//------------------------------// // Chapter Fifteen: The Lady on the Mountain // Story: Sins of the Ancients // by Tundara //------------------------------// Sins of the Ancients Chapter Fifteen: The Lady atop the Mountains "Six of Seven Flames shall hold council, And atop their thrones will watch the South and plan." -From the Prophecy of the Purple Wizard Merit was an old town, older than almost any other that graced the surface of the world. In times past it had been a fortress citadel at the heart of a barbaric kingdom and a small collection of hovels picking the bones of past to make a better future. Through all the years two things remained the same; the town's name, and it was almost painfully hot in the summer even with the winds that screamed south through the mountains. The present town was fair sized, a collection of nearly a hundred building clustered in the junction of two valleys. Like Great Bear to the east, Merit had a plain simple feel, like it was out of place with the rest of the world. Log homes dominated a portion of the town, while newer almost Appleloosan buildings filled the other, giving the town an odd personality, like a bench with an old man and someone entering the prime of life sitting side by side. It was also a trading town, it's fortunes built on the caravans that ran every direction of the compass along, and in some cases over, the valleys and mountains that made up the majority of the Protectorates. Twilight learned all this from a babbling Sunalinda. The small woman's excitement had been palpable since it had been decided that the best course of action was to head to the south. There Twilight could get access to the wizards and their libraries that'd be necessary for making the artefact given to her by the Elder work. No one, least of all Twilight herself, wanted to discuss the final moments inside the shelter. It was unspoken, but they all knew looking at each other's faces that none believed any of the shelter's residents had survived. There were over six caravans in the town when the weary group entered Merit. Sun directed them towards an inn on the edge of town near to the south pass. Thick smoke and the smell of spoiled beer was heavy in the air as they entered the building. Half the tables were occupied, and the inn keeper, a sour faced man wearing a stained apron, watched them take a seat in a corner. From there they'd have clear sight towards all the entrances without being visible to the outside. None of them knew if the assassins hired to kill Jasmine would still be after her. It had been almost two months since the attack at the Tithe to the Lady in the Lake. Had they given up, did they believe their last agents successful, were there more members waiting in the town? None had answers, so they'd take no chances. They paid for two nights at the inn, then be back on the road, heading south towards the Pass of the Twin Dragons; so named for two tall slate sided mountains where dragons liked to roost, watching the caravans move or basking in the sun as fancy took them. Resting her head against a support beam, Twilight let her eyes drift shut. When they did she was greeted again by the last images of Katie. She cringed slightly, but didn't cry or scream as she had done the first week as they trudged up the mountains looking for the caravan trails. The image was almost becoming normal and it quickly passed to be replaced by thoughts about magic, or history, or other sundry details of their journey. Kodiak and Sun had already offered to restock their almost empty provisions. For the last week they'd been living only on what they could catch or scavenge, and in the high mountain plateau between the Protectorate of the Lake and the Protectorate of the Mountain, that was little. Twilight was so hungry she didn't even check to see what it was that was placed in front of her. After a month of bland green goop followed by progressively more stale bread and what berries were safe to eat anything would be an improvement Twilight decided. Almost anything, she amended later when their food was brought to the table by a young woman with the tops of her ample bosom on display, hips swaying as she slid like smoke through the room. There, in front of her, was what Twilight had forgotten to fear. In the middle of the table were three large bowls, all containing a meat dish served in a thick sauce of some kind. Too hungry to protest or demand something different, if anything was available, Twilight reached for the nearest bowl. "Um, Twi', I think you should choose another dish," Sun said to Twilight's left. "Why? I know what this is," Twilight said shrugging and trying to keep a disgusted look off her face. Reminding herself over and over not to think about what she was eating and focus on other things, like complex algebra equations, she dug her fork onto the food. It was only one meal. She could get through it. "You do?" Tracey said looking quickly between Twilight and the serving bowl. "Yes, it's dead creatures," Twilight grumbled, stomach already sending for its white flag. "Yes, but-" "Leave her be," Kodiak rumbled, serving himself a large heaping pile of some mustard yellow dish. "This is good for her, to get over this fear." "Thank you, Kodiak," Twilight said with a weak smile before taking a bite. Twilight had thought that Mrs. Conrad made a good meal, but this was on a whole other level entirely. Maybe it was the bland food for so long followed by a week of near starvation. Maybe it was the sauces and the meat itself. Whatever the source, it was like a concert of bliss exploded into her mouth, took the short path to her brain, and promptly set up home in Twilight's senses. The food had a smooth creamy texture with subtle hints of spices Twilight had never encountered before. Abandoning any idea of protesting the infusion of meat, Twilight's stomach settled and she almost managed to relax. Several minutes passed, the serving bowls were almost empty, and the waitress came out with another series of dishes, this filled with various vegetables. Stuttering and groaning in defeat, Twilight let her forehead fall with a thwack onto the table. From that position she muttered, "You knew that there was more to dinner, didn't you," to no one in particular. "I tried to warn you," Sunalinda said, taking a pile of steamed beans and a baked potato. "You've never been to an Inn in the Protectorates, miss?" the serving girl asked as she finished switching the meat dishes for the vegetables. "Kind of obvious, isn't it?" Twilight muttered, face still planted on the table. "Just ate my fill of... whatever that was." "Why, that is my momma's special Pony Korma. A favourite here at the Hollow Gulch Inn." Twilight's stomach didn't even have to go for the white flag, her brain was already in a full melt-down sequence complete with metaphysical ponies running for the exits screaming. Lifting her head slowly Twilight fired a glare around the table and growled, "You knew, didn't you?" All had the decency to look away or guilty. All except Kodiak, who just shrugged, scooped up his last morsel of the 'Pony Korma', and with a full mouth said, "It wouldn't have been as educational." Not speaking, and with all the worker-ponies her mind surprisingly calm, Twilight stood, walked outside, and proceeded to scream in fury, despair, and sickness up at the lazily floating clouds. A few moments later she returned to the table. "I'm a cannibal," Twilight said in a partial daze as she sat. Fortunately she was spared any rebuttals to her assertion by several burly caravaneers entering the inn. The group was loud, boisterous, and took two tables near the door. This in and of itself wouldn't have been enough to take Twilight's mind off what she'd just eaten, except two of the men, clearly in an argument of some kind, stood back up. "Fine, I'll put it to the Inn then! See what they think," roared the first, a short wide barreled man with a flaxen beard that reached to his belly, where it was tucked into his belt. "Listen up all, my... friend has gone and taken leave of his senses. Now, you're about to hear a-" "Bah, stick your fancy words up your arse, you pale faced elf-monger." The second man rose to his feet, towering over his companion. He was easily the biggest man Twilight had seen yet, taller than even Kodiak by a good hand span. Also like Kodiak he was completely shirtless, wearing only some leather pants held up by one suspender looping over a shoulder. Beneath coarse hair a network of intricate black tattoos were barely visible. Spreading arms thick as tree trunks wide, the second man moved to the center of the inn where he'd be visible to all the patrons. "Listen up and hear me well, townsfolk of Merit!" Almost everyone in the inn stopped what they were doing, which amounted to drinking and talking in rowdy voices, eager to watch the new-comers. Even the Inn Keeper looked up from behind the bar, a full mug of beer frozen mid-air before an eagerly waiting patron. Content in his audience, the huge caravaneer began to pace in a small circle. "I am Jackal, son of Wolf and Coyote, of the Lupus Tribe, and I have seen," he paused, taking in a deep breath before, with a flash of white teeth, shouting, "a Goddess!" A murmur followed by chortles and then full belly laughter made the walls of the inn shake. "A Goddess you say?" called one grizzled old man with salt and pepper hair from a corner. "Bah! Bah to that I say! By the First Dragon, why don't you go back to your islands, Nortmun! A Goddess he says. Bah!" "Aye, you've baked your brains in the mountain sun more like," added another voice to a chorus of general approval. "Ha, disbelievers, all! But you will believe when you see her for yourself." The huge man laughed loud and long, his braided hair swaying as his shoulders shook. "Her eyes are like the ocean before a storm, her laugh the wind whistling through the trees. She is dark and beautiful as the night she commands and strong as the foundations of the greatest mountains." "Oh, come off it, yah sun stroked fish hunter!" Shouted another voice from somewhere to Twilight's left. "Oi, who said that?! Come out here and say that to our faces, bloody son of a black arsed drake!" Responded the huge man's friend, dark eyes flashing as he leapt forward, an axe appearing in his hand from seemingly nowhere. "Settle, friend Frederic," Jackal replied, laying one massive palm on the short man's head, much like he was a dog. "They have not seen what we have, and if I am not mistaken, you agree with them." "Well, not about that 'fish hunter' jibe. No call fer that in polite conversations, like," grumbled a mollified Frederic. "They will see what I have seen, in time." "And what did you see? Fairies dancing about the river? Mayhaps it were the spriggan about their merry capers again?" Chortled another, his words eliciting more chuckles from the inn. "I saw her, not seven days ago as we approached the village of Golem's Watch, among a troop of knights and guarded by no less than three Paladins," Jackal puffed out his chest and his eyes and face grew distant, a remembered bliss taking over his features. "Our caravan was made to move aside, and who were we to argue to thirty knights and three of the Paladins? And then, as they passed, being as I am taller than any Soutmun, I saw her." He paused, and for once silence reigned in the inn as everyone present waited for his next words. Twilight was almost leaning out of her seat to watch and hear the spectacle. Even the others had all paused in their meal and watched with rapt attention. Kodiak rubbed his chin and Vernon looked to be deep in contemplation. Eric had a wistful smile playing at the corners of his lips and eyes. Pleased in the attention he was receiving, Jackal continued. "I first saw what looked like a great billowing field of stars, her hair dancing about her as she rode past. It obscured her mostly, I fear to say, though I caught her eyes for but a moment. And I saw her mount. A fine strong horse, she was. But also not a horse. A horn! Midnight blue and as long as my forearm, and when the goddess laughed the horse flared wings as elegant as an eagles!" "It's Luna," Twilight said, and suddenly dozens of eyes shifted from the wildly gesturing man to her. She stood only a few feet the Nortmun, barely over half his height. Twilight hadn't even realised she'd slid out of her chair. Taking a gulp of air to steady her racing heart, Twilight continued. "It wasn't her horse you saw, it was her, Luna, the Goddess of the Moon and Warden of the Night." A deathly silence overtook the inn, and Twilight could feel a little bead of sweat work its way down her brow. Whatever had prompted her to get up and speak eluded Twilight as she stood now at the center of attention. Frederic, the short man clearing his throat, took a step towards Twilight. From behind her Twilight heard the scrape of a chair being pushed back and a presence joining her shadow. Suspecting it to be Vernon, or perhaps Eric, Twilight felt a little surge of confidence. "Miss, you know about what my friend speaks?" "Yes. And he is partially correct. There was no rider, just Luna herself." A wide smile grew on Twilight's face the huge man looked perplexed. "This changes everything," Twilight cried in delight. Forgetting entirely about dinner, Twilight quickly headed upstairs to the inns rooms, stopping briefly to ask directions of the waitress. There were plans and checklists that needed to be made. Luna was here on this world physically. With their combined knowledge of magic, Twilight was certain that together they'd figure out how to get the artefact to work and find their way home. Below her the patrons of the inn broke into a rowdy argument that filtered up through the floor. Twilight ignored it, working until the sun set. * * * As planned, two nights later they began the trip south. Unplanned though was the caravan they were to accompany. Twilight didn't mind so much. She could sit beside one of the wagon's drivers giving her time to read and think over what she'd do when they found Luna. To her right sat April, and Twilight allotted time to continue teaching her magic. April still couldn't cast the most basic spell, but that didn't worry Twilight too much. From her understanding of the Aether Stone test, April was, while gifted, not as strong as Twilight, and still young. Even Tracey said it was nothing to worry about. Most apprentices didn't start casting spells until their second or third years. The constant rumble and grind of wheels pulled by oxen was their companion as they wound their way along the valley and into the pass. Mountain peaks, sharp and tall like fangs, thrust towards the sky, clouds clinging to their tips like cotton balls. For three days the trip was uneventful, just the same routine of traveling during the progressively shorter days, setting camp and taking care of the oxen during the twilight hours, followed by sleep. Noon of the fourth day wasn't so routine. As the caravan was pulling up a long hill, a rolling slope leading down to a slow moving creek to the left, was when they attacked, screeching as they fell from the sky, sun at their backs. It was a screech all ponies knew by instinct more than experience. Reacting at once, Twilight flung herself to the right, grabbing April and pulling the girl off the wagon as their driver disappeared, hoisted into the air. "What is it? What's happening?" April cried as the oxen began to panic. Hooves stamping down, the huge beasts almost crushed Twilight and April, the two scrambling to the line of trees on the side of the so-called road. Hiding beside an old pine, Twilight looked back in time to see one of the oxen pulling their wagon fall to its knees. Snorting and throwing its head, the huge ox tried to reach the creature on its back, to no avail. It was a creature Twilight knew by reputation, and having met before. Wings spread wide so the sun twinkled between the primary feathers, and claws dug into the flesh of the ox's back, was a gryphon. Several others darted about through the air, swooping and screeching as they attacked the caravan. Eagle-like head snapping down, the gryphon bit deep into the ox's neck. With a twist and sickening snap, the gryphon killed the animal, then looked over and stared straight at Twilight and April. Golden eyes narrowing, the gryphon leaped into the air, wings snapping once to carry it towards Twilight, screeching as its bird-like fore claws reached for the two humans. Snapping her hand into a flat blade, Twilight punched the air. A sharp snap cut the gryphon's screech short and the afternoon breeze carried the sharp tang of ozone as lightning crackled from Twilight's hand and into the chest of the gryphon, hurling the creature backwards over the dead ox and down the steep embankment on the other side. "Stay here," Twilight commanded, waiting just long enough for April to nod before looking out towards the caravan of six wagons. Rushing out from the trees towards Twilight punched the air at a passing gryphon diving towards the wagon Sunalinda and Tracey had been traveling on, only for nothing to happen. Biting her lower lip, Twilight ducked down beside the wagon she and April had been riding, saw another gryphon, and again tried to cast the spell. Lightning cracked and forked out, wrapping itself around the winged hunter. Wisps of smoke curling from the blackened feathers and fur, the gryphon crashed and tumbled in a heap into the tree-line. "Seven and a half seconds Echo, give or take, great," Twilight muttered to herself as she scrambled between her wagon and the one that had been following. The oxen of this wagon was still alive and panicking, huge hooves thundering as the crazed animals looked for a way to escape the winged death circling and diving. But with steep hills to either side, the wagon in front blocking the road, and no way to turn around, the entire caravan was halted. Counting down the seconds in her head, Twilight's eyes darted left and right at the swooping attackers. A couple other gryphons lay dying, one with a crossbow bolt protruding from an eye, the other with a broken neck from flying straight into a tree. Twilight suspected the later was the work of Tracey. Some illusion, no doubt, involved. A screech from behind her barely gave Twilight enough warning to throw herself to the side, talons passing through the air where she'd been moments before. Rolling to her feet Twilight waited a second for the voice to finish its counting in the back of her head, then quickly summoned a bubble of crackling flames. Turning, the gryphon eyed the fire enveloping Twilight wearily, pacing back and forth a few times before taking to the air in search of prey not surrounded by magical flames. Breathing a sigh of relief, Twilight continued to head towards Tracey and Sun's wagon, a crack and bolt of lightning flying from behind the wagon as Twilight approached. Confident that Tracey was still alive and fighting, Twilight dispelled the shield, the ring on her hand warm from maintaining the fire-fused spell. Starting to count down again, Twilight rounded the wagon and came face to face with a gryphoness. For a moment Twilight thought she was back in Ponyville at the party for Rainbow's foalhood gryphon friend, Gilda. The two looked almost identical. Just the plumes on their heads were different colours. Growling like a cat, the gryphoness pounced at Twilight, birdlike talons extended. Not even bothering to try to cast a spell, knowing the ring still contained the quickly fading traces of the fire-shield, Twilight instead dove forward under the gryphoness. She cried out a moment later as claws raked her back leaving shallow cuts before Twilight could roll out from beneath the gryphoness. A cry of pain above signaled the arrival of help. The gryphoness, voice containing hints of anger mingled with pain, took to the air in a flap of her wings and wheeled over the valley, disappearing among the flock of predators. "Twilight, you alright?" asked Tracey, the illusionist offering a hand to help Twilight up. Gasping at the stinging in her back, Twilight nodded and rested against the back of the wagon. Looking around Twilight saw that she and Tracey were alone, no Sunalinda or the drivers for any of the wagons. There weren't even any of the other guards hired to protect the wagons. "Stupid echo," Twilight grumbled in part as an answer to Tracey's question. "I never had this complication before coming here." "Ha, you'll have to ask the Lady in the Lake to teach you tactics in addition to actual spells and spell theory next time you see her," Tracey said with a grim smile, a spinning blade of fire flying from the head of her staff towards a cluster of gryphons diving towards the two wizards. Two of the gryphons managed to dodge the spell, but the third was struck on the wing, the limb separating from the body as flames clung and consumed both. "What about you?" "Thirty and forty two seconds," Tracey responded ducking back around the wagon and pulling Twilight with her. "One core open." "I think next chance I get, I'm going to make myself a staff," Twilight sighed, wiggling her fingers as she felt the last trace of the shield leave her ring. "Didn't have this problem when we fought beside the creek," Twilight added before launching a lance of condensed air towards a gryphon. Squawking in pain the gryphon ducked back out over the valley, but was more irritated than hurt. "As I recall you were using only first and second tier spells with very low echoes," chuckled the illusionist. "Over and over and over I might add. It was kind of sad, really." "Considering they were the only spells I had learned since coming to this world, I think I managed rather well," Twilight pouted, then summoned another barrier, this one made of dense water, around her and Tracey as the two gryphons driven off moments earlier landed in front of the wizards and pounced. Bouncing off the shell of magical water, the gryphons cried out in rage before again taking flight. Dispelling the barrier Twilight muttered, "Eleven." "Lucky, that barrier would leave an Echo for close to a minute with my staff," Tracey chuckled. "So, do we have a plan?" Twilight asked as she waited what felt like forever for her next spell to be available. "I'm not sure to be honest. I could 'go loud', as the apprentices say," Tracey said shuffling back around the wagon as a trio of gryphons lined up dives. "But if I do and miss..." "'Go loud'?" Twilight asked, the gryphons changing course and heading towards the back of the caravan, presumably where everyone else was. "What the apprentices call it when more powerful and experienced wizards pull out the really big spells. If I miss though..." "It could be several minutes be the core loses its Echo," Twilight said finishing Tracey's sentence, receiving a nod for her insight. A scream from the back of the caravan made up both wizards minds a moment later. "Do it," Twilight said, standing up beside Tracey. "I'll protect you." "Okay. This spell is a favourite of mine and Jasmine's master." The two wizards stepped away from the partial safety of the wagon to the edge of the slope. Over half the flock of gryphons wheeled about over the valley, their piercing cries of victory or anger filling the air as much as the beat of their wings. One gryphon split from the flock, diving towards the wizards. Twilight recognised it as the Gilda look-alike. "The Great and Powerful Tracey has a gift for you," Tracey called to the gryphons. Pulling her staff back, Tracey took a deep breath, eyes closing. Twilight could feel the tug of the Aether around her as Tracey began to draw the spell together. Twilight had no idea how long it was going to take Tracey to cast the spell. Biting her lower lip, Twilight launched several magical sparks towards the gryphoness, each containing a compact disk of air. Humming, the sparks struck the wing of the Gilda gryphoness, making her squawk and retreat back towards the flock. Smiling, Twilight relaxed a little, not even bothering to count the incredibly short echo the spell caused. The smile was wiped from her face a moment later as a large angry feathered head smashed into Twilight's side. A scream tore from her throat a moment later as the gryphon's beak clamped down on Twilight's thigh, tearing into flesh. Pain flushed through her, hot, searing pain. Releasing her leg, and pinning her with a claw, the gryphon lunged for Twilight's throat. No time to think of anything fancy, Twilight punched the gryphon in the face as hard as she could, the bones in her hand snapping and causing her to cry out a second time. Grunting, the gryphon shook its head, Twilight still pinned underneath. Beak again dove towards Twilight's throat. A breathy gasp escaped Twilight's lips as the full weight of the gryphon collapsed on her, the gryphons beak smacking into the rocks beside Twilight's head. It gave a slow thready gasp, blood pouring from its open mouth. Blinking, Twilight was confused as to what had happened. Certainly nothing she'd done. Struggling to pull herself out from under the dead gryphon, Twilight heard Tracey's voice fill the air. "Gravasenda!" the illusionist roared, staff thrusting forward like a lance. Turning her head a little to watch, Twilight saw a wide rolling wave of pure telekinetic force blast forth, rumbling like the crash of an avalanche from the head of Tracey's staff. The Gilda-like gryphoness had been again approaching the wizards. She squawked and tried to duck under the wave, only to be caught in the magic. Twilight closed her eyes and looked away, but not before the image of the gryphoness' body being compacted and crushed filled her vision. Several more squawks and cries of pain filled the air and were quickly snuffed out. When Twilight opened her eyes she saw that the sky was clear of flying gryphons. A ringing cry broke out from among the trees at the base of the slope, one repeated from a dozen throats around the caravan. Moments later the sky was again filled with wings, all flying away. A few gryphons clutched a body in their talons, but most were empty clawed. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and started trying to pull herself out from under the dead gryphon again. A moment later Vernon appears, sword covered in liquid crimson. With Tracey's help, he rolled the body off Twilight, and down the embankment. "You're hurt," he stated seeing Twilight's leg. "I'll be fine," Twilight grumbled, as she leaned up against a wagon's wheel. As if to prove her point, Twilight gingerly removed her ring from her broken hand, barely avoiding screaming again, and slid it onto her left index finger. Pausing to control her breathing, Twilight quickly went through her mental inventory of spells. Most were Evocations, but she had learned one Transmutation that'd help. Making the necessary signs, Twilight placed her good hand on the bite. Magic tingled through the flesh and the bleeding slowed, though it didn't stop. The spell was far too weak to fully heal a wound so deep. "Healing magic, you're improving quickly," Tracey commented as she and Vernon wrapped and bandaged what remained. "The most minor healing magic," Twilight said with a hiss as Vernon took her hand and inspected it. "You broke two fingers," he said. "Breaking your casting hand," a mirthless laugh came from Twilight's lips. "That has to be the equivalent of breaking your horn back home. Celestia would be so disappointed in me," Twilight added, eyes fixated on a dead gryphon. Then again, maybe she wouldn't. Twilight was beginning to understand some of the sad looks Celestia had given her over the years when asked questions or comments about history, or how Twilight would have found another way rather than resort to war or violence. Celestia had always smiled, despite the dancing sadness in her eyes that only those very few who truly knew her could detect, and said that she hoped Twilight would never have to understand why she had done certain things. Her own injuries tended to, Twilight was helped to her feet. The three went to see if there was anyone in the caravan that needed help. "April?" she called, making her way first towards the front of the caravan, limping and hissing when she put pressure on her bad leg. "I'm fine!" the girl responded, but not at the base of the tree Twilight had left her, rather half way up in its branches. Letting out a deeper sigh of relief, Twilight waited for April to climb out of the tree. Together they made their way towards the back of the caravan where everyone else was gathering. Half-way there a new sound echoed and reverberated through the valley; a sound anyone who had lived in the Protectorates knew as intrinsically as Twilight knew the cry of a diving gryphon. Looking up, Twilight saw, on wings like the great sails of a ship, a dragon as white as snow. The dragon's shadow passed over the caravan, the huge beast roaring again as the caravaneers hooted and called out its name. Shading her eyes, Twilight saw among the white scales little flecks of ruby running across the dragon's belly and through its wings. Smiling and waving, Twilight added her voice to the chorus. April remained silent. In a matter of moments the dragon caught up to the fleeing gryphons, and opening its jaws, sent a stream of white fire that consumed the remainder of the flock. Twilight's voice died in her throat and the blood left her face. Sputtering and blinking, she watched the dragon turn and fly back towards the caravan. Ground trembling under its clawed feet, the dragon landed on the slope, head lifted up to survey what remained of the wagons and their drivers. "A thousand apologies," the dragon said, a dragoness Twilight mentally corrected, based on the distinct feminine tones. "I hadn't expected the gryphons to grow so bold so soon. Had I they would have been culled." The dragoness' voice rumbled through the valley as Twilight joined the others. More than a few had claw wounds or bites. Kodiak's face and chest was covered in blood, presumably gryphon. Sun and Eric were tending to the wounded along with one of the caravan drivers. Several of the caravaneers were missing however, taken by the gryphons. As the caravan master went to speak with the dragoness, Twilight went to help heal. Her spell may be weak, but it was still better than unsanitized bandages. For a time the dragoness spoke to the caravan master. Twilight ignored what was said, focusing on the more important task. More roars began to filter through the valley. Looking up Twilight saw six other dragons flying down from the north. It was like the Great Migration in Equestria again. They flew in a loose line, fire occasionally flickering from a mouth. "I must go," the dragoness said, reaching up with a talon to pry a lose ruby scale free. "Give this to the mayor of Golem's Watch. Tell him the Lady atop the Mountains sent you. He will know what to do." Just as she was spreading her wings to take to the sky, the dragoness' eyes landed on Twilight. Her face scrunched up in pensive confusion for a moment, then flashed a deep bestial rage. "Purpura Veneficus!" she roared, white fire dancing around her teeth. "I dared not believe it, until now." The Lady atop the Mountains took long deep breaths from her nose, eyes growing wider still and darting to April. "I know that smell. But it cannot be. They were all lost along with the Ancients and the Crown!" Rocks and dirt tumbled down the embankment as the dragoness took a step forward, her dark sapphire eyes locked on April. The girl stood firm, though Twilight could detect the traces of a tremble, as the dragoness lowered her snout until it was so close April could reach out and touch her. The ground trembled as a second dragon landed on the rise behind Twilight and April. "You are not to touch her, Mountains, she is of the Lake." Twilight had to work hard to keep her face neutral as the booming voice of Ogopologos thundered through the valley. "She is in the Mountains now, I can do as I please." "She is apprentice of my Flame. She is of the Lake. You are not to touch her." "Your Flame? You have taken the great destroyer as your Fidelis Discipulus?" The Lady atop the Mountains raised her head high into the air, a deep menacing rumble echoing from within her armoured chest. "Have you any conception what you've set in motion?" "Do not take me for a hatchling, Mountains!" Thundered the blue dragon, smoke curling from her nostrils. "I am well aware of the consequences for my actions. Habet electionem, quantum potui movere volumus. Non abscondit in spelunca expectabit!" "We do not hide in our caves, Lake! We know that the slightest touch, the briefest nudge, could bring disaster down upon us all. " "The Purple Wizard has come, Mountains. She will save us, or doom us. We must accept that the Prophecy is in motion and do our part to see it through, no matter the end." While the two dragonesses shouted in each other's face, April had slid up to Twilight, wrapping herself up in the rich, dirty, and torn robes. Twilight could feel sobs wracking the girl's body as she clung to her. "Twilight Sparkle, April Conrad. Come to me," commanded the Lady in the Lake. Lowering herself so that her neck lay on the rocky road, the dragoness said, "Climb upon my back." Twilight knew that tone well, having heard it many times over the last few months. Grabbing a scale with her good hand, Twilight pulled herself up onto the dragoness' neck. A few times she had to bite her tongue to avoid making noises from the pain of her broken hand. Once she was seated, Twilight reached down to help April. The girl looked from the dragoness' eyes, only feet away from her, to Twilight's hand. Looking over her shoulder to Tracey and Vernon, the humans having been ignored as the dragon's argued, she saw both nod. Adjusting the pack holding the Prometheus Dynamo, she clambered up the dragoness and sat in front of Twilight. "We will not forget this betrayal, Lake," the Lady atop the Mountains warned as the Lady in the Lake spread her massive wings. "Even creatures as long lived as we forget, in time, Mountains," The Lady in the Lake replied sadly, then with a bounding leap that pushed Twilight and April down into the scales, she took to the air. Over the years Twilight had experienced many forms of flight, from carriages pulled by the royal guards, to her hot-air balloon. She'd even been carried on Rainbow's back a couple times. But nothing compared to being on a dragon's back. Power, potent and barely contained, thrummed through the dragon's muscles and into the air. Magic, more so than even the dragon's beating wings, held the immense creature aloft. Twilight smiled as the village of Golem's Watch came into view. A journey of a day reduced to several minutes. A smile that slowly faded into a pensive frown as she looked up at the slate sided mountains looming over the narrow pass and cliff the village was perched atop. Her eyes settled on the massive imposing statue in the heart of the village, polished metal sides gleaming like mirrors in the mountain air. She'd seen this sight before, almost exactly, when Twilight had held the Prometheus Dynamo in her hands. Closing her eyes, Twilight let the rushing wind and strong flaps of wings carry away a growing tide of painful memories. Angling down a narrow pass between the growing mountains, The Lady in the Lake looked back towards the two humans on her back. "Master, why?" Twilight called, cupping her mouth with her hands and shouting at the top of her voice to speak over the wind. "Why help me?" "Know this, my student. I am old, and I no longer fear death for myself. I am also a mother, and like all mothers, I worry for my children. Should I perish my eldest has agreed to honour the Oaths and become the new Lady in the Lake. Your role in this world is the most important since King Arthus and the founding of the White-Gold Empire. It is foolish to think otherwise. " "I think I understand, Master." Twilight rubbed her temples with her good hand. The Lady in the Lake didn't reply. She just gave a throaty chuckle that made the two humans on her neck shake, wings striking the air as she gained altitude to fly above the clouds and mountains. For a time only an endless sheet of brilliant white stretched out beneath them, glistening like diamonds in the descending sun. Twilight relaxed, just enjoying the beat of the dragon's wings, the cool crisp wind in her face, and the peaceful calm. She could almost forget all her worries and the memories that haunted her dreams. After a while, Twilight again cupped her hands around her mouth and asked, "Master, where are you taking us?" "To the jewel of the coast; Roxholm upon Tyme." The dragoness tipped her wings, rolling into a long bank, the clouds thinning and breaking into windows on the rolling green fields of a great plain below. Towns and villages dotted and sprinkled the bank of a huge winding grey river. To the north and east mighty mountains reached into the sky creating a nearly impenetrable wall, while to the south a single lonely mountain thrust out of the plain, higher and mightier than any Twilight had ever seen, even in Equestria. Nostalgia clutched Twilight's heart as they began to descend. The plain reminded her so much of the Mane Valley with the sharp ringing mountains and forests mixed with patches of farmland. Looking over the bobbing head and horns of the dragon's head, Twilight spotted the city. A circle of grey with the river flowing through the middle. Thousands of plumes of smoke curled from chimneys, and even so high, the rank smell of sewage struck at Twilight's senses. Towers dotted the high walls every hundred yards, ballista or trebuchet perched on their flat tops. Three bridges crossed the river, connecting the two sides. Pennants of blue and white, or silver and blue, were hung from windows of houses or hung from the battlements. Four buildings stood out from among the sea of thatched roof homes and shops. Near the center of the city, on the north bank, stood a tall tower of dark basalt. It thrust into the sky like a giant, lording over all the lesser buildings. Across the river stood a large cross-shaped building with tall windows of stained glass and small wing-like towers along it's sides. Twilight wondered to the purpose of having so many solid towers connected by arches to the main structure. Towards the edge of the city, on the down-stream side, stood a squat fortress and palace. More banners adorned its sides than anywhere else in the city. The final building was a circular arena that reminded Twilight of the famed Cloudeseum of Cloudsdale, only made of the same dark basalt as the rest of the city. Tipping her wings again, the Lady in the Lake pointed to each of the four structures in turn. "There is the Arcanum, the great tower and school of the wizards. Most of the surrounding buildings are homes of servants, storage, or the great libraries. Across the river is the Cathedral of the Dead Gods. The center of worship in these lands and home to the Blue Cardinal. That is the Fortress of Tyme and seat of the kings throne. And finally, the coliseum, where games and duels take place." Twilight nodded, an excited smile plastered to her face. The streets were filled with swarming colourful life. People dancing and singing, bands playing on small stages erected throughout the city. Jesters did handstands, and small puppet shows entertained children. As they continued to draw closer the smells of food began to mix with the pungent stench, spices and herbs flowing to creating a heady mix that overpowered the more disgusting scents. Bells began to ring throughout the city from the dozens of churches and the large cathedral that sat grey and stoic atop a hill next to the river. The sea of people began to shift, and then they looked to the sky, and as one began to scream and clamour towards the supposed safety of their homes. The Lady in the Lake opened her mouth and bellowed a challenge to the bells, one that made Twilight and April clap their hands over their ears. "They have seen us. I'll land in the courtyard of the fortress. Mind yourself, my student, the enemies and dangers here will be more subtle and sinister than those you've encountered thus far in your journey." Backing her wings, the Lady in the Lake began her approach to the fortress, a knot of uncertainty gripping Twilight's stomach, even as it lurched from the sudden change in direction. Wind tossed back the cloaks of guards as Ogopologos came to a gentle landing, her padded feet kissing the cobblestones. Lowering her head, she let Twilight and April slide to the ground. As soon as her two passengers were safely on the ground, magic leapt around the dragon in a column of dancing light. Twilight shielded her eyes and looked away as the aether continued to flow higher, and then dropped, revealing the armoured human form Twilight knew so well from long sessions in the Winterlands. Rolling her neck and flexing her hands, the dragon in human guise ignored the rushing crowd of guards and soldiers. Pike, crossbow and sword were leveled at the trio. From the ring that formed around them, Twilight watched who she assumed was a captain step forward. He looked from the dragon, to April, and then settled on Twilight, his expression turning from a mix of fear and anger to surprise. "Princess Jasmine?" he asked, taking several steps forward, and then bowing curtly to her. Twilight just sighed internally. She had known this was coming since deciding that she needed to go south to use the Arcanum's libraries. Putting on a brave smile, she did as Vernon had instructed her, stepping past the captain while waving for April and the Lady in the Lakes to follow. "I need to speak with my father, it is a matter of great urgency," Twilight said in what she hoped was a forceful tone. The guards parted for her, their faces all confused and anxious, especially towards Ogopologos. "He is holding court in the grand hall," the captain replied, stepping quickly to take a position ahead of Twilight. Grateful that she wouldn't have to come up with an excuse to get the captain to lead her to the grand hall, Twilight followed. The fortress palace, Twilight saw, wasn't as grand or as opulent as Canterlot Castle. The walls had a few tapestries or suits of ancient armour on display, but was mostly utilitarian and bare. This was a building built to repel attackers, not awe foreign dignitaries with the splendor and wealth of a nation. Many of the corridors were narrower and shorter than Twilight was used to seeing in a palace, excellent for funneling enemies, not so useful for a bustling center of government with pages and attendants moving about. At last they came to a set of tall doors. Beyond them Twilight could hear the excited chatter of hundreds of voices. The captain knocked on the door, stepped through, and in a booming voice announced her arrival, or rather, Jasmine's. Taking a deep breath, Twilight stepped through the door.