High noon. Anyone who's seen any of those old spaghetti westerns knows just how often the stereotype of a duel at that time is used. The sun is at its zenith, beating down onto the sweat filled brows of the duelists, each of whom are standing in the center of the town's main road, hands hovering by their weapons, fingers twitching in anticipation of the other making the first move. Meanwhile everyone else in the town, men, women and children, watch from the relative safety of their homes or the nearby saloon. Sometimes the good guy is forced into a shootout while the bad guy's henchmen hold the love interest hostage, sometimes the good guy's just lost someone thanks to said bad guy, and blinded by grief, he accepts the challenge.
In a way, I felt like I was one of the cowboys in that scenario when I was facing Dragon Lord Torch in the middle of a desolate landscape about a few miles away from his throne. I had no idea which I was, since depending on who won this little duel of ours, the history would be written in favor of the victor, and if Torch won he would definitely portray me as the interloper, the villain who tried to destroy the Dragon's very way of life. That, and he would receive the Sunsword and use it for whatever plan he was scheming.
On one side of the impromptu battle arena, I saw a large assortment of Dragons just sitting on the ground or on top of a few larger boulders, watching and waiting for everything to begin. Ember stood a few paces off to the side of the Dragons, silently watching. When I looked at the large crowd, I thought I saw a familiar looking red Dragon adolescent and his yellow scaled younger sister, but there were so many Dragons watching that I couldn't be too sure.
On the other side, I saw my friends all seated on the softest patch of ground they could find, all of them surrounded by the large flock of Phoenixes that had come to my aid. They were surrounded by a golden shield being projected by Celestia herself. Despite their distance from me, there must have been some magic in my sight because I could see each of their faces quite clearly. The worry and fear etched into their faces was something I knew I would never forget for as long as I lived.
Despite the distance between us, I managed to spot Spike, now fully armored and standing near the front next to Twilight and Rarity. I had entrusted the young drake with my belongings, and even now I could see him holding my bag close to himEven then, I could see the worry in the young Dragon's green reptilian eyes. As I looked at him, one of the brief conversations I had with him after one of our O&O sessions came to mind:
"So you're saying that if I become greedy enough, I could grow and become as large as any normal Dragon?" Spike was saying as he and I, along with everyone else who'd teleported to the Dragon Lands made our way towards the makeshift arena, a large empty space right in front of Torch's throne.
I nodded. It was a cool autumn night back in early October and I was walking Spike back to the library after finishing up an O&O session that we'd held at Sweet Apple Acres. "It's called Greed Induced Bigness, at least, that's what a Dragon named Smolder said on the show," I replied. "I'm not really sure why it is the way it is, but if I'm remembering right, there was on My Little Pony fanfiction which explained it as a Dragon defense mechanism in case of the premature death of both parents before the molt."
"The molt? What's that?" Spike had been all too eager to hear more about his Dragon heritage back then.
"The molt is when a hatchling, like you, undergoes the Dragon equivalent of puberty. It varies from Dragon to Dragon in intensity, but eventually, a Dragon is encased in rock and when he breaks out of said rock, he's sprouted wings." I sighed. "It's also a time when almost all Dragon parents kick their children out of the house."
Spike's excited expression froze, then fell. "Twilight…is gonna kick me out?"
"No! No she won't!" I backpedaled and knelt face to face with the now nervous looking Dragon. "She would never do something like that. She hatched you. I know for a fact she loves you dearly. You won't be homeless. You might not have been raised by a Dragon, but you are an integral part of her life. If she lost you, she would be beside herself with grief. You're her beloved assistant and her very first friend. And family. Sure, she has a hard time expressing it, but that's just who she is. I know she cares deeply for you."
I smiled at the memory before coming back to the present. Inhaling, I turned to face my opponent.
There was something I'd heard once a long time ago, and if you were to ask me where I heard it, I wouldn't be able to tell you in all honesty, but I had heard or red somewhere that during times of great stress and during extremely pivotal moments in a person's life, a person's senses are heightened thanks in part to adrenaline and the excitement it can cause. It can lead to permanent memories forming that last a lifetime. I highly doubted I would forget even a single second of the fight I was about to have with the Dragon Lord.
The wind was blowing in a northeasterly manner, kicking up slight dust with each light gust. The sun, despite having reached its zenith, was low in the sky due to the lateness of the season. It was still higher up than it would be in Ponyville or Canterlot due to the Dragon Lands being located farther south than where I lived, but it was still low enough to keep the air cool. Despite the lifeless landscape, I heard and saw a few small flying insects pass in front of me. They were blue and purple striped and looked a bit like small bees. As they passed, I heard one of them say something that sent shivers down my spine: "Time to leave this place. Much blood will be spilt today…"
Sweat was heading on my forehead despite the coolness of the air around us. The armor that the Phoenixes had so graciously adjusted and provided for me, despite being made of a remarkably light but extremely durable material, still felt oppressive all around me. The chainmail I wore underneath the armor itself was made of a light red metal that felt extremely soft to the touch, mostly due to the fact that each ring was only about a half a centimeter or so in diameter. Hestia assured me, however, that the chainmail was perfectly secure and could stop any Dragon claw and sideswipe from the sharpest Dragon blade.
The armor itself, golden in appearance, was surprisingly light and maneuverable. It apparently had belonged at one point to one of the earlier Dragon Emperors and had been treated to look like gold, since armor made of actual gold had early on been discovered to be heavy and impractical. There was a gold cloak that came with it (which made the Game of Thrones fan in me nearly laugh) but I had that put aside since it was impractical. Spike, however, was wearing his own golden cloak, and I could see it blowing in the wind from where I stood.
The chest plate had some thin engravings on it. In the center, a massive shield with a forward facing Dragon that was shown breathing flames which had been treated to appear light red. Despite being more than a thousand or so years old, when Luna herself had tested it by slashing at it with one of her two massive swords, she'd deemed that it had been imbued with enough magic to keep it in top shape for at least another few hundred more years. Even so, she, Celestia, Twilight, and even Rarity poured in some more magic which enhanced the structural integrity of the armor itself. At each corner of the chest plate, there were four smaller sword engravings, each pointing directly towards the fire breathing Dragon.
The helmet I wore, which had been placed on top of my mail coif, was a close helm which had been heavily modified, specifically in the sides of the helmet where there were two large golden horns, presumably used to protect the natural horns of the emperor who owned this armor previously. Hestia admitted that even she knew she wasn't a blacksmith, but she and her other Phoenixes had done their best to patch up the helmet. And it showed. They had taken the horns, melted them down and formed two very small bumps where they had been before, which made them look suspiciously like demonic horn stumps. The new horn stumps were solid, but durable, especially after Celestia and Luna poured more magic into them to enhance their protective capabilities. If it wasn't for the slightly uneven shape from each new horn, nobody would be able to tell that the helmet had any type of hasty patch job done to it.
The rest of the armor seemed suspiciously simple enough aside from the golden hue. When I had been helped into the armor, Hestia informed me that she personally knew the emperor to whom the armor belonged. He, unlike most of his predecessors and descendants, would eventually become known as The Humble Emperor. He would apparently use the massive amounts of money in his own hoard to benefit his citizens and expanding the empire. She had never seen a Dragon with the control over his greedy instincts before or since, but she'd quickly amended that statement by mentioning Spike.
As cliché as it sounded, I felt like I had been encased in a tin can. My wings were spread wide as far as they could go through the modified portion of the armor meant for Dragon wings, the slight breeze blowing through my feathers and keeping the wings cool, which in turn helped keep some parts of me cool. My still lengthening hair had to be tied back in a very short ponytail to keep it out of my eyes, something I'd never done before. I hadn't shaved in the past few days, and now I had stubble growing on my face, which was rubbing against parts of my helmet and causing some slight irritation, but nothing I couldn't handle. I could feel my heart beating fast from the tension, each beat felt in my head, chest and throat.
I had armed myself with the Sunsword, which I had strapped to my side. I would have added the other random sword I found in the ruins, but not only would it have been impractical, but the amount of power I had begun to feel emanating from the ancient half sword in the past hour was to say the least astonishing and to say the most horrifying. I felt something seeping into my body from said sword. It almost felt like getting a continuous stream of caffeine injected into me. The power was addicting, and that scared me. It was as if the sword had a mind of its own and was itching to draw blood.
Torch had ditched his normal gray armor to put on some golden colored getup which glistened in the near noon sunlight. Unlike me, he had no sword or any kind of weapon on him save for his claws, which looked like they'd been freshly sharpened, as did his yellow teeth, the sharpened parts of which gleamed white. His blazing red eyes were focused entirely on me. The horn ring on his left horn had been removed as well and had been set on the ground near the Dragons. I saw Ember standing near it, one claw on it.
From the Dragon's side, one of the guards stepped forward, holding up a ragged scroll in her claws. In a loud voice, she began. "Hear ye, hear ye! In holding with ancient Dragon traditions as set forth by the gods and the reverent ancestors, our very own esteemed Dragon Lord Torch has issued the Volrif'nel challenge against the human known as Jethro Bethridge, so-called Knight of Equestria! This Volrif'nel is held in lieu of a war between the Dragons and the Ponies! Let the combatants now make their terms! The challenger makes the first demands as per tradition!"
That was one thing I didn't quite like about the Volrif'nel: terms of the duel were never discussed until just before the fight began. Not only that, but there was absolutely no negotiating. Any demand made was absolute and not up for debate I'd not even been allowed to discuss any terms with my friends. The hour after my friends showed up went by way too quickly, and I still wasn't entirely sure what I wanted. Sure, if I won, I would all but demand the war cease and any Dragon who Torch had brought over with him return to the Dragon Lands themselves, but I felt like that was a bit too broad. I could very well easily demand that the Dragons attend the Council of Equestria, but that just seemed excessive. I could easily demand that they leave the Fae in our care, but I wasn't sure just how confident Torch was in his capability to fight. He was a powerhouse, that much wasn't in question.
Torch stepped forward, the ground rumbling at his footsteps. Looking down at me, he lifted a claw and pointed directly at me. "When I win and you are nothing but a stain under my claw, the Sunsword will be mine. Not only that, but the Ponies will surrender the Dark Fae Queen to me. And, since I'm feeling generous today, if you manage to surrender to me before dying, the moment you are recovered, you will become mated in perpetuity to my daughter."
I saw Ember tense up at that, but I couldn't do or say anything. There was absolutely no negotiating any of the terms made during a Volrif'nel. Any demand could be only made once and not change. "Anything else?" I asked, loud enough to be heard.
"You will also give us recompense due to your so-called Princesses incompetence in reigning in the monster Eris. 500,000 bits. Per Dragon!"
I grit my teeth. That would bankrupt the Equestrian economy, I realized. I'd heard that many Dragons had died, possibly a little over two thousand if not more. Over a billion bits would go out of the Equestrian Royal Treasury and out of Equestria altogether into the Dragon Lord's greedy claws. However, I knew that I couldn't just argue. I would forfeit the match if I said anything other than what I said next. "Very well. Is there anything else?"
"Ah yes, there is one more thing." Torch pointed over to where Celestia was standing. "When I win, your so-called Princess of the Day will become a member of my own hoard!"
For the most part throughout my twenties, I had managed to learn how to keep a tight lid on my anger. I knew I had an issue with it, but for the most part I had just pressed it all down. I knew it was an unhealthy habit ever since I came to Equestria, and was taking steps to try and rectify that. However, when I heard Torch's words, an unholy rage began to surface from within me. The nerve of that callous bastard! The audacity! I won't let him get away with that!
"The challenged party will now make their own demands," the announcer said. "And the challenged should keep in mind that since the challenger has issued four demands, he is limited to four as well, no more."
I turned my head up and lifted the visor on my close helm, facing Torch. I took a few seconds to calm down just in case the anger was clearly audible. Finally, I looked up. "When I win this farce," I said, speaking harshly to imitate Dragon speak, "all the Dragons in Equestria who were brought there by your order within the past week will return to the Dragon Lands. You will also leave all Fae who are in our custody alone." I narrowed my eyes at him, then grinned. "And, since I too, am feeling generous today, I will demand only one more thing, and that is you will relinquish at least one thing from your hoard to me, something that I will choose myself. And don't try and deny you have one."
I saw his scowl harden for a bit, then a smirk appeared on his face"Are you sure you wouldn't want your fourth request to be my own daughter?" Torch asked in a tone which made me frown. "She's quite the catch for any male. Properly raised, too. She knows her place."
There was something about the way he said that last line that made my skin crawl. I couldn't really believe that this Dragon Lord was the same one I'd seen in the show. He might have been dismissive of his daughter because of her stature and lack of physical strength, but the Torch in the show had been accepting of his daughter. This Torch was becoming more and more unlikeable the more I learned about him. Standing defiantly, I replied, "My heart, body and soul belongs to another, and when this is over, I intend to marry that woman."
Torch shrugged. "Very well, but you won't win."
"Don't be so sure," I said, pulling my visor down, finally drawing the Sunsword and letting it see the light of the sun for the first time in hundreds, if not thousands, of years. I grasped it with both armored hands, each one having Rarity's gloves on them as well as the armored hand guards, or claw guards since they were once made for a Dragon. Holding it up, I spread my wings wide and ignited them, moving upwards slowly until I was hovering at eye level with the towering behemoth of a Dragon.
The higher I went, the more the Sunsword seemed to glow with an inner power. The once silvery colored sword began to glow with an inner fire that seemed to emulate the images I'd seen of the surface of Earth's own sun. A corona began to form around the bright golden blade, with miniature coronal mass ejections coming from random portions of the blade itself.
Torch looked at the blade with an amused expression. "So that's the Sunsword, I see. Interesting. Well, you showed me yours. Let me show you mine." Then I watched as he reached down to his armor, and drew another sword of his own. A sword which started to grow in size until it was the perfect size for him.
A sword which was eerily similar to my own.
When Torch saw me hesitate, he grinned and held up the silvery glowing half broadsword. "I see you recognize this blade. Yes, this is the Moonsword, recovered years ago by a very naïve young Pony. A Pony who was summarily ended before he could become a threat. Now, let me find him really quick."
The Sunsword flared up at that, and in an instant, I could almost feel rage coming from it. A rage which belonged to Celestia. And from me. I brought the Sunsword closer to me, glaring at the ancient Dragon before me as he pulled out a large necklace around his neck. To my horror, the necklace was a massive chain, with bleached white skeletons hanging from them. I saw Ponies, Dragons, Griffons, a few shimmering Crystal Pony corpses and more. He looked at the 'ornaments' until he reached the bones of a Unicorn. He held it up, then I almost felt what little I'd eaten today come rising back up when he licked it. "He was delicious."
My sword erupted with the mixed anger not only of Celestia but myself. White hot flames surrounded the entire blade, heating up the air around me. Fortunately, the armor I was in protected me from the vast majority of it. I growled angrily, then aimed my sword at him. "You will pay for every one of the lives you stole, Torch, and that's a promise!"
"And your Princess will pay with her kingdom's money…and her body!" Torch replied as he raised the Moonsword, which seemed to reflect and internalize the light it caught from the Sunsword. "But first, I will mount your body on my hoard's wall!"
And with that, he grasped the sword in both claws, raised it, and with surprising speed, brought it down directly towards me.