Fire and Ice

Chapter Five: A Glaring Weakness

Two guards, a unicorn and a pegasus, shared a glance between each other. The winged equine immediately launched himself into the air as the horned pony began to jump towards Rhem in a zig-zag fashion to distract. The pegasus, meanwhile, flew up to utilize the solar monarch’s sun to his advantage to dive-bomb the dragon from behind.

Positioning his body so that his side was facing the unicorn the dragon unfolded his wings a tiny bit. He couldn’t detect the pegasus thanks to the glare of the sun, and was struck in the back. The force brought him down onto his stomach, but he swiftly recovered. Clamoring to his feet, his wing snapped full sail at the unicorn almost like a snake, then shook his body to remove the pony on his back.

The unicorn leaped aside to evade the wing. However, the pegasus was thrown off. The feathered pony shook his head, feeling a little dizzy. Pulling himself up, he took to the air again to circle the dragon as the unicorn charged around in the opposite direction to try and work in tandem to confuse the beast.

With lightning-quick reflexes, the Draconian spun around and flung his tail at the unicorn to lasso his foreleg. With the stallion in his grip, he flung him aside and flapped his wings to take too the sky, his eyes fixated on his next target.

The unicorn yelped as he was thrown. The pegasus swung himself around in another arc and dove to catch his friend. Their hooves attaching to each other’s in a sort of magnetic-like grip between each other, the pegasus pumped his wings harder to raise them higher as the unicorn’s horn illuminated--both of them focusing on Rhem to take him on together.

Rhem bared his teeth with another growl and sped towards his opponents, aiming to head butt them out of the air and pin them to the ground. That glowing horn appeared awfully suspicious; and he mentally prepared himself to dodge if anything out of the ordinary happened.

The stallions both seemed to figure out his plan. As the pegasus darted towards the scaly creature, the unicorn summoned a bubble of a protective silver light that encompassed them.

Not willing to touch the bubble, Rhem flew around it and swerved. The dragon slowed to a stop, flapping his wings to remain aloft as he stared in bafflement. He had never seen magic before.

The pegasus banked hard to swing around. The duo hovered for a moment, before he charged in again in an effort to ram Rhem--the unicorn firing a few bursts of paralyzing magic.

Rhem was freaking out on the inside, but he would not display it. He wasn’t going to show any weakness to anyone. He maneuvered his body out of the way with the same agility he had shown earlier. As he dodged the darts of magic, he wondered to himself how long that bubble was going to stay up.

The horned stallion growled lightly as he attempted to keep up the barrier--though, on the same instance, it seemed like the pegasus was having trouble remaining in the air. As they whooshed by a second time, the flying pony came to a land, setting his partner down.

The unicorn thus allowed the pegasus to rest, all the while launching several more surface-to-air shots up at the reptilian, now able to take better aim from a stationary position.

Finding avoiding the shots easier now that the equines were located on the ground and were in one spot, Rhem adroitly dodged. He had noticed the unicorn was appearing to show some signs of wear and was determined to wait until he succumbed to exhaustion.

A few minutes elapsed, the unicorn heaved, his face scrunching up. An idea sprung to mind and he willingly dropped the barrier.

There was that opening he had been waiting for! Without wasting a second, the Draconian general swooped down. He was looking forward to finishing the bout and moving onto other ponies. This had gone on long enough.

The unicorn guard grinned--he had deliberately planned this. Waiting for the right moment, he stood his ground… then threw the barrier right back up with his magic at the very last possible second.

Eyes widening, Rhem collided into the shield and bounced right off, his body tumbling back a few times before he gave a mighty flap of his wings and touched the ground. Face tightening and lips curling back into a snarl, he lunged forth, hurling a closed fist right at the barrier. Rising up on his hind legs, he relentlessly pounded onto it furiously.

The unicorn smirked, his barrier hardening and doubling up at the first punch, and holding fast against repeated blows. After several more, he began to struggle to keep the shield up, a crack forming and spreading. Gritting his teeth, he summoned his power, drawing his magic inwardly and letting his protection drop just for a second--long enough to aim a paralyzing spell point-blank into the general.

Numbing currents of energy coursed through Rhem’s nervous system, rendering him unable to move. Falling over onto his side, his brain screamed at his limbs, but try as he might, they would not budge. Now rendered helpless before his opponents, he was filled to the brim with anxiety and shame.

The unicorn heaved, drained of power and strength from the attack. Closing his eyes, he dropped onto his stomach next to his spent partner.

Princess Celestia’s eyes widened as she was presented with shock. The match had turned out to be a draw. Interestingly enough, Rhem appeared to be particularly vulnerable to magic…

And indeed as the mare had concluded, the Draconian general was especially weak to magic. The spell should have had a minor effect, but instead left him completely limp for several minutes. All he could do was breathe…

“General?” she ventured, approaching him. “Are you all right?”

His side rose and fell as he slowly inhaled and exhaled. A couple more minutes passed until his eyes finally swiveled and his toes twitched.

While the two guards were seen to by the others, Princess Celestia shifted closer to his side, lowering her head to nose him, physically rolling him over onto his belly.

Rhem grew nervous all over again as the alicorn touched him. He felt the instinctual urge to leap away… but he couldn’t…

Though, he did start to calm down a tiny dosage as he felt her push his body onto his stomach. What was she doing? Was she helping him? Why was she helping him?

“There… I’m curious… That spell should have worn off by now…”

Narrowing her eyes, she focused the power in her horn to encompass Rhem in a bath of yellow light, dispelling the paralytic energies.

The dragon’s anxiety skyrocketed as her magic enveloped him. Panicking, he mentally yelled at his muscles to move again, and he was up on his feet, scrambling away from the equine the instant he regained mobility.

Standing a dozen feet away, he ducked into a defensive stance, staring at her with wide eyes.

The alicorn didn’t seem to be at all offended, merely dispensing a small, yet somewhat nervous, smile.

“That’s better. At least you’re able to move again.”

‘So the Draconians are weak to magic. I have to remember this…’

“Are… we finished here, Your Highness?” queried a soldier, eyeing the Draconian closely. He didn’t seem very eager to continue fighting.

“Yes. We’re done for today,” she answered as she turned to her troops, her attention predominately on the unicorn and pegasus who fought against Rhem. “Wonderful job.”

Rhem kept his bewildered eyes on the Equestrian monarch. It wasn’t until after the soldiers departed when he decided to speak to her.

“Why did you help me?”

“Why shouldn’t I have?” the princess countered with a warm grin directed at the winged reptilian. “By the way, you did very well yourself.”

“I am supposed to take care of myself,” he replied, becoming more visibly relaxed.

“Hmmm. I suppose that is true. Most fully-grown beings are expected to do that.” She nodded once, her tranquil expression never leaving. “Though, you are among friends, General. There’s no reason not to be altruistic.”

“… Friends?” the dragon pressed, knitting his scaly eyebrows together in confusion all over again.

The pony nodded again in confirmation.

“Yes. Friends. Acquaintances, individuals you trust and enjoy spending time with,” she relayed as she gazed at him, looking a little worried that he was unfamiliar with even this.

“… I… have not been introduced to that concept,” the young general revealed, taking a step closer.

“I… see…” The corners of Princess Celestia’s lips drooped into a frown. “Well… Friendship is a distinctively personal relationship that is grounded in a concern on the part of each friend for the welfare of the other, for the other’s sake, and that involves some degree of intimacy. A mutual state of affection between the two or more individuals.”

“Intimacy? Affection? I do not understand. Why would… anyone be like that?”

The young dragon was more puzzled than before, and the look on his face displayed it prominently.

“Let me turn this question around. Why would anypony NOT want to be like that? … I’m curious, really. Most your age would have developed significant camaraderie with others--perhaps even found love.”

The Draconian didn’t know how to answer. Instead, he asked another question.

“What is love?”

“Love? Well, love is… rather complicated to explain. I’m not sure I can adequately describe it in mere words. It’s a deep, powerful emotion. An immense form of attachment or attraction, or tender feeling for another individual, such as friends, loved ones, offspring, or even just… others in general.”

The dragon nodded slowly as he processed the information.

“How does one feel it? How does it develop in someone?”

Princess Celestia pursed her lips, going silent for a moment.

“I’m not certain how to answer that, General. Love is such a basic, natural emotion. I really can’t explain how one goes about feeling it… However, I suppose it develops by allowing an attachment to form. A desire to… nurture something. See it grow. Protect it.”

“So… if I formed an attachment to you, love would develop?” he queried. The draconic being didn’t know this, but he already had fashioned a sort of attachment to the equine princess after the chase around the labyrinth and again after she had helped him.

“In a manner of speaking, yes,” she said, smile returning to her features. “Love takes many forms, General. Platonic love, such as friendship, is very, very common--and it would please me greatly to be able to call you my friend.”

Again, the mare surprised him, but said nothing further on the matter and decided to change the subject.

“Why did you open up to me earlier?”

“About my sister, you mean?” The alicorn sighed lightly through her nose as her smile disappeared again. “… I’m sorry for dumping that on you, General, it’s… Well, it’s been over three-hundred years. Every single day since that, I have always thought of my sister. I love her so much… and, even now, to know that… that she’s not here, with me, where she should be… … it hurts.”

“It sounds like love has a bad side to it,” he commented, coming even closer.

“No. No, it doesn’t. Yes, love can hurt… It can leave us feeling pained, weak, or even sick… but it’s said it’s always better to have loved and lost than to have never loved in the first place.”

“You said being away from your sister hurts you… Can being away from someone cause weakness or sickness? Or are there other ways?” the general inquired, resting upon his rump a couple of feet away from her.

“Yes, and no. Emotions are… a tricky thing to explain,” Princess Celestia stated, turning partially away to direct her eyes towards a tree where a couple of birds were happily roosting against each other. “I have noticed that there are animals who stay with their partner their entire lives. Should one die… it’s not uncommon for the other to shortly join it.”

“Join it?” the reptile mimicked as he followed her gaze and observed the birds. “You mean die itself?”

She nodded.

“Yes. Some animals’ bonds of love to each other are so strong that nothing will separate them… Not even death.”

“That is strange. No one is like that in Draconia.” He paused, returning his sight to the regal pony. “… You probably already figured that out.”

“I’ve… come to that conclusion, yes,” she said after a moment elapsed, glancing over at him. “I’m beginning to suspect that Equestria and Draconia have… diametrically opposing cultures.”

“Likely… I will need to learn more about Equestrian culture. I have not seen much.”

With a smile tipping her lips, she turned fully to the dragon.

“I can teach you. Or rather, I can show you.”

Once again, she astounded him.

“You… will?”

“Of course,” the princess affirmed. “You’re young… You have a lot to learn. What would you like to know about first?”

The dragon scanned the mare’s flowing mane, a certain question burning inside of him.

“Since your mane and tail move on their own… are they alive?” he asked, his eyes rounded, showing that he was eager for a response.

Princess Celestia wasn’t surprised--she had received that question quite often, from foals both in Canterlot and in other villages that she sometimes visited.

“No, they’re not alive. I know it may appear as such. No, it’s because of my magic. Because I am an alicorn, I have far more innate power than any of my little ponies--even the unicorns, whose specialty is magic. I am capable of raising the sun and moon, and my celestial power manifests itself through my body… specifically, through my hair.”

Rhem’s fiery yellow-orange eyes inflated even wider.

“You… can actually… move the sun and moon?!”

The dragon gazed upon the alicorn with pronounced awe and admiration. Even King Talonblaze was unable to perform such a feat.

“It is a power I inherited. A deep, ancient power I was infused with long ago. Of course, I didn’t always have it--I only controlled the sun, my sister the moon. And, yet, even with those the two of us together wielded and commanded an even greater magic… the Elements of Harmony.” She offered him a strained, slightly sad, smile. “I never told you about our history, did I? About my younger sister… and how… she is no longer present?”

Rhem shook his head, obviously very interested in learning more.

“No, you did not. Where is your sister?”

Princess Celestia inhaled a small breath, looking up and over the horizon, where she would be raising the moon later.

“Imprisoned. In the moon. She was… corrupted. Consumed, by a dark presence. She proved to be a… a threat, to my subjects, that I had to stop at any cost.”

“You tore someone you love away from you… for your subjects?” he asked incredulously.

“I had no choice. Luna was… not herself. And she refused to lower the moon to make way for the sun. If she had prevailed in eternal night…” She shook her head. “… It was a painful decision, but I had to act quickly… I just…”

The mare exhaled on a forlorn sigh.

“I wish I could have saved my sister…”

The dragon wavered on whether or not to release this bit of information to the princess. He still didn’t trust her fully, but ultimately figured since she was opening up to him, it would be all right for him to do the same.

“I had to kill my siblings for my own survival.”

Princess Celestia was overcome with a pang of shock and sorrow.

“What…?” she softly said, unable to believe it at first. “… That’s… that’s…”

That was… inequine, she realized. Beyond cruel. Twisted, even.

“It’s… what?” he solicited, wanting to know what she thought of it.

“Horrible,” the pony replied. “Outrageous. Sick beyond words!”

“I suppose to you it is. It is normal in Draconia. All soldiers have to go through with it,” he began, glancing off slightly. “In order to pick the strongest out of a clutch… the entire group is trained until they reach age seven and… they are… we are… we… we have to kill each other.”

Princess Celestia looked as if she would be ill.

“That’s… that’s barbaric. How can… how?”

Her eyes went wide in aghast belief, part of her outraged--furious.

“That is just the way it is. That is the way it has always been…” Rhem huffed.

Princess Celestia paused. Studying him, she got the feeling he felt guilt and remorse for his actions… and, she had to gently tell herself that he wasn’t entirely responsible. Had he refused, she came to the conclusion that he would’ve been killed himself.

He was a strong dragon. Very strong. Very swift. Cunning. He had to be--he wouldn’t have otherwise been a general at such a young age. And he seemed to hold quite a number of regrets, though he was so naive to the ways of the world.

She carefully weighed her options. She wanted to ask him something, but she held an odd feeling she could be risking too much. The fate of Equestria could rest on that one question.

Hell, she had already taken a risk giving land to King Talonblaze. She didn’t trust him at all. The king was planning something. She could feel it.