Which came first: The Dragon or the Egg
The battle field was strewn with the dead or dying, hunks of twisted metal littered the field in abundance and the coppery scent of blood pervaded the atmosphere. The rising sun casted long shadows, bathing the land in an eerie red glow; it was the first sun rise in many months, but it wasn't a joyous occasion.
Hobbling to his princess, a lone bat pony with a bandage wrapped tightly across his ribs, covering the blood stained stumps, all that was left of his wings. His breath was labored and his eyes were full of pain and resolve.
"Princess Celestia, it is over," he said while dropping his head.
Her head turned toward the injured knight, her armor made no noise as it was well lubricated with blood of all those she had slain. Her face was twisted in a deep frown and her violet eyes red and puffy.
"It will never be over, Shade Crest, not until my sister sees reason," she said, her voice low and wavering.
Shade's ears drooped,
"She is gone my liege, Luna as she was is no longer for this world. All we have left now is her memory and the horrible legacy she leaves behind," he said as his head turned skyward to gaze at the setting moon.
A deep shadow marked the moon in the profile of a unicorn's head, all of the moons craters seem to bow in reverence to darker shadow. The night sky would never be the same, for years to come that shadow would serve as a reminder of the darker side of the moon goddess, Nightmare Moon.
Celestia walked amongst the dead offering a prayer for both her allies and enemies alike. All varieties of ponies were amongst them along with Diamond Dogs, Mentaurs, Griffins, and even a scarce few Changelings.
Shade Crest knelled town next to one of the changelings. Its blue eyes filled with fear and dread as it gargled a low weak protest to the knight in his sundown colored armor. Shade's lips turned down frowning at the dyeing creature.
Green fire engulfed the knight, and standing in his place was a dark chitin covered creature, not at all unlike the one that lay dying at his hooves. The changeling's wings buzzed in confusion as his eyes darted back and forth between the Sun Goddess and the changeling knight, as if to ask, "Why?"
Shade could feel the thing prodding at his mind; first gently as it asked for permission and then when none was given, he felt the squirming tendrils of psionic energy sharpen into points as it picked at his stalwart defense. With a thought he crushed the assaulting changelings mind, and with it the changelings life force.
The changeling took in a deep breath and then breathed no more.
"What now my Princess?" he asked without looking up from the corpse.
Celestia sighed, "We rebuild, we try to unite the races once more, we love, we live, and we go on. And one day we will fight again, perhaps next time we will be ready, perhaps next time so many will not have to die."
"Perhaps," was all Shade offered in reply.
Celestia's brow furrowed and she gazed down at her hooves. Something was coming she could feel it. The first tremors of battle had faded, and now the ground resonated with an aftershock. The vibrations grew stronger, and the living started cast their eyes around worriedly.
The earth sighed and then trembled. A sound like thunder ripped through the war torn valley, and from the womb of the earth came a mountain of rock, soil, and scales. The air was blackened with millions of pounds of earth, blackening the sky. Powerful wings created gust of wind that blasted the surface, grinding away what was left of what was left of the living's armor.
A chorus of pain sang its way into Celestia's ears, she had to do something or else her subjects would be nothing but bones. The particles stung her own flesh, and her flesh wasn't mortal, she knew that they couldn't survive this, she wasn't even sure if she could. With a flash of her horn she felt the army's presence leave her, alone with the cataclysmic beast that soared over head.
The dust settled, and hanging in the sky was a large scaled creature, it size and aura was almost too terrible to imagine. Great midnight purple scales glowed dully in the light of the rising sun. The drakes scales looked like they were hue from rock, gems of every type were wedged amongst them.
"NIGHTMARE MOON, WHERE ARE YOU?" Roared the deep brassy voice of the dragon, desperation leaking from his words.
Celesta pulled out a clear crystal and dropped it to the ground. She immediately stomped on it, shattering it in the process. A silver mist rose for the shards and she took a deep breath. The silver fumes invigorated her giving her back the strength she lost in the battle.
"SHE IS GONE, FELL DRAKE!" She bellowed, her horn lighting up in the golden glow of her power.
The drake slowly turned to her and hissed, "WHERE DID SHE GO?"
He didn't give her time to answer, releasing the full might of his will, he buried her mind in his psionic mass. His purple spears hit a wall of flames that melted his attack before he could penetrate very deeply.
Falling to her knees, Celestia pushed against the force that was tearing at her mind. Grinding her teeth she pushed back, trying desperately not fold like cheap cloth against the force of his will. The rapid pulse of her heart made its way into her throat, threatening to jump out of her chest. She swallowed and held firm.
All he garnered from her was bit and pieces of information. Mostly flashes of images of her recent fight with Nightmare Moon.
How could this pony hold out? Who was she, what right did she have to denied him entrance. He was Apollyon, the great purple god of the deep, master of minds, destroyer of wills. And yet this pathetic little pony stood against him.
He roared in annoyance and then with a deep breath, bathed the valley in green flames. Bones popped and trees burnt out like matches, only to be quickly reduced to ash. The air became heavy with moisture as it escaped the white hot heat below.
Nothing changed. His might still poured against her and she still held out. She should have been screaming in agony, she should have been dead. And yet she wasn't. Her life force burned bright and hot. Hotter than even his—
"Impossible!"
In the heart of the inferno a white hot pillar of flame shot up. He twisted his colossal form, barely dodging the flames. He squeezed his eye shut trying to protect them from the heat.
Her armor rolled off of her coat like water, it fell to the ground at her hooves, spreading out like jelly. The ground was burnt black and was burning. It looked like she was it didn't look like a place for the living, she casted her eyes around looking for one of the salamanders, for only they could live in such heat, they and her.
Raising her wings she quickly brought them down, a clap of thunder followed, and a wave of rainbow hued light spread out from her like ripples across the pond. With the rushing of wind the fires were put out and the heat blasted away.
"MY NAME IS CELESTIA, THE DAWN BRINGER, DAUGHTER OF THE SUN, AND WEILDER OF THE BRAZIR, THE ALLMIGHTY FORGE OF CREATION!" Her wings unfurled and her coat caught flame, "GIVE UP FELL DRAKE AND I WILL SPARE YOU, DO IT NOT AND I WILL BURN YOU, SOUL AND ALL. NOTHING SHALL ESCAPE THE FIRES OF MY ANGER!"
The dragon opened his eyes and glared at the petulant creature below. How dare she! How dare this pony threaten him?
He dropped from the sky like a bolt of lightning. If he could not burn her he would crush her. The wind howled in his ears, and a crazed smile shot across his ancient lips.
She waited until he was almost on her and then she danced out of the way, shattering the once quiet valley again, as she broke through sound barrier. This was a dire situation, but for the first time in the three year war she laughed, a high bell like tone.
For once she wasn't fighting against her sister or anypony else she cared about, this time she was fighting a creature that deserved to die, a creature so evil that she didn't feel like she had to hold back.
Taking to the air she fired bolt after bolt of energy at the dragons back side, they tore through the weaker skin stretched taunt between his wings long bony fingers. Others crashed into his scales, bouncing off of him like hail on stone.
Apollyon growled and turned to face her, his teeth larger than two ponies grinning back at her. With his large emerald eyes gleaming with anger, he lunged forward racking at her with his massive claws. She dived down and landed before she started running a circuit around him, a beast this large would tire quickly, and by staying close the ground she could avoid more blasts of fire, because he would not set fire to himself.
The claws dug into nothing softer than earth as she side stepped him time and time again. The air created by the blows ruffled her feathers. They came again and again. Dodging from side to side and leaping ever so often over a horizontal swipe, he was fast but she was faster.
A large shadow crossed overhead, looking up she spotted his tail. His claws took up the most obvious routes of escape, right and left respectively. And his rapidly approaching tail took away the option of flight. That only left backing up, she smiled: he wasn't very clever.
Trotting backwards she bumped into a wall of stone, panic crossed her face as she realized the eldritch glow in his eyes. He had raised a wall. Her horn lit up, and she felt her body flicker. This was easy, he didn't think of the option of teleport—
She hadn't moved.
The tail crashed atop her, blasting the air from her lungs. The weight of several thousand tons ground her into the fire scorched earth. She cursed with what little breath she had as the pain of several fractures course through her body. The tail kept pushing against her, driving her deeper into the ground.
She had erred. He wasn't something to be trifled with and she cursed her luck. Over the years, most of her sister's suitors were strong, but stupid. Luna suffered from lack of confidence that oft left her feeling down, and become of that she always chose weaker mates. Not in physical or magical strength usually, but in mind. This one wasn't weak in any aspect.
He had taken all avenues of escape, including her ability to teleport. He had used her overconfidence in her own powers and wit against her. He was a shrewd fighter. And if she didn't do something quick he was going to kill her.
A dark aura enveloped her horn. Tendrils of energy slowly wrapped around his tail, and then went further.
Apollyon grinned as he ground the pony into the earth. She would soon be no more. How foolish for that pony to underestimate him, he was older than the earth itself, being one of the first to call the planet home, of course then the world was shrouded in darkness. It was only with the coming of the Alicorns, that light polluted his beloved darkness.
That was the sole reason he allied himself with one of them. This one was different, for she loved the darkness as much as he. And it was in that darkness that they made a pat, to end the rule of day, and once again plunge the world in twilight.
Joy flittered through his mind as he imagined the world like it was and would be again.
Coldness started to creep up his tail. He gazed at it, and then he saw it, dark ominous energy tangling itself around his tail, and then his hind legs. It weaved all around him and before he could utter a single protest, hit clamped his jaw shut.
His world started to become bigger. His eyes went wide, as he started to feel younger. With the energy of youth returning to him he squirmed against his bonds, only to find them tightening faster than he was shrinking.
A voice whispered inside of her mind, "Stop Tia, you must stop, this magic is not meant for you. This magic will steal away your power."
"I must, if I don't I will die. And if I die I will not be able to right the wrongs of my sister. If I don't there will be no hope. For if am I'm not with her when she returns they will kill her, and with her the memory of what once was, I cannot allow that to happen," she whispered.
"This power comes at a price, are you willing to pay it," said another voice, colder and far more sinister.
"Yes," she said, resigning herself to her fate.
"So mote it be, Celestia," answered the sinister voice, the image of a wicked smile etched into her mind.
The dragon was reduced to the form of a worming and then he curled into a ball and stuck his thumb into his mouth. The once great Apollyon's body was surrounded by a purple aura that cocooned him inside a purple egg shell. A few moments past and the terror that he was nothing more than an inert egg and the spell ended.
Age magic was one of the most dangerous forms of magic and to resort to amplifying it with dark magic even more so, for bending the powers of life and death to the will of a caster was to bend their own life force.
Celestia crawled out of the crevice dug by Apollyon's tail. Her wings hung limply at her sides, and she breathing was long and slow. Tired eyes found the egg and she sighed. Willing herself to her feet she drug herself closer and then raised her hoof to crush it like he almost crushed her.
A wing draped over her back, and he turned to look into the graying face of...
"Impossible," she muttered.
Standing beside her was a ancient looking mare, wrinkles carved across her face that looked older than the world itself. The mare's eyes shown with warmth that she hadn't felt sense before Luna fell into the darkness.
"Remember, another was in this same position and had it not been for their generosity you would not be alive today, little filly," croaked the old mare.
"A kindness repaid," muttered the two of them in unison.
Celestia, gazed back at the egg.
"What good can such an evil thing bring to the world?"
The mare laughed,
"No creature is born evil, it is something they choose. And I believe that one day, that dragon will choose to do right. If he is given proper guidance." The mare said as she reached forward and stroked the egg tenderly with hoof, "Do you think you can do that?"
A glow captured the egg and held it aloft.
"I don't know if I'm ready to be a mother," said Celestial nervously.
"Don't worry about it Princess, one day you will and I never said you had to be the one to raise the little fellow," answered the mare before she walked off to the side.
Celestia eyes intently followed her,
"You're an alicorn, how is that possible? My sister and I are the last ones."
The mare raised an eyebrow,
"You have much to learn my little pony!"
And she vanished just a quickly and silently as she appeared.
She shook her head and then laid the egg upon her back. As she walked off the battle field, she mourned the loss of her sister, and all those that fell in battle. It was going to take much work, deliberation, and soul searching to rebuild both herself and her world. She debated whether or not it was hers anymore.
Could a mortal, truly call herself the goddess of a world? Would she even live long enough, to see it become something other than a war torn wasteland again? Only time would tell, she decided.