Chapter 8

A Home Lost

Nimph stared open mouthed at the large reptile’s ruby eyes. Romulus had given up trying to retreat and sank to the field with his front hooves covering his eyes. Nimph saw the two of them reflected in the dragon’s eyes as it snarled at them in disgust. He lowered its head so he would be looking down at them. When he spoke it was in a dominant threatening tone.

“Little ponies, where is the one who summoned me?” he asked coldly.

“W… We d… did,” said Romulus shaking

“Speak up!” demanded the dragon.

Romulus shrunk back in his fetal position too scared to say another word. The Dragon turned his gaze on the horizon and saw the lighted town in the distance. His mouth opened slightly to show razor sharp teeth. His eyes had flames dancing in them them as he licked his lips intently at the small town. Nimph saw this and quickly tried to get the dragon’s attention back on them.

“So, you’re the Defiler?” she asked in a frightened voice.

The Dragon looked down at the brave mare that was daring to speak to him.

“Yes, I am,” he said. “And I suppose it doesn't matter who summoned me! Whoever it was, they were foolish enough to release me from my imprisonment! For far too long I have waited for someone to bring me back to this miserable place. And now that I am free…”

The Defiler looked up at the night sky and smoke started to flow out of his nose and mouth. He opened his mouth as if he was about to breath fire, but what happened was a huge cloud of smoke shot into the sky covering the stars. The Defiler spread his wings and took off into the night becoming lost in his own smoke. For a second the vast black reptile was seen overhead as the he flew out of the smoke cloud and headed directly for the town. Nimph looked after the enormous creature as fear and guilt took over her. With legs shaking, she forced herself to gallop off leaving a cowering Romulus behind. Maybe she could find something in her studies that could help her fix the problem before it was too late! Back in the quite town the citizens awoke from their peaceful sleep unaware of the giant threat that approached them.

“Did anypony else hear that?” asked a worried earth pony.

“I did," replied another. "It sounded like it was close, what ever it was. And Why do I smell smoke?”

Suddenly they heard the frantic screams of somepony heading toward them from the dark. Romulus galloped passed them at top speed shouting at the top of his lungs.

“Run! Quick! Get out of here! Dragon!”

“Romulus!” spoke up a voice from one the guild members who had just left his house to see what all the commotion was about. “What are you talking abou…”

Just then a loud flapping sound was heard and before any of them could react the sky above them was filled with red and orange heat that came crashing down on the small town. There was pandemonium everywhere as ponies scattered in terror trying to get way from the oncoming firestorm. Nimph flung her front door open and hurried to her studies as the terrified screams from the ponies outside met her ears. Trying to drown them out, she searched through her books, trying to find a counter spell to send The Defiler back to his imprisonment! Try as she might, she found nothing! In sure panic Nimph let out a scream as her house shook from a nearby explosion of heat!

“Nimph, What are you doing?! We have to evacuate!” shouted a mare that had just ran inside the open house.

“Big sister!” exclaimed Nimph. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean for this to happen!”

“What are you talking about!?” Nimph’s older sister asked looking scared as the house shook again; this time dust came falling from the ceiling.

“I promise, I will fix this!” Nimph said as she took what she wanted and left with her sister.

Outside the sky was filled with the roars and flames from The Defiler. Panicked ponies ran and flew as far as legs and wings could carry them. The Higher Class Unicorn’s Guild argued with each other, as they too seemed to have the same idea as Nimph.

“I can’t find a counter spell!” shouted a worried member flipping through the book they made out of Star Swirl’s work. “Which idiot was dense enough to cast such a spell!?”

His answer was given to him by the shouts he heard Romulus give out to the sky. The dragon landed on the roof of one of the houses falling straight through it and lowered his head down to the unicorn’s level so they were face to face.

“What was that you said little one?” The Defiler asked amused at Romulus’ daring.

“I… I said as the one who summoned you, I o… Order you to st… Stop!”

What ever courage Romulus had found was gravely diminished by the harsh laughter The Defiler gave him.

“You? Summon me? I take orders from no one!”

“H… Hey! Yu… You can’t d… Do that!” Romulus shouted back and started to speak in the same tongue he had used to cast the spell that released the dragon from his prison.

What ever he was saying to it, The Defiler glared at him and with another loud roar he reached out his hand wrapping his claws around the unicorn and brought him up to his level, feet above the ground. With an evil grin The Defiler talked back to him in the same tongue.

“Algbo hak, shala ve ekess retort.”

Romulus was tossed in the air like a gold piece and as his shrieking body came falling down The Defiler’s mouth closed in on him! Swallowing his small snack whole, The Defiler looked down at the frightened ponies and breathed more fire onto the already torched town. When he was done, the town was nothing but a weak pile of greatly singed rubble and debris. The Defiler took flight once more, his roars echoed through the sky as his darkened image became lost in black of night! The ponies that had escaped watched in horror as their home was reduced to a burnt wasteland.

“Romulus you idiot,” growled one of the guild members angrily. “You have no idea of what you have done? Letting a thing like that loose upon Equestria.”

Nimph was beside herself. She knew that she too was responsible for releasing the dragon of destruction and felt tears start to run down her face. Her older sister looked at her in disbelief. She didn’t want to believe that her little sister was also responsible for what had just happened. Rose approached her saddened aunt.

“Auntie Nimph what was that thing?” she asked in shock. “What happened to our home?”

“Don’t you worry Rose,” Nimph told her with a weak smile. “Like I said to your mother, I will fix this, I promise!”

Author's Notes:

For the Defiler's language I took what I have looked up on dragon language.