Chapter Text
The star dragons. What is exactly a star dragon? Is it a metaphor for the dangers of space? Is it a fairy tale from some distant world made by its aboriginals? Perhaps it is some cosmic phenomenon or object that has been observed by scholars for generations? Well, questions like that would lead to a discussion of what is a dragon, but there are simply too many variables to say precisely in the vastness of the universe.
But it is always there. A tale of the light soaring through the skies, an immense source of power, that the beings bound to the planet can only barely comprehend in its true complexity. All they are left with is to give it a name. A comet. A dragon. A god.
Most of the time, indeed, it is nothing but a piece of matter that is not from the world they watch it from on its path to inevitably melt away piece by piece by the nearest star. It is still an impressive find, but nothing too much on the cosmic scale of things.
But sometimes. Just sometimes. What the mortal beings observe has had a name already. One that it knew from the start. The name that strikes fear in those who know. The name that confuses the ignorant. The name that was carefully carved into its very existence when the universe came to be. The name - Aurelion Sol.
Oh, it had been so long. The star forger's absence was too lengthy, even for his timeless perspective. So much work to do, so many stars to make, and so many problems to fix. It was time-consuming work, but it would certainly be worth it in the end. Beings such as he do not start projects doomed to fail, no. This was his job. A self-assigned one, but he was more than certain it was more of an instinctual calling, and he was going to follow it right.
Years after his imprisonment he had to explore his changed canvas. He wouldn’t be a celestial being if he didn’t have enough knowledge of how his work would change over time. But, even if he possessed such knowledge, the exact way stars would develop was beyond his sight. It was a pleasant surprise to see the star progeny of his work, especially those doubled systems. They seemed so intriguing and mysterious. Aurelion thought he should make them more common in his next creations.
And when he observed one such system, a gravitational wave similar to a lash hit the back of his head. It was painful, but not unbearable, so it was not the imprisoning effect of the golden crown on his head. Of course, it couldn't be. The star-forger ensured that the spell had been broken the moment that cumbersome thing got damaged. It was still bad that it didn't fall apart and was permanently stuck on his head. A reminder of a lesson, he thought, to never trust the gifts of mortal beings, while a neat crack going diagonally from the top of his brow towards his left eye would be one of triumph.
Still, where was that painful feeling coming from? There were very few things in this universe able to hurt him. He decided to wait some more, in case something was nearby, and to catch that feeling again. Nothing came of it. There was just cosmic silence and conflicting radiation from the paired system.
After some more suspicious staring into the infinity of the space around him, Aurelion turned back to his observations.
A bit later, he took a stroll on the outer fringes. Outside of any galaxy just to see how they moved. It was quite informative, he concluded. Some of his favorite clusters have placed themselves hundreds of thousands of lightyears away from their intended points. Was it a mistake in his calculations?
Of course not! He could bet it was the work of those celestial deities messing with his work for their ambitions. But it was not unsalvageable. Perhaps a change of perspective was necessary and with the current movement of galaxies, he could come up with something fun. Maybe he could make two hit each other. Oh, yes, it could create a nice picture in just a thousand years.
That is when another similar wave of pain hit him.
Surprised and enraged, the star forger started frantically spinning in hopes of catching the mysterious troublemaker. But to no avail. There was no one behind him. Yet, it happened again and he was sure there were no black holes trying to combine nearby. No. That backlash was different. Someone certainly was playing with an immense amount of magic.
This time, he didn’t move. He waited, carefully observing every portion of the space available to his supreme senses. There had to be some sort of explanation and if there was an explanation - there was a source. He waited… and waited… the wait was getting on his nerves too much not to be noticed. He was about to leave this idea until it finally happened again.
Invigorated by his display of patience, which later he would tell to be nothing much, the star dragon began to calculate where it was coming from. Rushing through the mental map of the universe, which was obviously outdated, he could feel himself approaching the needed coordinates. ‘Just a little more and that pesky little phenomenon will be snuffed out,’ he thought. Only when his calculations brought Aurelion to the place of another blank spot between galaxies, he snapped out of it to fold space-time itself to appear near the burdensome object.
The results were the most frightening. A lonely planet with a moon and a sun spiraling around each other frantically. The sight on its own made Aurelion shudder, and the pain of another magical lash as the two things changed position around the planet instead of the proper way made it worse.
“Now I see. Those pesky wannabe sibling-deities of the sun and the moon have given someone their patronage and now they are miss-using my dear creation to go along with someone’s whims,” the star dragon said to himself, steadily approaching the chaotic system. For the moment even he was on the brink of being engulfed in the giant thermo-nuclear reactor, but it didn’t take too much to dodge it. “To think they would have the audacity to hand out keys to the most important power in the universe to a bunch of worthless planetary life again?! I am beyond them, both these celestial aspects and their aspect warriors, but I am not beyond rage!”
Yet, before openly revealing himself to these creatures, whatever might have been living on another miserable mud-ball, Aurelion decided to have a closer look at the place. He couldn’t just barge in like he did before that. He was not going to repeat the mistake with Targon. He lowered himself to the planet’s thermosphere, making him appear like a comet. The space dragon was generous enough to provide a good show for the pathetic creatures, and possibly to their successors if anything was to survive the contact with the Great Beyond.
The results?… Well…
It was simply phenomenal.
For the past week, the whole astronomical and astrological communities of Equestria have been spending sleepless nights staring into the endless space of possibilities. The most profound and mystical of phenomena graced their bring.
A comet. An absolute mystery for the magical and scientific community of everypony interested. Comets were relatively rare on their own, so the possibility of finding one that so graciously placed itself onto the orbit of their world and just right to make it constantly face Equestria was simply mind-boggling.
Twilight was not an exception. A scholar in her own right, she was not spared by the same fascination from her library-home in Ponyville. Despite some quiet protests from her friends, including one very grumpy little dragon, she sat all those nights staring at the cosmic phenomena.
She did her best to keep quiet, but the sheer excitement and the fortunate position of Ponyville practically under the phenomenon made her constantly mumble different calculations, until, much later at night, she would spare both herself and Spike and go to sleep.
“‘...the reflective effect and some color analysis suggest that composition of the comet is the most unusual,’” the unicorn mumbled, looking through some of the freshest articles on the subject she could get. “‘While it does contain elements fitting for a normal comet, it leaves traces of gold, helium, and hydrogen. Mages noted the presence of raw magical power that the comet seemed to exude. It is not harmful, but only because its range is far beyond anything recorded in Equestria.’ Seems similar to my notes so far, and the comet definitely has gold in its structure, but I couldn’t detect the magic without the right tools. I wonder if-”
She kept rumbling for several more minutes, before having another look at the comet. It really was a beautiful sight. There were a rare few that could compete with it… Yet… this time it seemed a bit… blurry. She tried to fix the telescope’s focus, but the next time the comet was getting blurry before her very eyes. Twilight fixed the thing again until it hit its limit … and come to think of it, the comet became a bit brighter… too bright, she concluded and fearfully approached the window herself.
The light in the sky seemed brighter and the trail of matter behind it was as brilliant as before, even if not more so. A few moments later, it started to rapidly descend. An already mysterious celestial object soared through the clear night sky like a certain pegasus she knew, if not faster, considering its supposed size. It spun in a spiral a few times as it descended, creating a mesmerizing pattern of dust and cosmic and magical debris, small pieces falling and burning through the atmosphere. It seemed like the comet was falling, making it more of a meteor. Twilight even was afraid it would become an asteroid, as it showed no sign of getting any smaller on its way down.
Yet, instead of creating a cataclysmic event, the ball of sparkling fire, instead of impacting the ground and starting an impact winter, shot parallel to the ground, past the hills, mountains, and forests, to soar above Ponyville. There was no doubt that whatever this was it was certainly mostly magic and barely could qualify as a comet at that point. The sheer speed of it and the ceiling of her house didn’t allow Twilight to see what it was, so she rushed outside.
The sight that followed was just as bizarre. Accompanied by the slight nightly chill and a slight breeze of wind, she saw how a mysterious object hit the ground after making a loop above it. It did so without an impact or sound as if it was not there at all. Moments later, at the exact place where ‘the comet’ landed, the ground started to stretch up in an unnaturally steep spire, pulling the ground along, as if something was trying to pitch a piece of it, while stone and dirt, along with other scenery followed along like clay, with little to no resistance. Eventually, it stopped at a height twice greater than the cliff where Canterlot resided, revealing the gray stone on its top. It could easily become the new tallest point in the world at that point. And to add to the strangeness, the peak started to illuminate, creating a beam of yellowish light that shot upwards into the unknown beyond.
Twilight stood and watched. It is not every day you can see something as bizarre as the appearance of an entire mountain out of nowhere and, what it seemed, without much consequence to the surroundings. She looked around and didn’t see much. It appeared that if there were any owls, they would most likely be literal instead of metaphorical, and even those were just rare enough to make her the only witness to the event.
“Mmm… What’s going on?” Spike groaned, snapping Twilight from her musing and thoughts before she steadily made her way back inside. He saw her strangely neutral face. It was a great contrast to what he usually saw when she accidentally woke him up these days. “... Something happened?” he asked, still half-asleep.
“In the morning…” Twilight replied in a half-emotionless tone.
“What?” Spike tried to get a clarification until he was forcibly put back in the sleeping position with magic.
“I think it is better to deal with it in the morning,” she said, getting in her bed as well, and turning around in an attempt to fall asleep. Spike just followed the idea, mostly happy to get back to his deserved rest, only slightly miffed by the fact that Twilight of all ponies put something on later notice. The unicorn herself, however, was hoping to find that whatever that was it would be just a hallucination of her sleep-deprived perception.
Of course, it wasn't.
The next morning met with five familiar faces at her doorstep and a slight awe and panic that the rest of the quaint town was stuck in, looking at the stone spire. They needed to act now. Something this big had all the chances of being a threat, so, the first thing to do was to pack in the Elements of Harmony, followed shortly after by informing the Princesses. The reply of the latter was quick with full permission to investigate. It appeared that the thing was not a local illusion, and it was visible even in Canterlot. Soon enough, barely 9 in the morning, they were already halfway to the ominous mountain.
“So, what’s the plan?” Applejack asked, keeping near Twilight.
“I‘m not sure. We don’t know what we are dealing with exactly. It doesn’t look innately dangerous, but something with enough magic power to pull out a mountain cannot be something little. We will look at what it is and then send what we find out to princesses for them to decide,” the purple unicorn said looking at the spire, doing her best to study the thing for any dangers.
“I tried to fly to it as soon as I saw it, but the thing has some wild wilds running around it. At this rate, me and Flttershy will need to walk as well. This is so annoying,” Rainbow Dash complained, flying along with others while it was still possible.
“This mountain is too weird no matter how you look at it… Am I the only one getting some creeps the closer we are to it…? This feels familiar, but I can’t just say what it is,” Spike added, sitting on Twilight’s back, along with bags with the Elements of Harmony in them.
“But you will have to agree that it has some style to it. I wonder if it surfaced some interesting gems. Maybe I could even design something inspired by this vertical landscape,” Rarity mused, seeming to be not too overwhelmed by the occasion.
“Maybe these are some guests from space! We could have a welcome party!” Pinky hopped along, ultimately ignored in this situation. Neither the strange mountain nor the reaction of her friends seemed to get her spirits down.
“I only hope the animals that live there are alright. So many natural habitats destroyed,” Fluttershy mumbled, following last, catching up only when the infamous winds panned her and Dash to the ground.
They started to ascend the mountain… And it was surprisingly anticlimactic. The spire reached up into the distance far beyond anything that a mountain of such shape was supposed to reach. It wrapped the ground scenery of horizontal forests and vertical rivers around itself like a coat, neither damaging nor changing it too much… And despite all that, its side had a suspiciously convenient single spiraling path that went up and around the mountain with nothing blocking their way. The path in question was just ground without grass, and, while nothing fancy, was still convenient to move on. Not too hard, not too soft, not too wet, and not dusty dry. If not the strangeness of this whole thing’s existence one could call it… welcoming?
“Weird. For something that bothered to make some anti-flying wind it sure doesn’t seem to mind us just taking a really long walk to… is that a cave this thing leads to?” the blue pegasus said, looking at the entrance in question, not too far to discourage the ascend, but obscured enough to make it hard to look inside.
“It is certainly strange, but not something we should be worried about. We still need to be careful though,” Twilight pointed out to them, as they kept on their way.
After some time, they reached that cave. With closer inspection, it revealed some more confusing details (at that point the group grew a bit numb to the feeling). The entrance was smooth, along with the inner walls of the cave, as if it was chiseled or melted into this shape. Moreover, as they went in, the path seemed to last endlessly, making them spatially confused, as they were supposed to exit the mountain on the other side some time ago. Only Pinkie was not too bothered, just finding it funny and enjoying the echoes the place had.
Yet, it all revealed itself when they reached some chamber. A wide space, this time without wind, so pegasuses could take flight again, compared to the entrance, housed something that could only be described as a three-dimensional star map. Stars, nebulas, galaxies, and many more yet-to-be-named stellar phenomena were floating in the air of the cave, barely illuminating its floor with a dim bluish light. Thai sight drew a bit of awe from everyone… Except Spike, whose strange fear of the place grew only more powerful.
“Um… Guys? I feel like someone’s watching us here,” he announced, getting off Twilight and quickly glancing around the room.
“Well, it doesn’t look like it. However, this place is beaming with magic. There must be something creating this map,” the purple unicorn tried to sense something other than them and that space map, while quickly taking notes to show later to the princesses. “I can recognize some constellations. It looks like a local night sky.”
“Wel, it certainly looks pretty cool,” Rainbow Dash spun in the air between the effigies of the distant space, stopping at some that looked particularly interesting.
“It sure is pretty,” Applejack joined in. “But this alone couldn’t, y’know, pull a new mountain up, right?”
As soon as she said it, a low rumbling laughter rendered them silent. “Hm,” an unknown echoing voice hummed. “How rude to speak of someone who listens, as if they are not here.” Scared back into caution, ponies grouped up, as Twilight helped everyone quickly get their Elements of Harmony. The star map shifted. It changed and stretched, creating outlines that soon turned into a floating form of a dragon made of stars. It was filling the entire room, from the tip of its tufted tail to the very point of a snout going in a near-complete circle, with the entrance of the chamber left unblocked. The wingless wyrm looked at the seven of them with its blue glimmering eyes with vertical pupils, right under a fractured golden crown. It looked angry, furrowing its brow, and the viciousness of the light in the eyes made it clear that the being wanted to incinerate them on the spot, but restrained with a great level of patience.
Now they knew what the feeling of deja vu was. They were entering a dragon’s lair, just without a horde. Yet, it was hard to tell if the thing before them was even a dragon, with how different its shape was, compared to what they met so far. However, the long musing didn’t seem to be an option, as the being grew ever more annoyed with their inaction.
“I am sorry for the intrusion, oh mighty dragon. We wanted to know about this new development here. It was a bit worrying to find an entire mountain sprout where once was a piece of flatlands,” Twilight started, considering if the dragon was talking about manners, it must have been willing to communicate. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends…” she continued as she introduced all of them. The dragon trailed her introduction with its eyes, stopping at Spike with a look that was hard to discern, but it made the little dragon back away a few steps to hide behind the ponies. The being, however, kept looking in the direction of a young drake.
“Welcome to Equestria, big pall!” Pinkie suddenly jumped in, pulling one of her party canons simply out of nowhere and firing in an attempt to create a festive mood. Yet, just like the last time they talked to a dragon, it didn’t seem to affect him much and only returned the dragon to an angered state.
“How charming,” it lied, seeming to not bother introducing itself. “This planet also possesses an absolute gap in intellect among its inhabitants from passable to insufferable. If not for how dreadfully boring your world is I would consider setting it ablaze for your little stunt alone,” it pressed on the party pony, getting visibly annoyed with each line, making her retreat back, getting the message clearly.
“I’m sorry sir…?” Applejack tried to chip in, but the cold gaze of the star-patterned reptile (or not a reptile, it was one messy situation for them to be concerned with taxonomy), gave her enough of a sign he was not going to introduce himself. “Sir. We don’t mean to annoy you, but could you please not threaten our friend and surroundings.”
“Yeah even if you are a big and magical lizard, I am not going to get you just casually attacking ponies, you get it?” Rainbodash joined her, as two of some of the most capable fighters in the group.
Twilight was about to say something, but a strange amusement on the dragon’s face made her reconsider it. “Well, it is certainly interesting. I am used to groveling, and can’t stand idiocy, but your welcome is at most outstanding. Ready to fight a star dragon? Come on. Try. See for yourself how it will work out for you,” he taunted, with something close to a smile stretching across his face.
“We are not goin’ to attack you, sir. We’re just sayin’ that we’re not goin’ to stand threats,” Applejack clarified, not really wanting them to fight what would obviously be an absolute loss. It seemed to return the dragon to a bored state.
“Very well. Your choice. Either way, you are not those who I need,” the dragon said. Yet, he intercepted her question as he continued. “Let me set some things clear. One - I am not going to tolerate any form of aggression towards me and will reply in kind with a complete annihilation of the threat and then the planet itself. And with threat, I am also including your little magical trinkets,” he said, pointing at the elements with his claws.
At first hesitant, Twilight weighed all the pros and cons of the situation, and building trust seemed like a better option. “We understand,” she nodded and gathered back the elements from the team.
“Two, “ the dragon continued. “You are annoying and I don’t like any of you. Your cheery and light-hearted civilization makes me sick and I have no idea what I must think of it.”
This line made them confused, but, they concluded, that as long as everything went well - the dragon could hate them for eternity if it meant the safety of others in the future.
“And the third - I am going to properly communicate only with your ascended aspect warriors. I will take a guess and say that they also happen to be your leaders,” the dragon finished with his conditions and placed himself more comfortably in the cave, to wait for the latter, occasionally glancing at the little dragon with a strangely annoyed look, sending more chills down Spike’s spine.
“... Ascended aspect warriors? Do you mean princesses?” Twilight asked, a bit confused by the wording while trying to shield Spike a bit more.
“Princesses, queens, gods, whatever you call them. As I said, I am not too interested in your miserable little, backwater confusing culture. Now begone, or at least don’t bother me too much as you sit here,” the dragon dismissed her, finally stopping staring, and looked to the side disinterested.
Baffled by the situation, not getting too much from it while also getting just so much it was just confusing everything, everypony quickly made a group huddle. “Alright. We now know we have a dragon with an unknown amount of power sitting here near Ponyville, with really grim intents and plans in case it is disturbed. I suggest - we leave,” Spike said instantly, ready to head out this instant. The dragon in question was observing them with his peripheral vision.
“But we can’t leave empty-handed. This is trouble above us, I agree, but we must find out at least something from him to report to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” Twilight begged, while the group looked at Fluttershy and Rarity.
“Um… I could… try talking to him. I am just… a bit too afraid to approach. He also doesn’t seem to be the type to be affected by The Stare… and just kindness,” the yellow pegasus backed down. They couldn’t blame her. There were a lot of points that connected him and a certain chaotic being they knew. Yet the lack of that chaos was the most terrifying in the star dragon.
“Alright. If he is anything like the other dragon, I think I can do something,” Rarity said and headed from the group in the direction of the dragon, who silently observed her, shifting his gaze only when she approached close enough for him to bother. “My, I am dreadfully sorry for disturbing you myself, mister dragon. I hope I am not too much of a bother, but I couldn’t resist having a closer look at you.”
“What do you imply?” the dragon asked, confused and slightly alarmed, much to the worry of all the ponies involved.
“Oh, it’s not much. I just couldn’t help but be inspired by your coloration. You could say I am a bit of a practical fashion enthusiast and the fresh ideas you kind sir have brought are simply astounding,” she corrected, yet slowly getting in the swing of it. The fact that she actually was inspired or new outfit ideas made it only easier.
“... Go on,” the dragon relaxed, sounding pleased by the phrasing and the intent. Everyone besides him let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding.
“Well, you simply are a living jewel. You carry all the beauty of the cosmos on yourself. It makes me want to try to try and replicate it in my designs. I feel challenged by the idea, as it certainly will be a difficult task to just attempt and depict your excellence,” the white unicorn continued.
“Hm. I am quite a unique piece in the universe. I will be generous enough to allow it,” the dragon lifted his head as regal as he could, positively basking in the praise.
“I am honored, not to mention your mane. It flows so freely and naturally. Never thought in my life, I would see a dragon with one and one so unparalleled.” In this part, she had to lie a bit. Certainly, the being looked wonderful and any pony would tear any spa for a mane like this, but it was very reminiscent of Princess Luna, if not a bit hazier, which somehow made the star imagery grander, if a bit surreal.
Yet, it had its effects, as the dragon sank further into his pride. A smile and a slight magical shine went through his appearance, as the dragon tried to look even more gorgeous.
“And forgive me for intruding, sir, but I was hoping to know more. I am sure a wise and knowledgeable being such as yourself must have seen all the beauty in the world.”
“Of multiple worlds, yes. I have been around a good number of places to claim such knowledge. What do you wish to know?” the dragon asked, being more approachable in this ego-drunk state.
“Well… Um…” This is where she didn’t think far enough. Rarity looked back at Twilight with the question ‘What now?’ in her eyes to be met with a confused and worried shrug. “Hm, it is a very hard question. You are so mysterious to us. I’m pretty certain every moment of your time is just as fascinating as you are. Any question would do here. Where do you come from? What can you do? Oh! And where did you get this wonderful crown-”
“The crown?” the star dragon interrupted, the mood in his voice shifting, but it was too subtle for Rarity to notice.
“Yes! The crown. It is quite the eye-catcher. It is a bit of a shame that is da-,” She kept going for a bit but stopped as the air and magic in it shifted.
The dragon was peering down at her. No longer under the influence of praise, he looked absolutely livid. The glow in his eyes became a bit brighter, the pupils narrowed even more, and, most alarmingly, at the edges of his mouth started to gather a bit of iridescent flame, filled with some sparkling particles, that made it look like it was full of stars.
Everypony in the room started to back away, including the white unicorn. “Did I… pry into something too personal?” she asked, in an attempt to save the situation.
However, the dragon leaned closer to them, an immense heat that radiated from the fire he emitted was leaving the air barely breathable. “Get. Out.” Two cold words were enough to send all of them rushing. The dragon was not going to welcome their presence any longer.
Outside, they could gather themselves again. “What a meanie. I know that not all are too much of a party folk, but this is just ridiculous,” Pinkie commented.
“At least we know what we are dealing with here. Another huge bully dragon.” Rainbow Dash complained as well, still grounded due to the winds that were outside.
“Nope. He is very different,” Spike spoke, just as terrified as anyone else. “The dragons I got to meet were nothing compared to this one. He is not just mean to be mean. He IS superior to any other dragon in all the bad ways and he just makes sure everyone knows!”
“What’s the difference though?” Applejack asked.
“That he is dangerous if provoked. More so than any dragon would be normally,” Twilight clarified, getting her thoughts together.
“Well, he certainly is sensitive in some places. Not sure if it is a good idea to use them. Even the one that was threatening Equestria with a hundred years of smoke clouds was not as intense as this one,” Rarity spoke, getting a few final panicked breaths out.
Just in time for a certain white and golden chariot land at the bottom of the mountain.
‘The audacity of those beings,’ the star dragon grumbled in his mind about the recent events. It was simply unspeakable how they could just walk right in and start asking him, HIM! all those idiotic questions. His terms were simple enough. He could excuse their initial intrusion. He was not going to put signs around the newly made mountain, telling who was there and what he was expecting. The later interactions were not so easily forgotten he thought, but, actually processing them enough to see that they had no way of knowing, but he was not going to apologize. It should be the other way around.
A moment later, his train of thought was once more interrupted by a clicking of hooves against the smooth stone. He spent an entire night making that careful entrance. They better be enjoying its convenience. However, he soon saw who was approaching. There was no doubt. The magic was too much not to notice. These two were ascended. A white and dark creature, similar to previous equine guests, but combined both wings and horns, one on the head of each, this time. The fact was somewhat interesting… but the flowing main of the two creatures was similar enough to his own to offend him a bit.
He started with a huff, raising himself to also notice the previous group (of what he thought) ambassadors… along with that child dragon… “Well. I suppose it is expected that you didn’t take too long to appear. It is the least you two could do after what you have done.”
“Greetings, mighty one. I am Princess Celestia and this is my sister Princessa Luna. We-”
“Oh please. Do not try to bore me more than you already do. The fact that this world shaped you once more in two separate entities is enough. Drop the act and show yourselves,” the dragon interrupted her, angrily demanding the truth.
Both seemed to be surprised by his direct approach. This would be concerning if he didn’t know how these two operated. “I am sorry, but what are you talking about? And could we please know how to address you?”
“Why should I? You two are already supposed to know me by now, don’t you, or does your separation suddenly influence your memory?” The star dragon kept pressing. He was getting more offended by the minute of this nonsense. There was no way they wouldn’t know who he was.
“I am sorry to disappoint you, but we do not know who you are. We have never encountered anyone of your kind before, besides the normal dragons. Moreover, we try to be nice to you even after you threaten our subjects. So explain who you are and what your purpose is here.” her sister said, noticeably pushier.
“Oh, my purpose should be obvious to you two, but if you want to play these games - I shall indulgeyou, but only for so long. Give up the reign over my star now and I might even fix your orbits so your precious little world won’t collapse in it!” the dragon almost roared, slamming his claws near the two.
“What?” A confused yelp reached them from the observing group at the entrance. One quick stern look from all three of them to stay out of this was enough to make the six get further away.
“Please believe us. We do not wish to anger you, but we truly don’t know what you are talking about. For as long as we have known ourselves - we had this power to control the sun and the moon. If there was something taken from you - we will do our best to help to return it, but we need to know what you are talking about,” Ceestia tried once more a softer approach while sounding stern before a being that could be equally if not more powerful than her, she still showed that she was ready to stand her ground.
After furrowing his brow and squinting inquisitively at them, the star dragon soon started to think they might be telling the truth. Taking a moment to calm his thoughts, he positioned himself more comfortably. “Oh, this is such a mess. If you do tell the truth that would mean those who are responsible for this mess are not here and it will be a long while until I will be able to contact them. In that case, I can’t fully unleash my rage on you. I suppose it also warrants a proper introduction.” the dragon moved, creating a glowing ball of magic, shaping it by his claws, and releasing it into a picture of one of many most presentable pieces of the universe his memory could recall. “I come from beyond your world. I have lived for uncountable millennia and will keep living for even longer.” he said, suddenly turning everything to darkness and then adding more and more dots of light as he kept going” I was here at the beginning of time. From my thoughts and desires, I started to shape the emptiness around me. I was the one to bring light into this cold unwelcoming universe. I am the Star Forger. I am Aurelion Sol.”
Stunned? That was a word too little to describe the shock some of the present felt. No one ever would expect to see a star-forging creator of the universe visit their planet. Twilight and anyone of her friends certainly wouldn’t. Rainbow Dash even felt chills for a moment run down her spine at the idea she was trying to fight something like this. She would do so for her friends and she would do so again if push came to shove, but this still was thought too ridiculous to fully fathom. Some of them even went through a point of denial.
“We… are honored by your presence, Star Forger,” Celestial continued, first to snap from the shock. “It certainly clarifies some things and we can’t say your anger is unjust.”
“Do not bother with it. I bear no ill will to you directly… yet,” Aurelion said coyly, obviously enjoying an angered and concerned expression of the alicorns. He shifted his gaze in the direction of the cave’s entrance, where Twilight and others were hiding to hear what was going on. “Still, I do wish to set my star back in a proper orbit. The aspects that, I believe, granted you your powers would appear if I was to set this little world ablaze”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Luna stomped forward, glaring at the star-forger. “Do you have any idea how many lives you are going to ruin if you will do so? We will have no other option but to stop you!”
“And how do you plan on doing that? Do you think simple aspect warriors such as myself can even harm me? Don’t be ridiculous. Besides, on the cosmic scale extinction of another planet is nothing but a flicker,” The dragon inched closer to them. “You individually bear even less significance.”
The room stayed silent for a moment. Both princesses knew they might not stand a chance against someone who was able to forge stars. However, Celestia stepped forward. “We might not be able to oppose you and perhaps for someone like you we might seem insignificant, but this in Equestria alone has so much more than that. The fates of numerous lives, each with their own destinies to fulfill. The beauty of the lands and the potential this world has. And you wish to destroy it all? I implore you to give it a chance.”
Once more no one said a thing. The dragon’s expression seemed indifferent, but he neither denied nor accepted the offer. It seemed like he was contemplating it, only for the idea to be ruined by an echoing laughter Aurelion let out. “What nonsense!” the star forger angrily snapped, slamming his clawed hand near the princesses. “Do you think appealing to morals will work with me? Are you so delusional about your position? My powers are beyond your comprehension!”
“Yet, if you still didn’t destroy this world, if it was so easy for you - there must be something,” Luna said, causing the dragon’s expression to shift. Uncomfortably so, like she struck some other topic too sensitive for him.
“Hmph. It is out of your concern. My reasoning shapes the universe so I get to choose what to do,” Aurelion dismissed it, turning his head away and lifting his chin in a prideful expression. Yet, a moment later his gaze returned to them, seeing that neither the six ponies that visited him first nor the two alicorns were going anywhere. “Yet, if you are so confident - prove to me the worth of your world. Take as much time as you need. A decade or two will matter not on the cosmic scale.”
Another pause, but this time this was with two sisters thinking. That was a bit of a tall order, to make someone like him find their world worth keeping and with a personality so outrageous it seemed impossible even. However, Celestia looked back to see her student and five other ponies looking at her with hope. A slight smile graced her face before she turned her head back to the dragon. “I believe a week should be enough,” she started, confusing everyone in the room with such confidence. Even Aurelion didn’t seem to expect such confidence from her. “And I know just the ponies who can show it to you.”