//------------------------------// // Chapter 28: Freedom and Vengance // Story: World of Chaos // by ugugg93 //------------------------------// Darkness. It was the only thing that her mind could focus on. It was a curious thing really, for no matter how much she tried, she couldn't think about anything except for the compete darkness that enveloped her. Sure, she had tried countless times to think of numerous other things: the years she lived in Ponyville, the fun she had with her friends, or even the exhilarating high she got from meeting the Wonderbolts, but none could hold her mind. Even the painful memories, like the times that she broke bones, her first heartbreak, or the burn of her muscles in the times she pushed herself to the limit, were impossible to focus on for longer than a few brief moments. No matter how intently she focused on the thoughts, none of them could pierce the suffocating darkness that felt like it was enveloping her soul for more than a few seconds. Well, all except one. Fear. She discovered that she could focus on fear when she thought about the time she went up against Nightmare Moon. Sure her drive to push on, help her friends, and save all of Equestria had steeled her resolve and allowed her to push on, but deep down, every time that night she had a moment of quiet contemplation, she was scared to wit's end. It was only through the presence of her new and now best friends that she was able to continue on and help defeat the evil princess of the night. Still, that lingering fear from that day lived on inside her, strong enough so that every time that she looked back to that day, it fought back the darkness for as long as she wanted. At first, it was such a strong and terrifying emotion, that she did whatever she could to make sure she didn't think of it, but now, fear at least made her feel alive. Of course, she wasn't even sure if she was alive at this point. The last distinct memory she had was the sight of Fluttershy on the ground dozens of hooves away, the look of absolute terror on her soft and beautiful face, as the yellow mare watched her final moments. Surprisingly enough, even at death's door, she didn't feel any sort of fear of her own demise. Sure, she had fear in her heart at her last moments of life, it was not fear of her own death however, but fear of what would happen to her precious friend without her. What would happen to Fluttershy after she left the living world was something she didn't want to think about, granted right now, she couldn't if she wanted to. Not for more than a few seconds at least. The only thing she felt when she thought about that final moment was sadness, which was a near impossible emotion to remember. Was that right? She couldn't remember how to feel certain emotions? Did that make any sense? Rainbow Dash supposed that if she had been here for years, she might have forgotten things as simple as emotions and speech... maybe? Did time pass normally in her thoughts when she was stone? It had felt like only minutes, but at the same time, Rainbow swore that she had been stuck here for at least a year. Both concepts boggled the mare's mind, and she supposed that she would most likely never know anyways. The likelihood of another intelligent creature finding their way safely into the cave, let alone somehow discovering a way to free both her and Fluttershy, was remote at best. Though hard, given images of darkness kept interrupting her mind halfway through thoughts, the more that she thought about it, the more she realized that she was in the air when she turned to stone. What if she wasn't merely petrified, but actually died when she hit the ground? Even if she somehow didn't break apart, who's to say that she wasn't dead already? It wouldn't be too far from some of the descriptions of the afterlife that she heard of before, though the thought that there wasn't any light at the end of the tunnel, none of her friends and family, and no eternal goddesses to shepherd her to the endless expanse of clouds and paradise was definitely a bummer. Rainbow had to admit, if this was her eternal afterlife, Luna got the good deal. Seriously, an eternity of nothing but darkness and fear was worse than a complete end of her existence, especially since- Wait... what was that? Rainbow squinted, or at least she did whatever memories of moving her eye muscles would let her. She was certain that she saw some sort of flash of light, like a beacon, if but for the briefest of moments. The only reason that she even caught it was that there wasn't really anything else to “look” at, if looking was what you could call what she was doing right now. Still, the point was that the light was there, and if she could, she would investigate that mysterious light. Unfortunately, she really couldn't move, the lack of any corporeal body putting a quick stop to that line of thoughts, so she could only wonder. Though while the entire time large bouts of darkness kept interrupting her thoughts, her mind seemed much more clear after that mysterious flash of light, which was a welcome relief to- Another flash. Suddenly, Rainbow felt like ethereal chains shackling her legs were released, and while her movements felt muddy and clumsy, as if she were a newborn foal, she moved towards where the light came from. Many times she “fell”, every fall never actually resulting in an actual fall, but always sending her tumbling, until she found herself upright again. The entire expanse was black, the plane disorientating, with up never really actually being in one spot, but actually wherever she deemed it to be. Once, she tried to use this to her advantage, and “fall” towards the light, but the sickening feeling she got in her stomach, or whatever was where her stomach was, stopped her almost immediately. Progress was slow, and as far as she knew, it could be a thousand years before she found the source, if there really was a source. All at once, a blinding flash erupted from all sides, followed by a deafening crack all around her, sending spots into her eyes and a terrifying ringing in her ears. The sudden burst of freedom that filled her before was completely stripped from her now, and she found herself lying helplessly on the ground, water splashing all around her, her mane and coat completely soaked through from the standing water. Her mind burned from the intense light coming into her eyes, and even when closed, the bright red of light seeping through her eyelids was painful to experience. Still, the thoughts of darkness were purged from her mind, which made her happier than she'd been since she was petrified. While her vision and strength still hadn't quite returned yet, her hearing slowly started to come back to her. In front of her, the sound of a slow rumbling echoed into her ears, the source unknown, but terrifying to Rainbow nonetheless. Was it the cavern collapsing around her? Was it the basilisk coming to eat her? Was it Discord? While the last was unlikely, the possibility scared her anyways, especially considering how helpless the mare was right now to whatever was there. Rainbow tried to curl up into a ball to feebly protect herself, but her forelegs could barely move, and she couldn't quite feel anything below her chest except a painful tingle. Slowly, the mare's vision starting to come back, colors swirling together into more of a mess than anything else. In what was a complete polar opposite from the brightness from before, the area she lay was surprisingly dark, her eyes quickly adjusting to the expanse. The only light came from some unknown source, and only let the slightest inkling of light into the dark cavern. Still something was better than nothing, and as the blobs of colors started to coalesce into recognizable shapes, Rainbow finally was able to take stock of where she was. A rock here. A pillar there. She must have still been in the cavern that she was in when she was turned to stone. However, as her vision started to focus, there was one thing that Rainbow identified immediately. The olive green scales of the basilisk laying right next to Fluttershy's petrified body. Any depression that Rainbow might have felt over the sight of Fluttershy was overwhelmed by the explosive sense to protect her. “Get back...” Rainbow tried to yell at the monster, but her words only came out as a hoarse whisper. Her next instinct was to jump up, fly over, and beat the sorry scales off of the overgrown garden pest, but again her body betrayed her, and any attempts she made at lifting herself off the ground was met with failure. The best she could do was use her forelegs to pitifully drag herself across the floor. Making her way a few hooves distance, her voice finally returned to her, and she yelled, if still somewhat weakly, “Get away from Fluttershy, you freak!” If the basilisk heard her threats, it ignored them all, for the only action that the monster made was to get even closer to the formerly yellow mare. Rainbow could see that there were only a few hooves of distance between the serpent's maw and her friend. The cyan pony had to admit, whatever event happened after she herself was turned to stone, or maybe it was because she did turn to stone, must have triggered something inside of Fluttershy. The mare had her wings flared, her stance was threatening, and that glare that was on her face was... something else. Rainbow had never seen 'The Stare' before, but she had heard enough to know that it was something she never wanted to be on the receiving end of. It didn't matter anymore though, because Rainbow couldn't save her best friend now, when the meek yellow pegasus needed her most. A sudden cracking sound drew the cyan pony's attention to Fluttershy's form again, and she noticed that there was a massive fissure along the side of the statue's body. Not long after, a second crack split through her form, this one running along her right wing, nearly cleaving the feathered appendage from the rest of the body. Rainbow's heart completely froze at the sight of her friend shattering, and even with all of her former strength and all of her earlier promises to protect Fluttershy no matter what, there was nothing she could do to help. Nothing she could do to stop the third crack, or the fourth, or the fifth. Tears burned in Rainbow's eyes as she watched her mare begin to shatter before her eyes. Finally, fifteen seconds after the first fissure formed, the statue vaporized in a blinding light. Leaving nothing but the soft and yellow form of her childhood friend. Before Rainbow could celebrate in any way, the basilisk turned back towards Rainbow. Even if it appeared to have freed the both of them, she couldn't help but have her muscles instinctively seize up as the colossal being looked down onto her. Against her better judgment, she met its gaze. It didn't matter that the thing was a monster, it didn't matter that the creature had tried to kill them before, it didn't matter that she was only a tiny fraction of its size, and it certainly didn't matter that the thing wasn't even a pony. Through all of those things, Rainbow could tell that the thing had the most guilt-ridden eyes that she had ever seen in a long time. And then, as quickly as the thing arrived before the battle, it sunk back into he depths of its ancient lair. The wake of the water rippled for a long time, the waves battering against any objects in their way, until the only two objects breaking the calm water were the small movements of herself and the soft breathing of her friend, finally signaling the end to their battle. Using all of her might, Rainbow Dash pulled her muscular form across the ground, the chilling water doing nothing to slow her down. Her legs still tingled painfully, but that didn't matter in the slightest. All that mattered was being there for Fluttershy. Her muscles burned with the exertion that she put on them, the freshly freed limbs still ached from the fall down that passage with Fluttershy, let alone with the battle with the basilisk. That wasn't even including how stiff they felt after being encased in, or more likely completely made of, stone. It didn't stop her though, and even if this was harder than pulling off a Sonic Rainboom, the drive to continue was a million times stronger, because the reward before was only being Equestria's Best Young Flyer. This reward, was being with Fluttershy. Rainbow had no idea how long it took to crawl the relatively short distance, but it felt like an eternity. However, that eternity was completely worth it when she finally made it to the unconscious mare, the yellow pony's chest slowly rising and falling with each tiny breath. Carefully, making sure not to disturb her slumber, Rainbow scooted up next to her, and with the most delicate of touches, embraced her within her forelegs. The warmth coming off of Fluttershy's belly spread through her, and her heart swelled in silent glee at finally being at the end of their ordeal. Not only that, but they had somehow, someway, by the grace of Celestia, made it out alright. Rainbow sighed at the thought, and carefully petted her friend's matted pink mane. It was several minutes before she felt the muted stirrings of the mare cuddled next to her. Fighting back the urge to completely go crazy with excitement, the cyan pony settled with a wide smile, a tight hug, and more gentle strokes through the wet pink hairs. At first, the yellow pegasus flinched, and tried to struggle to get free, but she must have realized what was going on, for it was only a few seconds later that Rainbow could feel her muscles relax as the timid mare lost herself in the comforting pets. Slowly, her friend's light blue eyes fluttered open, and a cracked whisper emanated from her muzzle, “R... Rainbow?” “Shhh...” Rainbow whispered back, keeping her hold on the pegasus, “Its ok now... I've got ya...” A low rumble echoed through the entire chamber, sending a few small stones from the ceiling into the water below. A quiet 'eep' escaped the yellow mare's lips and she buried her face into Rainbow's chest. Slowly, the shaking stopped, and after Rainbow was satisfied that it was over, she put her mouth close to a yellow ear, “Don't worry, I've got you, 'Shy.” Lifting her head, Fluttershy shifted her weight slightly so she could look around the room a tiny bit. Confusion painted plainly on her face as she looked back at Rainbow, “What happened?” The cyan pony chuckled lightly, “I think your creepy stare thing worked, though I think the effect was a little more... delayed than we would've hoped.” All of the sudden, Fluttershy buried her head into Rainbow's chest, and with heaving breaths, started to sob, all of the emotions of the day finally getting to her. The entire time, Rainbow kept up her strokes, softly 'shushing' the distraught mare. Admittedly, if it wasn't for the fact that the cyan pegasus already had been awake for a while, she would've joined in with the sobs. Fortunately, she was able to be the strong one for the emotion wracked pony. It wasn't for a few minutes till she heard Fluttershy, through heavy sniffing and coughing, speak, “I thought I lost you forever...” “So did I Fluttershy... so did I...” Rainbow whispered. A few seconds passed before the rainbow maned pegasus slowly lifted the pink maned pegasus' head, and gazed into those deep azure eyes, “... but I promise I'll never leave you again.” ____________________________________________________________________________ He paced side to side, allowing the harsh clacking of his cracked hooves to send high pitched taps through the small room. Watching his prey in the dimly lit room, he couldn't resist running his tongue across his beak as he savored the way that she squirmed, the way she eyed the door behind him, and the way that even though she was probably trying to plan some sort of escape, the little thing knew full well that she was wholly at his mercy. It was a thrilling game; a game that he had perfected to a special form of art, or dance, or maybe it was sport. Maybe it was all of them combined into one glorious event, but in reality, it didn't really matter. Whatever it was, at this point in the game, any typical brute would just go up to her, destroy her, and cast her off without a single thought. However, a noble griffin like himself would never lower himself to that savage level. Finally seeing the perfect time to make his move, he carefully walked over, his hooves suddenly silenced by the massive floor rug underhoof. His sudden change of direction had a exhilarating effect on the small mare in the bed in front of him: she jumped, and in the most adorable way, clawed herself as far back as she could, until she was firmly pressed against the large oak headboard. It took all of his willpower not to laugh to himself, for if he had a gold coin for every time that a pony did that, he could buy another castle. He slowly made his way closer, until there was nothing left to do but jump onto the foot of the bed itself. Instead of taking this daring act, he decided to twist the game around a little bit, and in mixing things up, he walked around the bed. Sure, it sounded like a mundane action, but he had never thought of simply walking around it before, and he wasn't sure what would happen. Would she try to scramble her way off of the bed, and push herself against the far wall? Would she scoot to the other side of the bed, but stay on it? Would she try and escape through the seemingly unguarded door? The exciting possibilities drove Xavier to anxiously round the corner of the bed, and make his way towards the mare. Surprisingly, not only did she stay put, but she didn't start to cry in the slightest. Maybe it was because she considered the bed to be her safe haven, and by not invading the precious space, she still felt safe on a subconscious level. An interesting prospect, and one that would need further investigating to prove or disprove, and what better way than with a little conversation? Xavier finally made it to the head of the bed, the young white filly within reach of his forelegs. Calmly, he sat down on his hind legs, and spoke with a tone so gentle that even he knew it was cruel, “So, my fine young lady, what was your name again?” The mare, frightened to no end, stuttered as she tried to find her voice. It took a few tries for the small mare's trembling voice to finally form a single word, “S...Sammy.” “Sammy...” he repeated. With a slow and deliberate movement, he reached out his right hoof, and stroked her rich black mane. She shuttered under his invasive contact, but before she could entirely recover, he spoke again, “That's a very nice name. And I have to admit Sammy, you have the most beautiful mane. The color is just... ravishing...” The small pony, still obviously scared to wits end, meekly replied, “Th... Thank you. My mommy makes sure I take care of it...” “Oh really?” Xavier smiled. With a sudden movement, he pushed her slightly to the side as he jumped onto the bed, so that he was pressed up against her. If her shivers of fear were small before, it was impossible to mistake the now violent spasms for anything but sheer panic. Even as insulting as he knew it was to keep the tone at this point, he kept up his gentle voice, “Well, why does mommy tell you to take care of your mane and tail each day?” This time, the small filly didn't respond with more but a tiny whimper, the fear within her too strong to allow for any sort of organized thought. He sighed heavily. Xavier had thought that the mare was acclimated enough to his presence to not freeze up, but alas, his wish to have some kind intelligent conversation with his partner up until the very end would have to wait for another day. Any other attempts to talk to the young pony would no doubt end in more pathetic noises. Still, if nothing else, he would definitely enjoy this. Slowly, he propped himself up a little bit more, so that he was over her, and- The room flashed with a bright light so intense, that it momentarily sent spots into his vision. Confused, Xavier turned his head and looked out of one of the two windows of the room, and while it appeared that the glow was slightly more than it should have been for an early evening, there was nothing out of the ordinary that he could see. He was just about to shrug his shoulders and get back to business when he felt a loud roar from outside echo around him, followed shortly by another flash of light, this one just as intense as the previous, but yet green in color. Now curious beyond belief, the griffin jumped up onto his hooves, and nearly galloped to the window he was gazing through. The sight before him sent him through a mixture of shock, rage, and fear, with three features standing out instantly. The first was that at least half of his castle courtyard was completely ablaze, with the Royal Guard Headquarters being the the epicenter of the inferno. The fire, while not spreading just yet, would obviously start spreading to some of the nearby wooden buildings, as well as most of the landscaping. Of course, other than the headquarters, the stone buildings in the courtyard, including the keep itself, would be safe from the fire. The second notable feature of the city right now was that there was a second fire raging in what Xavier could tell was the Noble District. Of course, while fires were normal in a city, with the more massive blazes being dangerous, they were usually not entirely devastating. However, considering that this fire appeared to have started right on top of the City Guard Headquarters, and with the size of the blaze, not only was it nearly certain that the building was completely wiped off of the map, but the two fires together looked closer to an attack, rather than an actual coincidence. Of course, with the third notable feature being the massive purple and green dragon in the skies above, it made his conclusion of an attack that much more likely. Suddenly, the door to Xavier's bedroom burst open, and a pair of royal guard pegasi rushed into the room. While both were dressed in the best armor money could buy, it was still easy to see that the senior of the two was recently badly burned across his face and part of his side, his wings were somehow spared from any damage. Taking her opportunity in the confusion, Sammy jumped up, and sprinted past the two guards, both of which paid her no heed, and disappeared into the hallways. Xavier was about to go after her when the senior of the two spoke quickly, “Lord Xavier, the dragon lord Sarlaka is attacking!” Lord Xavier, letting the second mare in a row elude him, looked back out the window, “Yes Colonel Williams, I can see that. My question, is how in Discord's name did his armies get past our sentries without a single warning?” “That's the thing, my lord,” Colonel Williams stepped forward a few steps, his wings fidgeting in anxiety, “Its only him. He has no army, no occupying force, no supply line, nothing. Its just him, and him alone.” Shaking his head, Xavier muttered to himself, “Sarlaka you crazy bastard. You have done strange things in your time, but this is something else. What in the name of Discord are you up to.” Xavier took a few more seconds to think before he looked back at the two pegasi, nodded, and together, the three walked out of his room to make their way down the hall, “What are his demands then?” The colonel shook his head, “We don't know. He just came out of the sky and started attacking us without any sort of warning or demands. It looks like he's here just to kill ponies. Right now though, we need to get you to the safehouse.” “Colonel Williams, if we are heading to the safehouse, then shouldn't we be heading towards the tunnels?” “We would, except the tunnel heading directly to it was collapsed in the initial attack. Its like the dragon knew exactly where to hit us to cripple us the most.” Xavier lost himself in thought as he made his way down the decorated hallways, every hoofstep bringing him closer to safety. Why was he attacking? If anything, that accursed dragon had every reason keep Xavier in power. Sarlaka knew the consequences of such treachery, and the monsters Xavier was keeping at bay. It wasn't lost to him that that was the only reason why the dragon had left him in power for all these years. What had changed? That was the confusing thing: nothing had changed in the world, at least as far as Xavier was aware. He had no reports from his agents in Sarlaka's ranks of any reason for him to act like this. There were no intelligence reports that proved that the threat of the buffalo had changed in the slightest. Had Sarlaka finally gone mad? Had Sarlaka been mad all along, and finally did something that made it obvious? The motives didn't matter at this point really though. What did matter now was a plan of defense. “Colonel Williams,” The griffin spoke as the trio moved down a flight of stairs leading to the ground level, “Once we get to the bunker, I need to get in touch with Chief General Alberts. I'm going to need him to help coordinate a proper defense. A single dragon is powerful, but against an organized defense, he's less than nothing.” The three burst into the throne room, where a dozen of the most elite pegasi of Xavier's Royal Guard were waiting. Upon seeing the three, they moved towards them, and with quick and deliberate movements, brought the three into the center of their ranks for whatever protection they could provide. While the squad exited the throne room and through the final halls, the colonel spoke, “Lord, I'm nearly certain that General Alberts was killed in the initial attack on the Royal Guard HQ.” “Fine, then get me in touch in Vice General Adams.” “I saw him die in the fires firsthand, along with Vice General Carrola, Vice General Sexta, Chief Colonels Dion, Scotts, and Ty.” “That's all of the chief officers, isn't it?” Colonel Williams forcibly pushed a servant to the side, sending the stallion to the ground, “At least within the region, yes. Everypony else is unaccounted for at the moment.” Xavier nodded, “Then congratulations General Williams, you are now in charge of the general defense of the city. I want all pegasi that are able to engage Sarlaka to do so as soon as they are organized.” The group of fifteen burst through the front gates of the citadel, and the newly promoted General Williams pointed up with a hoof, “Already done, Lord.” Lord Xavier took in the scene all around him. It had been many years since he was on a battlefield personally, but it only took a few seconds of standing in the middle of ensuing chaos to bring all of the memories of his military life back to the forefront of his mind. There was the scrambling of soldiers and officers all around him as they tried to deal with the panic that was quickly taking over every single one of them. There was the screaming of innocents in the city below as they, only somewhat aware of what was really going on, began to run in every direction for some semblance of safety. Finally, there was the feeling in Xavier's stomach, like a lead weight had been dumped inside of him, that came just before the fight or flight instinct kicked in. With that very battle instinct coming back, he only needed a few seconds to take in the entire scene around him. Flames licked the grounds on all sides of him, devouring the carefully maintained landscaping of the courtyard. To his right, the once glorious Royal Guard Headquarters, a beacon of Xavier's power for all that could see it, was in complete ruins, with nothing more but a pile of glowing cinders left. The griffin couldn't imagine how many of his military leadership charged with defending the city died in that building, but considering he just field promoted the twentieth in command to lead the defense, things were getting a little dire. To his left, the scene was, ironically maybe, one of calm. There was barely any damage, aside from the small fires that were starting to spread to the area, and all of the buildings were intact. Various guards were spilling out of the many barracks and the mess hall, along with the several nonmilitary ponies that were running about trying to seek cover. From the looks of things, it appeared that, at least at first glance, the vast majority of his pegasi defense force was intact, and considering the scores of pegasi who were now taking to the air in ten-pony flocks until there were at least two hundred pegasi in the air, Sarlaka was in for an unpleasant counterattack. In front of Xavier was the front gate of the castle, or at least what was left of it, leading to the Noble District ring. The fire in the ring was starting to intensify, with only a few patrols of earth ponies even attempting to put it out. While such a fire wouldn't be that much of an issue on a normal day, considering that the majority of his military was currently either occupied, grounded, or dead, the fire was starting to grow out of control. Of course, even if they got the fire under control, there was no doubt that Sarlaka would just ignite a different area of the city. Most likely, unless a miracle happened, he would lose that entire section of the city. Finally, Xavier dared to look up, and saw the wretched creature that was causing all of this, his dark purple scales contrasting with the bright orange of the dusk sky above. It wasn't long until the many flights of pegasi were upon him, hitting him the best they could with their collapsible spears in quick strafing runs. Most did not survive even their first attack, for every time that a flock would dive towards him, he would turn, and with the fire of a volcano, torch the group with his breath. All the while, Sarlaka's intense roar was loud enough to drown out even the screams of the city below. It wasn't too long until Xavier City's Air Corps was quickly turned into clouds of little fireflies falling from the skies. Knowing the dragon was not distracted for long, he and his group of guards started running towards where the secondary passage to his bunker lay, the screams and yells of various ponies all around him. Some calling out orders, some requesting assistance, while some merely hoping that the last moments of their short and violent lives would not be alone. However, even though he was certain that every soldier that he passed knew who he and his squad were and what they were doing, not a single one, neither the brave or the feeble, ever tried to stop any of them. Their destination was was a small building right next to a small postern gate on the side of the castle that was currently not ablaze. Halfway to the wall, the roars of Sarlaka finally died off, the flocks of pegasi most likely either completely routed or destroyed. It didn't matter which, as long as they held that dragon off long enough for Xavier to get to the bunker. With just a few more seconds, he could- A blast of green fire scorched the grass in front of their company, the fire quickly turning to a more proper orangish yellow blaze as it fried the foliage. The pegasi guard closed the circle around Xavier, doing their best to do whatever they could do to protect him, even if a direct hit from the flame would mean instant death to all of them. Xavier was about to call for reinforcements when he noticed the sudden absence of any ponies of any kind. Looking around for a moment, he realized that there were no ponies left behind him; the rest either running away, or slaughtered. A hard crash coming from the direction his troop was heading pierced through the roar of the fire in front of him. Even before he turned his head, Xavier knew what was the cause of the violent noise. His face hardened, he turned back towards the postern gate, and saw Lord Sarlaka slowly walking through the raging inferno he himself created, the fire having no effect on his thick scales. He truly gave off the appearance of a savage dragon of legend: his face was filled with fury, his wings half folded in anticipation, and his stance lowered for agility. All over, dozens of wounds from his aerial battle battered his scales, and while most were minor cuts compared to a dragon, there were several spears that found the small gaps in his nearly impenetrable armor, driving several inches deep into his hide. Many of the metal weapons had snapped off their former wielders upon impact, and now were owned by the dragon, the broken shafts still sticking out. It was then that Xavier noticed the limp that Sarlaka gave off, the ancient being heavily favoring his right foreclaw, the left shoulder still had half of a four foot spear driven within. Xavier forced a smile, “You know, Lord Sarlaka 'the Butcher', there are more diplomatic ways of meeting with a neighboring lord, besides the slaughter of his populace.” The dragon shifted his weight, and slightly raised his injured limb, “Don't trifle with me, you ugly freak of nature. You just threw everything you had at me, and here I still am. I seriously doubt a handful of pegasi could change anything now.” “Please, the insults aren't needed right now. And for the record, I had no intention of throwing anything at you to start off with. As far as I am aware, you were the one that ATTACKED MY CITY!!” Xavier nearly yelled. “Maybe you should have thought of that before you tried to rape a friend of mine, a certain pink mare.” “Pink mare? What kind of...” Lord Xavier trailed off, the memory of Lady Pie, the pony that eluded his clutches, coming to mind. Taking a deep breath, he started again, “I see... so I assume that she returned safe and sound. Rest assured that aside from that one... incident, I made sure she and her servant were properly cared for.” “Properly cared for!?” Sarlaka spat, a tiny jet of flame erupting from his throat as he spoke, “And you even try to call yourself a pony!?” “I am a powerful and proud griffin, while you,” Xavier yelled, pointing a cracked hoof at the wounded creature, “are nothing but a old, worthless, and pathetic relic of a time long dead!” As if that was their cue, the fourteen guards around him leaped into action, extending their spears as they charged. Half of their flock was killed instantly when Sarlaka reared back slightly, and swiped his good claw at their group, the powerful muscles almost tearing the ponies to multiple pieces. The rest, however, got through, and with quick movements, each one stuck their spears into his hide. It was obvious that many struck true, for the dragon's violent roars were filled with both anger and pain. Sarlaka swiped with a claw, but the small ponies easily dodged the wild attack, dispersing from the scene. The expertly trained soldiers quickly got back together into a somewhat organized formation, with all but General Williams forming up in pairs. Xavier watched as the pegasi seemingly danced around the creature, avoiding all of his swipes and bites with expert precision, while still getting off attacks of their own. In a careful ballet, where a single good hit would end their lives before they even could realize it, the remaining seven elite guards alternated their attacks between pairs; no two attacks ever coming from the same side. Blood spilled from the dragon, and while he still held onto his vitality, his attacks were less forceful, his movements slower, and his claws swiping less often. It was then that the pegasi closed their attacks in further, going in for the kill. The griffin's beak gave its perverse version of a smile: he had been waiting for this moment for far too long. Suddenly, the monstrous dragon found his second wind, and with a swinging motion of his head, spewed fire in all directions. Xavier took several steps back to escape the wall of flames that erupted from Sarlaka. The green flame, while dissipating a few hooves of distance before Xavier, was so superheated, that it still singed his facial hairs. The flames cleared quickly, and when the griffin looked back, he saw what was left of his personal escort: six burning lumps on the ground around the dragon. General Williams landed between Xavier and Sarlaka, his heavily singed wings flared in aggressiveness. Sarlaka stared him down for a few seconds, the dragon back onto his four legs, before lowering his wings slightly and falling to a knee. The dark red blood flowed out of the dozens of wounds, some much more severe than others, every single one taking its toll on the great beast. Angry, and seeing his opportunity, Williams yelled, “That's all you got!? I can take you by myself!” The pegasi launched himself at the enemy, charging head on, intent on driving his spear in for the kill. Sarlaka let forth a narrow jet of emerald flame, but General Williams rolled to the right, narrowly avoiding the vast majority of the fire. His coat still glowing in several small spots from the near miss, Williams banked left, heading straight for the dragon's mouth. Sarlaka threw his left foreclaw at the tiny target, but again, the general rolled, this time to the left, completely dodging the swipe. With nothing left to defend the dragon, Williams banked right, and with all of his force, closed the last few hooves of distance between the two bodies. With a thunderous hit, General Williams slammed the entire length of the four foot spear into the dragon's side, eliciting a much higher pitched cry from Sarlaka. Xavier thought for a moment that the battle was over, until the monster turned, grabbed the pegasi with his left foreclaw, and with the pony firmly in his grasp, brought Williams in front of his face, the spear breaking off inside of his body. The two looked at each other for a second, each having the a look of complete hatred in each others eyes. Then, the dragon let out a final jet of green flame, completely encasing the pony in his grasp in the raging inferno. Xavier could feel the lick of the fire even from where he stood, the heat coming off of his flame hotter than any other fire that the griffin could have even imagine existed on this earth. It was only a few seconds before Sarlaka sputtered the last licks of flame, and when the fire dissipated, the only things that were left of the great General Williams were ashes and molten slag. As the screams of the city around the pair raged on, Sarlaka turned back towards Xavier, rage still in the griffin's eyes. However, through the hatred, there was a tinge of weakness glazed over his eyes now. His voice still as stoic as ever, the dragon spoke, “Looks like this pathetic relic just destroyed your entire army. What does that mean for you, Lord Xavier 'the Conquered'?” Xavier, even in the face of his demise, stood strong, “This is my domain, and as Discord always said, I am allowed to what I want in it. If that's taking part in some... earthly delights, why should I be judged by the likes of you?” The dragon chuckled weakly, “It seems that you can't do whatever you want in your domain anymore, considering that your domain is pretty much mine now. The only question that remains is how do I want to end your pitiful life. Fire seems too elegant of a death for a worthless creature like yourself.” “You... you wouldn't do that!” the griffin took a step back, “Without me, there's nothing stopping the Buffalo Hordes! I know your armies are occupied in the east, west, and north with the nations all around you. You cannot hope to contend with the buffalo as well. Lets face it Lord Sarlaka, while you may not agree with my methods, you may not agree with my morals, hell, you may want to kill me, but you need me.” “Oh really? I guess I'll have to find a way to manage.” With a burst of energy, Sarlaka jumped forward, and with a quick swipe of his left foreclaw, grabbed onto the griffin. Xavier let out a weak grunt as he was picked up, and pulled closer to the smiling face of Sarlaka. As his grin grew wider, the dragon let out a small puff of smoke as he slowly and deliberately spoke, “Oh, and good news: I think I know the perfect way for a vile cretin like you to die...” A/N: Yeah... I had way too much fun writing those last few paragraphs...