Smolder flew over the Dragon Lands with unusual haste. Normally, she would spend much more time enjoying the nice, warm air of her homeland – Equestria, even with the benefit of magical heating in her room, was always a little too cold for comfort – but the news she heard from other dragons were so surprising and worrying, she had no time for that.
The rumors were spreading quickly among dragons. Whispers of something unheard of for generations – and they lived much, much longer then ponies. Smolder was worried enough to forget about rest and just go towards the source of all the rumors with all the speed she could muster.
When she arrived at an entrance to a small cave, she found out she was not alone there. Apparently many dragons were equally curious, although it seems they were also very angry.
Great, she thought. She recognized a lot of them, they were as big as they were stupid and reckless. Her worries only grew, and she looked for anyone with any authority. To her relief, she found Dragon Lady Ember, speaking with some other dragons. That was good news. Bad news, her big bodyguards were keeping everyone else out.
Smolder landed in front of the dragon guards. “Hey! Tell Dragon Lady Ember I need to speak with her. Now.” They didn’t even look at her. “Are you deaf? Oh come on!” She tried to push through but one of the dragons just extended their claw – which was bigger than entire Smolder – and blocked her way with ease. “Oh, you wanna play it that way? Alright.”
She moved back and jumped in the air, quickly flying up. And then, once she was high enough, she flew down. Fast.
One of the guards noticed her and flew to meet her and block her way, but she was ready for it. “Hey, you! My grandma is tougher then you! You sure you wanna try to stop me?”
The big, muscular red dragon huffed, releasing small clouds of smoke, and accelerated even further. He was now angry, and, seeing as she was just a small girl, he was going to just ram her in the air. The draconic bodyguard was bigger, more muscular, heavier, and flying faster now; he would definitely throw her away if they collided, and probably also break something. Like her bones. Multiple bones.
Smolder made a loud, challenging roar, and dived at the incoming dragon. She was, however, not picking up speed as fast as she could have. She had a plan.
Instead of crashing into each other, she suddenly dived to the side. The highly-trained bodyguard tried to swipe her with his claw, but she was barely outside of his reach. He missed her completely.
Of course, turbulence caused by this huge, fast-moving dragon still threw her off-course. She did her best to keep flying, but instead, she was thrown around and ended up flying upside down, with the ground fast approaching. Come on, come on, don't crash, don't crash!
In the end, she landed rough, and a little off course, but managed to make a three-point-landing like a badass she was. Sadly, being off course meant that she landed centimeters from surprised Dragon Lady’s face. “Oh, hi, Dragon Lady Ember! It’s me, Smolder, remember me?” She tried, but Ember only looked at her with very annoyed face. Uh oh.
The bodyguard who was trying to stop her before landed and tried to grab Smolder, but Ember just shook her head. “Leave her! If this small girl can evade my best guards, perhaps she should be my guard instead, hmm? Get back to your post, and this time at least try to stop other dragons from interrupting!” Dragon Lady turned to her advisors. “You all, we’re taking a break. I’ll take care of this intruder here, and then we can go back to it. Use this time to figure out better answers then what you told me now!”
Advisors – almost all of them bigger than Dragon Lady herself – left Ember and Smolder alone. The younger dragon swallowed nervously. “So, um, about this interruption…”
“Never mind.” Ember interrupted her. “If anything, I’ll take any excuse for a break. I wish I didn’t have to scream at dragons so much these days, but they are so stubborn sometimes. Now, what do you want? I take it you wanted something, and not just to show off your flying.”
“Yes, actually, what’s with the stupid rumors? About war and all that? Can’t you tell everyone to stop them, or something? It’s becoming annoying.” Smolder would never admit to also being unnerved and slightly scared by these rumors.
To her surprise and worry, Ember sighed, pinching her face with her claws. Only then she answered. “It’s not that easy, Smolder. We were attacked. We can’t just do nothing, and these pirates were able to beat three of us. I need to do something.”
“Wait, what? But you’re a Dragon Lady! Just tell everyone to stop these stupid rumors and avoid that place.” Smolder suggested.
“Can’t. If I do that, some of them won’t listen, accuse me of ‘weakness’, and go out on their own to burn that place to ashes. But if I just declare war and attack, all I did to promote peace and harmony will go freeze to death, and Equestria will be pissed at me for going to war. Gaaaah!” Ember seemed more and more frustrated. “And my advisors are even more useless then my bodyguards. Half of them are ones I appointed and they want peace at all cost, other half are Torch’s old advisors and they just want some ‘short, victorious war to show our might’ and keep saying that it will be good for my popularity or whatever.”
“I… see.” Smolder looked around. Indeed, the advisors were visibly arguing and shouting at each other, two groups almost physically fighting at this point. And some dragons outside of the bodyguard circle looked like they were almost angry enough to just go and fly north to take vengeance by themselves.
It did not look good.
“So, what do you suggest?” It sounded so absurd it took few moments for Smolder to realize that Ember was talking to her.
“Wait, what?”
“What, do you have lava in your ears? I asked what are you proposing. I did not send you to that pony school for nothing, you know? I am out of ideas, my advisors are out of ideas, and sadistic idiots like Cynder are ready to start a war right now. So. Hit me with something better.”
Well, shit. Where are her friends when she needs them? Alright, Smolder, think. What did you learn lately? That taking your time to think before answering is a good idea when you can, and learning more about problems makes them easier to solve. “Can I talk with the wounded dragons? Maybe once I know more, I’ll have some idea?” She didn’t sound too sure, but to her relief Ember just nodded and pointed her at the entrance to the cave.
Once she entered deep enough that the sounds of the outside world were almost gone, she found the three dragons. They sat together in silence, but when she entered they all looked at her. “What, everyone is now sending kids as messengers? What is it, more mocking?” One of them, a young but muscular blue dragon asked bitterly. She was holding her right arm, which had visible and painful gashes on it, definitely from claws.
“Nah, I just made fun of Lady Ember’s bodyguards and got here by myself, and she was so impressed with me she sent me here to get something more out of you.” Smolder said nonchalantly. When dealing with dragons, appearances were very important. “So no mocking unless you do something stupid. On that note, start in the beginning and tell me what happened, and then tell me who mocked you and why.”
“Death. It was death. I tell you, an ancient spirit possessed that griffon and came to punish us for our sins.” Another dragon said, a smaller, red one. Both his legs had multiple, smaller gashes on them.
Smolder looked at him with surprise. “Since when do dragons believe in crap like that? And that’s not even starting at the beginning!”
“We were on patrol in the north.” The last one answered, sounding exhausted. When Smolder looked at the big, orange dragon, she noticed his wings were pierced and torn in many places. Younger dragon winced, seeing this. He won’t be flying at all for months. The dragon also had deep gashes on both his arms.
“Patrol? Who sent you there?” Smolder inquired, surprised.
“No one! We are proud dragons, we need no orders to take care of some intruders!” The blue dragon answered proudly.
“Ah, so you were looking to scare some random merchants or whatever. Great. I almost stopped feeling sorry for you.” Smolder ignored their protests. “I say you found what you were looking for, so what’s the problem? Why won’t you just sit in your caves until you’re healed and stop doing stupid shit?”
“Why won’t you shut up before I crush you?” The blue dragon challenged her, standing up and domineering over Smolder with her massive size.
Or tried, at least. Forgetting she’s not in his own cave, she instead hit the ceiling and fell down, hitting her wounded arm. She hissed in pain and shut up, shaking and trying to not scream as her arm flared in pain again.
Smolder sighed. As much as she was proud of her race, her experiences in the School of Friendship showed her some cultural issues that dragons had.
Cultural issues. Since when did she start using all these big words? These dragons were just stupid.
“So, now that you did something stupid and I can mock you freeky, what kind of stupid thing did you do? Did you decide to attack Aquilean Air Force by yourselves?” She asked, looking at the other two, as the blue dragon who tried to challenge her was still unable to talk.
“We found a ship.” The red dragon answered. “It was so close to our lands, we wanted to scare them. And then this monster appeared. He was possessed, I tell you!”
“Monster?” Smolder asked. Now that was interesting. What kind of flying monster could challenge three dragons, even young ones, to fight and win?
“He looked like a normal griffon.” Orange, wounded dragon picked up the story. “I decided to go and scare him, I thought he was some king of knight or whatever. But he had no armor and no weapon, so I just roared at him.”
Then, there was silence. All three dragons stopped talking and just sat there awkwardly. Smolder decided to break the silence. “And then?”
“What do you think? He lost, started falling, and we had to grab him and take him home instead of fighting.” The blue dragon finally managed to say something through her teeth.
Right. That’s why they were all wounded. On the other hand, the fact that they even brought him here instead of just leaving him to die was a good thing. They were stupid and hot-headed for sure, and deserved stern talking-to from Dragon Lady for scaring random merchants, but at least they didn’t seem to be evil. “How did one griffon managed to beat you all up? And please don’t say stupid shit again about possession or whatever.”
“You won’t believe me anyway.” The orange dragon said slowly, visibly ashamed.
“Hey, when I was in Equestria, I saw a dragon being beaten by a yak.” The fact that she was said dragon, and it happened during friendly spar, was just a detail she decided to omit. “I’ll believe anything. Hit me.”
The older dragon still hesitated, but in the end decide to answer. “He charged me. I tried to swipe him with my claw, but then he… I don’t understand. His claws went right through my scales.” Indeed, Smolder could now see it clearly; the wounds were nice and clean-cut, not jagged like if a normal weapon hit them. “This griffon first clawed my arms, then my wings, and then went for my throat. If not for my friends, I would have died.”
“We’re not your friends! You just slowed us down! If not for you, we would kick his ass” The other two dragons protested.
“Hey, that’s enough!” Smolder silenced them. To her surprise, they did stop their protests.” “There’s nothing wrong with having friends. Would you rather have somedragon die in front of you?” When she put it like that, the two dragons shook their heads and looked appalled. “So you did good. Besides, what if that griffon killed all three of you? We wouldn’t even know what’s coming.”
A little bit of praise, reminding other creatures of friendship and how it’s a natural thing to have… by Torch, she was turning into a pony. Gah. However, more importantly, it worked. The dragons were now much more relaxed, and seemed less defensive. Good. She would need every detail she could get out of them.
Starting with the most important one. “Who’s ship was that?”
When she finally emerged from the cave, she found out that Dragon Lady Ember and her advisors returned to their discussion. Or, more specifically, to an endless argument. Three to four dragons were talking at once, making it almost impossible to figure out who was saying what. Dragon Lady Ember herself seemed to give up on trying to control them, and was just facepalming and groaning.
Damn, adults are so useless sometimes, Smolder thought as she came closer to the arguing group. Why do I have to take care of things like that? We’re dragons, we’re the most powerful, graceful, wise creatures in the world, and all it takes to bring us to war is just three wounded dragons?
She missed Yona. The yak was the only one in the group with a dose of healthy, strong pride in her nation. If her friend was here, she would just smash the dragons until they started being reasonable. And it would probably work. Of course, that would still leave the griffons, but if all her friends were here, she could count on them to make them stop attacking.
Sadly, her friends were far away, and the dragons seemed ready to start a war right in front of her. Great. Adults decide to go to war for no reason, and now she has to fix it. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to calm herself down. Under all that bravery, pride and annoyance, she had to admit to herself she was kinda scared. Not that she would ever admit it to anyone.
“Excuse me?” “She said, only for her voice to be drowned in the screaming and insulting taking place in front of her. “Hey!” Still no reaction.
She could try to outscream them, but on the other hand, she doubted she could. Instead, she did the smart thing. Can’t fix the problem head-on? If there was anything both her and Yona learned quickly, it was that instead of continuing to mindlessly ram the wall until it breaks, you can resolve it by going around it.
She picked up two big stones, and threw them at the advisors.
The absurdity of mighty dragons being suddenly hit by rocks to the face in the middle of screaming match was enough to stop it. They turned to look at Smolder in shock, quickly replaced by anger. “How dare you interrupt the Council of Elders!” Naga, a huge, green dragon shouted angrily.
“Well, it got you to stop you pointless shouting, right? So I say it worked. Now, I have an idea how to fix the problem, if you can spend five minutes without screaming that is.” Another thing she and Yona had in common was lack of respect for authorities when they act stupid. Smolder had no problem listening to adults – after all, they were older and much more experienced, and elders like Torch were absolutely worthy or respect. However, if said dragons acted like idiots, and she, a kid, could see it clearly, then something was clearly wrong.
The Council seemed on verge of tearing her to pieces, only to be interrupted by laughter. Dragon Lady Ember was laughing so hard, she had to put her hand on her knee to not fall down. “Oh, that was good. You know Smolder, sending you to that school was probably the second best decision I ever made.” She looked at her council, still chuckling. “When you graduate, report back to me and maybe I’ll make you my official stone thrower in the Council. Now, what is your idea?”
Smolder gulped. Right, she made most of the Council hate her, made it very likely that after graduation she ends up in said Council doing boring stiff all day, and now she was going to propose something even more stupid.
Good going, Smolder. You are really the best.
“I am going to go to Haukland and fix all this.”
While flying north, Smolder once again tried to understand what made her decide to do this. She was a kid, and she was on summer break! She should be taking lava baths or sparring with other dragons (or searching for rare gems for professor Rarity to use in her new dress), but instead she was flying to a country that just attacked them and had at least one, if not more superpowered griffons who could tear through dragon scales like nothing.
And worst of all, she was alone. Lady Dragon offered some advisors to go with her, but after seeing all the stupid yelling they did Smolder decided she would rather go by herself. She was starting to regret that decision.
She spent the time in the air trying to remember everything about diplomacy that she learned. Unlike at school, she couldn’t just throw Sandbar, Ocellus and Silverstream at the problem and watch them solve it with some words. Now, she was the diplomat, an official ambassador even! She touched a small, fireproof satchel she was given by the Dragon Lady. In it was an official seal, made from a pure diamond, appointing Smolder as an official ambassador in hopes of solving this issue diplomatically.
Her thought were interrupted when she noticed a group of griffons on the horizon, coming fast. She noticed a single griffon earlier, and that one must have alarmed more, since now she could see eight of them approaching her. She slowed down and waited for them to arrive.
When they did, they left no doubt about their intention. “You’re in Haukland air space, little dragon! Looking for a fight?”
“Look at him, he’s so small and scrawny! My grandma could beat him in a fight!”
“Yeah, he won’t even be a challenge. You can call dibs, I don’t care.”
Smolder smiled. Oh, they wanted it to go like that? “For one, I’m a woman. Do you often mistake girls for guys? Whatever way you swing, that would explain why you’re still single.” She made a guess, based on how young and hot-headed these griffons looked, and judging by others laughing she guessed right. Haukland was a nation proud of having the toughest and meanest griffons on the continent, and she found them very similar to dragons in that regard.
“You little…” The angry griffon she called out flew at her, but she quickly noticed that he had no signs of being one of those superpowered ones. So she happily stood there and waited.
His claws hit her, only to slide off. The impact was still unpleasant, but he did more damage to his claws then to her scales. “Oh, a duel? Sure!” She said enthusiastically, making sure others won’t intervene. “I’m on official business, but you know what they say, pleasure before business right?”
The other griffons laughed, quickly making bets. In fact, all except one betted on her. The griffon who challenged her screamed in frustration and started flailing widely, trying to just beat her with pure strength.
Yeah, bad idea. She grabbed one of his arms and bent it in a way it was not supposed to bend. He made a whining sound and turned with the arm, trying to minimize the pain. The, she grabbed his leg and started turning him around.
In a few moments, totally disoriented griffon was just hanging in the air, upside down, trying to figure out where is up and down. The only reason he wouldn’t fall was that Smolder held his leg.
The other griffons exchanged bets loudly, making fun of one griffon who lost. They showed no hostility, and Smolder was very happy to see it. It seems not everyone in Haukland had issues with dragons. “Alright, everygriffon, I think that’s enough fun, let’s talk business.” She threw the still dizzy griffon to the others, who grabbed him, not sparing him some mocking of course. “I am an official ambassador from the Dragon Lands.”
The griffons suddenly grew a little concerned. Some even whispered to each other, mostly things like ‘hey, are we in trouble for that?’. She didn’t wait for them to come to an conclusion, instead, she smiled widely. “Take me to your leaders.”
The rest of the journey was short, but not boring. The other griffons started to show her some respect, unsure how to proceed as they escorted her, but she had none of it. She made jokes, she raced them for short distances, she even arm-wrestled them. Haukland griffons were extremely competitive, much like professor Dash, and she obliged them happily. When they arrived to Haukhamn, the capital of Haukland, they were all on first-name basis. Even the griffon she thoroughly defeated managed to shrug it off pretty quickly.
Now came the hard part. Smolder and her escort landed in front of the massive, old Imperial fortress in the middle of the city, where two guards where eyeing them with curiosity. “Halt! What is the meaning of this? Why did you bring a dragon here?”
Smolder took a step forward, showing her ambassadorial seal. “I am Smolder, official ambassador from the Dragon Lands.” Damn, that sounded kinda badass. Official ambassador. “I want to meet with Graf Meyer as quickly as possible.”
Both guards looked each other with uncertainty. Based on the knowledge of Haukland, Smolder wouldn’t be surprised if it was the first time in history anyone sent an actual ambassador to this place, and not just a messenger with threats. One of the guards finally decided what to do – report it to someone more important. “Stay here, dragon, and don’t try anything funny.” She said, entering the fortress.
“Sure.” Smolder stretched slowly, and continued chatting with her former escort. The other guard seemed unsure what to do, so she just stood there, looking intimidating.
After some time, the guard came out. “You, dragon. Come with me.”
“I have a name, it’s Smolder, thank you very much.” She answered. She then turned around and exchanged goodbyes and hihgh-fives to her new friends, before following the tense guard inside.
The griffon took her through the fortress, and then up the staircase. Despite flying, griffons still made wide use of stairs – both because some guests may not be able to fly, and because older griffons didn’t want to risk falling while trying to fly up a high tower.
Smolder could see that they were going to the top of highest tower. The guard took her to the wooden doors at the top of staircase, and knocked.
“Come in.” Someone answered, and the guard opened the door, allowing Smolder to enter.
It was the first time Smolder saw Hermann Meyer, Graf of Haukland. The older griffon was wearing a green uniform and a hat, and looked much more like a military officer then a ruler. He was sitting at his desk, currently empty, save for the map of Dragon Lands – a map that Smolder found to a very good quality, pony-made one. On one wall, there was a map of Haukland, the other was empty aside from the open window. The last wall was covered with shelves, full with what looked like random assortment of items – from some old weapons (including a golden, ceremonial sword) and uniforms, to quietly ticking clock and a collection of old books.
Meyer looked at her with steel eyes; his look was so intense, it reminded her more of Torch then Equestrian princesses. Definitely a tough and strong ruler, at least from what she managed to learn before coming here, and seeing him in person only confirmed that.
“Ambassador, come close. Guard, leave us.” When said guard looked at Graf with surprise, Meyer just waved at him and and armed griffon left them, closing the doors behind him.
Smolder was slightly surprised when they were truly left alone. “No guards?”
“That a threat?” Meyes asked in return.
“Nah, not here to fight, I want to talk. I'm just surprised.”
“You a politician?” He asked with visible disgust.
“Who, me? I mean, I guess I am?” She scratched her head. “I am an ambassador and all that, but I’m not a politician at home.”
“So, why you? What made them send you, if not to threaten me or drown me in honeyed words?”
“I volunteered?” Smolder said, slightly annoyed. “What’s with all these questions?”
“I need to know who am I speaking to. I wasted half of my life not knowing that, and now I know better. So, not a politician, just a kid who volunteered. And your Dragon Lady agreed. Interesting.” Meyer looked at Smolder even more intensively.
There was a long moment of silence. They both just looked at each other, until Smolder averted her gaze and sighed. “What now?”
Meyer slowly nodded to himself. “Now, I will ask you a question. What will you do if I put you in chains right now, throw into a dungeon, and get ready for war?”
“I will be really pissed.” She answered honestly. “I’d rather avoid all that.”
“Would you fight my guards? Fight me? Escape?” He pressed on.
“No. I’d stay here and try to convince you. Unless you want to kill me or something, then… I guess I’d go back, warn everyone and got ready to fight.” Smolder answered, looking into griffon’s eyes. She had no idea what game he was playing, but if he was trying to intimidate her, well, it wouldn’t work.
“I see. Alright, then. Guard!” The single guard who escorted Smolder earlier opened the door and run inside. “This dragon is under arrest. Put her in chains and throw her in the dungeon.”
The guard visibly hesitated, looking over the small, but muscular dragon who could probably rip him apart limb from limb if she wanted to. Graf just sighed, visibly annoyed. “I have her word she will cooperate. Unless you changed you mind?” He asked her.
Not so long ago, she would never agree to something so crazy. She was an official ambassador, and now she was being arrested?! Her dragon instincts were telling her to tear the guard apart, and then roast Meyer with dragonfire until he’s medium-rare.
Instead, she gritted her teeth, and forced herself to relax. Think positive thoughts, think positive thoughts, I hope he falls down these stairs and breaks his stupid arm, she thought as the – still nervous – guard let her to the dungeon. She knew that sometimes, not using strength is a superior option, but being actually led to the dungeon and put in some chains? When the guards left her alone in the darkness, she started seriously doubting her decision. Will she just waste her time here, achieving nothing? Gah! Why can’t she just punch things and solve the problem? She’s a dragon!
To calm herself down, she tried to focus on something else. The memories of her friends appeared in her mind, and she found herself thinking about them. What were they doing? Probably sitting and relaxing in their homes. She could imagine Yona playing in the snow, Silverstream swimming in the ocean, Ocellus reading yet another book, Sandbar... probably singing, and Gallus procrastinating and lying in bed all day.
Al that while she was here, in this dark cell, waiting for whatever may happen next.
She missed her friends. But, for now, she was alone and had to deal with this craziness herself, somehow. Hopefully, she manages to do that, and then she’ll have the story to tell. Hey, maybe she’ll even get extra credit for it at school!
She wasn’t sure how long she was left there. Longer then she wanted to, and it was hard to get any feeling of how much time have passed. She finally let her worries surface, and spent some time thinking what do to, and if there is anything she actually could do. After that, she fell asleep.
She was woken up by the guards brutally opening her cell door and blinding her with the torches they brought in. She was then pulled out of her cell and lead to somewhere in the castle, with two guards escorting her and third walking in front of her.
Smolder half-expected some kind of torture chamber, so she was pleasantly surprised to instead find herself in a dining room. Food was placed on the table in the middle of it, and Graf himself was sitting there, waiting. When he noticed her enter, he waved at the guards. “Unchain her and leave us.”
“Sir, are you sure? She is a dragon.” One of the guards protested.
“I can see that. I still have my eyes, you know. Do what I say.” He said dispassionately, although his piercing eyes did not leave Smolder. In fact, she was starting to feel a little nervous; why was he looking at her like that? It felt like he was a hawk looking at unaware prey. At least she was soon free of chains, and the guards indeed left them alone. “Sit and eat. It would not do for a host to eat by himself when there is a guest in his home.”
She almost said something very true, and very rude, about hosts who keep their guests in chains, but instead decided to not do that and just sit at the table. To her surprise, outside of multitude of normal griffon-made food, there was a bowl with gems as well. She slowly reached for one and tried it; it wasn’t the best she ever had, but it was still tasty.
And considering that Gryphus, unlike Equestria and Dragon Lands, had very little gemstones and they were very expensive, it was probably worth more than the rest of the food combined.
“I hope you find it to your liking.” Meyer said, putting small amount of food on his plate as well. “The best I could find in such short time.”
“Why did you bother with them?” Smolder asked, hoping she sounded at least slightly diplomatic. Knowing herself, she was probably failing. "I thought I’m a prisoner, not a guest.”
“Not anymore.” Graf took a bite of some meaty dish. “I wanted to see what will you do.”
“And?”
“You are not what I expected. I dislike that. When fighting, the lack of knowledge is the greatest enemy, only matched by lack of ability to use it properly. I learned as much about dragons as I could. I know you are arrogant and lazy race, and greedy as well.”
“And I know that griffons are so greedy, the sun has to pay them so they would get up in the morning." This got some reaction out of the annoying griffon; he looked at her with slight annoyance.
“Are you trying to insult me?”
“Are you?” She countered. This guy, she decided, was just rude for no reason. She really had enough of it. “Or maybe judging someone by their race is actually just stupid? One of two. Or maybe both.”
“You don’t like me.” He said calmly, like he was discussing weather, not pissing off a dragon. Young or not, she could still burn the table or break it in half if she really wanted to.
“Yeah, you attacked my home, try to start a war, and put me in chains. No idea why I may not like you.” She answered ironically.
“But you control your anger. You do not let it control you, instead. Interesting. You must be one of the calmest members of your race.”
“And Haukland is not Griffonstone, so apparently you’re not as stupid as some other griffons are. Wanna keep going? I can do this all day.”
To her surprise, a shadow of a smile appeared on Graf’s beak. “So, my soldiers were right. You really aren’t a politician. Or an arrogant idiot. You actually stayed here, knowing I put you in chains, just to try avoiding war. Very commendable. You must really care about your country., and I like that.”
“You don’t?” She asked in return. “If you care about your country, you shouldn’t try to piss off dragons and start a war with them, you know? Nothing good will come out of it.”
“We shall see.” With impeccable timing, the door opened, allowing another griffon to enter. “Ah, just on time. Take a seat, Hademar.”
Smolder only needed one look at the newest arrival to feel weird sense of unease. He seemed quite normal at first glance, a young griffon with dark-orange feathers, wearing a plain black robe. However, something felt wrong about him, and no matter how much she looked at him, she couldn’t place it. But it was definitely unnerving.
“So, this is your prisoner. Smolder, isn’t it?” The griffon sat down at the table, although he didn’t reach for any food. “I am Hademar Stormbreath, traveling priest of Maar. Welcome.”
“Priest of Maar?” She asked, trying to figure out what was bugging her about him. If he was disappointed she didn’t recognize his god, he did not react. In fact, he didn’t seem to move at all since he sat down; she could have sworn he wasn’t even breathing.
“Yes. Maar blessed me with His gifts, and a mission to spread His word around the world, so I follow His will. I have recently come here to teach a valuable lesson.” He answered, still not touching any food.
“And what would that lesson be?”
“The arrogance of creatures considering themselves immortal.” He answered. “Maar knows that all comes to an end, and he despises those who try to deny it. Like dragons.”
Smolder felt like someone sprayed her with ice-cold water. Not only was that the griffon who apparently effortlessly managed to beat three dragons, all bigger and stronger than her, but he was some kind of religious fanatic. Great. “So what, you’re going to go and start killing dragons to prove you can?”
“No, nothing of sorts. What happened was just a warning. If I wanted them dead, they would be.” There was no pride in his words. It was like he was talking about weather. What’s with these griffons and their lack of emotions? “Tell me, what happens once a Dragon Lord dies in a duel?”
“What?”
“A new Gauntlet of Fire would happen, wouldn’t it? And the winner of the duel would be allowed to take part in it, alongside any other creatures.”
“How do you…” Smolder started to ask, but the griffon interrupted her.
“And now, thanks to the recent… changes in Dragon Lands, other creatures then dragons can take part in the Gauntlet. Am I right?”
“First, slow down, what are you talking about?” She finally managed to ask, but the priest ignored her.
“Would it not be a great moment of humility for the dragonkind? Their ruler killed in a duel by a griffon, and then, said griffon ruling over them? A mortal creature, lording over so-called immortals?”
“That’s enough, Hademar.” Graf stopped the monologue. “Tone down your magic, would you? It’s making it hard for me to feel the taste of food when it’s so cold here.”
Only then Smolder realized that the cold she felt wasn’t just the effect of the crazy griffon’s words. When the unnatural cold and fear disappeared, she found it much easier to talk. “That is a nice trick. Didn’t know griffons can use magic like that.” She did her best to hide the fear still left in her after listening to that crazy talk.
“It is not magic. It is a blessing of a God. A power transcending anything else… even life.” The priest looked at Meyer, now ignoring Smolder. “The first batch of blessed weapons and armor will be done soon. More blessed warriors will join us as well.”
“Wait, you can’t seriously believe him.” Smolder protested. “This guy’s totally crazy! Ember will never fight you, and even if she did and you won, you would burn in the Cualdron!”
“Small minds cannot comprehend the truth. You need to open your thoughts and see reality.” Hademar answered, the feeling of cold returning. “I have passed many trials, much more dangerous than your Cauldron. I can survive the temperature in there just as well as any dragon. And I can share this blessing with Graf Meyer without difficulty.”
“Yeah, I don’t buy it. You can be strong and all, but I never heard of a griffon doing actual magic.” Smolder answered, trying to smother her feelings of worry and fear. “I don’t believe you. And even if you could use magic, Ember will never fight you.”
“Seeing is believing.” He griffon priest answered with absolute conviction. “You will see, and you will believe. All of Dragon Lands and Haukland will. And Dragon Lady Ember will agree to a duel, if she is faced with an alternative of war. She would rather risk her own life than others.”
Smolder had nothing to say to that. She slowly got back to eating, shaken to her core. She knew that Ember would definitely agree to a duel to avoid war, and somehow, this griffon seemed sure he could exploit it to become the ruler of the Dragon Lands. Or, more specifically, make Meyer a ruler.
That was insane. Totally and absolutely insane.
The rest of the meal passed in silence. Meyer was observing them both, while the priest just ate slowly, ignoring everything else. Smolder herself was trying to find out anything she could say, and coming up with nothing. How she wished Silverstream was here, she could always find some words to solve a problem. Or Ocellus, the changeling would find some holes in this insane logic pretty easily.
In the end, Graf called for guards, and she was taken back to her cell – although, to her surprise, this time it was lit up, and she was not put in chains. It seems Meyer came to a right conclusion that she was not going to escape.
Alright, Smolder, she thought as the guards left her alone. This is your chance. Would your friends just lament and do nothing when faced with something like this? Of course not. Are you going to be the one who did?
Oh, heck no.
With this short session of ego-boosting done, she sat down and started intensively thinking. There must be something wrong here, something obvious that she could use to stop this madness. Otherwise, things will turn bad. Real bad. If a war does happen in the end, creatures can die. And if this insane priest is as crazy as he seems… she shuddered.
The next day, when she was taken for her meal with Meyer – this time alone, without anyone else in the dining room – she decided to strike. “So, what do you think about this Hademar? Can’t imagine you like him. Or trust him.”
“What makes you say that?” Meyer asked.
“Well, you make it a big point that you hate politicians and you once trusted wrong people. How is this griffon not the wrong person to trusty? He’s a fanatic, and I can’t even understand what he wants to get out of this deal. Humiliating dragons, you can't believe that's all he wants?” She pressed on.
There was a long moment of silence before she got her answer. “How much do you know about Haukland?”
“Not much.” She admitted. “Dragons aren’t too interested in the outside world, and I didn’t have time to check with ponies. I know you take taxes from ships and patrol the waters around the islands, that’s it.”
“Taxes. You almost make it sound like it’s a proper country.” Meyer answered, slightly amused and sad at the same time. “It used to be a heaven for all types of pirates, and others. Smugglers, criminals, you could find anything here if you had the money. A hive of scum and villainy, as some would call it.”
“Wait, you read Daring Do’s books?” Smolder shook her head. “Never mind for now. So, it was an island of pirates. Doesn’t look like it. It’s… clean, I guess? No drunken pirates everywhere, cursing and wasting money, or anything like this.”
“Thank you. I put a lot of effort into making this place look presentable.” He answered, for the first time seeming pleased with himself. “It was deplorable when I arrived.”
“So, why risk it? You have Haukland, why try to attack us?” Smolder asked, confused. It was clearly Meyer was proud of his island nation, and he didn’t sound like some war-craving fanatic. “If that priest is wrong, your entire country can be destroyed.”
“I know.” The griffon answered slowly, as if he was unconvinced himself. “But I have no other choice.”
“I don’t know, how about no war?” She tried.
“If only it was that easy. Haukland may be prosperous, but it is a small island, and our neighbors hate us. One day, Aquillean Navy will arrive to remove us from here. Or maybe the Republic decides to do that. Or Empire comes to reclaim their old fortress The result will be the same regardless. Even Equestria is increasing the amount of patrols after Storm King’s invasion. I won’t be able to protect Haukland from any of them.
But if I have an allegiance of dragons? No one would ever attack Haukland, then.”
“I see.” Smolder thought for a moment. “Alright, but what if you have allies, instead? Strong allies that you can count on, and that make invading you equally bad idea?”
“And who would protect the pirates?” He answered doubtfully. “No one wants to deals with someone like that.”
“Are you pirates, thought?” Seeing his skeptical look, she explained: “We may not know much about the outside world, but we are very old. The waters between Gryphus and Equestria were infested with actual, evil pirates, before you arrived. And not only you got rid of them, but instead of looting and attacking, you just take a tax from the ships passing around the islands.”
“Protection fee.”
“Call it taxes and now one will even notice. And I heard how you saved those ponies where their ship crashed on a cliff few years back, and brought them home. Granted, you then asked them to pay you back for it, but you still saved them without asking for reward first”
Seeing the griffon waver a little, she continued. “And I heard about the… pirates who attacked that Vedinian ship.” She would honestly prefer to never heard about something like that again. These were some sadistic and evil griffons. “I heard how furious you were. You personally found them and brought them to Vedina to be put on trial, even stood as witness when asked about their ship and prisoners you freed from it.”
“These merchants were under my protection. And even if they weren’t, what these... creatures did was so horrid, I don’t think anygriffon would hesitate.”
“Yeah, see? You can just make it more official. Say you’re a country now, not a bunch of pirates. Make a tax for all ships passing through your territory, and promise to keep all the actual pirates away. Basically what you do now, just more official.”
“You want me to become a politician.” Graf answered with some actual smile. “Talk with all the pompous griffon ambassadors, shake hands with them, exchange polite notes and whatever.”
“Call it however you want it. I call it ‘not-a-war’. I think it’s a better alternative.” Smolder answered, smiling as well. “Besides, not every ruler is pompous and stupid. You should meet Lady Dragon Ember. I think you’ll like her.”
“Maybe. But what if Empire, or anyone else, comes to conquer Haukland? A country or a bunch of pirates, it makes little difference to them.”
“Well, Equestria would be willing to invite you to United Alliance.” Smolder pointed out. “After you saved those ponies, I’m sure you can find somepony to vouch for you. And I can help, too.”
“Really, a bunch of griffonian pirates, joining the Alliance?” He shook his head.
“Former pirates, and they let us in.” Smolder countered. “And Yak, and Buffalo. Changelings. Out of these races, three were on the brink of war with them once, now they’re all allies. My best friends are important people in these countries, they can also help.”
He considered it for a few minutes, in silence. But just as Smolder thought it was enough, he shook his head. “Tempting, but unrealistic. I would risk the fate of my nation based only on your words. Even if you seem trustworthy, you cannot promise others will act as you expect from them.”
“But you believe that crazy priest.”
“He already proved his words. He defeated three dragons without a scratch, and he taught my blacksmith how to make our weapons blessed by Maar so they can pierce dragon scale. I saw it myself, how these weapons can cut through thickest armor and leave deep wounds.” Meyes slowly nodded to himself. “I would rather take a risk based on something I can see with my own eyes, then just because I believe you.”
Smolder cursed herself inside. Why, oh why was she here, and not someone better at this! She could solve friendship problems, sure, but she wasn’t some trained diplomat or something!
Wait. Friendship. She remembered something, both from her lessons about manipulation (and how to recognize and resist it) at school, and from her own experiences with Cozy Glow. Maybe, just maybe she can do something else here.
“Alright. One thing, then. Please do one thing, just to see what happens, and then I will leave and you can prepare for your war.”
And she explained her idea.
To say he was skeptical was an understatement.
Sometime later, Hademar entered Meyer’s room. “You called for me?”
“Yes, thank you. There is something we need to discuss.” The priest just looked at Graf without a word. “Smolder left.”
“I see. Good.”
“And I decided to abandon our plan.”
For the first time since he knew that priest, he saw any strong emotion on his face. This time, it was shock. “Why?”
“Smolder convinced me I can make Haukland much stronger by allying with the dragons. Turns out that Dragon Lady Ember was looking for an ally not connected to Equestria for some time. Not everything is going well in the Alliance, it seems. “
“But with you as their ruler, you would still be infinitely stronger, Graf.” The priest argued. “What about your plans of conquest? I doubt the dragons will help you conquer Vedina!”
“I can have strong ally and strong Haukland, rather than risk both for a small gain. The deal is off. You can take your weapons away, if you want. We will no longer need them.”
“I… see. If that is your wish.” Priest bowed, turned around, and left.
Meyer sighed, seeing the door close behind him. Well, turns out Smolder was wrong. What a shame. To be honest, Hermann also felt unnerved by the fanatical priest, and would much rather be an ally with people like Smolder then someone like that griffon. He got ready to call the priest back and explain to him that it was just a way to test him. He was not looking forward to that.
Then, he heard a sound outside of his heavy door. It sounded almost like… “Guards?”
To his surprise, instead of guards, Hademar entered his room, closing the door behind him. “Now that we are alone, Graf Hermann, you will change your mind about the dragons.”
“What did you do to my guard?” Hermann asked, getting up and drawing his sword. “Get out immediately!”
The priest ignored his words. “And such a shame. When I first met you, I had such hopes for you.”
“And when I first time met you, I was tempted to throw you off the cliff. I see now that I should have.” Surprise was replaced by another, much different emotion. “Last chance, get out of my room, or you will join many others who underestimated my anger. You may have fought dragons, but you never fought me.”
The priest smiled coldly. “You misunderstood me severely. We met many, many years ago.”
“I am sure I would remember meeting someone like you.” Hermann got read for a fight. Even if that priest could fight dragons and win, he would not go down without a fight, or his name wasn’t Hermann Meyer, Graf of Haukland!
“Here, let me remind you. ‘Why her? Oh Gods, why her, and not me? Please, answer me.’ Remember now, that blue corridor, that Vedinan hospital?” The armed griffon almost dropped his sword in shock. “And then, the night after, when you thought to yourself. Should you join her? You beloved wife? How can you live without her?”
Hermann Meyer saw many things in life. He took part in the Imperial Civil War. Saw the fall of the old Empire, then fall of the revolution. Took part in fiercest fighting on the continent, and emerged victorious.
But now, he was, for the first time in his life, almost speechless. “How can you know that?” He asked, shocked. He almost dropped his sword, but the old military instincts kicked it and he barely managed to hold it.
“I am something you cannot comprehend. I am Death.” The cold suddenly took over the room, bringing with it strangely calming fear. “And you served me well all those years. Rejoice, for your prayers have been answered. I have come to bring you peace.”
“… Peace?” The Graf found it hard to speak, as waves of fear and deathly calmness washed over him, his shock making it almost impossible to resist them.
“Peace. I was with you all your life, long before you met my physical form. I know your doubts. Your fears. How hard is it to go on. How every morning, you wake up in your empty room, and think about me. How one day, I will reunite you together, forever. And so I have come to fulfill your wish.” The griffon’s voice grew strangely, unnaturally soothing and calming. “Just close your eyes. It will be over soon, before you even realize it. You will see her again. You will be together, forever.”
Hermann barely managed to keep his eyes open. “I want to say something first, then.” He whispered.
“Go ahead. But be quick; she is waiting for you.” The priest answered in the same soothing way. “Do not make her wait too long.”
“It’s a small thing, really.” Hermann took a deep breath, despite how cold and freezing everything felt. He reached deep inside, into his heart, until he found what he was looking for.
“You are as stupid as my Imperial superiors were, if you think you can manipulate me like that.” The priest looked at him, surprised, his unnatural calmness gone. “If you truly are Maar himself, the so-called god of death… then I know you well. You’re with me every day, every morning. I can feel you behind me. But that’s the thing.”
He pointed his sword at the creature in front of him. “She loved me, because I never looked back. And I promised her that I never will. So do your worst, whatever you are. I will never surrender to you.”
“You will.” The priest’s voice was now colder than the icy aura radiating from him. “Mighty knights begged me for mercy. The highest of priests of every god under the sun betrayed their gods in the end and prayed to me, when their time came. And you are not even like them. You are not a legendary hero, Hermann Meyer. You are a small griffon, with a broken mind, and you know it. You promised yourself to never forget your ambitions, and then you squandered them.
Death is a merciful God. I am your salvation.”
“You done?” Hermann took few steps to the right, moving away from his desk. “For someone claiming to be a god, you seemed awfully chatty. Don’t have anyone to talk to? Or are you just one of those idiots who run their mouth when they think they won, and then lose?”
“Brave words. But bravery matters not. I am…” The priest started. He did not finish.
Suddenly, the big, heavy desk was thrown at him with enough speed to kill any griffon on the spot. It hit him like an angry changeling in a combat form.
The creature took a shaking step back as the desk fell to the side; somehow, even this was not enough to kill it. But it was enough to distract it for a moment. It was enough for Hermann to run him through with his sword, and then kick the body off the blade. It left not blood, but some black, oily and thick substance behind. Graf tried to shake it off the blade, before sighing.
“I hope it washes off. If not, I will have you pay for it. It costed a small fortune, you know.” He said to the third person in the room, his nonchalant voice masking the remains of the unnatural fear.
“Did you even pay for it?” Smolder asked, no longer hidden behind the desk. “Besides, I told you, he would stab you in the back the moment you weren’t useful to him, right? Also, what was that about conquering Vedina?”
“You sure you want to ask me this when I’m the only one armed in this room?” The remaining tension disappeared as he grabbed a rug and tried to clean his blade, only to find that the liquid was far harder to remove then he thought. After few moments, he gave up and threw away the rug, only then noticing slightly nervous way Smolder was looking at a corpse. “Your first?”
“Maybe. Yes. I… never saw someone die before.” Smolder admitted, looking away from the body. “I was hoping we can maybe capture him, help him?”
“Someone who can fight dragons and win is far too dangerous.” Meyer slowly nodded to himself. “But I know what you mean. I always said that if you can forget the first person you ever killed, you are either a perfect soldier… or a monster. I dislike both.”
“How adorable.”
Both the dragon and the griffon jumped in surprise and turned towards the priest, who got back up like nothing happened. The black liquid dried up on his robes, but besides it, he showed no sign of being wounded. “You cannot kill Death.”
“What in the cursed idol of blasted Griffonstone!” Meyer jumped back, adding some much more vulgar curses on the way.
“I thought you killed him!” Smolder said, alarmed, as the unnatural cold took over the room again.
“I pierced his heart! Not my fault the Imperial Academy wasn’t teaching anygriffon how to fight… this!” The griffon protested, getting ready to fight. That was not good. They no longer had the element of surprise, and whatever this creature was, it shrugged off that wound like it was nothing.
“I am Death. Immortal. Eternal. Undying.” The monster took one step forward, and Smolder sprang into action. She jumped on the priest, hoping that at this distance she could surprise him.
Instead, the monster grabbed her by the throat and effortlessly held her up in the air. She clawed at his body, but he just ignored the gashes she made, showing no sign of pain or weakening. “How quaint.” Without looking, the monster extended his second claw and grabbed Hermann’s sword that almost cut off his head. “And pointless.”
Smolder suddenly found herself flying. She hit the stone wall with enough force to daze even a dragon like her, and the force of impact forced the air out of her lungs, leaving her wheezing. Then, turning its attention to Hermann, the creature simply snapped the sword in half with its claws.
Graf did not waste any time, and was already drawing a dagger out of a sheath. The moment his sword snapped, he instantly stabbed the monster in the throat. He managed to do it again, before the creature grabbed his arm and threw him at the shelves on the opposite wall. Aside from black substance slowly flowing down from the wound, the monster seemed unfazed.
Hermann barely managed to hold back a scream as he fell down, books and old trophies falling down alongside him. A ceremonial, golden sword fell next to him, cutting him on the chin on its way down. He ignored it, holding his arm and trying to calm his breathing. His right arm was definitely broken.
The creature looked at Hermann with satisfaction. “Broken both in body and mind. A fitting end for you.” It said, somehow speaking clearly despite a gash in his throat.
The ruler of Haukland did not respond, focusing on slowly getting back up. Despite his shaking legs, he managed it; one of his arms was dangling uselessly, and he was barely standing, but his other arm was holding the golden sword pointed at the monster. “If you think you won, you are wrong.” He was proud that he managed to keep his voice steady, despite the pain. "I am still standing here."
“How can you possibly fight me?” The monster took one step forward, slowly getting closer to his prey. “I am inevitable. I am Death. All surrender to me, and none can escape.”
“You’re not the first one to tell me that. I fought for the Empire when it was ‘undefeatable’. Then for the ‘victorious’ revolution. You know how the saying goes, right? Third time’s the charm.” The griffon stood bravely against the monster that soundly defeated both him and Smolder moments ago. “I have enough of creatures trying to manipulate me for their own goals.”
“Worry not, then. You will serve me well.” Another step.
“Oh, I don’t think so. You're a lousy fighter. After all, you can’t even focus on your target properly.”
The monster turned around lightning fast, claws extended, ready to kill Smolder standing behind it… only to see the dazed dragon barely able to stand, holding a stone wall for support. She was too far from him to be dangerous yet.
On the other hand, Meyer, who now stopped overplaying his weakness and pain, was very close. As the monster turned around again, it found itself pierced through by the golden blade. But this time, unlike the previous one, it screeched in pain. The magical weapon went right through it, making sizzling sound as it came into contact with its body. A black smoke was rising from the wound, and the black blood-like substance was boiling when it came into contact with the sword.
Monster roared, and backhanded his enemy so fast, he had no chance of dodging. Graf fell back on the floor, and this time he screamed in pain as he fell on his broken arm. Monster grabbed the sword, burning his hands severely, and pulled the blade out, throwing it on the ground. Or at least he tried.
He managed to pull the sword out, when Smolder, still dazed, managed to shoulder-check him from behind. He fell on the weapon, screaming in agony as the blade cut him deeply as he fell on it.
The fight became a chaotic blur for a moment, as the creature flailed and rolled around in agony and pain, and Smolder did her best to keep it on the floor, and on the magical weapon that seemed to actually hurt it. Only when the monster stopped moving, she slowly rolled off of it, spitting out some foul-tasting black substance she got sprayed with when the monster rolled on the floor.
Both the dragon and the griffon just stayed on the floor for few minutes, breathing heavily. Smolder was still a little dizzy, but the room slowly stopped spinning and finally stood still. “I need a shower.”
“I need to find that officer and thank him for giving me that sword.” Meyer answered, breathing heavily and holding his broken arm. “Thank you. You saved my life.”
“And you mine. If I had to fight that by myself… yeah, nope, I would just be done for.” Smolder admitted. Pride of not, this was way beyond her. Even with the surprise attack, this thing almost got them both. “You’re a good fighter. Almost like a dragon.” She jokingly added.
“I was top in my class in the Imperial Academy, you know. Obviously, I have to be the best.” The ruler of Haukland answered, smiling despite the pain. “Besides, I thought in the Imperial Civil War, remember? That thing was nothing compared to some asshole nobles I saw back then.”
They both laughed. Then Graf winced and slowly got back. “I need a drink. And a medic. And then more drinks.”
“I won’t say no to some water. Ouch.” Smolder slowly got back. Now that the adrenaline started to subside, she could feel the pain. Nothing seemed broken, but her entire body hurt. She hit that wall really hard. “And then I will rest for the rest of the week. This thing hit like a train.”
“Water? Pathetic. Real warriors drink beer and feast after a victory!” Meyer slowly walked out of his room, checking on the guard outside. Unconscious, not dead. Good.
“That’s what they taught you in that school of yours?” Smolder asked, limping out of the room as well. “Is he…”
“He’ll be fine. I’ll get doctor for him as well. And no, they taught me that common folk like me get to die in the mud and never drink anything because it’s bad for morale, while the officers get to drink and feast.” He smiled. “You can say I was a little rebellious as a student.”
“Didn’t you join the revolution later?”
“Somehow, no one was surprised I did.” They both laughed.
“What happened next?” Sandbar asked as Smolder finished her story.
“Not much. We got doctors, they put his arm in a cast to make sure it heals. The he told everyone that the priest tried to assassinate him, and everyone got very angry.”
“What about those weapons and armor that the priest helped make?” Ocellus asked, curious.
“They were gone before we got there. Apparently, the blacksmith took them and run away. They tried to chase him, but couldn’t find him.” Smolder shrugged. “Good riddance. I’m sure it was some dark magic or whatever.”
“Sounds like it.” Ocellus seemed lost in her thoughts.
“So, you just came home then?” Gallus asked.
“Nah, first Hermann made a big feast. He tried like, three times to get me to drink some of the beer there, and everyone was cheering for us both and cursing that Maar thing.” Smolder smiled at the memory. It was a good day, and then she spent the evening either racing against everyone, or arm-wrestling. In the end, she ate so many gems she felt like she would burst, and her arm and wings hurt for two days after that.
“Wait, you drank alcohol?” Silverstream asked, surprised.
“Nah. Dragon Lady would have my head for it. Dragons are forbidden from doing anything that would make us lose control or get even more aggressive. Drunk dragon is a big problem, you know. Imagine Torch drunkenly starting an earthquake.” Everyone shuddered.
“Smolder had great adventure!” Yona commented. “Yona never doubted her friend is amazing!”
“Thank you, Yona. But we all had great adventures and were amazing.” Then, Smolder added with a smile: “And some of us also got our teachers to be useful for once, so it’s win-win in my lava pool. I had enough of them being lazy and us having to save the world lately.” She joked.
“What do you mean?” Silverstream asked, curious.
“Well, you and Yona got them to help with Chiropterra and Yakyakistan, and Sandbar got Pinkie Pie to help him, right? So, in the end, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were sent to Haukland as ambassadors for some time, before someone else could be found and sent there…”
Rainbow Dash slowly limped inside the room she and Applejack were sharing. The rainbow-colored pony whined quietly. “My wings. Ouch.”
Applejack mumbled something quietly to herself, before whispering, still lying in bed. “Please be quiet…”
“They all want to race. All of them. It’s like hundred copies of me. I never thought I will have enough racing.” Rainbow slowly sat down on the bed, wincing.
“I will never look at cider again.” Applejack whispered. “How can he drink so much, still be sober enough to negotiate, and on the next day drink again? Ooooh, my head…”
“I think… he takes it as a competition. How long can he torture us before we give up.” Rainbow Dash tried to lay down without straining her wings.
“My head…”
“Ouch…”
“Rainbow?”
“Yeah?
“First that swamp, now this… oh my head… why us?”
“We’re the best?” Rainbow tried.
A groan of pain was the only answer.
“So yeah, that’s what happened. Haukland now has official ambassadors from Dragon Lands, Equestria, and Nova Griffonia.” Smolder summed up. “And it’s now reforming to be a proper country, so no more pirates.”
“Nice job, girl.” Gallus gave her a strong pat on the back. “At this rate, we’ll fix entire Gryphus next summer!”
“I’d rather not.” The all turned to Ocellus. “Don’t get me wrong, saving everyone is good and all, but this… I think it was beyond us. We’re just kids, and we’re now fighting ancient evils and all that?”
“Yes, please! That place was really scary.” Silverstream shuddered. “I got some new friends there, but it was really, really scary.”
“You think this Maar was also responsible for the attack on Greneclyf?” Sandbar asked, also looking worried.
“That priest sounded almost identical to that necromancer, so it’s very likely.” Ocellus winced, remembering the traumatic experiences she had. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Tree has a bigger plan here. Anyone else saw any sign of something like that?”
Everyone else shook their heads.
“Nothing here.”
“Yona never met meanie Maar. If she did, she would smash him!”
“I think there was only Nightmare in Chiropterra.”
“I’m not sure, but I didn’t see any sign of him in Griffonstone.”
“So it was only two of us.” Smolder summed up. “Well, maybe the problem wasn’t that big, then. Gallus, can you tell us more about this Maar?”
“Not much.” Gallus shrugged. “God of death and cowardice, he takes souls of those who died as cowards, and he cursed us all and made us feel fear to make sure he has some souls to take. Everygriffon hates him, he has no official churches or anything like that. I thought he was a myth.”
“It can be someone posing as him. You know, posing as an ancient evil to hide their true nature?” Ocellus suggested.
“Nah, that makes no sense. Who would have done something like that?”
In his realm, Discord had a weird feeling. Like someone was talking about him critically. He shrugged off the feeling, changed it into a toast with ham and cheese, and ate it. Problem solved. Now, back to working on his newest disguise.
“These necromancers could have. I heard they are really, really evil.” Gallus shivered. “I also thought they were a myth. My home becomes less and less nice and safe the more I hear about your stories. Did you also went to Gryphus, Sandbar?”
“Nah, I had a small adventure close to home. Nothing special, really.”
“Well, it’s your turn now, right? What adventure did you have?”
“Not as amazing as yours. It all started when my train was stopped…”
Death was calm. The Haukland attack on Vedina would not happen, it seems. It was an unfortunate turn of events, but fortunately not a big problem. There were other ways to make them fall, and they were already preparing to strike in His name.
Death will not be stopped.
And on board a small Vedinan ship, a noble griffon looked at the horizon with determination. “Harmony.” Lycklig quietly asked herself. “Can it be the way to save Vedina?”
“And, if yes, can I use it to save the Princess?”
