It sounded like thunder.
Spiral raked at the ground with her forehooves, glancing back at the rest of her gathering party. Her fellow goats looked nervous, exchanging scared bleats. They shuffled, cast nervous glances towards the clear blue sky and looked ready to turn tail and run as fast as they could in the other direction.
For it sounded like thunder, but there was not a cloud in the sky. And that could only mean one thing. The shining ones, as they were coming to be known amongst the goat tribes.
The trip had began as simple round of foraging. Find food for the tribe. Bring it back. It was how their kind had always existed, using the rough mountain peaks as both home and castle and then gathering the bounty of the land. Their efforts ensured full bellies over the winter and happy kids come the spring.
But now their stores were running low all the time, overwhelmed by outsiders from other mountain kingdoms. Outsiders like the two tag alongs who had offered to join her tribemates in foraging. A light and dark coated pair of siblings that had arrived with the last group of fleeing goat-folk, bringing stories of the scaled conquerors. It didn’t help that their current foraging trip hadn’t been productive so far. The woven fiber nets they had lashed across their flanks were depressingly empty.
“We must tell the chief!” Quick Find yelped, his narrow frame shaking like a leaf in storm winds. “The shining ones come!”
Spiral licked her lips. “We...we must be sure. We can not move. Where would we go?”
“Thunder on a clear day.” Flower Finder whispered, cowering close to the ground. “Thunder roars on a clear day! The travelers say that was the sign before their tribes were taken!”
The darker coated of the visiting sisters, who was known as Dusk, nodded. “Yes...it is a sign.”
“We have to be sure.” Spiral whispered.
The five goats stood still for a moment, before looking out across the wide valley they were preparing to enter. Goats lived in the mountains. The mountains had always kept them safe, turning away lesser creatures that couldn’t handle the sharp rocks, small paths, and deep ravines.
The thunder roared again, echoing closer off the walls of the valley. Spiral winced, taking a few trembling steps forward, her hooves echoing off the the stone. She would be the brave one. She would see what approached their home and give the signal to flee if needed.
She prepared to take another step, when a horrific shriek from Flower Finder almost made her topple over her perch. She looked up, her heart sinking in her chest at what swooped in on leathery wings, and glittering golden armor.
The stories from those who had fled the other tribes were all the same. First came the thunder. Then came the fliers. They flew on wedge shaped wings of skin in place of forelegs, but their hind legs were tipped with gripping claws. And their sharp beaks stabbed and bit and tore.
A whole flock of those monsters - two dozen in all - were swarming about them now, their shrieking calls sounding so much like laughter. Green scaled ones with glittering thin golden helmets, and red scaled ones with iron helmets swooped about them.
Spiral bleated, scrambling backwards only for her hoof to catch a stone and send her to the ground as blind panic settled into her group. Quick Find whirled about and bolted, rushing back towards what he believed was saftey. He didn’t make it farther than a few steps before two of the flying monsters struck. Strong talons closed around his limbs, yanking him into the air with a panicked bleat.
Flower Finder lashed out at the monsters that swooped around her, trying to bring her horns to bear against her attackers. They moved like the rushing stream, however, nimbly avoiding the chaotic, disorganized strikes with the practiced grace of warriors. A large green one- most likely their leader- struck out with a one of its taloned feet, firmly grabbing Flower’s horn. And the sisters, they did nothing but stand completely still!
Spiral didn’t get to see what happened next as she was boldly yanked into the air. The world below turned into a dizzying swirl of color and motion. The monsters were carrying her and her friends and the strangers somewhere undoubtedly horrible. There they would most likely be tortured or enslaved or maybe even eaten!
Their captors straightened out, which did at least provide the relief of the world stopping it’s spinning. They were moving through the valley at a great speed, approaching something on the horizon. It was a great glittering monster that slowly rippled and pulled itself along the valley floor while clouds of black dots hovered above it.
What was this creature? Had the shining ones brought some kind of great monster with them? Would they be fed to beast?
It was only when they drew closer that Spiral was able to see the glittering creature for what it was. Thousands of warriors were marching northwards through the valley. There were creatures that stood on two legs with powerful hooked claws, creatures that stood on four legs with bony crests and more of the cursed fliers. Their colors were all green and red and like the raiding party, the red creatures wore armor of iron and the green creatures armor of gold.
More terrifying through were the stone creatures that stomped and flew alongside them. Solid constructions of rock shaped to match their masters, they moved along with a slow and steady motion, their size making them appear like rafts bobbing along on a river. The winged monsters adjusted course again, flying alongside the front rank of invaders, towards a section of the horde that had arranged itself in a tight square shape.
In the center of the square were others goats, mostly doesnannies and kids, who desperately ran as fast as they could to keep up with the pace of the army. They were obviously scared and tired. Who knew how long they had been forced to march.
Spiral and her companions were unceremoniously dumped into the mix, the winged warriors wheeling away without looking back. Spiral scrambled back to her hooves, only to be knocked down again by a panicked doe. She groaned, rolled over, and pushed herself back up and falling into line.
One of the two legged monsters stalked alongside the prisoners. Its scales had the red hue of the iron armored warriors, but the helmet upon its head and the rest of the armor on its body were ornate in ways that the others weren’t. A row of spikes ran down the center of the helmet, while the barding that rested across its back was etched with images of flickering flames.
And its eyes. Spiral had seen that look on the faces of wandering goat warriors who were unable to find tribes of their own. The eyes of the creature were half mad, like it was about to lose control and go toppling over the edge of sanity.
“MOVE!” She- apparently - bellowed. “Emperor Xin commands your obedience, you flea bitten mongrels! We will not fall behind because of you!”
“But-” Flower Finder began.
“SILENCE!”
Onwards they marched, the rhythmic impacts of thousands of creatures marching the only sound filling Spiral’s ears. They marched for what felt like hours, winding towards the narrow end of the valley. There sat the largest mountain of the range, the Endless Crag, a strong granite edifice that shot into the sky like a dagger.
“HALT!” The red bully snapped, holding up a clawed arm. Warrior and captives both stopped, the latter milling about in confusion while the fighters stood at perfect attention. Spiral nervously shuffled her hooves. They weren’t far from her home now. Glancing around at her surroundings, she took in the odds of her tribe being able to fight off the invasion.
They were not good.
There were so many of these invaders. They’d overwhelm the tribe by sheer weight of numbers. Her home was about to be destroyed, her fellows enslaved, and everything she had helped work towards washed away.
The soldiers before them suddenly parted, two new figures approaching. The first creature was one of the four legged, crested beasts. Green scaled and bedecked in finery, the gold and silver jewelry made him the most shining of the shining ones. Even his crest seemed to be made from gold itself and set with gems.
But it was the creature that stood next to her that made Spiral shiver. He was of the same race as the bipedal, hooked clawed creatures. But he stood much taller, his mottled, reddish-orange form looming over the his fellows. He also had no armor, only wearing golden bracelets and anklets.
The taskmaster from the march snarled again, marching through the ranks of prisoners. “Bow your heads to Emperor Xin! BOW!”
“Stay your rage Alaza,” the giant frowned. “This is not the time for ceremony.” His eyes roamed over the crowd of captured goats. “I am Xin. Lord and ruler of the Saurian Empire. As we speak, my legions are spreading across the world. All of your...rogue…” He sneered, voice full of disgust. “Mammal states will be brought into the fold. You are now part of the empire. As to why you are here specifically….”
His eyes flicked towards the mountain before them. “I intend to crush any resistance here. All shall be brought to talon. You will help ensure their compliance. You shall help ensure that no creature tries to interfere.”
“H-how?” Spiral yelped, her mouth running ahead of her mind. She immediately flinched away from the gaze of Xin. She had barely been able to choke that question out.
“Little mammal...you will find out should somecreature try anything. Pray that they don’t.”
Xin turned back towards the mountain, savoring a smile at his plan. The bleeding heart alicorns wouldn’t dare strike against his armies so long as they had hostages. They were far too...soft, for the affairs of state. That’s why he ruled an Empire and they didn’t have more than a city under their control.
“Lord Kerzog...if you please.”
The Lord of Transmutation dipped his head in agreement. “By your will, Emperor.”
Stepping forward, the whole of his crest began to glow with arcane power. The aura doubled, then tripled in size, tendrils of magic crackling and whipping through the air as they sought out the sides of the mountain. Dancing along the rock and dirt, the spell grabbed the raw material, forging it into neat and even cobblestone roads; roads wide enough for saurian columns to march, ten soldiers wide.
Xin smiled. The invasions were progressing like clockwork so far. Sarken (Lord of Enchantment) and Xanhagul (Lord of Illusion) were thrusting deeply into the deer held lands and approaching their so called “world tree”; little more than a jumped up sapling.
Meanwhile, Belimara carved into the griffin territories, using their scattered nature to pick them off one at a time. Three of the arie kingdoms had fallen already and that was just the beginning of the invasion. The weapons of the feathered barbarians shattered against the spells of the Lord of Abjuration.
Finally, far to the south, the lords of necromancy and conjuration were tasked with subjugating the zebra tribes. So far, the striped ones had been avoiding the Zartha and Erunk’s legions, but they wouldn’t be able to run forever.
Yes. The lesser races would soon know their place under the firm claws of the saurians. Order would be brought to their lands and their societies. All would be one.
Turning, he raised a clawed hand, the glow of magic flowing around it. “Citizen soldiers of the Saurian Empire!” His voice, enhanced by spell power, echoed off the walls of the valley. “Go forth and conquer in my name!”
The army roared in response marching forward with a rhythmic rumble. The hostages found themselves swept along as the army began its ascent.
“No!” Came a call from high above.
The voice had a feminine and melodic quality to it, but Xin could hear the iron resolve hidden behind that. Smirking to himself, he casually looked towards the voice, already knowing who it was.
The alicorn’s coat was white as a freshly fallen snow, her short cropped mane and long flowing tail like spun gold. The image of a rainbow shaped into a heart stood out on her flanks; easily the most ridiculous aspect of her entire species. She was flanked by two of her kin. A stallion the color of storm clouds, whose mane and tail were constantly tousled by an invisible breeze; and a mare the color of freshly turned earth with a mane the crisp green of leaves in spring.
“Ah,” Xin shook his head. “Iridia, have you come to finally surrender?”
“No,” the alicorn answered, eyes narrowed. “We have come to offer you a chance to walk away. If you return to your lands and release the creatures you have captured, this can end without coming to violence.”
“All shall be brought into the empire,” Xin responded. “Order, stability, the rule of law. These are the things needed for civilization to thrive. Not the mindless barbarism that beasts like this,” he waved a claw towards the cowering goats, “wallow in!”
“I am not here to debate your speciesist views, Xin.” Iridia glared down at him. “Your actions will have horrible repercussions! You will turn back, or we shall do what is required to stop you.”
“Hmm.” Xin frowned, shaking his head. “So be it. Kerzog? Alaza?”
“Yes?”
“Kill half the hostages. Make our position clear.”
A wild cackle escaped Alaza’s lips, flames flickering around her claws. Multiple spheres of burning stone appearing in the sky above their heads. They dropped towards the ground, screaming and crackling through the air. Kerzog’s eyes glowed, green beams of energy blazing towards the goats as well. But before the spells could strike home, the dark and light goat sisters vanished in a flash of light, suddenly replaced by a dark and light pair of alicorns.
Their horns immediately sprung to life, a glittering shield of sunlight erupting between the spell and the collection of mammals, while an ethereal moon light glow engulfed the goats. Meteors met shield with an ear ringing explosion, goats and alicorns vanishing in a brilliant flash of light.
Snarling, Xin kicked off from the ground, letting his magic carry him into the air. The other three alicorns were already diving towards his army, splitting off in three directions. He growled, twisting about and diving towards Iridia. Rapidly weaving a series of spells, a volley of blazing elemental orbs tore across the sky, raking across their bodies. The next moment he slammed into their de facto leader at top speed, using the full force of his body weight to send her crashing into the ground in a jumble of legs and wings.
Using the momentary breather to take in the results of the explosion, Xin frowned. The goats were gone, as was the dark coated, moon marked alicorn. A teleportation spell, most likely. The white coated one with the sun mark was still there, flames crackling about her body as she squared off against Kerzog and Alaza.
His troops swarmed forward, eager to get their claws on the those their emperor had deemed as inferior. The golems beared down on the flame wreathed sun bearer, heavy stone limbs lashing out in a rapid flurry. His rank and file slashed and stabbed at Iridia as she struggled back to her hooves, eager to spill her blood upon the grass.
“HAVE AT THEE!”
A lightning bolt seared across across his scales, a pair of hooves impacting with the side of his snout a moment later. Sent tumbling through the air, Xin quickly righted himself in time to see the storm-cloud colored alicorn pulling a hoof back for another strike. With a flick of a claw, Xin split, the alicorn finding himself suddenly facing down eight copies. His hoof strike passed harmlessly through one, Xin cackling as he flitted through the air.
“It was a good try at least-”
Hind hooves crunched into the tip of Xin’s snout, snapping his head back as the stallion's horn glowed with power. “Thou prattle on worse than my brother!” He mocked, lightning beginning to arc and flow around his body. “We shall break thee!”
Xin ignored the fools ranting. Calling forth a scintillating sphere of light between his claws, he whipped it towards the alicorn. Eyes going wide, he tucked his wings against his barrel and just let himself drop out of its path. With a snarl, Xin prepared to drop after him only to feel something else latch onto him from behind.
With a bright flash of light, he suddenly found himself elsewhere in the valley. Ripping away from the one who attacked him, Xin whirled about to stare down the dark coated alicorn from before, her star studded mane seeming to flow and wave under its own power. Two blades formed from moonlight were suspended in her magic aura.
“Emperor Xin.” The alicorn nodded. “My name is Luna. It’s time for your tyranny to end.”
“Luna,” Xin smiled with catlike glee. “You are welcome to try.”
With a roar, magic shot down the moon marked mammal’s horn, Xin matching it with a spell of his own. He would show this upstart why he was emperor!
“Freeze! Freeze you furry wench!” Alaza shrieked, spitting an icy cone of magic towards the sun marked alicorn. The chilling winds and razor sharp shards of ice sliced through the air, only to impact against a shield of flame that the alicorn called forth.
The shattered remains of war golems and broken saurians lay scattered all around them, felled by alicorn hooves. The sun marked one before them snorted, shaking her head as the explosion of another spell tore through ranks, where the other white alicorn battled against the army.
“Please,” The sun frowned. “You need not follow this path! There is no reason our nations can not live in peace. We could be equals.”
Alaza ground her teeth so hard that they threatened to crack. How dare this beast even hint that they could be equals, let alone propose it! Kerzog gave a dismissive snort at her side.
“Absolutely not.” He dismissed. “Mammals are here to serve us.”
The alicorn shook her head sighing sadly. “So be it.”
A spark leapt from her horn, arcing high into the sky before exploding in a brilliant flash. Then she vanished in her own flash of light, that was joined a moment later by one from the other white coated alicorn. Alaza growled, her toe claws tapping an agitated rhythm upon the ground.
“Where did they-”
An angry rumble rolled through the valley. Alaza and Kerzog looked up to see the earth colored alicorn leaping from one side of the valley and back again, over and over. With each impact of her hooves upon the stones, the mountains that surrounded the army groaned in protest. Then, with one final strike, a massive avalanche of stones was knocked loose, sliding straight towards the army.
“Ha!” Kerzog laughed, eyes wide. Slamming a foot against the ground, he channeled magic into it. With a series of loud bangs and a shower of earth, massive iron walls tore themselves from the ground, rising into the air. The flurry of rocks and dirt rang a bell like pattern against the iron walls, but they held strong. The army was unscathed.
“A valiant effort,” He cackled, sitting back on his haunches. “But futile!”
“I THINK NOT!”
Kerzog and Alaza turned again to see the storm cloud colored alicorn flying in an incredibly tight circle. The wind whipped about, coiling and building upon itself with a growing fury as it formed into a twisted funnel. As it reached its crescendo, the winds roared and howled with all the fury of an uncontrolled storm. And with a flick of his wing, the tornado was sent barreling right towards the assembled saurians.
Without a word, Kerzog reached over and touched Alaza, the pair sinking into the earth as the funnel rushed past and tore into the army. The iron walls- so adept at protecting the troops from the landside- now acted like a funnel, accelerating the winds to even greater heights.
Troops and golems were lifted from the ground and tossed about like toys in grip of an angry child. Armor, weapons and bone were shattered from the impacts as they crashed into each other, the ground, and the metal walls that had saved them just a moment before. The tornado ground its way through the army, leaving devastation in its wake, before finally dissipating at the end of the winding saurian column.
Kerzog and Alaza emerged from the ground as the former’s spell ended. The storm and earth colored alicorns landed before them with a thud, joined by the sun marked one and Iridia a moment later. Finally, with another pair of flashes, the moon marked alicorn and Emperor Xin re-appeared on the battlefield. Both were marked by fresh scars and batter marks.
The two sides stared each other down to the chorus of moans from those saurians who had survived the tornado.
“Take your wounded and leave this place.” The sun-marked alicorn spoke. “You will go no further today.”
Xin glared daggers at the alicorns. “So willing to let your enemy get up and leave, are we?”
“Your army is broken and if we press the issue, so will you.” She answered. “Do not take our mercy for weakness, Emperor.”
With a hiss through his teeth, Xin motioned for his army to fall back. This was not the spot to die on. Besides, the other assaults were still in play.
A delicate pink scaled finger, tipped with a ruby red claw, slowly traced its way down an elk’s cheek. The buff warrior didn’t flinch, or even move, the detached thousand yard stare not leaving his eyes for even a moment.
“Oh, poor dear.” Sarken purred from her perch. The elk was just one of many that were currently supporting her golden howdah, all under the grips of her enchantments. “But you’re doing such a good job!” The swiftclaw cackled, throwing herself back on the enchanted silk pillows that kept the icy north winds at bay. “I just may keep you all after this!”
To her right, Xanhagul rolled his eyes, glancing up from the enchanted map that showed their progress. The violet scaled sharpbeak stomped along with his head held high, flowing white robes hugging his slender for his species frame. “Pay attention! We’re almost at their accursed capital.”
Sarken waved a dismissive claw. His paranoia was beginning to grate on her nerves. They were backed by the Legions of Love and Pride respectively, thousands of saurians strong. And that didn’t include all of the deer kind she had enchanted to serve as extra guards. They marched at the head of the line, acting as a shield against any of their kin who got bright ideas.
Not that she was worried. Between her own enchantments and Xanhagul’s illusions, they had byassed most of the deer cities and armies that had been waiting for them.
“I look forward to turning that grand twig of theirs into a winter home.” She mused as they crested a ridge. “What kind of rugs do you think I should put in the entrance hall?”
“Quiet.” He growled, jabbing a foot at the distance. “We are here at last.”
A maze of tiered, wooden fortifications rose before them. Constructed to provide overlapping fields of fire, the ramparts were bristling with deerkin warriors and their gleaming weapons. Their expressions were dour, but that seemed to be the natural state for them in Sarken’s mind. Xanhagul looked to her, nodding his crested head.
“Go weave your magic.”
Sarken smiled, raising a hand and pointing at the walls. “Forward, my dears! Let’s have a conversation with your kin!”
The ensorcelled elk marched forward, Sarken’s opulent little lodge bobbing along on their strong backs. Exercising her mental control, she kept the warriors close to her. She could see the razor sharp javelins of the warriors already pointed her way. But they didn’t dare fire when doing so would reap such a bloody harvest among their friends.
“Defenders of the north!” She shouted, pushing magic into her words. The ears of the deer, elk and moose perked up, their eyes all locked on her as she continued to speak. “You have put up a quite an admirable defense. But that need has now passed.” Her eyes took on an eerie pink glow as she finished the enchantment. “Lay down your weapons and open the gates! Your new masters have arrived!”
The rattle of weapons on wood was music to her ears, that was soon matched by the grind of chains as the wooden gate slowly swung open. But the smile on her snout faded as the gates finished swinging open.
One of the accursed alicorns was standing there. With a butter yellow coat and light green mane and tail the smile that was on her muzzle was almost...apologetic, as magic danced around her horn. Five score, heavily armored moose warriors stood behind her, pawing the ground with an eagerness for battle.
“I’m sorry.” The alicorn smiled, before unleashing her spell.
The beam of magic struck the legion of mind controlled warriors, her enchantment spells collapsing to so much arcane dust. Sarken shrieked as the ensorceled elk that had been carrying her through the countryside, threw her from their backs. Howdah and all of its finery were sent toppling to the snow, Sarken sent tumbling snout over tail into a forest of deer legs. With another shriek, she desperately scrambled away from the angry warriors, their hooves doing their damndest to stomp her into the snow.
“Kill the witch!”
“I want her hide!”
“Break her bones!”
“Shatter her skull!”
Sarken squirmed past some of the warriors and ran as fast as she could back towards her legion. “PROTECT ME, YOU FOOLS!”
Xanhagul rolled his eyes as the Legion of Love surged forward to protect their master. A glow settled around his crest as he wove an enchantment that hung in the air between the javelin throwers on the walls and her. No javelins would increase her chances for survival, at any rate. With a twirl of his claw, Xanhagul ordered the war golems forward.
Their advance was a chorus of rumbling footsteps and the crunch of ice and snow. His heart swelled with pride as he watched the advance. A legion of the finest war golems would certainly crush the throng of deer and their fellows-
Half way across the open field that ran up to the city, the golems suddenly dropped straight through the ground, a flurry of sharp cracks ringing through the cold northern air, it sounding for all the world like they had just fallen down a cliff. But where did a cliff come from in the middle of a field?
“My, my.” A smug male voice echoed in his ears. “Your illusions are impressive.”
The whole battlefield suddenly shifted, the lord of illusion finding himself staring towards the west and a winding ravine. He blinked. They had passed its beginning miles back and had kept it resolutely on their left clawed side the entire march here. But now he was staring it down, his entire orientation thrown off by a mass of false terrain.
Another panicked screech from Sarken reached his ears and he whirled about to see what she was panicking about now, only to jump back in surprise himself. A pair of giant glowing green eyes hovered in mid air, regarding him with an air of mockery. “But mine are better.”
The eyes shimmered away, revealing a dark green coated alicorn stallion. His long black mane peeked from underneath a golden horned helmet. Grinning widely, his horn glowed, as another illusion was dispelled.
With the dismissal of the spell, a massive army of deer-kin shimmered into existence behind Xanhagul’s own, armed and eager for a fight. With a roar, they charged forward slamming into the back of the Legion of Pride, even as they desperately wheeled about to try and meet it. Another roar rose from the walls of the city, as the army there sallied forth.
As the sound of battle filled the air, Xanhagul realized a very important fact. They were now trapped.
Xin glowered at the driving rain that pattered off his scales, as if his mood alone would somehow urge the weather to change. It had been a week since the battle that had forced his ignominious retreat from the goat lands, the shattered remains of his army limping its way south, only to stop in the shadow of a different massive mountain range to sit and wait.
The reason for that current bout of sitting about was the intent to link up with what was left of Sarken and Xanhagul’s legions, both having suffered their own embarrassing defeats at the hooves of the alicorns and the other mammals they had rallied to their side.
He was alone, perched on a small rock away from the tents of the rest of the army. He needed time to think, to process that fact- on top of his own defeat.
Another twinge of pain rolled along the jagged wound that traced it’s way from his shoulder joint to the middle of his side. Luna’s moonlight blades had sliced the line across his scales during their struggle that had ended in a standstill. The rage at that still burned white hot in his chest. These...beasts...had challenged his empire! Had challenged himself!
They’d meet again, of that he was sure. He already assumed that the alicorns were tailing his forces, acting like chaperones, but also preparing themselves to strike again. Sighing to himself, he tapped his claws against the magic disk in his hand. Logic dictated that if the they had struck against two of his armies, that the rest of them would be attacked as well.
The amethyst gem set into the disk flickered to life a spell flooding through the enchanted item. An image flickered to life a moment later, another one of his lords reporting in. The lord in question was Zartha, the leatherwing lord of necromancy.
He was bowing, the tip of his beak touching the ground wherever he was.
Even amongst his fellow lords, Zartha wasn’t well liked. His devotion to death and the magical school connected to it had long since developed into an obsession for the saurian. The whispers were all the same. Zartha searched for a way to breach the veil of death and discover what was on the other side.
It was madness, of course. No creature- saurian, dragon, or mammal- had ever come close to finding a way to accomplish such a feat. Not that it stopped him from being one of the most arrogant creatures that Xin had ever met. Even the hated alicorns had a sense of proper decorum.
There was also the simple fact that delving as deeply into necromancy as he had was beginning to have a physical effect on his being. The fang like prongs that edged his beak, and ashen like quality to his scales certainly didn’t put other saurians at ease.
All of this was why the bow made Xin immediately suspicious. No doubt he had bad news.
“Report, Zartha.”
“There has been...a setback, my lord.” The necromancer responded.
“I see…” Xin sighed. “I don’t suppose you’re about to report that an army of alicorns and other mammals have routed your and Erunk’s armies?”
There was a pause for a moment.
“Not in so many words.”
Before Xin could ask a follow up question, Zartha was shoved aside by the lord he had been sent to subjugate the zebra with. Erunk was one of the few saurians that seemed capable of standing the necromancer, and even he looked livid at the moment. The light blue swiftclaw quivered in a mixture of aggravation and his usual manic energy as he jabbed a claw at Zartha.
“My lord, this fool deviated from the plan to go sifting through one of the zebra’s burial grounds! Our armies were ambushed by a red maned alicorn and her zebra allies.”
Xin resisted the urge to rub at the throbbing headache that was developing in the side of his head.
“It was vital for my research! I-”
“Quiet!” Xin snapped. “This campaign is over. Fall back to your cities. We will have to regroup and rethink.”
The lords bowed, their images fading away as the disk fell silent. With another growl, Xin got back to his feet, intending to return to his opulent tent. A lightning bolt chose that moment to split the sky, illuminating the surrounding countryside for a moment. And a few yards away from the camp, a pair of alicorns stood and watched.
Luna glared right at him. The storms winds were whipping her mane and tail about in a frenzy of movement, a cut on her cheek from their fight still evident. The sun marked alicorn from before stood at her side, looking no less determined. But then the lightning cracked again and they were both gone.
Yes. The war had just began.
Three months later….
A stack of reports- summarized from a dozens of battles and back and forth communications- rested atop the sprawling world map that in turn sat atop the wide stone planning table. Xin had read each one, and moved the stacks and markers that indicated the positions of his troops and armies.
The situation was not ideal.
The immediate counter-attack by his saurians went well enough. Rather than splitting up the replenished legions, they had grouped together and stabbed north, straight into the heart of the lands controlled by the goats and cows.
They had even successfully laid siege to, and then burnt to the ground, the largest armed settlement of goats in the mountains, most of the residents sent back south in chains. Then they had moved east, diving the cattle bands before them. Up until that point, everything had been going according to plan.
Then the alicorns struck again, producing larger spells, attacking in larger groups. And while the saurians had managed to fell a few of the beings, their furious power forced the saurians to once again retreat. And now they sat in their cities, trying to prepare for what Xin was convinced would be the inevitable counter-attack. The legions would have to be replenished from the citizenry and new golems would need to be brought forward. Kerzog was supposedly working on a whole new class of war-golems that would help turn the tide but he had his doubts that they’d be ready in time.
Xin, First and Sole Emperor of the Saurians, The Everliving Claw, hissed as a fresh twinge of pain flowed across his brow, following a fresh battle scar. He had earned that one learning the name of the white alicorn that always accompanied Luna. Celestia was her name, and the burning fires of the sun seemed to be her forte...not that she couldn’t give a brutal blow with those diamond hard hooves of hers.
But before he could continue to mull over his options, the distant sound of shouting began to float under the war room’s door. While distant at first, it quickly grew both louder and more discordant as other voices joined the first two.
“Great serpent.” He cursed, stalking for the door, “What fresh madness is this?”
The door burst open before he could reach it, his lords flooding into the room, while still carrying on their bitter debate. Zartha was at the lead, and shouting the loudest save for Belimara. The Lord of Abjuration was a sharpbeak, and much like Kerzog, had changed the nature of his crest. His was sold iron, much like his strict, military personality.
He alone seemed to realize that they had just barged in on their emperor, and snapped off a quick salute before pointing at Zartha.
“My emperor! This damned fool has brought doom upon us all! The drag-”
“Hold your tongue before I rip it out!” Zartha hissed, interrupting him. “You have no way of knowing why they attacked!”
“Oh my, yes.” Sarken dismissively waved a claw, her voice laden with sarcasm. “I’m sure that this had absolutely nothing to do with your accursed research!”
The group exploded into bitter arguments and shouting again, individual points lost in the angry chorus. Xin rubbed his fresh scar for a moment, before deciding to put a very quick end to this madness.
“SILENCE!”
Everycreature immediately did just that, withering under Xin’s gaze. With order restored, he pointed a claw at Zartha. “Explain. Why are you even here? Shouldn’t you be preparing back at Gatash?”
The saurian empire was divided up amongst the lords that controlled it, each province centered around a city. It was nice, neat and orderly. Just the way that Xin liked it. Zartha’s response to his question, however, was to cast his eyes towards the ground.
“Zartha,” Xin hissed through his teeth, “An explanation. Now.”
“Gatash has...fallen.” He eventually admitted, after several minutes of nervously shuffling from foot to foot. “A flight of dragons descended upon it and...burnt it to the ground.“
Xin blinked in shock.
“Keep going!” Kerzog snarled with a stomp of his foot. “Tell him why they visited ruin upon you!”
“They...they discovered my experiments on their remains-”
The explanation ended with Zartha slammed against the far wall, engulfed in Xin’s magic aura. The emperor bore down on his subject, a had raised in preparation to strike.
“I may have indulged your insane ideas in the past but did I not make one thing perfectly clear?”
“Y-you-”
“I made it clear that you were to leave the dead of the dragons ALONE! Temperamental! Territorial! Powerful! All of these things very adequately describe dragons, do they not?”
“Y-yes! But I was very c-careful my lord!”
Xin whipped him across the room with a gesture, letting a satisfied smirk cross his muzzle at the yelp of pain that resulted. “Then explain how they managed to find out!”
“T-the alicorns! T-they must have told them!” Zartha stammered, clutching at a wounded leg.
Xin frowned. To unleash a horde of dragons upon a city...it seemed rather bloodthirsty for the beings that had let his broken armies retreat time and time again. But another comment from Zartha pushed that thought from his mind.
“I am not the only one who failed you!” He stammered. “Alaza has lost Brakan-Zin! The alicorns drove evercreature from the city and tore it down! Scattered the stones and riches across the land! Even now her people camp in the hills, as she lies to your face, pretending that everything is fine!”
The Lord of Evocation kicked out with a taloned foot and a furious screech. “We will rebuild! It would go faster if Kerzog would spare some of his magic!”
“I am busy.” He snorted back. “Ask me again when the war is over.”
“We are going to be undone by infighting before the alicorns get to us at this rate.” Xin groaned. “How have my most skilled generals and rulers fallen into a bunch of squabbling hatchlings!”
“My lord.” Sarken answered, dipping into a courteous bow. “The truth is...morale is low across the empire. We have never experienced such resistance before. We crushed the uintatherium so easily.”
“The citizens are beginning to doubt our power.” Belimara admitted with a shrug. “Unless we do something, and soon, I fear that the legions...or what is left of them, will completely lose confidence in us.”
Xin frowned, rubbing at one of his scars. They had a point. Something needed to be done to help boost his people’s morale. But the frown quickly became a smile. He knew exactly what to do.
The thumpa-thump of drums mixed with chanting, singing and cheering, rising through the night air like a warm cloud. Pride swelled within Xin’s chest as he looked down upon his subjects from the highest pyramid of Zhalast-Zin. On those streets were the citizens of the greatest empire to ever walk the planet. Why the other races of the world didn’t wish to be part of it… Even as slaves, they would be better off. The poor, inferior misguided mammals.
He looked to the sky, where a thousand stars glittered against the black canopy. They were all beautiful in their own way, but he was looking for one in particular. One that moved along the horizon as if it had a mind of its own.
It took him a moment to locate the star in question. Vos, the Wanderer. To the saurians, it was a very important star. It had been central to their rituals and festivals since the earliest days of their civilization and his own life. It was even the basis for their calendar, as it tracked the star’s journey through the night sky.
And tonight, he was going to drag it closer to the planet; to make it larger in the night sky. The reasons for this were two fold. It would be an impressive display of power for one. After many months of defeats at the hooves of the alicorns...admittedly impressive spell power, he needed to show his people that he was still a match for them.
But there was another reason to seek the star. Amongst the commoners of the Empire, Vos was also known as the Serpent’s Eye, the window through which the Great Serpent watched over his creations.
While Xin didn’t believe that was the case, there had always been a slight uptick in his own magic when the comet did draw close to the world. And, perhaps, if he brought it even closer, there would be more power for the taking.
With a gesture, his ceremonial staff- forged from solid platinum and set with a massive diamond- floated into his hand. Facing the crowds of his saurians again, he thrust it into the air, letting a flurry of sparks shoot from his tip.
“Citizens of the Empire!” His voice boomed out, enhanced with a simple spell. “I know that we have suffered setbacks in our struggle, that it has seemed like our glorious kingdom would finally come to an end! But I shall promise you this! We shall never suffer under the dominion of the alicorns and their mammal allies!”
He paused for a moment, giving the words a moment to sink in.
“But we will be conquerors!”
He could almost feel the bones of the city shake at the resulting roar of approval. He extended his arms into the air with a smile, pushing the magical energy high into the sky. The magic flowed and crept through the sky, the night chill evident, even through his spell power. Then, as the magic closed around the comet, the individual tendrils of power latching onto it like hooked claws, the flow of power came flooding into his body.
It was an electric tingle that washed across his scales, as Vos grew larger in the night sky, a rainbow tail illuminating the streets and the faces of his subjects. Steering the celestial object with small twitches of his claws, it arced slowly over the city to appreciative “Ooohs” and “Aaahs”, Xin drinking in the magic all the while.
The tingle flowed across his scales and through his body. It was...electric. Grinning wide, he pushed his senses deeper into the comet, drawing even more magic from its-
Daggers!
A thousand daggers were slicing into his brain in pure agony. He screamed, falling to his knees, clutching at the side of his head. Images, jumbled and confused, tore through his mind, pulling him in every which way.
He was here. He was outside the deer capital. He was back in the shadow of the central mountains. He was on a warm tropical beach. He was everywhere and nowhere all at once. And it was pure agony.
Screaming was echoing in his ears now, mixed with the cacophony of stampeding feet and the growing roar of something- most likely the comet- ripping through the air. Xin pushed through the pain for a moment, rolling his eyes upwards, throwing his arms skyward again in a desperate attempt to stop the plummeting slab of black stone. But it slipped through his magical grip like water between his claws to disappear over the horizon.
The explosion hit a moment later, the sky becoming a mix of reds, yellows, the grey of smoke and raining chunks of burning rock. Then the shockwave blasted Xin backwards, a roiling, churning rush of ash and heated air sweeping over the city.
Raising a hand, a weak shield flickered into being around his body. And then the cloud was upon him, smashing into the arcane barrier with a primal, unleashed fury. The magic fluctuated and cracked as Xin strained to funnel magic back into the spell.
“No, no, NO!” He snarled, matching his will against the will of the universe. For a moment, the shield seemed to stabilize. But then, with a massive crack-snap, it tore to pieces and the flames came crashing in, the world disappearing in darkness and heat.
The sensation of spears poking his side that was the first thing Xin recognized as he returned to consciousness. He was laying on his stomach, knocked to the ground from the wall of burning ash and soot. A groan turned into a hacking cough as a searing pain lanced through his chest. It hurt to breathe, his lungs presumably charred from the heat of the impact.
With shaky arms, he tried to push himself to his feet, only to collapse to the ground again. The spears prodded him again.
“Emperor...you need to get up.” A gruff voice ordered.
“Do not coddle the idiot!” A different, but familiar voice snarled.
“K-kerzog?” Xin croaked, looking towards the voice. “What?”
A blow struck him across the face, snapping his head back and sending a fresh flood of pain through his body. With his eyes fully open, the devastation of Zhalast-Zin was evident. Where once glittered pyramids, accented with gold and silver, now was a grey wasteland of dark spires. Ash- easily a few inches deep- covered everything. Once glorious looking murals were cracked and scorched from the heat of the blast. And the streets. Streets that teamed with life before were now almost empty and quiet as the grave.
Kerzog, snorted, motioning to the two swiftclaw guards that had their spears resolutely pointed at him.
“Take him. He will not resist. His spirit is broken.”
Xin opened his mouth to argue, to demand that they stop. He was the Emperor! His word superseded any commands given by his lords, or their soldiers. But the words would not come. He couldn’t make them come. There were no explanations. No possible sentence he could construct to blunt the devastation that surrounded them.
The chill of cold iron clamped around his wrists, the two smaller saurians grunting as they strained at the chains to pull their larger ruler to a standing position. Xin stumbled forward, letting them lead him on while he continued to stare at the ruins of the once gilded city of Zhalast-Zin.
Being dragged through the streets did give Xin a more nuanced view of the destruction. Here and there he could see saurians picking through wrecked buildings, or doing their best to sweep the ash away. Most didn’t bother to look his way, locked in their own struggles at the moment. The few that did bother to turn their eyes upon him though…. Some looks were angry, their eyes full of an unmitigated loathing. With others, it was disbelief and sadness. Maybe even betrayal.
After a long and winding path, they were approaching what was originally the main marketplace of the city. Now it seemed more the site for an execution. A large platform had been set up in the middle of the square, and a second one on top of that. The magic swirling around the smaller of the two platforms was obvious, even without a detect magic spell. The more bizarre thing though, was the carved stone pillar. It had been carved in his likeness.
Saurians gathered and perched in the square, all turning to regard Xin at once as he was lead forth. And then the roar of fury echoed from the crowd, insults flying fast and thick. They wanted his head. Once again, he tried to summon up the urge to resist, to shout and yell at everycreature around him. But, what was there to say? His citizens were thin...emaciated. Some didn’t look like they had eaten in weeks.
This was all his fault.
Shoved onto the smaller of the two platforms, he was chained and lashed to it in quick order. Only when he was secured, did Kerzog and the rest of his lords step forward.
“They’ve been waiting for this for weeks, you know. That’s how long you were unconscious there. Your divine greatness at work?”
Xin said nothing.
“You have dealt The Empire a grievous wound my lord.” Kerzog sneered, glaring right into Xin’s eyes. “Well done.”
“Kerzog-” Xin spoke up.
The lord of transmutation snorted, his crest beginning to glow with arcane power. “No! No excuses, no apologies! You dragged us into a doomed war, and now you may have killed us! Face your fate with some dignity, my lord.” He spat.
“What are you doing?”
“You will see.” He smiled. “You will see...everything.”
Lightning jumped from crest to platform, and Xin was swallowed by light….
Author's Note
One internet cookie to whoever can guess what book I'm referencing with this title!
Like I mentioned in the description, this was originally written for one of the Lunaverse's writing events. Ended up kind of sitting on my hard drive for a little bit as I worked on some other things, thusly completely missing the deadline of the event.
...This seems to happen with me and writing events at times. :P
Still, it's up now, so I hope that everyone will enjoy!
….for it to fade a moment later, revealing an empty stone room as silent as the grave. Blinking, he took in the emptiness, utterly perplexed. Hadn’t he been in the market square just a moment ago? The carved statue that had been at the site of his...punishment? Failed execution? Whatever it was, the statue was set up behind him, on a raised half of the floor. It took a few moments for the saurian to realize where he was. He was in the Zhalast-Zin throne room. A thousand meetings and petitions had played out in this room.
Time had obviously passed. Dirt and other debris littered the floor, the marks of animal tracks visible in some places. There were even a collection of jungle vines creeping their way past the entrance threshold.
Confused, but curious, he strode for the exit, intending to examine the city and discover what exactly had happened to the city and his subjects. Drawing close to the doorway provided him a sweeping view of what was once the richest, most glittering city in the empire. The jungle that once been cleared away from the city had encroached in again, pressing right up against the walls. It looked like fifty years of growth, easily. The streets and buildings also looked quite deserted. The saurians were gone. At least from here. Not that he could really blame them in light of a comet strike.
Still, he needed to discover what happened to his empire, and his very traitorous lords. With the cities of transmutation, necromancy and evocation lost, the nearest city would be Belimara’s. Best to get moving.
But as his leg crossed the doorway, the whole limb...unraveled, falling apart into ghostly mist. He froze, eyes wide. The limb was gone…at least visibly. But he could still feel it. It was still there. He was pretty sure at least. Pulling his leg back, he breathed a sigh of relief as it solidified back into existence.
Glancing back at the statue, he wove a slight enhancement to sense out the magic in the room. Identify the source, identify the type, then deduce the nature of the trap that had him bound here. He could recognize the magical signature of each of his lords on the enchantment. It would figure that they worked together on whatever this madness was. Transmutation was obvious...though he wasn’t sure how it was being used in this context. Necromancy was also present. That was most likely how he was bound to the statue itself. Abjuration to make it supernaturally tough, and resistant to the ages, obviously. The presence of enchantment was rather odd though. Poking deeper into the joint spell, he was quickly able to work out at least part of its nature. He was bound to it, unable to wander too far without...some manner of consequences. The question was what that effect was.
But until he worked out what it was, and how to defeat it, he was stuck in this building. Perhaps even this room.
“...Damn it.”
“Two thousand four hundred and eighty five, two thousand four hundred and eighty six, two thousand four hundred and eighty seven…” Xin droned onwards.
Emperor of the Saurians, master of the half the known world, arcane savant, equal of the alicorns....reduced to counting how many bricks were in the walls out of sheer boredom. For the fiftieth time. He had never really considered just how many bricks went into construction a pyramid like this. There were over ten thousand everytime he did the count. He had explored the rooms of the building, just as many times, and found them either empty or half collapsed with rubble.
He had also taken to reciting ancient Saurian poetry, trying to remember every recipe he had ever cooked or eaten and trying to solve complex math equations in his head. Anything and everything to pass the time when he wasn't trying to solve how to sever himself from the statue. Alas, much to his growing frustration, his underlings might have finally surpassed their ruler. For no matter how much he poked at the enchantment, he couldn't figure out how to break the enchantment without killing himself in the process.
He spared a glance towards the doorway. Perhaps it was time to just throw caution to the wind and see what happened when he stepped past the threshold. Certainly, whatever the result was, it would be more interesting than counting the stones for the nth time. Turning away from the wall, he walked to the doorway and looked out at the city again. Still as ruined as the last time he looked at it, the jungle had crept forward some more, pushing its way through the walls and beginning to overgrow the streets itself.
How long have I been here? He thought, squeezing his eyes closed. Years? Decades? Centuries? Is there anyway to tell anymore?
With a sigh, he opened his eyes again, only to blink at an odd sight. Something was moving through the ruins of the city. Curious, he watched from his perch, the shapes growing larger as they moved closer, eventually beginning to ascend the winding ramp of the central pyramid. A smile cracked his muzzle as they came fully into view, stopping just outside the doorway.
It was a group of Saurians. Perhaps about twenty- a mix of swiftclaws and sharpbeaks- tired looking, and battered creatures. But they were alive and their eyes lit up when they saw him.
“Emperor!” The lead of the group- an elderly swiftclaw with pale green scales- shouted, dropping into a hasty bow. “You do still live!”
“In a matter of speaking.” Xin smiled. “You are the leader of this band? What is your name?”
“Shalendar, emperor.”
“It is...good to see you. Truly.” Xin smiled a little wider. “I haven’t seen anycreature since the comet fell. Which city do you hail from?”
“Much has changed, my emperor.” Shalendar winced. “They are all gone. The struggle against the mammals has not gone well.”
That news was...surprising. “We still war against the alicorns?”
“They are...gone. But we have continued against the others! We came to find you! We need our emperor back to lead us into battle once more.”
“And how many saurians await their leader once more?” Xin asked.
Truthfully, he had no desire to fight the mammals. At least, not yet. He needed to get his own house back in order first. And that would involve finding with the traitors that bound him to this statue.
...Oh yes, the statue. They’d have to take that with them, since he still hadn’t found a way to break the binding yet…
“Twenty five, my lord.”
Xin’s head snapped back around at that comment. “Excuse me?”
“There are twenty five back in our village. They are all ready to fight. Right down to the hatchlings.”
Xin stared for quite a while before answering. “A-are you serious?”
Shalendar fell to his knees. “I-I am sorry my lord! The world has changed, and so many of us have died-”
“Then why are you fools still fighting!?” Xin roared. “Twenty-five?! That’s all you have?” He demanded of his now quavering subjects. “Are there any other villages nearby? Prisoners in the mammal lands?”
“We-we do not know!”
“Then forget the war.” Xin frowned, tapping his killing claw off the stones. “We need to consolidate. Bring your people here. The city is safe...relatively. We’ll need to begin searching for other survivors as soon as poss-”
They were staring at him now. Their eyes...accusatory.
“After everything we've fought and struggled for,” Shalendar hissed. “We’re supposed to set things aside?”
“If the alternative is extinction, then yes!”
“You said we’d be conquerors!” One of the younger ones shouted.
“Through the war, you told us never to give an inch of quarter to those inferior gnats!” Another added in.
“I…this...” Xin gaped, stuttering over his words. “We weren’t supposed to lose! How many nations had we crushed before? How many slaves had we brought back?” Indignation turned into an angry screech. “I broke the High Juggernaut of the uintatherium with my own two claws, and bound his people to our service! We built cities, roads, magical constructs the envy of the world! Our legacy can not- will NOT, end with us bleeding out upon the weapons of those unfit to stand as our equals!”
All was quiet, the band of travelers staring up at him with wide eyes. Then Shalendar spoke.
“All of that is gone. The cities are gone. The roads are gone. The legions are broken and the war golems lay shattered upon a thousand battlefields. I haven’t seen some of our slave races since I was a much younger saurian.” He shook his head, sighing deeply. “And I, for one, would rather bleed out, than fade away.”
“I am still your emperor! I am commanding you!”
Each one of them shook their heads, then turned away, beginning to walk back the way they came. Xin snarled, an angry twitch developing in his right eye. “Don’t you walk away from me! I am the Emperor! You are my subjects! YOU ARE HERE TO DO WHAT I COMMAND!”
But they ignored his cries, continuing on their path. Once more, he was alone.
Time had once again become a chaotic flow and jumble for the ex-Emperor of the saurians. The jungle continuing is inexorable march through the streets of the once mighty metropolis, with more and more of it swallowed each time he bothered to check. The occasional intrusion by tropical birds, small critters and buzzing insects had become welcome breaks from the monotony of it all.
Visits from a few other groups of saurians had gone much the same as the first. His subjects...his former subjects...all they wanted to do was to lash out in anger. No amount of threats, pleading or begging could convince them otherwise. All of those thoughts clashed with memories of the past as he perched at the edge of the room, taking the count of the of the jungle’s progression this time.
As these things were considered, however, the former emperor felt a strange tugging sensation upon his being. He looked to the horizon, the sensation seeming to call him in that direction, urging him to take the plunge and leap from the room and see what effect leaving the building would have. Would he fall apart completely? Be a hidden spirit for the rest of existence? And would that somehow be worse than what he was now?
After sitting there and considering these questions for what felt like quite a while, he got to his feet took a deep breath, and stepped through the doorway. There was the flush and tingle of magic upon his body as he became insubstantial, and invisible. But he still felt...there, for the lack of a better term. Unable to be seen, perhaps, but still quite present and able to think. Facing the horizon, he nodded to himself and with a thought, rushed through the sky towards whoever, or whatever was calling him.
The world passed by under his ghostly form in a blur, the miles melting away at the sheer speeds he was traveling. In what would have been a few heartbeats before, he was on another continent, near a bustling seaside village in the waning hours of dusk. Landing silently, he walked into the town, observing the buildings intently as he walked. Built with rough stone walls and quaint little roofs of thatch, they made him wonder what exactly had called him here. At least, until he saw one of the doors open and its resident step out.
For a moment, he thought that he was looking at a young alicorn. She certainly had the horn, and the requisite picture on her flanks; hers was a dolphin, that stood out clearly from her light blue coat. But her muzzle wasn’t the right shape and no wings marked her body.
“What are you?” He muttered, following close behind as she trotted her way towards the shore.
Following along behind her, the sound of music filled his ears the closer to the shore they drew. Stepping onto the beach, he paused at the massive festival that was unfolding on the sand before him.
Long poles had been driven into the ground, running all the way down to the water line, with just as long strings of paper lanterns run between them. Tables loaded with the bounty of the earth and sea were set in a line along the edge of the beach. What probably stood out the most, however, were the three giant ships that were sitting just barely out of the ocean, obviously ready to be launched. The...not-alicorns- he guessed- were dancing and celebrating their accomplishment.
He strode amongst the equines, sneering at their joy. A race of beings that didn’t even exist in the world before were getting to enjoy a festival, while his own race had faded away into the mists of history?
“What kind of supreme power would condone such irony?” He bitterly sighed.
A winged not-alicorn was clambering onto a sizeable boulder that rested in the middle of the party grounds, raising his hooves above his head to grab the crowds attention.
“My fellow ponies,” he began, proving that the permanent translation charm Xin had woven on himself had survived his ghostly transition.
But whatever the pony was going to say, for whatever purpose they had constructed these boats, Xin would never know. For the land rumbled and convulsed in one sudden movement, knocking ponies to the ground, and toppling the lantern poles. Another rumble followed right on the heels of the first, louder and stronger this time.
Xin recoiled- more out of instinct than anything else- from the earth that was unzipping behind him. A wall of rubbery flesh exploded from the ground, going up and up and up, as it reached for the stars above. Xin stared, slack jawed, as he took in every inch of the bladed tentacle that whipped through the night sky.
In his long life and role as the emperor of the saurians, Xin couldn’t remember once being scared. His power, his skill at weaving magic, the fact that he had just gone on and on, ever living, never slowing. All of those things made him powerful, and that power had left him quite unshakeable. Even the all mighty alicorns, with their raw magical might hadn’t been able to drive fear into his heart.
But here, despite his incorporeal nature, he felt the icy grip of dread. For he knew that he was staring at one of the elder things that gnawed at the roots of the world. One of the monsters that was already ancient when he was just a hatchling. And in that moment, his antipathy and hatred towards mammal kind was forgotten. He spun about, staring at the ponies who were just as locked in fear as he had been a moment ago.
“RUN!”
He had no idea if they actually heard him, or if they had just come the same conclusion but with a mass shriek of panic, they took off, running every which direction. The tentacle toppled backwards, a whole row of houses shattering to matchsticks as its bulk slammed to the ground. Another round of screams rose from the ponies, being matched by others further down the beach.
More tentacles were joining the first, punching their way from the ground and sea in showers of sand and saltwater. And each one would then coil inward, wrapping their putrid flesh around the land. And as they pulled tighter the land began to sink, the sea rushing forward to swallow the island whole.
The panic grew, ponies rushing back and forth between the tentacles and the sea. Growling, Xin faced the nearest tree like appendage, spell power arcing from claw to invisible claw. He may have hated mammals, but this...thing was horrific.
The magic grew and doubled, Xin twisting and forging it into a spell of destructive power. A meteor swarm would do the trick for an opener. Burning chunks of rock shimmered into view above his head, the crackling roar of their flames dancing in his ears. Throwing his hands forward, he launched the spells at the offending appendage.
Fire and concussive force swallowed the tentacle, the raw magical power raining down upon the monster. But the wide grin that had formed on his muzzle vanished as quickly as it appeared when the light faded. The tentacle was untouched. The sand around the tentacle wasn’t even disturbed! With an enraged snarl, he rained more magic down upon it, throwing spell after spell in a flurry.
But each spell was as useless as the last, the beast continuing to pull the pony island into the sea. In desperation, he turned towards a group of the panicking ponies and threw his magic forward again. Coiling it into a loose shovel shape, he tried to gently scoop the ponies up and out of harms way. But just like the attacks, his efforts passed right through them.
“So,” he whispered. “That’s what they did to me.”
The ponies were rushing to the boats now, others flipping over tables, grabbing pieces of wreckage. Anything that could float in an attempt to escape. Xin blinked, watching their desperate flight for a few minutes. Then he turned away. There was nothing he could do. Here or anywhere.
Leaving the ponies to their fate, he turned and flew over the horizon.
He took to wandering after that.
He wasn’t even sure why, really. He visited the sites of the former cities of his empire, but there was nothing there, of course. It was easy to lose track of time and he quite often found himself staring at the night time sky, wondering just how many days had passed since that horrible display at the beach.
Eventually though, the tugging sensation from before returned. He steadfastly ignored the niggling itch in the back of his head...at first. But as he stood on the empty grass hill where Alaza’s city once rose, his curiosity began to win out. There wasn’t anything to see where he was now, after all.
The world once again flew past in a blur. The sheer speed at which his ghostly form could travel was one minor perk of the state, he was forced to admit, and within a short matter of time a picturesque valley came into view. A line of brightly colored creatures were slowly making their way inside, so he dropped down to take a closer look.
He was somewhat surprised to see a collection of the same pony creatures from before. Carrying everything they had on their backs, or in crudely constructed sleds, they wound their way out of a scattered tree line, plunging into the lush landscape ahead of them. But what stood out to him all the more, was the pair sitting under one of the nearby trees.
The first was another one of these pony creatures. A pale violet in color, she was one of the horned ones. A happy smile played across her muzzle as she watched her fellow ponies trot into the valley. But sitting next to her was the real shock.
A swiftclaw, bowed and stooped from age, sat there. Time had left his formerly red scales pale and dulled, his flesh and skin pulled tight across his bones. A pipe was clutched in his claws. Claws that shook slightly, even when he was sitting still. But, despite his run down appearance, the old saurian seemed happy, smiling just as wide at the other ponies.
“Have I thanked you yet?” The pony asked.
“Only a dozen times.” The saurian croaked. “And you still don’t have to. I was happy to help.”
“Oh yes.” She laughed. “The old timer, leaving his hut, leading us over hill and dale to a new home. Perfectly normal.”
They shared an appreciative chuckle at that joke, but the unicorn couldn’t help but glance at her companion’s shaky hands.
“You really shouldn’t have though. I know that it’s been a strain-”
“Bah.” He waved a dismissive claw. “What else was there to do? Sit in my hut until I waste away? Waiting for another one of my kind to show up?” He shook his head. “No. At least this way, I got to see the world one more time.”
“You sure you don’t want to come with us?”
“These old bones are fine where we are.” The saurian smirked. “Now go.” He waved a claw. “Your people need you. Follow the river for a bit. We scouted out the area for another city before the war. Should still be good.”
“Thank you, Zaltic.” The pony smiled. “We’ll remember you, write about you-”
“Please don’t.” He snorted. “There are no more saurians anymore. Just...let the memory fade.”
“But...what should we say about you?”
“Lie.” Zaltic shrugged. “Leave me out. Say I was a pony. Call me a dragon for all I care. Just let the saurians pass.”
“You’re a crazy, stubborn old fool.”
The proclaimed stubborn old fool reached over with a shaky hand, lightly bopping the unicorn on the head with his pipe. “I’m over a hundred and fifty years old. I’ve earned that right. Now, you fool of a pony, off with you. Ponyland will rise again but only if you’re willing to put in the work.”
The unicorn sighed, horn glowing as magic lifted a bag of supplies. “I’ll come back later, okay?”
With that, she trotted off to join her fellows, leaving the old saurian to slowly pack tobacco into his pipe; though the shaky nature of his movements disturbed the efforts, leading to great clumps falling to the ground.
“Blast.”
But as he reached for the spilled tobacco, it was suddenly lifted into the air by a golden light. While the fibers were neatly tucked into the his pipe, Zaltic turned towards the treeline, where two creatures that Xin couldn’t have wished to see less were standing. Alicorns. The light and dark colored sisters from the war. It was the white coated one who was filling the pipe, providing an infuriatingly motherly smile.
“Thank you Zaltic.” She nodded. “My sister and I appreciate your assistance.”
“The pleasure is mine.” He responded, holding his pipe up. “But might I trouble my arch nemesis for a light?” He smiled.
With a twitch of her eye, a spark leapt from alicorn to pipe. Zaltic took an appreciative puff, holding the smoke for a moment, before exhaling a large billowing smoke cloud. “Ahh...much appreciated.”
The dark coated one cast her gaze at the retreating forms of the ponies. “It is good to see them safe again.”
“You could have come out and lead them yourselves you know.”
“We...aren’t sure if it is the right time for us to reveal ourselves.” She frowned, wings twitching. “We...thank you for being our intermediary.”
“It’s quite already. Lucky that you two knew about this valley.” Zaltic commented, taking another long drag. “Heh. ‘We scouted the area out.’. That was a good one. Xin just decided where we set up cities, the dead fool. Least that’s what my grandfather told me.”
“Careful.” The light coated one tisked. “Aren’t you speaking treason?”
“And if Xin can pull himself back from beyond death to strike me down for that, then more power to him, if he was ever real in the first place. Though, if you are-”
A series of hacking coughs interrupted his rant but in an act of supreme defiance, once he caught his breath, he went right back to chewing on the pipe.
“Feh. It’s not like I’m going to be alive much longer anyway. Glad I could go out doing something...good. Now,” He grunted, sitting up a little taller. “Don’t you immortal types have more important things to do? Other creatures to save? I’m just going to sit here and smoke.”
The white coated alicorn frowned, staring out across the valley. “Are you quite sure that you don’t want to look for more of your kin?”
“Celestia...Luna, I searched for half my life,” He grunted. “Never found a thing except for legends from those we oppressed. ‘Don’t go past the village after dark, or the shining ones will get you.’ ‘Don’t back talk your parents or the shining ones will get you.’” He shook his head, giving another derisive snort. “It’s over. We had a...good run, I guess.”
Again, the old saurian returned to puffing on his pipe. “If you should be looking for any lost creatures, shouldn’t you be looking for your own kin?”
Celestia- at least Xin assumed the sun marked one was Celestia- chuckled with an infuriatingly ethereal quality. “I believe that, in our case, if our alicorn brothers and sisters do not wish to be found, they will not.”
Quiet settled across the group again, Xin shooting his angriest glare at the back of Zaltic’s head. What did he know about what he had to deal with as Emperor? Everything he had done for his subjects? But none of them could see his fuming, and the alicorns nodded.
“Very well,” Luna commented, spreading her wings. “It is your decision. Farewell, last of the saurians.”
Both alicorns took to the air, rapidly putting the valley behind them as they vanished over the horizon. Xin glared at them as they left, before sighing and looking back at the- supposed- last of the saurians. The old timer continued to puff away on his pipe, seeming rather content to watch the scenery and the world pass him by. Everything that had been part of his civilization was gone and he was happy.
He watched the saurian sit and smoke for hours, a few hacking coughs interrupting his efforts every now and again. It was approaching late afternoon by the time he finished his rather impressive supply of tobacco. Then, he slowly, shakily and resolutely cleaned out his pipe with a stick, the scraping sounds echoing through the edge of the forest. With a few experimental puffs to clear the remaining soot from the instrument, Zaltic carefully- almost reverently- placed the instruments on the ground next to him.
He leaned back against the tree, a tired sigh escaping his muzzle, his eyes beginning to flutter closed. Another cough wracked his emaciated form, his limbs growing slack and falling to his side. Laughing, he looked to the sky and the warm sun that was beginning to slip over the horizon and spoke once more.
“Luck to you all...you crazy, crazy world.”
With that, the eyes of the last saurian closed and he exhaled once more, his body growing still. Xin stared, a burning, empty sensation settling over him. This was how it ended, it seemed. The last of his kind, dead on a hill, while the mini-alicorns trotted off to start all over again. Part of him wanted to scream at the indignity of it all. How it was unfair that these ponies had managed to survive the destruction of their homeland, but the saurians hadn’t.
But...he couldn’t.
No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t call forth the rage and resentment. The empty feelings that had settled on him earlier were like a smothering blanket, quashing the anger before it could get going. Because, as much as he wished to deny it, as much as he wished it wasn’t true, there was one fact echoing in his head that just would not go away.
This is all my fault.
He was the one who had pushed the alicorns into responding with his expansionist practices. He was the one who had called down the comet. He was the one who had pushed such “all or nothing” worldviews upon his creatures, that most had been unwilling to stop fighting. He- not the mammals he had sought to add to the Empire, nor the alicorns that had fought to stop it- had been the one that killed his race.
Looking back to Zaltic’s still form and the peaceful smile that, even now, was still locked on his muzzle. There was no real reason for him to be here anymore, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave the body outside like so much garbage, either. There had to be some way-
The sound of hoof beats on the ground signaled the return of an equine, the unicorn from before running straight through Xin’s incorporeal form.
“Zal! You were right! It’s a perfect spot!” She cheerfully called, rushing to his side, seemingly oblivious to his fate. “We already started building and-”
It was then, upon placing her hoof on Zaltic’s shoulder, that she realized his condition. Her whole body sagged with sadness, even her ears and tail drooping to match the somber expression that played across her face. Without a word, her horn glowed, the magic engulfing the dead saurian in its pale pink light.
Turning, she made for the valley and presumably the burgeoning settlement her kind was constructing.
“You poor old hermit,” she tisked, pausing only to wipe at her eyes. “Well, I’m not going to leave you like this.”
Xin watched them go, the pair disappearing deeper into the valley. For a few moments, he hesitated, mind torn between returning to his empty pyramid and seeing what they were going to do to Zaltic’s body. Eventually, however, the latter desire won out and he flowed after the unicorn.
The settlement was hardly impressive. No more than a few half completed buildings tossed up near the lazy bend of a river, and a collection of tents that served as the main shelter a few feet away from them. A large group of the ponies were sitting before the tents, watching the sun set and relaxing from a long days work.
“Get the shovels.” The unicorn called out. “We have a burial.”
“Twinkleshine? What-” One of them began, only to fall silent at the sight of what she carried.
“Come on.” Twinkleshine snorted. “We owe him a proper grave at the very least.”
A group of ponies- lead by a pair of strong looking stallions- got up from their rest, grabbing tools before swarming after Twinkleshine. She made for a small hill perhaps a dozen yards to the north west of the buildings, Xin following along again. There, the ponies set to work with shovel and pick, while another one began to carve words upon a plank of wood taken from their camp. The hole grew with great speed from the number of hooves working on it, becoming a proper grave in short order.
The one called Twinkleshine was saying something as Zaltic’s body was slowly laid to rest, but Xin couldn’t hear it. He was more shocked at how disappointed and sad the ponies looked. What had the old saurian done to earn their devotion? There had to be more to it than just leading them to a new home. The question swirled about in his mind, slippery and elusive like an eel. It wasn’t until the ponies began to break up that he snapped out of his reverie.
The carved board had been buried into the ground, forming a crude headstone over the fresh grave. Xin floated forward, peering closely at the words etched into the wood.
Stalwart Spirit
A True Friend
Xin gazed at the gravestone for a long time, before finally turning and flowing away.
Returning to his ruined city and his pyramid, the flow of time continued to weather upon the ghostly saurian emperor. He had lost track of the era by now, given up on counting the bricks or reciting or anything else. Every day he just sat in the empty throne room, alone with his thoughts, analyzing and re-thinking every decision he had made during his long life.
Which, in many ways, was easier said than done. Xin was- to his knowledge at any rate- immortal before being bound to the statue that now served as his prison. The steady march of the years had done its job making his youngest life and the details surrounding it a blurr.
For example, he truly had no idea why he was so much larger compared to other swiftclaws, or why his magic power far outstripped his kin. He also had no real idea why he had never encountered an equivalent to himself among the sharpbeaks or leatherwings. He had theories, admittedly, but as those had lead him down the “immortal god ruler” path. And that had worked out so well. And now, as was perhaps inevitable for a creature as long lived as he, things were becoming all the more muddled; harder to separate details from general impressions.
“What...are you?”
And now he was hallucinating. A great grey beast stood in the open doorway, two lines of three knobby horns set over a tusked maw. It was one of the uintatherium. One of his empire’s slave race that had, somehow, managed to survived. If it was real, which Xin was quite sure he wasn’t. It stared at him in confusion, which just infuriated the former ruler all the more. With a surge of motion he lept across the room, screeching as loud as he possibly could.
The uintatherium turned tail and ran back out the door, Xin grinning as he stalked back to his moping point.
“My, this is unexpected.” Came a new voice from the doorway. He turned, seeing a white coated alicorn hallucination.
“What diseased corner of my mind are you supposed to represent? Mammals coming to torment me?”
The alicorn blinked, but seemed more bemused at his stance than anything else. “Last I checked, I was not a...hallucination.” She commented, voice light and cheerful. “Luna! I found somepony.”
A moment later, she was joined by a dark coated alicorn whose mane flowed like the night sky. An alicorn that triggered dark memories in the back of the emperor’s mind.
“You,” he growled, pointing a shaky claw at Luna. “I remember you...both of you! We fought...in the mountains.”
Luna stomped forward, wings flared wide, magic already flickering to life around her horn. “A fight that I am quite prepared to fight again! We do have unfinished business, do we not?”
A wicked grin crossed the emperor’s muzzle. Yes! This was something he could focus on! Something to do besides mope about the past! Spreading his arms wide, magic began to dance from hand to hand, coiling and twisting around his claws.
“That we do, Luna! I shall flay the flesh from your bones! I shall reduce your miserable hide to ash! I am the first and only god-king of the Saurian Empire! All are like gnats compared to my power! You have made a grave-” But as fast as the euphoria had surged, it drained away. He let his spell end, arms falling to his side. “Oh, just forget it.”
Luna, who had already been preparing to attack, stopped mid rear. She shoot a glance towards her sister that almost screamed “now what”, as the emperor stomped back over to his statue. Celestia gave a shrug, just as confused as her sister.
“Well?” He waved a claw. “Get on with it. You’ve come to destroy me, right? I certainly won’t bother to stop you.”
Luna’s eyes narrowed. “This is a trick.”
“I don’t have the energy or desire to throw any traps right now.” The emperor snorted. “So, either do the deed, or kindly piss off and leave me to my misery.”
“As you wish.” Luna responded with a curt nod, the glow returning to her horn.
“Luna…” Celestia interrupted. “Perhaps you could check on our guests? I would like to speak to the Emperor.”
“Sister?”
“Trust me.” She smiled. “Please?”
Luna’s eyes flicked from saurian to alicorn, before she let loose a snort. “Very well.” She leaned in very close to the ghost emperor’s muzzle. “But a fair warning. If you hurt my sister, the agonies I will inflict upon your being will make you beg for death.”
With that, she turned on her hooves and stomped out of the room. Celestia chuckled, her own horn glowing. A collection of cups and a simple warm kettle appeared with a poof, the alicorn sitting down across from the emperor. Maintaining her aura of grace, poise and kindness, she poured two cups of warm golden-brown liquid.
“Tea?” She offered.
“....Are you mocking me?” The emperor’s eyes narrowed.
“No. I’m offering you tea.” She commented, giving her own cup a slight sip. “You should have some. It’s really quite good.”
“I’m a ghost.” He deadpanned.
“It’s still a matter of hospitality.”
“It’s my pyramid!”
Celestia smirked. Xin glared.
“It appeared,” She continued. “That you just tried to commit suicide by alicorn?”
“Maybe.”
“Why?”
“Don’t insult me with that question!” Xin snapped. “Everything I have ever built, every creature I ever looked over and protected? It is all gone!”
“Ah.” Celestia blinked. “So that’s what you called it?”
“What?”
“The war where you attacked every creature around you. Protection.”
“Oh, please.” Xin rolled his eyes. “Civilization requires order. Order leads to stability, stability leads to civilization, civilization leads to culture! It’s a simple idea! Even hatchlings in the empire understood it!”
“What about the foals and calves of the races you enslaved?” Celestia countered. “Your words, while containing a certain logic, are just that. Words. You conquered and enslaved.”
“It was-”
“And please,” she snorted, before stealing another sip of tea. “Spare me the ‘It was our birthright.’ argument. For all your vaunted superiority, you’re the one who broke the world.”
“What do you want then? To rub it in?” He hissed back. “I’ve had a great deal of time to think about it!”
“What I want, is to ask you a question.” Celestia stated. “Are you sorry?”
“...What?” Xin asked, recoiling.
“It’s a simple question. Are you sorry for what you did? Do you regret your actions? Even a little bit? For I have met some of your kin that were quite noble. Your actions have done them a disservice.”
The would be emperor frowned, focusing in on a particular flower on one of the cups. He supposed that Celestia was correct. It was a simple question when one stabbed to the heart of the matter. Was he sorry?
His mind wandered back towards the emaciated saurians he had seen cheering his own fate. They had been so...happy, to see him fall. And then there were the others, in other cities, who never heard how he was behind their decline. The ones who had probably cried out many times for their Emperor to come and save them. But no help had ever come, and they had passed into the realm of mist and legend.
“...Yes.” He sighed, after a long pause. “Yes I am.” Rubbing his head with a shaky claw, he continued. “I would give anything to bring my subjects back. They...they didn’t deserve what I did to them. I...as a sovereign...failed.”
Celestia watched him, considering his words, before finally nodding. “Admitting that you made a mistake is the first step on the road to recovery.” She smiled.
Xin tilted his head. “Recovery? What?”
“I am offering you a second chance.”
“Why?” He gaped, completely baffled by her kindness.
“Hasn’t there been enough death between our races?” Celestia asked, getting to her hooves. “Walk with me, if you please.”
Xin followed her to the edge of the room, where he stopped, looking out across his city once again. More members of the ancient slave race were mulling about the city, beginning to clear brush away and carve the trees away.
“They are the last of their kind.” Celestia explained. “Luna and I discovered them during our travels.”
“They weathered the end better than my people did.” He grumbled.
“Perhaps. But they need leadership and guidance. For all the mistakes you did make, your empire was glorious in many ways. Can you help them?”
Xin watched them work, clearing away undergrowth with a flurry of movement and rapid strokes of blades or- in some cases- using their raw strength to just rip the trees out of the ground. They threw themselves into the work with a great deal of vigor, seeming ready and willing to drag themselves back from the brink with their own four hooves.
It was...admirable, in a way.
“Why don’t you and your sister do it?”
“We have our own charges to watch over, alas.”
“Oh, please.” Xin snorted. “You aren’t actively ruling over them? How busy can you really be?”
Celestia shuffled her hooves. “Perhaps. But I am still offering you a chance to step away from the ruin you left behind. Will you take it?”
Xin considered the situation again. It would be nice to have purpose again. To see if he could avoid the mistakes he made before.
“Very well, Celestia. I’ll do what I can.”
