Golden Dawn: Dusk of an Empire

A few days passed before Rael'ia was finally able to assemble the leaders of the other Magikin in her alliance. While a couple had been close by, others had come from clear across the land. Today, they had agreed to come together and discuss their strategies at the great war table in the center of the Elven Princess's throne room. Twilight, Spike and the other ponies sat nearby on some cushions, the Alicorn showing the greatest interest in the new, strange faces she met that day. Her conjured quill scribbled furiously in her journal as she took in all she saw.

First, to Rael'ia's left sat Fairy King Zweile. Twilight had long wondered if the Fairies served a rather subservient role in the Elven Kingdom, but the Princess had assured her that wasn't the case. The Fairies once had a kingdom of their own, but due to their average height of one foot and their reliance on Arcane magic, they were largely ineffective in the fight against the Nullium-armored Humans. Fairy warriors were a rarity among them, let alone a skilled one. Yet instead of standing idly by, the Fairies volunteered to assist the other Magikin in any way they could. Their royal family had then relocated to the tree that grew out of the mountain just outside the palace, and lived in charming little treehouses built throughout its branches.

Zweile exuded a sense of poise and royalty despite his size. Sitting on a pile of gold-embroidered cushions, he wore a robe of deep purple silk and tiny white tufts of fur, with the tiniest of Magicite cabochons adorning the silver crown that sat upon his short black hair. His buglike eyes were an almost black shade of blue, light reflecting off of them with the tiniest of twinkles. Hanging from the sash around his waist was a scepter the size of a cherry, forged from silver and glowing brightly with more Magicite.

Skymaster Skrye sat beside him, having turned her chair around so she leaned forward, resting her arms on the top of its back. She was the military leader of the Harpies, an avian race that made their home in the Silent Forest surrounding Rael'ia's home. Though all Harpies had plumage rivaling the loveliest of birds, Skrye seemed to sparkle with beauty and radiance. Sky blue feathers covered the majority of her body; her face, her chest down to her inner thighs and her inner arms left tan-skinned and bare. Long white feathers grew from the top of her head like a cockatiel, falling to the left side of her head, while the rest of her scalp was blue. Her eyes, a golden amber and vertical black slits for pupils, pierced into her very soul as they had met. Due to the massive wings that grew from her arms, as well as her long, beautiful tail of white, Skrye's clothing was rather scant, consisting of little more than a beige bikini top and a similarly-colored loincloth. Magicite gemstones enchanted with Lightning magic lined the edges of her clothing, and her long, slender halberd that leaned against a distant wall sparked with blue static that harmlessly fizzled out when it came into contact with the stone.

Rainbow Dash had found Skrye particularly "cool", and chatted with her before the meeting began. From them, Twilight had gained insight into Harpy culture. Nearly entirely female, they reproduced by wandering the land until finding a suitable mate. Though compatible with most of the other races present they greatly preferred Humans, who generally fell head-over-heels in love or lust at the sight of their beauty. (These days however, due to the war, if a Harpy wanted a Human mate, they ended up abducting and raping them nine times out of ten.) After successfully copulating the Harpy would lay a speckled egg rather than a plain one, and they would return home to their elaborate nests, although they would remain with their mate if they had truly fallen in love with each other. The egg would be incubated by the mother while the entire village banded together to provide her with whatever she needed until it hatched. An especially large celebration would be thrown if the Harpy chick turned out to be a male; the birth of a male Harpy was seen as a great omen, and other Harpies would practically throw themselves at him when he became of breeding age. Twilight couldn't help but note the race as savage, given their mating practices and cannibalism involving their own unfertilized eggs, but as a sort of dignitary she kept an open mind.

Warmaster Dovah sat beside her, his size and weight nearly snapping the chair's legs right off. The warchief of the Orcs struck an imposing figure, standing nearly nine feet tall and covered in muscle. He had skin the color of moss, black hair cut short in a militaristic style, his bottom canine teeth were as large as dragon claws and stuck out from his mouth, and one of his brown eyes was covered by a leather eye patch. He was clothed in gigantic plates of armor hewn from metal, Nature-enchanted Magicite, various animal hides, bones and teeth, his pauldrons being comically gigantic even for his shoulders and decorated with the tusks of a very large creature. A stone club the size of two ponies standing on top of each other rested against his chair, and lying beside a fire pit on the other side of the room was a truly gigantic moose.

When he had first arrived, Dovah had done something Twilight never expected: at the very sight of Fluttershy, the Orc had let out a shrill squeal, scooped her up in his arms and squeezed. "By the gods, you are Pony-kin! A yellow Pony-kin! Oh, you are just. Adorable!" he cried as he nuzzled and cuddled her terrified friend. His moose companion, Breyva, ran into the room and tackled both of them to the ground, licking their faces. After the initial shock, Fluttershy grew used to the gentle cuddling this monstrous green creature provided and allowed herself to relax.

Ocean Mistress Morganna sat in the last seat. Being a Siren, she kept a large bubble of water around her head to stay comfortable. Her skin was the color of seaweed, her hair resembling thick, flowing kelp. One small lock of hair hung in front of her forehead, just above her azure eyes and thick eyelashes. Her "nose" was really two gill slits, and her mouth held a full smile of shark teeth. Her ears took the form of graceful, gauze-like fins the size of conch shells. Fins also stuck out from her forearms and calves, and her hands and feet were webbed. Like Skrye she was also scantily clad, in the tattered remains of an aquamarine gown. The top held on by a single shoulder strap, it was ripped in the middle to show her abdomen, and the bottom had been tied around her waist by thin strips and barely came down to her knees in places. The only adornment on her body was a faceted red jewel that grew from the bottom of her throat - the source of a Siren's singing powers - though a golden trident encrusted with Water-enchanted Magicite gems hung from her back, clanging occasionally on the edge of the chair.

Twilight hadn't been able to learn much about Morganna or her people, as she was very reserved and quiet. She had told her, however, that the Sirens ruled the oceans surrounding Fae and had only joined the Magikin Alliance after the Humans began dumping the slag and waste from their forges and factories into their domain. Nullifite slag in particular had proven deadly to them, so they fought by preventing as many ships full of reinforcements from ever reaching Fae's shores. Their natural born Water magic gave them the ability to create storms and tidal waves, sinking many Humans into their demise. Despite their clear advantage, though, even they couldn't sink every ship, and they were powerless against airborne transports.

Pyrocitus was the only one not seated at the table, but he stuck his head in from the carved windows above, as his size wouldn't allow him to fit through. He was one of the last Dragons to remain in Fae; most had flown over the Impassable Mountains long ago. From what Twilight could see, he was covered in blood red scales, with burnt sienna scales covering his neck and chest. The horns on his head and the spikes lining his back were a dark gold, and his mouth was full of fangs that dripped with smoke. His dark green eyes had been surprised to see Spike, and he had commented on his small stature. When Twilight asked what he meant, Pyrocitus explained that dragon eggs, in this land, were the size of marbles and had an iridescence like green pearls. A clutch of eggs were buried along with a small pile of gold and gems, which caused Humans to seek them out and drive them to near-extinction. Those that remained undiscovered hatched beneath the earth and survived for a time on the buried treasure until they finally emerged, being no bigger than a gecko. They scavenged and did their best to survive until their flame sacs developed and their wings grew out at the approximate age of ten, when they should have grown to the size of a cat. He then guessed at Spike's age, incredulous when told he was wrong. But he conceded that perhaps Dragon-kin from Equestria had evolved to grow differently over the years, and the little dragon had a very long time to grow big and strong and wise. Dragons could live for centuries, after all; their Dragon Lord was over a thousand and three-hundred years old.

After greetings and other pleasantries had finished, Rael'ia gently rapped on the table to gather their attention. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. As you may have heard, my Archmage banished me to another universe just a few days ago, when it was feared I would be killed. Inadvertently, it just so happened that the universe I traveled to was the very destination of the Pony-kin spirited away when Ponyopolis and its surrounding kingdom was lost. It was there I met the very Alicorns Starswirl sought to create, and it was there I met Twilight and her friends, who hold the lost Elements of Harmony within them." The other leaders murmured amongst themselves, the realization of old legends becoming truth.

"The holy relics of the Pony-kin? They still exist?" Dovah grunted in surprise. "They were said to dispel all negative emotions felt throughout all of Fae!"

"Yes," Rael'ia gestured to each pony in turn. "The Elements of Magic, Kindness, Loyalty, Honesty, Generosity and Laughter all live on within their very beings. With their help, I believe I have found a way to finally end this long war. Together, with all of your help, we can recreate those holy relics, reconsecrate the summit of the Crystal Mountain and restore Harmony to our land!"

"And... how will this end the war?" Skrye asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"Ever since their disappearance, the Humans grew colder and crueler with every passing year. With Harmony restored, so too will their negative emotions be wiped away! They will no longer have any reason to fight! There will be no more unnecessary blood spilled!"

For many moments, the room was silent. Finally, Morganna sighed.

"That... is quite possibly the worst plan I've ever heard." Rael'ia's face fell.

"...What do you mean?"

"The Humans are nothing but murderous filth! They care nothing for any of us," the Siren spat.

"Agreed. They pollute our waters, ravage our lands, shoot us out of the skies with smiles on their faces!" shouted Skrye. "There's no Harmony or anything good left in them."

"They all deserve a merciless death. Nothing less," Morganna nodded, her eyes closed and her arms crossed.

"But she has a good point!" said Dovah. "The Humans were always peaceful with all of us up until then! And it took decades before their emotions fully got the better of them and they began attacking us!"

"We had peace for centuries! Millenia!" Zweile added. Skrye let out a disgusted snort.

"Oh, spare me. The Humans always hated us! They were always jealous of our magical abilities. The disappearance of the Pony-kin just gave them an excuse to start killing us all! They were the only ones that could convince them that our magic wasn't worth killing us over, but once their precious, cutesy little toys vanished, all bets were off."

"Hey, you aren't blaming us, are you?!" Rainbow Dash shouted angrily. "Not our fault we all exploded off the face of the earth!"

"Quiet, you," Applejack hissed as she jerked Rainbow back down into her seat.

"The disappearance of the Elements of Harmony was simply an excuse to allow insanity to take them over. Bringing them back to this world won't change anything," Morganna glared at the blue pegasus. "They've always been dishonorable, unkind, untrustworthy, unsavory, and unnecessary to our world. Now they're too far gone to be saved."

"Bah. You say that only because you've had the least exposure to the Humans in the past," Dovah waved his hand dismissively. "Safe under a shield of fathoms, thinking you're so much better than the rest of us landwalkers."

"Hm... can't help it if we are," Morganna sneered.

"The Humans were once just as honorable as any of us!" Zweile argued. His voice buzzed slightly, reminding Twilight of a Breezy. "They kept their word, never cheated us at our trades, always acted with rationality. Many times in the past, they were even our mediators, and both sides always got a fair deal! The decline of their behavior has been clearly linked to the loss of the Elements!"

"Says who?" Skrye pouted.

"Says those of us who actually practice the magical sciences. Unlike you savage lot..." Zweile muttered under his breath, although not low enough for Skrye's sharp ears to pick up.

"Hey! We aren't savages! We practice magical science, too!" the Harpy screeched.

"Perhaps if you call picking apart the muscles of a Human body to eat 'science'," Dovah chuckled smugly. "And the little one's right, the Humans were often our voice of reason and compromise long ago. They had their place in our world just as much as the rest of us. If Harmony is restored to them, then Harmony will be restored to all of us."

Skrye flippantly rolled her eyes. "Pfft, stinky nature-loving bark sniffer," she grumbled as she shook her head.

"What was that, birdbrain?" the Orc insulted right back.

"Look at you two, arguing like children," said Morganna, shaking her head slowly with a smirk. "This is why our people didn't join your little alliance at first."

"Because you're all a bunch of stuck-up, spoiled snakeskins?" Zweile retorted. Yellow, green, blue and purple magic began glowing in each leader's hands as they glared angrily at each other. Rael'ia sighed and let her forehead knock quietly on the table.

"Are my people the only sensible ones left...?" she groaned in exasperation. In her heart, Twilight was disgusted by this show of disharmony, and as she decided to put her hoof down, her horn pulsed with light and her wings flared outwards.

"ENOUGH!!!" Attempting her best Royal Canterlot Voice, her command reverberated throughout the room. The four arguing leaders immediately fell silent and stared at the Alicorn in surprise. "You four are supposed to be the leaders of your races, supposed to be an alliance against the Humans, and this is the way you treat each other?! How did you even last this long?" she scolded.

"Unprofessional," Rarity tutted, shaking her head in sassy disapproval.

"All those people you rule look up to you for guidance and reassurance, ah'm sure," added Applejack. "How'll y'all hope to succeed if y'all keep fightin' like this?" Chastised, the four leaders sat back down in their seats, scowling at the table. After a few moments of silence, Dovah shifted in his chair, producing a creak.

"The Pony-kin are right. We gain nothing if we fight amongst ourselves. The Humans have advanced as far as they have because we cannot cooperate. We must all work together to end this war, and I, for one, wish to end it with Harmony."

Rael'ia, having raised her head back up, smiled. "You will stand with me then, Warmaster?"

"I do," he nodded once. "The Orc-kin stand with you, Princess Rael'ia of the Elf-kin."

"The Fairy-kin stand with you as well," Zweile crossed his arms and grinned devilishly at the other two leaders. "And that makes the decision stand three-to-two." Skrye and Morganna glanced at each other, both seemingly unmoved by this declaration.

Rael'ia sighed deeply after waiting for a response. "Fine, if this doesn't work, we'll eradicate the Humans from our lands with zero mercy or quarter, without considering any more alternatives. Happy?" The Harpy and Siren silently conferred with each other, finally sighing themselves.

"All right... the Harpy-kin stand with you," Skrye bowed her head in acceptance.

"As do the Siren-kin," Morganna added with a shrug of resignation. "What about you, oh wise Pyrocitus?" Everyone looked towards the silent Dragon above, his eyes closed deep in thought. His first response was a slow, noncommittal hum, which irritated the two more impetuous leaders.

"...The wisdom and mercy of your decision is noble, indeed. Yes. The Dragon-kin shall stand with you as well, young Elf," he finally replied.

"Alright, now that that's over," Rael'ia relaxed in her seat. "I have already outlined a plan to see this to fruition. First, with the help of the Fairy-kin, new receptacles must be crafted to hold the essence of the Elements of Harmony. To accomplish this, I will lead a party of Mages and Gemcutters to the epicenter of the White Wastes, to glean as much information about the original relics as possible. Then, after the receptacles have been crafted, we must retake the Crystal Mountain-"

"Are you crazy?" Skrye cried. "The Humans have one of their most heavily reinforced settlements there! It'd take months to break through!"

"Then we must lay siege to the Humans long enough for the ritual of restoration to be completed at the mountain's summit," said Rael'ia. "It will take all our concentration, we must not be disturbed until the Tree of Harmony has finished growing and entwines the Elements within its branches once again. When Harmony has been restored to Fae, the war will finally end."

"Oh, something will end, alright," Morganna grumbled under her breath. Rael'ia scowled in her direction but decided not to say what she was thinking at the moment.

"Well, that's all. I will remain in close contact with you all to update you on our plans. If anyone else does not wish to say something, then this meeting is adjourned." The other leaders shook their heads or had nothing to say, and so Rael'ia nodded and stood from her seat, watching as the others got up or flew away, collected their belongings and companion animal and left. A pit of unease dwelled within Twilight's stomach.

"Hm... you think this'll really work, Rael'ia? They didn't really seem all that into peace."

The Elven Princess sighed. "I sure hope it does. The lack of Harmony is starting to affect them as well, it seems."

"'Starting to'?" Rarity coughed. "I daresay they're the least harmonious bunch I've met in years."

"Are... are you sure they'll go along with your plan?" asked Fluttershy.

"They're bound to their word now. Though perhaps I should've made them all do a Pinkie Promise, eh?" Rael'ia smiled weakly at Pinkie Pie, who began pantomiming the act of shoving a cupcake into her right eye with a wide grin.