Vessel

by Lusaminia

Chapter 3 - Never Die

Marechester was, to most on Equestria, nothing more than an insignificant dot on the map of Equestria. Compared to the infamy of Ponyville, the awe of Cloudsdale, the size of Manehattan, and the sparkling jewel that is Canterlot, nothing about it truly shines. It is a quiet town, at least on the outside, where everypony knows each other and the biggest attraction it has is the farm just outside it. Some could say that it was actually quite a lot like Ponyville, just without the weekly monster incidents and ponies like the Elements of Harmony calling it home.

What most would never know is the little town’s claim to fame, one typically associated with it’s more northern parts of Equestria: maple syrup. Summer maple, to be exact, which comes from a special type of maple tree found in this sole area of Equestria. Able to be tapped all year round, these trees are what lead to the towns founding some four centuries ago, growing from a farm to a hamlet, a hamlet to a village. Such was the founding of Marechester, and the founding of Little Amber Farmstead, one of the most well known producers of maple syrup in all of Equestria.

This ended up being the small settlement that Topaz had told Tholak about. She had taken him to the local doctors, with the help of some ponies who noticed them coming in. When asked she merely twisted the truth, telling that her brother had been attacked not by ponies, but by Aurora's army instead. A small part of her still felt shame for turning her back on Aurora, but her brother was right, she knew it. The words just felt… right. She groaned, holding her head in her claws as she thought about how she might have just created her own betrayal to her friend.

She could hear the whispers of the ponies around her, those who hadn’t been as willing to help her. Though she had no idea what they were saying, the looks gave everything away. They didn’t fear her. No, they seemed more disgusted and disgruntled than afraid, and they weren’t trembling. She did manage to catch one word: “pathetic”, no doubt aimed at Topaz’s unwillingness to look at her. Part of her was so sure, so hopeful that everything would be alright, but here she was, sitting in a doctor’s office, not sure if they would kill her brother or save him.

Then again, part of her should have expected this reaction. It was a miracle anyone seemed open to them after what they had done. The word had gotten out about the dragons, and they had done something she didn’t think about. Their current age brothers and sisters, who had been allies of Equestria for years now, were hated because of their actions. Part of her wanted to call the ponies out on it, but she felt it was deserved; it was them, after all, along with Aurora who had made the announcement.

“Queen Twilight, if you hear me out there, somewhere, know I’m sorry,” Topaz murmured. “In our duty to correct what we felt was wronged a thousand years ago, we ruined a peace. Let us only hope we can correct that mistake.”

The door on the far side of the lobby opened, revealing an earth pony mare with light blue fur and black mane. She wore a typical white coat that most doctors did, holding a clipboard under her hoof. This was the mare that had greeted them when they reached town, the first one kind enough to help her brother. Topaz could only be thankful they didn’t recognize the face of the dragon who had taken over their home, but assume that was because Aurora was the one who declared herself ruler.

“Ms. Topaz Jevile Carcot?” She called out to the dragon. Topaz got up and walked over to the mare. “I don’t think I ever introduced myself earlier. Doctor Blue Moon.”

“How is he?” Topaz asked, her claws caressing themselves in a hopeless attempt to lower her stress.

Blue Moon sighed and motioned for the dragoness to follow her out of the lobby. As they left, Blue moon closed the door behind her and looked both directions down the hallway. The mare knew she had risked a lot bringing a dragon in during this time, but she was smarter than most ponies. The public opinion of their scaly, bipedal allies had shifted too fast, and she knew that Lord Ember was not responsible for this. At least, she sincerely hoped not, but the actions of the many are not the actions of all, no matter what society might believe.

“I’ll be honest Ms. Topaz, he’s in extremely rough shape. If he was a griffon, pegasus, changeling, he would have died some time ago,” Blue Moon explained. It did nothing to reassure the dragon, who was holding herself in an attempt to not fall over fainted. “That said, he is stable. It will take time, of course, but your brother shall make a full recovery.”

“I… don’t think I could ever thank you enough,” Topaz replied with a bow. She couldn’t help but chuckle at herself. “Look at me, a mighty dragon bowing to a pony. My brother would kill me if he saw it,” She forced a smile as she looked to Blue Moon. “Could I see him?”

“Of course, that’s part of why I grabbed you after all,” Blue Moon told the dragoness. She once again motioned for Topaz to follow her, leading the dragon down the hallway. “Sorry about the reception. I’m sure you’ve realized it by now but things Equestria aren’t exactly… stable, I guess you could say.”

“You’re referring to the Canterlot invasion, aren’t you?” Topaz asked. “I heard that there was a… a lot of dead during the attack. My condolences to any and all families affected by it.”

“That’s half of it but, I mean, you must have heard what this new Queen did,” Blue Moon said. When Topaz didn’t respond, she continued. “She killed an alicorn. An alicorn! I… I didn’t even know that was possible. The worst part, it seems more ponies are blaming the dragons for it more than Queen Aurora herself.”

Part of Topaz wanted so desperately to defend Aurora, to explain the events that lead to this happening. In the end, she knew that would only end up looking badly on her. Any attempt at defending the pony would end with her fulfilling what those ponies in the lobby believed about her. At the same time, she had no clue why she wanted to defend Aurora. If her brother was correct, she had been sent to her death. No one who did that deserved her support, and yet her brain couldn’t tear itself from the fact that she was the one who abandoned Aurora.

“You okay?” Blue Moon asked. Topaz looked to the mare, then looked away.

“It’s nothing, or at least nothing important,” Topaz replied, waving her hand dismissively. After some time, Blue Moon stopped at a door. “Is this it?”

“Yes. I’ll just let you know, he isn’t awake right now,” Blue Moon explained, smiling despite the dread in her heart. “Either way, I’m sure seeing his sister would cheer him up tremendously.”

Topaz thanked the mare before she opened the door, Blue Moon staying outside to give them time alone. As Topaz closed the door behind her, she couldn’t help but sigh in relief at the state her brother was in. Tholak was no longer stained in his own blood, the story for which he had refused to change when he was asked. Where there were wounds were bloody bandages, ones that would no doubt have to be changed in the near future. It was a miracle he survived long enough to see her again, cause dragon or not, he was leaving a river of blood behind him when she found her brother. The blood, in this instance, belongs to him instead of his enemies.

“Is she gone?” Tholak asked, his voice strained but more audible than it had been hours earlier. Topaz shook her head, realizing the only reason he was ‘asleep’ was to get the pony out of the room. “Sister?”

“Yes brother, it’s just the two of us,” Topaz replied, crossing her arms. She took a seat in an armchair having to adjust as it clearly wasn’t built with dragons in mind. “Are you feeling any better? The doctor told me that you live, at the very least.”

“She clearly didn’t tell you about my leg,” Tholak spoke, noticing the look of fear in his eyes. “That damn umbrum, he shattered every bone in my left leg. She can fix it, but the damage to my body has been done,” He groaned, looking away. “Guess even these ponies have a limit to what magic can do.”

“You will be able to fight though, right?” Topaz asked. Her brother grumbled again, and the fear building up inside her grew even more. “Tholak? Is everything alright?”

“You mean other than the fact I’m confined to this bed, body torn apart and barely able to breath without feeling some form of pain?” Tholak asked. Though his voice was harsh, Topaz chose to believe it was simply his arrogance speaking. At the very least, he wasn’t coughing. “Of course, we both see it fit to go against tradition and live. You remember the day, don’t you, when mom disowned us? When she said we weren’t her children-”

“-because we didn’t kill each other to see which was stronger,” Topaz finished, her tail wrapping around her body. Her self-hug got tighter at the reminder of that day. “How could I not? The dragon way: the weak die while the strong live. I… still don’t know if that was the reason to kill her later though.”

“Topaz, we both know that no matter how much we try, we can never kill each other,” Tholak reminded her, smiling at the memories that felt like they were merely a decade ago, when in truth it had been nearly two thousand years since that day. “Yet, in societies like ours, such things as peaceful protests will go nowhere. We are not the ponies; we can’t change ourselves that way. Imagine how many dragons had died because of those like our mother. It is those like her that were the roadblocks to change, and diplomacy isn’t the dragon way.”

“It could be though, right?” Topaz said, standing up. “You said it yourself, change is possible. Is it not wrong to think that we could one day completely strip who we are and start anew?”

“You don’t see what I’m getting at, do you?” Tholak asked. “Topaz, to start anew would be a fool's errand. It is true that tradition needs to be altered, but you can’t destroy who you are. We are dragons, warriors, but you can change that in ways. How we fight, when we fight, and the smaller parts are things necessary,” his fingers curled till it looked like he held something in his hand. “I fight for change, not a renewal. I'm the dragonlord, the one all dragons stride to be, and as such my place is to fight. That is who I am, but it will be the details that make us who we are.”

“If we are warriors, then I must be a failure for disobeying orders,” Topaz replied. Her brother gave no response. “So, how do you plan to do it? Gain the trust of the ponies and our modern brethren, I mean. One is disgusted by us, the other knows who we are.”

“Sister, who among the two of us is more willing to fight than talk?” Tholak asked, his ruby eyes piercing his sister’s soul. “I am not a diplomat, and I’m in no shape to make requests. The ponies shall react better to you than they would to me,” He turned away from her and to the ceiling, closing his eyes. “I’ll deal with the current dragonlord. Now go, work your magic.”

--------

Topaz hated the idea of leaving her brother, but knew it would have to happen sooner or later. Blue Moon said that he would have to stay the night and would tell her when he was capable of leaving. It did little to decrease her worry, but knew that she had to trust the mare. She was a doctor, and without her Tholak wouldn’t heal. Common sense, something dragons didn’t tend to use.

That said, she had no idea how to approach the ponies, or who to approach to begin with. These weren’t soldiers, and as such she doubted they had trained in warfare. What was her reason for them as well? Her reason was her brother and her people, but the ponies? True, Princess Twilight had been slain, but to races like unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies that seemed more of a deterrence than anything. Even then, she knew that someone must have a spark, and all she had to do was find it.

Thus she was led to a little market set up just outside the town. Here ponies from both in and outside of Marechester came to sell goods, though the crowd seemed to be far less than usual. It wasn’t just ponies, griffons also came to sell trade crafts, but the number was few among the already small number of ponies present. Perhaps the trains weren’t running, but certain ponies seemed to clearly be outside the area. If certain accents are to be believed that is.

Her eyes fell to a small cart on the far side of the market, an apple cart at that. Behind it was an old stallion, easily in his late sixties, a warm smile on his face. His coat was a faded red, the underside of his muzzle near completely grey. The same went to the faded blonde mane he had, thin and vanishing, tail fairing no better. For his age he had plenty of muscle, though she doubted it was anywhere near the strength he had at his prime. As she came up to his cart, Topaz expected the smile to fade, but the current opinions of dragons did nothing to affect his smile.

“Hello there Ms,” The stallion said, tipping the hat that adorned his head. “You’re not from around here, are ya?”

“You couldn’t be more right,” Topaz replied, holding out a hand to the earth pony. “Topaz Carcot.”

“Macintosh of Sweet Apple Acres, I’m sure you’ve heard of us from somewhere,” The pony said, taking Topaz’s hand in her hoof. He nearly fell due to the force she used to shake hands with him, laughing at his misfortune as he used the cart to get back on his hooves. “So you want to try one of our famous apples, or perhaps some cider,” His word was stressed as he struggled to pull up a heavy keg, putting some wooden beer mugs down next to it with little effort. “Well?”

“I’m… I’m sorry I can’t,” Topaz replied with a sigh, the smile instantly falling from Macintosh’s face. His ear folded against his head. “It’s not that I don’t want to, it's just... I used all the bits I was lent on keeping my dying brother alive.”

“I see, my condolences,” Macintosh replied, once again dip his head in murmuring a prayer to Celestia. “Look, I can’t do this for everypony, I also have family that I need to care for and a sister who has problems standing up in the morning but-” He grabbed two apples and handed them to Topaz, a sad smile on his face, eyes watering. “There, for you and your brother.”

Topaz was stunned at the pony, not for giving the apples for free, but that he was willing to do it despite everything said. She looked at the apples he had hooved over to her, conflicted emotions battling each other in her head. Apples didn’t grow back home, and she hadn’t had the opportunity to try one before Aurora sent her off. The thought of eating it was enjoyable, but she saw no joy in actually eating it. Not with what she just heard, not with what this stallion was trying to do.

“I appreciate it but… I mean,” Topaz couldn’t finish, bowing and holding the apples out for Macintosh to take. She didn’t notice the odd stares or whispers being flung at her by others. “I can’t take this, not without paying. It isn’t right.”

Macintosh, at first, was shocked at the action, but after a moment he let out a bellowing laugh. The attention he gained from it was enormous, eyes from all corners of the farmer’s market turning to him in confusion. Topaz, unsure of what to make of it, retracted her hands and held them against her chest. She didn’t know what she had said to make him laugh, this hard, but the smile on his face told her it must be good.

“Oh, Ms. Carcot, sorry but I should have realized what my words had done,” He told Topaz. “I didn’t mean to guilt trip you, the sister thing just came out. Please, consider it charity if you must. I understand exactly what it is you’re going through right now, though in a…” He rubbed the back of his head. “... less life threatening way.”

“You wouldn’t mind me asking what happened, do you?” Topaz asked, looking to see that the crowd had returned to its business.

“It isn’t exactly a secret or anything, considering she’s a hero and all, but you seem new around her, so I don’t mind sharing,” Macintosh replied. The smile faded, but he did his best to keep his spirits up. “About ten years ago, my sister Applejack threw out her back while harvesting. We went to the doctors and everything seemed fine… until she did it again the next day. We don’t know why, but her bones were becoming fragile,” He took a deep breath in, and exhaled. “Our granny had a similar problem, but it was nothing like this. She can barely get up anymore without fear of fracturing something.”

“I’m sorry to hear about that,” Topaz replied. She stayed quiet for a minute, taking in what had been told to her, before responding. “It’s a wonderful thing you're doing, looking out for your own like that.”

“I’m sure your brother would have done the same thing if you had… what was it that happened to him?” Macintosh asked. Topaz rolled her eyes.

“Got himself into a fight with a dark magic expert. Wouldn’t be the first time he had almost gotten himself killed,” Topaz replied. Noticing the shock on the older stallion's face, she “clarified”. “He was trying to recover a high value asset of the dragon lords. Let’s just say he underestimated the entourage that the asset had on her.”

Macintosh wrinkled his nose and furrowed his brow, spotting a clear lie in front of him. A half lie, at the very least, he could tell that some part of what Topaz had said was true. What part of that was true, however, he had no idea. All Apples had a knack for finding truth and lie, but he wasn’t Applejack. She could tell clearly as day when somepony wasn’t telling the truth, but he could only feel that he was being lied to. He sighed, deciding that he was too old to get involved in whatever this young dragon was wrapped up in.

“Well, I hope he realized his lesson,” Macintosh responded, smiling to hide his curiosity.

“Knowing him, it’s gonna take more than a near death experience to teach him to not underestimate ponies,” Topaz said giggling. “It was a pleasure getting to know you, though, Macintosh. My regards to your sister.”

“Same to your brother, Ms. Carcot,” Macintosh replied, waving as the dragon departed from his stand. “If you ever want to visit, you’re always welcome in Ponyville.”

“Perhaps I will,” Topaz replied, not loud enough for the stallion to hear, but she felt like he knew what she was saying anyways. “Perhaps I will, you friendly old stallion.”

--------

Topaz looked at the apple in her hands with a strange smile on her face, one she wasn’t exactly sure should belong there. Part of her still felt like she was taking advantage of the stallion in some way, no matter how silly it sounded. She didn’t have the bits to pay, yet she had gotten it anyways, and felt horrible in doing so. Nonetheless, she had taken them, and that thought made her unsure of what to do. Sooner or later she would have to pay him back, maybe help on this farm of his.

A shiver went through her body, and she looked off into the distance. She couldn’t see it, but she could tell that Canterlot was in that direction. An invisible stare pierced her scales, and she forced herself to look away. She took a bite of one of the apples, thinking it would calm her down, but it did nothing. The sour taste did nothing to save her from the feeling that, somehow, in some way, Aurora was watching her.

--------

Aurora looked out at the city of Canterlot, a smile hiding the fear and confusion in her gut. It was hard to think that two weeks have already passed since she had taken the city back – since she took Equestria back. She breathed in the fresh air, and exhaled, doing everything in her power to keep that anxiety down. There was nothing to be afraid of after all, with Tholak’s army happily under her command and the ponies seeming to go about their normal lives, she had nothing to fear. She was happy, she had succeeded, and therefore everything should be fine...

...And yet, she felt further from safety in Canterlot Castle than she had ever been when she had ruled at Equestria’s founding. There was a sense of unease in the air after killing the alicorn, Twilight Sparkle as she called herself, rumors were circulating around about her. Among them was her wish to wipe out unicorns and earth ponies, and a most fitting name for what she had done: “The Conqueror’s Vessel”. Didn’t have the same ring that “Alicorn Slayer” had to it, but she assumed it was more accurate for this era. Either way, she would one day have to prove that her wishes were meant for all ponies, not just her kin.

“Your majesty?” Raven called the pegasus. Aurora looked to the mare, whose eyes refused to meet her.

“Speak Raven, I have no quarrel with you, even if you were her advisor,” Aurora commanded.

“O-of course,” Raven bowed as she spoke, refusing to rise out of fear of what Aurora would do. If she had learned one thing about the new queen, her mood was uncomfortably… unpredictable. “We have just received word from the Griffon Empire calling for a meeting between Equestria and its neighbors. I know you wanted to speak with them.”

“Yes, and they are likely to question my motives if I know better,” She muttered to herself. She backed away from her window, Raven surprised at how calm the queen was being. “The Griffon Empire calling it though? That’s interesting. I had believed that they’re leader was missing,” She turned to Raven and raised her voice. “Ms. Inkwell, who is calling this meeting?”

“That’s the interesting part. She calls herself the “standing leader”, but Emperor Derev never made anyone of that position known to us,” Raven replied, standing from her bow and being met with a rather disappointed looking Aurora. She sighed. “Ezillia Borghiben. The griffon who wrote this is named Ezillia Borghiben.”

“Interesting name, especially for a griffon,” Aurora said, feeling as if the name was somewhat familiar. She shrugged and turned around, trotting to the door. “Nevermind. Tell this Ezillia that, while I appreciate the offer to meet her, I am currently busy with legislation changes and must attend to my country’s stability before I can meet with anyone.”

“With all due respect your highness, I feel like it would be a good idea to establish relations with other countries,” Raven replied. “Given, Twilight already had them, but I’m sure many would not question you as much if you did.”

Aurora stopped as she heard this.

“Question? Why would they question me? I’m as mortal as they are” She asked herself. Knowing that she had to answer the earth ponies’ question at some pony, she sighed and turned around. “Ms. Inkwell, I want you to look out over the balcony and tell you what you see.”

Raven didn’t know what her majesty’s goal was, but followed it anyways. Turning and walking to the balcony, she peered her head over the edge and down below. She saw what anypony else would have seen: the city of Canterlot. Closer to the castle was the founders district, typically home to the nobles and wealthier establishments, with the market district directly south of it, and commons district to the east of that. All of it was to be expected, and it only made Raven confused as to what her majesty truly meant.

“So?” Aurora called, walking up next to the earth pony with a smile. “What do you see?”

“I… see Canterlot, capital of Equestria,” She answered, knowing it wouldn’t be enough to satisfy Aurora. “Filled with the smiles and worries of ponies.”

“Exactly,” Aurora said, clapping. Raven couldn’t tell if it was sarcastic or not. “Ponies, those who founded Equestria. Pegasi who conquered from the sky, earth ponies who nurtured the land, and unicorns who sought knowledge above all. It was these three tribes that founded Equestria, not the griffons, not the dragons, and certainly not alicorns,” Aurora held a hoof out to the city below. “It is important for us to nurture them before all else, and I’m not satisfied enough with the current state of the nation to hold meetings with foriegn diplomats.”

Raven chose to ignore the tone used when Aurora talked about alicorns and moved to the problems core. “Equestria is not just ponies these days, Queen Aurora. Hippogriffs, griffons, yaks, dragons, and the Changelings, who we didn’t know existed until some two to three decades ago. Would you see it fit to give them comfort that-”

“Are these dragon’s citizen’s of ours, or Lord Embers?” Aurora asked, her smile growing. “Are the griffons ours or Ezillias? Our the Changelings… actually, they are foreign visitors, we had that debate the day I took over,” Raven rolled her eyes. “Point is, ponies and Equestria first, every creature else second. Understand?”

Raven sighed. “Of course, your majesty.”

As Raven left the room, Aurora let the tension slip from her soldiers. “Topaz, please tell me you’re okay.”

--------

“How does it taste?” Topaz asked her brother, having handed her the second apple Macintosh had given her. “I mean, I thought it was a little tart and I know you aren’t a big fan of emeralds so… it didn’t cost me anything if you’re worried.”

“Relax, sister, I know you mean well,” Tholak said, giving her the first smile she had seen from him in a day or two. “It’s not my thing, really, but it’s definitely better than emeralds ever tasted. This pony though, this Macintosh, he sounds familiar to me for some reason.”

Topaz let her brother think over things for a moment, taking another bite of her own apple. The feeling of being watched had faded as soon as it had come, but it did nothing to quell the worry that Aurora was looking out for her. Whether that was to make sure she lived or died, she thought best not to know. She sighed, feeling like she had to keep telling herself that what she did was right, no matter how much her brain told her it was wrong.

“Yes, that’s right, the elements of harmony,” Tholak said after a few minutes. An idea came to his head. “You said that he invited you to visit at anypoint, didn’t he?”

“Of course, but I want you to be out of here before leaving,” Topaz replied. “I… I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here alone. I know I’ve done it before but you’re hurt and–”

“Topaz, listen to me,” Tholak requested. “The longer Aurora is on that throne, the more powerful she is. That means more ponies here accept her, the military accepts her, and our attempt at starting anything will be put down quicker than we know. That isn’t even counting whatever she has planned for our soldiers,” Tholak looked away. “Besides, these ponies might be just who we need.”

Topaz cocked her head. “What makes you so sure?”

Tholak smiled in reply. “This Applejack, the sister the stallion mentioned, is the element of honesty. No doubts about it.”

--------

“You really sure about this, Ms. Topaz,” Macintosh said as they waited at the train station, Topaz fidgeting with her fingers. “I know you said your brother was injured.”

“Trust me, I did everything I could to try and tell him no, but he has a silver tongue like no dragon I know,” Topaz told the stallion. “Thanks for allowing me to come anyways. I’m sure that you must be pretty busy.”

“Eh, normal farm stuff, plus my son is abroad at his college’s campus at Mount Aris right now,” Macintosh replied. “Besides, it may be nice to have an extra pair of hooves, or hands in your case, around for a few days.”

Topaz couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t know much about farm work, but I will help as much as I can. You’re married though, that’s wonderful! I can't meet your wife.”

Macintosh’s smile dropped, and he looked away. He had told himself he had gotten over that day she passed away, but it never stopped hurting. How long he had known the day had been coming, the shortened life span of Sugar Belle, brought on by a disease apparently related to her cutie mark having once been removed. Topaz didn’t know any of that, but the mournful look was enough to tell her what was going through his mind. She looked off to the east in shame.

“I’m sorry, that was insensitive,” Topaz replied.

“I know you didn’t mean it, don’t worry,” Macintosh said, wiping his eyes clear of tears. “Doesn’t make it hurt any less though. Still, I’m sure my sister will be happy to have company. We don’t get too much this day.”

A strange sound caught Topaz’s ear, one that she hadn’t heard before. She looked down the tracks, jaw instantly going slack at the giant metal cage that she saw hurling down towards her. She stepped away from the platform’s edge, looking onward in terror at the machine. Her time didn’t have these, or anything like it for a matter of fact. It was okay, it had to be okay, considering ponies used them everyday. Yet, as it stopped, and the doors to the train cars opened, she couldn’t stop the feeling of discomfort it gave her.

Macintosh looked at her with worry. “You coming along?”

Topaz looked to the stallion, and took a deep breath in. As she exhaled she answered. “Yes, just my first time being on one of these things.”

“Don’t worry,” Macintosh told her as they made their way on board. “It’s not as scary as it looks.”