//------------------------------// // Chapter 39 // Story: A New Dragon in the Crystal Empire // by Vedues //------------------------------// Princess Luna strode back and forth along the wall that surrounded the Crystal Empire, eyes fixed on the mountains to the northeast. Her golden armor gleamed softly in the moonlight. “Remain steady, soldiers.” In front of the lunar princess, several thousand pegasus soldiers stood at attention, their lines stretching for nearly a mile in each direction. Unlike their pacing leader, the pegasi held their position with barely a move or a blink. Beyond the wall, three fresh bunkers had been constructed on top of the foothills leading up to the mountains. Their dark outlines concealed thirty-five companies of their best ranged combatants. Inside of the Empire, a small crowd had gathered, no doubt wondering why such a large number of soldiers was up and ready for battle at four in the morning. “Soon our griffon allies will reach the Empire,” Luna said loudly enough that the pegasi could hear, as well as most of the crowd. “We must be ready to defend them should the Alliance attempt to interfere.” She was aware that at least one Alliance spy had probably overheard her. In fact, she was counting on it. The Alliance had made a critical error when they relocated to the Shattered Mountain Caves. There weren’t enough anti-magic circles to protect them all, and so they had simply increased the number of night guards. Such a choice had kept them protected from physical threats, but it did nothing to shield their dreams. Every night for weeks, Luna had been carefully manipulating the dreams of the Hurricanes. Unfortunately, she couldn’t change their opinion about the war in general, but at least she’d been able to fixate them on stopping the griffon mercenaries, no matter the cost. Soon their spies would contact the Alliance, and then Equestria would be in the rare position of having a battle take place entirely on their own terms. -_-_-_-_-_- In the mountains to the northeast, Spirit and Autumn sat next to each other, staring at a map on the stone floor in front of them. The grating of metal on stone echoed all around them, a constant reminder that they weren’t alone. Over a thousand pegasi were currently getting into formation near the entrance to the cavern where they were all hiding. “Let’s say they attack from this angle.” Spirit put a clawtip to the southeast of their current position and moved it toward the griffons. Autumn looked at him incredulously, with the same emotion radiating through their link. “That is directly opposite the location of their new base and offers no tactical advantage. Why would they come at us from there?” Spirit shrugged. “To catch us off guard.” “Fair enough.” She turned her attention to the map. “Either Yol Toor or Silver Tail would probably be here when the fighting starts,” she tapped the map with her hoof, “and the other would be about here.” She tapped a spot a little to the right, closer to where they were hiding. “If we’re fortunate, and that turns out to be Silver Tail, we could surprise him with a gem barrage before Shining and Cadance’s shield even comes up.” “Sorry, am I interrupting you?” Twilight asked, walking up to the couple. She sounded tired, and her posture was a little slumped. Spirit looked up. “Hey, Sis.” He patted the floor next to him. “We were just killing time.” “Yes,” Autumn added, “please sit down. You feel exhausted.” “I’m fine.” Twilight sat next to Spirit with a relieved sigh. “Maintaining that portal was harder than I was expecting.” She took off her helmet, revealing a sweat-soaked face and painfully red eyes. “I see why Celestia and Luna moved the griffons and some of our pegasi up here a few days ago. They needed a break before moving the rest.” She brushed a bit of mane out of her eyes. Spirit whistled as he took in his sister’s haggard state. “Twi, maybe you should sit this one out. You aren’t looking so great.” “I’m fine,” she repeated before yawning. “We’ve just been working overtime at the lab to give all your suits that new Shadow-form enchantment.” “Many soldiers will owe you their lives for that,” Autumn said. “That’s for sure,” Spirit agreed, “but just stick next to Grandma once the fighting starts, okay? You look like you’ll pass out if you push yourself much harder.” He looked across the large cavern and located his draconic grandparents, who were talking with Cliff and Fire Eyes. “I’ll be careful, Spirit. Don’t worry.” Twilight reached into a dimensional pocket on her suit and pulled out a thermos. “Coffee? Fluttershy brewed it before I left.” “Don’t mind if I do.” Spirit accepted the cup that Twilight passed him. “Just don’t offer it to Autumn. She could drain the whole thing in one go.” Autumn hit him in the shoulder, which accomplished little since they were both wearing armor. “Hey, it’s just the truth.” Spirit stuck out his tongue at Autumn, then leaned over to let Twilight pour some coffee into his cup. As she poured, Twilight used her magic to retrieve another thermos, which she passed to Autumn. “There’s no need to tease her, Spirit.” “A bit of teasing can do wonders to relieve tension.” Autumn took a long drink from the thermos. “On a night like this, I am glad for it.” Twilight looked down at her own thermos before taking a sip from it. “I suppose I can understand that.” “Please remain calm, my little ponies,” Celestia’s voice filled the cave, yet was somehow no louder than if she were speaking calmly. “Our scouts have located the Alliance forces. They will be here soon, and you must be ready to face them.” She sighed, her voice full of regret. “I wish that I could fight beside you this time as well, but I know that you will strengthen and support each other with everything that you have. I am proud to call each one of you a treasured friend and a valued ally. Now prepare yourselves, and let us bring this accursed war to an end.” As soon as Celestia’s voice cut out, there was a massive scramble to get into position. Spirit looked from Autumn to Twilight, then he held up his cup. “Four battles with no casualties from Everfree. Here’s to one more.” The two of them paused for a moment, then joined in the toast. “Here’s to one more,” they said in unison. -_-_-_-_-_- Talon gasped for air as she flew. She didn’t know why the Council insisted on rushing to intercept the griffon mercenaries. Heart’s attempts to talk them out of it had all failed spectacularly, and only Yol Toor had considered the possibility of waiting on Cliff Runner to finish that gem-creation rune. None of them wanted to trust a dragon that had already betrayed them once, but at least Yol Toor had been willing to hold off their next attack for a while to give Cliff the chance to prove himself. The formation came around another peak, and Talon’s eyes locked onto a swarm of lights in the canyon below them, though not quite on the ground. What she saw baffled her. She knew that ponies had a number of vehicles to carry supplies around, including several that could fly, but none of them compared to what she was looking at now. The first thing that came to mind was that they had somehow gotten giant brown-and-gold turtle shells to float. Once she looked more closely, Talon realized that they were actually made of metal, with a sharp point coming off the front, twin propellers in the back, and had a number of cannons poking out each side. Whatever these vehicles were, they were almost as long as a drake and had clearly been designed for war. “Curious,” Yol Toor said. “Aerial tanks,” Heart said. “They’re a griffon specialty.” “Cut them off before they can reach the Empire,” Silver Tail ordered from far off to the right. “Surround them and give them a chance to surrender.” Taking his own advice, he dove toward the tanks, easily outpacing the rest of the Alliance’s forces. Squad Four didn’t even have to be ordered to dive after him, along with every other cluster on the front line. “Tornado,” Talon shouted over the wind, “tell your uncle to stop charging ahea-” She saw a flash of rainbow light from the other side of the canyon. “Look out, everydragon, it’s the rainbow pegasus!” “The Hurricanes are ordering us to stun her,” Heart sent with helpless frustration. “Sorry, Cliff.” A wave of crackling blue energy shot from nearly every wyrm in the Alliance. According to Heart, it was one of the most powerful wyrm spells ever developed, and it had only one purpose, to paralyze any non-dragon caught in its range. The pegasus didn’t have time to even think about dodging before the spell hit, and she spiraled out of control, crashing into the mountain almost directly beneath Talon’s feet. “More Equestrians,” Heart sent. “They’re all around us!” Talon looked up, and any sense of relief or accomplishment faded. Pegasi were emerging from every nearby peak. Even in the gloom of the night, she could tell that they had the Alliance surrounded. “They’re ordering the collapse,” Heart sent. “I will finish the rainbow one off and rejoin you,” Yol Toor shouted, diving toward the stunned pegasus. Talon reflexively nodded and started relaying orders to make a defensive formation, but her mind was preoccupied with the simple fact that this was impossible. Their spy had reported that every pegasus in the Empire was currently standing in formation on the northeast wall with Princess Luna. How could they have gotten here so quickly? -_-_-_-_-_- Luna jumped in surprise as Equestria’s three new bunkers suddenly collapsed in on themselves, throwing out he clouds of dust as they did so. “The attack has just started, Luna. Get here as quickly as you can!” The ponies in those bunkers probably needed her help, but defeating Yol Toor had to come first. Luna grit her teeth. “Solar Unicorns,” she called, “cease your illusions and gather troops to aid the soldiers that were in those bunkers!” The thousands of pegasus soldiers in front of her faded away, replaced by just over fifty exhausted unicorns. Their leader nodded weakly. “Good luck, Princess Luna.” “Thank you, Lady Trixie, now make haste!” Luna released her spell, disappearing in a shower of blue light. -_-_-_-_-_- “Spirit says to get Rainbow out of there!” Fire Eyes sent. “Take some of my willpower.” Cliff sent back agreement and let his friend’s willpower flow into him, fueling another burst of speed as he jumped the last of the way to the flying griffon vehicles. He landed on one and immediately pushed off again, soaring over Silver Tail and toward Rainbow Dash. Unfortunately, Cliff wasn’t the only one rushing toward the pegasus. A terribly familiar gray drake was nearly on top of her, and light was beginning to gather around his open mouth. Cliff had seen Void Fire often enough to know what was coming. “Blueblood, put a shield over Rainbow! Now!” A glowing barrier appeared around Rainbow just before a pillar of red-and-blue energy surrounded her, shield and all. The intensity of the light stung Cliff’s eyes, to say nothing of the shock-wave that crashed into him midair, swatting him away like a fly and forcing the breath from his lungs. Even the air around Cliff seemed to scream in pain as the two forms of magic battled for dominance. Killing most of his momentum, Cliff hit the snow-packed ground with a thump. He was at the foot of the mountain where Rainbow had crashed, and even though she was halfway up the peak, the sheer force of the energy being thrown around was pounding in his chest like a drum. Ignoring that, Cliff pushed himself up and took off toward the blinding light. Yol Toor wasn’t holding back at all, and Blueblood’s shield couldn’t withstand that for long. He offered a silent prayer as he launched himself into the pillar of energy. It was time to put the Shadow-form Enchantment to the ultimate test. His body converted into insubstantial darkness as he touched the pillar, then pain like he had never imagined overwhelmed him. The raw power of Yol Toor’s Void Fire ripped through his essence, shredding him, tearing every inch of him apart all at once. Then he was through, fighting just to stay conscious. So much power filled the air now that it was like repeated blows to the chest and head, and the light was far too intense to be able to see anything. He didn’t know if he wanted to scream or collapse more, but Rainbow didn’t have time for either. Cliff dumped the stored magic from all three of his suit’s batteries into himself. The sudden influx of magic nearly overwhelmed him, but at least it gave him the strength to move once more. He groped around until he found his unconscious friend and then shot back through the pillar. Blinding light gave way to darkness just before Cliff slammed into the valley floor. He slid through the snow and ice on his back for a moment, cradling Rainbow against his chest as he fought to catch his breath. Unfortunately, Yol Toor wasn’t known for giving his opponents room to breathe. Another beam of energy shot toward the young wyrm, barely giving him time to redirect his momentum and dodge it. The beam changed directions too, engulfing both Cliff and Rainbow once more. A shadow didn’t have lungs, which was the only reason Cliff didn’t scream as the Void Fire ripped into his essence again. Desperately, he altered his momentum back to its original course and generated an invisibility field around him and Rainbow. For a moment, it seemed to have worked, and Cliff killed his momentum before scrambling to his feet and throwing Rainbow over one shoulder. Then a ball of radiant red-and-blue energy hit the ground nearby. Time froze just long enough for Cliff to realize what it was, a Void Bomb, a compressed ball of Void Fire. He clenched his eyes shut but was stunned to realize that nothing was actually connecting with him. He opened his eyes and saw that he, and a patch of ground at his feet, had been protected by another one of Blueblood’s shields, which was lined heavily with cracks. Beyond the glowing barrier, at least a square mile of the valley’s floor had been transformed into a lake of molten lava. “Get out of there!” Blueblood yelled through the link. “I don’t think I can stop another one!” “We’re on our way,” Fire Eyes added. “Just hold out a bit longer!” Tired, aching, and nearly out of magic, Cliff pulled in more of the willpower that Eyes was offering to him and shot away once more. He risked a glance over his shoulder, and saw that Yol Toor was already caught in battle against Princess Luna. Thank the Stars. Shifting his attention forward, Cliff landed on a foothill just outside the circle of lava from the last explosion. His legs gave out beneath him, throwing both him and Rainbow flat against the hillside. Two other teams from Everfree were already there, and the rest of the Platoon wasn’t far behind. Beyond them, Silver Tail was fighting against Zephyr, who had grown a pair of feathered wings. The kumiho was hit by an invisible force, the wind that Silver Tail controlled, knocking him past the Everfree Platoon and onto the lava, which he somehow landed on as if it were solid ground. A wall of fire erupted out of the lava around Zeph, shielding him as countless blades of compressed air sliced into the molten surface around him, tossing bits of scorching lava in every direction. Some of the molten rock splattered across Cliff’s back and legs, but luckily neither combatant paid him any attention. Instead, Zeph’s six tails jabbed forward as one, and what could only be described as a tornado of electricity surrounded the drake leader, filling the air with the crack of thunder. Meanwhile, a ray of golden energy sliced across the ground. Cliff winced as it connected with his arm before he could roll out of the way, but at least the shadow-form enchantment kept him from any serious harm. What’s trying to kill me now? Cliff pushed himself onto his knees, holding Rainbow’s unconscious form against his chest, and looked to the south, where the beam had originated. To Cliff’s relief, he saw that it hadn’t been aimed for him at all. Both of Yol Toor’s daughters were rapidly firing those beams at Celestia, who was dodging between them. The rest of the Platoon reached Cliff moments later, including Spirit, who knelt next to his brother and gave him a firm hug. “Thank Celestia you’re safe!” He turned to the others and shouted, “Hunker down, everyone. We’re here for the duration!” Cliff shook his head weakly. “Spirit, we need to get out of here.” Autumn appeared from the crowd as well, panting heavily. “There is no time, Cliff.” She pointed off toward the center of the lava lake, where Shining Armor and Cadance were floating in midair, surrounded by purplish light. “Everything else is in place, and we must trap him now.” “Everfree can’t handle something like Yol Toor,” Cliff said, struggling to rise. Even when he was focused entirely on defense and escape, Yol Toor had nearly killed him five times in as many seconds. “We know,” Spirit said. “All we can do is hope he doesn’t come after us.” He took a deep breath. “I’m telling them to raise the shield.” There was barely enough time for Cliff to close his eyes, then the magic from Shining and Cadance’s expanding shield rolled over them all like a wave. -_-_-_-_-_- Talon didn’t know why the pegasi weren’t advancing, but she didn’t like it. After their sudden attack, the Equestrian warriors had let the Alliance fall back and regroup over the western edge of that lava lake that Yol Toor had created. That lake probably meant the end of the rainbow pegasus. At least the pegasi seemed more interested in keeping them surrounded than in moving in to attack. They were clearly up to something, but Talon couldn’t guess what. Then purple light filled the corner of her vision. Talon turned just in time to see one of those massive shields that Prince Shining Armor could generate crashing into the back of the Alliance’s forces. “Grab onto the nearest drake,” Talon ordered, realizing what the plan was. “They’re using the shield to knock us into the pegasi!” She dove for Tornado’s back, landing just before shield hit them. The force of the impact nearly flattened her against Tornado's scales, but she somehow managed to hold on until Tornado flared his wings and brought them to an abrupt halt. Talon didn’t have to look to know that they were surrounded by pegasi. “Start creating a gas bubble-” She cut off when something crashed into her from above, knocking her flat across Tornado’s back. Her wind sense gave her the blurry outline of a pegasus, rearing back like it was about to slam down on Talon’s wing. Heart knocked the pony away with a blast from her staff, but tons more pegasi were already landing. “We need to get out of here!” She helped Talon up. “All squadron leaders, listen to me,” the cluster leader ordered. “The Hurricanes say that Yol Toor is trapped in that shield. Until we get him out, we need to reform our swarms and hold this area!” “I guess getting out of here isn’t an option!” Talon used her staff to suck the energy out of the closest pegasus then shot it back at another one. “Hold on!” Tornado shouted. He shrank to his thinking form, and for a moment it was just Talon and Heart clinging to the back of a dragon about their own size. The pegasi suddenly found themselves without their platform and dropped away. Then Tornado switched back and gave a mighty flap of his wings. Dozens of highly pressurized spears of air shot from the drake, right into the squad of pegasi that he had just dislodged. Talon’s wind sense told her everything she needed to know about the effects. Some pegasi only took glancing blows, which their armor was able to deflect. Many others weren’t so lucky, and their screams of pain filled the air as holes were punched through their wings, legs, or even their whole bodies. “No one shall harm my allies!” Tornado roared before unleashing even more Wind Spears. There was a blinding flash of light as thirty or so drakes that Talon didn’t recognize appeared in the air above them. “But it’s okay if I harm you, right?” a purple drake with a spiked collar shouted as she crashed into Tornado. Talon was thrown off of Tornado’s back and spread her wings to keep herself from falling. Around her, other drakes were rushing to attack members of the Alliance. Most of them were even carrying ponies on their backs. The drakes from Kumiho Village, Talon realized. She would have gulped if there had been time. “Regroup around Tornado, everyone, and if you see a drake you don’t recognize, it’s probably an enemy!” Down beneath her, Heart ran along Tornado’s neck as he clawed and bit at the purple dragoness who had attacked him. When she reached Tornado’s head, she fired a blast of Spirit Lightning, but the purple drake managed to get her head out of the way in time. At least the distraction gave Tornado an opening to kick her away. Talon swooped down toward Tornado to help. Dozens of pegasi were closing in on Tornado, and the purple drake was coming back. Talon had nearly reached her battle partner when a bolt of agonizing pain filled the link, then cut off abruptly. “Rune!” Genesis shouted. “Oh Stars, she fell!” Something crashed into Talon from above, hurling her down onto Tornado’s back. “Regroup,” Talon managed to send, flipping weakly onto her back. “Do it or we’re all dead!” Now that she could finally see her attacker, a pegasus, she spat a cloud of poison into its face. The pegasus fell off Tornado’s side, gasping for air, but another pegasus shot out of the dark sky, hitting Talon right in the stomach. Her vision went black and her cry of pain ended in a breathless whimper. “Somedragon catch her!” Genesis begged. A ray of dark energy connected with the pegasus, making it collapse on top of Talon. Heart reached her moments later, throwing the pegasus off the side and creating a shield around them both. “We can’t hold this position, Talon!” She shot off two orbs of Spirit Lightning in quick succession and then started healing her friend. “We’ve been ordered to hold our position,” Talon gasped. She took aim with her battle staff and sent out a burst of telekinetic energy at the purple drake. The drake shrugged off the blast and slammed into Tornado from the side. There was a sickening snap from Tornado’s wing, and both Talon and Heart were knocked flat. Making matters worse, the drake clamped its jaws around Heart’s shield. Heart reached through the rapidly collapsing barrier and grabbed onto one of the drake’s teeth. “The ponies and dragons you think are your allies are actually tricking you. Fight alongside us, your real allies.” She let go and turned back to Talon. “If we stay here, we’re dead!” “Launch a Shield Cracker,” Talon suggested to their cluster leader. “That will get Yol Toor free!” “We tried. It didn’t work,” he sent back. The purple drake had let go, but Tornado’s wing was still in bad shape, and they were losing altitude fast. “There are too many of them,” Sky sent, fighting to control the desperation he felt. “We’re getting overwhelmed!” Tornado somehow forced his injured wing muscles to start flapping again, but then a bolt of pegasus lightning hit him, and he dropped like a stone. Talon slammed into the top of Heart’s shield, and for just a moment, she saw Ember high above them, with a swarm of wyverns around her. Illuminated by the lightning, Talon could make out the shapes of hundreds of pegasi surrounding what was left of her squad, and two more drakes were closing in fast. Beyond them, Talon saw other clusters of dragons, but it was impossible to tell if they were friend or foe. Pegasi were everywhere. Time slowed as the reality of their situation sank in. Twister had ordered them to hold their position, but Heart was right. The dragons who had put their trust in her would die if she tried to enforce that order. “Everydragon, get out of there!” Then Tornado hit the ground, and everything went black. -_-_-_-_-_- Orange-red light from the veritable lake of lava beneath Celestia clashed jarringly with the neon purple glow of Cadance and Shining’s new shield, illuminating a scene that was both hellish and bizarrely alien, like something out of a fevered nightmare. Zephyr Wind ran across the surface of the lava as though it were solid ground, his eyes narrowed in concentration as each of his six tails moved behind him, casting spells seemingly of their own accord. At that precise moment, four of his tails were creating a shield to deflect a blast of Void Fire, while the remaining two shot wisp-like balls of energy, which seemed to home in on their target regardless of how he attempted to dodge them. In the air beside Celestia, Luna’s horn crackled with blue energy as she dove, a battle cry on her lips. The light from her horn mixed with the orange and purple reflecting off her golden armor in a way that was almost painful to look at. A kaleidoscope of colors reflected across Celestia’s own face from the dozens of anti-aura gems she was releasing from a dimensional pocket in her chest piece. At the convergence point of all of their attacks, near the lava’s shore line, stood Yol Toor. The ancient drake’s entire body had transformed into a mass of red-and-blue fire, and yet every feature of his bony armor stood out in clear detail. What really caught Celestia’s attention, however, was his eyes. He knew that he was trapped. Shining and Cadance’s new shield had been specifically developed to be impenetrable; once it was up, nothing could get in or out; and yet Yol Toor’s eyes showed no despair, fear, or even frustration. Within those burning orbs of energy, Celestia could make out only quiet, unshakable determination. He actually intended to win this fight. Somehow. This was the kind of moment that legends were made from. A single champion standing defiant against overwhelming odds. Then the moment ended, and Celestia threw the full weight of her magic and experience into guiding each individual gemstone as they spread out before converging on Yol Toor from every angle. The drake’s body rippled as dozens of balls of energy shot from his form, intercepting the gems and Zephyr’s projectiles before they could reach him. He rushed forward to meet Luna’s charge, and his wings transformed into blade-like tendrils that stabbed at her from both sides. Mere feet before they made contact, the light from Luna’s horn exploded outwards, batting both tendrils aside and even forcing Yol Toor back. “Dad!” two voices shouted in unison. Celestia didn’t spare a glance for the twin dragonesses who had joined Silver Tail in attacking the shield with their auras. A part of her balked at the idea of attacking, possibly killing, a father in front of his children, but the solar princess knew that she had no choice. She teleported to her sister’s side and released a wide beam of power. It’s golden light should have crashed into Yol Toor and pinned him against the shield’s outer wall, but his form split down the middle, letting Celestia’s spell pass between them. The two halves rushed at each of the sisters individually. It was so unexpected that Celestia was barely able to get a shield up in time to defend herself. Luna, on the other hoof, jumped at the mass of fire, hitting it with both forehooves before getting thrown aside. The halves reached the lava and dove in with a massive splash. Celestia’s heart stopped for a moment when she realized that she didn’t know where Yol Toor was going. Her eyes turned to Cadance and Shining Armor, still floating in place at the shield’s center. A column of magic surrounded them, reaching from the top of the shield down past the lake’s molten surface. It was actually an extension of the shield, designed to keep them safe, but Celestia couldn’t help but worry about her niece and nephew-in-law. Most of her concern, though, was reserved for the Everfree Platoon. About halfway to the shield’s outer edge from its center, and huddled on top of a small foothill, they had little to protect them from an opponent such as Yol Toor, and he had been targeting Rainbow Dash specifically before they trapped him. Farther out on the lake, Zephyr paused, then all six of his tails made a sort of throwing motion at once. A massive boulder, nearly the size of an adult drake, erupted from the lake’s surface several hundred feet away, flying high into the air. Whatever he had been attempting to do apparently failed, because he grit his teeth in frustration. The lake suddenly cooled and hardened near Zephyr, shooting out in a circle until only a flat expanse of rock remained. The boulder that Zephyr had controlled earlier fell back to earth and shattered on impact, leaving an impressive crater. Then Yol Toor reappeared, emerging from the ground like some ghostly harbinger of doom. With a roar, he sent another of those destructive Void Bombs out of his mouth at the kumiho, who summoned another of his flame barriers to meet it. Celestia took advantage of his momentary distraction to fire an extremely powerful beam of golden energy. The explosive power of the Void Bomb raged all around her, hammering away at her defenses, but a small smile crossed her lips when she felt her own attack strike home. Luna teleported in, almost invisible in the fading aftermath of the explosion. Supporting herself with her wings, she kicked at Yol Toor with all four hooves at once. Amazingly, even while being thrown forward by Celestia’s attack, Yol Toor was able to shrink and flap his own wings just enough to get out of the way of Luna’s hooves. He was back to full size the next moment, spinning midair and shooting a ray of black energy from the top of one forearm. Celestia knew all too well that that was where he carried the staff that the Alliance had built for him, and exactly how powerful its magic-draining ray was. Luna’s body stiffened as the magic was ripped from her. It was a tiny thing, her hooves didn’t even touch the freshly liquefied valley floor before she recovered, but that was more than enough of an opening for Yol Toor. He was already swinging his tail at her. The massive spiked club at its tip reverted to flesh and bone mid-swing. Celestia was suddenly in front of her sister. The magic in her horn blended seamlessly from teleportation to protection as a shield sprang into existence between the two alicorns and their opponent. Celestia grunted from the strain of the impact, and her glowing barrier bowed inward, but it held. A pillar of fire erupted around Yol Toor, and surprisingly, the drake flew away with a grimace of pain on his face. Celestia looked back toward Zephyr and found him near the center of the restored lava lake. A large patch of fur had been burned off his shoulder, back, and neck, and the skin beneath was charred and black, leaking drops of blood that either disappeared into his red-brown coat or fell to the molten rock beneath his paws, where it evaporated with a hiss. Yet still the kumiho stood ready to fight, not taking his eyes off Yol Toor for a moment as he generated another of those fiery pillars. Like the first one, it struck true, forcing the drake back toward the shield’s outer edge. Fire that can harm a drake, Celestia reflected, tucking that revelation aside for later. For now, she needed to focus on ending this as quickly as possible. Brave pegasi were laying down their lives every moment that the battle dragged on. She launched a volley of energy beams to keep Yol Toor on the defensive. Luna added a barrage of anti-aura gems to her sister’s assault. “He leaves himself open when he begins a followup attack.” Her emotions rippled with the same urgency that was pushing Celestia. Celestia had noticed that as well. Yol Toor was almost untouchable in a one-on-one fight, but against multiple opponents, he committed himself too fully to his attacks. Whoever he was attacking would be in no position to retaliate, he was simply too fast, accurate, and powerful, but their allies would have a valuable window of opportunity. Yol Toor shrank to avoid most of the combined attacks, though several beams and gems still impacted against his aura. He was nearly against the outer wall now, just opposite his daughters and Silver Tail, who were still pouring Void Fire into the shield. The fire that made up his being was noticeably dimmer now, and he was breathing heavily, but still his eyes were resolute. He lifted his right forearm. Bluish light surrounded it for a moment, then he jerked it back toward him. Luna gasped in surprise as she was pulled toward Yol Toor, horn first. She countered the spell before she had traveled more than a few feet—defeating a foe’s telekinesis was fundamental to unicorn battles, after all—but both sisters were still left in a state of shock. Telekinesis? Celestia thought in confusion. How? He had even matched the magic’s glow to the light that was already coming from Luna’s horn, concealing it until he acted. “Look out!” Zephyr yelled. Celestia turned her attention back to Yol Toor and saw that the fire making up his body had returned to its former brilliance, then a wave of dark-red energy shot from him in all directions. Both alicorn sisters teleported to Zephyr’s side and brought up a combined shield around the three of them. It had barely formed when the explosion crashed over them like a tsunami, obscuring everything on the outside as the energy howled in their ears. Through the link they shared, Celestia could feel Cadance and Shining Armor struggling to maintain their shield from the attacks on both sides. A new pulse of energy filled the air, but unlike the drake’s stubborn assault, this one filled Celestia with hope and love. Those same emotions were reflected in her niece and nephew-in-law, along with relief. When the destructive energy finally died down, Celestia couldn’t help but smile. Cadance and Shining Armor’s shield now glowed the same sky blue as the shield that protected the Crystal Empire. The energy in that pulse had been familiar to her, and it seemed her suspicions were correct. Somehow, the Crystal Heart had granted some of its power to the prince and princess who were fighting to protect it. Highlighted against the shield’s light, Celestia could see Yol Toor, back to his flesh and blood form, except for a pair of fiery wings, and with an aura that was far more dull than normal. Surprisingly, the drake wasn’t even facing them. He seemed to be sharing a look with his daughters and Silver Tail. Celestia held out a hoof to stop Luna or Zephyr from attacking. Though Yol Toor was their enemy, he deserved that much kindness, at least. It also gave her a moment to look around. The destruction left by Yol Toor’s most recent attack was astounding. Every inch of ground inside of the shield had been reduced to molten lava, even the mountainside to the west. Celestia felt a surge of fear as she realized that the Everfree Platoon, including Twilight and Spirit, had been caught in the blast and were nowhere to be seen. Then Yol Toor turned back to Celestia. On his face was an expression that she had seen far too many times in the past. It was the look of a soldier who knew that they would die soon but had resolved to fight until the very end. “I will create an opening for you both,” Luna whispered before teleporting toward the drake. “Luna!” Celestia grit her teeth and readied herself to attack. The smaller alicorn appeared over Yol Toor’s back, stomping down with all four legs. Yol Toor realized what was happening and shifted to his smaller form, but it was a moment too late, and he was knocked into the lava below, though not before he was able to retaliate with a beam of Void Fire, catching Luna full in the chest and smashing her backwards into the shield. It was all Celestia could do not to teleport to her sister’s aid at that very moment. Yol Toor shot back into the air and flew toward Luna with open jaws. There it was, the opening Celestia needed. With a cry of rage, she released a torrent of destructive energy, and at her side, Zephyr did the same. What neither of them expected, however, was for several dozen anti-aura gems to join in the barrage, seemingly from nowhere. -_-_-_-_-_- Spirit let the last of his illusion fade. It wouldn’t stand up to close inspection anyway. The combined efforts of the Everfree Platoon’s shield specialists had protected them from Yol Toor’s Void Bombs, even preserving the top of their hill as a sort of floating platform. They would have been happy to wait out the battle in hiding, but then for some insane reason, Celestia and Zephyr had stood by and watched as Luna attacked Yol Toor by herself. Twilight disappeared in a flash, reappearing moments later with a slightly dazed Princess Luna. Spirit couldn’t blame her for being a bit out of it. Her entire chest was one bloody smear. Even worse, Yol Toor was somehow still up, in spite of a severely weakened aura and countless fractures in his bone armor, and his eyes were fixed on the Everfree Platoon’s floating hilltop. “Plan B,” Spirit sent. Plan B was simple enough, ‘Scramble. Hit Yol Toor with everything you have, and try not to die while you’re at it.’ Plan A had been even more simple, ‘Hope it doesn’t come to Plan B.’ “I shouldn’t have voted to attack,” Autumn whispered at his side, pressing a hoof against the crystalline dome that she had generated. And then Yol Toor was on top of them. Both front claws slashed down at Luna, while he released another blast of energy. The dome shattered instantly, and for a single moment, Spirit could feel his body being ripped to pieces by the overwhelming magic. Then his Shadow-form Enchantment activated, and pain overwhelmed everything else. It seemed to last for an eternity, but then golden light filled his vision, and there was a crashing sound like one mountain being dropped onto the other. When his vision cleared, Spirit found that Celestia’s magic was wrapped around him and every other member of the Everfree Platoon. Cliff’s team also had shields from Blueblood, including one that held both Luna and Big Mac. The apple farmer must have tried to protect Luna, because he was standing in front of her protectively, and deep gouges ran along his forelegs, going clear to the bone in most places. Standing at the center of them all was Celestia, and she looked positively livid, with eyes more angry than Spirit had ever seen, and so much light coming off her horn that it hurt his eyes to look at it. Pressed up against the outer wall of Shining and Cadance’s shield was Yol Toor. Even with his aura completely gone and most of his bone armor shattered, the drake was still fighting against Celestia’s telekinesis. “You can do it, Dad!” one of Yol Toor’s daughters shouted, her voice thick with tears. “We believe in you!” He paused, then shrank suddenly. The abrupt change in size nearly let him slip loose, and somehow he found the energy to bring up a flickering aura. “You’re not getting away!” Zephyr shouted, and a section of lava beneath Yol Toor rose up to pin him more firmly in place before cooling into rock. “All of you,” Celestia said, her voice tense with strain, “if you have any gemstones left, use them quickly, and as one!” Nearly half of the Platoon was unconscious, but those that were able to respond certainly did. At least a hundred gems arched through the air, almost gracefully, before exploding against Yol Toor’s shrunken form. Celestia’s magical grip was destroyed completely in the blast, but that didn’t matter. Yol Toor fell unmoving to the lava below. Heartbroken shouts came from the drakes outside of the shield, but Celestia didn’t seem to notice. She carefully lifted Yol Toor up to the platform of golden energy she was creating for the rest of them to stand on. She pressed a hoof to his chest, and a tired smile crossed her face. “He is alive, but will be unconscious for several days, at least.” Spirit barely heard her. His limbs all felt like they were made of jelly, but his primary concern was for Autumn, who had collapsed next to him. Her coat had faded nearly to white, and she was barely breathing. “We need a healer!” Lucky sent. “Two members of my team are dead!” Minuette sent in a panic. “What do I do?!” “Someone needs to help Steel Claw. His Shadow-form Rune didn’t activate properly!” “Does anydragon have any willpower left for healing?” “CALM DOWN!” Spirit roared through the link, even though he could feel an icy lump settling in his stomach. “Heal anyone that looks like they need it to stay alive, but only as much as they need to stay alive! All non-wyrms, take off your magic batteries and give them to the nearest wyrm. We need all the willpower we can get.” He took an unsteady breath, and looked at Yol Toor’s limp form. “By the Stars, you had better be worth this.” -_-_-_-_-_- Celestia wanted nothing more than to collapse and sleep for a couple of days, but her subjects still needed her. “Spirit,” she said, “I am going to teleport all of you back to the Empire. Whatever happens, you must ensure that Yol Toor is put in that special cell we prepared to contain him.” “O-okay,” Spirit said, his voice weak with exhaustion. “Princess Celestia,” Silver Tail’s voice hit them like a wall, his tone filled with pain and rage. Celestia followed it back to, of all things, the center of the aerial battle that had been taking place in their absence. “You will return Yol Toor to us, or I will kill every last pegasus in these skies.” Luna struggling to her hooves, ignoring the efforts of Big McIntosh to make her stay down. “That fiend!” Luna’s voice came out as more of a gasp than anything. “I will help you distract him while our troops escape to safety.” Celestia shook her head. “I can occupy Silver Tail by myself.” It was probably a lie, but she knew that Luna was in far worse condition. “Our soldiers will reach the Empire soon, and likely with thousands of wounded. Conserve your magic to heal as many as you can, Luna.” Then her horn flared, and Celestia was standing alone, except for Zephyr, who was suddenly at her side, even though he had been hundreds of feet away moments earlier. Celestia arched an eye at the kumiho. “You prevented me from teleporting you?” She hadn’t known that he could do that. Zephyr shrugged, which turned into a wince as it moved the burns on his shoulder and neck. “My friends from Kumiho Village are still out there, Princess, and you look like you could use a helping paw.” Celestia nodded wearily. “Thank you.” “Cadance, do you and Shining have enough magic for a regular shield?” “Yes, I think. We can probably manage one.” “When I give you the signal, teleport to the center of our pegasus troops and cast it, then follow them as they retreat.” Celestia took a deep breath, and pulled more of the sun’s energy into herself. Her horn ached, her head pounded, and her body shook, but her voice came out firm and controlled as she projected it to the entire battlefield. “Dragons of the Alliance, as Silver Tail has just confirmed, we have defeated Yol Toor, your greatest champion. He will be released along with all other prisoners as soon as this war comes to a close. If, you want that day to come soon, as I do, then give up this needless bloodshed. Working together, I know we can find terms of peace that will be acceptable to all. If, however, you choose to continue this war, remember that not even Yol Toor could stand against the might of Equestria, and then ask yourself why you think that you will fare better!” As the last words left her mouth, Celestia gave the signal to Cadance and Shining Armor, then teleported with Zephyr to where Silver Tail was hovering in the air. The undeniable power of Shining Armor’s shield pushed aside most of the Alliance like flakes of snow, leaving only a few dozen aura drakes, many of whom were now surrounded by the weakened, but still able to fight, pegasus companies. “Retreat to the Empire, my little ponies!” Celestia called as she launched her first attack spell. Silver Tail was as skilled as Yol Toor and nearly as powerful, but as long as her subjects were in danger, Celestia would find the strength to keep protecting them. That was her responsibility as a princess.