//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Warmonger // Story: The Dragon Sage // by Dragon Sage //------------------------------// Twilight gazed over the face of her kidnapper, looking closely at his features. His snout was short and his mane was curly. His horn glowed with a brilliant green light that seemed to reflect in his eyes. He was tall, and relatively thin, but his face was strangely inviting.                  “Who are you?” Twilight asked as calmly as she could.                  “Oh forgive me, your highness, how could I not introduce myself!” the colt said with a laugh. “My name is Dawn Treader,” he said and courteously bowed.                  “Where am I, Dawn Treader?” she asked, trying to remain composed, but partly wanting to teleport her way to escape. She wouldn’t try that until she knew enough about her situation.                  “Oh no please, call me Dawn,” he said and resumed smiling at her in a hearty grin.                  “Ok, Dawn, Where are we?” she asked a little confused.                  “You’re home, your highness!” he said and gestured to the walls. “Do you like the room I prepared for you?”                  His voice echoed off of the stone walls in an unsettling way. The glowing opal gems that hung from the ceiling in a chandelier cast an orange light over the furniture, which was all made with finely crafted wood. The rug that lined the floor looked very intricate as well. Twilight guessed it to be from very far away, and enormously expensive.                  “Look, Dawn,” Twilight started carefully, “I need to return to my castle in Ponyville. Can you let me go?”                  “I’m afraid this is your home now, Princess. Don’t worry, I won’t let anything bad happen to you here,” he said with a reassuring smile. “Now, could you say my name one more time?”                  “DAWN TREADER!” a shrill voice called from outside the door. A second later, the door flew open with a loud bang and a tall red-feathered griffon stomped into the room. Twilight immediately noticed the cloud behind the griffon’s eyes, just like in Dawn Treader’s. Twilight came to the conclusion that this griffon must be one of the hosts of the Miasma like Princess Luna said. So there were at least two of them, and they were both in the room with her.                  “What the hay did you do! There are royal guards and Night Watchers all over the area on high alert. We just start getting comfortable in our new place and you just had to ruin it, didn’t you!” the griffon shouted.                  “Don’t you talk like that around my Princess, Milla!” the yellow stallion shouted back and pointed an accusing hoof at the large beaked beast. “And just who is this?” the griffon asked shooting Twilight a glance. “That is my new marefriend, Princess Twilight,” Dawn said with a smirk. “Marefriend?!” Twilight said in shock. “That’s it!” she said and teleported herself to the other side of the door. Or, at least she tried. She focused and struggled to light up her horn with magic, but nothing happened. She gasped as her efforts to use her magic failed her. She put a hoof to her horn and felt it sag like a deflated balloon. There were blue spots down the entire length of it, and her magic would not work at all. “Oh, sorry Twilight. I had to make sure you wouldn’t get into trouble, so I added a little poison joke to the flowers I gave you,” he said with another simple smile. “How did you know what poison joke does to me?” she said reeling back off of the bed. She continued backing away slowly from her foalnappers. “I did my research. I was looking for the fairest pony in all of Equestria, and you were by far the most beautiful, kind, and most beloved of all. And now you’re mine, dearest,” Dawn snickered. The green in his eyes began to glow a little brighter as he spoke. Twilight backed away from the glare as the stallion’s face leered at her. Soon her flank reached the wall and she had no retreat, no magic, and no idea where she was. “You stole the princess of friendship?!” the griffon barked. “How the hay is this supposed to make us rich? Is she made of diamonds? Can we ransom her?” “No one is stealing my marefriend from me, Milla!” Dawn barked back. Twilight’s mind started racing at how she could escape. She couldn’t use her magic, and this stone decor in the walls appeared to be carved into the room, meaning they were likely in a cave. No windows meant she couldn’t fly, and escaping on foot would be extremely risky with 2 powerful criminals. “Who told you that stealing a princess would be a good idea!” the griffon shouted. “That would be me, Milla Nare,” a voice called from the doorway again. The three of them all gazed at the figure that emerged from the dark, stepping into the amber light with a satisfied smile. A unicorn stallion with white fur and a pitch black mane walked towards Twilight slowly. He had excellent posture and his stride carried an air of pride with it. His cutiemark featured a coat of arms that was green and gold. He stepped towards Twilight and eyed her up and down. “Good evening, princess,” the stallion said softly and kept his head high. “My name is Warmonger. You’ve met my associate, Dawn Treader. The loud-mouthed feathered female to his left is Milla Nare.” He gestured to his compatriots and waited for Twilight to speak. There was a chance this pony would respond to royalty. He seemed so much more proper than the others. “Why are you keeping me here? You must let me go at once,” she said putting a brave hoof down. Warmonger laughed eerily at her show of authority. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Princess, but you have no power here,” he said and flicked her horn with the tip of his hoof. “Why is she here?” Milla Nare asked the stallion. “Well, Milla, the opportunity presented itself and we’d be fools not to take it. All of her friends were gone, she was left completely unguarded, and we could vanish without a trace before anypony was the wiser,” he answered. “I meant why her, you condescending psycho,” she spat back. “I fail to see gold in my claws coming from this.” “Patience, my fiery friend. Once she has given me what I need, we can use it to steal every bit in the Canterlot vaults. That way you get your gold, Dawn Treader gets his mare, and I get what I want as well. Everybody wins,” The stallion finished with another glance back at Twilight. She gulped and kept her chin as high as she could. “And what exactly do you want?” Twilight asked carefully. Warmonger’s smile grew wide and wicked as he stepped closer to her. He gritted his teeth and growled out his answer. “The Elements of Harmony. You’re going to give them to me,” he said. Twilight saw his eyes shine green just like the other’s did. He had the Miasma as well. "What?" she nearly whispered in shock. "Goodness, princess, surely you did not think that word has not spread about your triumphs using the legendary Elements of Harmony. Nightmare Moon? The God of Chaos? I heard that the only reason you failed during the marriage of Princess Cadence was because the changelings wisely kept you from reaching them. With that kind of power, there is no foe I could not overcome. Not even the princesses could stop us," he finished. "But only those who represent the 6 elements can harness their power,” she said. "If that is true, then how is it possible that Princess Celestia was able to use them all on her own to defeat Nightmare Moon?" he retorted. "I believe that a unicorn with enough power could wield them just as easily, and when I do I'll take this entire country, one small town at a time, starting with yours," he finished. He spoke calmly, as if he were discussing a trivial matter. It unsettled Twilight deeply. She felt her heart beat in her chest as she debated her next move. If she struck him hard enough, she could catch him off guard and knock him out long enough to get to the door. She’d have to dodge the other two, but with her wings, she was willing to bet she could make it. “You’re not escaping here, princess,” he said and turned. “This cavern is deep and twisted, and you will not find your way out without help. Besides,” he started, and his horn flashed a bright green and the colt vanished in a giant spark of light before her. Another crack of light appeared at the door where Warmonger emerged again. “You are not the only one here with that little trick,” he finished and walked back over to his two companions and began eyeing her carefully. “Now, since we’ve caught the Night Watch’s attention sooner than expected, we are pressed for time. So please princess, the Elements of Harmony, where are they and how do I use them?” he said and began advancing toward her again. “You . . . you can’t!” she said looking around and preparing to strike if she needed too. “They won't work for you!" “That’s one time you didn’t answer my question, filly,” he said maintaining his advance. “Would you like to see what happens when you do that twice?” This pony was not going to listen to reason. She could tell that anything that did not respond to his requests would be met with violence. She decided it was time to give her escape a try before he could react. She held her breath and waited for the perfect time to strike. “Now I’ll ask you one more time. Where are the Elements?” he asked menacingly. Now or never. Just then, a trail of green fire and smoke slithered through the open door and through the air. The three captors followed its trail with dumbfounded looks on their faces. The sparks and smoke found its way to Twilight, and a rolled up piece of parchment appeared before her in a flash. It fell to the floor with a tap and rolled towards Twilight’s hooves. “How did that happen?” Milla Nare asked frantically. “You said her magic wasn’t working!” “It isn’t!” Dawn Treader responded with his hooves in the air. Twilight quickly scooped up the parchment and tore it open. Milla Nare growled and lunged for her. She spread her wings and flew over the charging Griffon, looking over the page as quickly as she could. There was only one phrase written on it. Cover your ears. She knew that handwriting. She landed in the center of the room between her three captors and looked in all directions. The door was open, but it was blocked by Warmonger. The other two began to advance on her. She ducked her head down and raised her hooves up to her ears and covered them as tightly as she could. A loud piercing noise cut through the air and reverberated through the stone room like a whistle in a bell tower. Her captors all groaned and winced in pain as the high-pitched tone rang out and lashed at their eardrums. Twilight saw the glowing gemstones that lit the room began to crack and then pop one by one like fireworks. The room darkened quickly and Twilight kept her ears covered as best she could. A moment later, the room was completely black. The piercing noise stopped and she put her hooves down, trying to remember who was where. “Oomph!” she heard Milla Nare cry out in one direction, followed closely by the sound of her falling to the floor. She heard frantic footsteps approaching her quickly. She prepared herself to fight off whoever was coming. Then she heard a strangely familiar voice. “Let’s go!” it cried out, and she felt a set of claws clasp firmly at her front hoof. She kicked off the ground and followed as fast as she could on three hooves. The voice led her through the door and into a black hallway that curved and turned in all directions. “This way!” the voice called out and rushed to one side. Twilight followed her guide as best as she could, but she needed to see. Her captors would no doubt use magic to find their way through the darkness and would be coming for them soon. “Who are you?” Twilight asked. “Aw come on, Twilight! Years of fetching books and you always remember my name, but I come to save your flank just once and suddenly I’m a stranger?” the voice said with a groan as it continued to guide her forward. “Spike?!” she said with a gasp and nearly shook her hoof free from his claws in surprise. “How did you find me?” “Escape now, catch up later!” he shouted. As his voice reverberated in the cave’s walls, she noticed how familiar it sounded. It was really Spike’s voice, only a little deeper than she remembered. His hand continued to guide her forward despite not a shred of light coming from anywhere. “ It's pitch black in here! How can you see where you are going?” She asked. “Dragon’s magic does more than burn stuff,” he responded and turned them quickly to the right before letting go of her hoof. “The exit!” she called out. Sure enough, Luna’s starry sky was visible through an opening to the cavern in front of them. She still could only see shadows of the dragon in front of her, but she was more concerned with escaping first. “You can still fly, right?” Spike called out. “Yes. Just keep go--watch out!” she called out as she saw a familiar spark of light crack out before them, blocking their exit. They both stopped and gazed as Warmonger lit them both up with a bright white light emitting from his horn. Twilight’s eyes strained under the stress of the bright spotlight in her face. She focused on Spike’s form, but she could only see his silhouette. He was on all fours between her and Warmonger. His tail was long and thin and she saw it pointing directly at the unicorn blocking their exit. His wings were spread wide, sheltering her from the bright light in front of them. “You are not allowed to leave just yet,” Warmonger said with a sneer. Twilight took a stance behind Spike while he continued to block the light from her. She could only barely see the outline of his face when Spike turned to look at her. He stared back at her for a moment, and in his shadow she saw him smile. “Knight Wing!” he called out towards the cavern exit. Twilight saw another shadow drop from the top of the cave’s opening and land right beside Warmonger with a loud clop of hooves meeting stone. The shadow reared its hind legs up and bucked a mighty kick at Warmonger’s flanks. He flew to the wall and collided with a loud 'oomf'. The shadow was then joined by a number of similar shadows that flew in and began lighting the cave up with torches. Warmonger groaned in pain and looked at the number of Pegasi approaching him. He looked back at Twilight one more time and met her eye. She glared at him, wishing it were her that bucked him into the wall. He scoffed, as if expressing simple disapproval, and disappeared in another flash of magic. “Where is he?” One of the pegasus said frantically. Twilight ran up to the pegasus holding a torch and explained. “The cave goes in deeper. There are two others with him, a griffon and another unicorn. He can teleport,” she said and gestured to the corridor that Spike just led her though. She noticed the pegasus looked odd with fangs and scaled wings. He was followed by 3 others who began to pursue Warmonger down the hall. She then turned to look at the pegasus who had bucked her captor. “Thank you sir,” she said and looked around for Spike. “Could have told me he could teleport, I would have kicked his head,” he said and rolled his eyes. Twilight scoffed at his rude demeanor and walked towards the edge of the cave where the night sky lit her surroundings well. She must have been near the peak of a mountain because she could see half of Equestria from where she stood. The air was cold and the breeze picked up snow from the mountaintops and dusted the sky with it. The stars and moon both shined brightly over the valley and forests beneath her. She looked around for her dragon companion, but could not find him. “Are you okay, Twilight?” she heard him ask timidly from behind her, and she turned to face him. He was magnificent. His face was longer and wore a shy expression. His scales were dark violet and shimmered in the light of the night sky. The spines on his back and tail were now sharper and pointed backward as if it were a short green mane. His tail stretched out longer and featured a flat blade-like point at the end. He walked on his four feet and seemed to trot much like a pony. He was about as tall as a standard griffon, so she had to look slightly upwards to see his face. His fangs protruded slightly from the top of his mouth, and his ears were longer and sharper as well. His eyes, however, had not changed at all. They were the same loving and naive eyes that she knew since she was a filly. “Spike!” she said and lunged forward and wrapped her hooves around her dragon’s neck. Spike jumped a little in surprise and wrapped a free hand around Twilight’s mane returning the embrace. His scales felt warm against her fur and she could hear the sounds of fire swirling in his chest. She was so comfortable that she almost forgot that they had narrowly escaped her foalnappers not moments before. “You look incredible!” she said pulling away and eyeing him up and down again. “You’re not . . . I don’t know, frightened or something?” Spike asked bowing his head downwards a little. “What? Don’t be silly Spike. You just saved me from some crazed ponies after all. Why would I be afraid of my favorite assistant and oldest friend?” she said with a smile. Spike’s face beamed and he stood a little taller at her reply. Just then, a Night Watcher called out from the bowels of the cavern. “They’re gone!” the soldier called out.         “Spread out and find them. I want 4 pegasi scouting the mountainside. The rest of you, continue to investigate the cave. We’re looking for 2 unicorns and a griffon,” Knight Wing barked and put a hoof to his face in disappointment.         “Let’s get you home,” Spike said looking back to Twilight. “The girls are already alerted and on their way back. We should . . . hehehe,” Spike giggled as he noticed Twilight’s flabby horn. “Should we stop by Zecora’s for some antidote for this?”         “I always keep a little near the bath at home,” she said smiling at him. His laugh was still the same as well. “So how did you find me?”         “Well, you know how I send you letters right?” Spike began. She nodded. “I focused on you the same way I do then, and then I just breathed a little fire like this,” he said and took a heavy breath through his mouth. He faintly pursed his lips as if he was whistling and began blowing steadily. A small trail of green fire emitted from his mouth. The flame pointed right at her and continued to do so as he tilted his head from side to side.         “It’s like a compass,” Twilight observed.         “Yup, and it led me straight to you. The Night Watch followed but I flew as fast as I could so I got here a little sooner. I saw that black and white jerk threatening you through the door and I couldn’t wait for backup any longer,” he said and rubbed his spines with his hand. "You sent me a letter. How did you do that when my magic wasn't working?" she pondered. "Sending letters isn't your magic, Twilight, it's mine. I wanted to warn you so that you wouldn't be deaf for the next few days," he said.         “So that loud noise that blew the lights . . . that was you?” Twilight asked.         “The ‘Dragon’s Siren.’ Yeah that was me. It’s a good way to stun your enemies without hurting anypony. I learned how to focus my breath and do all kinds of cool stuff like that.” Spike smiled as he began to describe his training with enthusiasm. Twilight smiled and sighed. After what she was just through, having Spike around made her feel like she was going home after months away. He continued rambling while she sat and smiled at her friend.         “Spike,” she interrupted.         “Yeah?” he said, maintaining his wide smile.         “Let’s talk about this more on the way home,” she said and opened her wings up gesturing to the cliffside. “Show me how you fly.”         “Okay!” he said and spread his wings as well. His wings were wider then her own, and they were lined with a thin layer of green scales and pointed on the edges. She held in a gasp as she observed their brilliant color and size. She smiled and got her legs ready to kick off from the ground.The two of them looked at each other with content faces before pushing off and flapping their wings and flying into the night sky, homeward bound.