It was a cold, damp, rainy day in Draconis on the day of the funeral. The storm that rolled in was not of the pegasus's doing. Many dragons took this as a sign that the ancestors of old had come to weep over the death of the nation's former ruler. The procession from the castle to the Queen's final resting place was silent and hollow. Many ferals, both newly fledged and old stood at attention at the double doors. When they opened, wings snapped to "salute" the greater drakes bearing the pyre carrying Demuria's body.
Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, the Bearers of Harmony and the "Awakened" known as Spike stood at the front of the lines and watched as she was carried past them. Garbed in black no pony or dragon uttered a sound as they watched. It was not out of respect to the mourning of Demuria's passing, but rather to listen to the drakes gifted enough to sing. There were no words at first. It was a suttle hum among those who followed the procession. Words could then be heard drifting in the air as a few drakes started to sing:
May you find solace in the gentle arms of sleep
Despite the wolves outside your door
In time you will see them all as harmless
And their idle threats easy to ignore
And if ever fate should choose to smite you
Stand your ground, never walk away
Please don't ever let the world defeat you
Don't get buried in its decay
As you drift into the gauzy realm of dreams
May you take comfort in the thought that you are safe
For it only takes a fraction of a second
For all of this to change
Return to me
When slumber's fog has lifted
Return to me
Stronger than before
As you sink beneath the soothing streams of time
May you be thankful that you had another day
For there comes a time when each of us will enter
A sleep from which we will never wake
And if ever fate should choose to smite you
Stand your ground, never walk away
Please don't ever let the world defeat you
Don't get buried in its decay
Close your eyes now, if only for a moment
For it's time you get some rest
The wolves are gone and nothing here can harm you
Let go of your fragile consciousness
As the song faded, quite a few among the crowd were either brushing away their eyes or concealing them beneath an umbrella, hat or conveniently handy hankerchief.
The mage Kel followed the greater drakes a few feet away as they marched on. The once young dragon who was part of the rescue mission turned last stand against the lich, Malefor had changed. His gawky thin frame had filled out. The wings upon his back were etched in runes signifying his rank as high class. The robes were a regal blue, having recently graduated last year from second to third year. Two more would see him as a head master to his kin's magic users. He stared forward, not turning his head to see the "guests" but he did note Princess Celestia's slight bow in respect to the only dragoness she ever called friend and fellow sister.
Spike stood there tall but numb. He had come to take a liking to Demuria. The great Queen taking time out of her busy life to read up on his studies. He wore the gold star given to him by her in recognition for his part on saving Draconis from Malefor's threat. Rain gathered and fell, pattering on the damp mud he stood in, yet Spike never faltered nor moved. Only his eyes as they followed Kel and the other ferals who broke rank and formed two lines before joining the procession.
Following the funeral procession was the newly crowned Queen. Hexonya was an intimidating red dragoness who some said stare was enough to make even the most unwavering warrior quake in their shoes. Surrounding her were the newly formed elite Draconis Guards. Hand picked by her own talons these drakes, ferals and even a few magi endured the harshest training the new Queen had created following her predecessor's end. The tight knit group passed by Princess Celestia and the others. Spike saw a glimpse of the new Queen's eye bore down on the alicorn. The young dragon thought he saw a look of distrust in them. Then those same eyes turned on him. Despite keeping a calm expression, he felt queasy on the inside. As if Hexonya was judging him right there. The eye swiveled forward and they were soon gone, following the many gatherers who had come to give their farewells.
As per accordance to each Queen's final wish in choice of burial, Demuria had chosen to have herself cast in the molten chasm near the base of Mt. Fury. An ancient volcano that still stirred on occasion, it still housed a few chambers were magma churned and bubbled near the surface. It was here at one of the chasm's Demuria's body was laid to rest on a platform extended over the edge into the heated depths below.
"Dear Ancestors who weep over our beloved Queen," Kel spoke standing before the pyre, arms raised,"Welcome her into your clutch with open wings as we look to the sky. We honor her by returning her to the very earth from which we first crawled from until you looked down upon us with pity and blessed us with the gift of flight. May she forever watch over her kin as those before and those who shall come after until time's end."
He lowered his arms. Four dragons responded by igniting the pyre and the platform together. Flames licked along the oil soaked wood until the whole area was ablaze. With a snap! the wood broke under the fiery stress of the fire as all eyes laid one last glimpse upon Demuria before she vanished from sight.
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Most of the procession had broken up with some ferals returning to their caves to mourn in peace. Others to the castle to a wake in remembrance of Queen Demuria. Twilight and her friends, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie opted for the wake. It was eerily quiet between the six, given Pinkie Pie would have usually spoken up about cheering her friends up. Yet even the pink pony was strangely subdued by the events of this rainy day. Rarity who would have fussed over how her dark attire was getting wet, said nothing as she adjusted a little umbrella to keep her otherwise pristine mane dry. None noticed that Spike, Princess Celestia and Luna were among them, so wrapped up in their own thoughts.
Spike stood there never stirring as he simply gazed over the side of the chasm. Deep below heated air rose to clash with the colder front descending, the rain water hissing as it evaporated before reaching the magma. He was still coming to terms with all that had unfolded. It was barely three weeks ago that he stood before Queen Demuria, discussing about his progress with his training and the difficulty it had been trying to re-connect with Avalar to see Spyro again. The Queen found it odd that despite Kel and both Princesses, along with Twilight they had been unsuccessful. She offered a few words of encouragement to the small dragon before he departed for home.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were further back looking to the small form of the dragon as they stood there.
"Will he be alright, sister?" Luna asked.
"He will be fine Luna. He just needs some time that is all. We all grieve differently when we lose some pony close to us." Celestia responded.
Footsteps drew the sisters attention away from Spike to the approaching visitor. Kel emerged from the sloping path, pausing only to tug at his sleeves for a moment before joining the alicorns.
"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna." He greeted them with a bow.
Both returned in kind before Celestia spoke,"Its good to see you again Kel."
"Likewise your majesty. If neither of you would mind I wish to speak to you both, privately if at all possible."
Princess Celestia arched a brow mildly before shifting her gaze to Spike. The dragon had sat down knees up to his chin and hunched over.
"Time is all he needs as you said, Princess. Perhaps we should give him some peace." Kel gestured to the path he came from.
Both sisters nodded and followed, leaving Spike to mourn in silence.
The trio descended down the slope. The two alicorns and Kel walked in silence. It was about halfway through the trek that Luna spoke,"Such a moving song, young Kel. I know few dragons could speak. But to be able to sing, let alone move those before them with such words. Tis both heartening and saddening."
Kel nodded,"Demuria's mother sang it to her decades ago when she was a young whelping. Demuria was a shy, easily frightened dragoness at the time. I never asked her mother's name, but she confided in me once that during her time in the wilds, her mother would sing it to her as a source of comfort and encouragement."
"Fitting for her to hear it one last time as for her followers to hear it for the first time." Princess Celestia spoke softly.
"Indeed." Kel replied as the trio continued.
When they reached the base however, Kel took a detour to a remote spot on the mountain. Here beneath the cover of a cragged cove, Luna and Celestia discovered a small table set up, along with some chairs, a bottle and a few glasses. Along side this, a small plate decorated with fruit, cheese and an assortment of crackers. Kel took a seat, then offered the other two to both sisters. Celestia and Luna looked to one another puzzled, then joined him. The dragon magi popped the cork on the bottle, then poured a rich deep red liquid into both glasses. He offered them to the sisters before pouring one himself sliding the platter of food in front of the two.
"I know what your thinking of how odd this may look. That we lightly dine in the shadow of a volcano with no one present other then ourselves, save for Spike whom at this moment is back at the chasm." Kel said as he swirled the drink in his glass.
"Privacy. You don't want any one or pony to hear what you're going to say." Luna said as she took a sip. The taste was fruity with an intense surge of heat danced on her tongue. Celestia felt the same as the drink warmed their throats with each sip.
"Dragon's Blood. A rare wine that Demuria kept in storage and hardly ever touched. How did you get a hold of such an exquisite wine, Kel? Nobles back in Canterlot would sell their entire fortune just to have a taste of this."
Kel chuckled as he set his down,"Shockingly in her will, Demuria left me four out of the eight she had. The other four will be sent to the four corners of our world, to be sold to the highest bidder at some auction. Who knows, maybe you'll find yourself attending a fine dinner with a noble as he or she boasts on how much they spent acquiring such a rare wine."
"She must have put a lot of trust in you to leave such a priceless gem from her hoard." Luna spoke, nibbling on the fruit.
Kel sighed as he pushed his glass back, resting his elbows upon the table and let his scaled fingers tent beneath his chin as it rested on them."Be honest with me, Celestia, Luna. Don't either of you find it odd that Queen Demuria, Draconis's most beloved and longest ruling monarch in all the lands, second only to you two. Abruptly dies one night with all indications pointing to natural causes?"
"Well.." Luna started,"She was well over a thousand years old. Your kin had starting calling her the Immortal at some point, seeing as she had reigned for decades. Mayhaps she was older then any of us thought and time finally caught up with her."
"We'll never truly know, sister." Celestia replied,"She was a source of comfort during your... absence. I depended on her at times that it felt as though she was like an older sister to me. Yet as much as I opened up to her, Demuria never spoke much about anything that could have troubled her."
Luna turned to her sister and thought she saw a tear run down the white alicorn's cheek. Princess Celestia never let it show as a fore hoof quickly wiped it away before she looked to Kel,"Luna may be correct. Demuria's time may have finally come and she did not want any of you to know. One can only imagine the guilt she may have held should she have confided to any pony."
"That may be true, but there is a flaw in your theory. The day before she died, Queen Demuria had a physical examination by the best physicians and doctors across our nations. They declared her fit and healthy as any pony, griffon or dragon they ever examined, and that is saying something for a dragon as old as she was. Now after she died I, along with a few soldiers thoroughly questioned and interrogated these same doctors. None of them had any reason what so ever as to why Queen Demuria's death was so sudden."
"This causes concern how Kel?"
"All of them came to a conclusion that Demuria had a good few centuries left before she would start to deteriorate. When that time would come, the announcement of her resigning the throne and new dragonesses being summoned would have gone out."
Celestia nodded softly,"Look how long she has lived, Kel. A monarch with that long a reign would surely have made enemies in her time. Its no different for me or my sister. There are those among the elite status in Canterlot who are favoring a select few to take the throne. There have been plots and schemes foiled with the most heinous of intentions involving the crowns."
Kel rubbed the bridge of his snout,"Your highness. You and your sister are both revered as being goddess like. How hard would it truly be to end your lives permanently? I would imagine with extreme difficulty and the margin very slim. Queen Demuria is... was in the same boat as you two are. Dragons are considered highly magically resilient. Unless some alicorn is in hiding that we do not know of emerged from the shadows and claimed Demuria's life, I am at a loss for any other explanation."
"What about dark magic?" A new voice asked.
All three jostled the table and nearly knocked the wine glasses, bottles and plate of the assortment of cheese, fruit and crackers to the ground. Luna snatched the bottle, Kel caught the three wine glasses and Celestia saved the platter. All eyes turned to find Spike standing there.
"Young Spike. You startled us." Kel said as he steadied the table once more. He paused then frowned looking at the young dragon,"I care not how long you have been there eavesdropping, but I will say this: Even the greatest magic would have trouble affecting a dragon."
Princess Celestia drew up a fourth chair as Spike joined them. He sat, shaking his head as he laid his hands on the table,"We know this, I know this Kel. But we need to remember. Not all magic in this world is beneficial. There are some with malevolent purposes. Malefor and the essence stealing spell for example. Whose to say there are not other darker spells in our world kept hidden for fear of their abuse?"
"Young Spike does bring up a good point. We have our brightest, most intelligent gifted unicorns, griffons and dragon magi continually providing our nations with their work to make this world a better place. Yet we also know there are those in history past who have twisted, warped and corrupted their gifts for darker intentions." Princess Luna said,"Their work would have been destroyed so that no other who yearned for such knowledge would know of their location."
Kel leaned back folding his arms,"This is a troubling thought, Luna. If such magic that existed was used, then destroyed or so one would think, only to wind up in the claws, hooves or talons of the wrong person. I dare not think the consequences."
"I fear you may have just scratched the surface, young Kel." Princess Celestia spoke. Both dragons and fellow sister stared,"Magical spells and texts are just the warm up. There are also artifacts, trinkets and other items deemed too dangerous to remain in the hooves of common folk. I have halted and witnessed terrible objects that still exist. The Alicorn Amulet for example nearly drove a unicorn mad with power. Had it not been for Twilight and her friends, Trixie would have succumbed to its dark influence."
Spike nodded in agreement,"Princess Celestia. There has to be some object in our world, capable of ending a powerful dragon regardless of its resilience."
Celestia frowned as she took a swig from her glass, shocking every one there,"Easier said then done young Spike. I would have to look in the arch hives and call upon Twilight's assistance to find out what we are dealing with here. Mountains of knowledge needs to be sorted through in order to find out the cause of Demuria's unfortunate end."
"Its settled then." Kel rose from his seat,"This conversation stays between us. No one else must know. Draconis is in a state of mourning as it is. To make claims that the Queen has been murdered with some dark relic would sent my kin into an uproar. I'm sure none of you need to know what the results could be."
Spike and the two princesses nodded slowly. Kel made his good byes, leaving the bottle of Dragon's Blood for Celestia and Luna. The alicorns left the small alcove with Spike following, their minds at work on what was to be done to solve this mystery. Princess Celestia hoped they would catch the culprit in time before another death occurred in any of the three nations.
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Canterlot Castle. It was early evening in the small city. The soldiers posted along the main entrances and gates switched with their fellow guardsman as the night shift crew took over. It had been a slow day for the ponies stationed here. Their rulers had traveled to Draconis to attend a memorial service for the former Queen of the dragons, now deceased. A rare opportunity to relax and laze about, even if the commanding officer made his rounds. It was this lax in alertness that allowed an intruder to infiltrate the tower that housed Star Swirl the Bearded's work.
Four guardsponies lay dead at their posts. Either the neck was snapped brutally or the throat torn in a vicious manner. The fifth guard pony gagged and struggled as he was dragged down the hallway towards the gate that lead to Star Swirl's arch hive. His attacker hefted him up with one arm then slammed him head first against the bars. The unicorn stallion groaned as his head pounded from the pain of contacting the metal grille so harshly.
"Unless you want me to start breaking your bones, you WILL open the entry way." Growled the cloaked assailant.
Shuddering, the stallion's horn ignited in a pale aura around the key hole. A turn and a click later, the gate opened. The assailant cackled softly under the cloak before spinning its prisoner around.
"Thank you."
It hefted him high above its head as he flailed about helplessly in the air.
"You said I would live!" He wailed.
"I lied." Sapphire responded.
She brought him down hard, the sound of his spine snapping as her knee rushed up to greet the stallion's back mid drop. The guard squawked before going limp as she tossed him aside to land against the wall opposite in a crumpled heap. The dragoness sneered at the bodies and uttered something under her breath before entering the chamber. Here, the voice told her was where she would find clues to the second relic needed for the ritual. The first had been used with great success and now the fugitive Fireblood sought to find the location of another relic.
Rummaging through the shelves, the dragoness ransacked the chamber, tearing apart scrolls, parchments, throwing books aside and tossing other items of no importance to the ground. It was in the far back, located against a wall near the window over looking the courtyard that Sapphire finally found what she was looking for.
An old book bound in decaying leather, wrapped together with a tattered scroll. The dragoness grinned beneath her cloak.
"Star Swirl, you sly old stallion. Never would have imagined in thousands of years that any pony or dragon would stumble upon your darkest confessions. To think Princess Celestia's own undoing was right here, under her very nose."
She tucked the diary and scroll in a satchel before leaving the now messy chamber. Looking around, the dragoness admired her grim work before slipping away in the shadows in search of a new relic. A relic that when combined with others would spell the end for these wretched ponies and place dragons as the dominant race of the world once more.