The Black Prince
Princess Celestia,
I have heard tales of your awesome power and wisdom, thus I humbly ask an audience before your greatness. I am known as The Black Prince of Dragons, as such my people depend on me for their salvation. I feel that a time in your presence may further prepare me for the darkness of war that looms over my land.
I shall find myself in your land in a weeks time, at the peak of the moon shall I arrive. Please be prepared.
W.
Celestia lay upon her warm rug, reading through the letter she received a week ago. It filled her with curiousity as well as anxiousness. For ages she had hoped to make peace with the dragons of Equestria, but more to her interest was learning of dragon culture. If this Black Prince was truly a prince, then so much could be accomplished by this meeting.
The red glow of her fireplace lit her face in a warm orange. The embers cracked as she lifted her head towards the grandfather clock that rested against her private quarters wall. The minute hand inched closer and closer to her desired mark. She had awaited this night for several days, for she was expecting a rather special guest.
The long slender hand was just about in line with its hourly brother, soon they would be reaching up to the ceiling marking the start of the next day. The regal princess stood from her rug and trotted toward the window. There was no sign of her guest, although she had no idea what to expect. Her first guess was a fierce roar that pierced the night sky, which she had hoped would not be the case. Panic in the streets of Canterlot was not her idea of a night off.
The princess released a sigh as she heard the chiming of her clock. She counted each sound, expecting her guest to come into sight on each chime. Eleven beats passed and now echoed through the room, and all that was left was the silence before the twelfth. Celestia gritted her teeth. The silence lasted longer than it should and Celestia knew it was not an hour early.
The princess turned around only to find the clock opened, and a shadowed figure grasping the pendulum within. Celestia stood still as the figure released the pendulum and shut the door. The sound of the shaded figure walking seemed off, with only two steps rather than four. As the figure hit the light of the dim flames, Celestia could make out his features.
"Ah, your royal highness. A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance," The figure bowed gracefully before the princess. "The confused expression upon your face. I am not quite what you expected, am I?"
"Well, I was expecting you to be a little... taller," Celestia coughed as she trotted towards her guest. "You must be The Black Prince, I am both humbled and honored to join you this evening."
Celestia ended with a smile as she approached her fireplace. Using her magic, the flames rose and further iluminated the room. The use of her magic gained the attention of her guest, who was now resting on the ground with his two legs crossed. His arms were half buried in a saddlebag of sorts, rustling around within.
"As you already know, I am Princess Celestia. Your letter failed to give your own name however." Celestia rested down on the floor across from the prince. "Surely a prince of dragons would have a name."
"Of course my princess, and I shall get to my name in a moment." The prince stated as he pulled out a board from his bag. "Are you familiar with this game Princess?"
Celestia stared at the board for a moment, taking notice of the simplicity of it. On each corner stood a structure, like a tower or a house. The center of the board was blank, save for a line dividing the two sides. Her puzzled look was all the prince needed to see.
"Very well, I shall teach you how to play." The dark skinned being smiled, revealing gleaming white teeth. One glance at his sharp fangs and Celestia knew she may be in danger. "I picked this up from a young man in my travels. Splendid lad, if not a little naive."
"I see, a prince who travels. I suppose I should not be surprised considering your people are nomads of a sort." Celestia returned her own smile to the strange looking dragon.
With the room illuminated to her desire, she could now see who she was with. The prince looked very little like dragons she was used to, although there were similarities. He stood on two legs, but no claws extended from his boots. She could see no tail, but his clothing was tightly bundled around his waist. His arms were long, yet he lacked claws. And then there was his face, the only part visible from his wrapping. It was flat and smooth, unlike the rough scales of most dragons.
"Well, yes. I have heard of the migration your dragons partake in." The prince dug in his bag once more. "I am... different from them."
"Different? Just how different?" Celestia's curiosity was piqued.
"Different as I come from a different land. Ah! Here we go," The prince pulled out several decks of cards. "Would you like the first pick?"
"From a different land? And where exactly do you come from?" The princess furled her brow, growing uneasy with the princes company.
"Uh-uh-uh princess, like my name I shall get to my origins. Now, what deck would you like to use?"
The princess gritted her teeth behind her closed lips, but decided to give the prince his space on the matter. If she were in any real danger, she felt confident she could defend herself. Taking a look at the small decks set out before her, she felt uneasy with the pictures on them.
"Hmmm, perhaps you could explain? What exactly am I picking?" Celestia smiled as she lifted her head to the prince.
"Oh yes, my apologies Princess. Each deck represents a hero from my land, here like this one." The prince picked up the top card from one of the decks. Celestia noticed the pale skinned figure, very similar to the prince except with feminine qualities. "This is a mage, she uses magic to manipulate the field to her advantage."
"Hmmmm..." Celestia picked up the deck with her own magic and began skimming through the cards. "I think I understand, now would you be so kind to explain what this is?"
Several minutes went by as the prince explained the various rules of his game, and although Celestia was listening to every word she remained vigilant of the dragons actions. Glancing through the cards she had chosen, she was uncertain if he really was a dragon.
"So the goal is to get the opponents hero to zero. As complex as it seems, it's really quite simple." The prince smiled as he reached out for his own deck. "Ah, the warlock. I suppose I should be reluctant to use him, all things considered..."
"Very well, shall we begin?" Celestia smiled as she set her deck in the provided slot.
"We shall my princess." The prince also placed his deck within the slot. "I say, do you drink tea? I brought my own mix. I can brew us both a cup."
"That would be wonderful, may I ask what you brew your tea with?" Celestia flipped a coin across the board, and smiled when she saw it land. "Well, looks like I get an extra card."
"And I shall make the first move." The prince shifted through his cards. "It's a mix of rare herbs gathered from my world. They are grown with magic waters, making them especially potent."
"I see, I certainly hope these herbs are not dangerous," Celestia winked as she eyed her cards.
"Certainly not! You wound me with your words princess!" The prince gasped, but returned to his peaceful grin as he placed his void walker card on the field. "Your move Princess."
Celestia stared at the card that magically took the shape of a shield. The enchantments of this game intrigued her, but she turned her focus to her cards. She then placed her own card on the field, the field flashed as her mana gems doubled. In a split second, she placed two more cards on the field. The mirror images gave her four defenders. Celestia smiled as she gained the upper hand.
"Clever move Princess, I hope you will not regret it later on." The dragon grinned as Celestia ended her turn. "Anyways, the herbs are safe as they are delicious. Golden lotus is one of the more unique flowers of my world, but I find it gives the tea much more... punch."
"Well, don't wait for my invitation. I am a mare who loves her tea," Celestia smiled as her guest set his cards before him.
"Tell me, are dragons of this land capable of magic?" The dragon prince asked as he rifled around his bag once more.
"Not quite, although we can use them to deliver messages. Why do you ask?" Celestia asked as the prince pulled out a kettle and filled it from his water skin.
"Curiosity mostly, where I am from dragons are very magical. Especially the offspring of Malygos." The kettle was placed above the fire place, hung from a hook above. The prince then returned to his seat and reclaimed his cards. "Hmmm... Ah here we go."
Celestia watched as the prince set another demon card on the field, it seemed strangely seductive. The prince then tossed a card from his hand to the side.
"Now was that so wise? To sacrifice your subjects just like that?" Celestia questioned the prince with an elderly tone.
"Sacrifice is an important part of this game my princess, and an important part of life as well. Would you not agree?" The prince spoke as though he knew her answer. Celestia wondered how much he knew about her. "Now let's whittle down your defenses shall we?"
The void walker assaulted one of the princess' mirror defenders, but the attack was not enough to finish the job. Once the prince ended his turn, Celestia drew from her deck. She would have smiled if she weren't so disturbed by her guests words.
"You sound as though you know sacrifice very well." The princess guessed.
"Hmf... Well, you could say that..." The prince nodded as he stared at his cards. "Perhaps I can share a story with you, would that ease your mind of all that distrust?"
Celestia blushed in embarrassment. "Was I so obvious?"
"No, you hid it quite well. Better than most anyways. I am just used to not being trusted." The prince sighed. "It is your turn by the way."
Celestia nodded as she looked down at her cards. She pulled out a bear card and set it on the field, exhausting her mana for the turn.
"I would love to hear a story, my prince." The princess let out a slight giggle at the dragons blush.
"Very well! I shall begin with the tale of a young adventurer, seeking fame and fortune in the desolate wastes of the Badlands..."
Princess Celestia prepared herself for the story, eager to hear of this strange land the prince came from.
"It was a young human I think, or maybe it was a dwarf... They all look alike to me..." The prince began, but was halted at his hosts confused stare. "Oh, yes. You don't have humans or dwarves. You see me as I am now? This is a human. I can take this form when I wish to... Mingle with their kind."
Celestia's eyes grew in amazed curiosity. If what the prince said was true, dragons from his land could take different forms! The news was both exciting and alarming. She continued to listen to the dragons tale.
"Anyways, where was I... Ah yes. With the help of another dragon, the adventurer managed to force an egg from m- er... Pardon... a broodmother." The prince took a moment to compose himself also setting another card on the field, a small imp. "This egg was tainted however, as all black dragons were... The adventurer needed to find a way to purify the egg."
The dragon went on with his story as Celestia played her turn, paying more attention to the story than the game. She had never heard of dragon flights, nor of these titan creators, but she understood corruption.
"So the egg was purified, and hidden away for protection. I would like to say the story ends there, the egg safe and sound in the care of the red dragon. I would be made a liar if I did. The father of the egg knew of its purification, and he grew furious at the atrocity committed against his kin." The prince took a deep breath, passing his turn on the game. "He killed the dragon, and scorched the cave in his deadly flames..."
"He would kill his own like that? Just because..." Celestia felt her heart sink, and questioned how anypony could do such a terrible deed.
"He would, and did do much worse. But unknown to him, the purified egg was not in that cave." With a drawn out sigh, the dragon continued. "The red dragon Rheastrasza switched the pure egg with those from her own clutch. That pure egg... was me. I am the last black dragon."
The alicorn princess fell silent. She couldn't think of anything to say to her guest. Her cards fell from her magical grip as she stood and stepped around the board game. The prince looked up at the approaching mare with confusion, which grew worse when he was caught in an embrace of fur and feather.
"I am so sorry..." Celestia began.
"Wrathion..." The prince stopped her.
"Hmm?"
"Call me... Wrathion..."
"I am so sorry.... Wrathion... She gave not only her life, but the life of her own unborn... to protect you..." Celestia felt tears building in her eyes.
"Yes... I guess she did..." Wrathion mumbled. "So many good people sacrificed everything to stop my father."
"I too have made sacrifices... My dear little sister..." Her tears began to flow down her cheeks.
"Celestia, stop. You don't have to do this." Wrathion tried to comfort the tall alicorn.
"I... I know..." Celestia pulled herself together, almost embarassed she allowed herself to get so emotional. "But, it does help to talk. Would you like to hear a story as well?"
"Cartainly, but only if you let go of me. As much as I hate to admit it, your strength is crushing me... I think the water is ready anyways." Wrathion pushed the princess away from him as she unfolded her forelegs, clearly uncomfortable with the embrace. "One or two lumps?"
Celestia wiped away the tears and regaining her composure as she sat back down. "Two please, and Wrathion..." The dragon prince turned at Celestia's words.
"My story begins over a thousand years ago." The regal alicorn closed her eyes as she reminisced. "Once upon a time, there were two royal sisters who ruled together. They created harmony through all the land."
Wrathion felt the air grow uncomfortable as Celestia spoke her rehearsed speech. He was never one for fairy tales, at least none where all was happy and well.
"The eldest used her magic to raise the sun at dawn, while the younger brought out the moon to begin the night." Celestia felt a smile creep on her face from the happier memories. "The two sisters kept the balance between their subject, all the different kinds of ponies."
"Just as your world has..." Celestia picked up her cards and gazed through them. "Orcs and trolls and elves, our land also has a variety of ponies."
Wrathion sat quietly, listening to the princess recite her story. All the while his thought roamed through the endless possibilities of this land. He wondered how the varying races of ponies would stand should the cloud of war loom above.
"But... As time went on, the younger sister grew resentful. While everypony relished in the bright sunlight, they locked themselves away through her beautiful night." Celestia paused, obviously troubled from her memories. Wrathion stood to comfort her, but was pulled back to the ground by her magic. "No, sit. I can continue."
The princess stood silent for a moment as visions from her past screamed before her. She took a deep breath and continued.
"One fateful night, the younger sister refused to lower the moon... I tried to reason with her, but the bitterness within her heart had changed my dear sister..." Wrathion watched as a small tear streamed down Celestia's face. "The monster that took the place of my Luna vowed that the land would be covered in eternal night, and she left me with no choice..."
"What did you do Princess?" Wrathion leaned forward as the story took a turn.
"Using ancient artifacts, I was forced to banish my own sister to the moon..." The alicorn wept softly as she recalled the day, and grasped her side as if remembering an old wound. "And there she stayed... for one thousand years..."
"Your own sister... I can relate... But yet your sister lives? I heard tale that two princess' ruled this day. Surely the tale has another ending?" The prince raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, you could say the sad story still has a happy ending. Not long ago actually, the monster broke free from her imprisonment. It was my own student who rallied her friends and defeated the wicked Nightmare Moon, and miraculously redeemed the soul of my dearest sister." Celestia smile as she hovered a hoof over one of her cards. "Flame Strike dear prince, your hero is exposed."
"Excellent play my princess! You are truly a natural at this!" Wrathion sat at his seat, passing a cup of tea to his host. "Hmmm what to do..."
"Uh-uh-uh, I haven't ended my turn yet." Celestia gave a wicked grin as she ran a hoof along her minions. "I can't miss an opportunity to take the advantage can I?"
"Certainly not! I must say, you surprise me Princess. I would have expected much less from the royalty in my land, they prefer politics over war..." Wrathion chuckled as he took a sip of his tea.
"And I agree, if war can be avoided then let it be avoided." Celestia raised her tone as if to scold Wrathion.
"Yes of course, any sensible per- er pony, would agree. But what if it can't be avoided? Such is often the case in my world." Wrathion watched the stern face of Celestia as she ended her turn. "War stirs around every corner, and as soon as one ends another comes to fill the void. War, my princess, is inevitable."
"But how many of those wars could have been avoided? How often do the leaders of your world meet for peace?" Celestia asked, immediately earning a laugh from the dragon prince.
"Peace!? Ha! The day the leaders of my world agree on peace will be the day they die. Peace, dear Celestia, is only an illusion." Wrathion took another sip from his tea as he ran his finger across his cards. Seeing nothing he could use, he instead decided to use his heros life points to draw new cards. "There will never be peace between them. Not until both sides are gone."
Wrathion pulled a card from his hand and looked at in intently. Laying the Twisting Nether card on the field, every one of Celestia's minions were destroyed.
"And even then, more will come." Wrathion ended his turn.
The game went on in silence for the next several turns. Celestia was lost in thought on Wrathion's words, the unfortunate truth of war. She couldn't accept it, how could a world be so engulfed in the flames of battle? She drew a card that took her mind off the thought of war and back into the game.
"Well Wrathion, it was a good game but I'm afraid I shall be taking home the victory." Celestia grinned as she played two fireball spells, both direct hits on Wrathion's weakened hero. "And for good measure, I shall use my fire blast to finish you off."
Wrathion watched as the board shattered his warlock. His eyes grew in surprise at his defeat, and his hand clenched into a fist. He pulled a card from the top of his deck, a shadow bolt. Enough damage to finish her hero and win the game. The dragon gave a defeated sigh as he gathered his cards back into his deck.
"Well played Princess, well played." Wrathion clapped his hands together to applaud his host. "No other is so deserving of such a victory."
"You are too kind Prince Wrathion, but I did not win because I deserved to win." Celestia smiled as she lay across the board.
"Oh? Then why did you win? You played with such vigor in your tactics-"
"I waited." Celestia took another sip of tea. "How many of your minions fell to my own attacks this game?"
"Heh, well let us see... There were the four from your flame strike... and... wait... no, no no... Just the four..." Wrathion felt the color leave his face.
"You sacrificed the others, sending them at my defenders to die." Celestia smiled behind her tea. "You lost because you sacrificed too much. This tea is extraordinary by the way! I may have to have you leave the mix for special occasions."
"Wait, so you waited until I killed my own forces? How could you possibly know I was going to play like that?" The dragon prince asked, barely believing his own thoughts.
"I have been around far longer than you Wrathion, and while I may not understand war like you do I have faced demons of my own. Literal and non." The princess stood from her seat and trotted next to Wrathion. "Not everything is about sacrifice, sometimes it pays to be just a little bit patient."
"Hmmm, there is wisdom to your words Princess. I was correct to assume you would prepare me." Wrathion chuckled.
As the night went on, Celestia and Wrathion played more games against each other. They shared stories of their past, and exploits of their own heros. Celestia became fond of the dragon princes stories, eagerly awaiting the next as though he were reading fairy tales. Wrathion also enjoyed the tales of the Element Bearers, although he was particularly interested in the corruption of King Sombra.
Finally the hour came for Celestia to raise the sun. She stood sleepily from her seat, legs jittering from the excess energy the tea gave her. Wrathion sat sipping the final cup from the kettle, staring out the window at the lowering moon.
"I still cannot get over the fact that your sister actually moves the moon... It's unfathomable!" Wrathion clapped his hands together once more as he witnessed the blue alicorn across the castle. " And that YOU raise the sun! Such power was only known to the titans who made us back on Azeroth. Truly this world is an amazing place!"
"You give us too much credit young prince, but it is appreciated none the less." Celestia smiled as she stepped out onto her balcony. "Come Wrathion, I want you to see something."
The dragon prince stood and followed the princess outside. Although the moon was gone, the night sky was pure and clear. The dragon felt like he could get lost in the stars above. He contemplated taking flight into the sky, but refused himself the pleasure.
"Your sister really does good work... It's a shame so few get to admire her night sky." The dragon set his hands on his hips and continued to gaze into the sky.
"More than you know, after her... well..." The princess began to choke up.
"Yes, I know. You need not dwell on it Celestia." Wrathion patted the tall alicorns back and ran his hand through her ever flowing mane.
"Th- Thank you... I'll be honest, I was unsure about you at first Wrathion." Celestia turned her head towards the dragon prince.
"And now? Are you still unsure about me? My loyalties?" The dragon prince questioned.
"No. I can tell you are true to your ambitions. Your world is very lucky to have somepony as loyal as you." Celestia pulled the prince into another motherly embrace, to which Wrathion accepted.
"Loyal..." Wrathion pondered. "Yeah..."
"Now, you thought the night sky was impressive... Watch this." Celestia's horn began to glow with radiant energy, so bright that Wrathion had to shield his eyes.
He looked away for a moment to have his eyes locked on the horizon. The sun was rising over the edge of the world, slowly but steadily. As it raised, the blue sky followed. It covered the black sky like a blanket. As the sun settled in the center of the sky, Wrathion fell to his knees. He was sure his jaw was dropped to the floor.
"I have seen the destruction of worlds, I have seen the purest essence of madness and rage, and I have seen war in its finest form... Yet nothing compares, not even the mountain views of beautiful Pandaria. Nothing compares to this..." Wrathion felt a single wet tear drop from his eye.
The Princess of the Sun sat down next to the awe struck dragon, wrapping her wing around him. The dragon felt the warmth of the sun beating on his face as his cowl unwrapped from his head, revealing the dark brown hair beneath.
"You know, we could use a strong dragon like yourself Wrathion." Celestia mentioned as she stared into the blue sky.
"Yes, you could..." Wrathion muttered as he picked himself up. "But... My home needs me. My Azeroth needs me."
"Loyal still, even after witnessing such an event... You surprise me Wrathion." Celestia smiled. "Go, go save your world."
Wrathion stood on the balcony, getting one last stare at the beautiful sky before him. He then turned back towards the princess and smiled. He leaned back over the railing and plummeted off the tower. Celestia stood to watch as he vanished in a thick cloud of smoke, and a young baby dragon flew off into her blue sky.
"Huh... Guess he really is a dragon... Ooooh he left the tea mix!" Celestia bounced her hooves excitedly as she returned to her quarters.
Stepping back into her room, she noticed the board game still on the ground. The decks were placed neatly in separate stacks. A note sat upon the game board.
Princess Celestia,
You better keep training. Next time I WILL win.
W.