//------------------------------// // The Changeling Attack // Story: Deathwing in Equestria // by SoaringCoal //------------------------------// Twilight jerked awake as she heard another loud crash that felt like it shook her castle. "What is going on?!" She had fallen asleep at the dinner table after her talk with Neltharion. Surprisingly, she didn't have a nightmare. She heard another crash and got out of her chair. What should I do? What is going on? She pondered for a moment as she heard another crash. I need to find Spike. She concluded and started running, searching for her assistant. She searched his room, the library, a lot of other rooms and even the kitchen another time just to be sure. She eventually concluded that he wasn't in the castle. Another crash rang through the castle and first now did Twilight notice the small buzzing that was coming from outside. She realised something. "The guards!" She hadn't thought about looking for her guards and asking them what was going on, but her idea was quickly shot down as she couldn't find any. Twilight couldn't take it. She had to know what was going on. She ran to the entrance of her castle and was about to open the door when it rushed open, slamming into her nose. "TWILIGHT!" Spike rushed inside the door, not noticing the slight resistance in the door as he slammed it open. He looked around, confused. "Twilight?" "Ow..." Twilight moaned from behind the door. She was laying on her back, clutching her nose. Spike beamed as he heard her and swung the door away. "There you are, Twilight!" Spike exclaimed as he saw her. He raised an eyebrow as he looked over her appearance. "Something wrong with your nose?" "No, not at all. I’m just lying here because I like it when people open the door in my face." She answered, voice dripping with sarcasm. Spike didn't pick up on the sarcasm. "Well, you can do that later. Right now Ponyville needs it's princess! Haven't you heard the crashes?" "Yes I have. What is it that's crashing down in Ponyville?" Twilight got on her legs, scrunching her nose. The door was pushed open behind Spike. He turned to face it. "It's the change... Change..." "Change what?" "I believe he is talking about us, 'princess' Twilight." Twilight's blood froze as she heard the female sinister voice. No, it can't be. She turned and stood face to face with the changeling queen, Chrysalis, eight guards accompanying her. "Get her. Neltharion growled in annoyance as he kicked another changeling, two more approaching. In the time of him returning to Ponyville, he had got into a number of fights against them. Neltharion saw them as nothing more than insects. So weak, so reliant on their numbers to compensate for their lack of brute force. They disgusted him. He looked around, scanning his surroundings. The entire village had erupted into utter chaos. Mares and stallions were fighting for their lives against the overwhelming number of changelings while same said changelings were crashing into and destroying houses, cottages, stands and much more. The two changelings charged him, but he was prepared. He sidestepped and were about to kick them when a familiar voice rang in his head. Disgusting insects… Neltharion suddenly felt very angry and instead of kicking the changelings, he swatted them aside with incredible force, through a nearby house wall. He shook his head in anger and annoyance. "What are you doing here?" He asked seemingly no one. Im always here, no matter how much you try to bury me. I will always feel what you feel even if you just don’t know it yet. Most of all I feel your anger, your rage. You are trying to contain it. Why? Neltharion spotted some nearby struggling ponies and started running towards them. "Because if I let it loose, let you loose, then I won't be able to help them." He slammed into a changeling and headbutted another. The ponies looked at him in awe and confusement as, from their view, it looked like he was talking to himself. So? You admitted yourself that they are weak, you admitted you don't want nor need their 'friendship', you admitted that you are better off without it. They are weak. They should be bowing to you, begging for you to save them and you should be burning all of these pitiful ponies and insects alike to cinders for treating you like a lowly criminal. Neltharion's heart began to pound harder and he could feel his body changing without his command, but instead of trying to stop it, he let it happen and embraced the suppressed feelings within him. Why should he hide from what he is? "I don't need their acceptance or their friendship, but I will save them nonetheless." Neltharion spotted some familiar ponies fighting a large squad of changelings. It was his appointed guards and they looked like they were losing. "I owe them that much." Horns grew from the back of his head and a metallic flavour filled his mouth. "They deserve that much." His plating started to grow, covering more of his body and his coat became darker in color. Yes, you are finally letting it out, letting us... What are you doing? "Something I should have done a long time ago" Neltharion's eyes ignited and became fiery pits instead of their normal red. No! You cannot do this! I am you, we are… Neltharion choked the dark voice in his head, a feat he didn't know he could until he did it. He grinned angrily and marched towards his appointed guards. "Captain Sentry, get down!" Flash Sentry ducked as another changeling charged him. A fellow guard interrupted the changeling and put it in the ground. "Thanks, Silver." Silver shield nodded in reply. Flash panted heavily. His lungs were burning and he felt dizzy. He and his fellow guards had done everything they could to protect Ponyville's civilians. It felt as if he and his companions had been fighting for hours and no matter how many changelings they knocked in the dirt, they were reinforced by twice as many. They must have been using the night's sky as cover. Flash silently cursed himself. How could he not have seen this coming? Why hadn't he transferred more guards from Canterlot? These questions tormented flash in his mind. It was his duty to protect Ponyville and the princess of Friendship. A feat he was failing miserably at. Flash saw another changeling come charging and hissing towards Silver shield and intercepted it by kicking it away with all the force he could muster and fell on his haunches after the kick connected He was so tired. Flash looked back at his comrades. They looked in worse shape than he felt. Most of them were wobbling from side to side and the rest had collapsed from their wounds and sheer exhaustion. Flash could see the growing fear in their eyes. They knew they wouldn't make it out alive. He heard hissing and turned his head. Another squad of changelings had surrounded them. There's too many. Despite his body's protests, he got up. But I will not give up, never. For the princess. He glanced back at his comrades with a defiant look. "If we are going to die today, it will be for the princess, for Ponyville--" The guard's fear was replaced with resolve and they made a circular defensive position. The changelings charged, some on wings, others on hoofs, shooting green magical beams. "FOR EQUESTRIA!" The two forces clashed and chaos erupted. The guards did everything they could. Hitting, kicking, biting and despite their oncoming wounds and tired limbs, they kept going. They fought with a burning passion for their country and took out many of the oncoming foes, but it was not enough. One by one they fell to the them. In the end, they were all laying battered and broken, unconscious on the ground, all except Flash Sentry who was still standing, barely. The changelings made way and revealed a slightly taller changeling, wearing purple armor and had green eyes, blood dripping from one of his fangs. It looked over Flash Sentry in disgust. "I admire your spirit, pony, but you have lost." He started sniffing in the air as if he was looking for a scent. "I sense little love in your companions. They are not fit for harvesting." Bloodfang looked to be thinking, the rest of the changelings awaiting his command. "Surrender yourselfs and we will let you live, we have not come for you nor your companions." Flash's limbs were wobbling and his body would give in at any moment. He felt his vision blurring. "N-never..." He managed to get out. The sound around him became harder to understand. It seemed muffled and distant. He knew it was only a matter of seconds before he would pass out. Bloodfang rolled his eyes. "Very well." He turned and started walking away. "End them." He said as he spread his insect wings and took flight. The moment the words left Bloodfang's mouth, the three closest changelings pounced Flash. He closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable, but instead of being knocked to the ground and getting beaten to a pulp as he expected, he heard a muffled scream and hisses. He opened his eyes, but all he could see were colored blurs. Flash could see something red and black he couldn't identify the unusually large jaw clamped around the nearest changeling's neck and throwing it with incredible force into another small pack of changelings. He could feel an unusual heat coming from the black and blur. His eyelids felt heavier. Flash could see the blur now having some weird sharp appendages ripping through the changelings in quick and yet precise slashes. Every changeling the blur touched fell to the ground. Flash couldn't see if what exactly happened to the changelings. His vision darkened and sound seemed to be the only thing he was capable of registering. All he heard was muffled and felt distant almost if it was a bad dream. He heard hisses, growls, but most of all screams of terror and of pain. “Come On, Twilight, faster!” “I'm running as fast as I can!” Twilight, with Spike on her back, had been running around the castle, trying to avoid the increasing number of changelings swarming inside of it, like ants to honey. Fortunately, they knew the big castle much better than the changelings and had been able to find a safe spot to hide in the library. That is until Spike’s nose caught some dust and he sneezed. Unfortunately, that also meant alot of fire came out with the sneeze. He might as well have lit a flare in the night as an entire bookshelf caught on fire from Spike’s sneeze, forcing him and Twilight out of hiding,they had been running ever since. Twilight stopped around a corner, trying to catch her breath. She wasn’t used to running this much. Spike got off her back and peeked around the corner. Three changelings had just run down another corridor that led away from them. Spike sighed in relief. “We can rest for a bit, the other changelings just ran towards the second floor… I think.” He heard several hissing creatures approaching. “I’ll keep a lookout.” Twilight fell on her haunches, breathing heavily. She felt like her lungs were burning and she felt dizzy. She had used a lot of magic, trying to repel the changelings when they had met Chrysalis, but there were simply too many. She had never thought Chrysalis could look to angry. It worried Twilight to say the least. That hateful and maniacal smile she wore reminded her a little of how Neltharion had looked at her during their battle. It was a miracle in itself that they hadn’t already been found. She wanted to teleport herself and Spike away from Ponyville, but she couldn’t focus her thoughts on it. So many things were going on and she couldn’t think straight. Twilight sat up against the nearest wall, trying to collect her thoughts. Why was Chrysalis here? Why was she attacking Ponyville? And more importantly, what was happening outside her castle? Where were Twilight’s friends? Twilight’s thoughts were interrupted as she noticed she could hear noises through the wall. She noticed it an outer wall of her castle. She put her ear to the wall and could feel the sound reverberating through her wall. Twilight heard screams, battle cries, destruction, hisses and very faintly she could hear a familiar voice. It was Rainbow Dash. Twilight couldn’t hear Rainbow’s words, but she sounded cocky as usual. Twilight smiled. It was good to know that her friends and all of Ponyville were fighting and not giving up. Maybe reinforcements from canterlot had arrived? That assumption was quickly shot down as Twilight heard Rainbow’s muffled scream through her wall. She felt tears pressuring to come out and she hit the wall, angrily. “NO!” Spike looked scared at Twilight and slowly went over to her. “T-Twilight, what’s wrong?” Tears were now streaming down Twilight’s face. She looked at him with fear in her eyes. “I can hear them, fighting, losing!” She cried. She stepped away from the wall, she couldn’t bare to hear anymore. Spike wrapped his arms around her, she tried to back away at first, but eventually leaned in and let her tears flow freely. “It’s okay, Twilight. Im sure backup from canterlot will arrive any minute now.” “Im not sure we have time to wait for them, Spike.” Twilight broke the hug and stared into Spike’s eyes. “I don’t think Chrysalis is here for to take prisoners. I think she wants revenge and she will let all of Ponyville suffer just to get back at me.” She dried her eyes looked at the corner with steely and resolute eyes and walked past Spike. “I know what I have to do.” Twilight was about to step out of the corner when she felt something around her hind leg. She looked back and her steely gaze melted. “I won’t let you leave, Twilight!” Spike cried, tears now streaming down his face as he held onto her leg, never intending on letting go. Twilight kneeled down and Spike burrowed his face in her chest. She could feel her heart breaking under the little dragons tears, but she had to go, she had to stop Chrysalis. “Please don’t leave me.” Twilight could feel the tears pressuring once more. She gave him a comforting hug. “I won’t leave you, Spike. I’ll keep you safe.” Spike tightened his grip. Twilight didn’t like what she was about to do, but she saw no other way to keep him safe. She lit her horn and bathed Spike in a discreet purple aura. Spike felt tired and wanted most of all to curl up into a ball and fall asleep. He remembered his and Twilight’s evenings in the golden oak library where she would read out loud to him to help him fall asleep. Those were the days where they didn’t have a care in the world, the days where just each others and their friend’s friendship where the only things that mattered instead of the constant evil threats and things felt worse than ever, but as those depressing thoughts tried to sweep over Spike, another memory took it’s place. It was Rarity. No specific memory, it was just the memory of Rarity. Her beautiful mane that was never out of place, her pristine white coat, her eyes, who could make Spike’s whole body tingle with just one look, and her smile. That smile that could make any trouble go away, it always gave Spike a sense of security and overall happiness and he would do anything to keep that smile on her lips. Twilight sighed as a small tear ran down her cheek on the, now asleep, baby dragon. Her spell had done the job. “Im sorry, Spike, but this is something I have to do.” She levitated him down the hall. At the end of it, there was a small triangular space beneath a window. There was no reason for the changelings to go there. Twilight levitated him into the triangular space and found a relatively big blanket and put it over him. Then she cast a sound suppression spell on the space and a camouflage spell on the blanket so no one could see him. Spike would be safe and that was all Twilight cared about. She was about to walk around the corner and find the changelings when she felt an urge to look back at the triangular space. She smiled as she cast, maybe, the last look she would give Spike. “Be safe, my number one assistant.” She walked around the corner. Chrysalis sniffed in the air and sighed in satisfaction as she stood in the doorway of Twilight’s castle gazing upon the utter destruction her hive had done to Ponyville. It had been a pretty good day for Chrysalis. Her hive had captured most of the ponies in Ponyville with strong love and drained them completely and encased in cocoons for future draining while the rest were still desperately trying to stay free. Chrysalis knew the ponies couldn’t hold on much longer, but time was also running out. To make matters even better, there were still no sign of reinforcements coming from Canterlot and their attack had lasted ten minutes longer than it should have. She was a bit annoyed though that princess Twilight had gotten away and even knocked out over thirty of her soldiers on the way. One way or another, reinforcements would arrive soon enough, but she wanted to savor her revenge and she would take her sweet time once her soldiers have retrieved Twilight. A familiar changeling walked up to her. “Have you retrieved her friends?” Chrysalis didn’t even give her captain a look. Captain Bloodfang gave a bow. “We have retrieved the two pegasi, we had to break one of thems wing to stop her from beating our soldiers. We also have the unicorn, and the pink earth-pony which we captured with great struggle.” “What about the other earth-pony?” “I’ve just received word that she has captured and is being brought here as we speak.” Chrysalis grinned. “Excellent, now we just need the princess.” “Im right here, Chrysalis.” Her eyes widened and she turned on the spot. Less than three feet away stood Twilight, a lot of unconscious changeling guards behind her. “Well, well, well, there we have the princess of ‘friendship’. Took you long enough.” Bloodfang tried to go in front of his queen to protect her but Chrysalis held him back. Twilight stood defiantly with gritted teeth and an angry frown. “I want you and your kin to leave Ponyville, if you don’t, I will make you wish you never left your castle.” Chrysalis raised an eyebrow and laughed evilly. “What an adorable threat, ‘princess’, but what makes you think that you can defeat me? Look around, all it takes is a look in the right direction and your precious subjects will get executed.” Chrysalis could see sweat appearing on Twilight’s forehead and gave another cruel laugh. “You are not fit to be a princess, you are too soft and weak.” Each insult only made Twilight angrier. She couldn’t take it. She would make Chrysalis regret ever meeting her. She screamed in anger and flew forward only to be intercepted by a squad of changelings that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She started blasting them with every spell she could think off. Paralysis, stun, incapacitation, temporary freeze spells. Anything and when she ran out of spells, she started firing pure concentrated magic at them, but more kept coming. Chrysalis looked at Twilight’s magical skills in a mix awe and annoyance. She turned to her captain. “Go fetch our bargaining chips.” Bloodfang grinned, nodded and flew over to another pack of nearby changelings, who were busy keeping track of cocooned towns ponies. Chrysalis heard a loud boom and saw her soldiers flying past her coming from Twilight’s direction and looked back at her. Chrysalis’ jaw dropped. There Twilight was standing on a pile of unconscious changelings, panting, glaring angrily at Chrysalis. Somehow, she had managed to beat all the soldiers that Chrysalis had sent on her. Twilight panted heavily as blood dripped from her cheek. A few changelings had managed to get hits in, resulting in a few cuts and a bleeding bite mark on her hind leg. She could feel the deep marks in her flesh and the pain it cause. It only worsened as she tried to put weight on her hind leg. “Leave P-P-Ponyville or I will show why I am the element of m-magic.” It might have been more intimidating if Twilight wasn’t about to fall over from the pain in her leg, yet Chrysalis was slightly intimidated. But that didn’t stop her from rolling her eyes and snarling at Twilight. “You think you can command me around like one of your lowly subjects!? I am a queen and I will not be bossed around like a filthy pony!” A poisonous green magical beam shot from her crooked horn towards Twilight and she threw herself to the crystal floor, barely avoiding the beam, but also landing badly on her hind leg. A loud crack sounded from Twilight’s hind leg and she screamed. Chrysalis walked over to her smiled maliciously. “I am going to take away everything you care about, Twilight, and I will make you watch as I do so.” She stomped on Twilight’s wing. A disgusting crack echoed through the halls followed by Twilight letting out another agonizing scream. “You are nothing to me, an insect I should have squashed when I first met you.” Chrysalis kicked Twilight in the stomach and proceeded to call some guards over. The guards took the unconscious body of Twilight to the foot of the castle, and encased most of her body in a green magical goo. A familiar captain flew down next to Chrysalis and bowed. “As you requested, my queen.” as the words left his mouth, a squad of 20 changelings landed in front of Chrysalis, with the former elements completely encased in sickly green cocoons. “Your 'bargaining' chips.” “Excellent.” Chrysalis had waited so long for this moment, but simple revenge wasn’t enough for her. No, she wanted them humiliated as well. “Go round up as many villagers you can and bring them here. I want to see the hope die in their eyes.” Bloodfang saluted and went to round up the villagers. It didn’t take long for Chrysalis’ army to round up most of the villagers, who were scared out of their minds of the incredible might of the changeling army. Most of them were clutching each other, foals were crying, some of the villagers were also hurt badly. Broken limbs, gashes and other wounds. Cherilee were trying to keep her students calm while some others were trying to keep the others hopes up. The Cutie mark Crusaders stood defiantly and threatened the changeling soldiers surrounding them, while big Mac and Granny Smith tried to keep them calm. In the middle of it all were Roseluck near her wits end. She had never been more scared in her life. What were the changelings going to do with them? Chrysalis walked up in front of the forced crowd with a joyful smile. “Welcome, ponies. I am sure you all have questions regarding our presence he--” “The hay we don’t!” Applebloom interrupted Chrysalis. “Y’all just here for our--” “SILENCE, PONY!” Bloodfang bellowed at the filly who had dared interrupting his queen. “The next pony to interrupt our queen will be executed on the spot!” Chrysalis grinned as Applebloom visibly shrunk and hid behind Big Mac. The rest of the crowd kept their mouths shut. “As I was saying. I am sure you all have questions regarding our presence here and I it is a very simple answer.” Bloodfang was pulled aside by another changeling and it began whispering in his ear. His eyes widened as the changeling gave report. “We are here for revenge.” Chrysalis finished and her grin only grew as some of the crowd started to shake. “But don’t worry, it is not you I want revenge on.” Chrysalis was about to move out of the way revealing the encased and beaten princess and her friends. “It is--” Bloodfang went up to Chrysalis and began whispering. “Forgive my interruption, my queen, but we have a situation.” Chrysalis snarled angrily at Bloodfang. “Is it about reinforcements from Canterlot?” “W-well, no, but--” “THEN IT WILL HAVE TO WAIT!” Chrysalis yelled at Bloodfang sending him scurrying away as he tried to avoid the wrath of his queen. Chrysalis got back up and put on her previous grin. “Now, where was I? Ah, yes, it is these six we will enact our revenge upon!” She yelled and moved aside, revealing the battered and broken princess and her friends. The whole crowd gasped and began muttering, some began crying and others began yelling in defiance, but were quickly silenced by the surrounding changelings. They simply couldn’t believe what was right in front of their eyes. Their heroines, beaten and captured. Chrysalis laughed triumphantly, but it quickly died out and she gave the crowd a hateful glare. “Let what’s about to happen be a lesson to all of you who dares to doubt the might of the changelings!” She turned and nodded at the guards stationed at Twilight and her friends and they broke the cocoons. Chrysalis was about to command her soldiers to execute them when a deep, metallic voice sounded. “Let them go.” Chrysalis turned in the voice’s direction and saw, behind the crowd surrounded by her changelings, a single stallion with black coat and fiery cracks running up his barely shown hoofs, a cape completely hiding his features. But there was something off about him, just looking at him made Chrysalis’ skin crawl and she hadn’t even seen his face yet. “And who are you supposed to be?” The stallion began walking forward, the grass beneath his hoofs searing away at their touch. the changelings made way for him. “Leave this town, or face my wrath.” Chrysalis felt her heart pound harder and she felt an urge to run, but she wouldn’t let herself. She had come to far to be scared away by some nopony stallion. Chrysalis grinned evilly. “You dare threaten the changelings all by yourself? I shall make an example of you.” She waved her holed hoof and three changelings charged the stallion. The stallion snorted and grabbed one of the changelings, impaling another one on it’s sharp horn. He then grabbed another by the neck and a disgusting crack sounded as it fell to the ground, lifeless. He walked through the crowd of ponies who were staring in fear and awe of the stallion. He walked past the crowd and stood defiantly 30 feet away from Chrysalis. “I will give you one more chance. Leave now or I will reduce your pitiful kin to cinders.” Chrysalis actually considered leaving for a second, but her anger kept her from doing so. This stallion had just killed three of her soldiers and made her kin look weak compared to ponies. This could not be tolerated. She turned to her captain. “Get the rest of the army here, I will take no chances.” Bloodfang nodded and flew over the crowd, gathering up the rest of the army. Chrysalis nodded to a nearby changeling. It hissed and as it did, all of the changeling surrounding the crowd of ponies, attacked the stallion. At Least a hundred of them swarmed the stallion, who violently executed them on the spot as they closed in with feats that shouldn’t be possible for a pony. He literally ripped the oncoming changelings apart as they came close, with his bare hoofs, and then used those dismembered changelings as weapons by throwing them into other foes. As the fight went on, his cowl came down, revealing a horrific sight that slowed the changelings down as they became more reluctant to fight the pony. His face was filled with scars, six horns sprouting from the back of his head, black plating with a fiery liquid running down his neck, a metal jaw having replaced his own flesh one, but the eyes were the worst. They were fiery pits of malice and death, filling the oncoming changelings with fear in their hearts. As the cowl came down, the stallion became much more violent. He began clamping his jaws around changelings and throwing them into others. A few changelings could swear they saw tentacles sometimes averting their attacks. The few that actually got hits or bites in, collapsed on the ground, screaming and hissing with red cracks and skin burned off with the limbs they had used. All of the noise managed to wake Twilight, even though she was still in a lot of pain. She looked around, her ears ringing and gazed wobbly. She spotted her friends lying beside her, unconscious. Then the ringing stopped as a ear shattering roar filled the air. She recognised the roar and began to sweat and shake. It was the same roar she had heard the day she fought Neltharion. She looked in it’s direction and her blood froze. In front of her stood Chrysalis with a nervous frown. In front of her Twilight could see dismembered and bloody changelings bodies lying in piles and more living ones swarming around a single spot. Twilight could faintly see a stallion in the middle of the battling changelings and then she spotted the eyes. Those eyes that made her want to lie down and cry. Then she spotted the rest of the stallion. The jaw, the horns, the plating and the blackened coat. “C-Chrysalis!” She yelled as loud as her lungs could let her. “You have to stop and leave, something really bad is about to happen!” Chrysalis turned around and marched angrily over to Twilight and gripped her by the neck. “The only thing that is about to happen is that I will kill that stallion, leave your village in ruins and then tear you and your friends apart!” She threw Twilight against the crystal castle’s wall. Despite the pain and dizziness going through her head, Twilight managed to speak. “P-please, he w-will k-k-kill us all if you d-don’t s-stop.” “ENOUGH!” The earth trembled as the stallions voice rang through the village and a fiery shockwave erupted, knocking all of the changeling away from the stallion. “I HAVE REMAINED IN THIS BODY FOR LONG ENOUGH!” “I-it’s too late…” Twilight managed to say before she was sucked into unconsciousness once more. Chrysalis began to shake and her jaw dropped, in fear, as the stallion caught on fire that spread into a pillar that towered over Twilight’s castle. As this happened Bloodfang returned with the remainder of the changelings, them being in the air looking in awe at the massive pillar of fire, as he landed beside his queen. “M-my queen, what is that?” He asked. Chrysalis shook her head in disbelief as something inside the fire gave an earsplitting roar. “I-I don’t know.” A gigantic dragon claw emerged from the pillar and swatted away part of the changeling army, scattering the rest. Massive wings burst out of the pillar and the fire died down, revealing the black dragon, his size rivaled by no one, it’s destructive capabilities the stuff of legend, and his rage unlimited.         “TREMBLE, INSECTS! YOUR END HAS COME!”          “Your untimely arrival really is unnecessary.” Celestia said to the griffin and dragon in front of her, as she sat on her throne, Luna beside her. “Our queen had wanted to make sure you weren’t hiding anything, so she sent me earlier than first intended.” A relatively big blue dragon, that almost reached the ceiling, replied to Celestia’s words. His name was Razorscale and he was a respected dignitary of Draconia even if his methods were sometimes… Different. “But I have no idea why he is here.” Razorscale nodded to the small griffin beside him. The griffin glared at the dragon that towered over him. “Our emperor had the same idea.” The griffins name was Ironbeak. Former senior general of the griffin air force recently made dignitary as he had been involved in a scandal. Both dignitaries had arrived too early and it had slightly annoyed Celestia. After an evening of hunting a certain draconequus, all she wanted to do was to hit the hay. The meeting had been short and hopefully it could be over soon. The dignitaries started talking about recent events, the mysterious dragon they were looking for and eventually they started bickering like an old married couple. Celestia didn’t pay attention however to their words. She was too tired. She did pay attention however to a certain draconequus that kept skating outside the entrance to the throne room, the floor beneath him having been turned to soap. He gave her the occasional wink and wave and Celestia was practically fuming with anger. She was still mad at Discord and if it had been any other meeting, she would have excused herself and continue her hunt for roasted chaos spirit. “Princess Celestia, are you even listening?” “Huh?” She turned her attention back to the dragon that were addressing her. “Well, I, um…” “We apologize for our sister.” Luna saved her. “Tis been a stressful day for her and the time of this meeting isn’t helping.” Ironbeak nodded understandingly. “Of course. We understand completely.” He gave Razorscale a glare and he too nodded. “But you must understand the importance--” A sudden bright light coming from the nearby balcony grabbed his attention. “What is that?” Razorscale and the princesses attention were also drawn to the light. “I have no idea.” Razorscale answered as he began walking towards the balcony, the princesses following. “What could be causing such a--” He didn’t get to finish his sentence as loud roar shook the castle. Celestia’s eyes widened and she heard Discord crash into a wall outside the throne room. They both recognised that roar. From the vision. She ran past the dignitaries and out on the balcony, Luna following shortly behind. The dignitaries also followed out and when they all saw the sight in Ponyville they all, but Celestia, gasped. “What in Tartarus’ name is that?” Razorscale asked mouth wide eyes and jaw dropped. He had never seen such a dragon in his life. Ironbeak kept silent. His heart was pounding hard with fear. If this dragon was a weapon of Draconia then his home was doomed. Luna shook slightly at the sight of the massive dragon in Ponyville. “Sister, is that…?” Celestia could feel herself starting to sweat. “Yes, Luna. That is Deathwing.”