Dragon Chronicles Book I: Necessary Evils Part 1
Ch. 1
My dear friend, Yol Toor,
I’m sorry for how long it’s been since I last wrote. Recent events in Equestria have taken much of my time, and I, unfortunately, just haven’t had the time to talk to you. I hope you are still doing well, given your circumstances. I wish this could just be an informal letter, but I have a request: I would like you to come to Equestria. There are many things I wish to discuss with you in person. Plus it’s been far too long since we’ve just talked, face to face. I hope you are able to visit, and I would look forward to your arrival.
Your friend, Celestia.
~~~
With her letter ready, Celestia rolled up the parchment and sent it away with a burst of magic. As she soaked in the silence of her throne room, Celestia couldn’t keep her heavy eyelids lifted.
BOOM
Celestia nearly jumped from her throne as a pony burst through the door and walked in with a long list.
“Princess, I have our schedule for today…”
“Kibitz! What have I asked you about barging through the doors?” Celestia shouted, making Kibitz jump back.
“I… but Your Majesty, I was only…”
Celestia held up a hoof and looked at the floor. “I know Kibitz; I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you like that.”
“Are you not feeling well today, Princess? Do I need to get a doctor?”
“No, thank you Kibitz, I’m fine. Just another sleepless night. An extra cup of coffee and I’ll be right as rain.”
“Very well; I’ll have the chefs prepare some for you. But in the mean time, you must do something about those bags under your eyes; they’re very unbecoming for a princess. It’s not like you to carelessly neglect your personal appearance like this.”
As Kibitz turned around and left the throne room, Celestia grumbled in annoyance and went to make herself presentable, all with a single thought in her head.
Please get here soon, Yol Toor.
~~~
After three hours of signing documents in her throne room, she felt a ripple of magic in the air and a letter appeared out of thin air, dropping at her hooves. Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she lifted the letter and unrolled the parchment. She read the letter:
Daer Celestia,
It certanily has been a long time since we last spoke. I was beginning to think you felt you were too good to talk with a dragon like me. I suppose I could make a trip to Eqeustria. I’ll be able to arrive in six days; just give me the time and place, and I’ll be there as soon as I can. Until then,
Your friend, Yol Toor
A wave of relief overcame Celestia, and she mentally jumped for joy. Celestia didn’t waste any time after that; she prepared more paper to write two new letters. One to Yol Toor, and the other to Twilight Sparkle.
~~~
“A dragon’s coming to Ponyville. A dragon’s coming to Ponyville!” Spike shouted as he jumped off of Twilight’s back.
Twilight just rolled her eyes and smiled as she looked at her checklist.
“Yes Spike, I know. You’ve been reminding me every five minutes since we got the letter a few days ago,” Twilight said as they walked through Ponyville.
“I’m sorry, Twilight. I’m just so excited! I’ve never met another dragon before, not one that won’t try and eat me, at least, and there’s just so much he can teach me about being one!”
“Well don’t get your hopes too high. He’s here to see Princess Celestia; she just wants to introduce him to us first, that’s all.”
Spike calmed down and climbed back onto Twilight’s back and observed a flowerbed assortment Roseluck had put together.
“No, no, no! Rose, the daffodils need to go next to the lilies, while the clematis go with the white roses!” Twilight said, stepping in front of Roseluck and rearranged the flowers, unaware of the earth pony’s glare. “There. That’s much better!” Twilight said as she walked away with a smile.
Twilight hadn’t even made it a block down the road when she stopped next to Thunderlane and Cloudkicker, who were placing a ‘WELCOME’ banner on the wall.
“Hmm… that banner needs to be placed just a tiny bit more to the left,” Twilight said. The two pegasi nodded, moving the banner according to Twilight’s instructions. “Great! Perfect! Uhh… actually, it needs just a bit higher,” Twilight corrected. The pegasi moved the banner again, this time rolling their eyes, though Twilight didn’t notice.
Spike took a quick step in front of Twilight.
“Twilight, don’t you think you should be taking it easy with everypony? They were already stressed enough when you announced that Celestia’s special guest was an adult dragon. Why don’t you let me handle the preparations? You should probably make sure the rest of our friends got their jobs done!” Spike suggested, taking the clipboard from Twilight, shoving her towards Rarity’s shop.
~~~
With a sigh, Twilight walked to the Carousel Boutique, but rather than Rarity’s slogan, she was greeted with an exasperated sigh near the back of the room. Twilight quickened her steps. There she saw Rarity levitating a line of dresses in front of her, placing and replacing them from the multitude of racks placed around her.
“Rarity? What’s wrong?”
“Oh Twilight! I simply cannot find a proper dress to wear tomorrow! And I don’t have any ideas to make a new one!”
“Well, why not wear the dress you made for the Gala?”
“What!? I can’t wear that! I’ve already worn it during the Princess’ last visit two weeks ago! Plus the Gala is only three weeks away! If I just keep wearing the same dress over and over, ponies will think I’ve lost my touch!”
“I’m sure you’ll think of something, Rarity, but you need to calm down. You don’t want Princess Celestia to see you like this tomorrow, do you?”
Rarity looked at herself in the mirror, and put a hoof on her forehead as she fell with a gasp.
Her mane was unkempt, her eyes were baggy, her legs shook like a two ton boulder was on her back.
Twilight offered Rarity a hoof to get her back up, and Rarity took a deep breath.
“Maybe I can find some inspiration to work if I were to just walk away for a little bit. I am free for the afternoon; would you like to join me for lunch, Twilight? My treat!”
“Thanks for the offer, Rarity, but I really must –” Twilight’s stomach growled. Twilight blushed, and followed up with a laugh.
“Now, now, now. I know you, Twilight, and you’ve no doubt been working yourself to the bone making sure everything is perfect for Princess Celestia’s visit. I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
Twilight frowned and sighed.
~~~
The day was at its close, and Twilight paced around her library, with her checklist hovering in front of her.
“…decorations are set. And finally, the food is ready to be cooked tomorrow. Great job, Spike! I can’t thank you enough for all your help today.”
“Of course, Twilight!”
Twilight put the checklist away, and the two went to their bedroom.
“Tomorrow’s the big day! I hope everything goes well for the Princess’s visit.”
“Everything’s going to be fine, Twilight. I’m sure Princess Celestia will be impressed with all the arrangements you’ve made.”
“It’s not just her I need to impress, Spike, it’s this dragon: according to Princess Celestia’s letter, this is one of her and Luna’s closest friends that we’re meeting. I can’t risk making the Princesses look bad! She’d never forgive me if I embarrass her somehow!”
Spike sighed as he slammed his face into his pillow.
~~~
Twilight walked through Ponyville early next morning, making sure everything was in order, when her friends walked up behind her.
Rarity was the first to speak. “Ah, there you are, Twilight. We were beginning to wonder where you had run off to. It wouldn’t be like you to miss the arrival of Princess Celestia,”
“I was just making sure everything is in order. The last time the Princess paid us a visit, Fluttershy and I ran all over Ponyville to keep Philomena hidden from the Royal Guard. And the time before that, the whole town was destroyed by the Parasprites. Just once, I’d like the Princess to be able to visit us without something going wrong!”
Everypony chuckled, but fanfare silenced them. They looked where the music was coming from, and saw Princess Celestia’s chariot descend towards the town. But the princess was alone in her chariot, and there wasn’t a second one next to her’s. The six ponies rushed to the center of town, and joined the other residents.
Everypony bowed as the Princess’s chariot landed in front of them.
Celestia stepped off the chariot and walked through the town. She smiled at her subjects as she walked past them, admiring the decorations. When Celestia reached Twilight, she gave her a warm smile.
“Twilight, it’s so lovely to see you and your friends again.”
Twilight couldn’t help but beam. “It’s good to see you too, Princess. How was your trip?”
“Pleasant. I trust everything here in Ponyville has been going well.”
“Yes, Princess. But if I may ask, where is this friend of yours? Is he still coming?”
“He will be along shortly. Until then, I would like to hear about your time in Ponyville, as well as get to know your friends better. I did not have an opportunity last time.”
Twilight and the Princess walked through Ponyville, her friends at her side, while Celestia carried on the conversation.
“So, Rainbow Dash, Twilight tells me you are determined to join the Wonderbolts.”
Rainbow Dash rocketed into the air. “That’s right! I’m practically a Wonderbolt already! I’ve got the moves—” Rainbow Dash spun up into a cloud, did a large backflip, and followed by heading back towards a lake, adjusting her path to head back towards the group just a split second before hitting the water. “—the attitude—” she flipped over and rested her head on her forehooves. “—and the style!” Rainbow finished, making her way towards a nearby cloud. Rainbow flew around the cloud so quickly, her rainbow jet stream covered it almost completely. When Rainbow moved away from the cloud, it had changed its shape from a normal, puffed-up cloud to the Wonderbolt insignia.
“Well, from what I’ve seen during your performance in the Best Young Flyers Competition, you’re certainly Wonderbolt material.”
Everypony could almost see Rainbow’s head grown a whole size bigger. They all rolled their eyes and sighed.
One of Celestia’s guards approached her. “Excuse me, Your Majesty? A dragon has been seen flying towards this general direction; he is estimated to arrive in five minutes.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant. Make sure the others are prepared.”
“At once, Your Majesty!”
The guard trotted towards his fellows, and they all took formation, forming three lines of five soldiers on each side of the princess.
The estimated five minutes had passed, and Twilight noticed a figure flying towards Ponyville at high speed. Twilight noticed Celestia’s smile grow wider as the dragon closed in.
The dragon had gray-scales, two light-brown horns curved toward his neck, two massive wings, and large tail, though it lacked the spade tip she had seen on other dragons.
The whole town got quiet as the dragon got closer, and Ponyville’s citizens looked like they were holding their breath. Twilight herself felt like time had slowed to a crawl.
Finally, the dragon landed on all fours, just a few meters from everypony.
Twilight noted that, from head to tail, the dragon was about three times her length, and stood just a head below Celestia’s height.
The dragon walked down the gap in between the two groups of soldiers. He remained passive to their salutes. The only sounds to be heard were heavy footsteps.
He stopped in front of Celestia, and Twilight felt a chill along her spine as she looked into his gray eyes.
The dragon closed his eyes and bowed his head. Celestia did the same.
When they raised their heads, the two just looked at each other for a few seconds and smiled.
“It’s good to see you again, old friend,” The dragon said in a deep, strong voice.
“Likewise. I’m glad to see that you are still well,” Celestia said. She then looked over at Twilight and her four friends standing next to her. “This is my personal student, Twilight Sparkle, and her friends.”
“I see. I am Yol Toor, of the Dragon Empire,” Yol Toor said, bowing his head a little.
Twilight cleared her throat. “Pleased to meet you. I am Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie.” Twilight said as she pointed to each respective pony.
“Charmed,” Yol Toor said dryly.
Spike, who was sitting on Twilight’s back, jumped off and skittered to Yol Toor. The older dragon smirked at the whelps enormous grin.
That grin vanished, however, when he was snatched away into Twilight’s magic.
“Spike! It’s not polite to stare! I’m sorry, Yol Toor; you’re the first dragon Spike has ever met, and he’s a little overexcited,” Twilight said, setting a now-fidgeting Spike next to her.
Yol Toor didn’t say anything though. Instead, he just looked at Spike with that same curious smirk.
~~~
With introductions out of the way, the townsponies lead Yol Toor to Sugar Cube Corner, where the welcoming party for him and the princess was being held. Princess Celestia sat at the center of the main table, with Yol Toor at her side.
When the party began to pick up, most of the ponies mingled with each other, leaving Yol Toor and Celestia to talk amongst themselves, much to Celestia’s disappointment.
“Please forgive Ponyville’s attitude, Yol Toor. You must understand; these citizens didn’t exactly have a great first impression with dragons,” Celestia said.
“It is of no consequence. Even in Equestria’s early days, ponies have always feared my kind; the inheritance doesn’t surprise me… Must be a ‘mortal’ thing.”
Celestia shook her head and sighed at Yol Toor’s comment, but she smile quickly returned. “So how have you been?”
“About as good as one could expect, living off a diet of Tatzelwurm. Though, I do appreciate you sending me some fresh food every now and then.”
Celestia turned to Yol Toor with a large grin. Their conversation was cut short, however, when Twilight walked over to them.
“Are you enjoying the party, Princess?” Twilight asked.
“The food is very nice, and the music is enjoyable. Everypony seems to be having a great time,” Celestia said, forcing another smile. “Perhaps you’d like to join us? You might enjoy some of the tales we have to share,” Celestia suggested, and Twilight laughed nervously as she slowly turned her head toward Yol Toor. The dragon didn’t acknowledge her presence.
Twilight walked over to Celestia’s other side and sat.
“So, Yol Toor, how long have you known Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked, leaning past Celestia to get a good look at the dragon.
“A long time,” Yol Toor quickly said, immediately turning his attention back to Celestia.
When Twilight realized that Yol Toor had no interest in having a conversation with her, she looked for her friends, who were all enjoying socializing with the other ponies. It seemed one-on-one time with Celestia would have to wait.
“As much as I enjoyed catching up with you, Celestia; you told me that you had something of great importance to discuss with me, and I would prefer to keep such a discussion away from those with which it has no business.”
Celestia just rolled her eyes.
“Impetuous as ever, Yol Toor. Do you really dislike parties so much?”
“Of course not. But if you need my help with something, I would prefer to not waste valuable time.”
“Very well.”
Celestia turned to face the party, speaking aloud so all could hear. “I am sorry, everypony, but I must cut this visit short. Thank you for the hospitality you have shown Yol Toor and I; this party was very enjoyable, and it was lovely to see you all again. Until next time.”
Celestia stood up, and her guards escorted her out of the bakery, with Yol Toor right behind them, as everypony bowed before the princess while she went back to her chariot.
“Well, today’s events certainly were… interesting,” Rarity said.
“That’s an understatement! How could the princess become friends with a dragon? No offense, Spike,” Rainbow Dash said.
“None taken. Though I have to admit; I was hoping I’d have the chance to talk to him about dragon stuff.”
“Don’t worry Spike; I’m sure we’ll see Yol Toor again soon enough. Maybe you can talk to him then. And there has to be some reason the Princess befriended him. It would’ve been nice if she gave us some more information about him though,” Twilight admitted.
Suddenly, Fluttershy walked out from the shadows of a building, as she looked towards the sky.
“Is… is he gone?” The pegasus asked.
“Yes, he’s gone. Though you didn’t miss much. He spent the entire party talking to the princess.” Rarity said.
The six ponies then focused their attention to cleaning up the party.
~~~
When Celestia and Yol Toor arrived at the castle, she immediately lead him to a small study. The guards opened the door, and the two friends walked in.
The study was quaint; a set of bookshelves were set up around the wall, along with a smaller shelf containing parchment, quills, and inkwells. On the other side of the room was a lit fireplace, where small tea pot and two cups and saucers were placed on a table. Celestia motioned Yol Toor to sit on one of the pillows next to the table as she poured some tea into each cup.
“So, what is this issue you wished to discuss with me?” Yol Toor asked as he took the cup Celestia offered.
Celestia sighed as she put the tea pot back on the table. “I’ve been having some… disturbing premonitions.”
“What about?”
“About Equestria… and you.”
“That doesn’t exactly make things clear.”
Celestia took a sip of tea. “In my visions, I can see various locations in Equestria. I can also see a large shadow enveloping the entire land, and everything and everypony that is caught in this shadow is mutated into awful creatures. When the shadow is close to consuming Canterlot, a bright flame appears, and begins burning the shadow away, and restoring all that it had destroyed.”
“And you think this flame is me?”
“I don’t really know who or what else it could be. When I have visions that focus on the Elements of Harmony, they are represented by sweet music, not an inferno. But what really worries me is that shadow; I’ve never seen anything like it before, and I have no idea what it represents.”
“A shadow. Hmm, I wonder…”
Yol Toor began to rub his chin in thought, and Celestia looked at him intently.
“What is it?”
Yol Toor caught Celestia’s worried look, shook his head, and drank some of the tea.
“It’s nothing. If anything comes to threaten Equestria, I’ll be there to send it to Tartarus myself.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Yol Toor.”
He just smiled as he finished off his tea.
“So was there anything else you wished to discuss with me?”
“Well, there is one thing…”
The door to the study opened, and Yol Toor turned his head just as Celestia grinned ear-to-ear.
“Sister? You wished to see… me…?” Luna’s mind went blank as she saw Yol Toor staring at her.
“Luna?”
“Yol Toor?”
Both just stared at each other for several seconds in silence. It took all of Luna’s strength and courage to overcome her shock, gallop to Yol Toor, and press herself against him.
Luna buried her muzzle against his neck, Yol Toor just gave a content sigh as he returned the gesture
Celestia, meanwhile, had squeezed her eyes shut to keep her tears from escaping. Though her trembling smile refused to remain still.
“Luna… how? Have a thousand years really passed?”
Celestia nodded. “Yes. And as to ‘how’; you can thank Twilight and her friends for that. They used the Elements of Harmony to destroy Nightmare Moon’s corruption, and returned Luna to us.”
Yol Toor was left speechless, not that he wanted to speak anyway; he just wanted to stay like he was with Luna.
“Yol Toor, you’re more than welcome to stay here at the castle tonight until I can set up a more permanent residence for you.” Celestia said, and she turned to Luna. “Luna, why don’t you show Yol Toor to the guest bed room?”
Luna and Yol Toor finally stepped back from each other, and Luna blushed as she nodded.
“Very well. If you’ll follow me, Yol Toor.”
~~~
The trip to the bedroom was mostly quiet, as Yol Toor and Luna walked through the castle halls. It wasn’t until Luna positioned herself closer to Yol Toor, when conversation finally started between the two.
“It’s… good to see you again, Yol Toor,” Luna said nervously.
“Likewise; life’s been very dull while you’ve been gone,” Yol Toor said, the short conversation ending on an awkward note. The silence continued for a few more minutes, until Luna threw herself before the dragon, turned to face him, and placed a hoof on his chest.
“Let’s face it; neither of us like to beat around the bush; Yol Toor, is there any chance you and I can continue where we left off?” Luna asked. Yol Toor, however, just sighed, thinking over his words carefully.
“I… I don’t know, Luna. It’s been a thousand years…” Yol Toor started, and Luna looked towards the ground, disappointed. “I’m not saying I no longer have feelings for you… in fact, that’s the last thing I want to say. But to say our relationship hit a bump in the road…”
“I… understand.” Luna said, unable to hide her sadness. However, Yol Toor grabbed Luna’s chin, and brought her to look him in the eye.
“I want things to go back to the way they were. But we need to do it slowly. Are you okay with that?” Yol Toor asked, and Luna nodded.
“Yes, I am,” Luna said, and Yol Toor smiled as the two continued their way to his room, but not before Luna managed to nuzzle her face against Yol Toor’s and placed a quick kiss on his cheek.
~~~
Later that evening, on the eastern border of Equestria, a shadowy figured, flying high in the sky, landed on a nearby cliff edge, where it watched over Equestria from a distance. After a few moments, the figure reached for a red crystal on its necklace, and brought the crystal to its head.
“My liege, can you hear me?” the figure asked, and the red crystal began to faintly glow.
“Yes Sonja; have you reached Equestria?” the crystal asked.
“Yes sire; I’m at the eastern border now.”
“Excellent. Your target is a small town named Ponyville, south of the Equestrian capital; our worm on the inside has informed me that Princess Celestia has a personal student currently residing there. Celestia apparently loves this girl like a daughter.”
“Should I just eliminate her?”
“No! This is no simple assassination mission; we need to send Celestia a message! Just outside of Ponyville is a forest, filled to the brim with dangerous creatures; use them to level Ponyville! Don’t leave a single survivor! Celestia must pay for what she did to the Gargoyles!”
“Yes, your Majesty. There will soon be nothing but rubble and corpses.”
The crystal then went dim, and Sonja took to the sky, and flew towards the forest outside of Ponyville.