//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 // Story: Journey to the First Flame (Continued) // by Rated Ponystar //------------------------------// Fluttershy was no stranger to heading into battle against dangerous villains who could potentially end her life. Yes, she didn’t like it, but she hated the idea of doing nothing to stop them even more. What teacher of friendship would she be if she abandoned her student? Abandoned all the other dragons she now called her friends? She wasn’t going to back down and leave with her tail between her legs. Not a chance.  Oasis, Smolder, and Fluttershy had flown just below the top of the mountain, hoping to find an ideal ambush site. While the winds were still chaotic, hugging the mountain mitigated much of the earlier problems they had been dealing with. She could only hope that the others would be strong enough to hold back Valaxis.  Soon, Oasis signaled for them to stop, and she gulped as he pointed upward. The three of them peered up, their eyes widening at the scene before them. The top of the mountain was flat, with dozens of stone pillars bearing ancient runes carved by dragons of old. In the center of the top, the goal since the start of this journey, was the First Flame.  The object reminded Fluttershy of a tower or rook piece from chess. It would have been just about the size of five of her cottages in terms of length and width. The base was a three-step, eight-sided pagoda made of gold, with multiple gems decorating it. Smaller fires burned alongside each of the steps in multiple colors, ranging from red to blue to white to black and all others in-between. The tower itself was made of shiny gold, with its eight walls all showing stained glass designs of what Fluttershy guessed were famous dragons, who stood proud and tall amidst various environments: a red dragon behind a volcano; a blue dragon in the middle of the sea; a purple dragon with a thunderstorm behind them; a white dragon basking in the sun; a black dragon under the light of the moon; a green dragon surrounded by trees; and a yellow one flying in the sky with the clouds around them.  Finally, there was the crown of the tower, which opened up like an iron flower with sharp steel buds. A small gold and crimson flame could be seen on top with only embers to show. It was there that Smolder would need to breathe her fire to re-energize the First Flame. Fluttershy couldn’t deny the beauty of the First Flame. It was truly something spectacular that could rival numerous works of art she had seen in Canterlot. However, this wonder was ruined by the ritual circle that surrounded it, extending what had to be twenty feet in all directions.  The shy pegasus was by no means a magic expert, but even she knew that a sinister blood red magical circle with spikes and crooked runes was not a good thing. They were all glowing, and a black reddish aura was being sent into the First Flame, as if empowering it with the negative energy. Nearby the First Flame was a steel-colored Metallic Dragon that Fluttershy assumed was Valaxis. His hands were glowing the same energy as the magical circle under his control and his focus was on the First Flame itself. “Okay, how are we going to sabotage this?” Smolder whispered, stumped, and Fluttershy couldn’t blame her. She really wished Twilight was here to help her figure that out. Oasis was the one with the answer, as he turned to them and started doing hand signs that Fluttershy translated: “So just wipe them off with our tails or something?” Smolder asked, which got a nod from Oasis. “Huh, okay. That actually sounds easier than I thought.” Oasis signed with his hands. Suddenly, the three heard Xieru shouting. “Valaxis!” They looked back and saw him, Skyir, and Jaden land just at the edges of the magical circle, their claws and teeth at the ready. Valaxis stopped what he was turning to turn around and glare at the three. Xieru stepped forward. “In the name of our Lord and God, Bahamut, I am ordering you: stand down and return with us to face judgment for your crimes! Otherwise, we will stop you by any means necessary! Even with lethal force!” “You’re too late, Xieru,” Valaxis said calmly as he walked down the pagoda to face the three. “As we speak, the ritual is underway, and you do not have the power to stop it. Like it or not, I’m going to end the Chromatic Dragons once and for all. I will end his conflict at last and our people will know peace.” “And at what cost?! How many other races will suffer for your revenge?! You cannot control a Typhon, Valaxis! You will destroy millions of lives!” Xieru shouted.  “The price to pay for a better future. The world is better off without them,” Valaxis argued. “They are cruel, uncaring, greedy, and selfish. How many other races live in fear of them for burning their homes? How many lives have they claimed all for the sake of useless materials like gems and gold? They care nothing about compassion or love or justice. Only power and wealth. They create nothing but destroy everything. They are pathetic. Immature children who stomp and scream when they do not get their way, and generations from now, I will be silently thanked for getting rid of them.” “You’re wrong!” Jaden shouted as he stepped forward and glared at him. “I used to think that way. I admit it. I hated Chromatics too. But I’ve seen that they are just like us even if we are different. They have compassion and care. They can learn about friendship. They are brave and honorable. You are the one in the wrong here. And I’ll stop you even if it costs me my life!” “Don’t you dare die on me, you dumb rock head,” Smolder whispered to herself, though Fluttershy pretended not to hear. “Or I’ll go to the afterlife and drag you back.” “Enough.” Valaxis’s hands began to glow a mix of black and purple. “I shall give you a quick and merciful death as fellow Metallics. Now be good dragons and die!” He unleashed a wave of black fire from his hands that the three dragons avoided by flying into the air. Each of them unleashed their own fire breath, but Valaxis summoned a green energy shield to protect himself. Jaden and Skyir dived down and kicked the shield, which made it loosen in energy and disappear for a brief moment. That was enough for Xieru to dive down and smash his fist into Valaxis, who stumbled a bit but stood strong. Growling, he summoned a chain of magical energy and shot it at Xieru, who was soon caught in its clutches. Growling he tried to free himself as he fell to the floor as Valaxis prepared to strike, only for the evil dragon to get smacked in the back by Jaden’s tail while Skyir grabbed her superior and dragged him behind a pillar. As the battle between the four began, Oasis turned to the others and nodded before pointing at them to go. Smolder wasted no time and started going after as many runes as she could by sweeping them with her tail or feet. Fluttershy soon joined her and almost compared it to cleaning the dust and dirt in her home floor. Oasis followed suit, and the three spread out to cover as much ground as possible. Of course, it wasn’t that simple. The runes required a lot of focus on erasing, almost as if they were stuck to the ground. It took nearly half a minute to get just one rune to stop glowing and sending its sinister magic towards the First Flame. Once one was gone, Fluttershy hurried over to the next. It was a process that would be a lot less stressful if there wasn’t a dragon nearby who would vaporize her into atoms the moment he caught wind of her actions. Fluttershy knew that the whole thing would be exposed if Valaxis saw what they were doing, so she made sure to hide behind the pillars occasionally for cover. Thankfully, Xieru (now free of his chains) and the others were making sure his attention was not focused on them. Fluttershy didn’t know how many runes the three of them had already managed to eliminate, but she could already see less threads of energy heading into the First Flame. Their plan was working. Of course, something would go wrong at that moment. Fluttershy yelped as she felt her flank nearly get crisped by a bolt of green lighting, forcing her to duck for a carved pillar as two more hit the stone and cracked it. She poked her head out and saw Valaxis glaring at her, summoning more magic around his body. “Did you really think I didn’t sense that my runes were being erased?! Nice try, but I’m not going to let anyone stop me!” He then let out a cry of rage and channeled his magic into a giant orb of black and green energy above his head. It levitated into the sky as if it was the moon, slitted eyes appearing all around it, which made Fluttershy gulp in terror. Those eyes soon proved to be an even bigger threat than she thought, as they started firing energy beams at the four dragons and one pony, who all scattered to avoid getting hit. The energy beams showed how destructive they were by blowing the pillar Oasis had hidden behind into pieces, knocking him back. He quickly managed to get back on his feet and fly off before another blast could hit him. Skyir and Xieru tried to attack Valaxis again with their fire breath, but he unleashed his own to counter them. Fluttershy continued to fly around, avoiding the eye blasts, until she bumped into Smolder in the air. This nearly made them get hit, but they regained their composure and dodged the attack before flying towards the First Flame itself. The eyes fired more magical shots at them and hit the First Flame, which was undamaged, with even the stained glass reflecting the beams. The two hid behind the First Flame, wincing at the horrible feeling they were getting from the dark power coalescing inside of it.  “Well, I guess we’re kinda screwed, huh?” Smolder joked but she looked so nervous her knees were shaking. “Any ideas?” “How many runes did we get?” Fluttershy asked as she looked around. “Not enough, I’m guessing,” Smolder commented as she poked her head out. “We have to get rid of Valaxis.” “Y-Y-You mean kill him?” Fluttershy asked, gulping.  “That, or somehow stop him from casting magic,” Smolder pointed out with a huff. “Any ideas?” Fluttershy bit her lip and tried to think of something. She was a pegasus. Not a unicorn. All she could do was fly and even then she wasn’t that fast. The only thing protecting them was the First Flame which was able to reflect the magical beams thanks to the glass windows.  ...Wait a minute! Fluttershy’s eyes lit up as she looked up and saw that they were standing against the design portraying the white, sunlit dragon. Praying to whatever deity was listening, she flew up a bit and pressed her hoof against the smooth, thick glass. An idea came to her. It was crazy, but it was the only thing she could think of.  “Smolder! Can you use your talons to carve out a big circle from this window?” Fluttershy asked with haste. Smolder was puzzled, but shrugged and soon used her claws to do what her teacher requested. Once it was loose, the big glass stained circle came out and both Fluttershy and Smolder grabbed onto it. “What are we going to do with this thing? Throw it at him?” Smolder asked in utter confusion. “We’re going to use it as a mirror! You remember Twilight’s lesson on lasers and reflections in her science class, yes?!” Fluttershy asked, which made Smolder’s eyes widen as she glanced at the modified mirror in their grasps and grinned.  “Oh, I get it! But we’re going to need to get his attention! Leave that to me and get ready!” Smolder said as she helped lower it to the ground and held it up for Fluttershy to keep it steady.  Taking a deep breath, Smolder flew out into the open and put her hands in front of her mouth. “Hey! Valaxis!”  The dragon wizard turned his attention to Smolder, who grinned, turned around, and lifted her tail to shake her rump at him. “Who taught you how to use magic?! You can’t even hit me! I bet your parents are disappointed in your lameness!” “Silence, you Chromatic filth!” Valaxis shouted with rage upon hearing his parents being insulted.  Seeing that she had an angle, Smolder turned around and crossed her arms. “Oh? Did I strike a nerve?! Well, let me say some more! Your mother was a whore and your dad was a useless sack of crap who wished you were never born!” Valaxis screamed as he fired a huge bolt of lighting at Smolder, who barely managed to dodge it. The raging dragon flew towards his eyeball monstrosity and landed on it, diverting its main eye towards Smolder. “I will destroy you and your kind for what you did to me! Die!” Smolder gulped and flew towards Fluttershy, who prepared their modified mirror behind the First Flame. The eyeball monstrosity continued to follow Smolder, charging its magic as she hid behind the First Flame, grabbed her end of the glass circle, and said, “Here goes nothing!” The two then jumped out, holding the mirror out like a shield as the eyeball fired its biggest laser yet. The other dragons screamed their names in fear, but to their shock, and Smolder and Fluttershy’s amazement, the beam of deadly magic reflected off the mirror and shot right back at a surprised Valaxis. He tried to get out of the way, but the beam of magic made direct contact with his chest. He screamed in agony as he was knocked back so hard he went flying and arced into a pillar that shattered upon contact. Upon him hitting the ground hard, the magical sphere disappeared in a puff of smoke. With his concentration ruined, the spell was broken. Fluttershy and Smolder looked at each other in amazement before high-fiving each other via their wings and cheering.  “That was awesome!” Smolder shouted. “Yay!” Fluttershy yelled, although she was much quieter.  The other dragons landed near them and roared with excitement. “Nice one, girls!” Jaden shouted with a big smile. “That was brilliant!” Skyir cried out. “Did you see the look on his face when it hit him? Ha! Oasis signaled.  “Come on! We cannot let this opportunity pass! We must press the attack!” Xieru shouted as the five of them charged forward to where Valaxis had landed.  They landed next to the small crater that Valaxis had caused upon his impact, the remains of the pillar he crashed into scattered around. The five of them walked cautiously towards the giant hole and winced upon seeing the villain lying inside. Everyone was grateful they hadn’t gotten hit by the magical beam. It didn't look good for Valaxis, as it seemed the blow had done much more damage than expected.  His entire chest was caved in and bleeding such amounts of blood that it made Fluttershy tear up and look away. His legs were crushed with shattered bones, and his right eye was gone, a gory mess in its place. There were sharp shards of the pillar’s rubble impaled all over his body, with a very thick spear-like piece deep in his stomach. Finally, his wings were ripped apart, and it was clear he wasn’t going to fly, or even move, any time soon.  Coughing up a glop of blood and saliva, Valaxis glared at the four Metallic dragons with utter hatred. “T-T-Traitors...You...fools....I was....going to make...us the true...dragon race...” “You were going to commit genocide,” Xieru said softly, though the touch of sympathy was dwarfed by the disgust lingering in his tone. “You betrayed everything we have stood for. All that Bahamut has stood for. You are the traitor, Valaxis. And this is the fate of all traitors.” “I...I was your....brother in life....Xieru...and you...” He hissed in pain and turned his head to Smolder, glaring at her. Fluttershy stood in front of her protectively, despite her discomfort at seeing a dying creature before her. “You...chose...them...over me...” “You made your choice and you must live with it,” Xieru whispered as he lowered his head. “And die with it as well.” “...So be it...but I will die...still...completing my goal!” Valaxis shouted as he lifted his claw, which was pure green as a sickle spiked rune appeared on the palm. “Lord Null! Take my life and complete the ritual! Bring forth the great fire serpentine of destruction! And bring chaos to the world!” “No!” Xieru shouted in horror as he rushed forward, but it was too late. Valaxis shoved his hand into his chest, going right through his scales like butter. He screamed, his glowing palm piercing his heart, and his body began to glow the same color as his rune. A burst of magic erupted from his wound and knocked everyone back as the body of Valaxis glowed green and began to decay. His scales rotted, his flesh burned, and his muscles disintegrated until there was nothing but a bony skeleton of the Metallic dragon. The energy then shot right into the First Flame, which soon started glowing a similar color before unleashing a green tower of flames into the sky. The storm clouds above began to get darker and were slowly turning into a mix of red and green.  The five all gazed up in horror as the flaming energy soon spread into the heavens, and clouds began to circle around like a hurricane had taken them into its embrace. Something was beginning to open up, as if the sky was the shell of a cracking egg. A crackling portal was slowly opening as the winds began to blow in all directions, the sound of screeching echoed in the air, and the feeling of dread washed everyone over as the ritual continued. Across the land, all who gazed upon the towering green inferno and hellfire clouds felt a similar feeling. Those who knew what it was wondered if they were too late. Suddenly, something moved in the deep center of it all. It slowly moaned and growled as the muscle of something flinched. As if reality was tearing itself apart and the lightning from the storms was opening the gates of hell, a giant object faded into existence. It slowly opened its giant eyelids, covered in ancient scales so old that they were beyond knowledge. The demonic flames coated it like a sea of hellfire so hot that the five could feel it from the ground.  It slowly opened its red and yellow eyes, and soon they all knew what they were seeing. The Eye of a Typhon.