//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Red Sun // Story: Legend of Spyro: Equestria's Legacy // by Canicus Palentine //------------------------------// Remus walked briskly down the hall way leading to the great hall, narrowly dodging the dozens of servants rushing back and forth carrying a huge assortment of food, drink, brightly coloured cloth, wall hangings ect, each one bowing qucikly and muttering "master" when he passed before moving on with their chores. It was that time again, the Summer Solstice, a celebration for both Equestrians and Humans both, one held in honour of their monarch, the other in remembrance of their arrival in Equestria, after the armies of the Lightbringer drove them from their lands. Before moving on with our tale let me tell you a little about Remus' house and its history. House Palentine is the second strongest Noble house of the last vestige of those who supported the Draig against the armies of the Lightbringer, driven from their homes and lands in the year 6 C.R., they sailed across the seas towards the west, where they landed upon the shores of an unclaimed part of Equestria. There they and the Draig settled and formed a new kingdom from the ashes, named Rhaedor, their capital city, New Dawnsbreak, situated on the East coast, inside the harbour known as horseshoe bay. Mind you, this was before they encountered the Equestrians, who had formed their own nation to the West, led by an Alicorn King named Solaris, father to the later dual rulers of Equestria, Celestia and Luna. Solaris was as proud and fiery as the sun he commanded, and fiercely loyal to his people, but also was mistrustful of outsiders, having earned a deep scar across his left eye as a memento from a Griffon, one he once called a friend, who betrayed him to a group of Changelings who sought to enslave the mighty God-king. He barely escaped with his life. The Griffon in turn was betrayed by his Changeling allies, who devoured him instead of Solaris. So needless to say a human landing on land close to his borders did not sit well with Solaris, who immediately sought to find out about these strangers, prepared for any sign, any slight hint of treachery. Humanity on the other hand had never seen these creatures before. They had horses they had brought from Targaris, but none like the people they saw now. Human like faces with Equine features, severely shortened bodies whose pelts ranged from every colour under the sun. And what's more these Equines had built an entire civilization, without the aid of thumbs. One thing to have a highly intelligent brain but quite another to use it to make tools, build structures, write and construct laws and create art and culture (true some of it was questionable, the rather simplistic trade regulations for instance, but for these creatures an incredible feat). But worst of all for both groups was the simple fact that as they owned horses, the type that couldn't speak, this caused some controversy between the two races, some Equestrians fearing these Humans enslaved their horses and would do the same to them, and a minority within the human camp wishing it would be so, calling the Equestrians 'pack horses' and 'drafter', insults still used in modern Equestria by the more bigoted humans. It looked as though war was certain to follow, but through the efforts of Janus Palentine, 1st Baron of Dracovale, and a Unicorn court mage named Starswirl the bearded both sides were reconciled, and through compromise and necessity the two Kingdoms were merged into one Alliance, dedicated to the support and unity of all races within its borders. Solaris grew to trust again, and aided in the growth of this new Alliance in honour of his new found comrades. It is said that he later disappeared whilst defending his kingdom from the Chaos of the Draconiquis Discord, succeeded by his daughters. House Palentine was granted the lands below the foal mountains, that along with Unicorn range and the mountain of Canterlot, formed the 'Spine of Equestria'. There they built a mighty castle on a towering outcrop of rock, inviting both Equestrians and Dragons to settle, the Dragons carving out a series of caves below the castle and the Equestrians settling with the humans on the lands below. Now the Castle of Dracovale was chosen by popular vote to be the next city to hold the Summer Solstice Festival, were Celestia herself would raise the sun, as she had done for centuries. And the castle was abuzz with activity, everyone from Noble to Servant determined to make the Castle as spotless and perfect as they could for the Princesses arrival. That would normally make Remus excited for the upcoming celebration, but at this time all he felt was frustration. It was going to take forever to get through this number of people, and goodness knows were his father was. He'd been from room to room looking for him, until he found Maester Tohmen, who told him he was meeting with Severus Blueblood , a relative to the Equestrian royal family and Baron of Hoofington. The trick now was getting his father away from the proceedings for 5 minutes to ask what he knew. It wasn't going to be easy, but for Spyro's sake, he had to try. ***************************************** "I trust your troops will be here shortly?" asked Lord Cassius, his aged, scarred face etched with concern and slight hint of exasperation. "They should start arriving tonight, just before the celebrations, and we can march tomorrow" replied a white coloured stallion with a slightly darker shade of white for his mane, "I apologize for the delay my lord. I never expected anypony could have predicted...." "No, that's quite alright. The appearance of the Draig Reikers in the North has us all scrambling, doesn't it? My son recently survived en encounter with them in Dragons Dale." "Quite a feat, although I suppose that's child's play for a son of house Palentine". "Blueblood, my son could have died!" "I'm sorry, I only meant....." "I know, I'm sorry, I'm just frustrated at this turn of events. I only wish these celebrations could be done with quickly. I know its too late to cancel it, but by Aerherus I wish I could." "Have patience Lord Cassius, we'll track these vagabonds down in the morning and bring them to justice. And better still, we'll have two of the Princesses to aid us. Tomorrow you and I will charge into battle just like the old days." "True" laughed Cassius, "but we both had less grey in our hair then, and we fought beasts and rogue Griffon clans, not, Dragon killers." "At least the smell will be the same" laughed Blueblood." Just at that moment a side door on the right of the great hall opened, and in walked Remus. "Remus!" Cassius exclaimed, walking briskly over to him and embracing him tightly. "Father" replied Remus hugging him back, "I'm sorry to interrupt you...." "Sorry? What are you apologizing for? If anyone needs to beg for forgiveness it is the men who took you and your friends. But rest assured we are doing everything we can to track them down and make them pay for hurting you." "Master Remu," said Blueblood wandering over, "good to see you up again. Your Father and I were just talking about your heroic escape from the Draig Reikers". "About that Father, I need to talk with you about that" then added in a quiet whisper, "in private". Cassius nodded, then turned to Blueblood, "as always my friend, its an honour" he said bowing slightly, "now if you'll excuse me I need to catch up with my son." "Understood old friend" replied Blueblood, bowing back, then briskly exiting the great hall through the main door. Cassius then motioned towards another door on the west side of the hall, and they started to walk. After a few minutes of silent walking they found themselves outside the great hall on a large marble balcony over looking a wide emerald valley, lying underneath the leering gaze of the snow peaked Foal mountains. Setting his arms on the top of the balcony walls Cassius turned to face his son with a look of understanding and sadness written across his angular features. "I know what you're going to say, and I wish I had a clear cut answer for you, but I don't. The Barnwr is a legend among both Men and Draig, until now I had thought it was just that, Legend. I never thought that there would be such a person living among us, much less within our life times, or that Lord Spyro might be him". "Believe me Father, its a shock for all of us, especially Spyro. What bugs me is why he wasn't told of this sooner, and who were those men who attacked us?" "We believe they are Draig Riekers, Dragon slayers. They were very powerful and skilled mercenaries back in the days when we still lived in the homeland. When we fled across the sea, they were the vanguard of a force sent to hunt us down as we fled West, their main goal to wipe out the remaining Draig and our ancestors. "It was thanks to a timely storm that they managed to evade them, though they never gave up searching for us, or the Dragons. It would be 200 years after we settled before we saw what we thought was the last of them. But now with this revelation, I must admit these killers are more resourceful and stubborn that we gave them credit for." "I saw first hand their skill" said Remus, "though if they're Dragon killers, why did they capture us, rather than kill us?" "That I don't know" replied Cassius, before turning to Remus with a stern, angry expression, "but they'd better thank their stars they didn't. No one hurts any member of my family, least of all Remus. Rest assured they will pay for every bit of pain they've inflicted on you." "I'm fine Dad, I've recovered. What's important now is we find out why they attacked us and what they're after. Please, I need to know whatever you know about the Barnwr." Cassius gave a short amused laugh, "You always get straight to the point. I understand, I'll answer what I can." "Thanks dad" said Remus, "First, what exactly do you know about the Barnwr?" "Only what's common knowledge. Before the exodus the Barnwr was the bridge between not just the different races of Targaris, but also the unknown. Don't ask me what that means, I don't know, I was told all this by Lord Nerevor, but he never went into full detail. But what's certain is that he was a very powerful individual, able to harness all four elements of nature, Fire, Air, Water, Earth, and bend them to his will, and more besides". "Was he the only one?" "Yes and No, many Draig at that time had power over one element, growing and developing along with it. There were Draig who could not only breathe fire but also shape it, bend it to their will, and the same went for the other 3 elements, Earth, Air and Water. The Ice Dragons in particular were renowned for their wisdom and patience, the Earth Dragons steadfast and unmoving and Air Dragons of such free spirit that Legend says even the winds themselves were jealous of their freedom." "Well what happened? If Draig could do all these things.....?" "The Storm of Rhaezir happened. Nerevor can explain more, but basically the Draig lost most of their power when they were exposed to the energies of this storm. I may not know much about magic, but I can conclude that storm wasn't natural. It completly drained them of their gifts, leaving them with a mere fraction of the power they held before. No longer able to control the elements the events that led to our exodus were set into motion, then as you we were driven from the homeland. "And that's all I know. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help." At this he bowed his head and closed his eyes, a single tear slowly streaming down his left cheek, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you. But rest assured I will personally ensure they pay for hurting you." "Father! you.... I mean I.... but you're Lord of Dracovale, your people need....." "And you're my heir and only son, there's nothing I wouldn't do to help you, as for the people, they are in as much danger as you were, if they are true Draig Riekers they won't hesitate to hurt anyone who gets in their way or worse. I know this much about the Men of the homeland, they as crafty as they are cruel. "After the Solstice Celebrations are done we will ride out and hunt those Bastards down. I need you to take care of the Castle and estate while I'm gone. Duke Blueblood will accompany me with 20 Pegasai and 10 Unicorn soldiers, and we'll have the support of two Alicorns, Cadence of the Crystal Empire and Twilight of Everfree valley, hopefully with their help we have a good chance of tracking them down. "I know this is a big responsibility, but I have every bit of confidence in your abilities. I wouldn't trust this to anyone else." Remus sighed gently in defeat. Nothing would stop his father once he set his mind on something, and he was right of course, from what he experienced these Draig Riekers could be a threat to everyone in the valley, especially if they are targeting Spyro. But still, he knew what awaited his Father, and this time they would not be seeking to capture. ***************************** Meanwhile Ratchet and Sparx were busy tearing through the library, or as the head librarian saw it, ransacking it beyond recognition. Steadily growing piles of tomes, history books, random sheets of paper and tattered scrolls lined the reading tables from one end of the Library to the other, not a large space mind you, the Library was barely bigger than 3 dining rooms in an Equestrian house, but nevertheless the collection of knowledge in here was extensive, though to the growing irritation of the two friends, they found hardly anything Barnwr related. "You know, for a legendary hero of amazing power, its just boggling how much BUZZIK isn't here!" It had been barely an hour and already Sparx's patience was wearing thin. "How do you have so much patience when it comes to spying, listening and stealth in general, and yet you can't stand an hour looking through books?" "Ratchet, I wouldn't mind so much if we were getting somewhere with this! I'll I've found is a couple of references that don't lead to anything we don't already know, a book on law, a short description in a dictionary and for some reason he's mentioned in a guide on the many adventures and 'dangers' of a Cabbage salesmen! How in the flying BZZRUK does a legendary hero relate to CABBAGES!" Ratchet sighed softly in agitation. "Look, I know we haven't found anything yet doesn't mean we just give up. Maybe there's another source somewhere else in the castle, lets put the books back and look and head to the archives." Sparx immediately perked up, suddenly interested. "The Archives? The most secure and heavily guarded chambers in the entire castle?" "The very same Sparx. But please keep yourself in check, I know what you're like around complex locks and security." "Raatchet" said Sparx slyly "you hurt me(!) Why would I, a simple Dragonfly, wish to break into the most secureand challenging vault in Dracovale?" "And I believe you've answered your own question my slippery friend." replied Ratchet softly chuckling. "Come on, the sun has nearly set and the celebrations should be starting in 15 minutes." He then got up from his seat and started to put back the books. "If we want to find anything before......" Just before he could finish however he heard another enter the room. From the sounds of the foot, or rather hoof steps, it was an Equestrian. Looking towards the door he saw the last thing he expected. In walked a dark purple Alicorn, whose well kept mane and youthful eyes seemed to shimmer with the colours of a setting sun, on her brow sat a small, gold crown, and on her flank a mark of a large purple sun encircled by 6 silver stars. Ratchet could not believe his eyes, this was Princess Twilight Sparkle, the famed founder of the Knightly Order of Harmony, originally made up of 6 other heroes, each representing one of the people of Equestria, Unicorns, Earth Ponies, Pegasai, one was even a Dragon. Since then the order had expanded to include members from the Human race. She was famed for defeating the monster Tirek, and banishing him back to Tartarus. Reflexively he stood to attention and brought a clenched claw to his chest in the old Praetorian guard salute. "Esceus Solrata Twilight Regina!" he proclaimed with fervor, as his Centurian taught him. "ARGH!" the Princess jumped in shock. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize....." "Er oh no, I didn't mean......" ".....and you don't have to......" ".....I mean, its an honour to meet you....." "Okay stop!" Sparx interjected, "lets not get into a to and fro conversation. We don't want to waste time with Royalty" "Err....yes, of course" said Ratchet, calming himself before continuing, "I-I apologize for startling you your excellency." "Please, there's no need for the pomp and ceremony, its just Twilight. Twilight Sparkle. And it should be me apologizing, I just didn't expect to be greeted so dramatically." "Errr, yes sorry your high...I mean Ms Sparkle...." "Please. Twilight. Just Twilight." "Twilight. Its just how I was trained, the Praetorian guard is very strict in protocol." "Well I assure you, you don't need to stand at attention with me around mr.....?" "Ratchet, Ratchet Keehah, and this little rascal is Sparx, one of my friends here in Dracovale." "Expert spy, scout, rogue and jokester extraordinaire Ms Twilight, delighted to make your acquaintance." Twilight chuckled lightly "Likewise. Hey, I've heard about you two! You're Dragon Lord Spyro's friends aren't you?" "Aye. Ever since I was a chick and Sparx a larvae. Are you looking for him by any chance?" "Yes. Princess Celestia would like to meet with him before the celebrations." Her expression quickly turned somber, and a pensive silence filled the room. "We heard about your recent capture and escape. Myself and the Princeses are deeply sorry for what you were put through. We had no....." "Its fine your....Twilight. We all got out and we're healed. And we have the Summer Solstice to celebrate. No time for dark thoughts to distract us from the present right?" "Yes, of course." Twilight seemed to brighten up a little, a tiny spark slowly coming to her eyes, as though a happy memory had resurfaced after months of absence. "You know, it was on a day like this that my life changed for the better. It was 2 years ago I was sent to Ponyville, where I met my first true friends, and well, everything changed. The Summer sun celebration has a habit of bringing out the best in us" Then she chuckled again, "Not to mention coinciding with life changing events. "Well if you do find Spyro can you tell him to come to Lord Cassius' study? We'll be waiting for him there." "Sure thing Twilight. We'll send him your way if we find him." Twilight nodded in thanks and walked out the Library, her soft hoofsteps echoing down the empty hallway. "Why do you think the Princesses want to see Spyro?" asked Sparx. "Certainly something to do with our recent kidnapping and questions on Spyro being the Barnwr" replied Ratchet, "but I get the feeling there's more to this than we were told." "You're suspicious of the Princess?" "Perhaps not Twilight, I get the feeling she's merely the messenger, but I know politicians, both good and bad, and they're both good at keeping secrets. I think we should go to this meeting along with Spyro, or at least listen in. I'd like to see where this goes....." "Wait! I think I've found something!" "What?" "There, behind the corner of the door where Twilight walked out." Ratchet looked towards the left corner of the door and noticed a small, unremarkable piece of paper. Curious he walked forward and picked it up. As he unfurled the sheet he saw a terrifying sigil; A Dragon's face, eyes of burning blue, his face angular, powerful, wise and frightening. He didn't know what this represented, who this Draig was, or if it represented a real Dragon, all Ratchet knew is that from the sight of the symbol alone he felt humbled, powerless, helpless before its gaze. After 6 full seconds had passed Ratchet tore his eyes away from the image, confused and frightened at what had just happened. Looking again, the image was still there but the gaze that had held him was now gone. Looking below the image there was a message, written by a steady and practiced hand, which read; He has returned. The Answers you seek lie in Frostvale. Do not wait too long, for Lightbringer casts his gaze over this Land, as he did Targaris. The Year of Red Sun has arrived. "Year of Red Sun?" Sparx looked to Ratchet in confusion, "what does that mean?" "I don't know, but whatever it means, we have to get this to Spyro immediately, he'll want to know." "He's probably down in the catacombs looking for Nerevor." "Then that's where we're going. Come on!" Ratchet spread his wings and took to the air, turning to the right down the hallway, Sparx following as quickly as his wings would allow. Meanwhile, watching from the shadows, a robed creature watched them leave, then faded away into the cloak of evening shadow, its objective now clear. ***************************** Spyro was on his way towards the catacombs beneath the castle, the intricately carved archways of human architecture slowly devolving into sedimentary rock, the caves giving off an illusion of natural erosion, when in fact they'd been carved out meticulously by Draig claws, the caverns growing larger and larger the further down he went, the light fading behind him, until at the bottom of the steps, when the last, faint glow faded into shadow, the cave roof was immediately lit up with a light blue glow, emanating from a trail of small, rough gemstones. Spyro and every Dragon who lived here knew them as Cave Saphires, special stones that shone only in complete darkness, any light brought down here would drown out their light, blocking out the trail which guided the Draig and their allies, through their immense caverns, whilst torch bearing enemies would find themselves hopelessly lost. To Spyro, the blue light was normally welcoming, a cool and soothing presence that before today he felt could soothe any pain inside him, though right now all he felt was a mixture of confusion, sadness, anger, fear and perhaps a little bit of betrayal. Hearing Sparx speak about how he was supposed to be some sort of Dragon hero, maybe God, filled him with dread at his uncertain future, and added to this, his Father had known about this the entire time, and worse, that he seemingly lied to both Spyro and himself as though hoping the lie would make it true. Spyro admitted to himself, there were two parts of him at war over this issue, on the one hand the voice of his emotions, as immature as they sounded, was screaming with rage at being left out of the loop, that he was something he didn't know, everything certain now blown to the wind, and his father, HIS Father, had lied to him, and on the other the calm and collected voice of his intelligence and patience telling him his Father must have had a good reason for this, and even if he didn't anger was not the way to solve the issue. Besides, there are worse things that could have happened. At least he and his friends were alive, and who knows, this could turn out for the better. Yes, Dad has a good reason for this, he thought, No need to worry. Besides you're not a child anymore. Rage won't get you anywhere....Wait, What's that?! He suddenly heard something, turning his head instinctively, his body tense, he scanned the caverns, until he heard a faint...what sounded like an explosion. Then Spyro remembered, the celebrations of course, they're setting of Fireworks. The long night had begun, which probably meant his father was probably at the festival too. So much for coming down here. Well nothing to do but go back to the surface and...... He heard another sound, this time not a muffled explosion, but a soft, barley audible scraping of leather on stone. Any human ears wouldn't have heard it, but Spyro's natural senses were more finely tuned than a humans, able to pick up the scuttle of the many Star Spiders that littered the caves, not an easy feat considering they were masters of stealth and disguise themselves, yet this sounded like....a human foot?! Spyro quickly spun around coming face to face with his stalker. A man in a dark red robe lined with dirty gold etchings, his head covered by a blue mask, the type he saw at various human festivals on the east coast, where the guests would hide their faces to tease each other. You never knew who was who at these parties, though unlike those masks, this one was plain, un-decorated, just a plain face mask which covered the eyes and nose but left the mouth and chin visible. Spyro also noticed that underneath his cloak he wore a black leather Cuirass, and carried at his side a hand-and-a-half blade. Spyro stood tense, readying himself for a fight, then the figure spoke. "I knew I'd find you down here Barnwr. Its been too long since our last meeting." "Last meeting? I've never seen you in my life. Who are you? How did you enter the catacombs?" "Living among Draig my entire life has made it easy for me to find their nests, and slip by their fine ears and noses. As for our last meeting, you've never seen me in this life, but we've met in previous lives countless times before." "Previous lives? You'd better start making sense soon stranger, or your cloak won't be the only thing that's red." To Spyro's amazement, the figure laughed, though not in a mocking sort of laugh, more like the type where you tease an old friend, and he finds your efforts amusing. "This is by far one of the more interesting lives you've led yet Barnwr. Very well, I'll indulge you. My name is Vanator, and I've served your predecessors for countless years. I now come to you warning. The foe you faced two days ago is but one pawn in a larger game, your real enemies are cloaked in shadow and fear, and do not reveal themselves to their opponents. When the dawn rises today, the Sun will burn red, and an old foe of your ancestors shall return. Be on your guard at the festival, for the enemy has made the first move, and his first targets will be the Princesses and Draig both." With that his form began to fade away into the shadows, his body becoming seemingly corporal. "WAIT! What did you mean by that? Who's this enemy? What danger are the Draig and Princesses in? ANSWER ME!" But he was met with silence. Who was that? Why did he leave? The frustration of unanswered questions flooded back into his mind as he struggled to control himself. When he finally calmed down, he took in what this 'Vanator' had said. 'The Sun will burn red? An old foe returns? Festival....targets..Princesses and Draig both? He may be short on information but Spyro wasn't going to dismiss this possibility just in case it was right. He rushed back to the cave entrance, flapping his wings as hard as he could before taking to the air and flying straight for the entrance. Whatever was going to happen, it made him feel more than uneasy, even if it was a hoax, or maybe a trap, he had to see for himself. He had to stop it.