Power of the Dragonflame: The Resurrection of Torch

by Mystic Mind

Act 2/Chapter 5: The Lawless South

Klugetown hasn’t changed much in the past ten years. It was just as Twilight had described: a ramshackle, dark city of narrow streets and high-rise buildings made from anything the residents could get their claws on. It was everything Canterlot was not: a disorganised hive of shady creatures scuttling about.

Stellar Shine had never seen anything like it, not least because this was the first time he’d been so far from home. The moment he and his Crystal Paladins arrived, he could tell all eyes were drawn to him. He had expected this. After all, he was a white-coated alicorn stallion clad in gold armour. He couldn’t stick out more if he tried!

Yet, somehow, this didn’t make him feel any less anxious. He wondered if this was how Twilight felt when she'd been crowned Princess. Despite the squirmy feeling in his gut, he didn’t let it show. Instead, he remained straight-faced and resolute, marching through the busy streets while his fellow Paladins put up ordinance posters on every other block.

Posters which were, almost immediately, ripped down by curious civilians and mischievous thieves, all eager to spread the news of their distinguished visitors. They earned a fair share of scornful remarks from Stellar's company, but he quickly silenced them. They had come to implement austerity measures, and the word would get out one way or another.

“Better to save your emotions for the war to come,” Stellar told them

Soon, they reached the city centre: an expansive square where hundreds of traders haphazardly set up their stalls in whatever space they could squeeze into. A large, wooden platform stood in the middle, where many publicly auctioned their finest wears – most of which, Stellar presumed, was stolen.

As he pushed his way through the crowd, a tall object in the platform’s heart caught his eye.

Wait, are they using...?

A closer look confirmed his suspicions. The twin beams of wood assembled at a right angle, plus the short noose made it unmistakable; these were the gallows. Such a device was ancient by Equestrian standards. Capital punishment had not been used since before the Battle of Nightfall, the fateful duel between Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon. Just looking at the cruel, heartless device made Stellar's stomach churn. What possible crime would warrant such a crude murder, and not also condemn the killer for an equal atrocity?

To kill civilians, even as a last resort, went against everything he stood for. As much as he wanted to tear the device down there and then, he knew there were more pressing issues to shed light upon. He could only hope that, harmony willing, he could show how unnecessary such barbaric methods were.

Marching up the stairs together, Stellar and his paladins formed a ring around the traders. Now in full view of every creature, Vindicator Solar Flare blew into his battle horn. For the first time in Celestia knew how long, the square fell silent.

“Citizens of Klugestown,” he began. “War has come. In as little as four weeks’ time, an army of dragons is set to invade—”

“Bullshit!” a dragon trader interrupted, squaring up to Stellar. “Lord Ember would never allow that. How dare you spit on her name like that?!”

“It is not of Ember I speak about,” Stellar rebuffed the trader with a hard stare. “It is the ex-Dragon Lord Torch. He has been resurrected from the dead by a mysterious cult using forbidden magic. By decree of the Five Princesses and myself, Prince Stellar Shine, we hereby order the creation of a new army barracks, right here in Klugestown.”

“You have no authority here,” the dragon snapped back. “No creature does!”

“It is by necessity that we commandeer this city,” said Solar, stepping forward to voice his support for Stellar. “Like it or not, you will soon be besieged by the undead dragons. If you wish to survive with your sovereignty intact, you will comply.”

The word 'comply' did not go over well. The crowd erupted with cacophonous jeering, many throwing fruit among other miscellaneous objects at the Paladins.

“Liars!” cried a Pegasus pony. “Zombies don't exist, you can't scare us!”

“You just want this land for yourself!” cried another griffon.

“Get out of here!”

“You think you're so great!”

“We don't want your war!”

Stellar Shine could take no more. For the sake of establishing order, he had to use the royal Canterlot voice. “ENOUGH!” his booming voice echoed through the square, immediately quelling the mob's anger. “Ivy, Caramel, a portal, if you please,” he said, quieter this time.

“Yes sir,” the unicorn sisters saluted him and lit up their horns. It took a minute, but soon enough, a portal shimmered to life behind them, revealing the inner depths of the old Canterlot dungeon. Inside it lay a dragon, but not just any dragon. This was the undead monster the paladins and Twilight slew a fortnight before.

The crowd gasped, their collective mood switching from angered derision to fearful murmurs. The auctioneers who were closest to the portal shuffled awkwardly on the spot.

“This... this isn't real!” Despite the dragon trader's descent, Stellar easily picked up on the insecurity in his voice. “It's... an illusion. Yes, nothing more than an illusion; meant to scare us into submission!”

“Oh, I assure you, this is very real,” Stellar turned to the portal. “Please give a warm welcome to: Dragon Lord Ember!”

As if the announcement was part of some elaborate stage show, Ember stepped into view, wearing a replica of the golden armour she'd used during the Gauntlet of Fire. But this was not the full extent of her theatrics. Sliding down the dragon's neck, she grabbed onto its horns, swinging around and landing feet first on its right.

The crowd watched in stunned silence as Ember, still holding onto the undead's horns, wrenched herself back, ripping the undead dragon's head clean off its neck with a single twist. Then, heaving it up to chest height, she threw it through the portal, letting it roll across the deck and into the crowd.

A wave of panic washed over the crowd, with the nearest creatures screaming and shoving to get out of the way. When the severed head finally came to a stop, the crowd reformed into a wide semicircle around it, though none were brave enough to come closer.

“You see that?” Ember pointed to it, its blank eyes acting as an emotional ward to keep the crowd back. “That is a desecration on all dragon kind! A corrupted abomination, serving as a mindless freak of magic for whatever end the necromancer decides.”

The dragon trader, who had previously been so adamantly speaking out against the Paladin's intrusion, dropped to his knees, bowing profusely before Ember. “I am so sorry we doubted you, my Lord,” he grovelled. “I live to serve your every need.”

Ember folded her arms, ignoring this theatrics, and looked over the crowd. “I don't know any of you, or why you live here. Frankly, I don't care. What I do care about is stopping things like that,” she gestured once again to the dragon's head, “from conquering Equestria. They call themselves the Cult of the Dragonflame, and they are the ones who stole my kingdom. Yet even with the resurrected body of my father, I still got out alive. I won't give up until I'm restored to my rightful place as Dragon Lord, and if you need any more proof of that, just look at the severed head right in front of you. I killed that dragon, and I will stop at nothing to regain what I’ve lost!

“In the eyes of the cult, you are all nothing. You will be slaughtered without the slightest bit of remorse or pity. The only thing that stands between you and zombification is Stellar Shine and the armies of Equestria! Now, you've all got a choice to make; you will help us defend Equestria or you will die. What's it gonna be?”

For a few long moments, the crowd remained silent. Then, the grovelling trader stood up. Turning to face the crowd, he yelled, “Hail, Lord Ember!”

“Hail Lord Ember!” cried another dragon from the crowd.

Then came another cheer, and another, and another. From these dragons, the entire crowd followed, chanting Ember's name.

To the casual observer, it would have looked like Ember had the crowd in the palm of her claw. But Stellar knew better. He was no fool. From his vantage point, he could see several motionless bodies, lying face-down in the darkness of the dusty backstreets, while scavengers and thieves raced to grab whatever possessions the unfortunate victims had on them. It was a disgusting sight, enough to make the average pony gag.

Yet Stellar hardened his heart. If what he'd seen so far was any indication, no creature killed without reason; so, those who died to a knife in the back would likely have done the same to others, if it benefited them. If he were to mourn the death of every criminal who threw themselves into the grinding wheels of revenge, he would quickly lose sight of why he was here.

Klugestown, for all its evils, was the only infrastructure for kilometres around. He needed to establish a foothold here, so he could protect it—and by extension, Equestria—from the undead. So, if he was to protect his troops from being murdered and robbed, he would need to do much more than spin the truth about Ember's strength.

He spared a glance behind him, briefly taking in the imposing sight of the gallows. This, I think, will have to remain a while longer, he thought.

---

One month later, the centre of Klugestown was a very different place. Gone were the traders competing for attention, and in their stead, hundreds of makeshift workstations lined the streets, serving the needs of every soldier in Celestia's army. Most were dedicated to the repair and maintenance of black powder weapons, and with a full division's worth of flintlock rifles to keep in top working order, there was no rest for the wicked – quite literally, in fact.

As Stellar Shine started his inspection rounds for the rifle divisions, a familiar lunar Pegasus caught his attention with a salute. “Report from perimeters Alpha, Delta, and Echo, my lord,” announced Moonlight.

“Ah, yes, our new.... alliance,” Stellar grimaced. He tried to sound optimistic, despite feeling the familiar pang of guilt. “How is it working out? It's been a while since the last report.”

“Like clockwork,” Moonlight grinned. “In fact, that's the reason there's been fewer reports in the past couple of weeks. You should've seen the look on the mob boss' faces when they heard how much we'd pay them! Because of them, almost none of the regular Klugestown outlaws will go near the guarded areas.”

The word almost weighed heavily on Stellar's mind. Every written report he received went into excruciating detail on how brutal mob justice was, as per his request. Every morning, he'd re-read the reports, reminding himself of what kind of vile, twisted killers the official Equestria treasury now unofficially sponsored.

“Good,” Stellar said eventually, faking a smile. “Keep the reports coming, and be sure to inform me should we encounter any breakthroughs.”

“Aye, sir, but...” Moonlight's expression dropped, as did her voice volume down to a whisper. “Are you sure you're okay? I know we come from vastly different combat disciplines, but that doesn't make me blind to your discomfort.”

Stellar almost wanted to laugh. Discomfort did not even begin to cover it, though he couldn't fault Moonlight for trying to empathise. “Thank you, old friend,” his expression didn’t change despite speaking softer. “I can manage. My Paladins are doing all we can to aid citizens who feel the effects of our occupation most. My convictions remain unwavering, you have nothing to worry about.”

She studied his expression for a few moments longer. “It's not your convictions I worry about,” she said. “It's about you. Are you suffering as those who die to the mobsters have?”

Stellar shook his head. “No. They know the risks, as I do for the sake of war.”

Moonlight narrowed her eyes but chose not to pry further. If there was one thing they agreed on, it was to assess the needs of the many before the needs of the few – including one's own emotions.

“Alright, sir,” Moonlight conceded and saluted with her wing. “Light be with you.”

“Light be with you.” Stellar returned the salute, and they went their separate ways. To conclude his inspection, he decided to climb atop the former gallows’ platform, where the head of the undead dragon hung for all to see; its menacing gaze providing a constant reminder of why they were all here.

From here, he could see the ponies of the Sixteenth Canterlot Rifle Division practising their volley fire formations; the yak of the Tenth Yakyakistan Heavy Arms Batteries, butting heads and stomping around the cannons as part of their ritual warm-ups; as well as the elite troops of the Wonderbolts Archery Squadrons, peppering the straw targets with arrows shot from their recurve bows.

Stellar let out a long sigh. As proud as he was to be fronting such an army, he still couldn't break the endless tug of war in his mind between the ethics of his alliance and its justification. Before he could drift off entirely into his own thoughts, he spotted Ivy trotting up the stairs.

“Morning, Stellar,” she said. “Inspection looking good?”

“All's well so far,” Stellar replied, though he didn't greet her. He just continued to stare off absently.

“Looks like somepony's a grumpy griffon today,” Ivy remarked. “Something on your mind?”

“That's putting it mildly...” Stellar grumbled. “Wait, where's Caramel? Don't you two normally work together?”

“She's hosting a friendship sermon right now,” she raised an eyebrow. “What, did you think we'd be together all the time, just because we're sisters?”

“Nevermind,” Stellar said flatly, tensing his jaw. “Sorry, you're right. I have got a lot on my mind right now.”

“Let me guess; you're unhappy with the big gangs hired as security?”

“I don't think 'security' is the right word, in this case.” Stellar thought back to the report he'd read earlier that morning. He hadn't seen the event in question—at least, not directly—but his imagination was vivid enough to fill in the blanks. “Petty theft,” he said after a moment's pause. “Tried to steal a flintlock rifle and fly out of the city. Spat in our face, called us 'filthy warmongers'. For that, the mob beat him to a bloody pulp. I really shouldn't feel sorry for a creature like him.”

“And yet you do?” Ivy prompted.

Stellar nodded. “Yes. Silly, isn't it? He did this to himself. Yet, until recently, that was the norm for Griffons. How long has it been since he visited home, I wonder? Did he really know any better? That was his culture: to take whatever you saw fit and to horde it relentlessly, because the more wealth you had, the more you could haggle for basic resources. The irony of such a draconic society isn't lost on me.”

“I guess we're all creatures of habit,” Ivy placed a hoof on Stellar's shoulder. “You know, I may be stating the obvious here, but I think we agree that none of us wanted this war. Some may say it was inevitable, if not from the dragons, then maybe another Storm King, or Celestia knows what other world-threatening magical creature awakening from dormancy.

“But now that it's here, I know neither you nor I would let any creature sabotage the safety of Equestria. Times change, and so must we. If we are to remain the beacons of light in Equestria's darkest hour, as you always wanted us to be, those who refuse to make sacrifices are too much of a liability. That's what I learned from your scorched earth tactics during the Siege of the Crystal Empire.”

Stellar looked at Ivy and smiled. “I knew you'd make an excellent Paladin,” he said. “Even so, knowing what kind of horrific deaths await those who attract the mobster's ire? I wish we had the means to provide our own, more ethical form of justice. It's what Twilight Sparkle would have wanted.”

“You and I both know we don't have that luxury,” she gave him a stern, yet gentle look. “Listen, I am just as complicit in this as you. If it will ease your guilty conscience, then I will stand with you in taking penance for enacting martial law. I know every one of your Paladins will do the same, no questions asked. Whatever the outcome, we are together under Celestia's Light.”

Stellar turned his gaze upward. How easy it was to forget the heat of desert light and the striking blue sky amongst the confines of a city – especially one as architecturally random as Klugestown. “Allow me to amend what I said earlier,” Stellar said. “I'm not just glad you became a Paladin. But rather, I'm grateful to bless, and have been blessed, by the magic of Celestia's holy light. Without it, the Crystal Paladins would have nothing. For Celestia, for Twilight, and for Equestria, we will stop at nothing to restore Ember's rightful place as Dragon Lord.”

As if to punctuate the conversation, one of the Wonderbolt's charged his way past the practising archers. “Lord Stellar Shine!” he called. “Wing Commander Gale Force, reporting in.”

“What’s the issue, officer?” Stellar asked.

“Scouts say the enemy has been sighted, sir!”

“How far away are they?”

“Toward the eastern coast,” the Wonderbolt said. “Twenty kilometres from here, sir. Mostly smaller dragons, but by Celestia, there’s a lot of ‘em! Three bloats flying, too.”

“Alright. Sound the battle horns. I want every soldier outside the eastern gate, fully armed and ready to go in the next ten minutes.”

“Yes, sir!” The Wonderbolt saluted and pulled a battle horn from his belt, though the shrill whistle of the arriving train caught every creature's attention first.

That was when Caramel Charm teleported up next to Stellar. “Lord Stellar,” she said. “You have a V.I.P awaiting your presence at the station.”

“Can it wait?” Stellar asked. “We're just about to begin deployment.”

“Afraid not, my lord,” Caramel grinned. “He insists you not leave without him.”

It took a moment for Stellar to realize who Caramel was referring to, but when he did, he teleported all the way to the station in a flash. He arrived just in time to catch the guard unlocking the carriage doors, allowing the passengers inside to disembark; the last of whom Stellar was particularly happy to see.

“Far Seer!” Stellar charged head-first into his colt-friend’s waiting hooves, nearly knocking him over.

“Good to see you, too, Stellar,” Far Seer winced, partially winded from the tackle-hug.

“Oh, sorry,” Stellar took a step back, blushing. “Even after ten years, I still forget my alicorn strength sometimes.”

“Not to worry, sweetheart,” Far Seer kissed his hoof. “But let’s not waste any more time. When do we deploy?”

“As soon as the last train leaves. Are you happy to lead the rifle division? They could use your impeccable aim.”

“You know I am!” Far Seer flashed a confident grin. With the train filling up with evacuating civilians, the war of the Dragonflame could truly begin.