Our Stories: Else World Tales

by SciWriter

Dragon Army Part 3: Fight!

Earth pony sergeant Rays walked down the ranks of dragons, some towering over him, five or even ten times his size. He walked without a hint of fear.

He looked up to a high cliff, seeing his wife and daughter. His wife spread her wings and carried their daughter down to him. “We're really going along with them willingly?” she asked.

Rays nodded. “Imagine if the monsters they described ever reach Equestria. I fear what just one could do, let alone five. But even then, dragons and ponies have not always gotten along, but that's no reason to do nothing while they face destruction. I disapprove of what Torkuda did, but I understand.”

Torkuda landed at the end of the ranks, the earth shaking for Rays and his family. His daughter hid behind his back leg. The dragon lowered his head, Rays' wife visibly gulping, noticing how just one of the dragon's eyes was bigger than her entire body.

Rays looked straight into the dragon's eyes. “Are we ready?”

“Well the grodath's are saying they could use a little more sleep-”

“Are. We. Ready?”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?” the earth pony demanded.

“Yes sir.”

“Good. Get back to the helgath's, you're leading the charge.”

“I'm not the fastest sir...”

“Good, then you won't leave everyone in the dust, fly in alone and die for nothing. They respect you and your courage. You are to lead them.”

“I don't feel I am worthy-”

“I don't care how you feel, you're the one who got all this going, while the rest of them just watched their nation crumble, I would be an idiot to want someone else in charge.”

“I don't know that I am ready sir. Or that I'm up to this.”

Rays sighed. “Alright, let's have this out. We've all trained for four months and I trained you especially to lead. You personally took it upon yourself to learn the ways of the Equestrian military. How you feel doesn't matter. Your peers respect you. Really, look at me Torkuda. You think I can instill fear in any of your brothers or sisters? The reason they put up with my training is you.”

Torkuda looked down at the ground. “One last time, I am truly sorry about how we met.”

“You wanna make it up to make it up to me? Make it so my daughter never has to lay eyes on an outer demon. Take those monsters out.” Rays then looked down himself. “I am sorry about our princess' behavior towards you. Remember me and my family and respect our border, I beg of you.”

“As long as I live, believe me, every dragon lord will remember that it was a pony who made taking back our land even possible.”

“If I clarify something for you, can you clarify something for me?” The dragon nodded. “You are a leader, not only because they respect you, but mostly because, so do I.”

“Thank you.”

“Do not thank for what you have earned. Thank for what you have not.”

“In that case,” Torkuda zeroed in on Rays' daughter, “Thank you for not screaming in my face.”

“Uh huh,” the girl barely squeaked out.

“And my question, you guys determine dragon lord by a test of strength right?” Torkuda nodded to this. “So... why exactly aren't you the dragon lord?”

Torkuda gave a chuckle. “I am no where near the strongest of my kind.”

“Well you're certainly a go getter.”

“Considering what I had to lose before I did what needed to be done, am I?” Torkuda asked.

“When you do the right thing, the point isn't what finally motivated you, the point is, that you did it.” Torkuda still looked down. “Doubt you can argue philosophy with me. After this, we're still going to see about you dragons learning to read.” Rays backed up. “Before you go, lets get the boys and girls a little morale eh?” He looked behind himself. “Honey um... cover your ears.” Rays pulled back his head and screamed as loud as he could.

Torkuda lifted his head, roaring into the sky, the dragon ranks around them following suite.

(***)

Even in Canterlot, the collective roar could be heard. Celestia looked towards the border of her nation, hooves trembling. One of her guards walked over to her. “Your majesty?” he asked.

“Guard... c-can every mistake be undone?”

“Maybe?”

“How?” her ears were down as she continued to look at the far horizon.

“They're not coming for us right?”

“I have no idea what they're doing. I hope for the best.” she closed her eyes. “To arms.”

(***)

The massive snake demon slithered forward, fire spewing from his mouth, the earth cracking under his weight. The forests were ahead of him, nothing but desert behind him.

A small catsul dragon watched him, peeking out from behind a large rock. The scout was red with a large chest and a fin over her head. She swallowed, seeing one of the heads of the snake turning in her general direction, but not seeming to look at her. This head had a frill like a cobra, with large feathers that extended back from its head. The other head, not near her, she still knew the appearance of very well. Shaped like that of a rattle snake, it was surrounded by ten long tentacles, which she had seen tear full sized Grodath's in half, dragons several times her size. She couldn't believe the idiotic thing she was about to do. “This better work... I hope it does...” She threw back her head and fired a blue fire ball into the air, the projectile exploding several hundred feet in the air.

Both snake heads snapped to look in her direction, the catsul freezing in terror.

Suddenly her ears felt like they would explode from the explosion of sound, the snake also apparently suffering as hundreds of helgaths broke the sound barrier above them. The snake shook its head to recover it's hearing as- thousands of balls of fire slammed into its body and all around it.

The snake heads howled in pain, the creature being knocked back, rolling on the ground.

The creature snapped its head to look at the creatures as they seemed to be fleeing. The monstrous snake could barely hear and bled from several wounds, but it still bared its teeth- several of those teeth no doubt being knocked out as hundreds of huge rocks slammed into it, forcing it to fall back in the opposite direction.

The catsul kept watching, barely able to move after the shock from the sound barrier bursting not far from her. The furious snake turned its head to her as she was snatched up by another helgath and flown away. As he flew by, the large green dragon shot up a large ball of red flames, that exploded over head.

The strike force returned and repeated their attack.

The attack was repeated again and again, ten times, the snake demon bleeding from several wounds, barely moving as it watched the dragons flying over head.

Torkuda looked down at the snake. He growled. “It's still moving. Five more times.”

The catsul looked down at the snake, slowly recovering in Torkuda's grasp. “No... no kill like over kill... this is for my mom.” The snake wailed, it's expression of pain, met by fire and stone.

(***)

Two demons moved forward, the massive ape with a mouth on its stomach, and the centipede.

A green helgath flew around them. “So, can you creatures speak?” he shouted.

The centipede and ape turned. The centipede spoke up. “Not my brother but... oh my goodness, it's you. The father who smashed his own egg running from me in terror.” the centipede somehow laughed, its mandibles moving in a way that seemed random to the dragon. “It was the most pathetic thing I've ever seen... so, it's not like I nor my brother could ever catch one of your species, why try to talk to us?”

“Honestly? Just wanted to see if you were really stupid enough to fall for this.” Six Mardooks crashed down on either side of the centipede. These new dragons were each twice the size of Torkuda with horns that protruded from the sides of their head and down under their lower jaws. As a unit they grabbed both sides of the centipede and forced it suddenly into the mouth of it's “brother”. Five more then landed on the ape creature's back, forcing it to slam it's jaw shut.

The demon looked at Torkuda as its blood leaked out. Torkuda smiled at him. “Something to think about while you two are having trouble moving, did you know scrong dragons cannot fly, take a very long time to grow up, and their flames aren't particularly destructive. But they can teleport objects with their fire. Now, normally, they would be lucky to transport something like you two, but we found something out. Enough of them working together, can actually teleport a solid object to different locations in different pieces. Isn't that interesting?”

The centipede looked behind itself. Torkuda could swear he heard it scream as twenty large purple dragons ran up to it and it's brother.

Torkuda flew back and watched at a distance. “Not as many pieces as my heart broke into when you slaughtered my family... but close.”

(***)

Solar Rays watched the dragons as they high fived and slammed their chests into each other. She understood little of what they were doing, but she still smiled watching, even as the earth shook under her. They all looked so happy.

She jumped as a huge hand slammed down next to her. The hand quickly retracted. “HEY!” shouted a loud voice behind her. “Watch the kid or I'll tear that hand off!” She looked back to see Firestar, a bright red Grodath.

“I didn't mean to hurt her, just didn't see her.”

“Then keep your eyes open soldier!” Firestar lowered his hand to Solar which she quickly crawled onto. “You seem to be getting used to us. Not afraid anymore?”

“Why should I be afraid?” she asked. “You guys won't hurt me.” She pulled a small stuffed dragon out of her saddle bags and hugged it to herself. “Would like it if you were all my size, but it's okay.”

Firestar looked at the small white filly. She had a purple mane and a yellow highlight. She looked different from her dark blue father with his light gray mane. “You can't even fly, but you're not afraid. I have to admire that.”

“Thanks.” She looked up, a shadow falling over the group. “What kind of dragon is that?- What are you doing-wait what-” Firestar gently closed his hand around her. He didn't crush her, but she couldn't see anything. She felt like an insect, but still did her best to remember, Firestar was a friend.

“Quiet... that's not a dragon.” Solar was deposited behind Firestar, near the mouth of a cave. She looked past him a saw a dragon like creature towering over all the other dragons. She saw blood under his claws at the bodies of three dragons under him.

“Sargon! Fullbring! Farshot!” She screamed. Firestar's tail suddenly came down and snapped under her hooves and tossed her back into the cave. She rolled with the impact.

“Run!” Firestar shouted.

Solar froze in fear, looking at something that was somehow even bigger than her new friends. The thing roared as the dragon shot into the air, it's roar so loud she couldn't hear her own scream over it.

(***)

Several Mardooks grabbed the legs of the monster and threw it off the cliff, but the creature was able to grab to of them with it's tail as it fell. It smashed the two into the ground beneath itself as it landed in the ravine below. Hundreds of fire balls fired down at the creature, but it leaped into the air and shot up before the bulk of them impacted.

“Get in formation, get in formation!” Rays shouted, running towards his soldiers. Massive balls of rock and stone started to come down from the monster in the air, shredding through his soldiers. “Fire together, you can't hurt him as individuals. TOGETHER!” Rays felt himself tossed, feeling like a rag doll as he flew through the air and slammed into the hard rock around him. He tried to get up, but his hip screamed in pain as he tried. He looked over, at a nearby cave, hearing screaming. “No...” A red food crashed down next to him. “Firestar... get her out of here, please...”

“If I flee with her, I'll be shot down, you know that.”

“Then... then... Solar...”

“She'll never get away in that cave...” the father looked up at the monster, terror in his eyes. “We'll do our best.”

A green foot landed on the other side of Rays. “We have no advantages over this one...” Torkuda said. “You know it, if we formed up, we would just make a bigger target.”

“It's the only chance you would have of destroying him.”

“Not the only chance,” Torkuda spread his wings and threw them down, taking off, the wind from that single beat of his wings slamming into Rays and almost forcing him unconscious.

Rays watched as the dragon's form went straight up into the air, so far it up looked like a dot in just seconds. The dot moved right and seemed to move away, faster and faster. Rays rolled onto his side. “What are you doing Tork? The fight is the other way... you can't just run away...” his eyes grew. “No...” the dot changed direction and started coming straight back. It came faster and faster, Torkuda's form getting big faster than Rays even thought it could. He watched as a huge shock wave went out from the dragon's form. The dragon spun in the air, pulling in it's wings, continuing to go faster and faster.

The red monster banked just in time, crashing into the ground below. From the way the creature was moving, Rays could tell, despite every advantage the monster had, THAT terrified even it.

The dragon and the earth pony both watched as Torkuda flew around the monster, zipping around him at incredible speeds. The red monster flew into the air, turning it's head as Torkuda flew straight out from him. Torkuda banked and shot back, the monster opening it's mouth and firing out a mass of fire and stone.

An explosion occurred several hundred feet out from the monster.

Rays closed his eyes, hanging his head. “I-” A bright red light shot out from the explosion, tearing out and forcing Rays to close his eyes.

“Is that... is that...” Firestar said above him. Rays opened his eyes, and then widened them.

“Is that what?- How is he alive?” Rays asked. He looked at Torkuda flying in the air.

“He was just chosen... there's an ancient legend that the dragons of old created five elements to protect the realm... we never knew what from but... we don't even have militaries anymore, how could that have been true?”

“You mean other races have elements too?” Rays asked.

“Other races?” Firestar asked back.

A red beam shot out from Torkuda's mouth, ripping forward and tearing straight through the red monster like it's flesh was made of paper.

The monster's body fell to the ground, a huge portion of it split like a large knife had tried to cut it in half.

The green dragon turned and flew back to sergeant Ray's, landing near him. Ray's felt the soft fur of his daughter as Solar pushed against his back, trying to help him back up. “Daddy... daddy please be okay.”

He reached over and petted her mane. “Daddy is okay.” He hugged his daughter to him. “Just need a little operation on my hip maybe kiddo,” He looked up at the green dragon, a large gold chain with what looked like a locket hanging from it around his neck. “Cool trinket. So... that's four out of five then...”

The earth shook, the landing dragons turning to look as a massive black raven landed near the red monster. The raven gave out a sound like a laugh. It's mouth didn't move as it's eyes glowed with the words that came from it. “The day is yours. I would be a fool to challenge you all now.” the raven looked down at the monster. “But know this, there will not be peace. There are more of us, and more than us. How will you stop them?”

Torkuda raised his hand, a finger in the air. “If you'll excuse me, I just have one question... actually two.”

The raven looked at him and cocked its head.

“First off, whose going to tells these horrors you speak of to come? Also- is every demon stupid enough to let you talk to them in the middle of a fight?” Torkuda threw his arm forward, point straight at the raven, hundreds of fire balls shooting at the creature at once, slamming into it and throwing it off it's feet. “To the air.” The dragons shot up into the sky, several carrying large stones.

(***)

The shadows of several dragons passed over the palace, Celestia sending power to her horn, magic lances appearing next to her. She walked through the palace gardens. “If there were a way I could apologize for what I've done...” she said to herself, only hoping they could hear her.

A pegasi mare landed in front of her, carrying a young filly. “You can,” said the pegasus. “Just apologize to us. After all, my family and I, we're dragons now.”

“You're ponies,” Celestia said.

“No,” the mare said back. She put her foal down.

“WE'RE DRAGONS!” Shouted the filly. A massive dragon landed behind her, this one larger than any Celestia had ever seen. “Meet the dragon Lord.” the filly declared gleefully. Celestia bowed down. The foal put her hooves over her ears as the dragon let out a powerful roar, shaking the palace.

Author's Note:

Let's not hide it, this chapter is all about having fun. This is a story that has hints of a moral message that are worth discussing, but in the end it's all an excuse to make big monsters fight. And really, isn't that the best moral of them all?