A Storm For the Ages

by DmitriTheWriter

Chapter 6: The Imperial Diet

On the way to the cliffs where he had previously met Wolksfeuer, Chrysaor got caught in a rogue wind and ended up in the town of Griffonstone. Once a shining city on the hill on an island just off of western Equestria, now it was utterly decrepit, made up almost entirely of shacks that seemed to be held together with little more than spittle and wishes. What could be ostensibly called the commercial district was nothing more than the mining gear shack and the general store, both of which charged outrageous prices for their services. Castle Erdschutz, once mighty, where descendants of one of the lieutenants of Odin ruled for fourteen generations, now lay abandoned in the distance, as if it hadn't been occupied in 700 years.

One female griffon stared at him, eyes narrowed, as she approached Chrysaor.

"What are you doing here? This is no place for ponies like you," she said.

"Save your venom for somepony who cares." Chrysaor replied, twirling his stick around.

"If you're here to try and make friends or whatever, then you've come to the wrong place," she said.

"Well good thing I haven't. If every griffon is like you, then no wonder your kingdoms fell apart," Chrysaor said.

"Are you mocking my race?!" she said outraged.

"Perhaps I am. All I know is that ponies know how to make cities that last," Chrysaor said.

As the griffon raised her paw to slash Chrysaor to ribbons, a booming voice washed over both of them. "Gilda! Chrysaor! Stop mouthing off to each other!"

Wolksfeuer stood a full head above Gilda. Gilda, cowed, lowered her paw and stood to attention. Chrysaor took a step back and brought one of his forehooves close to his face.

"I see to it that you've brought me the Hilt," Wolksfeuer said.

"Yes, I-I have it," Chrysaor presented his stick to Wolksfeuer. Wolksfeuer grabbed it from his hooves and, with his other forepaw, unsheathed his Spearhead. He brought the Spearhead and the Hilt together and...nothing happened. He tried again, to no avail. He kept trying, but the Spear of Might wouldn't form. Wolksfeuer then sheathed his Spearhead and examined the stick that Chrysaor gave to him. He pecked at it, and, sure enough, it radiated no ambient power.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Wolksfeuer asked in an annoyed tone.

"I-I don't know what you mean," Chrysaor said.

"This is not the Hilt of Might! This is a random stick you found and presented to me as if it was!" Wolksfeuer's voice grew more shrill with every word.

"I don't know exactly what happened there," Chrysaor said. "I snuck into the EUP Guard's barracks room and there it was. I assumed that Celestia would hide the Hilt with her most trusted and well-armed ponies, but apparently I was wrong."

"Then what, pray tell, do I do with this?!" Wolksfeuer yelled as he waved the stick around wildly.

"You could shove it up your ass and pretend you're a corn dog," Chrysaor replied.

"Are you just begging to be blasted with lightning right now?!" Wolksfeuer asked.

"I know you wouldn't do it," Chrysaor said.

"I may if you keep acting like this! Now how do you propose we find the Hilt?" Wolksfeuer said.

A deep voice called out from the shadows. "I believe that won't be necessary, gentlecolts,". From a dark, grimy alleyway, a strange mishmash of animal features walked out to greet the two-person council. His face looked generally equine, but as you looked around his body, everything fit together in the wrongest of ways.

"Discord. What brings you here?" Wolksfeuer asked as he unsheathed his Spearhead.

"Oh, nothing in particular," Discord replied. "I was just watching you two team up when I heard you two fine chaps plotting to destroy Equestria. Since I'm technically reformed as of now, I feel as if I have a duty to report this to the Princesses,"

"Hold on!" Wolksfeuer said. "What exactly do you have to gain from being loyal to Celestia and Luna? A gold star and a free coffee mug saying 'World's Best Draconequus'? You do know they're just playing you, right?"

"Playing me? As if I were a fiddle?" Discord conjured a fiddle to hold. "How can you suggest such things?"

"They killed my father! As far as I'm concerned, anything's on the table with them!" Wolksfeuer raved.

"And that is my problem how?" Discord replied nonchalantly.

"Think about it. Your options are to either work with us and become unfathomably powerful or work with Equestria and continue to be bossed around for all of eternity. I believe the choice is obvious," Wolksfeuer said.

"They're not bossing me around. I'm just doing this to help my friends. Well, friend singular," Discord said.

"Alright. What happens when that friend of yours dies, or betrays you, or forgets about you, or any of a thousand other things that could happen within a hundred years?" Wolksfeuer said.

"Uhhh..." Discord didn't know what to say.

"Exactly! Friends don't exactly last when you're immortal. But power, that has the potential to last forever. Remember when you ruled Equestria? How would you like to rule it again?" Wolksfeuer said.

"Alright, I guess I'm in. What's our course of action then?" Discord said.

"Well, first you two find the Hilt, then I find the Pendant of Magic, Brisingamen, then we gather our artifacts and use them to TAKE OVER THE WORLD!" Wolksfeuer began to cackle madly, with a few bird cries sprinkled in, prompting Discord to turn to Chrysaor and twirl his finger beside his head.

"You two!" Wolksfeuer turned towards Discord and Chrysaor with an unhinged look in his eyes. "Find the Hilt, the real one this time, and meet me anywhere you can. I trust one of you two jokers have the ability to sense magic?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Discord said.

"Wonderful! Don't fail me this time," Wolksfeuer turned around, spread his wings, and zoomed off towards the horizon. Discord and Chrysaor turned towards each other once again.

"Should we betray him at the best opportunity?" Chrysaor asked.

"Perhaps. His megalomania worries me just a smidgen," Discord answered.

Chrysaor laughed. "We're all megalomaniacal here,"

"But Wolksfeuer there takes it to excessive levels," Discord said.

"Well we'll have to take him down a peg when it matters most, won't we?" Chrysaor said.

"Yes, we shall," Discord laughed in a sinister manner, while Chrysaor trotted towards Castle Erdschutz.