Chapter 62
Cliff looked around. Hundreds of the Alliance’s best warriors were getting up and forming a defensive line around their wounded. He could see the fear and the desperation in their eyes after what Chrysalis had done to them. They were like the wounded animals that Fluttershy brought home sometimes.
The Everfree Platoon and a handful of royal guards looked back silently, surrounded on three sides with their backs pressed against a wall. They were organized and ready to fight, but they were also outnumbered at least five to one. The royal guards stood firm and unwavering, even though they would likely be the first to fall if things turned ugly. Their equipment simply wasn’t as good as Everfree Armor.
Not far away, Heart and Talon still knelt over Tornado’s crumpled form. The aura he had briefly displayed had winked out, leaving his scales dull. Crystal broke free of the crowd and flew over to join them, begging Tornado to be okay.
Almost no one seemed to notice. It was like they were all holding their breath, just waiting for something to happen.
Cliff decided that somebody had to make the first move, so it may as well be him. He stepped forward, hands raised. “Hey there, everyone.”
All noise and motion ceased as the entire room focused on him.
He took a half step back without even realizing it. “L-look, I know you’re worried and angry, and you have every right to feel that way, but if we let this turn into a battle, lots more of us are going to die. I don’t want that, and I have to hope that you don’t either, not really. Right now, what I do want is to check on my friend, Tornado, over there,” he gestured to the fallen drake, “and help heal him if he needs it. I’m going to walk over to him now. Slowly. Please don’t attack me while I’m doing it.”
“Cliff,” Fluttershy sent, “are you sure about this?”
“As sure as I can be,” he sent back.
That thirty-second walk was probably the longest of Cliff’s life, but no one attacked him.
Talon stood up and walked out to meet him. “You’re Cliff, right? The dragon we knew as Gemstone?”
Cliff nodded and pulled off his helmet. “Yeah …” He looked into her eyes, seeing the same nervousness and uncertainty that he felt. Maybe a familiar face would help her be more at ease. “Fluttershy, do me a favor, go get Genesis. He should be in his room.”
She hesitated for a moment before answering, “Please be careful. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Thanks, I will.” He focused his attention on Talon. “It’s nice to meet you as the real me.”
Talon didn’t respond.
“I know it won’t change anything,” Cliff continued, “but I’m sorry for betraying you, and for …” He sighed. “And I’m sorry for killing Thunderfang.”
Talon winced. “It’s …” She shook her head. “I can’t say that it’s okay. I was so angry at you when I figured out who you were that I actually hoped we’d run into each other in battle again.” She looked over his shoulder to the rest of the Everfree Platoon. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for all the ponies I killed.”
Cliff couldn’t tell her that it was okay either. All he could say was the truth, “I understand why you did it.”
A tiny smile crossed Talon’s face. “I just realized something. Back when you quit the Squad, you said you’d never be able to face your wife if you joined us in battle. That makes a lot more sense now that I know you’re married to a pegasus.”
Cliff smiled too. “She’s off getting Genesis, but I know she’d like to meet you when she comes back.”
Talon looked down at the ground and nodded. “Tornado kept telling me that he wanted to come visit you after the war.” She bit her lip. “Is he … going to be okay? I don’t know what happens when a changeling feeds on somedragon.”
“It shouldn’t have any lasting effects.” Cliff looked around her to Tornado. The golden drake was unconscious, and Heart and Crystal still knelt next to him, but that was all Cliff could tell. “Do you need me to help heal him?”
“No, his aura must have protected him.” Then she whispered, “I can’t believe he finally unlocked it.”
“Tornado would find a way to raise the sun if he thought it would protect his friends.” Cliff swallowed and looked at the rest of the Alliance’s warriors. They still watched him nervously, but at least none of them seemed ready to attack him. “So … what happens now?”
Talon laughed, but her tone was one of pure nervousness. “I was going to ask you the same thing. We did kind of surrender to you.”
“I thought you were surrendering to Chrysalis.” He glanced back at the Everfree Platoon. “Spirit will be pissed at me for saying this, but we really aren’t in a position to stop you if you want to just leave. I could convince Shining Armor and Cadance that it’s safer to let you out than to keep you trapped in here with us.”
“We can’t leave,” Talon said. She looked at her own forces. “I probably shouldn’t be saying this either, but we have orders to keep you busy until we’re given the signal to retreat.”
“You mean the signal that Yol Toor is free?”
Talon gasped. “You know?”
“Yeah, we were supposed to hold you off until Celestia, Luna, Zeph, Twi, and my grandparents finished dealing with the Alliance’s—your champions.”
“I wondered where the real Celestia was.” Talon looked down and the floor. “I guess … nothing we do here really matters, does it?”
“Not really. The only thing that matters is what happens down there.” Cliff didn’t know why, but he laughed. “I guess I’m okay with that. It means I can’t possibly screw things up.”
“Yeah.” Talon finally met his gaze again. “However things turn out, would it be alright if we did come visit you in Everfree Village once all this is over? We’d wear magic nullifiers or have guards follow us if that would help everyone feel better.”
Cliff nodded. “I’d rather not make you do that, but it might be necessary. Do you think I’d be allowed to come visit you all in the Alliance?”
“Maybe? I’d have to ask the rest of the Council.” Talon looked over her shoulder at Tornado, Heart, and Crystal. “You can say hi to them now, at least.”
“I’d like that.” Cliff smiled. “Thank you.”
She turned and led the way.
Crystal stood up as they approached. “Cliff Runner?”
Cliff nodded. “Hi, Crystal.” He scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. “I’m sorry for, uh, stabbing you in the chest that one time.”
Crystal’s wing brushed across her chest. “At lot has happened since you left us, but …” She seemed to fight with herself about something for a moment, then she opened her wings and looked at him expectantly, an invitation for a hug if he wanted one.
Silently, Cliff stepped forward and embraced the larger dragoness. He was a little shocked to realize that her chin rested easily on top of his head. Crystal’s personality always made her seem small, and she was small for a wyvern, but even a short wyvern still towered over a wyrm.
“Thank you,” Crystal whispered as she pulled back.
Finally, Heart stood before him. She didn’t look happy, or angry, or anything, really. Cliff couldn’t guess what she was thinking.
A few seconds passed as they stared at each other, and then Heart sighed and looked behind her at Tornado’s massive form. “He’s going to be fine.”
“That’s good.” Cliff took a breath. “Look, Heart-”
“Could you go get the rest of the family?”
“Uh, what?” Cliff looked from her to the Everfree Platoon and back again. “I mean, yes, I can.”
“Thanks.” Heart kept her eyes on Tornado. “It’s just, before whatever happens next, I want to give you all a hug, even the ones I don’t know very well yet, like Spirit and his … whatever you call a pony significant other.”
“Special somepony.” Cliff looked at the Alliance warriors again. “I’ll call them.” He reached out through his link to Fire Eyes and extended the invitation.
“We’re here!” Fluttershy sent, appearing a few seconds later with Genesis in tow.
The brown wyrm shrank under the gazes of his former allies and scooted a bit closer to Fluttershy.
In spite of that, both of them joined Cliff’s parents, Spirit, and Autumn in crossing the invisible barrier between the two sides.
Heart pulled him into a hug. “I’m glad you’re okay. I promised Rune I’d look after you.”
“I know.” Genesis hugged her back. “I just … I couldn’t stand by and let one of my friends lose their spouse too.”
Heart pulled back a bit and studied his face. “Your wife would be proud of you.” She hugged him again.
“I,” Genesis’s voice caught, “I hope so.”
Next Heart hugged both of Cliff’s parents. “I worried every day that our patrols would find one of your scouting parties and wipe you out.”
“We’re pretty hard to find,” Sky Painter said. He laughed. “We actually saw you on patrol a couple of times.”
“Really?” Heart asked.
Scenic Trail rolled her eyes. “I had to stop him from slipping you a note that said hi.”
They let go, and Heart turned her attention to Spirit and Autumn. “It’s nice to see that you two have gotten closer.” She hugged Autumn. “Thank you for telling everyone about you and your father. I know how hard it was, but you helped prevent this from turning into another bloody battle.”
“Life in general is hard,” Autumn said, “but in a strange way, you owe your thanks to Chrysalis as much as to me. One of her changelings helped me get past my anger enough to speak about it.”
Spirit cleared his throat. “Actually, the changeling that helped you was Chrysalis in disguise.”
Autumn stared at him. “What? But I whipped that changeling!”
Everyone stared at her.
“You whipped your dead father?” Talon asked. She turned to Cliff. “Is that normal?”
“There were extenuating circumstances,” Spirit said quickly. “Let’s just leave it at that.”
Heart gave him a hug as well before finally coming to Fluttershy, who stood next to Cliff. “It’s been a long time.” She wrapped her arms around the pegasus. “It feels like a lifetime ago that we met at the bank of that river.”
Fluttershy returned the embrace with her wings. “I feel the same way. Thank you for being Cliff’s friend while he was with the Alliance.”
Talon’s brow furrowed. “How did you do that, anyway? You were studying in your lab with Clodhopper and Yol Toor at the same time that Heart was talking to you by that river.”
Heart looked over at Cliff. “You told me that it had something to do with Discord, but you never said anything else.”
“It’s a pretty long story,” Cliff said, looking around, “but I guess we don’t have anything else to do.” He sat down on the floor and waited for everyone else to get settled as well. “From my point of view, it all started a few days after talking with Heart by the riverbank …”
-_-_-_-_-_-
Yol Toor reappeared in the hallway beyond his cell, Celestia at his side. “Halt!” he roared.
“Stop fighting, all of you!” Celestia added.
In front of them, surrounded by shattered walls and a broken floor, stood the Hurricanes of Wind and Fire, and a suit of golden armor that could only be Providence. Just beyond them were Princess Luna, Princess Twilight, and two wyrms that Yol Toor didn’t recognize.
The combatants all slowed, exchanging one or two final blows before the two groups backed away from each other.
Silence fell as Providence and the Hurricanes turned toward Yol Toor and Celestia.
“As a member of the Council,” Yol Toor said firmly, “I call for a vote of peace with Equestria as soon as all members of the Council have been healed and are awake.”
“You want peace?” Typhoon, the Hurricane of Wind, said incredulously. “Peace would only give Equestria time to gather its forces and exterminate us once and for all.”
“They could do that if they desired,” Yol Toor said, looking to Celestia, “but I do not believe that they would.”
Typhoon shook her head. “I will not trust the survival of the wyvern race to the whims of our enemies. Celestia must have warped your mind if you would think differently about your own clan.”
Providence approached the wyvern leader. “Then what terms of peace would you accept?” It’s voice held a metallic echo, but it was nowhere near the icy hiss of death and metal that Yol Toor had expected.
“Destroy everything that Equestria could use to harm us,” Typhoon said. “Only then will we be safe to live in peace.”
Night Fire, the Hurricane of Fire, nodded. “Other Hurricanes tried peace with the lions more than once. The cost for their foolishness was always wyvern lives.”
“I am sorry,” Providence said quietly, then its hammer flashed through the air, obliterating the heads of both wyverns in a single blow. Shards of bone and droplets of blood fell to the ground around them.
Every other creature in the hallway fell into a fighting stance, watching Providence warily.
Providence looked down at the corpses for a moment before shifting its gaze to Yol Toor and Celestia. “Thinking such as that is what led to the creation of the Requiem Guard. The world will be a better place without these two.” It wiped a bit of scale and bone off the end of its hammer.
“It most likely will,” Yol Toor said, grimacing at the sight. His instincts all screamed in protest at the betrayal he had just witnessed, but he reminded himself that other races weren’t bound by honor the way drakes were. “New Hurricanes will be elected to replace these two, but I will not let you kill them, even if they are just as bad. Oppression and murder cannot be used to create real peace.”
Providence simply nodded.
Silence fell on the hallway once more, as Yol Toor looked around. His daughters were nowhere in sight, but he did find Silver Tail at the top of a hole in the ceiling. His oldest friend’s body had been lodged into the stone there, and at least two of his legs were broken.
The Hurricane of Venom lay dead against one wall. Someone, most likely Luna, had punched him with enough force to collapse his entire chest cavity. The Hurricanes of Ice and Thunder were both unconscious on the floor nearby.
“We need to gather the wounded,” Celestia said. “A battle is taking place in the Palace, and we must stop it before anyone else dies.” Her horn lit up, and Silver Tail was plucked from the ceiling and floated down to them. Meanwhile, Dun Brii and Qo Peyt floated from a hole in the wall.
Yol Toor gasped in relief; they were unconscious, but alive. “Yes. Lead on, Celestia.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
Brilliant light filled the banquet hall, and Celestia’s thunderous voice shouted, “Stop fighting!”
Cliff looked up from where he was sitting with his friends and family, including most of Talon’s squadron. A truly unexpected sight greeted him.
Celestia stood with Luna, Twilight, Zephyr, and both of Cliff’s grandparents, but Yol Toor was also there, and one of the Requiem Guard, and Silver Tail, both of Yol Toor’s daughters, and two of the Hurricanes. Ten royal guards were there as well, Yol Toor’s jailers, and that unicorn who had apparently tried to kill Yol Toor at some point.
“Uh,” Spirit said on Cliff’s left, “we never started fighting, so we can’t exactly stop.”
Some members of their little group chuckled.
Celestia looked around in confusion. “What happened here? I expected the Castle to be a battlefield.”
“You can kind of thank Chrysalis for forcing us into a position where we had to talk,” Spirit said. “Just finish punishing her for it first.”
Heart stood up. “Princess Celestia, is it okay if I come over there and heal some of the wounded? Silver Tail looks like someone tied him up and rolled him down the side of a mountain.”
Luna smirked.
“Yes,” Celestia said. “Almost all of us would benefit from healing.”
“I’ll help.” Spirit stood up.
Cliff joined him. “Me too.”
Celestia turned to the rest of the room. “All of you deserve to know what happened in the dungeon. Obviously, there was a fight between us, and lives were lost. Hopefully they will be the last deaths of this war. I released Yol Toor, who has called for a vote of peace as soon as the Council can be gathered.”
“Or as soon as six members of the Council choose peace,” Yol Toor said. “A majority vote is final even if some members are absent.”
Heart paused in front of him. “I really hope you’re not a changeling, but I wouldn’t say anything even if you were. I know the real Yol Toor would want peace, no matter what.” She turned to the rest of the Alliance’s forces. “Whoever our fastest flight team is, take off for the Shattered Mountain Caves. We need Drake Lord Torch back here as soon as possible.”
“I wondered where he was,” Cliff said as he healed Silver Tail.
“Someone had to be in charge while we were gone,” Heart said. “Getting super huge wasn’t going to help much in the middle of a dungeon.”
Silver Tail stirred and groaned. “Ugh, remind me to slap whoever came up with those exploding gems.”
Cliff did his best to look innocent.
“It’s good to see you again, old friend.” Yol Toor knelt next to Silver Tail, smiling warmly.
“Yol Toor. What happened?” Silver Tail reached up and pulled the other dragon into a hug. “Actually, I don’t care right now. Let’s just vote for peace and end this stupidity.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
The surviving dragon champions all started to wake up as they were healed, and within a few minutes, they were coherent enough to cast their votes.
Silence fell over the banquet hall as the Council members positioned themselves in a circle, midway between their own forces and the Equestrians. Celestia and the other pony leaders stood a respectful distance away.
“Welp,” Silver Tail said, “before we vote, it seems only fair that we promote at least one of the new Hurricanes. As always, it’s whoever has been in the highest position the longest.” He coughed then winced and pressed a paw to his chest. “Talon, get over here.”
Talon, who was still sitting with Cliff’s friends and family, got up and walked to Silver Tail. She bowed deeply. “What is it?”
“You’re the new Hurricane of Venom. Congratulations. Now let’s vote.”
Cliff couldn’t see Talon’s face from where he was sitting, but he could well imagine the baffled look coming over her. It was probably the same one he wore.
“Wh-what do you mean?” Talon asked. “I’m not the highest ranking venom wyvern. I’m just a Senior Wing.”
“Your wyvern rank isn’t very high,” Silver Tail said, “but you were officially the representative of the wyrms while Heart was imprisoned. You stepped down when she came back, but we never actually demoted you. You still have the highest wyrm rank in the Alliance, making you equal to a Hurricane and the obvious choice for the new Hurricane of Venom.”
Talon looked to the Hurricanes of Ice and Thunder. Both of them stared at her for a moment before grudgingly nodding.
Heart pulled Talon into a hug. “Silver Tail, you sneaky little dragon! Did you have that planned all along?”
Silver Tail smiled. “Well, there’s a reason why I convinced Typhoon to make Talon your replacement.” He turned to Talon. “So, let’s vote. Those in favor of peace?”
Talon’s wing shot up, as did Heart’s hand, and the paws of Silver Tail, Yol Toor, Dun Brii, and Qo Peyt.
“Six votes for peace.” Silver Tail grinned. “By majority vote, the Dragon Alliance is no longer at war with Equestria.”
A chorus of cheers went up among the dragons in the room. It wasn’t the kind of wild enthusiasm that Cliff had always imagined would usher in peace. Rather, it was like a collective sigh of relief, mixed with tears and bits of laughter.
Talon sank to the ground, crying with the others as she wrapped her wings around Heart and hugged her.
“So,” Cliff whispered to Celestia, “what happens now?”
Celestia smiled and tapped the floor with her hoof, drawing the room’s attention. “I can’t tell you all how glad I am to have witnessed this. Yol Toor and I discussed the details of a lasting peace treaty, which leaders from both Equestria and the Alliance will need to vote on, but first, as a show of good faith, I hereby enact a motion that was accepted by the Crystal Empire some time ago. A large area of farmland within the Empire now belongs to the Dragon Alliance. The ponies who work there will be informed immediately, and they have three days to remove any items or equipment that they wish to keep.”
Most of the Alliance looked shocked or thrilled by this turn of events, but Heart actually looked worried. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asked. “It’s a wonderful gesture, but do you really think we should put dragons and ponies into close contact right now? All it will take is one incident escalating into a riot to start another war.”
“I believe I have a solution for that as well,” Celestia said. She turned slowly, looking around the entire room. “Equestria is perhaps the most prosperous nation on earth, and I fear that it has gone to many of our heads. We need to remember that our ways are not necessarily the best, and they are certainly not the only ways. We need to respect other cultures and traditions, even if we do not share them.” She walked to Yol Toor, bowing deeply in front of him. “For the injustices I committed against the Dragon Alliance, I offer myself as your debtor for one year.”
The gasps and shouts were deafening.
Cliff didn’t say anything, mostly because he didn’t know what Celestia was up to. For starters, he had no idea what injustices she had committed against the Alliance. Well, other than blitzing their base for a month and a half, killing dozens. That had been an act of war, though, and the Alliance had done as bad or worse to the Crystal Empire. So why was Celestia offering to become Yol Toor’s underling and clan member for a year?
Yol Toor looked similarly confused.
“Celestia,” Luna almost shouted, “hast thou lost thine mind? What of Equestria? How would it function without thee?”
“Thou art a capable ruler thyself,” Celestia replied. “Thou canst certainly rule in my stead for a single year. And the benefits shall far outweigh the costs.” She turned back to Yol Toor. “Do you accept me as your debtor?”
He waited for the commotion to die down before speaking, “The Alliance attacked Equestria first, and under incorrect premises at that …” He trailed off as Celestia looked up at him. He must have seen something in her expression, because his eyes widened just slightly.
Cliff almost missed the hint of a smile that crossed his lips.
Yol Toor cleared his throat. “I will not take you as a debtor, but I will gladly accept you as a member of the Shattered Mountain Clan and ask that you live with us for a time, so that you can better understand our ways and teach us your own. Your experience as a leader and administrator will certainly be crucial in the coming months.”
“Smart,” Spirit whispered.
“What is?” Cliff asked.
“She’s offering herself as a living shield,” Spirit said. “Equestria won’t dare attack the Alliance if she’s living with them, and Yol Toor basically just asked her to help them build their government while she’s at it.”
“Perhaps a member of the Council should be sent as a permanent diplomat to Equestria,” the Hurricane of Ice said. “If Equestria would allow it, of course.”
Celestia nodded. “Of course.”
“Then I nominate our newest Hurricane, Talon Wind.” She turned to Talon with an expression that was decidedly less than friendly. “Will you accept?”
Talon hesitated and looked around at her squadron. “Yes,” she said at last. “I accept.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
Talon had once thought that nothing could be as long and boring as strategy meetings with the Hurricanes. Oh, how wrong she’d been. Dawn was breaking, and Equestria’s leaders and the Council were still sitting around discussing the ins and outs of the peace treaty. Luckily, Princess Cadance had called for a short break so everyone could stretch their legs.
Providence had remained almost completely silent during the long meeting. He had only spoken up once, to state that he intended to found a minotaur town in the ruins of the city where he used to live. Now that they were taking a break, though, he was walking out of the castle and toward the edge of the city.
Talon didn’t know why she wound up following behind him. Tornado was still unconscious, so it wasn’t like she had anything else to do.
They reached the edge of the city, a small wall that separated them from the drop to the valley floor beyond. Providence turned and looked back at her. “This is where we part ways, dragonling.”
“What?”
“Go check on your friend.” His war hammer smashed through the wall three times, leaving a hole just large enough for his massive frame.
Talon paused. He was leaving them now? “But what about finding your descendants? Celestia said she’d have her scholars look through the records for you.”
“I realize that she is a good leader and a firm advocate for peace,” Providence said, “but I wish to find my family on my own.” He turned around and knelt down so that he could look Talon in the eyes. He pulled off his helmet, revealing a ghostly blue head beneath. She had never seen his face before. It was strong and resolute but also lined with years of focus and worry. What really made Talon pause, however, was the bit of anxiety dancing in his eyes. “Would you believe that I’m afraid of what will happen when I find them?” He shook his head and chuckled, a deep sound that rumbled through the air. “They say a soldier is trained for every aspect of duty except for how to go home again, and I think my case is more complicated than most.”
Talon didn’t say anything.
Providence put his helmet back on and stood up. “Enjoy the peace you have earned, dragonling. I will return if the Alliance needs me again.” Then he stepped through the broken wall, plunging from view.
“Wait!” Talon rushed to the edge after him, looking down at the golden suit as it fell away. “Thank you, for everything!”
She hoped that he heard her.
Eventually Providence hit the ground and started walking slowly but steadily to the west, away from the rising sun.
Talon sat down at the edge and watched him go, reflecting on his parting words. The war was officially over. No more group training exercises. No more patrols. No more battles. No more funerals. What exactly would replace all of that? Her new duties as ambassador would keep her busy, but what about the rest of the Alliance?
What would happen to Synapse without her? Would it be dissolved, scattering her underlings among the other squadrons? They deserved better than that. Yes, Synapse was still technically the least experienced squad in the Alliance, but Talon liked to think that they’d proven themselves to be more than just another batch of recruits.
Talon didn’t know how long she’d been sitting there when a familiar voice called her name.
She turned around. “Tornado, you’re awake?” She shook her head. “I mean, obviously you’re awake. How are you feeling?”
Tornado looked a little weak, probably the aftereffects of the beating he had taken, but he just shrugged and sat next to her. “Yol Toor is free and this war is over.”
Talon shifted a bit to look at him. “You sound disappointed. I thought you’d be ecstatic.”
“I am very proud of you all,” he said without smiling. “Yol Toor helped create peace even while imprisoned, Heart Echo signed the treaty confirming it, and you will be a diplomatic envoy to Equestria. All I did was unlock my aura and then get defeated instantly regardless.”
She rolled her eyes and put a wing around his shoulders. “First off, you probably saved my life when you distracted Chrysalis. Second, she’s supposed to be nearly as powerful as Celestia. It would have taken Silver Tail or Yol Toor to defeat her. Third, I’m going to be in Everfree Village most of the time. They thought it would be a good idea to let me adapt to pony society away from all the reporters.”
“Regardless,” Tornado said, “I promise to train even harder to keep you safe.”
“You aren’t my battle partner anymore. Well, maybe you are … I hope you are, at least.” Talon sighed. “We haven’t had a chance to talk about how the Alliance is going to work now that we aren’t at war.”
Tornado shrugged. “We will go where you go.”
“You know the Hurricanes only volunteered me because I’m expendable, right?”
“You are not expendable, Talon.” Tornado pulled her into a hug.
“I am to the Hurricanes,” Talon said quietly, though she leaned into the hug. “Well, to the rest of the Hurricanes. Apparently I’m one of them now.”
“They are blind fools,” Tornado said. “The Hurricanes have never been better than they are with you as one of their number.”
Talon didn’t respond. Her eyes drifted over Tornado’s wings to the countryside below. She realized that she couldn’t see Providence anymore.
“You know,” Talon finally said, “I’m the youngest wyvern in history to become one of the Hurricanes. I should be thrilled, or honored, or something, but instead, I feel dirty just being associated with the rest of them.”
Tornado squeezed her shoulders gently with his wings.
“I think they’re hoping some pony will kill me while I’m serving as the ambassador,” Talon said. “It will give them an excuse to start this war all over again. That, and I can’t vote on the Council if I’m halfway across the continent, not that it will help much. Even without me, the five drake lords will be able to outvote them.” She smiled a little at that.
“Nothing will harm you,” Tornado said. “Synapse will make sure of it.”
“Synapse?” Talon shook her head against his chest. “The Storm only knows where they’ll end up.”
“We will go where you go,” Tornado said again. “I ran into Prince Spirit Shield while I was looking for you, and he gave us permission to follow you to Everfree Village.”
For a moment, Talon was speechless. “You need to stop volunteering dragons for things.”
“I did nothing of the sort. The Squad discussed it, and we voted unanimously to follow you, wherever you may go.”
“But …” Talon pushed him away enough to break off the hug. “But all of our friends and family members will be up north with the rest of the Alliance. You won’t even get the peaceful lives you’ve been fighting for.”
Tornado met her gaze firmly. “All of us would rather be alone with you than together with the dragons that sent you away.”
Talon leaned back into his embrace and wiped away a few tears that had somehow gotten on her cheeks. “You’re stupid, you know, giving up everything for me.” She hugged him back. “Thank you.”
He didn’t say anything, for which she was grateful. There was an entire world of noisy insanity and mind-numbing repetition out there waiting for them. Talon wanted to stay here a little longer, where everything was quiet, filled only with the sound of wind and the beating of Tornado’s heart.
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It is a strange thing Talon, but those most suited for power r the ones who have never sought it out. They take up the mantle of leadership because they must, only to be surpised when they find that they wear it well...
I wonder what does Chrysalis plan. What was her goal anyway?
Will Talon and Tornado become mates?
How will the ponies react to the developments of this night?
Will Spirit learn that he has a wedding to plan?
What about Cliffs and Spirits little brother/sister?
I have so many questions!
7774498
Can I assume that there will be another story?
Ok, Providence is my bro now, served those dickbags right.
This seemed... rushed to me. I will admit that I am exceedingly glad that peace has been established, but it all happened so fast. The end scene with Providence was nice, as was his execution of the two Hurricanes. I think what bugs me more is just how quickly the people in the grand hall or ballroom or whatever, how quickly they seemed to get along. I felt very little suspense or tension. Maybe I'm just being bitchy. I don't know.
Edit: Rereading the chapter, I realize that for once, the Equestrians were going to win the fight in the hallways. Silver was down for the count, Yol Toor's daughters were out and the Wyvern of venom was dead. FINALLY! It took over a hundred-thousand words to do it, but they finally had the upper hand.
You had better make up for this abrupt ending with AT LEAST 12 chapters of relationship resolutions! I demand it! (Great job so far btw! Been stalking this for the past two months and haven't missed a single day)
Or, you know, make this a trilogy....
I'm going to go against the stream here, I think.
The way Providence dealt with the Hurricanes makes me angry. Kill your allies when it's convenient. And everyone let it happen. Providence walks away just like that. That's... no. He shouldn't get to do that. He doesn't deserve it.
And then Celestia abases herself before the dragons. I... no. No.
I'm actually ticked right now.
Others may enjoy this ending. Me... I'm just disappointed and angry. Too angry to enjoy much of the resolution, because the way it was done left a bad taste in my mouth.
If not for that moment, it would be okay. Even Celestia apologising in the name of Equestria to the guys who invaded. But with that, the peace they worked for so hard just feels hollow. In the end, the difference came down to murder, and the murderer is free to go his merry way.
Again, this will probably just be me, but I really hated this part.
Thinking about it, there could be one upside to what Providence did—it's a great sequel hook.
Because even though Yol Toor said
this is exactly what happened. The only way they could get peace was by murdering their own allies in secret. Providence did it, and he faced no punishment.
The peace is based on betrayal and lies. If this ever gets out, the consequences could be dire.
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Her plan always seems to be, "to be the biggest and most spiteful asshole I can get away with."
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Plans of Chrysalis:
1. Infiltration
2. Gain power
3. something magical happens?
4. Profit
Me: a fine penultimate chapter
Robot: now what will be next a time skip or just the next day.
M.wolfdragon: The Talon and Tornado ship has set sail with full steam going ahead
F.wolfdragon: So what about the kids?
I wonder what the ending will be like now?
First off get chapter 62. I want said more about the characters of this chapter, I'm going to save that in tell the last chapter. But I like to say that the changelings say on the good side to the of the story.
Hopefully the peace treaty is the first step for other creatures to live with pony.
7777685 Wow! You doesn't Englishes very wells do yous.
(If it is not your first language, then ignore this.)
7776251 well, think about what those two Hurricanes who were killed said, and the actions the Hurricanes wanted to take during the war. They would not feel safe if there was a chance the ponies could harm them, so they wanted everything the ponies had that might harm them destroyed...but where does that end? The Unicorns have magic and technology that could be used in harmful ways, the Pegasi control weather with far more skill and power than even the Hurricanes, and the Earth Ponies r strong enoughy that they could shatter bone and kill dragons..in short, the Hurricanes as they were would ony feel safe after every pony in Equestria was dead and ony dragons remained. They were more than willing to us genosidal tactics during the war, and were only prevented from doing so by being out voted everytime. Provodance acted as he felt he must, hes a soldier, and sometimes that means doing things one doest like, yet r nessisary. The Hurricanes were born in and for war, they r not suited for peace because war is all they have known for many generations.
Well I am glad that I am out of the war part of this. Don't get me wrong, you did a great job writing everything in this story including the war part, but I am glad to be out of the woods and on to other things. Like sweet little Miracle. I also hope some of the changelings stick around, especially Nymph.