Chapter 25: Last of the Steelspines
The morning after the dragon rampage, Princess Celestia reviewed the list of casualties.
Of the Royal Guard stationed in town, twelve.
Her House Guard, nine.
And two dragons.
Celestia put down the scroll, and looked from atop the hill towards the smoldering wreck of Squires Gate, and closed her eyes, feeling so very, very tired. Her fatigue had nothing to do with a night during which she hadn’t slept a wink. She was an alicorn. But not since the Shadows had besieged Canterlot nearly fifty years ago did she see a crisis turn this deadly.
These twenty-three deaths were far too many.
News of the attack would spread like wildfire. When the day was over, Celestia could already foresee the competing headlines bound to grace newspapers and leaflets. Many of them calling dragons a threat which needed to be stomped out, insider stories from her soldiers vilifying dragons – but on the other side of the coin, townsfolk coming to the dragons’ defense, folk who’d grown up knowing old Topaz Goldwing and could use her funds to rebuild.
At her behest, Blueblood and Cadance had got up early and kept their ears to the ground. Their letters, written in haste, claimed that debate had begun to rage regarding the dragons. Talk of the devastation visited upon Squires Gate, but also the unlikely hero Smog, and kind, grandmotherly Topaz. The town’s citizens had been the first to speak out, breaking decades of silence on their special relationship with the elderly healer. What helped was that no-one from the town had died during the rampage. Herein lay her greatest chance at salvaging the situation.
However, now was not a time to mourn, nor to worry about the latest news cycle. Not for her. She needed to be strong. Dragons had attacked her country, and someone needed to answer for it.
Her surviving Guards had worked in shifts throughout the night, keeping watch for further danger, while Topaz and the red dragon Smog quietly departed with the bodies of the fallen Steelspine daughter. Gemstone, that was her name, Celestia had learned. The mother, Pala, had been left to them. Celestia’s last request for Topaz and Smog had been to pass on a message to Torch – that Pala’s body too would be returned to the Dragonlands, provided he met with her at Sardiors’ Pit.
The Guards, mortal as they were, needed longer sleep than she to remain fit. From their makeshift camp, amongst those who looked the freshest, she gathered a dozen Guards. Unicorns for firepower, pegasi for transportation, earthponies for raw force and heavy lifting. Enough to seem imposing, but not to actually threaten anything. Dragons respected strength, so she would play the part. It was a fine line to walk, especially now she was the party wronged. Nevertheless, she had no desire to escalate this further.
Celestia hoped that Torch would simply write the attackers off as renegades and give her some treasure to help rebuild the town. She was unaware if Torch knew about Topaz now, but this did not matter. If Torch’s people had been owed restitution from her three months ago, then he certainly owed it to her people now. After which they could each go their separate ways. She could appease the masses with the riches gained from the dragons, declaring the crisis resolved. Her subjects would certainly bury themselves in debates, yet no one side would ever truly gain ground. In a year, if the Great Dragon Migration came and went with no incident, like so many previous years, this one terrible tragedy would be nothing more than a memory.
When a Paladin had entered the Steelspines’ cave, summoning father and son on the morning after a restless night, and had suggested that Slicer wait elsewhere while he conversed with Kalamet, the family patriarch had sneered that his son was sufficiently mature to handle whatever the envoy had to say.
He regretted that decision almost instantly.
“I’m sorry to inform you,” the Paladin had said, “but your daughter is dead.”
Neither Kalamet nor Slicer believed him. Kalamet had shouted at the young dragon, but he simply nodded and did not stay long after he’d delivered the news. His only other words before departing were that a priest was preparing Gemstone for her final rest.
In a heartbeat, father and son rushed towards the great cave known as the Temple, where Kalamet found two priests preparing his daughter for burial, flanked by Paladins of different colors. Tears flowed like a river when he saw Gemstone lying on a stone slab, dressed in a white burial gown, hands folded over her chest.
Slicer tried desperately to wake his sister up. Yelling her name, shaking her, but she remained still, her eyes refusing to open. Soon a youthful female Paladin came, and carried Slicer outside, whispering soothingly to the whelp.
Nothing could have soothed Kalamet as he dug his claws into the stone floor.
“First my egg, now my daughter? What did I do for Bahamut to be so cruel?” he wailed, hovering over his daughter. “My sweet Gemstone, my little girl.” Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind and his heart seized. “Pala. Where is Pala? She was supposed to be with her!”
“I’m so sorry,” said the younger of the two priests, whose name Kalamet did not know. “But your mate is gone. I was told that we would be receiving her body soon.”
There was a short silence before Kalamet could start to form words again. “Gone? How? Who?”
“From what I was told, ponies felled her after she attacked their village.”
“Ponies did this?” His tears dried and his body shook. Smoke began pouring from his maw. “Was my egg not enough? They needed to take my daughter and my mate? My son’s mother and sister? Those vile-!”
“Enough,” spoke the older priest.
He was a silver dragon, named Blast, once a Platinum Paladin sent out to cull Tiamat’s influence, now an old wyrm who tended to funeral rights. He spoke with a cracked, reedy voice, and he moved slowly, but with purpose. Blast was never one for tact. He was someone who looked at facts and facts alone. To him, emotions clouded reason, and got paladins, priests, and dragons killed.
The old priest looked back at the still dragon, the young girl dressed in a white gown. The proof was before him. Emotions could drive respectable dragons mad if left unchecked.
“The ponies defended themselves when attacked,” Blast said coolly, “Tragic as it is, Kalamet, your mate and daughter brought about their own demise.”
Wrath filled Kalamet’s being, and he took a single step towards the old priest. However, two waiting Paladins suddenly came upon him, pinning him to the ground, while the rest stared at him warningly. It was probably only their numbers which kept him from clawing his way through.
“Heartless wretch!” Kalamet screamed, the sound shaking dust from the cave roof.
“I have been called worse.” He turned away and let out a sigh, shaking his head. “Do not mistake my tone for indifference, Kalamet. I mourn your loss, but we are dragons. Equestria and other nations tell entire sagas about the worst of us, because fools thought they could be heroes by acting as Tiamat saw fit. If the members of your family weren't halted when they were, what do you think they would have done? What retaliation would they have wrought?” There was a deep silence, but Blast could feel Kalamet’s glare sear into the back of his head. “Think of this another way. When news reached us, do you think our Paladins would stay their blades? Trust me when I say that they haven’t before, they wouldn't now.”
“They were grieving,” Kalamet hissed, desperate to justify his family’s actions.
“That did not give them the right to spread that grief!” Blast snapped. “Though I pity them for what they lost, I refuse to pretend their actions were just. I cannot fathom how you must feel, but I will remind you, that you have not lost everything. Move past this, for your son’s sake.”
Kalamet’s sole response to his words was to shoot him a glare of utter contempt.
“Stay if you will, but unless you need council, I need to tend to the fallen.”
Kalamet let out a snort, shaking off the two paladins, and left the temple along with Slicer.
“You know,” said Silverstreak, the younger priest, once they were alone save for their silent Paladins, “there’s such a thing as compassion, Blast. You could try showing some.”
Blast let out a beleaguered sigh. “What was I supposed to say to him?” Blast asked, focusing on the gowned body. “‘They attacked Equestria, but worry not, for they had sympathetic reasons to do so’? ‘Yes, they wanted to slaughter countless innocents, I’m sure the ponies should have sheathed their blades and invited their aggressors to tea’! We are a people of laws. Laws are to be applied to all no matter the circumstances. Bahamut and Asgorath made us so that we may rise above our hardships, no matter how tragic they are.”
“Aren’t priests meant to bring comfort to the bereaved, the suffering?”
“That is but a small part of what we do, Silverstreak. We are meant to serve Asgorath and Bahamut, lead our dragons to them, guide them in life, keep them out of Tiamat’s grasp through teachings and consolation, and perform the rites that other dragons cannot. We may comfort where we can, and many other things as they fall within our duties. But we cannot make excuses for evil acts. They were grieving, I know. How many foals, stallions, and mares now grieve? We can do much for them, but there are times when community is needed. Many dragons tip-toe around the Steelspines, claiming they need space, an excuse to avoid them. Where were they when the Steelspines needed them?”
“Save for that brat,” Silverstreak muttered, recalling what he’d heard about the Sunwing girl.
“And yet, that girl has done more good for Slicer than anyone else in these lands,” Blast noted. “Tell me, how many of his friends sought him out, how many lifted his mood when sorrow clenched his heart? I can name only her. As for being a brat, I implore you to learn what a child is. I’ll introduce you to the Dragon Lord’s own daughter. Only eight, and she has an ego the size of her father, and an attitude as delightful as a scowl.”
“Perhaps we should agree to disagree.” Silverstreak suggested.
“Perhaps we should.” He said with a sigh.
Kalamet led Slicer back to the cave. Scarcely had they arrived, did he cast his gaze around. It all felt so empty now. Despite the size of the hoard, despite the precious rocks, without Gemstone, Pala, and Onyx, it wasn’t even their home anymore.
The Equestrians held his mate's body. But where would they bring it? Did he even need to ask? There was only one place where ponies would be allowed to set foot in to meet a dragon. Sardior’s Pit. They had scarcely arrived, and already Kalamet felt compelled to depart again. Slicer had only just set foot within the cave, before Kalamet nudged him back towards the entrance, drawing a wide-eyed look from his son.
“Son,” Kalamet said, his voice tinged with regret. “Go and find your friend. Tell her parents I need them to look after you while I find your mother.”
Poor Slicer had been holding his brother’s remains after the egg was shattered, and this alone had affected him deeply, until the Sunwing girl gave him something else to think about. Now his eyes had beheld his sister’s body. The last thing he needed to see was his mother’s corpse.
“But–”
“Now, Slicer!”
And Slicer reluctantly obeyed, leaving a home which no longer felt like home. With his son taken care of, Kalamet flew off into the distance.
Maybe Kalamet felt his son’s eyes on him as his figure receded ever further away, a widening gap which grew until they were separated by the horizon, an eternal haze in the Dragonlands.
Quite possibly, Kalamet merely imagined it, insofar as he spared another thought for Slicer at all.
Slicer himself would later have no recollection of whether he'd watched his father leave him, nor of the trek which brought him to the Sunwings’ cave, a place he knew of yet had never visited before then.
His perspective on the rest of that day was forever a blur.
But Scales, who was sitting on a stone in front of her family’s cave, idly sharpening her claws upon the wall of rock, saw him coming from afar.
It was a surprise, yet also a delight for Scales to see Slicer coming to her, when usually she was the one who went to him. She already had noticed that, slowly, he’d begun to need less prompting to do those things she knew were best for him. This must be a sign all her hard work was paying off.
Why, if Slicer was seeking her out now, how much longer before a certain someone noticed her?
Scales’ excitement was quite unfeigned when she stood up and nearly tackled Slicer, her tail wagging heartily as she stood over her friend. Even if it might still be a while until she got what she wanted, just being around Slicer reminded her how nice it felt to be seen as kind and helpful.
He did look kind of cute, too, especially when he fought. All the more reason not to let him give up on his skills.
“I was just about to get you, what do you–”
She paused when she saw the despondent look on his face. She got off of him, cocking her head from side to side.
“What’s wrong?”
Scales was shocked when his arms wrapped around her, and the embrace was tight. She heard her friend whimper. And then he broke down weeping.
Not since the day Scales had given Slicer comfort food at the quarry, with a forwardness her parents had harshly punished her for, had she seen him look this devastated.
Right away, her inner response was one of dread and dismay, with a strong pinch of frustration, at the thought that weeks’ worth of effort on working the case of Slicer Steelspine had been rolled back.
Her parents were still wary of their friendship, though they had not been able to forbid her from spending time with him once it became clear no-one in Slicer’s family was stopping them. He seemed more upbeat the past week. What happened to him that he would be so upset to begin with?
“Slicer,” she spoke again, voice muffled by the crook of his neck. “What happened?”
It still took time for Slicer to pull away from the embrace. When he did, his words came out faltering and in hiccoughs, yet gradually, Scales was able to piece together what he said. With every piece, her blood ran a little colder.
At last he finished, left to stare blankly at her from behind his tears.
As she processed all she’d been told, Scales found nothing better to do than step backwards, and turn her back on him, feeling her eyes close as she rested her temple in one palm, becoming deep in thought.
Why was this happening to him? Was his brother not enough, now he lost his sister and mother? Scales could only imagine what he’d do now. He’d want to seclude himself again, undoing everything they’d been working for. She was not about to let that happen.
“Scales?”
She turned back to face Slicer, grabbing his claw in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze. “You’re not allowed to be alone,” she said.
Slicer blinked. “Huh?”
“I don’t want you to hide away from everyone again!” The whelp clarified. “I don’t know what you feel like, but you still have me.” The grip on his hand tightened and he was suddenly pulled into a hug. “You still have me.”
He was still overwhelmed by his sorrow, but there was a certain warmth to Scale’s words. He once again wrapped his arms around his friend, and allowed himself to weep. There the dragons stayed for the rest of the day.
The Sun reached its zenith, and soon the Princess of the Sun would arrive.
It was extremely rare for a Dragon Lord to meet more than once with a pony in Sardior’s Pit. Aside from Torch, the only other two were Maliek and his successor. Both recalled the terror they felt looking down at Prince Solaris, with his cold emotionless voice that nevertheless rumbled the Earth. Torch wondered what mood Celestia would be in when she arrived.
Before too long, the now-familiar silhouette of the equine Princess and her Guards landed, bearing between them in a suspended aura the body of Pala Steelspine. Previously, only three guards had accompanied Celestia. Now, she had come escorted by a large contingent of soldiers. Stoic as ever, Celestia’s face nonetheless wore a frown this time, her brows knitted together.
Torch’s own expression did not waver, as he maintained his usual mask of simmering intensity, yet he could not deny the anxiety that clawed at his stomach. He himself had demanded recompense in blood when the egg was shattered. What would she demand, now that his subjects had slaughtered many times that? Refusing her would be easy, but dishonorable. With effort, he repressed his fear and worry, keeping his posture straight.
For her part, as Celestia approached, she recalled the lessons that her father taught her when meeting with the Dragon Lord.
‘Never go into a meeting attributing an act to a monarch’s malice that can be attributed to a subject’s stupidity and evil.’ Right. Torch sent dragons to help, this is not his fault.
‘Never show emotion, be they good or ill, lest it be misinterpreted. Wars end with bloodshed, but can start with a poor joke.’ This was going to be a tense meeting, and it should be. She needed to remain calm and collected.
‘Speak loudly and clearly. You’re so much smaller than them, they will likely have trouble hearing a soft voice. Finally, be clear, brief, and humble when expressing your demands.’
“Princess Celestia,” Torch greeted, giving her a slight bow of his head.
“Lord Torch,” Celestia responded, with a curtsy of her own. With the support of her Guards, she lay Pala’s body gently on the ground. The shimmer of auras coating the body, from which a rainbow spectrum had cast its light upon the pit, dissolved as they released their magical grasp, leaving only the drab colorlessness of rock to their surroundings. “First, I bring you the slain dragon. I’m sorry for what we had to do, to both of them. My condolences to her mate as well.”
Torch scoffed. He would be mad to extend that sentiment to Kalamet.
“On the matter of recompense, I ask that we keep this brief,” Celestia stated. “I request compensation to help restore the town this dragon destroyed.” She pushed forward a medium-sized chest. “You are to give us a collection of enough gold, silver, and unrefined platinum to fill this chest.”
Torch waited what felt like an eternity for her to continue, to demand something else of him. Yet nothing followed. She merely kept looking at him with a blank face.
“Well?” Celestia asked, seemingly growing impatient.
Celestia felt like she was walking a fine line. Truth be told, she knew little of Torch. She didn’t know if he would laugh at her since he’d sent Smog to help the town, which might give him an excuse to say that he’d done enough, or if he would take offense. But she couldn’t simply do nothing. There had to be some repercussions she could show to her subjects, and other nations that were watching her.
“That’s it?” said Torch.
He was recalling the demands he’d made of her. He wanted the criminals, and she’d delivered the mastermind. She had offered Kalamet platinum, even though the Steelspine patriarch had appreciated it. Yet, Celestia only wanted such a miniscule restitution?
“The perpetrators have already been dealt with,” Celestia replied, “partly thanks to the help of a dragon whom you sent. I assume these were renegades, and thus not representative of your lands as a whole. Nothing more than a monetary restitution is demanded so repairs to the town can be made. If I am correct in such an assumption, and you do disavow the attackers, then the moment this chest is full, we will be on our way.”
“You are correct,” Torch said, after pretending to ponder the request for a moment. “I do disavow them, and consider your request fulfilled.”
Disavowing the two dragons was easy enough for him to do. He had made the consequences of Gemstone’s actions as clear as he could have for disobeying him – banishment from the Dragonlands, then having his Ruby Paladins deliver the girl to Celestia for trial, conviction, and sentencing. The same would have been done to Pala, were it possible.
While small to a dragon, the chest Celestia had proffered was rather large when compared to a pony. Filling it would provide enough funds to rebuild their destroyed town thrice over, and allow the families of the fallen to resume a comfortable existence.
The Dragon Lord took the chest, and was about to turn, quite prepared to retrieve the treasure from his personal hoard, when a voice roared through the quarry.
“Torch!” Kalamet snarled as he landed.
His landing shook the ground and made Celestia turn pale.
Towering above the Princess and her Guards was the husband and father of the attackers, his eyes glowing with anger, his very scales looking dark and foreboding.
Celestia almost cursed. She should have given Torch the damn chest, told him to fill it at his leisure and have someone deliver the contents back to her whenever he felt like it. Perhaps this would have been a weaker response, but now she had to assume every pony present was in danger. She made a gesture of her wing towards the guards, warning them to prepare for violence.
“Kalamet,” Torch said wearily. “You were not invited to this meeting.”
But Kalamet ignored him. “Where is Pala? Where–” He stopped speaking. When Kalamet had seen his daughter, his heart was as though pierced by a thousand javelins. Upon seeing his mate lying prone on the quarry floor, without even the cleansing and embalming the priests had treated his daughter to, with Pala’s dead body littered with slashes and many other wounds, three deep holes in the back of her skull where the ponies had driven in their spears – those javelins were ripped out, only to be plunged back in.
“Pala.”
Kalamet spoke in a broken voice. He went to the lifeless dragon, and cupped her face.
“My mate, my sweet mate. My Pala.”
He pressed his head against hers, and the sound of weeping filled the quarry. Celestia and the Guards felt pity in their hearts for the dragon who wept over his mate.
Unusually silent, Torch mouthed for Celestia to leave.
She dearly wanted to. Yet a part of her, the part taught to hope for the best yet prepare for the worst, worried at just what the mourning dragon would do once she left. She had seen this very same dragon, brutally rejecting her blood money at Sardiors’ Pit, furious that even one of the murderers would go free – when she had given up the rest to a sorry fate. There had already been one attack, a retaliation from a family who could not satisfy themselves with what justice had been done.
Would there be another attack? Would Lord Torch himself be safe? She could not just wait and see what would happen in the next three months. Another attack would make it impossible to contain the cries for blood that would follow. Yet what could she ask of Torch? That the Dragon Lord imprison a mourning husband and father, purely for fear Kalamet would prove as reckless as his slain family?
'Watch him,' Celestia mouthed back.
Perhaps it was better if she did leave. They could always reconvene at a later time, and Torch already knew what she wanted, so she could either expect a chest full of gold to be delivered to Canterlot, or for one to be at the ready if they needed to meet again.
She motioned at her Guards to fall back, but before they could take their first step, a voice growled.
“What did you do to my mate, my daughter?” Kalamet snarled, lifting his tear-stained face away from Pala’s, turning his eyes towards Celestia.
Celestia tensed, sensing a wheel was in motion she might be powerless to stop.
For a flicker, she wondered if she could still draw the heat off herself. Were she to mention Topaz and Smog’s involvement in halting the rampage, perhaps Kalamet would see that his own kind had opposed their murderous actions. However, She recalled how Kalamet had responded when Torch last sought to reel him in. And it would be a lie. Dragons had tried to hold back other dragons’ wrath, yet it was not by their hand that the perpetrators were killed.
“They attacked my subjects, and they defended themselves,” Celestia said quietly. “I was not there to strike the killing blow, but I will not condemn my guards for what they did. We gave you the criminals who took a life from you, unprovoked. I followed the trail to find the one who’d masterminded the crime, and gave him up too.” She hefted a deep sigh. “I would have liked to return your family alive. I must assume they acted in the heat of the moment, but they made a choice, and they forced us to make one as well.”
“First you animals take my egg. Now my daughter and mate.” Kalamet took a step forward, shaking the ground. “What more will you take from me?”
“Kalamet,” said Celestia, keeping her inner desperation concealed. “I’m so sorry for your loss. But please, if you don’t want to lose what you have left, think of your son. I cannot expect you to just let this go, but–”
Hearing the Princess prattle on, something broke inside of Kalamet. The tears stopped flowing.
“You’re sorry for my loss?” Kalamet said, his voice scarcely above a whisper. “Can I not blame you pieces of filth for what happened to them? You were the ones that drove them mad. You attacked our cave. You vile pieces of dreck drove a spear into my children-”
“Kalamet,” Torch called to him, “Cease this!”
He put a claw on his shoulder and Kalamet turned, his fist colliding with Torch’s face.
“And you!” Kalamet snarled. “You call yourself strong, you call yourself the Dragon Lord, but you cower before these pathetic creatures! Mewling before their Princess like some animal begging for food. You’re no Dragon Lord. A real lord would have taught these things to fear these lands! Let them know that for every one of us slain, a hundred of them follow!”
Torch sighed. He could tolerate insults, even doubts about his competency. But he would not tolerate borderline treason. He was done with being kind. The punch he threw back was twice as strong, and the impact resonated around Sardior’s Pit, leaving the fearsome Kalamet dazed and sprawled on the ground. Torch stomped down on his chest, before roughly grabbing Kalamet’s face and bringing it close.
“Kalamet, your line of thinking is what gave birth to those damn slayers! Hundreds of dragons died because two dragons couldn’t bear the thought that their hoard had been touched by two foals! I understand you are in mourning, but I will not let you act like an animal any further!” Torch’s grip tightened. “Your family has endangered every dragon in this land. And you think it wise to offend the Sun Princess? You think you can strike me and suffer nothing? I am not Flare, Kalamet.” His eyes roved towards the Princess. “Celestia, treason carries a heavy penalty here. But I am in a merciful mood. I wish to banish this wretch. Would you be able to detain him if I turned him over to you?”
“That would not be wise,” Celestia found herself saying. There were things in Tartarus that she feared might escape. Placing a dragon in that prison would be foolish to say the least. “And he has done nothing to me nor my country. It’d be inappropriate for me to decide his fate.”
“Fine. I’ll figure out what to do with you later.”
Torch saw the look his subject was giving him, the blazing hatred that filled his eyes, and stomped again upon Kalamet’s torso, who was left gasping for air as he grasped the Dragon Lord’s foot, and tried to push it off himself.
“Return home now, Kalamet,” said Torch, removing his weight from the prone dragon, “and wait for me to finish here. Behave, and I will consider a light sentence, for your son’s sake.”
At first, Kalamet struggled to lift himself from the ground, as if his back were still pinned down. Until, rolling onto his stomach, he was able to push himself up, and pitifully rose. He was breathing heavily. When he walked, his gait was ungainly, unbalanced. He stumbled with every other step, reaching out, nearly falling. As he found his way, Kalamet’s outstretched claw grabbed Torch by the shoulder, finding support in the larger and taller dragon’s bulk.
Torch tensed at this, having been aggressed by this fool once before. However, seeing how beaten-down Kalamet looked, he granted him support, trusting the lesson had been made clear this time.
It was only when Kalamet pulled the Dragon Lord towards him that Torch realized his mistake, as sharp claws entered his side with ease, going deep inside.
Even as he let out a deathly cry, Torch swung to knock his treacherous opponent away, yet Kalamet, whose strength had apparently never left him, and actually seemed amplified by an unholy fury, recovered quickly and leapt back towards him.
Before Torch could comprehend what was happening, Kalamet’s teeth had sunk into his exposed shoulder, and he felt the savage raking of sharp claws across his face. Regardless of size or toughness, the sudden white burst of pain was too great. The attack had come this close to scratching Torch’s eyes out, to say nothing of the very real wounds it had opened up across his body in a horrendously short space of time.
Half-blinded, with red fog in his brain, Torch was holding his face, be it to shield it or to staunch the blood’s flow, as he collapsed into a thrash heap on the ground, the air in his lungs entering and coming out in an erratic staccato, weakening.
Kalamet might have finished him off, had he not heard the gasps of shock and horror. Reminded of the presence of the ponies, his head snapped around, jaws opening with a bestial roar to unleash a torrent of fire toward the ponies.
Celestia was just swift enough to leap in front, conjuring a shield around herself and her troops.
Many guards followed suit, reinforcing her dome-like shield with their own, an added layer beneath. The rampaging dragon did not relent. No sooner than the acrid smoke cleared and he saw that his flames had failed, he slammed both fists into the barrier. His first strike cracked the fused shields’ upper layer; the second, aided by a new gust of fire, came close to shattering it.
Although Celestia’s barrier absorbed the blow, it could not fully halt momentum, much like her Guards’ armor may deflect a lethal spell yet not its kinetic impact. Even with Celestia’s protection, the force of the dragon’s punches was wearing down on the Guards’ layer of shielding, provoking flickers and stutters in the dome’s surface at an increasing rate, a weakening accelerated by Kalamet’s unyielding flame.
Feeling the clock counting down, Celestia tried to think. The dragon was too frenzied to be reasoned with. If any of her Guards were to attempt a direct assault, they would die. Yet if she did nothing, they were just as dead. She alone held the power to parry Kalamet. But what would that entail? She had no Elements of Harmony. No Luna by her side, nor Discord, nor Starswirl, nor Father.
Right then, as if to taunt Celestia over how alone she was, the Guards’ collective shield collapsed in a spark of light. Leaving her shield as the sole thin layer separating them from a fiery death. Celestia looked up and saw blood dripping from Kalamet’s mouth, the crimson stains on his claws.
With the first hit upon Celestia’s barrier, her spell held firm. On the second hit, nothing. The third was equally futile. It would not be so forever.
Her mind was still racing. What would happen once Luna made her return? What destruction would Luna bring upon the world without her there? The thought of Blueblood, Cadance, and little Twilight waiting for her back at the castle flashed in her mind’s eye. What would they do when they heard about this? Without her there to guide them, Twilight especially, what path would they go down?
One other option could have presented itself. The escape-hatch for the most adept of spell-casters. Teleportation. She might have spirited them all away, back to the safety of home. If only there were not also Torch to consider. Were she to flee now, Kalamet would almost certainly deal him the killing blow. Not only was Torch out of range to take him with them, his size would leave her too drained to do much else if she did.
A final question entered her mind, as at last her barrier crumpled under Kalamet’s assault. What would this monster do to her loved ones if he razed Equestria? Knowing the answer, Celestia made her choice.
Suddenly, her eyes glowed white for a moment, as her mane seemed to ignite, becoming a raging fire. Her shield burst, sending out a powerful force that sent the dragon and her Guards tumbling to the ground. Kalamet landed with a thud, dazed but alive.
What lifted from the ground wasn’t Celestia.
She was different, changed. Her eyes a sinister yellow floating in a pool of deep crimson, her mane a blazing incandescence, her coat turned a harsher shade of white, and her teeth as sharp as daggers. The raw power that irradiated from her was almost divine, like a god who had finally grown tired of showing mercy and would instead manifest before his creations with justice and wrath.
“Stay. Down!” She roared, her voice echoing through the Dragonlands, shaking the very earth on which the others stood.
The dragon lifted himself up and snarled at the Princess, fire filling his maw. Celestia’s horn ignited and, lazer-like, three beams of magic were fired. Three beams of magic entered Kalamet. Three beams of magic exited his back.
Kalamet fell forward, his mass shaking the ground, and became still.
Celestia could feel her stomach twist as she descended back to earth. Her mane, eyes and teeth returned to normal as she breathed heavily. She had not wanted their confrontation to end like this, but what choice did she have?
She forced down a shriek of agony welling up in her throat, and turned away.
“We’re leaving,” the Princess told her Guards.
They appeared not to hear her. They could only stare at their monarch, frozen in place. They had heard of the power an alicorn could possess, but Celestia had always made it seem like those were myths and legends, tales to frighten children. Now? They had seen the myths and legends come to life. They didn’t know whether to prostate themselves, or to run from her.
“Move out, now!” She repeated.
The Guards scrambled to their hooves and did as they were told. Celestia kept her eyes on Torch, and her eyes hardened.
“Keep withdrawing. I will catch up with you as soon as I can.”
They obeyed without hesitation, but she could tell they were not fueled by loyalty. She walked up to the Dragon Lord and found his breathing shallow, his face pale, blood freely spilling from his wounds. She took a deep breath. She didn't know how much strength she had left, but it should be enough to help the Dragon Lord.
“I am not letting anyone else die.”
She placed her horn against the dragon’s hide, and a light enveloped his wounds.
A flare was shot high into the air, and it didn’t take long for a group of dragons to investigate.
They were shocked to find Torch injured, barely clinging on to life, as well as the corpses of Pala and Kalamet Steelspine. They quickly brought Torch to a healer, before alerting the Temple’s priests. The healer came accompanied by two others to begin mending the Dragon Lord. They had one dragon spare their blood, while their fellows used no less than wire as stitching to force his wounds closed. They felt thankful that the wounds did not run too deep, otherwise Torch would already be dead. Once done, they applied bandages to his face and torso, covering the wounds from sight.
Having been given a chance to rest, he awoke, groggy, weak, and desperate. The three healers, now in the company of two Paladins, one in platinum armor, one wearing a ruby badge, asked Torch if the Equestrians had tried to kill him.
“No.”
If a rumor spread that Celestia had done this to him, war would break out.
“This was Kalamet. Find him.”
"He's already dead, Lord Torch."
The news of Kalamet’s death did not bring the relief that Torch expected. However, the news that he’d gotten lucky over how badly Kalamet had wounded him did.
“They were anything but shallow,” Torch managed to whisper.
He’d known he was dead the moment Kalamet thrust his claws into his sides and face. There was only one being with the power to save him, who could also kill Kalamet with ease. He raised a shaky claw towards the Paladins.
“You both, tell everyone that Kalamet tried to have me killed, Celestia saved me. That’s an order.”
The Paladins obeyed.
Topaz helped him back to his cave, laying him down in a comfortable spot. It was not peaceful, though. The Dragon Lord’s family were in uproar. Blaze let out a shriek of horror when she saw Torch and his bloodied bandages, breaking down into tears at the sight of her mate. When Torch was laid down to rest, Ember clung to her father’s side, weeping, promising to be good and taking back any insult she ever flung at him, begging him to be alright.
“Oh, little one,” Topaz said. “He’s not dead, just hurt and tired.”
“She’s right. I-I’m fine,” Torch managed to mutter. a single eye still able to see, locking onto his daughter. “I’m fine, Ember. Daddy’s fine.”
Soon, the weeping ceased, though Blaze and Ember were still worried for Torch. Blaze managed to strengthen her resolve. Topaz had informed them both that Torch would need time to rest and recover and that she would be close by to make sure everything went well.
With Torch too injured to carry out his duties, by the laws of their Lands, the title of Dragon Lord now fell to Blaze as his consort, until such time as he’d made his recovery, although she was free to defer it to the previous Gauntlet’s runner-up.
Blaze chose to accept the mantle. Her first act as Dragon Lord was to bring Ember to the Ironscales. While this gave her a strong feeling of deja vu, she knew the coming days were going to be chaotic. She needed time to acclimate to her new position, and with Torch injured as he was, someone needed to look after Ember.
“You’re going to be staying with them for some time,” Blaze explained as she approached the cave. “I expect you to be on your best behavior.”
Her daughter nodded. “And that will help Dad?”
“It will give him time to focus on getting better. I would suggest visiting him when you can. Seeing you would mean the world to him.”
Ember would do just that.
In the meantime, Blaze’s next priority would be to sort out the last remnant of the once-great Steelspine Clan.
Over the horizon, on the shores of the sea, the Sun Princess gathered with her contingent.
Celestia wished she could just teleport back to Equestria, but she was too drained from the healing Torch. It had taken nearly every ounce of magic in her to heal all of Torch’s internal injuries, reverse all the most significant damage that he’d incurred, and partially heal the external injuries. There would be scars despite her efforts, Torch was going to be blind in one eye for the rest of his life, but if dragons investigated the magical flare she sent into the sky, Torch would live.
She felt faint for the first time in ages. If the healing spells were not enough, turning into that thing added to her fatigue. The power it granted her, it was a thrilling experience to say the least. It must have been what Luna felt when she’d transformed, godlike. Turning back to normal, forcing it down, it had left her weakened, with a small part of her wanting to experience it again.
Her guards? They seemed to be walking on eggshells. They had seen the unbridled power of an alicorn, what were they supposed to do with that knowledge? What were they to say to her?
“Gentlemen,” Celestia whispered, not knowing her own voice. “Today has been taxing, I understand. I request that you keep what you all saw to yourselves.”
“Yes ma’am,” many replied, desperately trying not to make eye contact
For Celestia, that response would have to be enough. Too weak to fly, she mounted her chariot.
As they traveled through the skies, the day began to grow late. Celestia checked the time. Sunset. She needed to move the Sun and Moon. She was running on fumes, but with a little effort, she could still get the job done. Celestia’s horn shone, and slowly the Sun began its descent. She could feel herself sweating the longer the task went on. Soon, the Sun was out of sight, and the Moon had taken its place in the sky.
She smiled at her triumph, only for her vision to go blurry.
‘Damn it,’ she thought to herself, as she suddenly lost her balance, feeling herself lapse into unconsciousness.
The last thing she saw before the world went dark was her guards scrambling towards her as she fell through the air.
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Yeah two wrong doesn't make a right oh boy
Don't you dare do something stupid your son needs you right now
That poor kid 😢
Well at least she does care for the kid when he needed that was nice of her
Then you basically just murder innocent ponies and creatures who had nothing to do what happened back at that cave when those Slayers attacked
It looks like he made his choice Kalamet is now a big threat to not just only the Dragon Land but also Equestria and he has to be stopped
Oh shoot she became daybreaker 😱
Noooooo celestia!!!!
Oh no I thought things could have gotten worse looks like I attempted faith on this chapter so after the news about the gemstone and Pala what they did and what happened to them things have really gone worse because now the father Kalamet moan for his daughter and now his wife are both gone they explain what happened to them but now he was looking for blood now and he knows the meeting is coming and he's going to prepare for the attack sending his son away so he doesn't see this meanwhile scales was basically minding her own business until she saw Slicer thinking it will be exciting to see him but what she saw was devastation and sadness again and it looks like he needed hers the most at this point and that moment nothing really matters to her except for slicer meanwhile at the meeting with Celestia and torch giving out the information what happened and bringing Pala to him things went a little bit okay until Kalamet showed up and basically all hell break loose he attacked torch and trying to kill him but Princess Celestia stop him and now all the anger and the killing is all towards to the ponies in a moment that she was caught in between she had no choice to unleash her most powerful attack she transformed into daybreaker she tried to stop him without killing him but of course he wouldn't so she didn't have a choice but to stop him for good now Celestia had to save torch she used every amount of her magic to heal him despite she's also wear down as well and she teleport him back to the dragon lands and every dragons heard the news about torch was almost killed and not only that Kalamet not only tried to kill him but he is also dead as well which that leaves slicer the last remaining of the family of Steelspine which he will get a bad reputation throughout his childhood years and now Blaze has to take over until he recovers meanwhile Princess Celestia has to return home and she is barely trying to keep herself awake but after that she couldn't after all the draining she has to use all of her magic she fell from The Chariot I really hope somebody catch her this is really getting bad I wonder how Equestria Will Survive from this whole ordeal I guess we'll find out next time
This was a really good chapter, though it was sad to see just how far Kalamet had fallen through his grief. Now his poor son will be all alone, and time will only tell if his pent up grief will be directed on the ponies if he blames them for all this.
And as for Celestia, oh man, she got a taste of what it was like to loose herself like Luna did. And the scary thing is that she said that she liked it. I'm wondering if this concept will be further explored as the story progresses. Celestia occasionally delving into her Daybreaker persona like a drug addiction. Relishing in the power occasionally, maybe in dire situations or for her own enjoyment, but eventually it starts to spiral out of control to the point she can no longer control it from taking over and someone else will have to snap her out of it. Twilight maybe? Or even spike is he gets the chance?
So the cycle of vengance claims Kalamet as well, after what happened to foolish Pala/Gemstone I saw this coming!
What I didn't saw coming was Celestia turning into Daybreaker to save Torch while also putting down Kalamet for good, holy crap!
Something tells me that Slicer could become that certain green dragon in the Everfree forest when he grows up, who knows?
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Yeah it's a vicious cycle of endless of hatred that's never going to end reminds me of that episode from Power Rangers Time Force
Wow. REALLY appropriately emotional chapter. It took a while, but was definitely worth the wait. Really appreciated the work that went into the exchanges, characterizations, action and future chapter set-up. Well, yeah. Appreciated Celestia being considerate enough to consider the dragons among the casualties as well as the ponies including the dialogues with the guards concerning delivering the dragons' bodies to Torch for proper burial. And, wow, I expected Kalamet to take the news about his mate and daughter's deaths badly (VERY badly in fact), but that was definitely excessive. Also liked Celestia and Torch being reasonable with each other (as well as Torch warning Kalamet that attacking essentially a sun demigoddess was a very bad idea). Too bad Kalamet attacked Torch himself AS WELL AS Celestia. On the upside we got to actually see Celestia here at closer to what her true power should be than the series had ever allowed her to show, not only protecting her guards, but saving Torch to boot (though she barely had enough power left after that debacle to handle the moon before she blacked out). For Slicer's sake, I sure hope the orphanage he is going to have to stay at now is at least reasonable and compassionate.
But, anyway, really looking forward to more of this. And Happy Holidays.
Another great chapter, its great to hear from you again
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It works more to her benefit that this happened than anything. The guards that were with her now know that if the situation demands, she can very likely SIGKILL anything that threatens Equestria. However, they are now also certain that doing so nearly kills her, so she's not going to do it just because they didn't salute crisply enough; it's about as close to business as usual as things are going to get.
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That's kind of a weird thing to say, isn't it? That this is how her power should be, over what it is in the series? I'd argue it is what some fans want her power to be over what it actually was, i.e. fanon.
They should've just given the criminals to the dragons to exact their own revenge instead of letting them go for a deal. The leader is out there enjoying a martini while all this chaos is going on and he's probably smug about it since this isn't affecting him at all.
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I think Smog is very appropriate for him.
It is always terrifying when Daybreaker makes an appearance.
It's incredible how well you capture grief and sadness and all the emotions that come with this. I actually cried while reading this. Thank you, please keep writing.
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And both are better than the fan name. Seriously? 'Basil'?
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Honestly I think Kalamet's death at this point was the best thing for Slicer. If Kalamet had lived, the heir to the Steelspine name would have grown up swamped by Kalamet's unending fury at the ponies, and doubtless it would have ended badly for him. This situation panning out as it has not only paints the ponies in a better light, but also shows the folly of letting yourself get lost in your grief. Now it's just a matter of seeing if this tragedy will be twisted by opportunistic radicals at all.
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Here's a question: how will the ponies react? Last time they had an Alicorn Princess tap into that side of hers, she set out to enslave them all and turn the world to eternal night. They'll have to consider if Celestia will lose herself as well. And they'll have to consider if that might not be needed, since ponies have consistently shown themselves near-helpless against dragons, including against Kalamet.
Ponies just can't win against anyone without outside help. Not against a dragon, not against a Nightmare. They're just too weak to do much of anything.
I feel really bad for Slicer, who knows how he's going to react. Celestia, though, deserves an award. She didn't have to do what she did for Torch, but she did anyway. Certainly not condoning what she did to Kalamet, but he was mad with rage and grief, and unfortunately sometimes, reason can only go so far before further steps must be taken.
I hope everything works out, somehow
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Although personally I never was a fan of Celestia as a god like powerful being. Or people assuming that Alcorn just automatically means your power is boosted by 1000. Although the only evidence I can see is the fact that it took the power of four princesses to equal Tyrick to stand still of all of Equestria
Nothing good comes from anyone who talks like this.