Azure Flame

by Silver Page

Dark Phoenix

“Who are you, and why are you doing this?!” Princess Luna demanded, facing the enchanted mirror. The hooded figure sighed heavily, and looked over to them. With slow deliberation, the hood was thrown off, along with the robes. What it revealed was startling.

A Dragon stood before them, his scales a milky white color with a silvery sheen to them. He had golden spines running down his back, and his claws were a similar gold color. But it was his eyes that were the most shocking. The left eye was a pale yellow, the cat-like pupil a more orange color. But the right eye had a pair of deep scars going through it, forming an X shape. The eye, or what was left of it, was black with a red pupil that oozed some sort of black inky substance. Like tears of pure darkness, Blueblood thought.

“I’m surprised you don’t recognize me, Blue Princess. But then again, we last saw each other three thousand or so years ago.” The Dragon was standing on two legs, like Spike did, and though Blueblood couldn’t see any wings, he felt like something was wrong. It was Twilight who verbalized the question.

“Why do you not look like other Dragons?” At this, the white scaled creature looked at the purple unicorn with distain.

“Do you always ask such personal questions, rude little pony?” Twilight gasped, but it had turned back to face the Alicorn sisters.

“To answer your question, Blue Princess, I am Vandal Scarback, leader of the ones who assaulted you earlier.” His name caused a reaction in the elder Princess, her eyes narrowing in anger.

“Do you think we will stand for this, or the Dragon King for that matter?” Celestia demanded, glaring at the odd Dragon. He just laughed at her question.

“Why should I fear a creature that has slept away the better part of two millennia? Besides, I am his enemy as much as I am yours, so threatening me with diplomacy won’t get you anywhere!”

“And what was the purpose of your attack? Why did you take those innocent ponies hostage?” Celestia demanded answers, but Vandal laughed again, drawing it out.

“Was it not obvious? Was the chant not a dead give away? I want you, and every single noble dead!” Vandal’s voice rose to a roar, and his eye glinted with hate.

“The Ponies, the Griffons, the Minotaur, the Diamond Dogs! All of them and more suffer under the lash of cruel, heartless nobles and royalty, who demand obedience and sacrifice from their subjects. Death and suffering litter history, all because of the nobility. And thus, I have pledged to wipe it out.” His words dripped with venom, but Cadence shook her head.

“There may be stuck up noble in Canterlot and Equestria, but surely none are as bad as you claim? And Aunt Celestia and Luna are kind and loving rulers! They would never hurt their subjects!”

“You attest to the innocence of the nobles, but did you know? Duke Wild Heart of Fillydelphia kidnaps mares and forces them to become workers in brothels and whore houses! Baron Osprey of Cloudsdale steals vast amounts of bits from the treasury and government striped, while forcing the Weather Factory workers to work dangerous shifts to reach the quota he falsifies! The list goes on, ignorant little child! But your precious Diarches have committed an even greater crime than just that.” He stared at the Cadence, before shifting his gaze onto Celestia and Luna.

“Their crime is to pretend to be Gods, and raise the Sun and Moon!” This accusation shocked the group, and there were a few shouts from those assembled. Vandal just smirked at them.

“I was there when the Alicorns came to this world. I was there to welcome them after their harrowing journey. And I was there when they declared war on us, the Dragons, the rightful rulers of this world! I saw them fight, I saw them die, I saw them free Discord, who had been sealed originally by us Dragons! All the chaos they brought, all the suffering, was because of the arrogance of the Alicorns.”

By now, Vandal was clearly lost in his own madness, and he paced back and forth in front of the mirror.

“I tried to bring justice, tried to punish the Alicorns! I slaughtered hundreds of them on the Day of Righteous Murder! And what thanks did I get, for ridding the world of the Alicorns?” Vandal stopped and turned to the Princesses.

“I was chastised! Punished! Shamed! King Vargonos, may the cold depths of Tartarus torture him, tore my wings off himself and cursed me to this form! All because I did what had to be done! Needed to be done!” He screamed his rage at the celestial Alicorns, and they trembled before his wrath. Everyone else did as well.

“I saw the world, and I traveled it for decades! Unable to make a home because of the curse, I soon realized that the cultures of this world were vile and corrupt! Even we the Dragons were not immune, and our ancient pride has caused us to ignore the world we are meant to safe guard! Now in our laziness we let two Alicorns, barely older than children to us, protect the world. The very world they nearly destroyed!”

“But I saw the truths. Nobility and Royalty, no matter their form, are always the bane of a nation. Too often will the rich and powerful abuse the poor and the weak to secure their own gains! Too often they run rampant and amok, despoiling those who could and should be pure. I saw it all. And so I said enough!” Vandal pounded his right hand into his left palm with a dull thud.

“I began to gather those of a like mind to me. I gathered allies. I gathered supplies. I planned, and I waited. I trained my followers to hate the Nobility, the source of the corruption. We grew. And soon, we had strength.”

“It was Argent Nail, one of my men, who tried to kill you at the Gala fifteen years ago, Princess Celestia. And though he failed to take your life, he took two others, so we’ll call it an even trade.”

At this, Celestia could no longer keep quiet.

“You murdered two kind and innocent ponies! Golden Light and Blue Wave had no faults or sins! They were kind! They loved their people! And the people loved them!”

“And that makes them all the more hated!” Vandal exclaimed, shocking the Princess of the Sun. “They made the Nobility and the Royalty look good! It is easier to overthrow those who are hated than to depose those who are loved. And regardless of their innocence, they were still guilty of being Prince and Princess!”

At this, gasps came from a few maids and guards, and all eyes in the room turned to look at Blueblood, who just stared at the mirror with an expression none of them could identify. Noticing their gazes, Vandal looked over at Blueblood as well, and a grin of pure malice split his already terrible face.

“Ah, I almost forgot we have their detestable spawn in the room with us. Not that I have anything against you personally, little prince. It’s just the principal. The royals are scum, and so are you.” The look on Blueblood’s face didn’t change, but a distinct chill was setting in the room.

“Shame I couldn’t get all of you in that blast, but two out of three is a fair result, wouldn’t you agree?” Vandal asked, having continued on, clearly trying to provoke Blueblood.

It worked.

Blueblood shot a blast of magic straight at the enchanted mirror, and it shattered into dozens of shards of glass and metal! As the shards fell, the fractured form of Vandal laughed loudly at the display of raw emotions. The image of the white dragon began to fade, as the spell was broken with the mirror, but enough residual magic remained for the shards to fall slowly, and for Vandal to get a few more words in.

“Hide in the shadows, and revel in the flames of revolution! Purge the world and rise from the ashes of the old!” He laughed, insanity tingeing his words.

“We are the Dark Phoenix that shall save this world! Darkness will rise, and Tyranny will Fall!” his words echoed in the room, and finally died away, as the shards fell to the floor with a clatter and additional crashes.

Comments

[Forrest Hunt]

Oh snap, I like where this is going

[Frankie2]

[Amethyst Blade]