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Story 4

Chapter 6: Revenge

By: SleeplessScribe

Cerulean simply stared at me. While seeing her cry was now starting to get to me, at least she no longer seemed angry. Through her sniffles, she managed to speak. “Are you… are you being serious? Your own brother?”

I’d have to tell Cobalt all this at some point too, what harm was there in telling someone else to rehearse? “Griffins in Equestria are few… males will do anything to make sure they don’t die off. You’re right, they are sick fucks. But please, Cerulean, give me a chance.”

I reached my hand out to her again, and while she was obviously drunk, she could still see it. A small smile began to form as she raised her hoof to take it, but it immediately disappeared after a loud roar broke the newly created silence. Booming footsteps came from our left accompanied by the would-be-rapist running past us and screaming.

Moments later we were confronted by a massive minotaur-like beast. It reminded me quite a bit of Vahlok in the sense that much of its body seemed comprised of stone, with flesh and fur taking the place of areas where the stone was not present. Icy blue eyes glowed from holes in what appeared to be a horned, stone mask on its extremely hairy head, which made it seem like it had a beard. The thing reared back, slamming a fist into the spot we had been sitting at, and my reflexes alone were what kept us from becoming pancakes.

I let go of Cerulean and left her back in the alley. “Stay here, I’m going to try and lure this thing away! No buts, either, do what I say!”

Without giving her a chance to respond, I took to the sky. A quick fly by his head revealed that a crystal similar to the one my father found had been shoved into the top of his head, hidden from a front view by the mask. Luckily for me, what he had in size and strength he lacked in speed. He was big and bulky, but his swings were far too slow to even come close to hitting me. I tried swooping in between his stone plates, and while my talons easily tore through his unprotected areas, he seemed unfazed by anything I did.

Not even getting under his “beard” and attacking him where one would expect the jugular to be seemed to do anything. Finally I got a saving grace in the form of a kick strong enough to knock the thing off balance. Cobalt wasn’t kidding; Ol’ Red really was strong. He looked at me and motioned to the main gates. “This thing is tough, Gilda! You need to help me get it to the sentry towers!”

I gave him a nod, and with our combined efforts we finally pissed him off enough to get him to follow us. Between my speed and claws making his desire to kill me stronger and Red’s kicks to the back of the head pushing him on, we were able to get him onto one of the main roads, giving us a straight shot to the gates. As if that weren’t enough, a gold blur zoomed past us, flying circles around the beast’s head.

Cobalt had two long blades fitted into the loops on his boots, and he was constantly swinging as he flew. Finally, he landed on the back of its neck and dug his blades in deep, causing it to run forward. Once it went through the open gates Cobalt shouted, “Now!” and, from the sentry towers, four harpoons with thick ropes stuck themselves in the monster’s shoulders and head. The thing was strong, but so were the ropes and the three ponies on each that were pulling against them.

The captain flew down and grabbed a hold of the beard. He looked to us as Shatter ran between its legs and turned to face him, motioning to the fur. Taking the hint, both of us grabbed it and pulled, forcing it to hold its head forward, and I soon learned why the unicorn was named Shield Shatter. The thing fell backward after we all let go, and the massive hole in its head was absolute proof that it wasn’t getting back up.

I looked around for that crystal, but it was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, I wasn’t given much time to look for it either, for we were all greeted by a large amount of the citizens open reentering the gates. However, instead of relieved, happy, or grateful expressions, many of them still looked fearful and angry. Before I knew it, dozens of hooves were pointed at me, accompanied by too many angry shouts to be able to pick out certain ones.

Cobalt rushed over, standing between me and the angry crowd. “What in Equestria has gotten into all of you? You can’t possibly think she’s to blame for this!”

“Well what other reason is there? Those things don’t just attack out of nowhere!”

Now it was Red’s turn to walk up. “How could Gilda have brought that thing here? And why would she help take it out if she did bring it, huh?”

“Why else would that beast come here? If she didn’t bring it, it must’ve come to get rid of her! Something we should’ve done the minute we saw her!”

The arguing ensued for over a minute before the booming voice of the ancient dragon echoed through the sky. “Kos nahlot! Be silent! A dark power has begun its descent on this land, and the griffin child is not to blame! Return to your homes, and rid yourselves of your wrath!”

My friend stood up straight, approaching the crowd. “You heard Vahlok! Back home, all of you, and I swear, the next one of you that utters as much as ‘squawk’ around her will be taken in for hate crimes. Now as you were!”

With a ton of grumbling and hostile glares, the residents began to return to their homes. Cobalt turned to me, and I wrapped my arms around him. I was able to hold back the tears, but not my knowledge. “This may not be the best time… but I know about Cerulean.”

He patted my back gently. Turning to Red and the guards in the tower, he nudged his head towards the beast. “Good work, all of you. You mind getting this cleaned up? I need to get Gilda and my sister home.”

Red gave him a salute, and I saw Twister walk out of the bottom of the left tower, mimicking the motion. “We will get it done, sir.”

“Good.” Cobalt nodded, putting one of his wings around me. “Thanks for keeping Cerulean safe, Gilda. I was on my way out here when she didn’t come home at a normal time, and that’s when I saw the giant coming after you. I do want to talk to you when we get home, but let’s find my sister first.”

“I’m here, Cobalt.” The mare made her way toward her brother, leaning against him. She was obviously weak, but she seemed a bit more sober than when I first saw her. Her voice was soft, and she let out a few coughs between words. “She saved my life… thank you, Gilda.”

My gaze shifted downward. It was hard to look her in the eye, knowing what I knew, but I was still appreciative of her thank you. “It was nothing. I couldn’t just let you get smashed. In more ways than one.”

In hindsight, I probably could have worded that much more tactfully, but she didn’t really seem to mind. Through another bout of coughs, she turned to the house. “I’m sorry I went back to the drinking. Can we just… go home?”

We both nodded, and Cobalt slipped one of his forelegs around her, helping her walk. After clearing his throat, he spoke, though his gaze still remained ahead. “So… you told Gilda about what happened?”

As he said it, I hung my head. I had absolutely no desire to tell him about what happened to me, nor what I did, but I settled for telling him tomorrow. That at least gave me some time to prepare myself. “I more so figured it out…. The worst part is that the one who did it was my brother. That being said, I can very easily forgive your sister for her words.”

They both gave me a soft smile, and Cobalt stretched out his wing to bring it around me again. “Glad to hear it. Once we get home, Cyan will get you two fixed up and in bed, but I must speak with Vahlok. Hopefully it won’t take long, if he decides to speak plainly with me.”

I simply gave him a shrug. “He spoke pretty plainly to me.”

The minute I finished, they both stared at me, wide-eyed. This was the first time since she had come over here that Cerulean wasn’t interrupted by coughs. “You spoke to Vahlok? When?”

I should have known that that was a big deal. “When I went in the forest. I had a lot on my mind, and I bumped into him when I wasn’t paying attention. He basically told me that I need to be patient, and show everyone that I’m not what they think all griffins are. Too bad they all want some reason, any reason, to have me exiled or executed or whatever else.”

We were now past the gate into the Federal District. Cobalt gazed up at the mountain, presumably where Vahlok’s cave was. “They’ll have to bring undeniable evidence of law breaking to the court for that to happen, and you’ve done nothing wrong.”

After a loud sigh and a few steps along the quarry, I finally decided on what I wanted to respond with. “It’s only a matter of time before they find something. Wouldn’t surprise me if they jump on the first law I break because I didn’t know about it.”

Cobalt brought us both in, and we handed Cerulean off to her sister. “I saw everything from the window. I’ll get little sis all patched up.” Cyan looked down at her younger sibling, somewhat glaring. “Have we learned our lesson about heavy drinking now?”

She gave Cyan a nod, and they both trotted off down the hall, leaving my friend and me by ourselves again. Before I could even finish turning to look at him, his forelegs and wings were around me in a tight hug. “I wish I could say don’t ever do that to me again, but you need to eat. As much as I want to talk, I need to go and see Vahlok, Gilda. Take care of my sisters if anything else happens, alright?”

I gave him a quick nod, reaching up to put my arms around his neck. “You know you can count on me.”

With this hug came a warmth unknown to me. Despite all the anger and hatred from those around me, I felt safe. Right there in that moment, not just with Cobalt, but with Cyan and Cerulean nearby as well, I truly felt like I belonged, like I was wanted, and letting go of the colt was extremely difficult. “Cobalt… thank you.”

I was met with a soft smile mere moments before I was left frozen, my face bright red and my hand on my cheek. He left without a word, but he didn’t need to say anything after what he did. Speechless myself, I headed into the room I had been gifted with and took off my armor, setting it on the desk. I didn’t bother with blankets or sheets, I just jumped on the bed and closed my eyes. It wasn’t until I had actually laid down that I realize how tired I actually was.

The moon was high in the sky by the time I reached Vahlok’s cave. The massive dragon had fallen asleep since his short speech ten-or twenty-minutes ago, though waking him up wasn’t as dangerous as one might think. His eyes opened slowly and centered on me. “Lot vokul. Great evil. This night, something unnatural has found its way into our city. Prepare yourself, child, Nii fen krii. It will kill. Cobalt Edge, you must remain vigilant. That which you cherish is in danger, and your devotion shall be tested. Sleep now, child, and prepare yourself. A gift is coming to your city, but it is not for you. Gilda does not know it yet, but this gift is for her.”

He closed his eyes, not even bothering to let me respond. Of course I could have just said something, but Vahlok’s dismissal was clear, and I dared not question him. My mind was almost broken by his conflicting words. Unless his idea of a gift was a great threat, I couldn’t think of anything he may have meant. Something told me the cause of this recent attack was part of the evil he spoke of, but a gift for Gilda? The only thing that crossed my mind was the kiss on her cheek, but that really wasn’t a gift, and the old dragon spoke as if she hadn’t received it.

Despite my curiosity and slight worry, I was way too tired to think about it right now. I made my way home, hanging up my armor on the rack next to the door. Taking my ponytail down made me contemplate cutting my mane… for a few seconds. My hair was long, sure, but the ponytail was me, and it was just another thing that made me different from all the captains before me, just like my father wanted. Call it creepy, call it wrong, call it a five-legged purple elephant playing the tuba on a treadmill, I don’t care, but I couldn’t resist poking my head in to check on Gilda.

My griffin friend was fast asleep, the feathers atop her head ruffled and messy. I gotta admit, it was a rather cute sight, and a good way to end off the night. Half walking, half zombie…ing… to my room, I fell onto my bed and pulled the blankets over me. My gaze turned to the sword on the wall directly opposite me; the shining silver blade was single-sided unlike the standard double-edged swords Equestrian smiths were known for, and it sported a legitimate handle as opposed to just a rod to insert into loops. The guard was shaped like a pair of wings, and the leg of a lion was carved into each side of the handle, ending in a spiked bottom resembling the tuft of hair on a lion’s tail.

It was the blade my dad’s savior had given me for my devotion to my family and my city. The griffin had told me that, while it was meant to be a display piece, it was made to slice through bone in a single swing. I had never had to use it, nor did I think holding it in my mouth and swinging my head was the optimal way to wield this weapon, but looking at it reminded me of that day. Scimitar would be the one I talked to about Gilda. My father lived in the highest house in the Sky Quarry, and he was always a good source of advice, even if he wasn’t the best source of practical support anymore.

As I thought about him and the gift the griffin gave me, my musings began to focus more on the griffin just a few rooms away. I found myself wondering exactly what she was to me, and how, if she was indeed more than a friend, I would tell her how I felt. Not only that, but I pondered how I’d be able to balance being her commanding officer with possibly being her boyfriend. Ha, and here I thought I’d actually be able to sleep. Eventually I did, but it felt like hours until my brain had finally exhausted itself enough to let my body rest.

Though it probably was at least eight hours, it only felt like two as the loud banging woke me up. All three ladies were already at the front door, and I found myself feeling very awkward when I realized just how out of place I was among them. I was greeted by almost half the city when I opened the door, and none of them looked very pleased. In front of them all stood my lieutenant, and while she didn’t look angry, she had a very told-you-so expression on her face. After tying up my hair again, I looked at them all.

Had Shatter not gotten up in my face, I would have asked what she was doing. “Hand her over, now.”

I shot her a glare, opening my wing in front of the girls. “What’s this about, Shatter?”

“Come with me and I’ll show you.”

All she was met with was a shake of the head. “The minute I move the crowd is going to try and take Gilda. I’m not moving.”

The unicorn nudged her head in the direction of the mob, and they all began to leave. They stopped at the bottom of the quarry, but it seemed be enough for her. “I don’t think you’ll be able to argue once you see.”

There was a long pause while I thought about it. Shatter’s loyalty had come into question before, and that, combined with her hereditary racism made leaving the house an extremely tough choice. Eventually I turned to Gilda before addressing my second in command again. “Fine, but she comes with me, and I have you court marshalled if you try anything.”

Without a word, she took me, she took all four of us, down the big road and to the main gate. The crowd followed us, and both my sisters had to turn away with their hooves to their mouths when they saw what everypony was bent out of shape for.

Every guard that was in the sentry towers last night, including Twister, lay dead on the ground a neat little row. They all were killed in the same way: four clear claw marks through the neck. Quick, clean kills that would’ve left them with no chance to react. “Before you say anything, Cobalt, think. No beast or alternative killer is organized enough to pull this off. In addition, they’re simply dead. Anything else that has attacked our city would have eaten them as well, and we would have seen them in the city as well; beasts don’t just kill and take off.”

If this was Vahlok’s idea of a gift, simply put, that’s fucked up. With a sigh, I looked at Gilda and both of my sisters before turning back to Shatter. “She’s not a killer. Just look at her, Shield Shatter.”

I really wish I hadn’t said that. The guilt written all over her face was unmistakable to everyone around. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, the look in her eyes when I said what I did made me second guess my statement. The unicorn patted my shoulder, her face devoid of emotion. “I’ll give you a moment. I won’t ask you to arrest her, and you have a day before her trial. Look, Sir, if you really think there’s another possibility, now is the time to find it. Get your affairs in order; we’re taking her.”

Smacking her hoof off of me, I made my way over to Gilda and brought her into my embrace. Everything pointed to her killing these guards while we were asleep, but it just wasn’t who she was. “I’m sorry, Gilda… there’s nothing I can do.”

She herself lowered her head, pressing herself against my neck. “This is your job. As confused as I am, and as strongly as I feel about you, I’m not going to let that get in the way of doing your duty. Of course I’m angry, of course I’m afraid, of course I’m sad. But Cobalt… they got what they wanted, so, for what it’s worth,” the griffin leaned her head up, pressing the top of her beak against my lips quickly, “thank you. In the short time that I’ve been here, you’ve shown me that not all ponies were a lost cause…. I love you, Cobalt. You’ve been so good to me, and I just wish we could’ve had more time together. I just wish I could’ve properly thanked you.”

Gilda opened one of her wings, plucking a feather from it and handing it to me before walking over to Shatter. “I know you’re not going to believe me, but I didn’t do this. Shatter, you chose to give me a chance, so thanks. Your eyes tell me you have your own doubts, but this crowd here isn’t gonna just let me go.”

“Shut up, you fucking monster!” A rocking came hurling at my face, but just before it hit, the mare caught it in her magic grasp, slinging it over the heads of the ponies behind her.

Turning to the crowd, she pointed a hoof towards the direction the stone came from. “You shut up, you racist piece of trash. You know what? Since Gilda’s been here she’s acted with a level of decency I’ve never seen in others of her kind. I’m making this arrest because you all demand it, and even if the evidence is pointing straight at her, I’ve did a little fixing up on my tunnel vision. One day you all are going to wake up and realize just how bigoted you all are.”

My lieutenant cuffed my friend, leading her towards the city hall. The crowd followed behind, and I motioned to my sisters. “Go with them. Make sure she stays safe.”

Cerulean did as I told her immediately, but our elder sister was no so hasty. “Cobalt, is there any other explanation?”

Upon hearing her question, I walked over to the bodies. I found myself wishing that Red had not simply been in the right place at the right time last night, because he would’ve surely prevented these deaths and caught the real culprit. However, I focused in on something and jumped up. “Cyan… I’m going to have to ask you to do something gross.”

She gave me a hesitant nod. “What is it?”

I turned towards Bellows’ smithy. “I just need one of these bodies preserved somehow. I know Shatter has a freezing spell that can do the job, so if I give you something to carry one in, can you carefully take it to her?”

My sister gave me another nod. “Do you have a plan?”

“I do. Don’t move the body yet, I’ll be back.”

The trip to the smithy didn’t take long, and while the big guy wasn’t there, the gauntlets he had made were. They were sitting right on the counter, and I grabbed hold of them and fly back as fast as I could. Once I was back at the gate, I leaned down and opened one of the metal gloves. “I knew it!” While it wasn’t much, we now had counter evidence in support of my new friend. The claw marks in every single body were bigger than Gilda’s hands. Talons don’t wedge like an axe or a straight sword. They slice like a curved blade, with the cuts only begin as wide as the weapon. Bigger marks meant bigger talons, so this was either a female much older than Gilda or a male.

I turned to my sister. “I’m going to see Vahlok. I’m sure he knows what actually happened and we just didn’t cause enough of a ruckus to wake him. Think you can get one of these to Shatter?”

“I can, just be careful, Cobalt.” She kissed my cheek, taking off to the Arts and Entertainment District.

My mind wandered just for a quick bit, wondering if she planned on using a large canvas, but snapped back to reality rather quickly. I curled up the fingers in each glove to fit together, setting the feather delicately between the joints of one gauntlet to avoid damaging it. Home was my first stop just so I could set the stuff down, and I set the feather in a small case meant to display a dagger. Not the best place, but it would keep the thing safe for now. With most of the city now at city hall, and the gate guards burying the dead, save for the one body my sister chose, anything would have a decently easy time getting in. Knowing this, I decided putting my armor on was a very good idea. I also told myself “ya think” when I made said decision.

Vahlok was indeed asleep, but something was wrong. His sky blue and grey had turned into a muddy mess of dark blue and black. Honestly, he looked kind of sick. I approached him and spoke softly, but still with enough volume to hopefully wake him. “Vahlok? Dreh hin ni alok?”

A sinister voice came from the shadows at the side of the cave. It sounded young, but still very menacing, like a teenager whose voice had not yet broken, but was like…halfway there. “Only I can wake him up now. I take it you’re here to ask him for advice on how to save poor little Gilda, right?”

Spinning around, I was prepared to defend myself. I said nothing as the griffin stepped out from the shadows, red stains in his fur and white feathers. His feathers and fur were a bit darker than Gilda, he had no trace of the light purple that surrounded her eyes, and his head was decorated by feathers that he positioned to look like spikes pointing back. “Name’s Gerard, and I’m the one who killed those guards. Impressive work, huh? I’m also the one who brought that big dude here last night. Shame he wasn’t able to kill that traitor.”

My ears perked up at his words. “Traitor?”

He flashed a grin, leaning against one of Vahlok’s exposed fangs. “Gilda, that little bitch. My dad, the chief of our village, sentenced her to death. Krieger, being the stickler for honor that he is, allowed her to leave to repay a debt to some namby pamby ponies that saved his life, but I’m not so forgiving.”

I felt my eyes narrowing, shooting the griffin a hostile glare. “So you killed them to set her up?”

The jerk quite literally patted himself on the shoulder. “It was a pretty great plan. I followed her here, snuck around, and learned the basics. When I saw you getting all cozy with her, an idea came to mind: destroy everything she has before having her die herself. This city, you, I’m gonna take this shit down. I want that little bitch to experience loss just like I did. Hoo boy, I can only imagine the look on her face when I drag her out of there and she sees this place up in flames. It’s gonna be great.”

Taking a few steps toward him, I spread my wings. Dad told me never to believe anyone that said it looked intimidating, but it help give me a faster reaction if I needed to follow someone in the air. “And you think I’m just going to stand by while you do this?”

He shook his head, the grin still on his face. “Oh no, you’ll be dead long before then. Besides, I’m not the one you should be worried about.” Slamming his back paw into the dragon send when looked like a wave of black electricity through him, and his eyes opened to reveal red slits for pupils with purple covering everything else. “He is.”

Vahlok let out a loud roar, hitting me with his tail and sending me flying out of the cave. Gerard waved his hand over the city, turning to the big dragon. “Destroy.”

With another roar, he sped out of the cave, the griffin now on his head. He headed for me again, but became distracted by the magic blast that slammed him in the face. However, not even Shatter’s magic was enough to visibly hurt Vahlok. Looking down, I could see my sisters and flew down to meet them.

“Cerulean! Cyan! Get the citizens inside, now! We’ll try and keep him off of you!”

They both nodded, and Cyan gave me an extra one after grabbing my wing to get my attention. “The people are willing to at least listen to you.”

Now it was my turn to nod, but I took off again seeing as how time was not on our side. As much as it pained me to do so, I’d have to fight my old friend. Shatter herself tossed me my blades, though there was quite a bit of doubt in my mind as to how affective they would actually be against his stony scales.

Many guards, including Red and a few of my more skilled soldiers, were now here to help. A decent chunk of them thought smart and tried to attack Gerard, but every time somepony got too close, he had Vahlok rear up and hit them, or at least block them. The fortunate thing is that we were keeping his attention, so he was focused more on us and less on destroying the city. Another good thing was that Vahlok didn’t breathe fire. The downside to this was that, being a sky dragon, he could call forth lightning. He had not done it yet, but there was no doubt in my mind that he would if we couldn’t subdue him quickly.

After the second roar was heard, I was left completely alone. Shatter had been nice enough to take off my cuffs once I was in a cell, but it didn’t help. I fell to my knees, gripping the bars before me. As I thought about my current position, I could feel my eyes misting up. I really thought, even with the racists here, this city was going to be a change. Now I was sitting in jail, framed for a murder, without even the one pony I knew I could being anything and everything to for help. That kiss was my confession, but I didn’t even have time to ask him if he’d care for a date. I never got the chance to offer Cerulean help getting over what happened. Anything good that had come from my arrival here was gone, and I would have begun to cry had I not heard hoofsteps approaching me.

The stallion was dark brown with a greying mane. He had a scar crossing his lips diagonally, and he was wrapped in a red cloak. A few wrinkles were chiseled into his face, and his eyes were a light red. In those eyes was not anger, pity, or sadness, but a soft, care, and almost fatherly look is what he met me with. “Hold back your tears, if you can. If not, swallow your pride and let it out.”

I did as he said, shutting my eyes and letting the tears fall like rain. “Did you plan this? I could really use someone to talk to.”

He slowly shook his head, kneeling down to look at me. “Child, there is no time for words right now. Now we must fight.” My eyes widened when I saw the sword he had slipped through the bars of my cell. Nobody could look at it and say it was griffin craftsmanship. “My son was given this blade long ago, but it would be rather impractical for him to use it. That sword before you can cut through bones, and even stone, in a single slice, and I have another gift for you.”

Raising his hoof, he slammed it down on the lock that kept me in the cell, breaking it off. As the door opened, he lifted his clock and set down the gold armor. It was just like Cobalt’s, save for the fact that it was shaped for a griffin, and instead of a broken X it was like a silver crescent moon, though the opening was at the top instead of the side. In addition, he also handed me two metal gloves, which I assumed to be the ones Bellows had made for me.

I looked up at the stallion before me, wiping my eyes. “Won’t you be arrested for helping me? I mean, you are breaking me out of jail.”

“They cannot take anything from me I care about, friend.” My eyes widened again and I covered my mouth as he opened his cloak. His wings were almost gone, everything from the second “section” upward had been removed. “I love this city and my family. They may take my home, my possessions, and my life, but they cannot take those things from me.”

“Scimitar?” My voice was soft and low. I was surprised I was even able to speak at all.

He gave me a quick nod, helping me get the armor on and handing me the sword. “I have watched you since you came here, Gilda. Cobalt has told you the story of my loss, and I must tell you something. I see in your eyes the same hope, the same life, I see the same shine that was in my friend’s so long ago. It’s possible that your arrival wasn’t just a choice, but it was meant to be. Now, you hold the knowledge that can save this city. Go, my dear, and show them all who you are on the inside.”

The pegasus accompanied me all the way out of the building, and once again I found myself with a wide-eyed expression. In the sky, various guards, including Cobalt, were fighting against Vahlok while unicorn guards were blasting him with magic. Without a word, Scimitar pushed me on the back gently, and I took off. Once I was over the dragon, I spotted my brother. He turned and saw me, a wicked grin spreading across his beak. Pointing his claw at me, he shouted out “Kill!”

Vahlok sped towards me, but even being a dragon, he was still too slow to keep up with me. Cobalt and Red met up with me, but the smaller colt spoke first. “We’ve been at this for at least ten minutes… nothing we do can hurt Vahlok, and every time we go for Gerard, he pushes us back.”

My brother was cocky and dumb. If that was his plan, the way around was easy. “Cobalt, you okay with taking orders from me for a bit?”

His chuckle was interrupted by another charge from the dragon, but after all were out of his way, Cobalt nodded. “What’s the plan?”

I pointed at Gerard. “We need to get him off of there. If he’s so adamant about keeping himself safe, he’s probably hiding something. I’ll need at least two of you to leave while we get his attention. Once Gerard is distracted, fly over Vahlok and hit him from there. The dragon shows signs of something I’ve seen already, and if it’s what I think it is, he’s only going to get worse the longer this goes on.”

Cobalt nodded and took off, relaying my words to his troops. Within moments, at least twelve guards were trying to charge my brother, forcing him to turn his attention to them. When his priorities were focused on taking out those pegasi, Red and Cobalt swooped in, giving Gerard a nice dose of boot to the head.

Spotting it the minute he was knocked off, I sped toward the crystal embedded in the dragon’s head. “Cobalt, can you keep him off me?”

Both he and Red nodded, and I saw my friend grin when he noticed Red was coming with him. If Heavyweight really was a big and bad as Cobalt said he was, it really made me want to watch Ol’ Red get a hold of my brother, but I didn’t have time. Vahlok was trying to shake me off, but I proved that the blade was what Scimitar said it was when it made short work of the scales surrounding the dark purple stone. I knew I was hurting the guardian of Meadowbrook, but I wasn’t about to let something my brother set in motion destroy the city. With the tip of the blade in his head, I noticed that he seemed to move wherever I moved the sword.

I took him over the main gate before cutting around the crystal and pulling it out. Vahlok let out a loud roar before his scales returned to their normal colors. He fell safely to the ground and I chucked the crystal over into the city. “Someone smash it!”

It was like a race as pretty much everyone in the noticeably thinner crowd rushed towards the glowing stone, each having a go at stomping on it until there was only dust left. After that, the entire crowd surrounded my brother, who was now on the ground in cuffs.

A loud gasp echoed through the air as Scimitar made his way through, standing over Gerard with his hoof lightly pressed against the now white neck. “The trial begins in half an hour, and it will be not only dear Gilda who will be tried, but this monster as well.”