//------------------------------// // Chapter 59: Reunion // Story: The Equine Scrolls: SkyFiM // by FireOfTheNorth //------------------------------// Chapter LIX: Reunion “Changelings overran Kvatch last night! There were glowing portals outside the walls! Gates to the Beyond itself!” Kvatch. It had been months since I’d been to the town, ever since I left for Horizon. I had grown up there, but it was no longer my home. Still, hearing that a dragon could quite possibly attack it filled me with dread. I had family there, and though I was effectively dead to them, I still cared for them. I couldn’t stay away forever. Perhaps now was the time to return to Kvatch. Saving them from a dragon would show my former neighbors that I wasn’t as worthless as they thought I was. The decision was made for me in an instant. I had to get to Kvatch. We left as soon as Star-Swirl received the news, traveling by moonlight to Bridle, and then on to Saddlegrad. By the time we reached Saddlegrad, the sun was peeking over the Spine Mountains to the west. We continued on without stopping to see how Ember was doing, our sights fixed on the smaller town to the south. It was nearly midday by the time Kvatch came in sight. Long ago, a Gate to the Beyond had opened up in the city, completely destroying it. Since then, the town had been rebuilt, though not to its original splendor. The town was far smaller than any of the others in Unicornica and had a wooden stockade instead of a stone wall. In fact, there were hardly any stone buildings in the town except for the Count’s keep and the Temple. That wasn’t a good thing when a dragon was attacking. The flying lizard, a large mottled brown specimen, flew over the town, dousing it with flames. Could Alduin know this was my home, ordering an attack outside of Horizon merely to demoralize me? Of course, maybe the dragons were simply spreading out, preparing to devour the Northlands. For some reason, I found the latter to be more appealing, mostly because it meant Alduin didn’t really know everything about me. There appeared to be nopony around as we entered except for a few guards, some of which I recognized. Everypony else were most likely hiding in their homes, or had been foolhardy enough to attack the dragon themselves and had been eaten, torched, or dismembered. I tried not to think about the implications too much as I charged up the central street until I had a good view of the dragon. <<>> I Shouted, striking out at the lizard’s soul and forcing it to land. It laid down a wall of flame as I tried to approach it, forcing me to jump between buildings to avoid the blast of fire. My friends and I had split up upon entering the town, and Steadfast came charging down another street just as I thought the flames would reach me after all. With his warhammer he crushed one of the dragon’s claws, causing it to roar in pain and cease breathing fire. With a swipe of its claw, it tried to knock Steadfast away, but he was already gone. Mystic was on its other side, shooting lightning from her horn into its wing. The appendage jerked upward rapidly as the energy coursed through it. As it rose, the dragon tucked its head under it and shot fire at Mystic. Her ward protected her, but she retreated to keep from being overwhelmed. Galloping down back-alleys I’d memorized in my youth, I found my way around until I was behind the dragon. As the beast lost interest in Mystic, it found a new target. Mephalda flew above it, just out of reach, taunting it as she shot arrows into chinks in its scaly armor. It blasted flames up into the sky, which she expertly dodged, staying one step ahead of the dragon. As I reached the dragon’s tail, I drew Dawnbreaker and began to run it along the edge of the tail, slicing the spines off. As I reached the point where it met the dragon’s body, I climbed a bit before doubling back and leaping into the air. I went sailing down, positioning Dawnbreaker so that it sliced through the lizard’s appendage. The tail thumped to the ground heavily and hot dragon blood poured from the wound. The dragon roared with intense pain and sought me out at once. I had no time to retreat as it struck me with a claw, sending me flying through the air. My body finally came to a stop as it crashed into a deformed chunk of obsidian, the remains of the Gate to the Beyond that had opened here centuries earlier. The stone didn’t give way at all, and I could feel my bones snap. One hindleg was definitely broken, only being held together by my armor, though in the wrong position. Many of my ribs also were cracked, also held in the wrong position by my crumpled armor. Before I could do anything to heal myself, the dragon loomed over me, flames shooting from its nostrils as it prepared to roast me. <<>> I Shouted, taking on an ethereal form as the dragon blasted me with fire. In my ghostly state, I was safe from the dragon for the moment, but I wouldn’t be for long. The dragon’s flames suddenly cut off as a chunk of ice from Mystic hit it in the head. An arrow from Mephalda into one of the beast’s eyes hindered it as it searched for Mystic. I dragged myself behind the Gate to the Beyond, where I’d be relatively safe. Then I went to work, pulling my armor back into shape with magic and resetting my bones before downing healing potion after healing potion. Eventually I was fully healed, though a bit stiff. Apparently the damage I’d taken didn’t want to heal easily. The ground shuddered as the dragon took off, flapping its wings. Without its tail, it was off balance; it didn’t manage to get very high before slamming into a building. Struggling for purchase with its claws, it climbed higher, until it managed to reach the top of the Gate to the Beyond, where it perched, looking down on us with cruel glee. I dodged out of the way as it suddenly sent a blast of fire at me. I tried to send ice spikes flying at it, but it caught them quickly and melted them before they could get near. Mephalda continued to shoot arrows at it, but it kept her at bay with its wings. Likewise, it kept Mystic from casting any serious spells by raining fire down at her. I Shouted, and clouds began to converge overhead. Lightning soon came striking down on the dragon. It tried to shield itself with its wings, only to have holes burned in them by the lightning blasts. I prepared all the magic I had and shot a particularly strong blast of lightning at one of the claws it was using to hold onto the Gate to the Beyond. Its grip released, and it went tumbling from its perch, crashing into the smithy next to the Gate. The dragon crawled from the wreckage as the storm dissipated, the clouds returning to their proper corners of the sky. I blasted my paralyze spell into its mouth as it opened it to breathe fire at me. To my dismay, the dragon didn’t go unconscious. It merely opened and closed its jaw, moving its tongue around as if it had lost feeling within its mouth only, which was probably exactly what had happened. I galloped away as the dragon charged over the ground at me. I dodged around the Gate to the Beyond, but the dragon wasn’t so fortunate. Its vision restricted to only one eye, it slammed into the Gate, causing it to stop completely. Apparently even dragons couldn’t harm the structures of the Draconequus. Flame blasted over the street as the dragon made its way around the gate, but it wasn’t as streamlined as usual, probably due to the numbing effect my spell had had on the great lizard’s mouth. I dodged behind another wooden building as the fire splashed across the ground. <<>> I Shouted as I came around the corner of the building, coating the dragon’s face in ice. I climbed up the dragon’s frozen head, its eye tracking me all the way as I made my way to its neck. I prepared to stab Dawnbreaker into its skull, but the dragon broke free of the ice, sending me rolling down the dragon’s back, the spines denting in my armor. At last I fell of the back, and went rolling down what was left of the dragon’s wing. I pulled out my Changeling war axe and stabbed into the wing as it held, grabbing it in my teeth to halt my fall. I dangled through a hole burned in the wing, holding on only with my axe. The dragon suddenly jerked its wing up and I went flying through the air, soaring over Kvatch. As the dragon tried to flame me in the air, Steadfast struck it in the head with his warhammer, getting its attention. Mephalda caught me in the air before I came crashing down and deposited me down the path before swooping back toward the dragon, her Blackwing swords drawn. I galloped back up the path toward the dragon, summoning a flame atronach to gallop beside me. My fiery familiar soon ran ahead, reaching the dragon before me and scorching its claws. I followed up with a strike from Dawnbreaker, slicing through the charred flesh. Another atronach, this one made of ice, joined mine, conjured up by Mystic. The two elemental beings worked together to torment the dragon, first burning, then freezing it. The sides of the dragon were soon torn apart by the raw energy, raw flesh showing where the scales had fallen away, and the atronachs made their way around toward the dragon’s head. Swiftly, it grabbed each in a claw, ignoring the pain, and slammed them together, producing a cloud of steam. The dragon suddenly turned on us, breathing fire at Mystic and batting at me with a wing. I ducked down, and the tattered canvas flew over my head. I shot lightning into the dragon’s side, not noticing as the wing came back. I was taken off guard and picked off the ground by the wing, sent flying into the front of a house. As I got back to my hooves, I saw a few ponies I recognized standing just outside the house, watching the battle with the dragon. They looked at me, trying to determine who I was through the armor. When realization dawned, their eyes flew open in surprise. Ignoring them, I charged back into the fray. During my charge, I saw that other ponies had left their dwellings and were watching the battle, still ready at a moment’s notice to duck back inside. I cleared their faces from my mind as I neared the dragon, needing to focus on the task of slaying this monster. Its wing once more swung around toward me, but I ducked down and slid beneath it, coming up to the dragon’s side. I stabbed Dawnbreaker into the exposed flesh of its chest, hoping to strike its heart. Hot, acidic dragon blood poured from the wound, but the dragon continued to thrash about, so I had to assume the heart hadn’t been hit. I was forced to pull my sword out of the dragon as it reached for me with a claw. Instinctively, I swung my sword around, slicing through the dragon’s bone and flesh and separating its forearm from its body. My amputation of the dragon threw it off balance, and I had to run fast to keep from being crushed beneath the massive lizard’s bulk. It fell to the ground, and Steadfast was able to get a free hit off on its head, cracking its jaw before it was able to recover. With a wing, it propped itself up, returning to a somewhat normal posture. Steadfast ran away as fast as he could as the dragon breathed fire at him. Still, some of the flames managed to catch him, lighting his coat on fire. He screamed in agony as his flesh began to burn, and rolled across the ground to extinguish the flame. Mystic ran to his aid, putting up a ward between him and the dragon as it tried to finish him off. Steadfast would be in capable hooves with Mystic healing him; I needed to focus on the dragon. I galloped in toward the dragon, dodging the blasts of flame it sent at me, until I was right before its jaw. <<>> I Shouted as it prepared to breathe fire at me. Its head suddenly jerked away due to the force of my Shout. For a moment its neck was exposed, and I took advantage of it to get in a swing with Dawnbreaker. I didn’t manage to kill it, but judging by the fire that spilled out at me, I had ruptured its throat. I ran beneath the dragon, hoping it wouldn’t decide to crush me, and focused all my magic on swinging my Draconequus sword around. With a mighty swing, I cut through the dragon’s other forearm, slicing it off at the elbow. As before, the dragon leaned very suddenly, and I struggled to get out from under it. This time, however, I failed and was trapped beneath the bulk of the dragon. My hindquarters and hindlegs cried out in pain as the whole mass of the giant lizard bore down on them. I tried to pull myself out, but was unsuccessful. The dragon struggled to heave itself up, but stopped when it realized I was trapped beneath it. Craning its neck around, it prepared to roast me alive. Mephalda suddenly came from out of nowhere, landing on the dragon’s head and spearing its good eye with a sword. As it roared in pain, shooting fire everywhere in an attempt to hit Mephalda, she swooped down toward me. “Come on!” she said, grabbing my hooves and straining with her wings. Eventually I began to slide out from under the dragon, though flames flew around us as the dragon aimed without sight. With a pop, I suddenly came free. Mephalda fell to the ground, the feathers at the ends of her wings charred. I grabbed ahold of her hooves and dragged her away from the dragon. She drew her bow, standing unsteadily on her hindlegs, and began to fire shots at the dragon, keeping moving so it couldn’t find her. After making certain my hindlegs would hold me without immediate medical attention, I charged back in toward the dragon. It blew fire in my general direction as it heard me coming, but even crippled like I was, I was able to dodge it. I drew out Dawnbreaker and the Blade of Hoofingar as I neared the dragon’s head and prepared my thoughts for a Shout. My swords suddenly flew through the air, slicing at the dragon’s face. Chunks of its jaw and skull were broken off as my weapons hacked faster than anypony could swing. When I reached the neck, my blades sliced it in so many places it was a wonder the head stayed attached. As my blades began to return to normal speed, the dragon collapsed to the ground, dead. I fought to calm my breathing before cleaning my blades and downing a healing potion to repair the damage done to my hindlegs. The dragon combusted, and I experienced its memories in fast forward as I trotted over to Mephalda. Straining, I managed to restore the feathers on her wings using Healing Hooves. Mystic joined us a moment later, along with Steadfast, who was looking much better now that his burns had been tended to. “You gave me a scare there,” I told him, “I thought we’d lost you.” “It’ll take more than that to kill me,” he said, “Especially with you guys around.” The tension from the fight began to defuse now that it was over. We’d stopped the dragon, and Kvatch was safe. Speaking of Kvatch, now that the dragon was dead, the citizens of my hometown began to leave their homes to examine the massive skeleton and the quartet of ponies who’d killed the beast. They began to crowd around, some thanking us for what we’d done, still others marveling that the dragon was really dead. I heard my name whispered back in forth in the crowd. It seemed I’d really made an impression on my former neighbors. If there was a better way to do a homecoming, I couldn’t imagine it. Eventually somepony had the idea to fetch the Count from his keep. After all, thanks from the pony who ran this town would mean more in their minds than any thanks they could give. I watched as Count Rusted Iron made his way from his keep to the central square, where the Gate to the Beyond, and now a dragon skeleton, resided. The red-brown stallion trotted right up to us, his guards making a path through the crowd. “I am Count Rusted Iron, leader of this fine town,” he announced in his typical bombastic style, “And I would like to thank you behalf of Kvatch for vanquishing this beast of legend. I would be pleased to extend the honor of being Knights of Kvatch to you four heroes.” He stopped his speech as I removed my helmet, and the chatter in the crowd picked up, my name more prominent than before. “Say, don’t I know you?” the Count asked, stroking his beard. “That’s Sapphire!” one of the ponies in the crowd shouted out, “Milling Stone and Pearl’s daughter!” “By Zenitrot, it is!” the Count said with surprise, “But, I thought you died months ago. I signed the death notice and everything.” “Everypony thought I was dead?” I asked. “Well, nopony found your body,” the Count’s steward cut in, “But you disappeared that night with the horrible storm, so we didn’t have time to search right away and figured a wild animal had gotten you.” “Didn’t have time to search?” I asked with my eyes narrowed. I strongly suspected the steward was stretching the truth. Most likely nopony had ever looked for me. After all, why waste guards searching for an unproductive blank flank? “Yes,” he said, “That storm was a real doozy. I sure hope the Equine Council gave the Dominion grief for that mishap.” I let it go. There was no point arguing about something like this, especially when everypony seemed willing to welcome me back now that I’d saved the town. Well, almost everypony. “Say, I don’t see your parents around,” Count Rusted Iron pointed out, looking out over the crowd, “I’m sure they’ll want to hear about this. What say we pay them a surprise visit?” “Sounds fine by me,” I said. Oh, I’m sure it would be a surprise all right. Their blank flank daughter now a hero, that would be quite a surprise indeed. My family lived above the bakery my father owned, the Glazed Rapier, which was across town. On the way there, Count Rusted Iron spoke at length about the honors that would come with knighthood, as well as the plans he was making for a banquet in our honor tonight. All the while his steward was writing down everything he said, trying to keep up as he changed his plans by the second. At last we made it to the Glazed Rapier, where the Count had a guard knock on the door. My mother, a pearly white unicorn with a turquoise mane, answered the door, checking to make sure things were safe and the dragon was gone. The sight that met her shocked her for a moment, for much of the town had followed us here, led by the Count and his retinue. Then her eyes locked on me. “Sapphire?” she asked breathlessly. “Hi, Mom,” I said, giving a weak smile. The whole way here I’d been thinking about how mad I was at my parents for treating me like nothing for being a blank flank. But, now that I was actually here, all those feelings were gone. I was so overjoyed to be reunited with them, and I hadn’t realized how much I had missed them. I found myself pulled into a hug with my mother as she wept tears of joy. Had they really missed me that much? Perhaps I’d been selling them short, thinking they wouldn’t care if I disappeared. Everything was so confusing at the moment. “I – we thought you were dead,” my mother said. “Far from,” the Count butted in, “Why, she just defeated the dragon that was attacking the town.” “Is that true?” my mom asked, and I nodded that it was. “Oh, come inside,” she ordered me, leading the way. “We’ll give you some time alone,” the Count said as he turned to leave, “But don’t forget the banquet tonight. Bring your friends.” “Stone,” my mother called to my father as I entered the home I’d grown up in, “Get in here, come see who it is.” “Okay, but this better not take too long,” his voice came from the next room, “I’ve got bread baking and it’s nearly done.” The slate gray unicorn trotted into the front of the shop, looking over his shoulder at his bread. His black mane was beginning to thin, but he had it combed to hide the worst of it. Had he always looked so old and tired? When he turned around to see who was visiting, he suddenly stopped. “Sapphire?” he asked, “Is that really you?” “It’s really me,” I said. “Where have you been?” he asked, coming around the shop’s counter to where my mother and I were standing. “Horizon mostly, though I’ve made a few trips back to Unicornica,” I answered. “What . . . what have you been doing?” he asked next. “Besides saving Kvatch from that dragon,” my mother pointed out. “She did that?” my father asked, and my mother nodded affirmation, “It seems you’ve got a lot to explain.” So I did, telling them as best I could everything that had befallen me since I left for Horizon. Though it had been nearly three months, it seemed like so much had happened, I had trouble believing it myself. It was great though, to be able to speak to my parents for the first time in years and not be ashamed of my accomplishments. “I don’t believe it,” my father said when I finished my tale, “I never dreamed you’d become what you are today.” “I have trouble believing it sometimes too,” I told him. “So, what’s your cutie-mark then?” he asked expectantly. My heart sank. All I’d accomplished, and it still came down to a stupid butt symbol. “You still don’t have one yet, do you?” he asked, his admiration of me dwindling. “Does it matter?” I said. “Of course it matters,” he replied, “A cutie-mark is the symbol that defines a pony’s destiny. Without one, well, you’re aimless.” “Do you call everything I’ve done aimless?” I asked, my temper rising, “I’ve done a lot of good things.” “And in all those things, you never found out what your talent is?” he replied, his temper also rising, “How could you have done so much and still not know your destiny?” “It doesn’t matter what my destiny is!” I shouted, “Look what I’ve been able to do without a cutie-mark!” “That’s no substitute!” he shouted back, “Without a cutie-mark, you’re still nothing!” “Oh, I’m really nothing, aren’t I? I’ve prevented wars, spoke to Draconequi, saved towns, and saved countless lives! You’re so proud of your cutie-mark! What have you accomplished? You bake bread and that’s all!” “At least I know my place in this world! It seems you have yet to find yours!” Angrily, he stomped back into the back room where his bread was burning. I stormed out of the Glazed Rapier, too angry for words. I vaguely remember my mother calling me to come back, but my rage at the moment blinded me to everything. It wouldn’t have been a good idea to talk to her in the state I was in, anyway. ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ I rejoined Steadfast, Mephalda, and Mystic at Castle Kvatch. The Count had offered to let us stay there that night after the banquet, and possibly knighting ceremony. I could tell all my friends wanted to ask me what had happened with my parents to throw me into such a fit, but they held their tongues for the moment, seeing I needed some time to cool down. I explained everything to them later, when they asked. It seemed nothing I ever did was good enough for my father. I’d done so much, and yet because I had no cutie-mark, in his eyes I’d accomplished nothing. Was he right? Was I wandering without purpose? I had a purpose: to defeat Alduin and save the Northlands. But what would I do after that? For the banquet, I pushed all those doubts aside. It was a night for us to enjoy ourselves, and enjoy the thanks of the ponies of Kvatch. I caught up with many ponies, trying to replace bad memories with good ones as I they couldn’t wait to praise and compliment us. Strange, the whole town overlooked my blank flank because of my accomplishments, but without my own father’s approval, it meant nothing. My mother was at the party, but there was no sign of my dad. After my mom managed to get past all the ponies congratulating her, she made her way over to where I was sitting. “Sorry about that mess earlier,” she told me. “Maybe I shouldn’t have shown up,” I said sulkily, “I wouldn’t have if I knew dad would act like that.” “Your father is a very headstrong stallion,” my mother told me, “He didn’t mean any of the hurtful things he said.” “I thought that maybe if I actually accomplished something great, he could finally be proud of me. I’d no longer be the blank flank that shamed the family,” I said, “But nothing’s changed. To him, I’m still worthless.” “Oh, you’re not worthless to him,” my mother assured me. “He said it himself,” I said, “Without a cutie-mark, I’m nothing to him.” “He didn’t mean it. Your father’s old and set in his ways. It takes time for his mind to get away from that. But he’s proud of you, I know he is.” “How do you know that,” I asked, “When everything he ever says to me implies he’s disappointed in me?” “I can tell,” my mom replied, “He was proud today, when he heard of all you’d done, and that pride didn’t go away when you left. He loves you Sapphire, and so do I, no matter what. Don’t you ever forget that.” “Thanks,” I told her, “I just wish he’d tell me that himself. I don’t think I can come home until then.” I talked a bit more with my mother before she left the banquet. I was left with many of the ponies I’d grown up knowing, now trying to get in my good graces that I was due to be knighted. I let them know that I’d forgotten, or at least was trying to forget, the last few years in Kvatch, when I’d been an outcast. Any insult was forgiven. The party was much less somber after that. The banquet was beginning to wind down, and I was thinking about hitting the hay. Most of the party guests, including the Count, had gone to bed, and I was thinking my time had come as well. As I prepared to get up, a slate gray unicorn suddenly appeared in the gateway. He looked around a bit before he found me and trotted over. My father sat down on the bench next to me. “So,” he said after a bit, “I guess I really messed up today, huh?” “It wasn’t all your fault,” I admitted now that I had had some time to think about it, “We both said some things we didn’t mean.” “Too true,” he said, “I was thinking, about what you said. Perhaps, it’s not – not the cutie-mark that determines the pony, but the pony that determines the cutie-mark.” “Huh?” I said, admitting I was lost. “Well, who says you have to have a cutie-mark to fulfill your destiny?” he explained, “Perhaps only by pursuing and fulfilling that destiny can one obtain their cutie-mark.” “And what if I never get my cutie-mark?” I asked. “Maybe you will, maybe you won’t,” he replied, “Can’t be sure. It doesn’t mean you can’t fulfill your destiny without one.” “I really am proud of what you’ve done,” he said after a long stretch of uncomfortable silence, “It’s just hard for me to say it.” “Well, it seems every time we talk we get into a fight,” I told him. “Unfortunately you inherited my temper and my stubbornness,” he laughed, “That’s never a good combination.” “I understand you’ve got your own place in Horizon now,” he added after a minute, “But I thought maybe you’d like to stay at the old place one more time?” “I’d like that,” I said honestly. Together we got up and left Castle Kvatch for the rooms over the Gilded Rapier. It may have been less fancy, and less roomy, but the important thing was that I’d be together . . . with my family once again. Level Up Health: 300 Stamina: 290 Magicka: 290 New Perk: Keep the Change [Speech] -- You may now invest in stores to receive everything from additional discounts to periodic returns on your investments. Dragon Soul collected New Quest: The Power of Priests -- Enter a Dragon Priest lair and recover another Element of Harmony.