Chapter 5: The Duel, A Battle of Wills and Hearts
The Book of Water: The Marriage of the Slave King
A Story by TalonMach5
Chapter 5: The Duel, A Battle of Wills and Hearts
Love, is there no greater power? With a single look, it can bring us from the lowest of valleys to the highest mountain. And with but a single word, it can cast us from the highest peaks of exaltation to the depths of despair. Love is as primal a desire for anyfeather as the need to breathe air. When two feathers that love each other come together, there is nothing they can’t do. But beware Discord’s poison. Love, as potent as it is, can consume you like wildfire. Two gentle lovers with their hearts open to each other, can easily be twisted to vicious hate should the seeds of mistrust take root. So love each other, and tend to your garden daily so that it doesn’t get choked by the weeds of mistrust.
-Rhapsodia, phoenix philosopher, Love: The Endless Waltz
Why was he so angry all the time? He was no stranger to anger of course, but he remembered being happy not too long ago. He once took pleasure in the simple things of life. He could remember happier times when he smiled, and knew joy. But of late, nothing could bring him happiness. It was all tainted with the red haze of anger over some miscarriage of justice or some imagined slight. When was the last time he had even had a good laugh? He honestly couldn’t remember anymore. It felt like any control over his destiny was slipping out of his hooves.
It was so cold now. When had the cold started to bother him? This was insane. The cold should be of no consequence to somedeer of his stature! Looking down, he saw his hooves were covered with a thick layer of ice. How long had he been sitting like this for? He couldn’t honestly remember. His last memories consisted of something about a game and an argument, and… and… That was odd, why couldn’t he remember anything more? Struggling as hard as he could to find something, anything, he wracked his mind until he remembered her.
Of course! How could he have possibly forgotten such a vision of loveliness as she? He knew her so well he could carve her likeness in the ice with his eyes closed. Spying a mirror to his left, he tried getting up, but found himself frozen solid on the throne he was sitting on. Smashing his mighty antlers to the side, a mighty crack filled the room as ice started breaking. Looking around the throne room, he saw sheets of ice and large icicles falling and shattering into pieces when they struck the ground. He tried moving once more, and found that he was still stuck fast against the throne. Allowing the power of water to flow through his body and up into his antlers, he unleashed the power in waves all around him. The sounds of hundreds of sharp cracks followed, as ice broke all around him shattering into thousands of tiny fragments.
Standing up, he walked away from his ornate rune covered silver throne. Shaking his white furred body, he sent a shower of fine ice crystals flying everywhere. Looking all around him, he could see the place was an utter mess. Thick layers of ice had built up everywhere. This wasn’t right, why had nodeer seen to his home’s maintenance? Tilting his ears back and forth, the only sounds he could hear was the crackling of ice and the lonely howls of the wind echoing through the deserted passageways. Where had everydeer gone? Where were the sounds of the jubilant music and heavy hoofsteps of the dances of his people? Where was the gentle tingling of the silver bells and merriment of the golden harp strings being played? Why was he alone?
Looking back to the mirror, he slowly approached it, fearful of what he might see reflected back at him. Standing in front of it, the mirror’s frost covered surface reflected nothing. Lowering his head and touching his antlers to the dark glass, its surface cracked, bathing the entire room with silvery light. As the frost and ice fell away from the mirror, the image he saw reflected back at him made his heart leap with joy. It was her! Just as beautiful as he last remembered her. She was wearing a gentle smile that made his heart sing.
But what was this? The image pulled back revealing more of her surroundings. What he saw made his eyes burn and heart ache. She was with him of all deer, he who was his most hated enemy! The betrayer and murderer. Not only was she sitting by him, she was smiling and laughing as well, and it seemed as if her eyes reflected even desire for him. No, this cannot be. Not with him, not again! Stamping down his forehoof in rage, the entire room shook, as thick sheets of ice began covering the walls. This was too much to take. He needed to sit down again, to recover his strength. Yes, rest would be good. Trotting towards his throne, he sat down and closed his bloodshot eyes. Smiling as a blanket of frost and ice covered him, his rage would be allowed to cool so he could think clearly once more.
Opening his eyes in confusion, he looked back and forth at his ice covered throne room. Just how long had he been sitting here? But more importantly, why was he so angry? He couldn’t quite remember. Looking down, he saw his ice covered hooves…
*****
Dawson held his lance nervously. He had never fought like this before, and was concerned he might perform poorly. Though griffins did have a form of jousting, it was always in the air. Here he was being forced to run opposite his opponent, hopefully knocking him aside. He wouldn’t have worried so much if his opponent was anyfeather else. But he was facing against Sombra, supposedly one of the Domain of Earth’s greatest champions. He did have one advantage though. He could easily dodge his opponents lance if he needed to.
The kobold armorer attending him, nodded once approvingly. “Alright Dustin,” he said, checking the straps securing his armor. “You’ll want to lean forward into the impact of the lance against your breastplate, which will make breaking your opponents lance more likely. Once your opponent’s three lances are done, you’ll have the advantage with your spear. Just remember no magic or flying is allowed.”
“Thanks,” Dawson said from beneath the shemagh covering his face.
“No problem,” the kobold said, slapping his back heartily. “After all, we beastfolk have to stick together.”
Watching the kobold walk away, Dawson was surprised by how much he seemed to have in common with the various beastfolk he’d met so far. Even though the kobold had no wings and was covered in hair instead of feathers, he walked upright and had dexterous hands and fingers. Reflecting back on all the various beastfolk he had met so far, he felt a sort of kinship with them he’d never felt with the griffins of the Golden Eyrie. He would miss them when he finally returned home.
“Scout Dustin,” a diamond dog standing next to him said, “you’re next.”
Nodding once, Dawson stepped out onto the field with his lance and presented it to assembled deities watching the proceedings. Glancing to his right, he saw Shadow Knight Sombra also presenting his lance. He couldn’t help but feel nervous about their upcoming match. The likelihood of him knocking down a pony in a joust was almost laughable. He just had to make sure to break Sombra’s three lances as quickly as possible, and then win the melee portion of the contest. He might not win the round, but he would be able to move to the next one without being disqualified.
Dawson and Sombra took opposite ends of the field, waiting for the signal to begin. The deafening sound of flugelhorns shook the grassy field, signifying the start of the contest. The moment he heard the horns, he ran forward as fast as he could. He could see Sombra giving him an evil look, as he lowered his lance. Gripping his own lance tightly, he aimed for Sombra’s helmet and hoped for the best.
When the lance hit him, the force of its impact nearly knocked him on his back. Looking at his own unbroken lance, Dawson saw that Sombra had easily dodged getting hit while shattering his lance against his shield. Dropping his shield, he winced as he tenderly rubbed his shoulder. It felt like he’d smashed his left side into a stone wall. Seeing his opponent’s discomfort, Sombra trotted over to him wearing a cruel smirk.
“Drop out half-breed, or the next one goes for your head,” he said, kicking some dust in Dawson’s direction.
Dawson had no intention of dropping out. In fact, he toyed with the idea of picking Sombra up and then dropping him from a thousand feet to fall to his death, which would certainly result in his disqualification. He imagined the look of terror on the pony’s face as he plummeted to his doom, when he felt a claw poking him in the back.
“Dustin,” the kobold said, shoving his shield into his talons. “Time for round two.”
Dawson nodded once and got back into his starting place. Looking towards the Slave King, he raised his lance once and prepared for his second charge. Looking at his opponent, he saw that the shadow knight was pawing at the ground impatiently. He thought about letting his lance slip between the unicorn’s legs, causing him to trip and possibly breaking a leg or two. But then he’d never get the recognition he so desperately desired. Resigning himself to follow the rules, he gritted his teeth. He only had to break two more lances and then he could finally give the unicorn some payback.
The minute the flugelhorns trumpeted the start of the second round, Dustin charged forward with his lance. Once again, he aimed for Sombra’s helmet. When the lances smashed against their targets, he felt as if somefeather had slammed a war hammer against the side of his helmet. Feeling his head, he was relieved when he found that his shemagh was still firmly in place. Only his eyes and black and blue plumage were visible to the crowd.
Dawson looked at his lance, and saw to his satisfaction that the tip was broken. He took satisfaction knowing he had managed to at least tag that traitor. Looking at the scoreboard, he saw that he had been awarded one point while Sombra had three, two for knocking off his helmet this round, and one for impacting his shield last round. Six points was an automatic win, so he just had to continue to stay standing and he would move on to the melee portion of the contest.
“Half-breed, there’s no shame in bowing out before your betters,” Sombra taunted, hoping to incite anger in his opponent.
Dawson said nothing. Instead he picked up his helmet and returned back to his starting place, while patiently waiting for round three to begin. While waiting to receive a new lance, he looked up at the hill where the Slave King and his mother sat watching him. He looked away slightly embarrassed when he saw Melody wink at him before blowing him a kiss. Thinking about the troubles he was having with this portion of the contest, he wondered why they didn’t allow the beastmen tribes to ride on a pony or even a diamond dog. Though the kobold had said the only thing against the rules was flying and magic, he wondered if they would object if he found a willing pony to ride. The shrill trumpeting of the flugelhorns interrupted his thoughts as he ran forward to meet Sombra. Placing both hands on his lance he thrust it forward with as much power as he could muster, hoping to land a hit square on the chest of that unicorn bastard.
When their lances hit, Dawson felt as if his arm was on fire. The lance had impacted right on his shoulder, and had probably dislocated it. Looking at his opponent, he saw that Sombra’s smug look of superiority was replaced with one of enraged fury. Seeing the tip of his broken lance caught between the joints of the unicorn’s right foreleg and peytral, plus the blood dripping down his charcoal coat, told him everything he needed to know. First blood was his!
Sombra used his magic and forcefully yanked out the wooden lance, without letting out so much as a whimper. Limping over towards Dawson, he gave him a hateful look of pure malice. “Half-breed,” he menacingly whispered in passing. “I’m going to enjoy breaking you.”
Dawson said nothing, confident in his ability to defend himself with his new spear. Removing the jousting gear, he picked up his spear and felt its powerful shadow magic coursing up and down the length of its shaft, crackling as it reached the tip. Giving the spear a few practice thrusts, he immediately winced in pain when he felt his left arm scream in agony at being used.
“Maybe I’m in trouble after all,” Dawson said to himself, nursing his left arm.
“Great show Dustin,” the kobold said, examining Dawson’s left arm and shoulder. “That was a great idea, using your lance as a spear.”
“I was hoping it wasn’t against the rules,” Dawson said, gritting his teeth in pain as the kobold worked on binding his badly bruised shoulder.
“Looks like you’re in luck,” the kobold said. “Sombra is requesting a short recess so he can have his wound tended to.”
“How long?” Dawson asked, hoping for a small respite for his aching shoulder.
“About ten minutes,” the kobold replied.
“Damn it…” Dawson groaned in disappointment, wishing it would be longer.
"In the meantime, enjoy watching the next round of jousters,” the kobold said, biting into a large slab of roasted meat.
*****
“Slave King, are you enjoying the contest so far?” Princess Celestia asked, before taking a sip from her wine.
“Verily, we find it most exhilarating,” Princess Luna said, cheering as two ponies charged at each other with their lances.
The Slave King took a sip from the green draught in his cup, and politely applauded as the ponies presented themselves for his approval. “I find, that due to technical limitations,” he said, nodding once to the victor of the last round, “that the entertainments presently available are simply adequate.”
“Adequate?” Lord Triton said, unable to fathom what could possibly make things more exciting. “Slave King, surely you do the hounds and ponies that serve you a disservice, by waving away their efforts to entertain you as merely adequate. How you’ve set up your contests is dangerous to the participants, and possibly even fatal.”
“All true,” the Slave King agreed, “and yet when you’ve touched the heavens, walking on the ground seems rather mundane.”
Intrigued by the Slave King’s words, Princess Luna pressed him for their meaning. “What meanest thou, by saying thou hast touched the heavens?” she asked. “Thou hast no wings.”
“I’ve no wings, yet soared above the clouds,” the Slave King answered. “I’ve no gills yet plumbed the depths of the deepest ocean. I’ve watched the earth eclipse the sun from the moon. I’ve seen things beyond all imagination. What am I?”
“Oh a riddle,” Princess Celestia said, “I love those.”
“It’s no riddle…” Lady Zephyr muttered. Often she had heard the Slave King, sigh in boredom at the most amazing of things. The only time she had ever seen his eyes light up with excitement was when he was either in his workshop working on one of his infernal contraptions or in the grotto of memories working on that gem. Often she had asked him, why he took no part in the games the other deities often played. He always answered her with cryptic riddles.
“What about you, Lady Zephyr?” Princess Celestia asked, rousing her from her contemplation.
“I’m not sure…” she replied. “Riddles have never been my strong suite.”
“Well I for one have no idea,” Lord Triton said, stroking his mustache thoughtfully. “Slave King, what’s the answer?”
“Something beyond your comprehension,” he said, drinking deeply from his cup.
“How rude!” Lord Triton exclaimed, unhappy with the Slave King’s discourteous behavior.
“Slave King, really,” Princess Celestia said, admonishing him for his poor manners. “If you plan on telling us a riddle, it’s only proper to give the answer when we give up.”
“The answer can only be experienced,” the Slave King replied.
Puzzled by what the Slave King meant, she decided to change the subject. Noticing that a feathered folk was about to joust against a large unicorn, she raised her eyebrow questioningly at him. “Surely you can’t be serious about letting one of the feathered folk compete against a pony?” she asked, concerned for the feathered folk’s safety.
“He was advised of the risks before signing up,” the Slave King nonchalantly said, studying the feathered folk intently. Currently the feathered folk tribe was small enough in number that he was familiar with most of them. Concerned that he didn’t know who this was, he looked at Melody questioningly. “Who’s the feathered folk that’s competing against Shadow Knight Sombra?”
Melody stopped playing her lute and smiled at the Slave King. “Oh that’s Dustin,” she said, resuming plucking her lute’s strings gently.
“I’m not familiar with any feathered folk named Dustin serving me,” the Slave King mused, curious about his identity. “What unit do they serve in?”
“Oh he’s a scout I believe,” she said, strumming her fingers against the strings while playing a soft tune. “I think he was serving on our eastern borders, looking out for dragon gem raiders.”
“Dragon gem raiders?” Lord Triton said, raising his eyebrow questioningly. “Seems a bit wasteful, to send scouts looking for gem raiders, when gems are so common now.”
“Strong borders, like fences, make for good neighbors,” the Slave King replied, trying to figure out where he’d seen wings like that before.
“Dustin seems to be holding his own,” Princess Celestia said, amazed he was still standing after taking such hit from Sombra’s lance. “It hardly seems fair for ponies to compete against beast folk in a contest that greatly favors them.”
“Ponies may have the advantage for the jousting portion,” the Slave King said, “but diamond dogs and beast folk have the advantage of using longer reaching weapons in the melee portion of the contest.”
“The melee portion?” Princess Celestia inquired, finding the thought of ponies using weapons against each other outside of combat distasteful.
“Yes,” he said, expectantly holding his cup out to be filled by Gunhilde. “My soldiers enjoy proving to each other which of them are the best warriors. I grant a boon to the winners of each of the various contests.”
“We find thy contests most exhilarating,” Princess Luna said, watching as Dustin and Sombra once again charged at each other. When she saw Sombra’s lance smash into Dustin’s helmet knocking it off, she cringed. “Oh, that must have smart!”
“Dustin fought well for a nonpony,” Lord Triton said, applauding his efforts when he saw that he had impacted his lance against Sombra.
“Yes Lawgiver,” the Slave King replied, “for a feathered folk, Dustin is doing remarkably well. Most nonponies take one hit and are knocked down, for an automatic win.”
When she saw Dustin’s helmet fly off, Lady Zephyr looked at him and was surprised to see that his plumage almost looked like Dawson’s. But that would be impossible. He wouldn’t defy her twice in one day, by placing himself in harm’s way again. When Dustin picked up his helmet, she saw his brown eyes and began wondering. Dawson, is that you?
As Sombra and Dustin faced each other for the third and final time, Lady Zephyr’s heart began racing uncontrollably. What if it was him? He could easily be hurt. But she didn’t want to stop the contest, and embarrass the Slave King if her accusation turned out incorrect. As they charged towards each other, she held her breathe hoping that the feathered folk would come out of this unscathed. Right before they collided, she closed her eyes afraid of what she might see. After she heard the sound of their lances smashing against each others armor. She exhaled in relief when she saw that Dustin appeared to be unharmed. When she saw that he had even drawn first blood, she got up out of her seat and loudly applauded, feeling a small bit of motherly pride for his accomplishment.
“I was worried you were feeling bored,” Princess Celestia whispered into her ear.
“Oh no,” she replied, “I’ve just been feeling overwhelmed.”
“Thy scout possesses quite a robust soul,” Princess Luna said, stamping her hooves appreciatively.
“Indeed,” Lord Triton agreed, “the youth has performed most admirably.”
The Slave King clapped a few times as was expected of him, before folding his hands back in his lap. “He brings honor to his tribe,” he said, in a tone suggesting his was bored.
Before he could say anything else, Harmony landed in front of him. “My king, Sombra’s wounds are impeding his ability to fight,” she said, blowing a few stray black feathers out of her eyes. “Second requests that he be allowed to use magic to heal him, and postponing the second half of the contest until after the next round of jousting. Sombra is prepared to continue wounded, but Second is worried he might be grievously injured in the melee portion.”
“That’s rather unorthodox,” the Slave King said, mulling it over. “I’d hate to lose a soldier needlessly, but Dustin did fight well. It hardly seems fair to him, to grant Sombra magical healing. Lord Triton, what do you say?”
“Gunhilde’s freedom rides on the bet we made,” Lord Triton said. “But on the other fin, I’d hate for my victory to be lessened by your pony being injured. Princess Celestia, what’s your opinion on the matter?”
“Sombra, should forfeit if he’s too injured to continue,” she said, wanting the contest to be fair to Dustin and prevent anypony from competing with a grievous wound.
“Thou shoulds’t at least give Sombra a penalty for receiving magical assistance,” Princess Luna said, favoring Dustin as the winner.
The Slave King considered all their opinions and then looked at Harmony. “Tell Second, he can have his postponement,” he said. “But Sombra’s taking a penalty for the healing aid.”
Harmony nodded once to the Slave King, before flying back towards the field to deliver his ruling. When Lady Zephyr heard his decision, she dug her talons into the stone table in anger. Dustin performed better than would be expected against a pony, and now because Sombra had connections, they were taking his advantage away from him. It wasn’t right, and it wasn’t fair! She inwardly seethed.
Noting Lady Zephyr’s distress, the Slave King offered her a sip from his cup. “Perhaps a sip from my draught might ease your stress,” he offered her.
“Why are you making exceptions for some, and not others?” she angrily demanded, giving him a stern look. “You always go on about being fair and not treating somefeathers differently, but now you’re granting favors to Sombra over Dustin.”
The Slave King didn’t answer Lady Zephyr’s accusation immediately. In truth, it cut him to the core. Had he committed the very hypocrisy that he had accused Princess Celestia and Lord Triton of just earlier that day? The thought didn’t sit well with him. He didn’t used to be like this. Centuries ago he’d had perfect clarity, but now there were so many angles he always had to consider. Looking at Princess Celestia, he saw someone who constantly had to make compromises to keep her people protected, and ensure peace and tranquility for all. Turning towards Lord Triton, he saw someone who often had to choose between his honor and the good of his realm, and oftentimes made bitter choices. Had he finally become like these deities he so despised?
Sighing heavily, he did the only thing he could when facing an impossible situation. “Lady Zephyr, I apologize for disappointing you,” he said, while the iron crown he wore weighed heavily on his head.
His apology took her by surprise. She had fully expected him to adamantly deny showing any favoritism. Instead, he’d admitted his wrongdoing and even apologized! Perhaps she had a chance with him after all. Placing her talon on the Slave King’s hand, she looked into his burning green eyes. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered to him.
He said nothing as he felt her warmth enveloping his hand, declining to remove his hand as gently squeezed him with her talon.
Noticing their brief exchange, Princess Luna looked enviously at them. Though she had no designs on the Slave King, she desperately wished she had somepony of her own. I wonder what drove them apart, she thought. Thinking about her earlier conversation with Lady Zephyr, she wondered how much she knew of the Slave King’s true nature.
If you desire him, he could be yours, a voice whispered into her mind.
Nay, we do not! Princess Luna thought, annoyed with herself for thinking such a thing. Look at how Lady Zephyr pines after him, we coulds’t never take him for ourself.
Lady Zephyr had her chance, the voice countered. She has failed to keep his interest. Should you desire him, he could easily be yours.
Leave us, Princess Luna ordered. Such pernicious desires have no place in our heart.
Oh spare me your prattling about the virtues of harmony, the voice sarcastically replied. If you desire something, you should take it. Are you not the most beautiful of the pantheon, and the most deserving? You desire somepony to drive away the loneliness don’t you? The Slave King could be the solution to your needs.
We think the Slave King is a most base and surly creature! She screamed at the voice, trying to convince herself she had no desire for him. We don’t love him, nor even like him!
Yet you respect his intelligence, great power, and immense wealth, the voice chuckled. There’s no shame in using a stallion, to sate your desires. None can resist your majesty and grace. It would be a simple matter to remake him however you see fit.
Tis true, most stallions need to be molded and trained, Princess Luna answered, seeing the truth in the voice’s words. However, the Slave King is no stallion.
It didn’t matter to your sister, the voice pointed out. She managed to marry the two of you to him, and he accepted it without even batting an eye. Are you so incapable, that you can’t perform a task your sister did with ease?
We can do all that our sister can do, and more! She boasted. Should we desire it, the Slave King will be our paramour and consort, nay our husband.
Prove it then, the voice taunted.
Nay, we have no desire to, she shouted. Now begone, thou aren’t welcome in our mind any longer.
The voice remained quiet, but the echoes of its accusations, demands, and taunts burrowed deeply into the recesses of her psyche. Did she have secret desires for the Slave King that she was unaware of? She found the very idea of it quite vexing. She could escape from ponies and even other deities that dare treated her like this, but there was no where she could escape from her own mind. Looking at Lady Zephyr and the Slave King sitting together, she suddenly felt overwhelming jealousy that he wasn’t sharing such an intimate moment with her instead.
Hoping to separate them, she tried turning the conversation towards Dawson. “Lady Zephyr, we wonder where thy son is,” she asked, wearing a sly smile. “We woulds’t think he woulds’t be enjoined with thee. Surely thou must have much left to discuss with him.”
Thinking of her son, Lady Zephyr looked down at the pitch where Dustin was having his shoulder looked at by a kobold attendant. Looking down at him, all her previous worries filled her heart. Was that truly her son, was he hurt badly, and would he survive the next phase of the contest?
“Oh, he said he wanted to say his good byes, before we departed for the Golden Eyrie,” she said, trying to disguise her distress.
“Slave King, we see that thou also hath a contest for archery,” Princess Luna said, looking towards the large number of targets that were setup.
Looking away from the jousting pitch, he turned his attention towards the archers. “Yes,” he said, “among the diamond dogs, griffins, beast folk, and even some of my unicorns they like to compete with the bow to see who is the best. I apologize if it’s not nearly as exciting as the jousting.”
Looking at the competing archers, one of them, a feathered folk was walking through the course releasing arrow after arrow. Each arrow flew true, never failing to miss their mark. “We wonder who yonder feathered folk is,” Princess Luna said, impressed by the accuracy of the shots from her bow.
“That is Aria the Red, Lady Suzaku’s eldest feathered folk daughter,” he said, not even bothering to look at the archery contest. “She always wins.”
At the mention of the Lady of Summer, Lady Zephyr feathers rose in challenge and her wings threatened to flare out. Though she had accepted long ago the unique arrangement she’d shared with her fellow deity and closest friend, even now she still felt a twinge of jealousy towards her. It was obvious by the number of their children, that the Slave King had favored her more.
Seeing her discomfort, Princess Luna pressed further. “We wonder Lady Zephyr,” she innocently said, “when thy son will compete?”
“Oh Dawson, isn’t nearly old enough yet,” she said, slightly flustered as she thought of the possibility of Dustin actually being her son. “Besides, when he’s of age, he shall serve as captain of the Golden Eyrie’s garrison.”
“We wonder why so many of Lady Suzaku’s children have found employ under the Slave King’s service,” Princess Luna mused. “Her children must be ponies of quality.”
“Lady Suzaku has few opportunities to offer them,” the Slave King said, trying to steer the conversation away from the feathered folk’s parentage. “She and I have a standing arrangement.”
“She must be proud, that so many of her children thrive under thy care,” she said. “We wonder why she is absent.”
Hearing Princess Luna’s question made him grip the stone armrests of his throne tightly. Looking at her with his burning eyes, he ground his teeth. “Lady Suzaku prefers the comfort of her own domain to that of the Domain of Earth,” he said, daring her to continue this line of inquiry. “She claims the climate here is too dry and dusty for her beautiful complexion.”
Sensing the Slave King’s agitation, Princess Celestia steered the conversation towards a new topic. So who do you think is going to win, Sombra or Dustin?” she asked.
*****
It had been nearly an hour, and Dawson was sitting impatiently so he could finish his match and move up in the rankings. “Scout Dustin,” Harmony said from behind him.
Turning around, Dawson saw Harmony the Black tapping her foot impatiently. Standing at attention, he saluted with his spear before wincing once as his shoulder throbbed like the dickens. “Yes,” he said.
“Take a swig of this,” Harmony instructed, thrusting a small bottle of luminescent green liquid into his hands.
“What is it?” he asked, looking curiously at the shining liquid inside.
“Something to take the edge off of your pain,” she replied. “Also, since Sombra’s healing is taking so long, each of you will be wild cards for the semifinalist round.”
Dawson removed the stopper on the bottle and downed its contents with one gulp, instantly he felt the pain in his shoulder dissipate. All the aches and pains in his body ceased, and he felt like he had just woken from a long sleep. “Wow, that’s amazing,” he said, handing the bottle back to Harmony. “Who should I thank?”
“Your benefactor wishes to remain anonymous,” she said, nodding once at the Slave King. “Now get ready, your next opponent is about to be announced.”
He picked up his spear and tested his shoulder’s range of motion. It wasn’t even sore anymore. He was ready now. When he heard the flugelhorns announce the start of the next round of combat, he readied his spear. Because the jousting portion was completed, the finalists were to compete with their weapons of choice. As before, the only rules were no flying or magic. Looking at his opponent, he saw that he was facing one of Lord Triton’s seapony knights.
The knight was floating above the pitch in their magic bubble. Readying their trident, they bowed their armored head once as they waited for him. Likewise, Dawson held his spear in a defensive posture and nodded in return, signifying that he was ready to commence combat. Without a moment’s notice, the seapony charged with their trident pointed forward. Using the knight’s momentum against them, he parried with his spear, driving the trident into the ground. Hoping to score a point and ending the round, Dawson thrust his spear towards the joint between the knight’s breastplate and pauldron. His opponent quickly shifted their weight, forcing the spear thrust to impact against their trident instead.
Pulling his spear back, Dawson prepared himself for the knight’s counterattack. The knight swung the trident in an arc towards Dawson’s head. Seeing the attack being telegraphed, he shifted his weight to the right, trying to avoid the trident from clipping him. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain, he had forgotten about his relatively unprotected wings. Backing away from his opponent with his spear in a defensive posture, he tested his wings once, and was relieved when they seemed fine.
The flugelhorns sounded indicating that the round had gone to his opponent. Looking at the scoreboard, Dawson saw that his opponent had received two points. He knew he needed to score during the next round or he’d be disqualified. Turning to the Slave King, he held out his weapon in salute and turned to face the knight of the Lawgiver once more. The moment the flugelhorns sounded, he rushed forward and feinted with his spear. When the knight attempted to parry, he thrust upwards towards the knight’s helmet. When his spear connected, it made a satisfying clink, knocking the knight’s helmet off, revealing the flowing purple mane of a seapony mare.
When she realized that her helmet had been knocked off, her cheeks flushed crimson with embarrassment. Raising her trident, her emerald eyes narrowed with determination as she readied herself for her counterattack. Before she could strike, the flugelhorns sounded, indicating the end of the second round.
Dawson looked once at the seapony, and then at the scoreboard. He saw that he had been awarded three points for knocking her helmet off. Looking triumphantly at the mare, he picked up the helmet and handed it to her. Saying nothing, the chevaleresse dusted off her helmet and placed it squarely on her head. Walking back towards his starting position, he wondered what her story was. Was she like him, trying to prove herself to Lord Triton? Before he could dwell on the question, the flugelhorns sounded the third and final round.
Like a tsunami, the seapony mare unleashed a flurry of attacks at Dawson, not giving him a chance to counterattack. As he was being forced to slowly back up by her unrelenting assault, he realized he was going to be knocked out of the ring and disqualified if he didn’t do something soon. He decided to go for broke. Intentionally leaving himself open, he waited for her to exploit the opening. As expected, her next attack was a downward thrust at his legs.
Once she had committed herself to the attack, Dawson thrust his spear in between the trident’s tines, trapping it. Once the spear tip was firmly buried in the ground, he used his momentum to slam his elbow against her helmet, stunning her and making her drop her weapon. Seeing his chance to win the round, he slammed his foot on the trident and freed his spear. Thrusting it forward, he stopped just shy of her neck and waited for the round to be called is his favor.
Hearing the flugelhorns trumpet the end of the third round, he looked towards the board and saw that he was announced as the victor. Happy that he would be able to proceed to the next round, he reached down to hand the chevaleresse her weapon.
“Don’t touch my weapon, mudslinger filth,” the seapony mare growled. “I should have known one of the Slave King’s slaves would refuse to fight without honor.”
Dawson was about to say something rude, but decided against it. He didn’t want to risk getting disqualified. Turning his back to the knight of the Lawgiver, he walked out of the ring to wait for the next round of combat.
When she saw she was being ignored by him, the seapony’s green skin turned a bright shade of crimson. “Get back here you mudslinger thug,” she shouted. “The honor of ‘The Most Illustrious Order of Triton the Lawgiver’ has been impugned upon. And I, Dame Squall the Relentless, a chevaleresse of the order, will see you pay for the insult!”
Ignoring the furious seapony, Dawson sat down and tended to his nicked wing as he waited to see who his next opponent would be.
*****
So who do you think is going to enter the finals, Sombra or Dustin?” Princess Celestia asked, looking as the two were competing against different opponents.
“My knights are quite capable,” Lord Triton said, pointing a fin towards the fight below. “Dame Squall the Relentless is an accomplished chevaleresse. Dustin will find himself hard pressed to beat her.”
“How calamitous,” Princess Luna remarked, when she saw Squall’s trident hit Dustin’s exposed wing. “We hope his wound is only superficial.”
When Lady Zephyr saw the blood dripping down Dustin’s black wings staining them red, she cringed in sympathy. She knew Dawson’s wings were very sensitive, and thought that Dustin’s were probably as well. When she heard Lord Triton applauding his knight, she felt her blood rise.
“Jolly good!” he boasted to the Slave king, celebrating Dame Squall’s skill. “A most judicious use of the climbing the mountain technique.”
“Humph,” the Slave King grunted, slamming his cup down in annoyance. “Lawgiver, there are still two rounds left.”
“Well there are still three of my knights in the running, versus the two of yours,” Lord Triton said, pointing out the chances that the Slave King would win their wager was growing slim.
“Colts,” Princess Celestia said, giving each of them a stern look. “There’s no need for poor sportsponyship. Everypony in the contests have been a credit to the both of you. Perhaps one day we could have an interdomain sporting contest, bringing us together in friendly competition.”
The sound of the flugelhorns trumpeting the second round silenced everyone. As they watched both Dustin and Dame Squall’s weapons parrying with each other, the crowd gasped when they saw him knocking her helmet to the ground.
“You were saying Lawgiver?” the Slave King smugly said to Lord Triton, who was now sulking as he took a sip from his tankard.
“Everypony has their moments,” the Lawgiver retorted.
"Dustin has proven himself to act with chivalry,” Princess Luna said, when she saw him hand Dame Squall her helmet.
“Perhaps not all the children of the Earth are thuggish ill-tempered brutes after all,” Lord Triton said, approving of the gesture.
“Quiet,” Lady Zephyr said, “they are about to start the final round of combat.”
No one said a word as the two opponents fought each other with a fury reserved for the battlefield. Dame Squall unleashed a flurry of attacks, forcing Dustin towards the edge of the combat ring.
Watching their fight, the Slave King wondered why no one had brought such a skilled feathered folk to his attention before. His potential was clearly being wasted as a scout. Win or lose, he knew he would need to offer Dustin opportunities in the future.
Princess Luna sat entranced as she watched their weapons dance. She felt her heart racing as she waited to see who would be the victor. It had been many years since she could remember having this much fun. Perhaps the Slave King isn’t quite so terrible after all, she decided, giving him a thoughtful look.
Dustin was her son in disguise, she was sure of it now. From the way that he carried himself, to how he handled the spear, much of his fighting style consisted of classic griffin combat techniques. That, combined with the way her heart worried for him each time the flugelhorns sounded, told her all she needed to know. Dawson had placed himself in harm’s way hoping to prove himself to his father. Part of her was filled with pride that he had performed so well, but another part of her was filled with sorrow that he felt the need to go behind her back. Looking at the Slave King, she felt anger at his stubborn refusal to accept his son, and heartache at his refusal to return her affection. But that would all change next week, she thought. Soon, she and her son would each have what they desired.
Lord Triton had never felt prouder of his ponies. Despite not having done any preparation for the contests, his knights had held their own against the Slave King’s brutish thugs. Dame Squall especially, she had displayed both skill and grace today. Truly she was a credit to the order. In mere moments she would defeat the lad Dustin, and cinch his victory over that insufferable Slave King. Before he was able to toast his success, a quick succession of moves left him speechless.
Looking at the Slave King and Lord Triton, Princess Celestia felt very pleased with herself. She had managed to unite two bitter rivals in a common cause. Though she hated the celebration of violence these contests represented, she knew stallions needed an outlet for their aggressive natures. Perhaps this could be the start of something greater, she mused to herself. Once the Slave King’s inauguration has passed and he was properly dealt with, Equestria would be a relatively peaceful place once more.
Thinking back to the hurting child she found weeping in the cave, she wondered if he still suffered from the deep wound he kept hidden. Looking to her sister, she wondered if perhaps they might be able to help each other. He with her loneliness, and she with his broken heart. The sound of the flugelhorns trumpeting roused her from her thoughts. Looking down at the pitch, she saw that Dustin had won the contest.
“That was a travesty!” Lord Triton shouted at the pitch, before pointing a fin angrily at the Slave King. “This was supposed to be armed combat, not a barroom brawl! Slave King, I expect you to disqualify the ruffian!”
“There are only two rules,” the Slave King smugly said. “No flying and no magic. We’ve made allowances for your ponies’ unique needs, but don’t whine when they lose when they refuse to do what’s required to win.”
“I expected you to have a sense of fair play,” he said, upset that he had no recourse in this matter.
“Lawgiver, does that mean you wish to forfeit?” the Slave King said with a dark chuckle.
“I’ll win, and I’ll do it fair and square,” Lord Triton retorted, leaving the stone table in disgust.
“Where are you going Lord Triton?” he called out. “I’d hate for you to miss the next match.”
“To congratulate Dame Squall,” he said, heading down towards the pitch.
The Slave King drank from his cup, pleased with how easily he’d managed to rile Lord Triton. Looking at a frowning Princess Celestia, he strummed his fingers against the armrest of his stone throne, trying desperately to ignore her eyes burrowing into the back of his iron crown. Deciding he could take no more, he turned towards her. “What?” he demanded.
“That was unkind,” she said. “There’s no need to antagonize somepony who would be your friend and ally.”
“I’m not a kind person,” the he replied. “And Lord Triton has no desire to be my friend. He’ll only be friendly on his terms, not mine.”
Seeing that he was being stubborn once again, she sighed and drank deeply from her wine. It was going to be a long night.
*****
She was so angry she could scream. She had been bested by that no good mudslinger two bit thug. She would never live down the shame and disgrace she had brought to her people, the order, and most importantly to the Lawgiver. He had born witness to her disgraceful performance, and now she wished she could crawl into the Pit to wither away and die. Hiding her burning eyes from the jeering crowd, she silently wept. She could never return home and face the others. Exile was her only option now.
“You fought well, young chevaleresse,” a voice behind her said. The voice she heard sounded like stones being ground together, which sent a shiver running down her spine.
Turning around to confront the speaker, Dame Squall saw that it was none other than Scourge. Doing her best to hide her reddened eyes, she hid her muzzle behind her fin. “What do you want?” she stammered. “Have you come to mock me for falling to his dirty trick?”
“No,” Scourge said, looking at the seapony mare with his burning eyes. “I came to congratulate you, and to let you know I’d be proud to work with you in securing Bone’s Landing.”
“But you’re the master of ‘The Order of the Shadow’, the sworn enemy of ‘The Most Illustrious Order of Triton the Lawgiver’,” she said, confused by his cordial behavior.
“Our master’s quarrels needn’t be ours,” he replied, looking at the Slave King before he walked away.
She was perplexed. That Scourge himself, would offer kind words to her was incomprehensible. Feeling better, she wiped the tears from her eyes and began gathering her things to take back to her tent. Though she still felt robbed of her rightful victory, she no longer felt melancholy about the loss. While heading to her tent, she felt somepony standing behind her. “Yes she asked.”
“Does a knight of the Lawgiver have a moment to spare?” somepony asked her.
Turning around, she was about to ask to be left alone, when she saw who it was that spoke to her. “Lord Triton!” she said in surprise. Dropping to the ground in reverence, she bowed as low as she could. Feeling her soul burn with shame for having failed her liege, she dared not look him in the eye.
When she said nothing, Lord Triton reached down with his fin and gently pulled her up. “Daughter,” he said with benevolence in his eyes. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. You conducted yourself with honor and grace. And though you didn’t win, you’ve brought honor to my name and the order’s. Hold your head high, for you are a knight of the Lawgiver, and none are more worthy.”
When she heard Lord Triton’s words, Dame Squall wept openly with joy. There was no greater honor a member of ‘The Most Illustrious Order of Triton the Lawgiver’ could aspire to, then praise from the Lawgiver himself. “Thank you…” she whispered.
“Sir Hurricane, the Gallant, has pledged to win in your name,” the Lawgiver said, pointing to a giant seapony standing at his side.
“Chevaleresse, the order will have its revenge this day, I swear it.” Sir Hurricane said, gently kissing her fin.
“I shall cheer for you,” she said, presenting her trident in salute.
“Knights, let us show these brigands our superior skill and breeding,” Lord Triton said, giving the Slave King a baleful look.
“Yes, my liege,” both knights of the Lawgiver said together. However, Dame Squall felt reticent. When she remembered what Scourge had told her, “Our master’s quarrels needn’t be ours.” Perhaps there was a better way after all, she thought. When she passed by Dustin on her way to her tent, she felt the righteous fury of her order’s cry for vengeance course through her breast and decided, not today, mudslinger, not today.
*****
Dawson stood at the opposite side of the ring from Sombra, who wore a twisted sneer. “Half-breed, I will break you!” he snarled, stamping his hoof impatiently.
Dawson remained silent, instead leveling his spear at Sombra in response. When the flugelhorns sounded signifying the start of their fight, he approached Sombra’s right flank with his spear pointed forward. He knew due to his opponent’s nature, all he could expect is charge attacks with his horn and lance, and short range sweeping attacks with his tail flail. Without being able to use his magic, Sombra was vulnerable to flanking maneuvers at range.
When Sombra saw Dawson trying to flank him, he prepared to flick his tail flail at him. Lowering his horn, he charged forward hoping to gore him with his horn or crush him with the flail. Charging forward, he felt his front right fetlock scream in pain as Dawson deftly avoided his first attack. Looking down, he saw his blood oozing out of a deep wound right beneath where his armor met his shoulder. Though it was against the rules, he flicked his tail flail at Dawson right as the flugelhorns sounded the end of round one.
Dawson had his back to Sombra and didn’t see the tail flail coming. When it impacted against his knee, he gasped in pain as he fell to the ground. Gingerly, he felt his knee and was relieved to find it was only badly bruised and not shattered. Glaring angrily at Sombra, he was tempted to thrust his spear in retaliation but didn’t want to get disqualified. Instead, he stood up and waited to see if they would disqualify his opponent.
*****
The Slave King was unhappy. Once again, he was being forced to mediate a dispute between his two most senior officers. “Tell me again,” he said, giving the two doomhounds standing inside his tent an annoyed look, “why I shouldn’t just put the lot of you in the Cavern of Torment for a year and be done with it?”
“Because that would mean that Lord Triton would win your wager by default,” Second said, wearing his usual malevolent smile.
“My king,” Scourge said with a respectful bow, “there are few others that can be trusted to run things in Bone’s Landing until its operating smoothly. Should we all spend a year as statues, you would essentially be handing control of the city to Lord Triton. That would make the sacking and capture of the city to have been a pointless endeavor.”
“Scourge, I thank you,” the Slave King said, softening his hardened voice. “Your wise council over the years has saved me from making many hasty choices I would have later regretted.”
“There’s still the matter of Sombra’s cowardly attack,” Scourge said, looking darkly at Second.
“Slave King,” Second retorted, “aren’t there but two rules to these contests, no magic and no flying? Sombra used neither.”
The Slave King felt rather vexed, he wanted to punish Sombra for hitting Dustin when the round had been called in his favor. But he couldn’t, because he hadn’t technically broken any rules. With Lord Triton watching him wrestle with himself, he knew unless he let it go, the Lawgiver would demand reparations for Dame Squall’s match. Looking Second directly in the eye, he pointed a finger at Sombra. “Second, I know Sombra is a pawn in whatever scheme you’re plotting,” he said, making sure his servant was reminded who the master was here. “Circumstances might favor you now, but that won’t always be the case. Remember that.”
“Of course, Slave King,” Second said, bowing slightly and still wearing his mocking grin. “Provided Sombra continues to prove himself useful, I’ll ensure he’s a useful asset to you. Otherwise, I’ll deal with him should he prove to be unmanageable.”
“See that you do,” the Slave King curtly said. “I expect no more incidents to occur tonight or any other untoward accidents.”
“Slave King, I’ll see to it personally,” Second said, his eyes burning with malevolence before walking away.
“My king,” Scourge said, bowing respectfully, “he’s plotting against you.”
“I know,” he said, patting Scourge’s black armor. “But how does the old saying go?”
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?” Scourge volunteered.
“Yes,” he agreed. “All the same, I’d like you to keep an eye on things. The last thing I need is Lord Triton threatening war over the misbehavior of my underlings.”
“Rest easy my king,” Scourge said, “I’ll ensure no mischief occurs.”
“No mischief?” he asked with a knowing smile.
“Well none by any others,” Scourge said with a laugh. “I’ll see you later at the award ceremony, my king.”
Watching Scourge walk away, the Slave King felt gratitude that he had such a loyal friend serving him. During his entire time in Equestria, he had only met one other that he would consider a true friend. Looking up towards the sun overhead, he sighed. “Snowe,” he whispered, “wherever you are, please watch over her until I can bring her back.”
Exiting his tent and returning to his stone throne, he braced himself for Lord Triton’s barbs. When none were forthcoming, he looked questioningly at the Lawgiver.
“I’m sure you handled things with impartiality and jurisprudence,” Lord Triton said to the Slave King. “I’m looking forward to watching Dustin in round two.”
“As am I,” Princess Celestia said.
Sighing once, the Slave King nodded to Harmony, who alerted the flugelhorn trumpeters. When they sounded, he watched Sombra like a hawk just waiting for the opportunity to turn him into a statue.
*****
Dawson’s knee hurt like the Pit. Raising his spear, he managed to deflect Sombra’s razor sharp horn causing sparks to fly. Hobbling backwards to find a more secure position, he held his spear in the middle guard stance. Currently he held the lead, if he could score again against his opponent, he would move on. He just needed to be careful and watch for an opening.
Dawson noticed Sombra seemed to favor his left side now. Attacking his right rear flank now seemed to be the best idea. Even though the tail flail presented a danger, with his spear’s longer reach he had the advantage. Switching to the high guard stance, he prepared to make his move before he was charged once again. Seeing his chance, he stepped forward hoping to land the winning blow.
Before Dawson could make his move, something grabbed a hold of his leg. Losing his balance he fell forward, hitting the ground hard. Before he could recover, he felt the wind getting knocked out of him as Sombra’s hard hooves smashed against his breastplate. Hoping to defend himself, he tried raising his spear but felt his arm break as Sombra pounded him with his iron shod hooves. Fearing that the next blow would be fatal, he tapped into the latent Earth magic that flowed through him to create a shield.
Before he could finish casting, Dawson heard the trumpet of the flugelhorns playing, signifying the round was now over. With a bruised knee, crushed back, and broken arm he found himself unable to rise. The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was Sombra’s mocking laughter as he said, “See half-breed, I told you I would break you.”
*****
When she saw the beating Dustin was taking, all of Lady Zephyr’s maternal instincts screamed for her to rescue her son. But knowing how much gaining the Slave King’s respect meant to him, she held still and waited. Looking at the vicious grey unicorn that had beaten her son senseless, she vowed he would know the wrath of the griffins one day.
When she saw the violence being used against her favored champion, the sight made Princess Luna blanche. That Sombra character certainly was a cruel brute, and she hoped that Sir Hurricane the Gallant would beat the stuffing out of him. Looking on as Dustin was carried off the field, her heart went out to him in hopes that he would have a speedy recovery.
Glowering at Shadow Knight Sombra, the Slave King wanted to make an exception for Dustin but couldn’t. Even though he had used magic in an attempt to save his own life, using magic in these contests in any capacity was strictly forbidden. He had no choice but to disqualify him. Motioning for Melody to come to his side, he whispered something into her ear. Nodding her head in acknowledgment, she entered his tent before heading towards the pitch.
*****
“Hey sleepyhead, it’s time to rise and shine!” Dawson heard a cheerful voice say.
“Oh, I feel horrible,” Dawson moaned as his body screamed in agony. Opening his eyes, he saw Melody the Yellow looking down at him with a concerned look on her face.
“Well you did take a bit of a tumble there,” Melody said, in a teasing tone.
“I took more than a tumble,” he groaned. Looking down at his broken arm, he sighed. “My mother is going to kill me, when she finds out.”
“Oh I don’t know about that,” Melody said with a conspiratorial wink, while holding up a small bottle filled with a luminescent green liquid. “Dawson, drink the contents and you’ll be as right as rain.”
Hastily, he removed the bottle’s stopper and drained its contents in one gulp. Instantly he felt revitalized, as the liquid infused his body with rapid healing. He could feel the aches and pains slowly fading away, as his arm rapidly began knitting itself. Within minutes, he felt well enough to leave the bed.
With his injuries tended to, he immediately remembered the combat. He’d tried using magic! He was sure to be disqualified now. He sat up in his cot and looked Melody in the eye. “Did… did I get disqualified?” he asked, afraid to hear the answer.
Looking into Dawson’s worry filled eyes, she nodded affirmatively. “I’m sorry Dawson, the Slave King had no choice when you tried creating a magic shield,” she said, placing her hand on his shoulder comfortingly.
Feeling sullen and depressed, he buried his face into his talons. Now he’d never get a chance to redeem himself. “I’m sorry Melody,” he said. “You went through all that trouble to help me, and I failed.”
“You didn’t fail Dawson,” she disagreed, sitting beside him on the cot. “You did very well, especially against such a seasoned veteran. You impressed everyfeather who was watching. Even Lord Triton was impressed with your skills.”
“What about the Slave King?” he asked, hoping he had finally won his approval. As far as he was concerned, even if the entire pantheon hailed him a hero, it was all for naught unless he had impressed the Slave King.
“Honestly I don’t know,” she said, admitting she was unsure as to the Slave King’s true temperament. “I do know he was rather animated when your matches were happening, but beyond that it’s a mystery.”
“I should go…” he said, not wanting to be here any longer.
“Nonsense,” she said, squeezing his shoulder. “There’s still a party going on. And maybe you can watch Sombra get his flanks kicked by Sir Hurricane.”
When Dawson heard Melody mention watching Sombra get pounded into submission by Sir Hurricane the Gallant, he smiled wide. “That sounds like it could be enjoyable,” he said.
“I thought you might say something like that,” she replied, smiling as well. “Plus there’s plenty of meat to be had, and enough booze to get lucky three times over.”
When she mentioned food, he felt his stomach rumble in complaint. “That meat sounds pretty appetizing,” he said.
“Then what are we waiting for?” she asked, pulling him out of the medic’s tent. “To the buffet!”
*****
Dame Squall wrinkled her nose at the stench of the cooking meat filling her nostrils. Fortunately these mudslinger barbarians also had plant based options on the menu as well as her favorite, grilled fish. Helping herself to few skewers of roasted fish and several roasted apples, she sat down watching the archery matches that were currently in progress. Though archery wasn’t a traditional seapony military discipline, she could appreciate the skill with which the competitors were hitting their targets.
Currently favored to win was Aria the Red, the presumptive successor to Master Scourge and the current reigning archery champion. Effortlessly, Aria was releasing arrows one after another, hitting her targets in quick succession. With warriors like this under his employ, she could see why the Slave King had managed to defeat Bone Landing’s garrison. Though they were greater in number then the attackers, they were primarily comprised of seaponies augmented with a few units of reindeer battlemages. Though ‘The Most Illustrious Order of Triton the Lawgiver’, accepted any and all who were worthy, with only a few exceptions the majority of their number consisted mainly of seaponies. Say what you wanted to about the ‘Order of the Shadow’, they continued to grow in number, while her own order’s influence waned.
“Unless we can get more of the other races to join,” she mused, worried about the future of her order. “We might be regulated to irrelevance in shaping Equestria’s future.”
Noticing Dustin and another feathered folk she wasn’t familiar with, eating and relaxing together as they watched the archery matches made her anger rise. Thanks to that sneaky mudslinger, she had been embarrassed in front of her whole order and the Lawgiver. Deciding to give him a piece of her mind, Dame Squall finished her meal, and marched over towards them.
*****
Dawson and Melody were sharing a spit of meat and a couple tankards of ale, when they heard an angry voice shouting at them. “Hey you mudslinger coward!” the voice angrily said.
Looking up from his meal, Dawson covered his face with his shemagh and stood up to face the feather that was challenging him. Spying Dame Squall, he stood his ground as he answered her. “Who are you calling a mudslinger?” he demanded.
“I only see one mudslinger coward,” she said, pointing a fin accusingly at him. “And he’s standing right in front of me!”
Melody, who loved a good fight every now and then, picked up her lute. Thinking of a proper tune to play, she began plucking her lute as she softly sang.
There was a girl, an angry girl, as mad as she could be…
She hailed from the west, she was a child from the sea…
The man she hated was from the south, with wings of furious might…
She felt her honor had been besmirched, and so she was itching for a fight…
Dame Squall moved right in front of Dawson’s shemagh covered faced, glaring angrily at him. Dawson pushed back the brim of his hat, and flexed his talons.
These two warriors stood muzzle to beak, with weapons ready to withdraw…
She had her tarnished honor to restore, and her liege’s righteous laws to defend…
While he had a destiny he wished to seek, and his father’s respect to earn…
Were the two really so different, alas the tale doesn’t tell…
“I’ll make you sorry you ever crossed a knight of the Lawgiver,” Dame Squall said, preparing to strike a blow against the mudslinger.
“Lady, I already am,” he retorted, balling up his talons into a fist.
Before the first blow could be struck, by the girl against the man…
Lady Suzaku flew past and wished each of them good luck…
The man looked at the girl, and she looked back at him…
Then instead of trading blows, they instead shared a kiss…
Before he knew what was happening, he felt her removing his shemagh and place a kiss squarely on his beak. Shocked by what had just happened to him, his face flushed crimson. “What the Hades!” he shouted, confused by her behavior.
When she realized what she had just done, she narrowed her emerald eyes in anger. “You… you treacherous pig!” she spat, slapping Dawson across the face. She felt disgusted with herself for having kissed a mudslinger barbarian, she could only be grateful that nopony important saw her transgression. “How dare you use your wiles to try seducing a chaste chevaleresse of the Lawgiver? I won’t fall prey to your trickery again.”
“You kissed me, you harpy!” Dawson spat, furious that she had managed to see his face.
Deciding that things had gone far enough, Melody stopped playing her lute and got between the two. “Come on you lovebirds,” she teased, “that’s no way to behave.”
“Lovebirds?” Dame Squall sputtered. “I could never love a mudslinger!”
“Ah, it’s just a figure of speech,” Melody replied, with a wink. “Dustin, why not go get the chevaleresse a drink?”
“Why, so she can throw it in my face?” he angrily said, still steaming over having been slapped by her.
“Come on…” Melody said, batting her eyes. “What if I said pretty please?”
“Ugh, fine whatever,” he said, leaving to get Squall a mug of ale.
“So Dame Squall, why so angry?” Melody innocently asked, while playing her lute.
“Dustin cheated me out of my victory, and embarrassed me in front of my entire order and liege,” she pouted.
Melody nodded while plucking a few strings on her lute. “Was it hard fighting such a handsome fellow?” she asked, playing a few chords.
“Well handsome or not, we were engaged in combat,” Dame Squall said. “It would have been improper to hold back.”
“Well you’re not fighting him now,” Melody replied, “was that why you kissed him?”
“Ye… What? No, of course not!” Dame Squall said, vehemently denying any attraction she might have for her most hated enemy. “It is as I said. He beguiled and seduced me with his wanton charms.”
“I think you’re not telling the truth,” Melody said with a teasing smile. “I think you like him.”
“Why I never!” Dame Squall huffed. “I’ve had just about enough of mudslinger’s to last me a lifetime.”
“It’s okay,” Melody said, strumming her lute. “There’s no reason to be embarrassed I think he likes you too. Did you see the how red his face got, when you kissed him?”
When she remembered their kiss, her pale green skin turned a bright shade of red. What could have possessed her to have willingly done that? Perhaps she had a latent desire to go roll around in the mud after all. But when she thought of how her rightful victory was snatched out of her grasp by his cheap trick, she refused to entertain the idea. The very thought was preposterous. When Dawson returned with a large mug of ale, she accepted the offering and drank from it heavily. She was going to need several more mugs of ale to help her forget this day.
The ale seemed to have smoothed out the tensions between Dawson and Squall. They drank together in silence, while waiting for the flugelhorns to announce the final contest of the day as Melody gently strummed her lute.
*****
The Slave King and Lord Triton waited as the final contest of the day was about to begin. There were champions already decided, for jousting, archery, and magic. Now, only the final match was left to determine today’s champion.
Lady Zephyr was beside herself with worry. Who knew how badly her son had been hurt? She longed to go to the medic’s tent and demand to see her son, but still didn’t want to risk embarrassing Dawson or herself if she turned out to be wrong. Her only consolation was hopefully getting to see that beast Sombra get what was coming to him.
Looking at Princess Celestia, she noted that she was doing her best to be a good guest. She was providing the entire table with pleasant conversation, witty banter, and gentle laughter. In stark contrast to her sister, Princess Luna, who was loudly cheering and monopolizing the Slave King’s attention. Attention that by rights should be hers! While she fumed in silence, sitting somewhere between worry and anger, the flugelhorns sounded the start of the last round of combat.
“So Slave King, are you prepared to face defeat at the fin of one who’s more worthy?” Lord Triton said, boasting about his knight’s superior skills.
“So confident are you?” the Slave King retorted, not missing a beat. “I shall enjoy hearing you say, my ways are better and that my people are superior,”
As the two deities argued they failed to watch the match as it progressed. Sir Hurricane the Gallant, was even more skilled that Dawson. Try as he might, Sombra was hard pressed to get close enough to strike with either his horn, hooves, or flail. Every time he tried, the seapony knight would either deftly avoid his thrusts and strikes, or parry with his weapon. To his credit, he had yet to be struck by Sir Hurricane’s weapon, but it would only be a matter of time until that happened.
Winded and tired, Sombra was moving much more slowly now. Every attack he tried was being foiled. In desperation, he took a risk and charged right at the seapony. While flying through the air, time seemed to slow down. A black blur in his peripheral vision caught his attention and he knew it was time to strike. Veering to the left, he flicked his tail flail right at Sir Hurricane’s head. With a solid crack the flail made contact with seapony flesh.
Turning around, Sombra lowered his horn in preparation to make another charge at his opponent. When Sir Hurricane, failed to turn and face him he smiled. He knew he had just won. Master Second would be pleased, and he would receive any boon of his choosing from the Slave King.
Trotting up to Sir Hurricane, Sombra roughly shoved the still standing seapony, making him fall muzzlefirst into the muddy earth.
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My my methinks the Slave King will never let Triton forget his confession to come.
1836255 Thank you for your comments gentlereader, you mean letting him welch on the bet? Yeah that's not going to happen.
Something bad has happened to Cerynitis, something is controlling him maybe?
Looks like Dawson succeeded in getting the Slave King's approval. It also seems that half-human breeds tend to work to help one another. That's sweet of them.
How does Chrysalis fit into all this?
Melodys step brother about to have a fight, picks up her lute to sing. prioritys, she has them.
Too bad Dawson didn't win but he still got a girl and the attention of the Slave King, now he just needs to avoid his head getin taken off by Lady Zephyr.
1836378 Thank you for your comments gentlereader, the answers to Lord Cerynitis's condition can be found in The Great Slave King. The various beast folk tribes, have to stick together mainly because the other races look down on them so much. Regarding Chrysalis, she may or may not feature in the next chapter, you'll just have to wait and see.
1836379 Thank you for your comments gentlereader, Melody is a harper, as such she's less a fighter and more a support class. I don;t think Dawson has to worry about loosing his head to his mother, most likely she'll just hug her son, and then box his ears after scolding him for worrying her so.
This is getting better every chapter!
wow this just keeps getting better and better
1836669 Thank you for your comments gentlereader, anything specifically about the chapter did you like about the chapter?
1837707 Thank you for your comments gentlereader, what did you like about this chapter versus the previous chapters?
its very hard to explain because every chapter you throw something new into the story like this time you have Dame Squall and she might be falling in love with dawson and i like how the slave king cares enough to give " Dustin" the potion to heal him and i love that your chapters are so long
Nothing like a good, old-fashioned competition for a good time.
1837881 Thank you for your comments gentlereader, what sorts of entertainments do you prefer for your good time?
1837773 Where do you hope the story goes next?
1837890
Well, I do love a good strategy game to pass the time.
1837897i want the slave king to figure out that dustin was really dawson and gets suprised about that fact or the relation ship could be come somthing more with dawson and Dame Squall
I'd like to bring to attention a typo, it happens right before Sombra and Dawson engage in Melee
"In the meantime, enjoy watching the nest round of jousters,” the kobold said, biting into a large slab of roasted meat.
*****
“Slave King, are you enjoying the contest so far?” Princess Celestia asked, before taking a sip from her
Great chapter, keep up the good work
1838401 Thank you gentlereader for locating my deficiency, what did you like about the chapter the most?
1838409 I quite enjoyed the banter between Second, the Slave King and Scourge. I found it most intriguing and comforting to know that the Slave King still knows ALL that goes on in his Kingdom and that he is worthy to rule.
So she inherited some of her mothers magic and made them both kiss? Amusing. Also Slave king should of punished Sombra as those two rules he stated before pertained to the fight, and that obviously any attack made after the match has ended is immediate grounds for disqualification. Also why doesn't the Slave King just kill "second"? I mean shit he had no problems killing off pesky servants in book 1 and since he knows he's being plotted against why doesn't he just rid himself of the trouble? Scourge has also gone soft seeing how second openly defies him even refusing to help him in battle.
1838401 I was just about to point that out lol.
1838544vWell the Slave King's not stupid, treachery is one of the main stays of previous administration. Second has been rather busy regarding that, but that's all in a day for the Slave King.
1838796 Thank you for your comments gentlereader, yes Melody decided to have a bit of a joke at Dawson and Squall's expense since they were at each others throats. But since she's a harper, if she plays it she can make it happen. Though Sombra did attack after the round ended, actually broke no rule. Before the Slave King ruled these contests were a rather bloody business, treachery and betrayal were still prevalent, The Slave King is still in the process of changing the south to be less treacherous, most of the denizens there would consider an attack like Sombra's a good tactic to eliminate the competition. The reason why Second is still around is because the Slave King doesn't know the extent of the betrayal. Second's been a useful servant until now, and treachery is an everyday occurrence. If they knew he wasn't plotting against him, there would be cause for alarm, since that would mean the Slave King was no longer were keeping proper tabs on his servants. If Second was to be killed, all new intrigue would begin. so in this case its best to keep the devil you know rather then the devil you don't. Scourge has no say against Second, Second was simply following his orders. If Scourge were to bring up his complaint, Second would simply say it's a sign of Scourge's weakness and a sign that he should be replaced as head of 'The Order of the Shadow'. Yes I know it's convoluted, but that's the south for you. When you have a kingdom built on slavery and the survival of the fittest, treachery and the respect for strength will be the two mainstays of that civilization. In this case Scourge, not Second is the anomaly. Hope that explains my mind set for you.
The slave king has at least some honor and should realize if he paid attention AT ALL (like I'm sure the other deities will mentions) that something fishy happened and there was no possible way Sombra should have won. I havea feeling that right before Lord Triton makes his statement about the Slave King being better than him the Slave King will stop him at the last second feeling like his victory was somehow hollow and unfair, even for him.
Edit: Also how does Scourge not control second? In the first one when he was first made a hellhound he openly killed one of his Hellhound subordinates just for protecting his family and not wanting to kill his brother for not knowing information. Isn't second still his subordinate? Also I believe the hellhound at the time was killed "six".
1839019
you mean "was" right? Also should were be there? Sorry I don't mean to sound like an alphabet Nazi asshole. But hopefully the Slave King at least doesn't make Lord Triton embarrass himself as he said so/well rather felt himself that what Sombra was doing was wrong.
1839216 Well the Slave King suffers from tunnel vision a bit. Being as competitive as he is, hearing Lord Triton announcing to the pantheon that he is better is something he desires. Mainly to undermine their so called moral superiority. But Sombra's victory is a key point of the plot, and once the means to the discovery is made, a mystery will have to be solved.
1839223 No, the Slave King fully expects all of his underlings to be plotting against him. The south is a pretty wild place, full of all sorts of intrigue and naked acts of aggression. The only servants he has he can fully trust are Scourge, Aria, Melody, and Harmony. Even Nightmare he knows has her own agenda, and she's a piece of him.
1839226 Wow quick response! Since I don't think you saw the edit I made I'll go ahead and post it here.
How does Scourge not control second? In the first one when he was first made a hellhound he openly killed one of his Hellhound subordinates just for protecting his family and not wanting to kill his brother for not knowing information. Isn't second still his subordinate? Also I believe the hellhound at the time that was killed was named "six".
1839231 Second hasn't actually done anything to warrant being eliminated, at least he hasn't been discovered doing anything. During the sacking of Bone's Landing, Second was put in charge of leading the doomhounds and attacking the northern gates. Scourge was attacking the southern ones with his minotaurs, when he got caught in the trap. Second was under the Slave King's orders and wasn't required to follow Scourge's commands because he isn't a member of the 'Order of the Shadow'. The doomhounds and the order are two separate branches of the Slave King's military. The way things are setup are like this: There are the nine doomhounds (permanently set at eight, due to Scourge being unable to die. Thus Second will forever be second and never first), they are lead by Second pro temp, due to Scourge being head of 'The Order of the Shadow. The doomhounds are the Slave King's enforcers, they will search, kill, crush, and destroy at his command. Then there is 'The Order of the Shadow', which are the Slave King's elite knights. They are mainly used for his military operations (such as the attack against Bone's Landing), they serve as a foil to the Lawgiver's order and to spread the Slave King's influence. Then there are the auxiliary units like the Shadow Wings led by Aria the Red, Shadowhooves, and assorted other auxiliaries which form the bulk of the Slave King's armies. The auxiliaries mainly do patrols, scouting, and provide manpower when needed for military expeditions.
At this point, I'm pretty sure the Slave King has many, many problems. He's like if Hamlet were able to keep it together long enough to inherit the throne. I'm just happy we get to hang out behind arrases and watch it all go down.
1837728 The tension between the Gods.
It really is absurd how much I enjoy this.
Anyway, could it be that that tug dawson felt at his legs was...
Magic?
Could it be that Sombra would have been disqualified had someone noticed? Or was someone on the outside meddling...
Either way, fine chapter as always, I look forward to seeing more.
The slave king in this chapter Slave King: Meh TVs better
1839527 Thank you for your comments gentlereader, you have no idea how many problems the Slave King faces. Trying to build up his trade network, building the greatest city in all Equestria, the intrigue of his underlings, keeping all his domain's slaves from revolting, and ruling in such a way so all his people see he's being fair. Then there's all his interdomain commitments, interdomain intrigue, plus the agreements he has with Jormungandr, and his continual efforts to bring her back weighs heavily on him.
1839610 Thank you for your comments gentlereader, regarding whether or not an outside presence was meddling that question will be answered in next week's chapter. What specifically would you like to see more of?
1839741 Thank you for your comments gentlereader, well that's sort of what angle I was aiming for. With special effects, Hollywood can make rather exciting and entertaining things to watch.
1840096
If I'm being entirely honest, you've yet to write the thing I didn't like, but in particular I rather like the dynamic between Celestia and king, as well as anything to do with Jormungandr, and Luna's descent into madness has been rather amusing to watch, I can only guess the cause. What I like most about the story is the plots, subplots and interactions between the characters as you hint at some greater evil lying dormant, and tensions just waiting to break, so I suppose that's what I'd like to see more of.
well played good sir. till next time you put out a chapter, i will be silently stalking you
1842422 Thank you for your comments gentlereader, may I take it that you enjoyed the latest chapter then? If so, what did you like the most and is there anything you would like to see more of in future chapters?
1840087
These are challenges he faces, yes, but I was referring to more... personal problems. He clearly has not recovered from the deaths of his friends in the mines, and all of this other stuff piled on top of his internal struggles is just making things worse. Add to that his string of lovers (Lady Suzaku and Lady Zephyr at least) and you have a person who's psyche is about as fragile as Applejack's barn. And, unfortunately, once it falls apart, he doesn't have much of a family to put it back together again.
1844727 Ah, then you would be correct gentlereader. The things you mention are indeed things that weigh heavily on his mind. In the next few chapters, the story actually address those points specifically.
I looked at that story you recommended "A cog in the machine" but couldn't get passed the description since it seemed really depressing, lol.
1846275 I mentioned the story because it was well written, has an interesting plot, and seems to be under appreciated with very few views. a story as well written as it, deserves a little more exposure.
What Alondro would do to Sombra: Alondro stands absolutely still as the dark unicorn charges him with his horn ready to impale the fragile-looking slender human. A moment before impact, Alondro's left hand closes with agonizing tightness around Sombra's horn, arresting his movement instantly and causing him to nearly flip forward, the forward momentum causing his head to explode with pain as his horn attempts to bury itself backwards into his brain. "Foolish wicked unicorn," Alondro says calmly, raising the forefinger of his right hand to lightly touch the evil conspiratorial bastard upon the left shoulder. "You are no match for the Deux Ex Insert. Hadou no yon: Byakurai." A bolt of brilliant lightning instantly cuts through the joint and leaves a seared trough down Sombra's side, gouging out a final shallow trench through his flank.
"It is impossible to defeat a god-moder who has watched as much anime as I have," Alondro declares as Sombra falls before him.
Awww yeaaaahh!
1847282 Thank you for your comments gentlereader, you would still have the issue of not being able to compete. Only the members of the Slave King's military are allowed to compete in these contests. Additionally using magic would immediately disqualify you, Sombra would win, and the Slave King would probably turn you into a statue for a month for making a nuisance of yourself.
1847290 Deux Ex Insert, dude. Deux.... Ex.... Insert. (like, 10,000 times more powerful than God)
1843177
hell man, the entire chapter was good, the developing character of Dawson is great, plus the continual interaction of the "Gods" is always fantastic and welcomed. I'm a lil drunk while I write this, but dont let that mean nothin. Again great chapter and keep on doin what you're doin man.
1852104 I'm considering releasing this week's chapter early, as a Christmas present. Does that sound like something you might enjoy?
1852113
I certainly wouldn't say no!
1852293 Okay I'll post it when I wake up, Merry Christmas. But that means you'd have to wait for me to finish up chapter 7 before I can post it.