Stories in Stone
Tales in Stone
By TDR
Centuries
[ Part One]
The dragons claws tore through the stone work, stopping his slide as he was shoved back. The force of the blows shocked him even now, even though the conflict had been going on for an hour. Despite it his opponent showed no more signs of weakness than she had when he first began his attack. Her eyes never left him the green orbs burning into him.
The out post was devastated, the explosives he had snuk into the main tower had leveled it in one glorious fireball, the walls fell along with the tower allowing the waiting squad of mercenaries and other dragons to rush the fort unobstructed by the towers magical defense. With the fall of this fort the pass though the mountains would be unprotected, the brunt of the dragons forces could march right into Equestria with a clear supply line from Cindervale.
The explosion was the only thing that had gone right.
By the time he managed to rejoin the attacking force after his infiltration, half of them were already dead. It had only been minutes since they had broken through the lines and rushed through the collapsed wall. And yet the Trolls, Rams, and most of the war beasts were slaughtered already. Even two of the other dragons had been killed. Just a pair of young Frost drakes, but these were ponies, they should have been destroyed and devoured by even one drake, and yet two were dead along with most of the assault force?
It was at that point he saw her. A single earth pony mare, a sword gripped in her teeth staring across the carnage strewn court yard. Her mane whipped in the wind racing down off the mountains a shower of red mist rained from her whipping mane and tail. Blood dripped from the mare, masking her coloration, her cutie mark and even the color of her armor.
None of it was hers.
Her eyes however are what caught the dragons attention. They were a bright green, a soft color, but there was a look to them he would never forget, one that sent a shudder along his spine. He had snarled and attacked, not even remotely afraid of some lesser creature, even if they held a blade crafted by a traitor to slay his kind. It would not be the first of those swords he had collected and destroyed, nor would it be the last.
That was an hour ago. He was bleeding from numerous wounds, and his wings were sliced clear through in several places, too many more cuts to the membrane and he wouldn't be able to fly out of here. She was bleeding her own blood now and one rear hoof was resting gingerly on the ground. Yet he felt he was the one who worse off in this exchange.
This was beyond infuriating. Earth ponies were nothing, they could not fly they did not have the magic that was the only real danger to his kind, yet here she was a lone mare fending off an army and one of the top officers in the Council of Flame, and her rank markings showed she wasn't even a Sergeant!
He shifted back a little more staring down at the mare as he reared up his head as if to breath flame at her, she didn't move. It was just as well he needed more time to stroke his inner fire before he could let out another blast that was more than a warm breeze. This made no sense at all to him. This spat in the face of everything Forgescale had taught him. This pony was not weak, this pony was not a coward, this pony on her own was a match for a dragon, nay, a entire force of them. He was the last left to face her, while fighting him she had killed three other members of the assault force and the rest of the mercenary cowards fled, he would see the blasted rams and orcs were served for dinner later.
“Who are you pony?” he snarls stepping back a little further. “One of the goddesses in disguise?”
She snarls in return taking a step towards him and he could feel himself moving back another step.
“I am Guard Vermillion Rose, monster. I am your doom.” the mare snaps. The blade's hilt leaving her mouth as she rose up on her back legs, catching and balancing the weapon on a single hoof as she stares at him, the tip pointed at his chest. Her green eyes unwavering.
He rears up fanning his wings to tower above her on his back legs.
The mare was unimpressed.
“I am Krisis the Stalker Son of Forge scale des....”
“Okay, shut up now. The only thing I needed was what to put on the little brass plaque that I’m going to nail your head when I mount it on my wall. That first part was plenty.” Vermilion grins.
Krisis steps back a bit more, the mares grin... that was more like a dragons predatory smile than anything he had ever seen on a pony.
“There is something very wrong with you mare.” Krisis grumbles.
“I agree, I'm letting you talk. But I can fix that.” Vermillion states, but the orange scaled dragon had already launched himself into the air and was winging away from the ruined tower, leaving the mare alone with the injured and the dead.
Krisis flinched slightly as he glides away on injured wings, his mind racing with the thoughts of the earth pony mare. She was nothing like anything he had ever learned from his kind.
No, that was not quite right. There were some dragons in Cindervale who were against this war. One in particular that he needed to speak with, to try and understand what was going on.
It was time to write to his mother, but all he could think of were the mares brilliant eyes.
[End Part One]