//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Tip of the Scales // by TDR //------------------------------// [ A thousand years ago. Battle of Dullahan Keep on the border of the Dark Lands.] A battle raged on into the approaching night. Dragon Kin and other monsters swarmed the walls, trolls and Orcs burst in from the Darklands on the far side of the breached wall falling on the Keeps defenders. A massive Green Dragon led the charge, perched on the remains of the wall she loomed over everything spitting fire and death indiscriminately while a magic aura of fear kept the defenders from regrouping. It had seemed a rout, something the ponies would not be able to recover from. The loss was certain until a song had carried from the ESO stage in the center of the Keep where a show had been going on prior to the invasion. The voice of a singer breaking through the aura of fear the Dragon cast and giving the defenders a chance. One they readily took. The Dragon's forces had been winning, but with the heart song filling the air, her aura was disrupted and the tide was turning in a way it shouldn't be. Out numbered and overpowered the Keeps defenders were pushing back the dark tide, rallied by the song. “The Stars, The Moon , They have all been blown out. You left me in the dark. No dawn, No Day, I'm always in this Twilight. In the shadow of your heart.” The dragon however had realized where the source of the new power had come from and dove off the wall. A gray unicorn who was barking orders to the other Guard present saw where the beast was headed and rapidly put up several Green shields pouring everything he had into them layering the magic above the stage. The great beast was barely slowed, plowing through the shields and slamming hard into the stage. Its tail lashed out behind it destroying the remaining band that was trying to supply the music as it landed. The stage buckled sending the singer into the air like a tossed ball. Her mane and tail flowed behind her giving the impression of angelic wings. She closed her eyes as she rose, her magic flowing across the battlefield still. The Dragon's claw whipped across before it, impacting the mare through another shield the Unicorn Guard had tried to raise. The strike sent the silver maned unicorn flying across the courtyard, her blood flowing in a arc from the wounds gashing deep in her onyx furred side before her limp form crashed into the stone wall of the keep with a sicking crunch. The silent scream from Jer'rahd and Bleu were only drown out by the roar of the dragon and the crash of the instruments as it whipped it's tail again. Rage flooded the gray unicorn's vision in a haze of red, the flare of similar hate was felt from the other side of the stage as the small blue scaled Dragon that was the singers partner roared, a sound rivaling that of the giant beast between them. Neither hesitated, the two of them moved as one becoming a whirling dervish of death with a single goal between them. Lightning tore into the green beasts side, as Jer'rahd's own magic gripped blade carved gash after gash across the creatures underbelly and legs, his charge ending with his hooves connecting hard with the beasts back leg, shattering scales and drawing blood. He barely paused to hear the green dragon scream as he turned to attack again, his red bathed blade ripping through the thick scales of the green dragon as if they were not even there. The smaller Dragon Bleu ripped and bit at the green Dragon's face clawing at it's eyes and ripping emerald scales and sprays of blood from the creatures head and neck. The large Dragon took off into the air with a roar of pain and Jer'rahd once again felt claws grip his armor straps, hoisting him up into the air as well. Bleu rose carrying him up, chasing after the fleeing beast. Even with Jer'rahd's weight her rage fueled wings caught up and surpassed the wounded beast rather easily. Flying above it she dropped Jer'rahd onto its back before attacking it's head once more. Jer'rahd's blade tore into the creature's wings rending them to ribbons as he ran along the creatures spiny back. His hooves cracking and smashing scales and spines as he ran headed for the great Wyrm's head. He moved using his own magic shields to keep himself on the flailing beasts back bouncing off of them like a murderous pinball. A great slash sliced through the dragon's wing completely, ending its flight, the beast screamed as it fell. Jer'rahd was flung clear as it spiraled down and was again caught by Bleu who dropped down after the creature tears streaming from her eyes and Jer'rahd's as rage continued to build in them. Jer'rahd's red eye glowed like a falling star as he streaked out of the sky after the falling beast. The green dragon crashed to the ground crushing the remains of the stage, it quickly pushed itself back upright looking up and reading a blast to fry it's attackers. Jer'rahd shrugged free of Bleu's grasp falling straight towards the creatures head. Four armored hooves slammed into the top of the Dragon's skull driving it's head into the cobblestone covered ground, the snap of its jaws and shower of shattered teeth bursting from the bloodied maw echoed across the courtyard like the sound of drums striking in time. “The Stars, The Moon , They have all been blown out. You left me in the dark. No dawn, No Day, I'm always in this Twilight. In the shadow of your heart.” Jer'rahd's eyes widened at the weak chorus as he shook off the impact of the blow, his legs felt like jelly, despite his landing being softened by the dragons head. Bleu slammed down onto the dragon just behind him, her claws gouging free the great beasts scales as she ripped along it toward its slowly opening eyes. The terror evident in the massive beast's gaze was short as one orb was filled with a blast of lightning and the other destroyed utterly by a blade stabbing through it deep into the creatures head. The beast thrashed as it's skull lit up from the blast of lightning, its own death throws scattering the stages remains about the courtyard. Jer'rahd and Bleu were already off the creature, ripping through anything in their path towards where Platinum had struck the wall and fallen. Another thunder of drums sounded in the air followed by the beat of wings, signaling the approaching brunt of the remaining 8th, reinforced by the the might of the 42d air wing. General Mustang charged at the head of the unit as it poured into the courtyard. The reinforcements slammed into the forces of the attackers that remained, giving no quarter and killing or trampling everything on this side of the wall, not letting a troll, Dragon Kin, or traitor live more than a few dozen paces past the wall. Jer'rahd and Bleu skid to a halt at the side of the crumpled form of the onyx mare, just as the harp player managed the final notes of the song with a last few strums on the strings of her battered instrument before finally succumbing to her wounds as well. Bleu fell to the ground next to the fallen mare, her form returning to the tiny blue Dragonling she was before she lifted her head and howled in pain. Her voice carrying the chime of the last harp notes as she cradled the still form of Platinum. Jer'rahd took a tentative step forward looking down over Bleu's shoulder his expression grim. “...Bleu please not so tight... I hurt everywhere.” Platinum gasped. Jer'rahd's eyes widen before he whirled to the approaching Guard reinforcements bellowing out an order that sent several of the ponies called rushing his way. “MEDIC!!” TDR Presents. A Story in Stone Tip of the Scales