Dragon Quarry

by Mimkage

Ch:9 Mother

“Hey, wake up! We can’t keep mother waiting!”

It happened 1,000 years ago, before our neighbors, the crystal empire, vanished. The events may have occurred a very long time ago but I can never forget that day. It started like any other with my best friend Sparks waking me up for our guard duty. I was only Punchin’s age and size at the time, still a young one myself.

“Ugh do I have to. Yawwwwwwn... I stayed up with sentry duty last night.” I said, feeling nearly like a zombie under my bedsheets.

“Oh? That is not the behavior befitting of one of my guards.” The moment her voice graced my ears I instantly awakened. Mother Jade, or Empress Jade as you know her, was also here with her standing right next to Sparks. You see, our beloved mother was always the playful kind with her always messing with her guards. That day was no different as I finally leaped from my bed at attention.

“M-m-mother! Forgive me, I did not mean any disrespect... I...” She shushed me, petting me gently with her soft claws to calm me. The look in her beautiful eyes always worked to quail all who looked at her. She was Jade and her eyes were emeralds with all the grace of both gems.

“Shh shh, no need to apologize. If anything I should apologize. I wish not to disturb you but... Admiral Grant has yet to return from his meeting with Princess Amore and I need a dragon to stand next to me. I hope that is no trouble to you.” Of course, I instantly said I would. There was no greater honor than to stand beside Mother as only the guards of high valor were allowed to do so. If only we had known at the time that at that same moment Admiral Grant was no longer among the living, encased in black crystal and shattered to pieces.

You see, Princess Amore had requested a meeting with Mother Jade but Mother had something that demanded her attention so Admiral Grant had gone in her place. When he arrived he had discovered that Princess Amore was no more for this was the start of King Sombra’s rule. He had overthrown and disposed of the princess, taking her place to call Mother. But when Grant had arrived instead Sombra instantly destroyed him as he attended to do with Jade. His plan having failed he instead decided to take some of his enslaved subjects through the snow to meet us head on.

Why did Mother sent Grant in her place? Well, it is because Mother had given birth to three beautiful dragon eggs on the same day. She was too tired to make the trip herself and she wish not to leave her beloved young ones so soon. Even the day I was told to stay by her side she still smothered her eggs with affection. She kept them in a basket next to her throne and sang to them a song in her sweet voice, it enchanted all who heard it.
“My little gemstone, my precious gemstone. You make me happy when we’re alone. No matter how gray the blinding snow fall, my arms you’ll always be warm.”

It brought a smile to our faces, hearing such joy in her heart and seeing such softness on her features, it made our hearts to fill with joy. If I had known it would be the last time I would see her smile I would have savored it more than I had because later that evening, as Mother held one of her eggs lovingly in her arms, a purple egg that had darker purple spots all over it, Sombra approached.

We heard the doors open, crystal ponies with odd armor entering the room in line. Of course, at the time we did not know these crystal ponies were under some sort of hypnosis nor were we at all concerned. We and the ponies had a powerful friendship, respecting each other as peers.

From behind them King Sombra appeared, a menacing smile upon his face. It was then we felt something was wrong as we drew our weapons to him. Jade’s smile turned into a serious frown as she stared down at the dark, shadowy pony before her. He had this horrible air to him, a definite evil, but Mother didn’t wish to judge him just upon appearance so she attempted to be nice.

“Hello there, friend. What brings you to my Quarry at such a late hour?” She asked, carefully watching the pony’s every move as he chuckled in response.

“Empress Jade, you’re as radiant as a crystal. What an honor it is to finally meet you.” He bows, keeping that smug look that made all of us feel tense, “I must ask why you did not come to the empire as requested. It is very rude to dismiss a fellow ruler in such a manner.”

At that moment Jade’s look turned from caution to slight rage as a low growl came from her.

“That is no concern of yours. If Princess Amore was insulted by me not going than she may come herself and ask me the reason. I will confide to no one but the pony rulers.” Again he chuckled, mocking her words as he replied.

“But I am a ruler my dear. Princess Amore had... stepped down... I am King Sombra, the new king of the crystal empire!”

“Liar! If there were a change in power Amore would have told me for certain! Where is Princess Amore! What have you done to her!?” At that moment, black crystal shards were teleported from the ceiling, falling before Mother. They pulsed venomously with dark magic but that was not what bothered her, no, it was what laid inside. Within the pieces, dragon scales would be found.

“Princess Amore? She shared the fate of the dragon before you now.”

“You... you monstrous fiend! Guards! Attack!” We did as she commanded, lunging for Sombra with our teeth bared and our claws ready to strike. But Sombra was a creature unlike any other we’ve faced before. He used his magic to erect black crystal from the ground, sending many flying who weren’t pierced by the crystals. I to was flung back, landing on all fours and standing before him and Mother.

I stared into his dark, dead, merciless eyes. It made me feel a dread I had never felt before, however, I could not let that dread intimidate me. I let out my strongest fire breath, melting the crystals. Sadly, I made a fatal blunder that, without luck, would have ended me. The hypnotized ponies he had brought attacked me, throwing a stone against my head that stunned me. Sombra took advantage of my moment of weakness, using his crystal to send me flying through the wall. Thankfully my shield had absorbed the impact, keeping his crystals from piercing me.

All I can recall before blacking out was hearing Mother’s horrified gasp filling my ears.

It would only be until I awoke that I realized what happened. My head throbbed, my body hurt as I found myself on the floor, surrounded by broken walls pieces. Once I remembered what was going on I sprinted from the room into the throne room, only to find a horrifying sight.

My fellow guards motionless upon the ground, black crystals consuming the entire room which was destroyed and finding our beloved mother, her head bowing down, a look of agonizing sadness upon her face all trapped in time within black crystal that encased her. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t breathe, the shock overwhelmed me to my very soul and the shame of being unable to defend her consumed my very being. To this day, I would have rather died protecting her highness, protecting mother, than living to remember that wretched day.

But it simply got worse as I looked around. Before her laid a sight no mother should ever have to see that even breaks my heart just to think about it. Before her, yolks splattered on the floor with egg shells everywhere. I could only assume that during the fight Sombra had smashed her children before her. Something only a tyrant without a soul at all could do he did, leaving the remains there for her to look at. I failed as a guard; I failed her; I failed her children and for years I had to live with the guilt. Including the guilt yet to come.

I looked through a hole in the wall, finding the quarry in ruins, falling apart, with many of its dragons slain. It was truly a traumatizing sight, etched into my mind for the remainder of my days. As I stared at the devastation I prepared to leave to the one place I knew any surviving dragons would have gone, the secret stronghold we had under the quarry only to pause.

There, standing at the very top of an icy hill, on the boarder of the Artic north I saw her.

Princess Celestia

My teeth were out, my growling emanating from my throat as I stared up at her with hate. How dare these ponies betray us! Why would they do this! In her arms she held something, the last remaining hint of our mother. The purple egg with dark purple spots mother held, she held it close to herself as if it were some sort of treasure.

I wanted to confront her, I wanted to get the egg back. But my legs refused to move, my body froze in place. If Sombra could do this much damage on his own then what could an alicorn do? The thought petrified me, refusing to allow my body to act as I just stood there and stared. Soon, Celestia flew off into the snow, vanishing, and only then could I move only to find it was too late.

Our mother was no more, our kingdom in ruins and our last link to our leader stolen from us. If you wonder whether or not I blame Celestia for taking mother’s egg the answer would be yes but her crime goes beyond that.

A few days later, once we managed to collect all who survived I left in the dead of night to go to the Crystal Empire. I wanted to make up for my shame by bringing mother’s egg back, by confronting King Sombra and removing him from this world.

But when I arrived the kingdom was gone, no more. It was later we discovered from our winged brothers that the Empire was placed under a curse and had vanished from existence and we also discovered that the royal sisters had done their best to hide what had happened. They erased the empire from history, the erased us from history, all so they could preserve face. As time went on ponies forgot we ever existed at all, leaving us trapped without way of asking for help. Resentful, hurt and angry, from that day forth we swore never to show ourselves before ponies again, to never allow them to find us, so that we may never relive that pain again.

The pain of losing all we had, having knives in our backs from those we once considered close friends.

Comments

[HB_DS2013]

I agree with the narrator of this chapter: no mother should ever have to watch a monster kill their children die right after being born.

[nighters]

did Celestia started to hunt the earth dragons? basically, chase and harassed I don't think they would hide that quick it had to have built up bad deeds and no explanation plus worrying over safety

[Xanderfox]

I have a feeling Empress Jade GAVE Celestia the egg and Celestria assumed Sombra had utterly destroyed the Earth Dragons and wiped them out. She had after all just seen the entirety of the Crystal Empire vanish into nothingness. The Ponies naturally fled back to Equestria, they though the Empire and the Dragons had just been annihilated and the north is a hostel environment, letting their own troops dire from exposer would have helped nothing.

[Draconicus the Reaper]

poor earth Dragons no creatures ponies or Dragons should have to go threw that
Sombra buck you
pre11.deviantart.net/3ad0/th/pre/i/2012/321/9/0/king_sombra_by_tsitra360-d5lacsv.jpg

[Hillbe]

World building/character building...

Spikeys mine!
You finally got your prince
Purple spots
orphan Spikey

[The Great Derpsby]

Okay wait. Wait.

They know the Crystal Ponies were under mind-control, and they know Sombra killed Armore. And they still blame them for what happened?

That's idiotic. I get blaming Celestia (misguided, but I understand) but blaming the Crystal Ponies makes little sense.