back to the battle, just in time for her to see the hatchet flying straight for her. She instinctively dodged to the right, avoiding most of the force of the attack. The blade slashed across an unprotected section of her back left leg, just above her hoof. Peridot immediately checked the damage, and was surprised to see not a single scratch on her shining coat. Right, the injury-prevention field, Peridot remembered. It only felt like a cut. Forcing the pain to the back of her mind, Peridot stared in astonishment at her opponent, who had just thrown his only weapon away. Hatchet simply shrugged, as if to say, "What else was I going to do?"

Peridot knew she'd have to pull off something flashy in order to regain her dignity in the eyes of the judges. Simply shooting the pegasus point-blank wouldn't be entertaining at all, and besides, Peridot didn't really want to test the limits of the protective field with another pony's life on the line. She need to be spectacularly impractical, not boringly pragmatic. Spectacularly impractical... That reminded her of somepony.

Another hour on the practice range, and Emerald Light was bored out of her mind...
"I just don't understand, Dot," Emerald complained. "All the other guards know we're great archers, why do they keep assigning us to the archery range?"
Peridot calmly fired another arrow into a target coated with the ice of previous enchanted arrows. "There's no use getting worked up about it, Emmy. I think they're just mad that a couple of mares are better than all of the stallions on the guard combined. Anyway, more practice can't hurt."
"Wait, what if we can practice and have fun?" Emerald said, sudden mischief lighting up her coat. "Let's use the arrows to make our cutie marks out of ice, whoever can do it faster at the end of the hour wins!"
Peridot considered her idea for a moment. "But your cutie mark only has five points, mine has six."
"Better start practicing, then!"

Peridot silently thanked Emerald Light for coming up with that ridiculous competition and aimed her bow at the sky. She rapidly fired six arrows nearly straight up, with minor adjustments to their trajectories. The arrows arced down to land around Hatchet in a perfect circle. Seconds later, ice grew out from the arrows, converging in the middle of the circle. Soon, the stallion was surrounded by ice up to his knees in all directions. Peridot knew that from the raised seats in the arena, it would look like Hatchet was stuck in an enormous six-pointed snowflake.

Peridot Frost opened her eyes and drew herself out of her meditations to listen to the rules being announced by the ponies in charge. Hearing that there were measures in place to keep ponies safe from injury reassured her - although she was trained to use her enchanted arrows non-leathally, she could be a much more efficient fighter if she wasn't concerned with her opponents' safety. After the speaker finished his list of rules, Peridot began strapping on her new armor. The new metal shone brightly in the sun, adding to the light refracted by her sparkling green coat. Other warriors may have taken one glance at the unmarked armor and dismissed the crystal mare as a rookie, but she had years of experience that none of them knew about. She was just securing one of her quivers full of ice arrows in an angle that would be easily accessible by her hoof when a stallion with official-looking papers began to announce the competitors for the first preliminary matches. When her name was called, she began trotting towards zone eight of the arena at an even pace, ignoring the dirty looks thrown her way by some of the warriors. She obviously had no control over how the tourney was run, and she certainly wasn't going to let any poor attitudes ruin her concentration.

As she entered the fenced-off space designated as zone eight, Peridot immediately started analyzing her opponent. The pegasus facing her seemed confident, holding the weapon that matched his name with ease and familiarity. The hatchet in question looked sturdy enough to deal damage, even through her armor. She made a mental note to avoid taking a direct hit from the blade. Peridot hadn't faced many aerial opponents before, since few residents of the Crystal Empire possessed wings, but she searched her memories for experience anyway.

She stood at the edge of a snow-covered field, bow drawn and eyes searching the air. A snowball flew overhead, and Peridot tracked its motion with the the tip of her arrow. After taking a split second to aim, she loosed the bowstring. The arrow struck the center of the snowball at its zenith and covered it with a think layer of ice. She quickly drew another arrow from her quiver and waited for her next target to appear...

Keeping the memory of that practice at the forefront of her mind, Peridot returned her attention to Hachet. An enchanted arrow was nocked on her bow, which she held out in front of her. She blocked out the roar of the crowd and the commotion of the matches which had already begun, waiting for the judge's signal.

"Hey, spending time with you is great, Misty! But there are a few things I'd like to do right now... Like see if the Canterlot Royal Guard will have me," Peridot said, grinning mischievously. "I was a guard back in the Crystal Empire, and I've remembered that my special talent is in ice archery, so I think it'll be the best job for me. And since I'll be staying in Canterlot, I'll get to see you around!" Peridot was excited and eager to get started, now that she had found a direction for her life, but she wasn't about to leave without a proper goodbye. The crystal pony wrapped her hooves around Misty, squeezing her with a tight hug. "Thanks so much, Misty! I had an awesome time at the carnival because of you, and I don't think I would have regained my memories without that. I hope to see you again soon!"

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
- J. R. R. Tolkien

Since the mysterious return of the Crystal Empire, Peridot Frost had longed for one thing - to regain the memories of her life, which were inaccessible to her, as if frozen. The vague impressions she was left with haunted Peridot, driving her to wander across Equestria searching for her memories, her parents, something to give her life meaning. The moment she reconnected with her past, however, she had hardly been thinking of her memories at all.

-----------------

Peridot stepped up to an open spot at the water-shooting race booth in the carnival on the streets of Canterlot. While she had been brooding earlier in the day, she was literally sparkling with happiness now, and ready to take on a new challenge. She placed a hoof on the mechanism in front of her and examined the target straight ahead. There was a tube connected to the bullseye of the target, and the first pony to fill it with water would win the competition. Peridot was still trying to figure out how to shoot the water when a clattering bell rang, signaling the start of the round. She scrambled somewhat frantically before finding the button to hold down and triggering the stream of water. She took a steadying breath, and in one smooth motion, brought the water in line with the center of the target. The aiming felt surprisingly natural... familiar even. The simple movement resonated in Peridot's mind, sending her back to events that took place thousand years ago, but that seemed hardly more than a few years ago to her.

-----------------

Years and years earlier...

Peridot stood in an open courtyard, blanketed with a few inches of snow. Due to the arctic winds sweeping through the city, few of the Crystal Empire's residents were outside. Despite the fact that Peridot was wearing nothing but a woolen scarf, the mare's concentration remained unbroken by the cold. She stood perfectly still, facing a target across the field, a look of quiet determination on her face. To an onlooker, the stillness may have seemed almost relaxed, but the mare was using all of her strength to remain in place. Her front leg strained against the tension of the bow she held out, while her teeth restrained the enchanted arrow that was fighting to spring forward.

Peridot took a slow, deep breath to steady herself, careful to move her body as little as possible, then aimed for the bullseye of the target. Drawing on hundreds of hours of practice, she automatically adjusted for the effect that distance, wind, and even temperature would have on the arrow's flight. When she was sure of her aim, she released the arrow. It arced through the frigid air and slammed into the exact center of the target. Immediately, a layer of ice began to spread over the wooden surface, in a six-pointed shape similar to her cutie mark's. Peridot selected another arrow from the quiver next to her and fired it after the first. It struck just left of center, farther from the original arrow than she would have liked, and added to the ice creeping across the target.

Peridot fired arrow after arrow into the target, each time holding the bow steady and drawn for as long as she could before releasing the tension. By the time she had depleted her quiver, the target was completely encased in multiple layers of clear, solid ice. She lowered the bow, hoof searching for another arrow to nock, and sighed when she realized her practice had come to an end. There would be other days, she was certain, to work on improving herself, but probably none so tantalizingly quiet and peaceful as this one. Slowly, she gathered her things and set off for home.

-----------------

Three days later...

Peridot stood at her post on the castle balcony, pacing every so often to keep her legs from cramping. Her guard's armor was uncomfortable, and in Peridot's view, unnecessary. It was bulky and more decorative than protective, and, worst of all, it restricted her movements as an ice archer. But she had to wear it "to maintain the guard's public image," as her officer had told her, even though it was unlikely anypony would see her in the middle of the night.

Princess Luna's moon shone from high in the sky, causing the Crystal Empire's streets to glitter. Everything was illuminated, allowing Peridot to clearly see... nothing. Nopony was out at this hour. Peridot's training prevented her from feeling sleepy in the middle of the night, but it did not prevent her from feeling bored. She appreciated the serenity of the night, but staring down the same moonlight street for hours quickly became dull.

A flash of movement brought Peridot to full alertness instantly. She hadn't been able to make out a shape, but something had definitely dashed across the street in front of the palace. Peridot held perfectly still, watching intently. She saw the thing move again - it seemed to her like a formless darkness, an animated shadow. It had made no sound. Whatever it was, it appeared to be sneaking around the castle, and it was Peridot's job to put a stop to that.

"Who goes there?" she shouted down from the balcony, breaking the night's silence. She brought her bow up and aimed an ice arrow. This particular enchanted arrow was mostly harmless, and would freeze the unwelcome visitor in place until she could summon more guards to arrest it.

When the thing heard her voice, it seemed to pause for a second, then made a dash for the castle. Peridot fired straight towards it, but the arrow she released only hit the snow on the ground. She frowned in confusion, knowing her aim had been perfect. The intruder should have been struck. Slowly, a horrifying thought came to her: You can't harm a shadow. Peridot rushed inside to wake the rest of the guard as the monster reached the palace doors.

-----------------

Later, but how much later she wasn't sure. Every moment had felt like an eternity since that night...

"Just run!" Peridot urged her parents, ignoring their panicked questions. Briefly, she wondered if she might be considered a traitor, but the choice between staying in a loosing battle and trying to save her parents had been an easy one. The Crystal Empire was falling, and she doubted that one ice archer would make a difference in its fate. But that same ice archer could make a difference in the lives of her parents.

The streets that they sprinted through were half destroyed, massive black crystals jutting up through the snowy ground. Peridot could see dark magic crackling through the air, fueling the growth of the threatening rock. "We have to get out of the city!" she shouted over the noises of terrified ponies.

As Peridot and her parents neared the edge of the city, the ice archer noticed new crystals punching though the ground behind them, chasing them and trying to cut them off. Up ahead, she could see a wall of twisted crystal beginning to form around the city. "Keep running!" she told her parents, and turned to face the advancing crystals. She pulled out an ice arrow and fired it as hard as she could into the nearest black crystal. The crystal ****, but did not shatter. A wave of ice spread rapidly over it, stopping its growth. Peridot smiled grimly at her success, but the growth of the rest of the crystals continued, and new ones formed every second. She dashed closer toward the city's edge, turning around to fire at the nearest crystals every few steps to keep them away from her parents.

Peridot's mother and father made it to the edge of the city and squeezed through an opening in the wall, but by the time Peridot reached it, the gap had narrowed to a slit that she could barely see through. "Peridot!" her mother cried anxiously.

"I'll be fine," Peridot yelled to the other side of the wall, not knowing if she was lying. "I'll find another gap and meet you on the other side. Just keep moving away from the city!"

The black crystals were now erupting practically under her feet, forcing her to back up against the wall. She fired arrow after arrow, again and again until finally, when her hoof reached for her quiver, it was empty. The twisted spikes grew up around her, enveloping her in darkness, and Peridot remembered nothing for a very long time...

-----------------

Present day...

The Crystal Fair. Her fifth birthday party. Earning her cutie mark. Peridot's memories flooded back, filling the desperate emptiness she had felt, and through it all, she held on to one thought: I saved them. I may not have been able to save the Empire, but I saved them.

Peridot smiled at Misty's polar bear voice, then giggled when she felt the soft toy wrap around her neck. She waited for the rabbit she was petting to finish eating the carrot she was holding out before trotting over to see what Misty was up to. "Okay, tell me about goat part, then," she said with a grin after Misty declared herself a scientist. As Peridot listened, her grin grew wider and wider until it felt like it stretched from ear to ear. When Misty asked for questions, she quickly hid her smile and tried to imitate the look of the noble pony she had seen earlier. "No ma'am, I believe you have made a thorough lesson in goat part," she said, then burst into laughter, unable to keep playing the part of a dignified noble.

"Let me give it a try," Peridot said. Grabbing a piece of lettuce from the table on her way, Peridot walked over to a corner of the pen with a cute little turtle. "A-hem. You are about to receive a lesson from Equestria's top expert on turtles," she said in a strange accent that she had invented in the spot.

"As you can see, every turtle is equipped with a personal home," she said, tapping lightly on the turtle's shell. "They move their home around by using their stumpy draggers," she pointed to its short legs, "and may also waggle their skinny wiggler," she pointed to its tail. "The most important part is it's chomper," Peridot said as she help the lettuce up to the turtle's mouth. "You don't want to get bitten by that!"

Peridot's coat glittered brightly, scattering light across the ground. "This is so much fun, Misty!" she said in her normal voice. "You're the best!"

Peridot grinned at her squashed-down self in the mirror, then laughed out loud as Misty tickled her. She tried to chase the mare down, but ended up careening into one of Misty's reflections. Realizing a maze of mirrors was a difficult place to catch someone, Peridot decided to try and get Misty back for tickling her later. Her coat, and her reflections, were shining stronger now, brightening the maze considerably with reflected light.

"I'm not a thousand years old!" Peridot protested instantly to Misty's question. "I mean... I suppose I was born about a thousand years ago, but I haven't really lived a thousand years. I'm not sure exactly how old I am, but I don't think I'm any more than ten years older than you, max! I guess that is rather confusing... You see, when King Sombra," Peridot shivered slightly when she said the name, "was banished, he cursed the Crystal Empire and made it disappear, and it didn't return until recently. Nopony in the Crystal Empire remembers anything about the time we were gone, even the ones who did get their memories back. Some think that we were stuck in some kind of limbo, or that we were sent forward in time, but either way, nothing happened for those thousand years - so I wouldn't really count them in my age.

"As for earliest memories... It's difficult, since I've forgotten so much, but I can vaguely remember the first time my parents brought me to the Crystal Fair. I was excited to -"

"Mommy, I wanna go to the petting zoo. Please?"
"Alright, Dot, just slow down so your father and I can catch up."

Peridot stopped short and blinked at her reflections. "Misty, did you say something?" But the voice, or rather voices, she had heard hadn't been Misty's. "I- I think I just remembered what my mother's voice sounds like!"

Seeing that Misty truly didn't hold anything against her, Peridot felt a wash of relief. She hadn't messed everything up, or lost a chance at making a friend. What she wasn't prepared for was Misty's flood of curiosity about the Crystal Empire. Since nopony had realized Peridot was from the Crystal Empire due to her lack of sparkling, and she hadn't told anypony other than Misty, Peridot hadn't discussed her homeland with a non-Crystal Pony yet. She didn't know if she would be able to describe it.

"I suppose it is rather beautiful," Peridot began. "Everything shines and glitters, which can be dazzling if you haven't seen anything like it in a while, but to tell the truth, you get used to the light bouncing off of everything pretty quickly. My favorite part of the Empire is the palace, it looks so spectacular both up close and far away. What really makes it special is the Crystal Heart, though. It sort of... Hums, or sings, or something, and it makes you feel safe and happy... I miss that feeling, and being around other Crystal Ponies, so I'll probably go back eventually. As for after this week... since lost most of my memories, I've been trying to rediscover my special talent. If that doesn't happen here in Canterlot, I might visit somewhere else before going back home."

Peridot studied the wobbling tower and selected a block that didn't seem to be supporting the weight of the stack above it. She managed to remove it from the tower without too much trouble, but when she placed it at the top, the stack leaned a bit too far and collapsed into a heap. "Oops. Looks like you won." The loss didn't upset Peridot much, since she was too excited about being able to tell Misty the full truth. "You're also right about the ponies sparkling. I should be, but I've been so wrapped up in my own problems that my coat's dull as ditchwater right now. I tell you what - if we have as much fun as possible at this fair, I bet I could show how a proper Crystal Pony shines!"