//------------------------------// // Five - Realisation // Story: The Dragon Master // by Cantus //------------------------------// Celestia blinked. The letter was still there. A tiny, irrational part of her had feared it would vanish if she took her eyes off of it, but she knew that wasn't true. She read over it again, poring over each word. Eventually, the small fear that it would go away died altogether. Her heart had sank when she had read her student's first letter, but this one made her feel different. On one hoof, it meant that the threat Twilight had informed her of was, in fact, Gravil. She'd hoped against hope that it was someone else, but this letter banished that possibility. On the other hoof, it brought hope as well. She knew little enough about Draconic Rituals, but she did know that Gravil would need that staff to bring his plans to fruition. If they could prevent him from regaining it, a siege and much bloodshed could be averted. If not... She hoped it would not come to that. She would not let all of this be for nothing. Anger built up inside her as she remembered. Ending the Reign of Discord, settling an uneasy peace with the Griffon tribes, waiting a thousand long years for Luna to return... She remembered all the ponies that had passed their lives under her gaze. She remembered their smiles and their troubles, the ways they survived and grew, the ways they had died. So many ponies. So many people. So much life. It would not be wiped away by one wyrm's folly. She regained composure with the practised ease of somepony who had done it every day for a thousand years. Her horn glowed slightly as she took a quill, dipped it in ink, and prepared to write. ************************************************************************* Celestia trotted slowly towards the door. It was six feet tall, made of stone, with a crescent moon engraved onto its surface, shining as polished silver. She didn't like the thought of what she was about to do. She dearly hoped it would prove unnecessary. But succesfully ruling a country by oneself for a thousand years does not teach one to take chances. There was every chance that plan A might fail, and if it did, they would need something to fall back on. Luna was the only one who could give them that. ************************************************************************* The Moon Princess was distracted. The day was almost over, and soon she'd have to raise the moon again. That wasn't so bad: after all, it was what she'd been born to do. Even so, spending a millennium without practice would leave anypony rusty. Nervousness rose up inside her as the sun inched lower, slowly falling toward the lip of the horizon. She shook her head. She had to calm down, for her own sake. At least, that was what her sister always said. There was still a little while left before the sun set. She paced around the circular carpet in the middle of the floor, casting glances over her shoulder every few minutes to check if the sun was any lower. Eventually it grew too much. She stopped pacing and snorted in frustration. Why was this so nerve-wracking? She'd raised the moon a couple of times since her return! Experience should be starting to kick in, starting to make it easier. Yet it was not. Why did tonight, of all nights, fill her with so much dread? There was a knock on the door. "Luna? Luna, it's me". The sudden noise starlted her. Sis? She trotted to the door and opened it. Her sister stared down at her, a grim expression on her face. "Sis, I told you already! I can handle the moonrise by myself! I-" The white alicorn shook her head. "I know that, Luna. That's not why I'm here." Worry rose its head again, filling Luna with dread. Celestia seemed very dour, and that never meant good news. ************************************************************************* Luna's blood froze. "S-sis...this...this is a joke, isn't it?" Celestia shook her head. "I would never joke about something like this, Luna. I'm afraid it's true. He's returned". Something snapped inside Luna. "That's impossible! He threw himself off a cliff! Even if he could have survived that, how could he have been in any state to plan all of this?" Celestia shook her head again. "I don't know, Luna. I didn't believe it at first either. That's why I didn't do more. That's why I didn't tell you. I didn't want to dredge up all of those awful memories unless there was no other choice." Luna quivered as those memories came back. They were the least welcome set of memories she possessed. So long ago...Before envy had overwhelmed her, but after the terror that had been Discord. They had come from the forest... Luna shuddered. "I really don't want to remember..." Celestia leaned it close to her sister, trying to comfort her. "I know. Those were desperate times. But we did what we had to do." Luna looked up at her sister, worry etched on her face. "B-but...I thought they were over!They can't come back, they- they just can't!" Celestia's face grew even more grim. "I don't want this either, Luna. And believe me, I'm going to do my utmost to avert it. I'm sending a search party at the break of dawn tomorrow, and if we can find that Staff before Gravil does, we will be able to avert it. But the point is that we can't guarantee that, and we need a backup plan to prevent further suffering." Luna recognised that tone of voice. It was the I'm-your-big-sister-I-know-what's-best-for-you tone, the one it was pointless to argue with. Luna gazed despondently at her sister. In Celestia's eyes she saw a deep sorrow, and behind that a will of iron. She loved Tia. She knew that Tia would never want her to suffer. Luna trusted her sister greatly, but she was still asking for a lot. Celestia spoke again, her tone softer this time. "I just want to know that I can count on you when the time comes." Those words provoked something inside Luna. Celestia needed her. Her sister was relying on her. Her love for her sister flared up inside her, filling her with determination. If there was some way she could help Tia, then she was going to go through with it. "Alright. I don't like it, but...if it comes to it, I'll fight." Celestia nodded, a smile of relief on her face. It was good to know where Luna stood. The white alicorn turned to the window. Her horn glowed with golden light, and the last bit of the golden eye in the sky finally set. "Now, Luna, I believe you have something to do." Luna nodded. "Yes. Of course." As the silver sphere climbed into the sky, Luna's emotions boiled away to reveal a powerful resolve. They would put an end to this. There would not be another war. **************************************** The moon rose silently over the Everfree Forest. The staff's eyes were blind, but it did not need them. The Runes on its shaft emitted a soft red light, infusing it with life and allowing it to move. Its body writhed as it slipped into the undergrowth, through leaf-mulch and over tree roots. It knew where it was going. Even without sight it knew where it needed to be, drawn to it in the same way that a raindrop is drawn to the ground. The wyrm. The wyrm lay to the East. The staff began to writhe again, its direction decided upon. ************************************************************************* Spike stared at Gravil, still enraptured by the tale. The purple dragon spoke what was on his mind. "Does that mean she was, like, a vampire?" The old wyrm stared at him in puzzlement. "My Lord? I am afraid that I have never heard tell of such a creature." For once, the roles were reversed, with Spike as storyteller and Gravil as enthralled listener. The old wyrm had heard many stories in his life, but these tales of fanged creatures burned by sunlight had never reached him before. After Spike had finished talking, Gravil sank into contemplation. "My Lord, I..." The way the wyrm had suddenly stopped talking made Spike curious. "You what?" Gravil shook his head, trying to clear it. "Ah, please forgive me. I was merely thinking about all of this. You see, whilst I have never heard of these...creatures you speak of, the stories are actually quite similar. Renka was not made into exactly the same sort of creature, but there are resemblances. Perhaps the stories you tell might even stem from the legend! Fascinating..." Gravil caught himself right before launching off into deep thought. "Ah, but that is for another time. Right now, we need to soldier on with the story. Assuming that you are not tired of it, My Lord..." Spike nodded. "Not tired yet." The old wyrm smiled. "Then let us begin." ************************************************************************* Gravil threw his hands into the air, a wild gesture that made him look faintly ridiculous. Even so, his passion was such that Spike was too busy listening to take notice of that. "Twisted by the demon's words, Renka agreed with it. She set her heart in stone, firmly fixed on revenge. She sealed the cave entrance, and waited for night to fall before leaving. Of course, the King was worried about Renka, and search parties were sent to find her. The wyverns flew high and low, scouring every nook and cranny within fifty miles of Anbel, but never did they find a trace of her." "While she hid, she studied. The demon had much to teach her, things that only she could learn. Dragons, you see, are not capable of manipulating the primal force that is magic. Olni birthed us blind to it, and with good reason, as you will see later. Renka, however, had been..." Gravil shuddered before whispering the next word. "...touched. The demon had changed her when she was still an egg - you remember that part from earlier, don't you, My Lord?". Spike nodded, but motioned for him to go on. "This...change removed her natural resistance to magic. She found that she could feel it, just as one feels the touch of the wind or the sunlight - invisible, but undeniably present. The demon simply taught her many ways of harnessing this power." "Days became months became years, and still no trace of Renka was found. Most of the residents of Anbel showed only a token sadness - most of them were glad that they no longer had to share their possessions with a Wilder. Galdor, however, felt genuine sorrow. Though he was not blamed for it (it was hardly his fault that Renka had been afflicted the way she was), he still felt as if he had failed to uphold his Oath to Mabin. Whilst Renka was not his daughter by blood, he had still come to care for her over the last eighteen years, and her sudden loss hit him hard. This did nothing to aid his flagging health - Galdor was old, even for a dragon, and it was beginning to show. Seven hundred and sixty-six years will wear down even Olni's proudest sons". The wyrm kept speaking, his voice powerful enough to carry to the vaulted roof, the smooth stones bouncing back quiet echoes moments after the words left his mouth. "Many in Anbel began to give serious thought to the succession - after all, this was to be the first coronation since Olni's departure seven hundred and fifty years ago, so no-one was quite sure what would happen. However, it seemed likely that Galdor's elder son would inherit the throne: he, you remember, was the same one that Renka despised. There was a younger son also, but the elder son was older, more confident, and more capable (or so it was believed). This was doubly important, beacuse a King, you see, is not only the ruler of the people. As Olni's appointed steward, he is also responsible for the wellbeing of the land. You see, as the land existed before Olni, but was only made rich and abundant by his influence, so too is the King charged with a connection to it. We believe that if the King is strong and righteous, and upholds Olni's Law, the land will respond with abundance and fertility. A King who cannot or willl not rule properly will produce a barren, wild land filled with sorrow. Thus it was naturally assumed that Galdor's eldest would become King". "Every year, Galdor would grow more wizened, and his age more apparent. His scales began to grey, and his wings began to sag. Still, he was not yet ready to give up the throne. It is written that he responded to questions of when the succession would take place with "When Olni commands it, and not a moment before". This was just as well, for there were still many issues in which his wisdom was needed. Almost every year Galdor's eldest son would approach him, asking that Renka be declared Dra-Shin." As the words entered Spike's ears, they untangled themselves, presenting themselves to him as Flamedead. Spike piped up. "Flamedead? What's that mean?" Gravil was surprised to hear the Prince translate the phrase so easily. The Blessing must be more powerful than he'd thought if it could translate aurally as well! "Ah, well, yes- that translation is sufficient, but..." The wyrm sighed and prepared to explain. "You see, My Lord, to declare someone Dra-Shin is not done lightly. It literally states that the Flame of Olni is dead in you, that you are no longer one of his Children, and by extension that you no longer have the right to live amongst his children. It states that even though you may have the form of a dragon, you are not truly a dragon - or a wyrm, wyvern, et cetera. You are considered a beast of the wild, doomed never to return to Olni after death." "As you can imagine, this is a severe punishment indeed, usually reserved only for traitors. The punishment and process is detailed in the Law Of Olni, but has rarely been put to use. The Prince wanted Renka declared Dra-Shin so that he would not have to admit to having shared a House with a Wilder - if the punishment was declared, he could claim that there never was a Dragon named Renka, only a Deadflame. This was undoubtedly excessive, but the Prince was proud, and this was fiercely important to him. He wanted to erase any hint of the dragon that had "invaded" his home." "Every year The Prince asked his Father, and every year his Father refused. Galdor was shocked at his son's vindictiveness. He pointed out that Renka was their ward, protected by the King's own word.For the King to break his word would prove him untrustworthy, and surely earn the Dragonfather's ire. Yet the Prince would not be shamed. In the clutches of adolescent defiance, and with most of Anbel secretly backing him, he never once thought of his demand as unreasonable or unjust. Galdor refused him every time, but every year the Prince grew stronger and Galdor grew frailer. Eventually, many within Anbel came to believe that the Prince should be granted his request in honour of his sheer persistence." Gravil took a deep breath before continuing. "Thirty years passed, and eventually the day came. Galdor had lost hope of Renka's return. He tried to ignore it, to think of his duty first and foremost, tried to drown his sorrow in responsibility. Then, at the feast of Olnija, in the year 1547 AO, Galdor performed an act that the Court had been waiting decades for him to perform. At Olnija, it is the King's role to stand on the mountaintop and roar to the Sun, to greet Olni's gift as it reaches its peak. That year, Galdor deferred this task to his eldest son - effectively making him King then and there." "Galdor's son swelled with pride, a grin evident on his face even as he rose to the mountaintop, wings beating against the glorious light. He perched on the mountain-top, poised to greet the Sun." Gravil shuddered involuntarily, knowing what was to come next. "However, as the Sun inched closer to its apex, there was a crack like thunder. The gathered crowd gasped, for the sky was utterly clear, without a single wisp of cloud above. That changed quickly. Before the eyes of all, the skies began to churn, the air weaving together to form ominous black clouds where none had been mere minutes before. The sky filled with the floating shrouds, as even the sun was obscured". "There was great consternation at this omen - had Olni turned his gaze from the Prince? Was this a rejection of the Royal Line? In his mind, Galdor wondered if he was being punished for breaking his oath. The truth, however, was soon to reveal itself. The Prince, still perched upon the summit, gazed upwards at the roiling sky, and was the first to see it, though the crowd was not long behind. On the clouded horizon, a shadow appeared, growing larger with each passing second. It came towards them, taking the shape of a dragon on the wing. Everyone watched in awe, as it swooped low, toward the Prince." Spike's hand shot up. "Was it-" Gravil motioned for silence, and the purple dragon complied. The wyrm went on, not breaking his storytelling stride for a moment. "The dragon stopped and hovered a few feet in front of the Prince. There were gasps from the crowd, and the Prince himself stood stock-still with horror. Her scales were different, colored the pale white natural only to sun-bleached bones. Her wings were larger, her body covered in strange blue markings, swirling sigils and geometric patterns that none recognised. Yet in spite of all this, there was no mistaking her. Everyone knew who she was, some by experience and some only by word of mouth. Yet all knew that Renka had come again." "The Prince remained fixed in place, either unable or unwilling to move. He remained like this until Renka was so close that they could gaze into each other's eyes. Renka fixed him with a fierce glare, and whispered "The time is come, fool". At last the Prince broke from his stupor, eyes wide in indignation. He roared at her, asking why she felt the need to plague him so. She sneered, and spoke again, saying "What is pride, measured against life? He roared in anger, demanding that she cease her mockery of the King. She responded that while she felt loyalty toward the King, she felt no shame in harming a fool." "The Prince roared, his defiant pride seizing control of him. He pushed himself forward, launching upwards at the taunting spectre that hung above him. That was what she had been waiting for. With a deftness of wing even a wyvern Fleetwing would envy, she darted to his side, causing him to rush past her. She turned, and landed on top of his back. She struck his hide with her claws, managing to draw blood. The Prince cried out, but not for long. The sigils engraved onto her scales began to glow, with unwordly blue light. In the last few seconds of consciousness, the Prince just had time to notice that the life was being sucked from him, before the blackness came." Gravil stopped, taking a deep breath. Telling this story made his muscles tense with anger, his mind fill with the desire to make amends. Before long, he went on. "The Prince's flesh turned to lifeless stone and crashed to the the ground. Pieces of his wings broke off and fell onto the unbelieving crowd below. A small band of wyrms, too slow to dodge the statue, were crushed to death beneath their king-that-never-was." "Of course, the crowd could hardly believe their eyes, but like the Prince they were frozen in awe, not wanting to react. At last, it was Galdor who broke the stillness. Galdor moved his ancient frame across the plateau, the crowd parting to let him pass. He felt as if his blood had turned to ice. He stood over the broken remains of his son, not wanting to believe." "He remained perfectly still for several seconds, that seemed to drag for hours. Tears fell freely for the first time in decades. At last, he roared, and his voice was full of anguish and rage. He left his son's remains, lying on the ground, and turned to face his killer. He drew himself up to his full height, kingship and authority making even his aged form seem awestriking. He roared to the dragon that now perched on the mountaintop." As Gravil spoke, his voice filled with passion, force enough that the scene came alive in Spike's mind. ************************************************ "Renka! What have you DONE?" "Nothing, My Lord, but what is right." The Dragon King roared. "How in Olni's name can you claim justice? You have murdered your kin! You have murdered your King! You have murdered my son!" Renka hissed, a low sound that set the scales of everyone in the crowd on edge. "Only the last of those statements is true." Galdor roared again, and spoke, his voice filled indignation. "Renka! How...? I took you in! I raised you as my own!" The white dragon's expression twisted in hate, the look of indignation that comes only to those whose suffering has just been mocked. She spoke out, this time in a voice terrible and booming, like the thunder itself. "Aye, that you did - and you put me in a prison with that monster!" All present gasped and reeled, not understanding this accusation. Galdor was too stunned to respond before Renka went on. "But at last, justice is done! Is it not written - an eye shall be the price of an eye? And now, love is taken for love! You took my mother, and I have taken your son." ************************************************ Spike's mouth hung open in awe, just imagining what Galdor must have felt. Gravil seemed to have paused for breath, so Spike decided now would be a good time to ask a question. "What happened next? Did they catch her? Was there a fight? I'll bet it was all bam, pow..." The purple dragon began to thrust his fists into the air, fighting imaginary enemies, complete with sound-effects. Gravil chortled. Oh, the levity of youth... "Well, My Lord, it was not quite as exciting as that, i'm afraid. Renka took to the air again, her task apparently accomplished. In the heat of the moment, several Lords took to the air in pursuit, but as they gave chase the winds themselves barred their way, pushing them backwards, giving Her enough time to escape." "Needless to say, there was chaos in the court as anyone and everyone voiced their opinion on what should be done. Galdor retired to his own chamber and attempted to come to terms with what had just happened. For four days and four nights did he hide, not appearing even to calm the fears of the court. Panic continued to rise until the dawn of the fifth day, when the King at last emerged, his face the grim mask of one who has just made a very hard decision. The Lords of the whole realm assembled beneath the high eaves of Anbel, to hear the King's decision." "He announced that a new enemy had appeared to threaten An-Bel. That one of the Dra-Shin had come to destroy Olni's lineage, and that they would be stopped at any cost. As the order was given, every Lord returned to their own Hold to muster the force that Galdor had requested. A vast number of things had to be done that day, but one caused Galdor more heartache than any other. On that day, Renka's name was finally stricken from the record of living dragons". ************************************************ Twilight just didn't understand it. She'd wanted something to change the situation for the last few days, but now that it actually had, she wasn't sure if she liked it. She checked the register one last time to make sure that everypony supposed to be there was, in fact, there. "Cloud Chaser...check... Wispy Winds...check... Steel Shield...check..." She checked off name after name, each in order, as the search party was assembled. There were a full threescore equines in the party, not counting herself of course. She'd looked over the instructions the Princess had given her, and understood her role in the plan. She just hoped it would work. They were to scour the forest, keeping in groups of twelve. Each group had four earth ponies, four pegasi, and four unicorns, designed to be able to respond effectively to threats of any sort. She sighed. She'd been at this for the past three hours, and it still wasn't finished. Still, she couldn't very well give up - Spike was depending on this search, and this search was depending on her. She put her head down, and returned to writing. Moments later, the cyan pegasus landed next to her and broke her concentration. The pegasus spoke. "Uh, hey, Twilight? Are we gonna get goin' any time soon?" Twilght sighed again. Tolerating Rainbow Dash wasn't always easy. "Look, Rainbow, I told you five minutes ago. We're almost done. Unless you let me get on with it, I'll be telling you the same thing five minutes from now!" The pegasus sighed. "Right, right. I guess I'll just try to find something to do while we're waiting." Rainbow Dash floated off towards the treeline. Twilight sighed again. She was doing that a lot recently, but then again she did have a lot to get off of her chest. She decided to just forget about it and get on with her work. ************************************************ Rainbow did have something in mind, actually. She spiralled over the heads of the assembling ponies, as they milled around beneath her. She wasn't interested in them. She was looking for one mare in particular. Rainbow caught sight of her at last. The one she was looking for was wandering uncertainly, evidently feeling ostracised by the other ponies. That wasn't unusual - after all, they were soldiers, and she just a farmer. Rainbow landed beside Applejack. The orange mare turned to her, glad to finally see a familiar face. "Rainbow! I've been lookin' for you!" "Uh, hey AJ. I've just been a bit...distracted." Applejack frowned. "I'll say. You've been ignorin' everpony who's tried ta talk to ya for the past few days. What's gotten into ya?" The pegasus forced a smile. She couldn't bring herself to admit it, but the events of the last few days had really shaken her. "It's nothin'. Really." Applejack frowned again. She didn't look like she believed a word of it. Even so, she kept her reservations to herself. Eventually she decided to change the subject. "Anyway, it's good to see somepony who'll talk straight to me. She shot an angry glare at one of the guard ponies milling around her, who returned it. "Ah swear, they're treatin' me like I was a three-eyed rattlesnake!" Rainbow smiled for real this time. She'd never heard that one before. "They're probably just awestruck by being in the company of the Heroes of Equestria". Applejack snorted. "If that's true, I am a three-eyed rattlesnake". Rainbow grinned again. Her problems seemed further away when she was talking to somepony else. "I dunno, AJ. If they don't like us, that's their problem. Point is, they're still gonna help us find Spike, like it or not. That's enough, isn't it?" The orange mare sighed. "Yeah, I suppose. I jus' wanna get this thing over with so we can forget about it. Ah mean, have you seen how stressed Twilight looked last time? If this goes on much longer she'll worry herself sick." Something else occurred to Rainbow. "Not to mention what might happen to Spike..." A flicker of guilt crossed AJ's face, as if she'd just now realised that she'd forgotten someone. "Well, of course, but there's only so much we can do. Ah mean, we can only hope-" Rainbow cut her friend off with an impatient hoof-stamp. "Look, it's okay, AJ. Just because you forgot about someone once doesn't make you a bad pony." A relieved look crossed the earth pony's face. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Rainbow." The pegasus smiled. The moment was broken by the noise of several dozen sets of hooves pounding the ground. Twilight had finally finished the preparations, and the party was about to move off. Rainbow said one last thing to her friend. "I've gotta go. I'll be joining the other Pegasi to sweep the area. Stay safe, 'kay?" It was Applejack's turn to smile. "You too, ya hear? Don't do anything reckless, okay?" Rainbow grinned one last time. "No promises." Applejack sighed. That was Rainbow, all right. She followed the cyan pegasus with her eyes for a few moments, before she flew out of sight. She turned around. The group was moving and she didn't plan on being left behind. The six groups marched east, into the rising sun.