War Games

by Darkstarling

11 - Dragonslayer

Well, thought Celestia dazedly, that's a new one. It was dark, except for her horn glow and the golden light of her shield glimpsed dimly through the books that packed around her. Every inch of her ached from the pummeling she had taken before her shield went up, and she was pinned in a remarkably uncomfortable position by the books inside the sphere. She couldn't drop the shield, for fear of being crushed. Even now she could could hear the thunder of the paper avalanche continuing outside. She let out a painful cough. The faint smoke of a fire sending, normally a pleasantly nostalgic aroma, was so choking thick she'd been forced to make her shield airtight. And that didn't remove the smoke trapped with her and oozing from the books.

So, what now? Calm down. It's just like a real avalanche. You know how to deal with those, even if it's been thousands of years since you didn't have a horn. You're not getting out just now and that's okay. Don't move, take stock, don't waste air. Teleportation to escape was out. Sunbeam was still beside her, thank Harmony: summoning would be blocked too. The smoke inside the shield was wretched, and would be a suffocation hazard soon. That at least I can deal with, she thought, sending a pulse of magic through her wings that precipitated the smoke into a solid ball of soot. She breathed deep in relief, and then listened carefully. The avalanche outside was dying down, and she heard the sound of Spike creeping impatiently outside.

I don't have much time. First and simplest, I can probably blast my way out. It will be disorienting and waste power, call that plan b. The mountain of books shuddered, as she felt the enormous bulk of the dragon clamoring onto the pile. Oh Harmony, he must still be looking for me. Her shield strained as the great mass of books shifted to a new equilibrium. Oh that's not good, he'll crush me by accident. I can try to learn Luna's Nightform spell from memory inside a minute...ha, no. Fire-send myself back to him? Even if I survived it without side effects, I'd come out right by his teeth without my weapons and armor. Spike shifted again and she struggled to hold the shield up, sparks flying. She heard the sliding of the books far away. He must be digging, and he was upsetting the whole pile. Dammit that was hard. In a real avalanche you could at least count on the dogs to find you.

Wait.

"SPIKE! SPIKE I'M HERE!" She roared out in the Canterlot Voice. "COME GET YOUR PRETTY!" She heard a grumbling growl, a thud, as he crept towards her. The gruff pants of his breath as he scrabbled through the mountain of books to her. Wonderful Celestia, she thought, you've got the overpowered dragon digging you out. Now time for a plan for what to do when he gets here. Quickly please.

The load on the shield was almost gone, and she could actually feel the heat of his breath on the outside of her shield. Well, when in doubt, go for the classics. The last of the books outside the shield fell away, and her stomach sunk as he lifted the entire bubble in his palms like an excavated egg. She dropped the shield, the books that had been binding her tumbling away , and she struggled to rise as he lifted her to eye level. Oh Harmony, she thought, staggering to her hooves and staring into his enormous adoring eyes, he's holding me like a foal with a butterfly. And he might break me by accident just as easily. This had better work.

"Spike, I have something to show you! Watch this!" She shouted, slowly raising Sunbeam. A small amount of channeled power and Sunbeam was glowing, and she set it dancing around her like a minotaur fire spinner.

"Pretty!" rumbled out, the sound thrumming in her chest. But he actually stretched out his arms to keep distance, and she was sure that no matter how pretty he hadn't forgotten the halberd was a threat. Well, it was worth a shot. And then she noticed with alarm that he actually seemed to be growing again. Growing fast. What could...oh buck me! Dragons could count living beings as possessions! No more time. She channeled a surge of power into the strongest light spell she knew, and leaped out of his paws as he roared at the blinding flare.

Her wings snapped out and she desperately dodged his grasping paws. She'd forgotten that particularly barbaric bit of dragon magic. She couldn't let him get claw on her again. If she was lucky he would simply gain power equal to the value of an Alicorn, if she was unlucky he'd be able to claim the Sun as his hoard. She couldn't allow that, he'd have the power to consume the continent. Which, she thought, means I have to make him too angry to take me alive. Wonderful.

Time to break out Pansy's old trick. She veered hard to port as Spike leaped for her, his feline agility frankly appalling for a beast of his scale. The landing made a shattering boom, and a casual brush of a building as he whipped round left the side caved in. It's like the whole world is a sand castle, she thought with a desperate hilarity, as she swooped over the smoking mountain of books. At least the height he had gained from seizing her was melting away as quickly as it had arrived. Good. She was no-one's property. Well, here it goes. She cancelled the spells on her. He shook his head and snarled as the obsession spell cleared. No more pretty pony protection. Now we're playing for keeps.

"Come on then, worm! I faced Ancalagon the Black at the height of his power, in the mountains that stood where glass plains lie now. You're nothing but a crawling beast, wearing borrowed power to dress in the clothes of your betters." Spike bared his teeth and crouched for another pounce, fire leaking from his nostrils.She spread her wings, pegasus magic flowing forth.

Smoke was just fine particles in the air. A powerful sweep of her wings gathered the cloud, shaping it carefully. The right concentration of flammable particles in the air was a deadly explosive mixture, as granary disasters could attest. Of course, smoke was already burned. But Dragonfire would burn anything.

"So face me and die Spike." She kept herself from wincing at her words. This had to work. "First you, then your wretched traitor of a sister."

That struck home. He opened his eyes wide, and reared to his full height. "Never harm Twilight! Never kill us! BURRRRRNN!!!"

Even braced for it, Celestia was barely in time. No shield, dragonfire loved to devour magic. A wall of solid wind. The sheet of empowered flame hit the smoke cloud and went off like a bomb. The shock wave leveled the block, and every exposed surface was blazing green. And Spike was writhing in the crater, ontological immunity struggling against all consuming fire. He was instinctively crouching, protecting his vulnerable belly, but she could work around that. Celestia swooped, driving Sunbeam at his eye with all the force she could muster. And his gaze snapped to her with a look of pure hate, nictitating membranes hardened like crystal slamming over his eyes. The halberd cracked through, lodging to blind his eye, and he let out a shattering roar of pain. But he was still alive.

Oh buck me that's not fair, Celestia thought, in a strange moment of calm. That was everything I had.

And Spike was up, ignoring the pain with a rage so great she could feel it pour from him in waves. Time to run. She flew away desperately, pouring on speed and not daring to look back. Fire followed, no longer waves but deadly focused blasts no wind shield would dispel. He really is a prodigy, the thought frantically, and now he's tapping Rage magic to go with the Greed. I've never threatened a dragon with a family before. Stupid! Stupid! He was invulnerable enough before. What can I do then? Take his hoard? He's strong enough now everything he sees is his unless it's actually fighting back. And if a spark of that fire touches me my magic means I'll go up like I've been soaked in oil.

Hold that thought.

Right, one more chance for old age and treachery. She changed course, heading for the crater of the bank where this all began. Behind her there was an instant reaction, Spike sensing the threat to his gold. She poured on all her speed. Just let me get there first, she chanted to herself, flashing between the buildings. And then she was there, skimming over ruined ground. And there was the crater, at it's center a pool of molten gold. The gathered wealth of Equestria. Of course it had been melted, to remove her and Luna from the coins and expunge any other claim. He really was very clever. She touched down by the shore, and sent the power of the Earth flowing into the metal. Of course the disenchanters had already cleared the dragonfire here. That would be too easy. But that was alright. He was right behind her, she could hear the tramp of his feet. There was a rumble, and he peered over the edge with the same baleful glare from his remaining eye. But for all the hate she could see there, she also still saw far too much cunning to flame and burn his hoard.

She wouldn't give him a choice. She stretched her power through her hooves, and the lake of gold rose in a wave. It flowed over his head, into his mouth, nostrils, smothering. It flowed into the ruined socket, around his body. Celestia closed her eyes as a burbling roar escaped the roiling morass. Please, she thought, please end this. And, at last, a desperate flame burst out. The gold caught fire instantly, and there was an agonized growl. It blazed away effortlessly with the power she had poured into it, boiling and seething away into nothingness. And as it did his monstrous form shrunk, desperate thrashes and growls giving way to twitches and moans. And soon the beast was gone. There was nothing but the tiny, unconscious form of a baby dragon.

All was silence.

Celestia found herself crying, walking to his fallen body. At least he was still breathing. Dream or no, this wasn't fun anymore. "Spike, I'm so sorry" she said. She resolved to be there for him the moment he woke up. And then, because they were still acting, she conjured a pair of manacles and cast a spell to summon the nearest guard.

Comments

[Zergly]

Great chapter don't now what else to say

[Darkstarling]

9035578
Well yes, I did try to come up with an excuse for that. High altitude speed run while waiting for the air patrols to be called off by a wild storm they needed to break. How GOOD an excuse it is of course is up to you, but I did try.

I was at least serious that falling back until you can assess the force attacking you for new abilities makes sense, since there are any number of threats with weird magic that completely changes the game. That some morons didn't pass on that three of four princesses were stoned is inexcusable, but that's why Captain Tornado has them cleaning latrines with their toothbrushes until further notice.

And then you've got the disturbingly large number of threats that play at the demigod level, like Tirek. Or even Chrysalis on a good day. Basically, control of the Sun and Moon doesn't put you nearly as high in the cosmos of Equus as you'd think. But that's why you've got Code Gold and Code Silver, for 'We need an Alicorn' or 'We need Luna' respectively. Or Code Electrum for 'All demigods on deck'.

[Darkstarling]

9035577
That's quite enough. Authors are praise vampires, it's well known. Glad you're enjoying it.

[Ri2]

Wow. That was an amazing fight! I'm astonished that last part didn't kill Spike.

[Stahlseele]

Dragons can swim in lava . . why should a bit of molten gold be a problem for him?

[Darkstarling]

9039706
Fire isn't the problem: in fact his immunity is why he survived. The problem is he was drowning in it.

[resonance]

possibly the weakest chapter of them all, but i understand the difficulty of making him a credible threat and still have celestia in the game to the end

[Reese]

"He really is a prodigy, the thought frantically"
"He really is a prodigy, she thought frantically"?