Chapter 148: Dragon Around
Part 1: Dragon Wing
TIME: 08:26 ERST
DATE: War Day 1129/7 Quintillus, 1005 C.S.
LOCATION: Bahamutburg, Dragonshire
A new adventure awaited me. We were now in Dragonshire proper. Not that far from Equestria, it was - if this was Earth - a replacement for Newfoundland Island and its associated smaller island chains. It was north of the land bridge that connected Maine to Prance, and made this world so different from Earth. The North Ocean was hardly explored at all.
Bahamutburg was their capital. The nation wasn't huge - 83,550 Square Kilometers, or 32,259 square miles. It was similar in size to the Equestrian states of Vidalia (Virginia) and Lohilo (Ohio). Their population wasn't huge, either. About 360,000 Dragons lived in Dragonshire proper. This was about equal to the Equestrian state of Greenbroke (Vermont) at 377,000.
So, there was a lot of land, but only about 4.3 dragons per square kilometer, or 11 per square mile (keeping in mind, a square kilometer is worth 2.59 square miles or so).
Bahamutburg had a population of 113,220 Dragons by itself. Nearly a third of their population lived here.
It was literally everypony's first time, except Spike and Rarity's, and THEY'D only gone to one of the more barren parts.
Rarity: "I had NO IDEA, Darlings, that Dragons even HAD cities!" She was in awe.
Dusk and Trixie were right there with her. The wedding would be had once this was resolved. Whatever this was.
I had, also, Spike, Smolder, Rapid Bearing, Bob, Glimmer, Applejack, Toola Roola, and Dusty. It's who I could round up on short notice.
Ember: "Yeah, welcome to my Kingdom." She smirked. "We're not a bunch of yokels living in mud-holes and caves, now are we?"
Indeed, we were standing at a modern airport in every respect. After saying that she needed us, immediately, we'd gotten a C-1 Buffalo, loaded it, and flew here as fast as we could. Ember went on ahead, with her team, but they met us at the airport.
K: "Well.. I didn't know what to expect." I shrugged. "This isn't it, either." I looked at her entourage - I was familiar with Filament and Wick, but the green guy? Nah. He was about my height, but thinly built. Not scrawny, wiry. "I never got your name."
Sgt. Topaz Scorchfang: "Sergeant Topaz Scorchfang, Dragonshire Army."
Filament: "He's a runt, but he's good enough." He smirked.
Wick: "Yes, General - don't count him out just because he's-"
K: "He's almost exactly my size, my brain power, and my clothing style, to an extent." I nodded, grinning. "Where'd you get the hoodie?"
Sgt. Scorchfang: "A shop around here." He nodded. "I lived in the Capital."
K: "What made you want to join?" I asked him, directly.
Sgt. Scorchfang: "I had something to prove. Tirek murdered my King." He shrugged a bit. "I have to defend my Nest - you know, generally - or Tirek is going to be roasting us on sticks for snacks." He frowned a bit, at the thought.
K: "I like him." I nodded.
Bobs'n'Bits: "And what, praytell, am I even doing here?" He frowned as he hauled his new go-bag behind him.
Applejack: "Y'all need field experience, sugar cube." She nodded to him. "Best way to get it's out here."
Ember: "Come. I'll brief you when we get to the palace." She sighed.
As we walked through the airport, the ponies were all stunned at what they saw. Me? I was.. fascinated. A growing sense of.. being.. home.
K: "..is that a soda machine?" I pointed at the large cabinet.
Ember: "Yeah. Uh.." She grew uneasy.
K: "Can I have a soda?" I blinked at her, blurting it out.
She was wearing a simple dress and had a hand bag with her. She dug around, fished out a small golden coin about the size of an Equestrian 5-bit piece, here called a Quarter, and handed it to me. I immediately went over to the machine, almost trembling, and put the coin in. My choices were Draco Cola, Diet Draco Cola, Fairy Dust (Sprite), Dr. Dragon, Diet Dr. Dragon, Sunkiss Orange, and Grape Kneehigh.
I picked Dr. Dragon. Coin in, button pressed, and I heard the familiar thunking that I had not heard in over FIVE YEARS. I took the aluminum 12-ounce/355ml can, and looked down at the top. It was a modern "wide mouth" can, befitting dragons. I felt how COLD it was in my hands, and popped the top, not even bothering with the ingredient list, and CHUGGED the whole thing.
It was like Dr. Pepper, but with real sugar.
I was ready to cry.
K: "YOU HAVE MODERN REFRIGERATION!" I exclaimed. "And-And.. VENDING machines.. and.." I ran to the window of the concourse and looked out at a.. VERY modern city. "..I'm home." I was tearing up.
Ember: "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh... ABOUT that...." She was inwardly cringing. "K.. Please. Realize. This is normal to us." She paced over to me, as the other ponies started examining everything around them, at my revelation. "This is why we Dragons wanted to be LEFT ALONE. We ARE more advanced than you! WAY more advanced! Can.. can you imagine-"
K: "-the contamination of natural development caused by a technologically advanced society interfacing with a more primitive one." I finished her thought, understanding.
Rarity: "...goodness, Darlings...." She was stunned, seeing ALL the dragons in the concourse wearing clothes. "..I feel positively primitive."
Dusk Seeker: "I feel pretty out of place, too." He frowned a bit.
K: "We. Need to set up exchange rates, and trade and.." I looked at Ember, who looked very upset.
Ember: "I already.. accepted.. that having to call you in meant.. exposing the world.. to our secret." She crossed her arms, hugging herself, and scowling. "Over the objections of my military commanders, and the civilian leadership."
K: "But, you did it anyway. Because you know you need us." I nodded slowly.
Ember: "Yes." She heaved a sigh.
Dusk Seeker: "..is this a coffee and tea machine?" He poked at the cabinet next to the soda machine. "W.. HOW?" He tilted his head.
Sgt. Scorchfang: "Here." He put a coin in. "How do you take it?"
Dusk Seeker: "Cream, two sugars." He blinked.
Sgt. Scorchfang: "Gotcha." He pressed the coffee button, then the sugar button twice, then the creamer button, then pressed 'vend.'
Obediently, a paper cup dropped from the tube of the machine into the serving area. Hot coffee sprayed into the cup, followed by a squirt of cream, and then two sprays of granulated sugar. A stirrer was ejected into the cup as well with a 'plunk' sound.
Dusk looked at the cup of coffee, sniffed it, and levitated it. It was VERY hot.. but after some magical swishing, he took a sip.
Dusk Seeker: "..this is the best cup of coffee I've ever had." He frowned.
Rarity: "I'm not.. even insulted, Darling. Not one bit." She frowned, too.
Trixie: "..now, I want to do a magic show.." She drifted off with that. "..I have a feeling my ancient antics would be rather quaint here." She smiled, then smirked. "The Great and Primitive TRRRIXIE.. might just bring a few smiles."
Ember: "You might, at that." She snickered.
K: "So, you running around naked-" I stopped myself.
Ember: "All part of the act, really. We don't generally like being completely naked. Most of us, anyway, outside of Ceremonies and stuff. I had to get used to it, since most other races don't regularly wear clothes." She shrugged.
K: "You've been PLAYING us this whole time!" I erupted in laughter. "I've been GAMED! I've been gamed GOOD! Oh, Ember.. thank you." I hugged her - Scorchfang flicked a brow at my familiarity with his Liege, but Ember embraced me.
Ember: "I'm glad I could give you such a surprise, Uncle." She smiled, smirked, and blushed a bit. "Eh.. I'll have to make sure you're all given some cash. I expect that, despite the emergency, someone might want to go shopping."
Rarity: "..oh!? ME, darling?" She leaned in, smirking, smiling. "Why, what EVER do you mean? I'm positively focused on the present emergency.. not that a lady wouldn't LOVE to see the heights of Draconic fashion and register her opinion.. and collect fabrics.."
Dusk groaned, and reflexively put a hoof to his lower back - he knew what that meant. He'd be carrying a load that made his field pack look like a lunch sack.
We all busted up laughing at that.
Ember: "Well.. I'm glad you guys are cool about this." She shrugged, as several senior officers headed over to us, along with a couple of her attendants. She actually accepted a pair of shoes from one of them - sandals, really - and slipped them on.
I noted that the soldiers and officers were wearing black, semi-polished combat boots.
General Drakenguard: "General K." He saluted me. "General Granite Drakenguard, Chief of Operations." He nodded to Ember. "I was instructed to treat you as a senior officer." He cocked a brow at me, a bit.
Drakenguard was seven feet tall, if he was an inch, or about 2.1 meters. Dark red scales, mainly, with a lighter patch extending from his throat downwards. He saw me, and looked me over, as if to try to imagine a creature a foot shorter than him, physically weaker than him, squishier than him, fighting Tirek.
I noted he said 'senior officer' - not 'superior.' I was smart enough to know what that meant. He saluted my rank, not my person. I hadn't earned that, yet. Fair play.
K: "I respect that, General." I nodded to him. "Shall we head to your army command center and see what the problem is?" I gestured.
General Drakenguard: "Yes, General." He nodded to me.
I noted we were escorted by MP's with sidearms that looked like larger versions of the Morgan, and sub-machine guns that looked like the M-3 'Grease Gun' a lot. More than a lot - a LOT a lot.
We walked with them to the outside of the airport, and all the ponies with me were absolutely fascinated at the sights. There was a line of cars, here, that..
...wait, CARS!?
CARS! REAL CARS!
K: "..I see you have personal automobiles, Ember." I cocked a brow.
Ember: "I have a few myself - a Bog Charger T-6 in fire red is my personal favorite. Goes zero to sixty in five point five seconds." She grinned.
Dusk Seeker: "..do Dragons use the Old System?" He suddenly realized.
General Drakenguard: "We do use what you call the 'Old System'." He nodded to Dusk Seeker.
Dusk Seeker: "Ah.. no disrespect meant, sir." He nodded to him.
General Drakenguard: "None taken." He gestured for us to get in.
Me? I slid into the front seat of the General's car. Grinning. Madly.
Ember: "C-Can you even drive!?" She got in, though, as did General Drakenguard and Sgt. Scorchfang.
K: "More or less." I beamed a grin. "I may never have another chance to drive one of these.." It was very close to a 1959 Lincoln Continental.. it was a Land Battleship of a car. "..I know what I'm doing."
I was a bit hesitant with the gas pedal - it was a bit stiff, but smoother than the half tracks. But, once I got the pressure right, I fell into line with the convoy. Driving.. it felt nice.
Sgt. Scorchfang: "I.. uhm.. would have driven, sir." He cleared his throat.
Ember: "K likes to do things himself." She nodded, smiling. "He's.. he was there when we saved The King's Remains. He nearly died doing it. And that isn't the first time."
General Drakenguard: "We've heard the stories.." Left unsaid: They didn't believe them.
K: "I'll let you judge me, General Drakenguard, based on my performance, here." Whether I deserve his respect, or not.
I followed the lead car to the nation's capital. It was a huge white marble building that looked like a wide, three-story manor-type castle. The center of the building had tall columns, going all the way up, with a huge rotunda on top.
The cars drove around to the side, and went down into an underground parking garage. I found a spot to park, and got it right between the lines.
Ember: "Not bad." She smiled.
K: "I barely drove on Earth, but we had cars like these." I nodded, getting out.
Sergeant Scorchfang got Ember's door, and saluted the General as he got out. We were then led to an elevator, with faux wood paneling.
EVERYTHING felt so DELICIOUSLY 1960's.
We ended up on a floor above ground, and were led down some office spaces. Dragons of varying size from 5'10" to 7'8" were moving around, all in uniforms, answering phones, and addressing office duties.
K: "I am not ashamed to say, this reminds me of how things looked when I was a child." I nodded slowly.
General Drakenguard: "So, Earth had a similar level of technology?" He asked as we headed to the Strategy Room.
K: "When I was a child, fairly close to this, but a bit more advanced. At the time I left Earth? Far more advanced." I nodded.
The anteroom to the Strategy Room was lined with vending machines and several drip coffee machines. I pointed to one pot that was almost full.
K: "Which is Decaf?" I asked. "Orange or brown?"
General Drakenguard: "Orange." He nodded.
I took a paper cup and poured myself some. Black. I then grabbed a chocolate donut from the snack tray, and a sandwich from a plate near that, and went into the room.
I noticed Sergeant Scorchfang withdrew himself a bit.
When I got in there, I saw another Dragon that reminded me of Scorchfang, in a slightly different uniform, and a Colonel's rank insignia on his epaulettes.
Colonel Scorchfang: "Your Royal Highness.. General Drakenguard." He looked at Topaz. "Sergeant." And then to us. "Guests." He was colder than Drakenguard had been.
K: "General K, Supreme Allied Commander." I nodded to him.
Colonel Scorchfang: "Colonel Draigflame Scorchfang, General." He nodded. "National Guard."
Everything.. really.. felt like home. Now to confront the problem ahead.
[End of Part 1]
Part 2: Dragon Tale
TIME: 09:16 ERST
DATE: War Day 1129/7 Quintillus, 1005 C.S.
LOCATION: Royal Palace, Bahamutburg, Dragonshire
We were seated in he Strategy Room of the Royal Palace, in the Military center.
I have to state this for clarity: We were sitting among 1960's technology.
Television screens, basic consoles, film projectors, VENDING MACHINES.. the works. Dusk Seeker was chugging a Diet Dr. Dragon, his third. I think he got addicted. While soda was available in Equestria, we were limited to glass bottle dispensers. And they weren't refrigerated. Such a small aspect, but such an important one.
General Granite Drakenguard, Chief of Operations for the Draconic Armed Forces, was joined by Colonel Scorchfang of the National Guard, General Io Galegust of the Draconic Air Force, and Admiral Skye Cloudskipper of the Draconic Aero Navy.
Sergeant Topaz Scorchfang, finally, addressed us.
Sgt. Scorchfang: "While on patrol with my unit from the 2nd Infantry Brigade, we came upon a cave network. Not large, perhaps big enough for.." He looked at Smolder and Spike. "..for whelps." He cleared his throat and moved on. "Anyway. While making sure that no Whelps were indeed inside, two of my Squadmates - Corporal Gold Glint and Private First Class Rainy Diastone - crawled inside. We heard screaming.. crying.. the s-snapping of bones.." He cleared his throat. "..and then silence. Wanting to find out what it was, my Squad leader, Staff Sergeant Geat Bogwood, and my remaining two other Squad Members, Privates First Class Cala Gristlebeak and Zynd Growlwing, forced themselves into different openings." He frowned. "While trying to raise Company Command, they went in without me, and when I realized what they were doing, they were.. already.. being killed. My sergeant.. his hand.." He looked down at his right hand. "..I tried to pull him out.. his only.. I was only able to pull his hand out. Nothing else."
K: "Something's in those caves." I nodded.
Col. Scorchfang: "When he returned to base, I ordered a whole platoon of the National Guard out to investigate. They never came back. We lost radio contact around the time they should've arrived at the caves." He frowned. "Since the Sergeant was the only witness and survivor, he was ordered to return here and report. Then.. her.. royal highness.. decided you needed to be called." He was not pleased with this idea, clearly.
K: "Okay." I nodded. "Sergeant, points for surviving. You made a hard choice, but the right choice." I shrugged. "You had the presence of mind not to engage something clearly more powerful than you, and report the situation to superior authority."
Sgt. Scorchfang: "Thank you, General." He nodded.
Col. Scorchfang: "I might consider it lacked courage." He was riding that narrow line - he knew better than to offend VIP's, but technically, he was Topaz's superior, so, he had some room to criticize.
K: "Courage and no plan against the unknown means dead soldiers." I cautioned.
Col. Scorchfang: "As I said. Might." He cocked a brow.
I noticed that Topaz was... small. Now that I was looking at his dad, his commanding General, and so on. Military Dragons were... large. Gears started turning in my head.
K: "I'll need a team of local troops that knows the area - good ones. Special operations, if possible." I nodded.
Topaz made a tiny grunt noise. General Drakenguard nodded to me.
General Drakenguard: "I'll assign a company of Red Berets." He gestured.
K: "That works. Have them meet us at the incident site. Also.. I'd VERY much like to see your arsenal." I smirked. "I think I might want to change out a few of my personal weapons." I'd gone through quite a few during the war as it was.
General Drakenguard: "Oh.. oh, of course." He looked at the Ponies with me. "You have fingers, like we do."
Spike: "Me, too." He nodded.
K: "He's officially one of my Adjutants." I shrugged. "And a member of CAG." I nodded. "He's been blooded."
General Drakenguard: "Oh, really?!" He was a bit surprised. "Well! I'll.. definitely make our weapons available at Camp Cornet." He nodded, smiling a bit.
He was VERY interested in the fact that Spike had seen combat.. I found that just slightly odd, given that Spike was barely 15, now. But, around here, 15 was considered "Adult.. enough" for certain things, and 18 was demarcated as "Full Adult" with some having that level of independence (and responsibility) sooner, depending on the situation.
K: "Other than that, I don't think we'll figure out much more sitting here." I shrugged. "Unless.... Do Dragons have proper mystical enemies or predators?"
General Drakenguard: "No.. not that I'm aware of." He shook his head. "At least.."
K: "Go on.." I nodded slowly.
General Drakenguard: "..well, there was a thing many thousands of years ago, supposedly."
Rarity: "If our recent experiences are any judge, darling, that may well be more real than you think." She blinked at him.
General Drakenguard: "Huh." He nodded, resting his chin on his thumbs. "Well, we only know it as The Creeps. There's very little information.."
Glimmer: "The Creeps. Shadow monsters that once hunted Dragons, until Gusty the Great came to the Dragon Lands while looking for a safe place for Ponies following the destruction of Dream Valley. She banished them." She shrugged dismissively. "Or sealed them. The stories aren't clear on that. But, it required Unicorn Magic to do - and, it seems, you have a couple handy, now." She nodded to Rarity.
Trixie: "More than a couple, Glimmer - I'm a War Mage." She cocked a brow at her.
Glimmer: "OH! WELL!" She smirked.
General Drakenguard: "Sounds.. like.. if that's it, we have a possible answer." He shrugged. "I'll order a Truck to take you out to the Camp." And gestured around a bit. "Until then, if you need anything, let us know."
K: "Ah.. breakfast." I shrugged. "Before we head out - we don't know the next chance we'll have at that."
Admiral Cloudskipper: "I'll have my staff bring you breakfast - I presume Ponies eat Oats.. ah.. for you, General?" She nodded to me.
K: "Eggs and toast, if you can. Bacon would be lovely, or ham." I shrugged. "I don't want to impose."
Admiral Cloudskipper: "Steak and eggs okay?" She smiled.
K: "Sold." I looked to Spike and Smolder.
Spike: "Ahhh... whatever a real Dragon breakfast is." He shrugged.
Smolder: "Steak and eggs, bacon, grape juice, toast, and a croissant with butter." She patted his hand.
Admiral Cloudskipper: "I'll get my staff on that right now." She nodded and motioned an Aide over, who'd been taking notes.
After a bit, we were brought a hearty breakfast. I was a bit amazed that the steak was such high quality. It tasted amazing. So did the rest of it. A very nourishing meal. A bit later, we were brought out to a 5-ton troop truck, and we loaded in with our weapons. I intended to see what the Dragon guns were. Sergeant Scorchfang slid into the 5-ton with us.
K: "You don't HAVE to come, Sergeant." I nodded to him.
Topaz: "They ate my squad, sir." He looked at the truck floor. "I have to see this through."
K: "Call me K." I nodded to him.
Topaz: "If you call me Topaz." He nodded back.
K: "Deal." I smirked.
TIME: 10:07 ERST
LOCATION: Camp Cornet, Dragonshire
Laid out before me at the gun rage was a selection of Dragonshire's weapons. I immediately went to the two Morgan look-alikes. The Salamander M-2, and the Drake. I hefted the Drake first, and got my ear pro on - yes, they have PROPER ear pro here.
K: "Looks nice. Hefty. Six inch barrel?" I nodded to Topaz.
Topaz: "Yeah. S'mainly Special Ops get to use these." He nodded back.
I one-handed it. Mistake. I fired the first shot, and she KICKED. I was expecting .45ACP - what I got was basically .460 Rowland, or .357 Magnum. I pulled her back, looked at her, and smiled. Then two-handed it, and fired until the slide locked back. I took a peek at my work - most of the rounds hit in the middle of the target, there were three flyers. I'd been firing fast, not accurate. I smiled, set the weapon down with the slide still back, and went for the M-2.
This one had a 14 + 1 round magazine. Grips were a bit bigger, too. Closer to human size. Actually, perfectly human sized. I two-handed her, and took my time, this time, putting all 15 shots in the center ring. Said center ring, by the way, is 6 inches across.
With the M-2's slide locked back, I set that one down, and moved to their rifle. It was basically an M-14 from Earth in an EBR Chassis. I grabbed the shorter version - their carbine - and adjusted the stock to fit me. Racking the bolt back, I noticed that instead of a C or comma-shaped bolt handle, they used a round knob not unlike most of NEIGHTO. While it did stick out some, it made manipulating the weapon much easier. I took some shots with it, again, getting everything in the center ring.
By this point in the war, I'd been firing weapons so often, accuracy was almost second nature to me by now. I was no sniper, but I was "combat accurate" with assault rifles, shotguns, and SMG's.
Speaking of which, picking up their pistol-gripped shotgun, I could not stop smiling. Topaz opened his mouth as if to correct me about something, but I snatched up a couple of extra shells in my fingers, brought the shotgun up level with the target, and fired. Then immediately ran the pump action, but left the bolt open. I then rapidly slapped a shell into the open chamber, and as my hand came forwards, slammed the chamber shut, and fired again. I repeated this, before going to rapidly firing and pumping the well-broken-in shotgun.
This done, I set the weapon down, and signaled cold range, before taking the earmuffs off.
Topaz: "Let me guess, they had weapons like that on Earth." He smirked.
K: "You betcha." I grinned madly. "Can you see if the Armorer can dig me out a cross-chest holster for the M-2? One with a couple spare mags? I think I just found my sidearm for the rest of the war."
Topaz: "Sure thing." He nodded.
The rest of my team paced up, having loaded down with ammo and supplies while I'd been 'playing around' with the Draconic weapons.
Dusk Seeker: "What'cha think of 'em?" He nodded to the ones on the bench.
K: "I love them. I'm taking one with me. It's like a Morgan, but bigger." I shrugged.
Glimmer: "Well, we're as ready as we're getting." She frowned.
Glimmer had decided sub-guns were right for her, like Toola Roola had. Dusk and Rarity had Sherman-Spencers. Trixie had her MG-4/2. Dusty had her Grant/Gavin. Applejack was toting a Buckner. Rapid Bearing had a Grant Carbine. Spike and Smolder both had Ridgways. Bob had a plain Grant rifle with an optic on it.
Topaz came back over and handed me the holster I'd asked for. I put it on, and Rarity helped me adjust it. Once done, I grinned.
K: "I like this gun." I nodded.
Capt. Scorchfang: "GOOD! I'm glad." A much taller Dragon paced up, quite a bit bigger than Topaz. "Captain Onyx Scorchfang. Red Berets." He looked at Topaz. "Heyyyy, little brother!" He leaned in on the 'little' part a bit too much for my liking.
K: "You will refer to him by his rank, Captain, so long as you're under my command. Which you are - starting now." I cocked a brow at him, despite him being a foot taller than me.
Capt. Scorchfang: "Oh. Of course." He was casual about it.
I did not like that.
K: "AT ATTENTION, CAPTAIN!" I immediately stood to him.
NOW his bearing kicked in. He stood instantly at attention.
K: "THE FIRST.. and LAST.. words out of your MOUTH will be SIR." I was right in his face. "I am the SUPREME Allied Commander. Here at the REQUEST of your Queen. And you WILL give me DUE respect. Is that understood, Captain!?"
Capt. Scorchfang: "SIR, YES, SIR!" He stood straight up..
And I could tell. ONE thing that wasn't for tourists? Dragons respect strength. Power. Authority. And the will to wield it when needed. This Brat needed correction, a reminder that while he may be my match, he is my subordinate, and he will act as such.
Speaking of Queens, Ember paced up in combat gear.
Ember: "Better listen to Uncle K, Captain." She stated plainly, plucking the Drake off the table, loading it, and putting it in her holster. "Don't think that just because he lacks scales, he lacks anything else. I saw him stand up to Lavan the Lava Demon.. and make him go back to sleep without firing a shot."
Which was true, though Katrina had played wing-cat for that. What I didn't know was, Lavan was a MAJOR part of their own religion. He was, more or less, the God of Lava for them, and that which drags in the unwary, and unworthy, to their deaths. So, me standing up to him, was as unbelievable as me standing up to Tirek.
And the Queen herself just testified.
K: "Coming with?" I asked her, casually.
Ember: "My Kingdom. I need to." She nodded, solemnly, looking at the Grand Carbine in front of her, picking it up, and loading it. "Filament and Wick are coming, too."
K: "I'll be glad to have them." I looked at Captain Scorchfang. "Get your troops ready. We move out in 10." I nodded to him, in a normal tone of voice - respect is a two-way street.
Capt. Scorchfang: "Sir, yes, sir." He nodded sharply, and moved to collect his troops.
Ember: "Expect to have to do that a lot. You're not one of us - they'll see you as squishy, and your tales of adventure embellished at the very least." She nodded, putting magazines into her LBE. "Be ready to be firmer with them than you would a pony."
K: "I getcha." I nodded, smiling. "Topaz, stay close to me. I need a local guide - you're it."
Topaz: "Yes, K." He nodded, and leaned in, whispering. "Thank you."
I knew what I did. Mostly. I stopped his older and higher ranked brother from making a fool of him. Having been around ponies so much, I saw this situation as someone that simply hasn't had their chance, yet. Someone that needed a bit of breathing room to prove his competency. And I'd run cover for him, for now, so he could have that shot. I had a feeling Topaz was competent enough for his stripes - it was time for him to prove it in battle.
[End of Part 2]
Part 3: Dragon Fang
TIME: 11:22 ERST
DATE: War Day 1129/7 Quintillus, 1005 C.S.
LOCATION: Wilds of Dragonshire, Near Camp Cornet
We were in Patrol formation. For their lack of experience, I had Bob and Glimmer assigned directly to Dusty. Topaz was on me and AJ. Filament and Wick were next to Ember. Trixie and Rarity formed a cell with Dusk. Rapid Bearing was with Toola Roola, Spike and Smolder.
The Red Berets, Dragonshire's elite special ops team, were scattered. They had a full company of 120 troops with us, broken down into their 4 platoons, with each platoon in radio contact with their captain, Onyx.
My trio was out front.
Topaz: "Over there." He pointed at a mount near the foot of a craggy, granite faceted hill.
K: "Yeah, that looks dangerous." I frowned. "Hey, spread out a bit more. Weapons ready. Slow down as we approach." I ordered.
The Sword of Rainbow's Light.. glowed for a moment.
K: "..that's not good.." I cocked a brow, and let my Grant hang slack, as I pulled the sword out. "What's the matter?" I asked the sword itself, as though it might tell me. Still, now that I held it, I.. felt.. like something was off, VERY off.. and I should not be here. "Glimmer! What else do you know about the Creeps?"
Glimmer: "Well.." She paused and tapped her hoof to her chin. "..I know they eat anything, and they're very hard to hurt, because they can go from tangible to intangible almost instantly. I'm pretty sure they're LIVING creatures, not just spirits or magical constructs." She shrugged a bit. "Oh. The Sense of Dread." She extended her right forehoof. "I can FEEL that..." She looked at me. "..I can Dispel it, but.. they'll know."
K: "Hm." I looked at the team. "..entertaining all ideas." I encouraged them to speak up.
Cat. Scorchfang: "Sir. We can get set up defensively. We're about 450 meters from the Mound. Well within weapons range. Sir." He nodded.
K: "Do that." I nodded, looking to Toola and AJ.
Toola Roola: "Magical paint." She nodded firmly. "I can set a line up that'll be hard for them to cross."
K: "Do it - Filament, Wick, cover her. If she gets a Creep on her, pull her out." I nodded to them.
Wick: "You got it, sir." He nodded, and followed her closely.
Glimmer: "You're baiting them." She smirked. "Devious."
K: "Trying to." I nodded, and stood more to attention with the Sword.
Rarity: "Well, darlings, my scope isn't seeing any signs of Dragon remains." She was set up against a rock, scanning the mound with her scoped rifle.
K: "Toola, when you're done." I motioned for her to fall back to me.
Rapid Bearing: "I'm wondering if this is anything like the Who-Who Spirits I heard about in Ariezona, once." He cocked a brow. "Seems to be similar. If that's the case, they won't like fire."
K: "Set up for that." I nodded to him, as he was already getting some incendiary devices ready.
Toola trotted back over once she was finished. Time to poke the hornet's nest.
K: "Alright.. Glimmer." I nodded to her.
She focused, her horn glowed.. and in a moment she pushed out a bubble of magical effect, scouring the land, and kicking up dust. The sense of unease I'd had moments ago, was gone.
Then we heard low wails. Unearthly, chilling moans.
K: "Get ready." I held the sword ahead of me.. I'd go for the Nirik Lance first.
They SHOT OUT of the holes.. it was so fast, like watching shadows cast over the sun.
Glimmer: "UNEXPECTED!" She threw up a localized magical shield.
K: "FIRE OF THE NIRIK!" I held the sword up, and it changed into the Nirik Lance.
The Creeps, like shadows, moved across the ground in fits and spurts, but SO FAST. One of them got close to me, and I stabbed it with the Lance, making it scream, and causing a "burn line" to extend far back into the mount instantly, and I was sure, killing it.
I was the only one having any luck, though. The Dragons were unleashing their Breath Weapons, but they were having NO effect at all.
Then, one of the shadows grabbed one of the Red Berets, and YANKED him back towards them. They became tangible for a moment, forming a giant maw of shadow, and FLICKED the 8-foot Dragon into it like a chicken tendie.
There was a loud CRUNCH.
K: "Fuck." I cursed. "FALL BACK! FALL BACK NOW!"
I motioned, and we started pulling back, facing the Shadows.
Glimmer: "GO AWAY, YOU GROSS THINGS!" She fired off a magical beam, and it scorched its way along the ground, killing several.
Trixie: "MOON BEAM CRASH!" She held up a hoof, and a laser light show started shooting down from the heavens, zapping shadows here and there.
As we all pulled back, I was trying to work my way over towards the Dragons, so I could use the Fire of the Nirik to cover them. One of the shadowy tendrils grabbed Onyx by the ankle, and I saw him go down.
Topaz: "CAPTAIN!" He DOVE on him, grabbing his arms before the Shadow could pull him in, and wrapping his TAIL around a rock, anchoring them. The strain on their arms was instant - I could just about HEAR their joints start to separate.
Nuke time.
K: "LUNA! GIVE ME STRENGTH!" I called out, and the Lance returned to Sword form, making a BLINDING FLASH instantly, that overtook the sun's light for a moment.
The shadows retreated, some were destroyed. The one holding Onyx was burnt away in Lunar magical light.
Topaz got Onyx up on his feet, and pushed him ahead of him, towards the rear.
We all fell back, at that point.
Welp.. THAT was a disaster.
We ran back another 300 or so meters. Once we were clear, I looked back at the mound. They didn't pursue. Interesting.
Onyx: "Sergeant.." He finally stopped running, and put his hand on Topaz. "..you risked your life for me."
Topaz: "Yes, sir." He nodded to him, and pat him on the shoulder. "General?"
K: "I'm at a loss, here. Glimmer?" I looked over to her.
Glimmer: "Couple things. One? I'm pretty sure they're getting stronger. I don't.. remember them being able to go away from their source point like that. Something is empowering them, and they're getting stronger." She nodded. "Two? I think we can confirm they can't be hurt by Dragon Breath Weapons."
K: "Yeah - right." I nodded. "Captain, head count." I pointed to him, casually.
Onyx: "Yes, sir. One sec." He looked over his troops, whistled, and motioned for them to come closer. When they did so, he took a moment with his NCO's. "Sir. Two down. One of my support gunners, and his assistant gunner." He shrugged at me. "What do we do, now, sir?"
Topaz: "We need more magic power, that's what." He nodded firmly. "You know, I think the General might.." He looked at me, then lowered his head. "..we have a relic that might help him."
K: "What is it? Ember?" I looked over at her.
Ember: "The Talisman of Tiamat." She nodded. "It's supposedly able to make a creature's magic infinite."
Glimmer: "OH! That thing. Yes." She nodded, and looked at me. "You don't HAVE magic, do you?"
K: "I do not." I nodded to her.
Glimmer: "And casting all that magic is drawing from a limited reserve in the sword?" She pointed to it with a hoof tip.
K: "Exactly." I nodded.
Glimmer: "Yeah - with the Talisman he might be able to cast more magic, since he can draw from another mana reserve." She shrugged. "The Sword's magic hurts them. Bad. And a lot. We need that." She looked to ember. "Well, your Highness, where's the talisman?"
Ember: "Ah.. Mount Drago." She pointed to a mountain to our west. "Small island just off the coast." She shrugged. "It's in a temple, there."
K: "Okay, we need to go get that, I see." I nodded. "Jackie. You, me, Dusty, Ember, Topaz, Filament." I looked at Toola Roola. "Okay, Miss Freedom Fighter. You're literally most-veteraned, and thus, in charge until I get back."
Toola Roola: "I'll do my best - I SAW they couldn't cross my Magical Paint. I can, at least, make a partial barrier and keep them kinda contained until you return." She nodded, smiling.
K: "Captain, dig in, but keep your troops back another hundred meters - 120 yards - or so." I nodded.
Onyx: "Sir, yes, sir." He nodded.
Ember: "Let's grab one of the trucks, we can get a boat at the coast." She motioned.
Filament: "I'll drive, this time!" He beamed a grin.
Applejack: "We'll be back in two shakes of a mare's tail, y'all." She nodded.
Well, with my initial probe crumbled, I had no choice but to seek alternative means to defeat these creatures. Apparently, my sword had the key - it did the most damage to them, and they seemed scared of it.
Moreover, they seemed to be expanding - this wasn't something we could put a hazard sign in front of, and walk away. We had to kill it.
So, off we went, to a small island with a mountain on it, and my destiny, it seemed.
[End of Part 3]
Part 4: Dragon Peak
TIME: 14:44 ERST
DATE: War Day 1129/7 Quintillus, 1005 C.S.
LOCATION: Dagi Island, Dragonshire
Well, dealing with The Creeps was shaping up to be a mess. With the forces we had, the Sword of Rainbow's Light was one of the better weapons we had. Unicorn magic worked, too, but we didn't have ENOUGH of it. So, if we could find a thing that could enhance our magical pool of energy, we might be able to overpower these things.
Problem 1: I have no actual Magic, I draw from the Sword's small reserve
Problem 2: Even with the Harmony Stone, I couldn't draw enough energy from the Unicorns to make a difference, and worse, it would drain the same small pool.
So, we needed an answer to that. A larger magical pool. Sure, I could call for reinforcements, but that might not work, either. Soooo.. I did both. This is me, remember? I don't rely on a shot for the moon - I cover ALL my bases. The rest of the Elements were on the way, along with CAG.
But, for the moment, we were focusing on Mount Drago, and the Temple near the peak where the Talisman of Tiamat was, which should give me the Magic Reserve I've been needing.. and the answer to the current problem.
As we got off of the small vessel we'd borrowed, I could already tell something was up.
Filament: "Hey! Boss." He tugged my sleeve. "I smell something. Nasty."
K: "COVER!" I shushed harshly.
Almost instantly, we started taking fire. From three directions at once. I saw Topaz shove Ember behind a rock. Dusty fired a smoke grenade, and covered us immediately. Applejack fired a few shots at one of the sources of incoming fire and, also, took cover.
Filament whipped up and fired his M-9 'Roar' 11mm Heavy Machine Gun, with a belt draped over one arm. He was a BIT small for it, but he held on to it well. He hosed down one of the sources of fire for about 40-50 rounds. That direction went silent.
Topaz peeked around the side of the rock he was behind. Ember did the same, from the other side. They had a bad position.
K: "EMBER, HERE! DUSTY - COVER!" I aimed at the first direction, and even though I couldn't see who was shooting at us, I put down some cover fire.
Dusty did the same thing. Topaz pushed Ember out from behind the rock, moved in FRONT of her, and put down some cover fire himself.
I heard a rocket launch, looked up, and saw an RPG headed for us. I flattened myself on the ground, and it exploded a few feet away. I got up, and saw Topaz had thrown himself over Ember. Once the smoke passed, I heard Filament open up with his machine gun again. Topaz and Ember didn't move for a moment, then, suddenly, I saw Topaz shake off.. STONE? And stand up. He grabbed up Ember, and pushed her behind the cliff face we were hiding behind.
K: "What WAS that?" I nodded to him.
Topaz: "Most Dragons that get into fighting get the ability to turn their skin to stone briefly." He nodded, grinning.
Dusty: "FRAG OUT!" She thumped out another grenade.
Filament: "GOT THE LAUNCHER!" He said, ducking down, and getting out a fresh belt.
I tapped Topaz. We moved to the side, and drew fire. I dove behind a huge boulder, and scrambled forwards to the other side. I slid around, and tried searching for targets in my sights. I could see movement - that was enough. I put rounds into the general area. I heard Topaz doing the same thing. After a moment, incoming fire ceased.
I slid up to my feet, and patted Topaz on the shoulder.
K: "Great work, Sergeant." I nodded.
Topaz: "Thanks!" He gave me a cheesy grin.
What was that about needing a chance to prove oneself? Ember paced over, still watching the cliff sides, and nodded to Topaz.
Topaz: "Your Highness, are you okay?" He bowed a bit to her - not much, but enough to be respectful.
Ember: "You're pretty good." She smiled.
K: "Okay. Who shot at us?" I shrugged. "Time to find out."
After reloading and policing up our mags, we climbed over to the first area where we'd been shot from. Troggles were here - all armed with Bradleys, a Walker, and an Abrams. All Tirek copies. The majority of them were chopped to pieces by 11mm machine gunfire from Filament.
Filament: "TROGGLES!" He snorted fire through his nostrils. "And this is the worst place to meet them - when they're dug-in and have the terrain advantage." He shook his head. "Bastards."
K: "Yeah, in open field combat, they crumple at a bayonet charge." I shrugged.
Topaz: "They use Equestrian weapons." He nodded.
K: "Stolen designs and copied somehow. Perfect copies - take their ammo." I nodded to it.
We resupplied from the goodies left behind, and checked the next two firing positions. Two Gizmonks, more Troggles, more weapons. They were PREPARED for us.
Ember: "I'd say this is a good indication that Tirek is behind this." She frowned.
Topaz: "Yeah? We can beat him." He nodded to me. "We'll get this."
K: "I think so." I smirked. "Still, everyone be on your guard - I have a feeling this isn't all of them." I gestured to the trail. "Let's get to the Temple."
Filament: "Hang on a sec, Boss." He hefted the M-9 Roar to Topaz (who stumbled, but remained standing), then went back to the boat and grabbed the rocket launcher.
This launcher was the M-10 Ifrit recoilless rifle. A completely new take on anti-armor, and mainly designed for Dragon use. I had designed the lighter Walker/Funston system around ponies - less weight, still reusable. This was.. MORE HURT but a heavier package.
Filament was no small fry, either. He was nearly 8 feet tall, but not AS bulky as some Dragons his height. He could handle the Roar, that was for sure. He set the Recoilless Rifle down and took his Roar back.
Filament: "Think you can handle that, Tope?" He up-nodded to him.
Topaz: "I can try." He nodded, with a grin, slinging the weapon.
I grabbed the backpack with the ammo in it.
Filament: "I expect you know how to load that, Boss." He chuckled. "You seem to know every weapon you're handed."
K: "Only because I read about them, Fil." I nodded, with a small smile. "I gotta ask - you seem to go easy on Topaz. His brother was almost mean. What's up with this?"
Filament: "Wick's my best friend. He's not strong, like me. But we've had each other's backs since we were Whelplings. So, I get it." He nodded. "Us dragons respond to our environment. I ended up being the brawn, he's the brains. Onyx is kinda pushing him, see? I'm not a typical dragon - most other Dragons would take one look at Tope, here, and see someone they can bully." He shrugged a bit. "Not me. Part'a the reason Ember assigned me and Wick to you - she said we already kinda thought a little bit like ponies. Er.. or humans, I guess." He patted Topaz on the back. "The more fighting he sees, the stronger he'll get - the bullying already made him get Stone Skin. That's something you develop just based on how often and how hard you get hit."
Applejack: "Huh - so's y'all kinda.. grow.. like on a personal level.. based on whut'cha go through. Like buildin' muscle buckin' apples." She nodded. "Just, more'a it!"
Filament: "Something like that, Jackie." He smiled.
K: "Alright, let's get a move on." I hefted the backpack. "These rockets are heavy.. and I'm not big and strong like you." I patted Filament on the shoulder.
We headed up the slopes, and boy, was it a walk. The incline wasn't steep, either, so upward progress was slow. Especially considering we were carrying a Weapons Platoon's weapon loadout with us. Finally, we got up near the peak. It took us three hours, with regular water breaks.
Up near the peak, though..
K: "Okay, how the HELL did they get a tank up here?" I asked in a harsh whisper, as we found some cover, outside of the enemy's detection radius.
Ember: "Beats me." She nudged me. "I think it's a good idea Filament brought that thing."
Indeed, a Tirek Heavy Tank, but with a new wrinkle - stand-off skirts, meant to defeat standard HEAT warheads.
I set the backpack down, as Topaz opened the launcher. Inside was a Tandem-Charge Warhead, among a few others. Perfect.
K: "Seems you already accounted for this." I nodded. "I reported Tirek was starting to use stand-off skirts around the time of the Smooze."
Ember: "Our weapon designers have been paying attention, Uncle." She smiled.
Filament: "Not that I couldn't fry that thing with my breath weapon - it'd probably stitch me with machine gun bullets, first, though." He shrugged. "I'll find a spot to give you some cover fire from their infantry support."
Dusty: "I'll go with you." She smiled, and followed him.
I loaded the TCW into the launcher, and secured it into the firing chamber. I noted that I didn't need to attach wires or anything to the rocket before firing. I closed the breech, and patted Topaz on the helmet.
Topaz: "Max range on a static vehicle like that is 500 meters or so." He nodded. "I'd like to get a bit closer."
K: "Sure thing. Let's go." I nodded to Ember and Applejack, and we started bounding forwards, rock to rock, boulder to boulder, until we were about 400 meters from the tank. "Let'er rip."
Topaz: "Backblast Clear." He stated/asked.
Ember: "Clear!" She hissed.
The rocket fired, and I watched it cover the 400 meters in about two seconds. Faster than the tank or its gunners could react. We hit it square in the back quarter, at the engine, and blew it open like a tin can. EFFECTIVE! VERY EFFECTIVE!
At that moment, Dusty lobbed a Grenade, and Filament opened up with the 11mm. Ember started firing, and I set the backpack down, and unslung my rifle to start doing the same. Applejack came forwards, and she found it.. surprisingly easy to reload the weapon with her mouth and hooves.
Applejack: "GIVE'EM ANOTHER!" She tapped Topaz.
He fired again, and where the Tank had been crippled before, the second AT Shell blew it apart in a great explosion, that tossed its infantry support all over the place like rag dolls.
Ember: "Hmm.. you ARE pretty good." She smiled at Topaz. "As I thought."
Topaz: "Ah.. thank you, your Highness." He bowed his head a bit.
With the enemy defeated, all that remained was the Temple itself. And we had all the muscle we needed to go in and take care of it.
[End of Part 4]
Part 5: Dragon Trinket
TIME: 17:04 ERST
DATE: War Day 1129/7 Quintillus, 1005 C.S.
LOCATION: Dagi Island, Dragonshire
The enemy guarding this island was mostly dealt with. Mostly. I was sure there were a few more skulking around the temple. However, we'd been going at this for several hours, now, and I ordered everyone to have a seat, and have something to eat. This, AGAIN, is where Dragonshire humbled me.
First Strike Rations. Food that's semi-fresh, intended to be eaten within the first 24-48 hours of a major attack operation. It's filling, nutritious, and doesn't need to be cooked. Filament and Ember had packed for us. Applejack and Dusty got vegetable medley sandwiches, the rest of us had Roast Beef with cheese. On the side Applesauce with vitamins and caffeine. For a drink, a fruit drink powder with more vitamins and electrolytes. And lastly, to fill the stomach, pretzel-and-cheese sticks. Crunchy!
K: "This is amazing." I said, as Filament offered me a big bag of beef jerky. "..mm, the King of Cowrea was better tasting." I smirked. "But, this isn't bad."
Filament: "We eat a lot of meat." He shrugged. "Speaking of that, you need to break Spike of that Gem habit." He frowned a bit.
Ember: "..yes, about that.." She sniffed a bit. "Gem addiction is something we're all born with. However, if we give into it, and eat only Gems, we become Great Dragons. Huge, with far less intelligence, obsessed with wealth, and hoards." She shrugged. "If he eats a balanced diet.."
K: "Basically, Great Dragonism is like diabetes, you're all predisposed to it, and Gems are like sugar." I nodded. "I let him eat too much 'dragon sugar' and he becomes a beast. Or, rather, the natural condition kicks in and he devolves."
Topaz: "That's.. one way to think about.. it.. what's diabetes?" He cocked a brow.
Ember: "Sugar Fever." She nodded.
Topaz: "Ohhhhhhh... that's so rare, though." He looked over at me.
K: "Humans have terrible diets where I'm from, and tend to overconsume things that are bad for them, because they're cheap and make them feel good. Sugar is one of those things. So, we have a lot of Diabetes." I shrugged a bit. "Having a better diet since I've been here, combined with exercise and regular assassination attempts, my health has actually improved when I'm not leaking." I smirked.
Ember: "Hahaha! UNCLE!" She swatted my arm, gently. "Don't speak of death so lightly. We'd all miss you."
Topaz: "I'm getting that feeling, too." He smiled a bit. "Is that natural?"
Ember: "It is. Uncle inspires everyone, and he's friends with everyone that will call him friend." She nodded.
Filament: "He's a great Boss." He grinned, stuffing his maw with jerky.
Applejack: "Great husband, too." She leaned into me.
Dusty: "He certainly is." She smirked.
K: "Alright, police up the trash - I don't like leaving a mess." I nodded, and gathered my wrappers. I noted they used mylar and butcher's paper whenever possible, no plastics.
That done, and water consumed, we headed into the temple, alert and ready for anything.
Ember: "Normally, access to this island is off-limits. Dragonshire has a lot of small islands around the main one. A few of them, we use for ceremonial purposes." She shrugged.
K: "Fascinating." I nodded. "Also, Filament, watch your sectors real careful. A tank and some light infantry isn't Tirek's usual SOP. He's going to have something in here. The infantry was a warm-up, cover for whomever activated some big, bad thing in here."
Filament: "Oooooo.. okie dokie, Boss." He grinned, and went about fastening his partial belt to his current one, so he could fire off even more rounds before he had to reload.
Passing through the temple was a fascinating trek. Lots of carvings on the wall, telling the story of Bahamut and Tiamat, their courtship, the tragedy of their love-hate relationship, the Avegir and so on. I paid attention - the Avegir and the Hydra were still problems we needed to solve.
Well.. more that we had the problem handed to us on a silver platter when we got to the main chamber.
Ember: "You.. who are you?" She asked, as we saw a VERY tall hooded biped in the room.
K: "....fuck." I said, under my breath. "You're-"
It turned around, and we could see, under the hood, seven heads. It was in its smaller form, at the moment, but it immediately saw us and knew.. it just knew.
Hydra: "We are the Hydra." He stood proudly. "Queen of Dragons. So tiny, you are." He smiled.. well, five of him smiled. "Tell us, does Mother send you?"
Ember: "I-I am here to protect Dragonkind from The Creeps!" She said, trying to look brave.
Hydra: "Yes, such a shame our cousins are plagued." Three of his heads tilted left, three right, one extended out to her. "Tirek has promised me-"
K: "TIREK LIES!" I fired off, stepping between Ember and the Hydra. "Listen to me. You think you're unkillable, don't you?"
Four heads nodded yes, three shrugged with indifference.
K: "Tirek plans to kill you the second you're not useful to him any more." I looked at each head in turn. "You can't beat him - he tanked Torch, and one-shotted him." I shook my head. "You can't beat me, either. I faced down Lavan, and made him go back to bed." I extended my arms, Sword of Rainbow's light in one hand, Grant in the other. "WHETHER BY SCIENCE OR BY MAGIC, I AM THE HUMAN OF LEGEND, AND IF YOU STAND IN MY WAY, I, GENERAL K, WILL KNOCK YOU ALL DOWN!"
Hydra: "AND THE DEATH OF MOTHER'S CHILDREN IS MY ONLY CONCERN, HUMAN!" All seven heads leaned in. "I WANT TO SEE MOTHER CRY FOR THEM, I WANT TO SEE HER WEEP BITTER TEARS. YOU? YOU I CARE NOT ABOUT. NOT ONE WHIT. NEITHER YOU NOR THESE TWO BEASTS." He waved at AJ and Dusty. "YOU, MAY LEAVE. THESE THREE WILL BE MY DINNER!"
K: "Then you have no idea at all what it means to be a human." I stepped WAAAYYY back, sliding an arm out to DRAG Ember back with me. "Ember is my friend. Topaz is my friend. Filament is my friend. And humans do not abandon their friends."
Hydra: "THEN, HUMAN, WE SHALL SEE INDEED IF YOU ARE SUPERIOR! WE DESTROYED ONE WORLD, LONG AGO, WITH OUR BROTHER! WE SHALL DESTROY THIS-"
The Recoilless Rifle fired. It was Topaz. The tandem-charge warhead blew THROUGH the Hydra's chest, and out the other side. At the same instant, Filament hosed down the base of its necks with his 11mm heavy machine gun. Dusty fired all of her incendiary shells, and all of her flare shells. Applejack swapped her Slugs out for Dragon's Breath shells and fired those as well. Once I was fully clear, I let them keep going until it was time for Filament to change his belt.
K: "HERE COMES THE SUN, BITCH! CELESTIAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! GIVE! ME! STRENGTH!" I embodied Celestia's flame charge, and lit it through my Sword.
Instead of ejecting her power as a solar flare, I charged into the Hydra, who was TRYING TO transform into its Giant Form, and DOVE into the hole that Topaz had kindly opened in its chest.. only once I was inside, did I light off the Solar Flare.
If anyone was outside of the mountain temple, they would have felt the explosion rock the island. Heck, the earthquake detectors in Bahamutburg would have registered a 4.1 on the scale.
After the smoke cleared, there were Hydra chunks raining down everywhere. Everywhere. The whole temple was covered in blood and guts. None of it ours.
I was soaked.
K: "Took you long enough, Rookie." I laughed.
Filament: "NICE SHOT, Tope!" He patted him on the back, hard.
Ember: "Indeed.. thank you, brave soldier." She smiled at him, despite being caked in gore bits. "You're pretty good, inDEED." She trilled.
Applejack: "Whull.. now that was somethin'!" She smiled.
Dusty: "I'm out of grenade shells." She frowned. "And now, I'm horny." She looked RIGHT at me. "You murdered something, K, dear. I want dick later." She just ribbed Applejack.
Applejack: "Oh, yes." She smirked. "Shore 'nuff, honeybun."
Right about then, Bahamut's spirit projected itself inside the Temple.
Bahamut: "..where is Torch?" He asked, simply.
All three Dragons prostrated themselves before him.
Ember: "Great Bahamut.. I am sorry.. my father was slain by Tirek, the one who proclaims to be the Lord over All." She looked right at the ground.
K: "Bahamut." I walked right over, and looked him in the eyes.
Bahamut: "A HUMAN!" He laughed. "Been AGES since I've seen one." He nodded. "I like humans. Did you slay the Hydra as Heracles once did?" He tilted his dragony head at me.
K: "Not exactly. And I had help." I gestured to the Dragons. "I think you owe us, now." I nodded to him.
Bahamut: "Indeed, indeed. While I cannot directly interfere, I can help. Oh, and I'll have to make sure the Avegir is kept asleep, now. Its purpose is served." He gestured to me with one of his long dragon whiskers. "What do you need, hmm? Riches? Power?"
K: "I ask for the ability to hold mana myself. The Talisman of Tiamat. So I can use it to protect the world from Tirek." I bowed a little. "For the God-King of Dragons, I'm sure such a request would be a trivial matter."
Bahamut: "Then so it shall be." He nodded, and the Talisman appeared in my hands. "Humble. You're one of those GOOD humans, I see." He nodded. "Ember. My condolences for your father - I weep when any of my Children passes to the Great Beyond. Rise. That you had the courage to come here, knowing it might be your death, shows what kind of a leader you really are." He looked at the other two. "Your names."
Filament: "Filament Firewing, Your Supreme Holiness." His hands were flat on the ground, he wouldn't look up.
Topaz: "T-Topaz Scorchfang, O' Great Bahamut." He wouldn't look up, either.
Bahamut: "....I see. You, too, have great courage." He cocked a brow, and looked at me. "They will serve you well, Human."
K: "K----, Lord Bahamut." I nodded to him.
Bahamut: "Of course. I also grant that small dragon-pony the power to call on me when the time comes. I have a feeling.. he'll need me some day." He smiled. "Go, my children. Tirek will destroy all the Old Gods if he is not stopped. You can do it - together, with the human of legend."
Ember: "I will dedicate my nation to helping stop him. Everything, Lord Bahamut." She bowed to him again.
Bahamut: "Excellent. Now, go. You have much to do." With that, he vanished.
Topaz, Ember, and Filament looked ready to faint.
Their God had just charged them with the mission of stopping Tirek at all costs. And armed me with the ability to stop The Creeps.
Now, we just needed to clear them out, and Dragonshire would be safe. And we could, because we had Friends.. and Friendship is Magic.
{End of Chapter 148}
