Sins of Harmony

Volume 3: Crisis to Ashes

Chapter 14: Defy the Masses, Beauty in Darkness.

Late Evening

December 21st, 1007 ANM

Crystal Empire

Crystal Stadium

Amongst the floating crystal platforms, Varkan crept and ducked. He had nowhere to hide, so he had to be offensive now.

As Luna flew past, he leapt down, avoiding her blast to smash his foot down on her back. Spinning in the air with a grunt of pain, Luna staggered onto a nearby platform, while Varkan clawed his way to stand atop another.

The crowds roared, many actually booed. They were siding with Luna, for many reasons. This was the Winter Night celebration event, and Varkan defeating her in any sort of match would mean he'd beaten both royal sisters in some respects.

As he clambered up, Varkan heard the crowd against him, and he lost his focus in the fight.

All those voices rooting against him, more than expected. Such hostility against him: It was to reminiscent of many of the groups protesting him, who'd like to see his cause fall asunder, his kind fade.

In the middle of the fight, Varkan wondered what exactly he was doing here again. He was fighting Luna as an exhibition match, but if he won, he would fight Faral to prove he could be beaten.

If he lost to Luna, he would prove he could be beaten.

In that instant, Varkan knew he was going to actually make his position more precarious now: His own, and his race's.

He knew he had to do this, prove he wasn't unbeatable, just as he proved Celestia, the closest to a goddess back then, could be.

But, part of him didn't want to lose that legacy. It was too late for him to pursue a 'kinder' path himself, he'd made too many enemies. He had to prove himself again.

But, against Luna, something niggled in his head, telling him not to be too hard against her. He didn't know what it was, he'd never felt it before.

He had few friends, people he could count on, and Luna was perhaps the newest addition. But, something about her seemed-

CRACK!

The crowds roared in euphoria as Luna sent a spell at Varkan, who seemed dazed by her last attack. It hit him square in the back, sending him tumbling over the edge of the crystal platform to fall to the arena floor below.

Flailing his ruined wings, he crashed into the grass with a small dent of dirt and grass beneath him.

It had been so sudden, amidst the fierce combat, a combat oriented dance, Varkan had frozen briefly, while Luna fired off a shot that seemed like it won her the fight.

Up above him, Luna saw him not moving very much on the ground, despite clearly being conscious.

"Varkan!"

She flew down, thinking he wouldn't be distracted by something as he had been.

Down on the ground, as the crowds tensed, preparing to cheer for their Night Princess's victory over Varkan, she landed beside his form, which struggled to crawl upright.

Placing her hoof on his leg, she announced: "Well fought Var-"

"NO!"

Like a striking snake, Varkan swept his legs out, sending Luna tumbling on her side as he leapt up and onto her body, one hand outstretched before his foot.

Within a half second, taking advantage of Luna's compassion for him, Varkan had floored Luna, and pressed his foot against her neck, his wing hand holding her horn in a vicegrip.

The crowds seemed to hush, before they began to roar in outrage, shock and awe. With a flick of his hand, Varkan could break Luna's horn at will. He suckered her into the most hazardous position a Unicorn/Alicorn could be in.

As Celestia rose from her seat in shock, Discord ready to move in, the crowds murmured loudly as large screen displays saw the hand gripping Luna's horn beginning to smoke slightly, Varkan grimacing heavily as he held on.

"Let go, or I will burn your hand off." Luna warned. He had no electro stun equipment, so she could still use her magic horn. As she fired the heat spell, it built and built, but Varkan held on against the building agony.

"I won't be paraded like an animal expected to lose, against you or my oldest friend. I'm sorry Luna, but I've changed my mind on these fights. Listen.."

As the heat built, Varkan winced, while Luna slowly stood up, her head still restrained by Varkan's horn grip. Around them, the bellowing audience called fro Luna to win, or Varkan to lose.

"They side with you, they'd side with any kind, over mine. To them, this is something to prove their, your kind, are better than mine. I won't enable that."

Now crying out, Varkan recoiled, his hand releasing her horn quickly, grasping it in pain. Stepping back, Luna heard the roars of the crowd rising in support of her, as Varkan backed off, his hand noticeably more black.

"I won't be an obedient entertainer to get support for my kind. You had good intentions with this fight, and I thought your people might support your views more. I guessed wrong. They see me as a sympathy case of you, a charity cause, not an ally. Consider myself forfeit from the fight."

As the crowd began roaring in the background, Varkan began to walk to the arena exit, oblivious to the uproar he was causing with his about turn of mood.

Today had been illuminating, he wasn't truly one who belonged here, not as an equal race. He had to have a race to qualify it seemed.

Back in the arena, Luna stared at his departing form, as he mouthed some words to Faral at the exit quietly, while she turned to glare at the arena audience slightly.

Luna wished it couldn't have ended like this, but it seemed tonight he had been soured by the understandable public opinion of him.

In her booming voice, to the uproar, and applause of the audience, Luna announced Varkan forfeit, honourably acknowledging he couldn't win against her with just his body alone.

She salvaged her goal, to show he wasn't an invincible force. Though looking at how he departed the match, she wondered if she'd destroyed something that helped him maintain his own mental comfort, a lonely, but defended person. She hoped she hadn't sabotaged some of his walls he needed to keep up.

Among the Unicorns, Lucius snorted in annoyance. He knew exactly why Varkan had forfeit, he'd heard the crowds rallied against him whenever he made any successful strikes. Such odds against him must have seemed too much like his race's constant position.

Royal box

"Why would he just surrender like that? I know Luna's lying about that." Shining Armour remarked. Flurry Heart was asleep in her mother's forelegs, but their parents were equally confused about this result as the Sun Princess and Lord of Chaos.

"He had her, but he turned tail and backed off. Why?" Discord wondered. Last time they fought, it was to the unconscious end.

"He didn't want to win, he'd lose either way." Celestia remarked. She knew his position, and what she'd do. Either way, he lost reputation this day, which was intended to humble him, make him not seem as intimidating.

It seemed that the public's overall opinion of him was still divided, and that enraged him. His cause was noble, but his race's legacy tainted that noble intent.

Beside her, Lela looked over the balcony, asking quietly: "Wha' happened? Why did Var just stop?"

Celestia didn't know what to tell the little Wyvern girl. It was a very complicated situation.

Down in the lower royal box area, the Mane 6 had seen the crowds overall rallying towards Princess Luna, but it looked like Varkan took the one sided support a bit hard.

"He may have overreacted a bit." Twilight said.

"You try having an entire arena mostly against you." Applejack added.

"Hey, we're likely to cheer for Luna over him anyway!" Rainbow Dash retorted, to which Fluttershy quietly remarked:

"But, he seemed awfully upset, the way he left so suddenly."

"Maybe because he didn't seem like a very public person, throughout his history." Twilight thought.

"Maybe he just doesn't realise how many people are against him until now." Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"Why are they against him? He's done some bad things, but he didn't really have a choice, and he did what he thought was right." Spike pointed out, folding his arms.

"Yeah, but that doesn't excuse some of the horrible things he's done. Celestia for one thing, the Canterlot attack as a show of force, planting you as-". Rainbow Dash cut herself off, as Spike looked at her oddly, the girls quiet now.

"As what, exactly?"

"Spike, she didn't mean anything by it, she's criticising him, not you." Rarity stressed, patting Spike's arm as she looked at Rainbow Dash. Sighing, Rainbow Dash said:

"Look, he planted you, so you could be used against the princesses in a potential war. Why are you supporting his actions?"

"I'm not, I, I just understand why. I'm different from all of you, I'm a dragon among ponies. I know what it felt like to feel lonely at times, wanting to belong to something. He's done so much to try and make an impact, and bring back his kind." Spike explained.

Beside him, Twilight slowly nodded in agreement. But it was Pinkie that pointed it all out: "Yeah, but if he hadn't attacked Celestia and got her horn, he couldn't have made that Entity thingy that possessed me, Applejack and Rarity, and he wouldn't have created Garnet and allowed his plans to go forwards."

"You're saying everything that happened from the migration to the Manehatten attack is Varkan's fault?" Twilight said.

Pinkie had put some thought into this, and admitted lowly: "Yeah.."

They all looked down into the arena, where the fireworks were being set up quickly to go off, ahead of schedule.

Luna had flown up to the royal box, explaining to Lela that Varkan had hurt his hand. But she told the truth to her sister, Discord and the Crystal royals.

It was becoming more clear that Varkan's methods didn't suit public awareness too well.

Midnight

December 21st/22nd, 1007 ANM

Crystal Empire

The fireworks, courtesy of the crystal ponies, marked the end of the festival, though the city remained under a special light pollution spell, which allowed the full night sky to be visible even under the night city lighting.

In the castle however, one of the guests mused over his situation.

Royal Castle

Guest rooms

Pacing slightly, it seemed that what he'd feared had come true.

As the collective military unity against the Entity calmed after Manehatten, no more attacks or movements outside the island in the Maldives detected, more and more questions were raised. About the Entity and Tul'rok, Starswirl, Garnet, and the secret history of Varkan.

The threads were being drawn back to him more and more in the press, which was why he welcomed public support from Luna. However, it seemed a large majority of Equestrians, more likely among non-Oceanic citizens to have a higher opinion of him, still viewed him badly.

Even back home, he'd taken a hit from the countries affected by the 1006 January tsunami, as it was technically Garnet and the Entity's doing, and by a long step, his own.

A voice sounded behind him, one he didn't expect to hear:

"You're leaving already?"

Turning around, Luna stared back as she stood in the guest room doorway, looking as regal as ever. In contrast, Varkan was gruff, abrasive, and grounded, in multiple ways.

"No, tomorrow. I, I'd be more comfortable back at the facility, its better for-"

"I invited you out here, I thought the people would accept your cause more readily, as I did."

"...Everyone makes mistakes."

"No, I trusted my subjects to trust my judgement, that they'd understand. If only they could see what you showed me at the lab.."

Varkan thought for a moment, and then realised:

"Maybe. I can make a better point by showing the results firsthand. And frankly, that way I can keep Lela and the others safe in one place."

An awkward quiet passed, until Varkan apologised: "I'm, sorry, if I ruined your big night celebration. There's a big reason I don't go out in public, not since I was unmasked as Karrav, a Komodo."

"No, if anything this was good. We found out how to better make your cause get supported. Have them come to you."

"How? A delegation? A news report, a documentary?"

Luna pondered, as she saw Varkan push aside the bag he had finished packing for tomorrow, for him and Lela. Faral would leave with them too.

"I have someone who can go, a group that represents a large variety of ponies."

Varkan listened in, and agreed, less reluctant since he'd be on his home turf that time.

As Luna left the room, Varkan quietly replied: "The festival was very good regardless. It was, nice, to be invited to something."

The Night Princess suppressed a slight blush of gratitude, and she replied with satisfaction: "You're welcome to come to this country at any time. If you wish."

"I'll think about it."

As Luna left, Faral had overheard the conversation from down the hallway. Raising an eye ridge in suspicion, she wondered why Varkan was acting slightly less stoically around Luna. Almost how he acted around herself, when he was younger, more his old self.

She continued packing, as she knew she, Varkan and Lela had a long flight tomorrow.

Sorry this chapter was delayed, but I wanted to craft a slightly diffused ending to the Winter festival, sowing doubts.

As usual, please review/critique as one would.