//------------------------------// // The Goddess Queen's Fury // Story: A Royal History Lesson // by crazyjw18 //------------------------------// When Cloud Bolt awoke the next morning, he found himself alone in bed. He flew from the empty house in a panic, but skidded to a stop as he found his wife and fillies gathered just outside. He noted that her coat was again the familiar pale blue he had always known. "So you are finally awake, dear?" Galaxia asked in a mischievous tone. "I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye." He struggled for a moment with a mixture of relief that she hadn't left yet and a crushing certainty that this could be the last time they spoke. "So you are certain that you won't change your mind?" he asked in a grim tone. "I'm certain," Galaxia replied. "What's wrong, Papa?" Luna asked worriedly. "Mama's just going on a trip, isn't she?" Cloud Bolt blinked. "Ah, yes," he hastily answered with a lump in his throat. "I'm sure she'll be back real soon." "Of course I will," Galaxia assured her daughter with a loving nuzzle. "Make sure you're a good girl for Papa while I'm gone." "Yes, Mama," Luna promised. Celestia remained uncharacteristically silent. They had agreed the night before not to let their daughters know what was going on, however it was clear that their elder daughter sensed something amiss. "You be a good girl too," Galaxia told Celestia sternly. "I'm counting on you to help Papa keep Luna out of trouble." "Yes, Mother," Celestia replied quietly. Galaxia smiled. "Well then, it's time for me to be on my way," she announced as she trotted over to her husband. "Take care of the girls," she told him. "I'll be back as soon as I can." Cloud Bolt nodded and leaned his head on her shoulder as she did to him. "Stay safe," he whispered into her ear." "You as well," Galaxia replied as they parted. "Goodbye, everyone," she said with forced cheerfulness. "Bye, Mama!" Luna chirped up. "Bye, Mother. Please be careful," Celestia chimed in. Cloud Bolt merely nodded. All that really needed to be said between them had already been said the night before. Galaxia left them with a smile on her face that faded the moment she was out of sight. Her brow furrowed in determination as she went into a fast gallop away from the village. It was a long distance to where Tirek was reported to be, but she knew that every hour she took to get there would be counted in the lives of more ponies. She sprinted across the open fields at top speed, slowing only when she had to wade across an occasional fast-running brook. Her endurance was great, but ever so often she did have to rest for a few hours before she could continue on. Even so it only took Galaxia a couple of days to reach the more densely populated lands near the capitol. She briefly considered stopping by the palace to let the court know of her return, but decided against it. If things went badly for her, there would be little they could do to help, and if things went well, then she had every intention of returning to her secret life in Everfree. Instead she headed straight north on the main road. Galaxia soon started passing a steady deluge of refugees heading south. Many of them called out to warn her of the danger ahead, but she only quickened her pace. Guilt poured over her anew as she observed the masses of terrified ponies fleeing from their homes. A few pulled wagons piled high with their worldly possessions, but the majority appeared to have left with only a saddlebag or two worth of provisions to their names. There was not a single spark of hope in the weary refugees' eyes as they trudged along. The sight ate away at her, until finally she could take it no more. These ponies needed to see that their Queen had not abandoned them. Stepping into the dense brush along the side of the road so that she wouldn't be seen, Galaxia swiftly removed her magical disguise. As she continued on her journey, many of the fleeing ponies now paused to cheer at the sight of their fabled Queen going to put things right. She allowed herself a small smile as she began seeing a spark back in her subject's tired eyes. The flood of ponies started to lessen the further north she went, until finally she was alone once again. Every so often she passed through a village, but they all had been deserted and now stood only as stark reminder of how many ponies were depending on her to succeed. Galaxia slowed to a walk as soon as she started to sense a faint evil presence up ahead. Homing in on its location, she crept forward, keeping a wary eye on the sky above. She remembered that the monsters that invaded Equestria during the Great Calamity had been accompanied by hordes of vicious Stratadons. The flying lizards were dim-witted, but they were strong and extremely fast fliers. Many helpless ponies had been snatched away right before her eyes in those days. As she closed in on the creature, she noticed that the very grass under her feet had started to wither and die. Whatever Tirek was, his dark powers were far stronger than she had hoped. A sudden wave of nausea hit her as she drew near, but her pace did not falter. Galaxia spotted him at last just as she crested a steep ridge. There below her lay Tirek, the fearsome horned centaur looking every bit as huge and ghastly as the rumors had said. It seemed that he was able to sense her presence as well; almost immediately he turned his baleful yellow eyes her way. "So, you showed up after all," he calmly greeted her in a low rumbling voice. "Good. I was beginning to worry that you were already dead." "You know who I am, foul creature?" Galaxia demanded. "Then you know why I have come." "You have come to slay me, no doubt," Tirek answered smoothly. "Just as you have slain so many of my kin in the past." "And yet you show no fear?" Tirek chuckled. "Pray tell me, where has Equestria's great and all powerful goddess been all this time?" he taunted. "Certainly she has not been around to stop me from dining on so many of her pathetic, cowering little sacks of horsemeat." "You are truly an abomination," Galaxia spat as she set her hooves firmly into the ground. Showing no signs that he was worried, Tirek slowly rose to his feet, idly scratching at his matted chest fur as he did. "It's a bit funny. If you had come only a week or two earlier," he commented, "then you might have been able to stop me." His sharp white fangs glinted in the sunlight as he grinned. "Now come, give me some entertainment." Galaxia's long horn flared up brilliantly as she began to concentrate her magic power. The wind began to swirl violently as she silently chanted arcane mantras not heard in hundreds of years. A tiny ball of light formed at the tip of her horn, then shot forth in a thin beam aimed straight for Tirek's heart. An inky black miasma spewed from his mouth and engulfed her attack. "Pitiful. I expected more," he growled as he sprang forward. With his four powerful legs he closed the distance between them in seconds. Galaxia leapt aside at the last moment, narrowly missing being impaled upon one of Tirek's razor-sharp horns. She skidded to a stop and put all of her power into another shot. This time she was able to strike his dark hide, scoring a sizzling burn on his hindquarters. "Gah!" Tirek shrieked as he skidded to a stop. His eyes were blazing like flames as he spun around and leapt at her once again. This time Galaxia was not as nimble. One of Tirek's horns struck her shoulder, slicing a shallow gash down her side. She bit off a scream and struggled to regain her balance before he could take advantage of her injury. Tirek paused for a moment to leer at her. "Not so confident now, are you, pony?" he growled. "This isn't even a challenge." "You understand nothing," Galaxia retorted. The centaur charged forward once more, certain that the Queen would not be able to dodge him again. Just when Tirek was certain he had her, there was a dazzling flash that forced him to close his eyes. When he reopened them she was gone. Galaxia reappeared nearly twenty feet behind Tirek and shot another beam of light straight at his back. Somehow the half-blinded centaur sensed the attack and threw himself to the side just in time. "Too slow!" he laughed as he charged at her once again. Instead of trying to gore her again, this time the centaur reared up just short and brought his massive hooves crashing down on her head. Galaxia's image shimmered as Tirek struck her carefully crafted illusion. He realized her deception immediately but had no time to react before the unicorn slammed into him just behind the shoulder, sinking the full length of her horn into his flesh. Tirek lurched back a step, his grotesque red face twisted in a mixture of agony and rage. Before Galaxia could retreat to a safe distance, Tirek discharged a thick burst of his murky breath directly in her face. Coughing hoarsely, she attempted to wink away, but the noxious fumes made it hard to concentrate. She tottered backwards, nearly falling on her rump as she fought to escape the clingy fog. "Foolish pony," Tirek hissed as he circled her, warily avoiding the wild thrusts of her horn. Seeing an opening, he lurched forward and sank his great fangs securely into the back of her neck. With a sharp toss of his head he hurled his much smaller opponent high into the air. She quickly crashed back down into the ground in a tangled heap. Tirek's wheezing laughter rang out across the valley as he stalked towards his unresponsive prey. "I hope you're still awake," he growled as he stood over Galaxia's prone form. "I'm going to start eating you now. And once I'm finished, I'm going to eat every single pony in this wretched land." "Get away from her!" a new voice shrieked hysterically. Tirek turned just in time to receive the full impact of Cloud Bolt's rear hooves in his face. The centaur staggered away from the bone-crushing blow with a fearsome screech, but almost instantly recovered. With a single swipe of his burly arm he smashed the pegasus into the ground next to Galaxia. Galaxia managed to open her eyes just in time to see Tirek fell her mate. Suddenly re-energized by the overwhelming need to protect her husband, she painfully struggled back to her feet and glared defiantly at the approaching monster. Her breath was ragged and uneven as she pawed fiercely at the ground and lowered her head. "I've had enough of this!" Tirek bellowed. "This ends now." Despite her injuries, Galaxia's chilling response rang out clearly. "Yes, it does." The unicorn's graceful horn started to burn with an intense radiance as she put everything she had left into one final attack. The enraged centaur's advance was halted as he was forced to hastily shield his eyes from the incredibly painful light. The light kept growing brighter and brighter until even through his thick fur the centaur could feel his skin beginning to burn. All at once the light was gone, and with it Galaxia and Cloud Bolt. Sensing that the Queen was no longer within his reach, Tirek let out a great roar of frustration that shook the very ground. As the centaur struggled to regain control over his mindless rage, he noticed for the first time the thick trickles of ink-like blood flowing freely from both his mouth and the gaping wound in his side. As the last of his adrenaline faded, the extreme pain finally caught up to him and he stumbled to his knees. As much as it infuriated him, Tirek's revenge would have to wait. The dark power flowing through his veins would take some time to heal his grievous injuries.