The cool night air was still that night. Every so often would a gentle breeze would come through to rustle the leaves, but hardly was it strong enough to be noticed on its own. A peaceful night that normally wouldn’t dare to wake a pony from their slumber. But the one pony that dared break the silence, even if only by the gentle sound of grass being crushed under weight, was never slumbering in the first place. To call Awestruck Wonder an insomniac would surely be a false statement. It wasn’t that he couldn’t sleep during the night, it was more towards the fact that he didn’t want to sleep.
He took extra effort in ensuring that he didn’t accidentally wake up one of his comrades. He knew they needed their rest, and he did too; there was just one thing he had to do first. He made his way past the tree line and continued forward. The trip became a relatively short one once he felt he was far enough away from the others to quicken his pace once more. Before long, he reached a favorable enough clearing. He calmly sat down and turned his eyes to the sky. And it was there he saw the most beautiful sight he had ever laid eyes upon.
The moon was in its full beauty on that night. A full, harvest moon that illuminated the land with its light loomed above him. Had he not been careful, the sight may have caused him to forget to breathe, and that certainly would have caused for an awkward situation if one of the others found him passed out in the middle of a field a short ways away from the camp. Nevertheless, he let out a long, content sigh. It was on nights like this that he didn’t care what lay before him in the future. Be they dragon or journey or another show for him to perform, the night and moon and stars always let him feel at peace and calm his heart.
“You’re louder than you think.”
Awestruck had to cover his mouth to stifle his yelp as he nearly jumped out of his skin. Spinning around quickly, he found himself almost nose to nose with a familiar mare wearing a raincoat. Startled even further by how close she was, he tried to back up only to end up falling over. Morning Dew said nothing, only looking down at him with her same old tired stare and a single raised eyebrow.
Awestruck steadied his breathing, putting a hoof onto his chest. “Don’t do that, you’re gonna give me a heart attack…”
“Perhaps that was my plan all along.” She said in her regular near-monotone. She removed her gaze from him and slowly walked forward around him, “But it seems to have failed, and I’ll need a new plan.”
Awestruck merely looked at the mare that kept her back to him with his mouth slightly agape and an expression that practically screamed “What?”
“That was a joke.” She said, gently turning her head to the side to look at him.
Her sense of humor was… in desperate need of some work. Awestruck gave her a half-nervous, half-forced chuckle as he picked himself up off the ground, “Heh, you must be a real killer at parties…”
“Killer?” She said with another raise of her eyebrow, “I thought I told you it was merely–”
“A joke, I know… just a figure of speech, is all.” Awestruck rubbed the back of his neck as he stepped forward to be at her side. Morning Dew seemed to accept his response, as she removed her eyes from him once more and looked into the sky as he did.
“It is early for a harvest moon to come.”
“You can thank Princess Luna for that.” He said with a smile, his eyes returning to the glorious celestial body. “She must have brought it early as a way of saying that she was near and watching over us.”
To this, the gardener said nothing. Her expression remained stagnant as her eyes simply looked up into the sky. “You hold a great deal of respect for the Princess.”
“Respect, admiration… devotion. Whatever it is you want to call it, I give Princess Luna everything I can because she deserves it.”
“I see.” She replied quietly. “And what of Princess Celestia? Does she receive the same ‘devotion’?”
Awestruck bit his lip. “Princess Celestia and I… merely do not have the same level of relationship that Princess Luna and I do. She often requests for me personally for entertainment, and while her sister will sometimes observe my magic shows as well, she usually–”
“I will not judge you for favoring one princess over another.” She interrupted calmly. “I was simply asking your opinion on the qualities you favored.”
Did she always to have make things sound negative?
“Are you intimidated by me?”
Awestruck was thankful he wasn’t in a situation where he was drinking, otherwise he may have choked. “Intimidated?” He looked to her as if expecting this to just be another part of her strange sense of humor, but what he saw were just a pair of blank, staring eyes.
“Yes.” She said with a gentle nod. “While you were justifying your favor for Princess Luna you seemed nervous, as if you were taking special caution to ensure that your reasoning was strictly professional. As well, you have taken efforts to create small talk with a majority of the others and have avoided me for the duration of our journey.”
“Well,” the stallion replied, avoiding eye contact, “I don’t hold anything against you; it just seems that a mare such as yourself has some resentment towards…”
“Other Unicorns?”
“Males.”
He risked taking a glance and was expecting some look of anger or hostility at such an accusation, but the mare remained as stoic as ever. “I see,” She said after a few moments, “I assume you are referring to my outburst against sky captain Wind Reaver back at the palace?” It almost sounded like she made a soft chuckle. “No, I hold no form of resentment towards males. I merely have no favor towards those who have a duty and fail to uphold it when the time comes. Sky captain Wind Reaver was given a task by the princess herself and instead of acknowledging this and fulfilling his duty, he instead chose to question his mission. A seemingly popular trait amongst the Pegasi.”
“Hey now, they aren’t all bad!”
Morning Dew lifted an eye brow, but this time Awestruck did not back down under the mare’s gaze. “My mother was a Pegasus and one of the sweetest mares I have ever known. If it weren’t for her support, I may never have gone into the entertainment business. It’s because of her that I’m here today.”
The mare said nothing and only looked at him. His eyes did not shy away, rather locking his eyes with hers. She wouldn’t show it, but she was surprised by his newfound confidence. She quietly reached back and pulled the hood of her coat up and turned back towards the camp. “Come. We’d best get our rest before the sun rises again.”
-------------
The rest of the journey was uneventful. Little was said and little happened to bring about conversation. While a few may have welcomed the distraction of conversation, their minds were brought elsewhere when the base of the mountain came into view. Each pony came to a halt and stopped to stare up into the sky, basking in the massiveness of the mountain.
“Well,” said the noble mare, “I suppose we should get on a path then.” She looked over to Awestruck, who was using his magic to pull out a map. “There is a path, right?”
“Well, that depends.” He replied, not looking up. “Do you want the truthful answer or the answer that will make you feel better?”
“I like when things make me feel better.”
“Then yes, there are plenty of paths.” The map rolled up once more and slipped back into the magician’s bags.
“Doesn’t look so tough to me.” Red Star casually walked between them and towards some of the rocks that stuck out from the base. Despite her size, she was able to jump high enough to grab hold and pull herself up. With a smile she turned and faced the small group, “I used to climb a lot of trees when I was younger. Now come on, it ain’t so bad!”
“Please,” Saryn scoffed as her horn began to glow. With a pop, she disappeared and reappeared on the rock beside the crimson mare. “A lady doesn’t climb. It’s unbecoming.”
Red Star rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue before leaping up again and ascending to a new level. “Well don’t start complaining when all that magic usage gives you a headache.”
Saryn’s brow furrowed as her horn began to glow once again. This time, she appeared on an outcropping higher than the other mare’s. “And I hope I won’t hear any complaining when you start receiving cuts and bruises.”
Red Star growled softly and continued rising higher, easily finding the strength and endurance she needed if it meant getting ahead of the Unicorn.
“I suppose we had better get going to, unless we want to be left behind.” Goliath said, earning a small chuckle from his friend.
“And here I thought Saryn would need some convincing in order to climb a mountain.”
Morning Dew stepped forward next. Finding her way next to New Dawn, she lowered herself into a lying position. “Climb onto me. It would take too long for you to traverse the mountainside on your own, so I will carry you.”
New Dawn looked reluctant to take the mare up on her offer. After all, he certainly wasn’t as light as a feather. How did she plan to carry them both? “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to hold you back…” He said quietly as he brushed his hoof against the ground.
“Nonsense.” She replied as straight-faced as ever. “If I concentrate my magical flow properly, I can enhance the strength of my legs in such a way that I will be able to leap over most obstacles we come across. Teleportation would be more costly both in the fact that it may have a nauseating side effect on yourself, while also taking its toll on my brain. This way, I am equally distributing the pressure to both my mind and my body.”
New Dawn bit his lip gently before deciding to take the mare’s offer and carefully climbing onto her back. She picked herself up off the ground, “Are you ready?” When she felt him nod, her horn began to glow. She bent her legs and jumped high into the air, easily traversing the first set of rocks. The others noticed the way she stopped for a moment or two after every jump, but they knew she would have no trouble in catching up.
“I suppose we should get moving unless we want to be left behind.” Goliath said as he began cracking some of his joints in preparation.
“I’ll make sure to take a break now and then so you don’t get lost on the way up.” Awestruck’s cocky smile was enough to light a fire in the stallion’s old competitive spirit with the Unicorn.
“Oh, so that’s the way it’s gonna be then, eh?” Goliath shared the smile, and soon the two old friends were rushing off together.
“They can be so impatient sometimes.” Star Light said to no one in particular.
Regardless, the older pony stepped up to answer. “They’re still young. Of course they’re in a hurry."
"Well, I suppose we had better get moving too before they leave us behind." Star Light said as he looked up at the great mountain before him. He began moving forward at his own pace but stopped when he didn't hear the shuffling of hooves behind him. He turned and saw that the older captain wasn't following him, but rather was moving to sit in the shade beneath a nearby tree.
"You go on ahead," Wind Reaver said with a small smile and a gesture of his hoof before the younger stallion could speak up. "I'll catch up in a bit. Just feelin' a little light headed is all."
Star Light couldn't help but feel bad at the idea of leaving the aging pony behind, but he knew he'd be able to take care of himself. He gave the sky captain a nod before asking, "Are you sure you will be able to fulfill your duty to Princess Luna and do what must be done?" Sure, the captain was capable, but was someone of his age able to pull his weight around a dragon?
Wind Reaver chuckled heartily, "Son, your momma is one of the wisest ponies I've ever had the pleasure of meeting - and I've met a lotta ponies in my time, I'll have you know. Now, if she thinks I'm still young enough to fulfill my oath to Equestria, then you can bet your flank that i can still do it. Besides," he reached over and gently touched the hilt of the sword that was strapped to his side, "I don't carry around my swords just for show."
While what the captain was saying may be true, Star Light had never seen him actually use those swords. As well, he had no idea why the Pegasus carried two identical swords just under his wings if he could only fight with one. Even he, a Unicorn, had opted to specialize in only a single weapon: the dark blue mace that currently rested on his back.
But perhaps that would be a question for later. As for right now, he had to return to the others before they left him behind.
-------------
The journey up the mountain turned out to be a rather uneventful one. It was not long before the competition of who the fastest was came to a close. The aruging thankfully only lasted a few minutes and in the end a victor was never named. Little was said afterwards until the group reached just above the halfway point. A momentary rest was agreed upon, and Goliath stopped a moment to look down at the terrain below. His features tensed as he saw that the smog from the slumbering beast above was already running its course with the surrounding area. One may not have noticed it from down on the ground, but from up there the dying plant life could be seen as clear as day.
"It's like it doesn't care about the consequences of its actions on the surrounding forest..." He said to no one in partiucular. Regardless, he still got an answer.
"You really care that much about a couple dozen trees and some dead grass?"
He turned his head to see Red Star approaching with a quizzical look. New Dawn had been riding on her back for the last few minutes after the mare noticed his slowing pace. She claimed to not like foals that much, but he felt like deep down that was just her trying to be tough.
"It's not the trees, it's the principle." He said. "As well, I'm a farmer. Seeing that many dead plants irritates me."
The two other ponies followed the stallion's gaze down towards the ground. New Dawn was still young and could only hope that he might one day be able to sympathize with the stallion, while Red Star just couldn't see what the big deal was.
"What are you doing here anyways?"
The question was blunt and sudden enough to tear Goliath's eyes away from the dispairing fields below for good this time. "Excuse me?"
"I asked you why you're here." She repeated. "Compared to those captain chumps, your posture alone is enough to say you aren't a soldier. That, plus you admitted to being a farmer. And by the way, I know I've been away for a while, but I'm pretty damn sure that something like that," she gestured towards the large sword on his back that had been used to cut the mare's chains just yesterday, "Isn't a part of your standard farming equipment. So, what gives?"
Goliath merely looked at her with an expression that almost didn't warrant "You've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?" to be said.
"You know, she's got a point." Said New Dawn, even he a little surprised by the red mare's words.
Goliath gave a quiet sigh only he himself could hear. "Alright, fine. Would you like the answer that I should give, or the answer that I would like to give?"
"Why not both?" She replied with a casual shrug.
"Well," he began, "The answer that I should give is that it is my sworn duty as an Equestrian citizen to answer the call of duty should my Princess ever request it and be ready to give my life for the cause."
"And the answer you want to give?"
There was a short pause where Goliath didn't meet her gaze.
Eventually, his emerald eyes returned to her crimson. "I'm here because of Awestruck."
Red's brow came together before she turned her head to see Awestruck Wonder and Star Light some distance away. It appeared that they were having a conversation, however the captain looked more or less annoyed while the magician was giggling to himself.
"That clown?"
"That 'clown', as you so delicately put it, happens to be my foalhood friend. My only friend, in fact. Sure, there's some stallions and mares back home that I can keep a conversation with, but none of them I truly would consider friends. Years ago, Awestruck came to me and told me about his dreams to become one of the greatest magicians to ever live." He smiled to himself as he looked off into the distance, memories playing in his head. "I still remember how excited he was before his first show in front of the town. I could tell that deep down he was scared and a nervous wreck, but with a little pep talk and a good slap I was able to give him the courage he needed. I like to take a little pride in the fact that, if not for me, he may not have gotten his cutie mark that night. The look on his face... I knew that my own dream was out of reach for me, so the least I could do was help him to reach his. Saying that, it would appear that my job isn't quite finished yet since he came to me asking for help a week ago. Now here I am, on an adventure with him and a couple strangers to kill one of the most dangerous creatures alive."
"That's quite the explanation, but I don't recall asking for your life story." Red said with a smirk.
"You never got to achieve your dream?" New Dawn asked.
Goliath cursed quietly under his breath, suddenly hating the young colt's observation skills. "That's not important right now."
"Not important? Of course it's important! Everypony has a dream, whether they are big or small!" A small frown came to his face when he saw that Goliath still refused to spill his secret dream, but it disappeared when an idea came to his head. "You know, my dream is to serve in the royal guard."
Both sets of eyes suddenly turned to him, and he would be lying if he didn't admit that it made him a little nervous. Nevertheless, he sucked it up and continued, "Helping ponies is what I live for... I've wanted to help others for as long as I can remember. I know the royal guard isn't usually big about helping out the community unless the request for help is truly needed, but that's exactly what I want to change. I don't want to just stand around and guard doorways, I want to help and protect ponies, as well as their ambitions."
Goliath turned his gaze towards the ground. How was he supposed to tell the colt no now, right after he had gone and spilled out his heart like that? He sighed, "You... you have to promise to keep it a secret."
"I promise!" New Dawn said immediately.
"And no laughing either!"
"What are you looking at me for?" Red merely deadpanned at Goliath's glare before eventually giving up. "Fine fine, I promise."
Another sigh. Less from frustration and more trying to relieve himself of his newfound anxiety. "I... have always wanted to be a..." He mumbled something softly.
"Sorry, say again?" Red said, "I don't speak mouse."
"I... Ugh..." He took a deep breath, "I've always wanted to be a dancer..." He immediately cringed and regretted his decision when he heard the sound of Red Star stiffling her giggles. He shot her a look of piercing daggers, but this seemed to do little to halt her unintentionally insulting action.
"S-sorry," she tried, her words jumbled due to her urge to laugh. "I just wasn't expecting such... aspirations from a pony like yourself."
"Such is exactly the reason why I gave up on my dream years ago." He said quietly. He looked to the ground, just wanting this moment to pass so they could move on.
"Well, I certainly think it's a dream that's still worth pursuing." New Dawn said with a smile.
"I don't mean to sound rude, kid, but I've heard those words more times than I can count. I already have the one thing I need: balance. My issue isn't with a lack of skill for the trade, but rather because I have certain mantles that have been placed on my shoulders that would not allow me to continue down that path."
"Balance?" Red Star said. "So that's why you were able to stand on your hind legs for so long back in my cell. Damn, you must get a lot of practice to be able to hold yourself up so well like that."
Goliath shrugged, "I don't exactly have much else to do in my spare time."
"You spoke of holding certain mantles of responsibility..." New Dawn stated, "What did you mean?"
Another sigh left the stallion's lips. "My family has been farmers for generations. As such, I'm expected to continue the tradition." His eyes turned to the red mare, "And to answer your question about my sword, it's a memento. My father served with Sky Captain Wind Reaver during the war. Sadly, he never returned. He had been buried at the battlefield itself and only his sword was returned. My mother left the sword to me, as she expected me to become the new male figurehead of our house. Of course there was no way I could reject such a responsibility. Between being a farmer and soldier should duty call, taking upon myself such a profession would only lead to more trouble than its worth."
"Alright, alright, I get it." Red Star said with a small smile as she raised a hoof up in a mock defense. "You don't need to convince me. You've clearly got your reasons." Before New Dawn could say another word, the mare he rode on turned away and began walking back towards the group. As she walked away, she turned her head around, "You should teach me some of that balancing stuff sometime. Sounds like it might be fun."
Goliath furrowed his brow for a moment. Was she asking him to...? He shook his head free of such thoughts. There was no way in tartarus she'd actually suggest such a thing to him. But still... maybe?
-------------
"Well... this is certainly bigger than I expected..."
"Eh, I've seen bigger."
"Bigger than that? And where exactly have you seen one bigger than that? I was in prison for eight years and can tell your just as much of a shut in."
"A mare has her ways! ...Okay, fine. It was back during my more youthful days as a reader. Some of the books had pictures..."
"Enough already!" Awestruck groaned at the two mares who were arguing again. Whatever compelled them to start arguing about the size of the cave in front of them was unknown to him, but what he did know was that he had had enough of their incessant game of "You suck! No, you suck!"
The group had finally arrived at their destination after a long (one might say too long) journey. The end of their quest lay before them in the form of a massive gaping hole in the side the mountain's peak. Black smoke billowed out near the roof of the cavern, where it then proceeded to raise into the sky above. From deep within the cavern the sound of a deep, nassally snore could be heard that echoed throughout the mountain itself.
"So," Wind Reaver wore a smirk as he looked to the rest of the group, who proceeded to stand in silence following the snore, "Who wants to go into the big smoke-filled hole in the mountain first?"
"H-hey, you're the one with the swords!" Saryn stammered and pointed a hoof towards the older stallion. "You should go in first!"
"Now come on, I bet if ya really wanted to then you could magic up a pair o' swords all on your own."
"It doesn't work that way!" She shouted in her defense. "You can't just make something from nothing! It's not... well, alright. I guess it is magic, but not the kind of magic you're thinking of!"
"Whatever you say missy." Wind Reaver said with a chuckle, not bothering to look her way.
"So, what's the plan then?" Goliath asked.
"Well, I don't exactly know much about dragons... but I do know somepony who does."
All eyes turned to the tall white Unicorn, who proceeded to give a heavy sigh and mutter something under her breath. "Well, we're clearly not dealing with an adolescent here... There's simply far too much smoke. This would lead me to assume that it's scales have had ample time to grow and most attempts at penetrating such a thick hide would prove fruitless."
"The belly is likely to be the best place for an attack." Morning Dew chimed in, "Dragons are reptilian by nature, and therefore have softer undersides to allow the flesh to expand unhindered."
"Precisely." Saryn confirmed.
"Well, that leaves us with a problem then." Star Light spoke rather calmly despite his words, and especially calmly for one who appeared to be leaving the cave. Had he scouted ahead while the others were talking? "That thing doesn't sleep on it's back. We would need to roll it over if we ever hope to pull off an attack like that."
"Well what do you propose we do then, army?" Red Star didn't appear to be liking their odds very much anymore.
"When attempting to besiege a settlement and one finds that their forces cannot easily make their way towards a weakened position without first being spotted, the most effective solution would probably be..." The soldier's words suddenly went quiet, as if he didn't really want to say what he was thinking.
Thankfully for him, he wouldn't have to.
"A distraction." Wind Reaver stepped forward to take a place by Star Light's side. "Somepony would have to distract it long enough for it to put itself in a vulnerable state where we can deal a fatal blow to it's underside."
"We couldn't possibly ask somepony to do that!" New Dawn exclaimed as he jumped forward to be seen. He had been so quiet on the way up that some had forgotten that he was still there completely. "That's too dangerous! There has to be another way!"
"We won't be asking anypony to do anything." Awestruck Wonder gave the young colt a soft smile and ruffled his mane a little with his hoof before adopting a more serious face and looking towards the others. "I volunteer."
"I don't think so, buddy." Goliath said, waving his hoof to emphasise his words. "We didn't follow you all the way up here just to see you get eaten. The kid's right, there has to be another way."
New Dawn smiled knowing that he had somepony on his side, but Awestruck wasn't so quick to just back down. "I don't mean to toot my own horn here, but I don't think anypony here is better when it comes to illusionary magics than me. I bet my life that I can keep it from tearing us all apart long enough for the deed to be done."
Star Light accepted his decision with a brief nod. "Let's hope we all live long enough to be able to take you up on that bet. Now, if nopony else has anything to offer to our strategy than it is as such: Awestruck Wonder will awaken the dragon and use his magics to keep it's attention. Meanwhile, Goliath and Sky Captain Wind Reaver will be waiting for an opening to go for the softer skin. Morning Dew, Lady Saryn, and myself will be assisting Awestruck in any way we can with our own magic."
"What about me and the kid?" Red Star said, nodding her head towards the young colt and keeping her eyes locked with the Unicorn's.
"You will be our fallback plan. Should the dragon prove to much for our magic, then we will be relying on your strength and agility to keep it occupied."
"How the hell am I supposed to do that!?"
"You're still young, girl," Wind Reaver spoke with a smile and tapped the side of his head with his hoof, "Use that fresh brain o' yours. I know you'll be able to think of somethin'. Oh, here," He turned his head around and grabbed the hilt of one of his swords with his teeth before dropping it in his hoof and tossing it to the mare, who caught it in her own teeth. "That might prove useful."
"Aren' you go'a 'eed this?" She replied, the sword slightly too big for her to properly speak and hold in her mouth at the same time.
Wind Reaver replied with a soft chuckle and a shake of his head, "I've only got one mouth, ma'am. Better with you than stuck in it's sheath, I'd say."
"Then we all know our duties?" The ponies nodded to the soldier. "Good, then let's get into position. The less time we're up here breathing in fumes, the better."
The seven ponies nodded in agreement and, some more reluctantly than others, proceeded to step towards the gaping hole in the mountain's peak. Only seven, for one stood his ground for a moment. "I-if you're sure this is the only way, then... what can I do to help?"
The ponies stopped for a moment and turned to face New Dawn, who looked as if he was pleading them not to go with his eyes. Star Light opened his mouth briefly before biting his lip and looking away from those violet eyes. Awestruck noticed the lack of words that the guard captain had for the colt and took it upon himself to save the stallion. "Go ahead, I'll speak with him." The Unicorn said quietly to the other before turning and returning to the colt's side. The sound of hooves against stone confirmed that the gesture that he had seen out of the corner of his eye was indeed a nod.
New Dawn huffed quietly before falling back into a sitting position. "I don't even know why I came..."
Awestruck took a seat next to the colt and pulled him closer with his hoof. "You came because you felt like you had a duty to do so. You didn't want to say no to the princess, am I right?"
He heard a small sniffle come from the colt before he nodded. Awestruck began to gently rub the young one's back in hopes of keeping him calm. "This is a very dangerous place for a child, but to say that you're useless right now is certainly an understatement Dawn."
"All of you have something to contribute here... Speed, or strength, or magic, or weapons, or..." He sighed quietly as he couldn't think of any other immediate attributes of the others off the top of his head. "And then there's me..."
"You don't really believe that, do you?" New Dawn's eyes moved up to meet with Awestruck's, "When Princess Luna saw you the other day, and heard of how you stood up for her and her beautiful night... even I was humbled. You spoke against what you thought was wrong, and that gives you meaning. It sets you apart from all the other fillies and colts."
"Well... I can't exactly talk the dragon to death, now can I..." The colt's head fell once again.
"No, but that's not the point I'm trying to make right now. My point is this: when you speak, you make sure that other ponies listen. Whether it's some schoolyard punks or myself and the others, you let your words be known. And for all intents and purposes, that may be exactly the thing that the princess needs when all of her plans come together. And it's exactly why..." New Dawn tried to jump onto his hooves as he felt a surge of electricity suddenly shoot through his whole body, starting from his forehead, but Awestruck's hooves held him in place until a small glowing symbol appeared on the colt's forehead, confirming that the spell was complete. "...It is imperative that you make it back, even if the rest of us don't. I performed a very high-level spell on you just now, despite the fact that some ponies like Star Light would probably prefer I don't go doing such right now. I need you to stay out here and watch from afar. If it doesn't look like we're going to make it, if we start to... All you have to do is think of one place that you'd much rather be. It can be anywhere, you just need to visualize it and think very hard - and boom, you're there. But be careful, because you can only do it once."
With a smile on the lips of the Unicorn and an ever present look of concern on the earth pony's face, the two rose back up to their hooves. "Just... be safe, alright?"
Awestruck's smile grew a little wider as he began walking to join the others. "I wouldn't be much of a magician if I never took risks," He said, looking over his shoulder, "But for you... I'll do my best."
-------------
When Saryn had confirmed that the dragon was indeed far from an adolescent, Awestruck Wonder was rather awestruck to see just how right she was.
The dragon was large enough that it could likely decimate the royal castle back in the city with minimal effort. The Unicorn stood before it's head, which was roughly the size of a small house, and took a moment to compare it's closed eyelids to doorways to said small house.
"How the hell you got here unnoticed is beyond me..." Awestruck mused before looking towards the corner of the cavern and caught sight of where a few of the others were positioned. Star Light's horn faintly glowed twice to signal that the group was ready and in position to act. Awestruck nodded and turned his eyes upward and along the wall, where Goliath and the Sky Captain stood ready. The Unicorn gave the two a swift salute before returning his attention to the monstrous beast before him.
Awestruck Wonder sat back onto his haunches, inhaled deeply, put his hooves near his mouth and let out a loud, long whistle.
The dragon's eyes shot open to the sharp sound before blinking a few times as they tried to adjust. When finally able to see again, the great beast glared down at the insignificant creature that dared threaten his slumber. To those glaring eyes, Awestruck only smiled.
"Well hello there good sir - I'm certainly hoping you're a sir - I've come from a far off land that isn't too far off just to see you!"
The dragon merely lifted one of it's eyebrows in pitying curiosity for whatever this damned pony had in store.
"You see, I'm a traveling magician!" He spoke, putting heavy emphasis towards many of his words as if he were speaking to a group of bewildered foals while he quickly paced from side to side to keep the beast's attention. "But alas, I have nopony to demonstrate my magnificant power and magic to! But then, a thought came to my mind just like a breath of air against one's face in a field! Perhaps there is nopony to demonstrate my prowess to, but that does not mean there is nobody!" The Unicorn began lifting his legs high and stomping them down, as if he were attempting to climb an invisible mountain, "And so I climbed and climbed and climbed until I finally arrived here in your lovely - and quite spacious - abode!"
When his eyes returned to the dragon, he couldn't help but feel surprised and ever so slightly annoyed to see that it had pulled out a nail file the size a surfboard and was working away at it's claws. When it realized that the little Unicorn was no longer speaking, it lowered it's gaze back down and spoke in a very deep, almost growling tone. "Are you quite finished?"
To these words, Awestruck only smiled wider. "Not at all... In fact, I've only just begun!"
Suddenly, a tornado of flame and heat grew from Awestruck's horn. The fire spun and danced until it almost reached the ceiling, where it then it suddenly spread in two directions and arced like a pair of wings. The torrent collapsed in itself, twisting around until it took the form of a massive, flaming bird.
The magical phoenix gave a mighty caw as if to further announce it's presence. It may have been a little loud for the average pony, but for the dragon...
The great reptile was, for a lack of a better term, awestruck by the flaming beast that was beginning to circle around him. He pulled himself up onto his hind legs and into a sitting position, entranced by the light that the phoenix produced. Normally a dragon and phoenix would not get along well, but the heat that he felt against his scales brought back tender memories of home. With such thoughts in his mind, the dragon couldn't help but let a gentle, crooked smile form across his lips.
"Alright," Wind Reaver said quietly to Goliath, not quite sure if the dragon was too discracted to hear him if he spoke at a normal volume, "I'll pick you up and dive on it, and you use that big ol' sword to give it a new hole."
Goliath nodded but bit his lip slightly before taking the hilt of his sword in his mouth, "Alright, I'm fine with that plan, but... please don't word it like tha-"
Wind Reaver didn't give the earth pony time to finish his sentence before wrapping his hooves around him and pulling him up into the air. The Pegasus flew high enough that the dragon wouldn't be able to see them right away - granted that Awestruck didn't make his fiery bird fly too high.
However, it would appear that the only way to stay out of the beast's line of sight would be to fly straight through the build up of smog that still resided along the ceiling of the cavern. The sky captain tried to tough it out, but the thick cloud was quickly becoming too much for him while he was trying to carry a not-so-light stallion and his weapon. Finally, he was forced to take a breath. Upon doing so, his lungs were filled and he began to cough and his eyes began to water. Nevertheless, he held onto Goliath to ensure he did not fall to an early death.
"Drop me, drop me!" The Pegasus heard from below him. He quickly risked looking down to see that they were now directly above the dragon, and if he proceeded any further then the drop would be a miss. Wind Reaver quickly realized his mistake and immediately dropped his payload. However, it would appear that he had misjudged where exactly his payload was going to land.
Goliath took his sword in his hooves and pointed the blade downward. As the stallion dropped through the air, he soon realized that he was not going to land where he had intended... but rather was on a collision course with the beast's head. Much too his own surprise, Goliath's sword did manage to pierce the dragon's skin, but that was all that it pierced.
For a moment, the trance that the dragon was in as it's eyes followed the fiery bird was shattered. The charcoal colored earth pony, still holding tightly to his sword, looked down and was met by a large pair of eyes that were looking back up at him and were rather uncomfortably close. As the dragon began to growl in anger and bare it's teeth, Goliath only had enough time to mutter, "...Shit."
A deafening roar filled the cavern and would likely be heard for miles. The dragon swung wildly at the air in fury, it's claws quickly making contact with the illusionist's phoenix and turning it into mere embers. Now that the distraction was out of the way, the dragon attempted to reach up and grab the pest that dared assault him, but a large, glowing crescent shaped object suddenly flew from one end of the cavern and pinned it's right arm to the back wall.
Goliath, seeing the opportunity that was given to him, quickly pried his sword from the dragon's scales and leapt down to slide down it's back. The fall was a little steeper than the stallion would have preferred, but he managed to reach the floor of the cavern with only a light stumble - until the dragon's tail thrashed around and smacked him, sending him flying through the air until he collided with a wall.
Satisfied that the one that dared assault it was now dealt with, the dragon's eyes returned to the large glowing object that held its arm against the wall. It glared as it tried to pull it's arm away, but the effort proved fruitless. It growled deeply and turned it's attention back to the pony that had first awoken him, only to find that he now had company. Another insignificant little creature, this one was female and wore some stupid looking coat. Most importantly, however, was the fact that it's horn was glowing.
Dragon's weren't known for being the most intelligent creatures on the planet, but they could certainly put two and two together with ease.
Inhaling deeply, the dragon craned it's neck back before throwing it's head forward with mouth agape and releasing a swirling vortex of flame. The intense fire raged and spun at the two Unicorns, but a third quickly arrived just in time to erect a forcefield to hold back the heat.
Star Light clenched his teeth together and strained to hold back such an intense force, but he refused to let it overwhelm him. He couldn't help but let out a brief sigh of relief as the fiery hell around his shield began to diminish and he was allowed a moment's rest, but it would appear that a moment was all he was going to get. When his eyes returned to the mighty beast, they widened as he watched the dragon pull with enough force to shatter the mountain itself and destroy the magic that held it in place.
It rolled it's wrist a few times as it glared down at the trio of Unicorns. "Such insolence!" The dragon curled its claws into a fist and slammed it down upon the shield, shattering it and sending the three flying backwards. "Such arrogance!" It's deep, gutteral voice echoed throughout the cave and it felt as though the very mountain itself shook with every step it took closer. "Must be punished!"
"Excuse me!" A voice called out, quickly catching the attention of the furious monstrosity. It's eyes shot towards the sound, where it was almost met face to face by yet another Unicorn who was standing upon an outcropping in the cavern. Her horn was already shining in it's pale glow. "A lady should not be ingored!"
Before the dragon could react, a blast of green magic shot forward from the mare's horn. It collided with it's face, but the dragon quickly realized that this was no normal magical blast. It burned and ate away at the dragon's scales and hide. It roared in pain and frustration, it's tail thrashing about as it tried to cover the acidic magic that threatened to pull it's face apart.
Sick and tired of these horrible little creatures, the dragon turned it's fury towards the one who dared strike it in such a way. Within barely a second, it inhaled and let loose a terrifying breath of yellow and red flame that was ready to consume the Unicorn. The dragon ensured that the flames would not be hot enough to kill the pony outright, but only set them ablaze so that they may feel the pain they were unleashing upon it for seemingly no reason other than just because they could.
However, just as the fire was about to devour it's target, the Pegasus from before swooped in and took the mare in his hooves just in time to avoid what would have been certain death. But the dragon would be damned before it gave any further second chances. The Pegasus was quick, no doubt, but it was quicker. The dragon slapped the ponies out of the sky like an annoying gnat, for that was exactly what they were. And like gnats, they were only good to be crushed.
Wind Reaver and Saryn hit the ground hard, knocking the breath out of the mare and breaking a few bones in the sky captain's body with audible snaps. The dragon smiled it's twisted smile at the sound of their shaky breathing and groans of pain. It lifted both clawed hands up before bringing them down upon the two. Wind Reaver recovered only just in time to catch the claw that threated to pierce straight through his skull, but he was still no match for a dragon's strength. The tip of the sharp claw pierced straight through his left eye.
Saryn did not have the strength nor reflexes to hold back something like that.
The claws thankfully missed her head, but they carved massive gashes around her neck and even down the fronts of her forelegs. Crimson stained her otherwise pearly white coat, and her body visibly shook as she saw the blood running along her skin. She could only whimper softly, as she was choking beneath the dragon's weight.
Suddenly the dragon felt something scrambling up it's back. Just how many of these damned ponies were there!?
The pony reached the dragon's head surprisingly quick, and as it tried to look up it caught sight of the little mare. Red with a black mane, and it was holding a-
"Let's see how you like it, you son of a bitch!"
Red Star plunged the sword straight into the dragon's eye. She then hung on for dear life as it violently began throwing it's weight around, releasing the two below from what could have been certain death and crashing into the walls of the caverns in a vain effort to kill the one who was now being thrown about from atop its head.
The dragon roared, and rather then merely trying to pull Red Star from her position, rushed out from the mountain's cavern - somehow not managing to step on and crush any of the others - and leapt from the cliff before throwing it's massive wings out and taking to the air.
Red Star was not a huge fan of heights. Such a phobia usually came standard with smaller mares. Riding a dragon that was soaring at speeds faster than most Pegasi can fly as it leapt from the tallest mountain the known country, with the only thing currently keeping her alive being her grip on the sword that was currently plunged halfway into said dragon's eye was certainly not aiding her in getting over that phobia.
Her eyes, barely open, began tearing up as the wind blew through her mane and fur. The dragon let out another terrifying roar as it only further picked up speed before going into a steep climb. Red held on to the sword as tightly as she could with both her hooves and teeth as the dragon reached the apex of it's climb. For a moment, everything stopped. The dragon and the mare hung suspended up in the sky with the only sound to be heard being the quickened breaths of the mare and the sound of her own racing heartbeat.
And then it began to fall. Quickly reaching speeds that no earth pony should ever, ever reach in the mare's opinion, the dragon's wings folded as it began rapidly spinning in its dive. Unsure of whether or not the little pony was still holding on for it's very life still, the dragon spread it's wings out wide and began it's approach back towards it's home.
Meanwhile, Awestruck Wonder was still holding his head in an effort to stop his brain from rattling around in his skull any further. When he opened his eyes, he silently wished that he hadn't. Wind Reaver's eye had been replaced by a gaping hole which the Pegasus wasted no effort at all in covering up. He was far more concerned with the mare that he had crawled over to. Saryn was lying on the ground with deep wounds around the back of her neck and down her forelegs. Blood stained half of her otherwise white coat, and somehow the mare seemed even paler. She whimpered as she looked at her shaking hooves, her pupils tiny as what had happened to her was still registering in her mind.
"Oh no..." The magician quickly rushed forward and slid to a halt next to the mare. Wind Reaver cradled her in his hooves in hopes of reminding the poor mare that she wasn't alone in her pain. His eyes turned to the Pegasus, "Wind, I don't think you should be moving around this mu-"
"Forget about me!" The older pony snapped, startling the Unicorn, "I only need one eye! But she..." His voice quieted down as his gaze turned back down to the quivering mare, "She didn't deserve this..."
Awestruck's breathing hastened. Everything was falling apart around him. Goliath was out colt, Morning Dew was tending to Star Light, who probably suffering a concussion from when the spell was shattered, Wind Reaver and Saryn were wounded, and where in the world was Red Star!?
"Can't you do anything?" Awestruck's eyes returned to the two ponies in front of him. Wind Reaver's good eye closed while the other only managed to close halfway, "You have magic... tell me there's something you can do to save her!"
"I-I'm sorry..." Awestruck replied, slightly shaking, "I don't know any healing magic, it's-"
The Unicorn wasn't given the opportunity to finish, as the sky captain's eyes shot open, but instead of the normal warm calmness that they bore, now there only seemed to be anger. "Then what good are you!?" To this, Awestruck stumbled back. He never, in the short time the two knew each other, expected such an outburst to come from the old, bloodied stallion. Neither did Wind Reaver, if the way the stallion's breathing had suddenly become heavier was any tell-tale sign. His eye snapped back towards Awestruck and watched as the Unicorn turned his back on the two and began walking towards the cave's entrance. "Where are you going?"
Awestruck didn't turn his head all the way around, but only just enough so that Wind Reaver could see the tears running through the fur on his cheeks.
"To keep anypony else from dying..."
The magician suddenly burst into a sprint. He didn't hear what the sky captain shouted to him, and right now he didn't much care. When he reached the outside and stood upon the overlooking cliffside, the gravity of what he was going up against once again weighed him down like tons.
The dragon was rapidly approaching the mountain's peak. It's mouth opened wide enough to reveal the fiery inferno that the beast was preparing for all of those that had disturbed it's slumber. But Awestruck did not run and he did not back down. If he was going to die, then that was what was going to happen... but he'd be damned twice over before he let that miserable reptile harm another pony.
He planted his hooves firmly onto the ground and closed his eyes, channeling every bit of magical essence that he had within his body all towards his horn. His horn began to glow just as it always did, but the light only grew brighter and brighter. Cold sweat ran down his body and his limbs began to feel numb due to all of the magic being routed to his horn. His head was pounding, feeling as if it were ready to burst at any moment.
Awestruck opened one of his eyes to make sure that his target was still on course. The dragon was indeed still diving on his position, but now was much closer. But still not close enough, he thought to himself. He knew he'd only get one shot at this, and if he missed then... he'd better not miss.
Closer... Closer...
The dragon was the first to make it's move, rearing it's head back before throwing it forward again, and in doing so spitting a massive ball of fire large enough to effortlessly consume any flesh in it's path. Awestruck could feel the intense heat even from where he stood.
Now!
All at once the magic that was swelling up within Awestruck Wonder was fired in a beam of light. The magical blast went straight through the ball of fire, eradicating it completely before continuing on. The dragon had no chance to react in the slightest before the beam went straight through it's mouth and bursting back out just above it's tail. The wings stopped flapping and fell limp, and only through momentum did it continue through the air... directly towards Awestruck.
His body couldn't move, not after expending so much energy. It was a wonder he was still standing, even if just for the moment. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the end coming. As soon as he did, something collided with him from his right. He could see a brief flash of light despite his closed eyes, and then he heard a thunderous crash.
When he finally risked opening his eyes again, he was met by a sight he wasn't at all expecting. He was lying on the ground some several dozen feet from the dead dragon with who else but New Dawn holding tightly to his neck. The glowing symbol that was on his forehead was now gone, confirming to Awestruck what he suspected: New Dawn used the magic he had given him to save his life.
He would have laughed if he hadn't passed out just a few seconds later.
-------------
“Awestruck,” The Lunar Princess said in a quieter tone compared to the one she had used earlier when the rest of the group was still in the room, “Dost thou… believe I am asking too much of everypony?”
“Of course not, Your Majesty,” Awestruck said as he ignored the discomfort of his bowing stance, “We are yours to command as you see fit. We agreed to take such a role, all of us did. To be given such a task is an honor and–”
“Rise, dear magician.”
His eyes opened at her command, and, albeit with slight reluctance, he did so. Princess Luna looked down at him and when he looked back into her eyes he saw not the same eyes that demanded obedience from before, but instead eyes that demanded something else entirely. Calm, perhaps?
“Thou promises to be honest with your Princess?”
“Of course,” He answered immediately, “I would never think to lie to the one we adore so greatly.”
Luna let out a breath of air, a chuckle that just hadn’t quite made its way through. She turned around to once again face the mountain in the distance, “Perhaps thou believe so, but the others… I see through them. Lady Saryn only wishes to promote her own status, while the mare, Red Star, only wishes to fulfill a debt she believes she owes. I am sure that even Star Light is only acting in such a way to please his mother.”
Awestruck’s brow began to furrow in confusion. “Then… why did you allow them to be a part of all this? You brought them so close to you when you hold suspicions that they may not even fully pledge their–”
“Calm thyself, my dear magician.” Awestruck tried not to show the way his heart fluttered at the sound of the Princess calling him her own, “Just because their words are not entirely truthful does not mean they are without use. To complete your objective, thou art going to need all the assistance one can get.”
“But… what of New Dawn? He is still so young.”
“Nopony can do everything,” she replied, “But everypony can do something. I believe there art much more to New Dawn than meets the eye. Either way, there art more to thine mission than I had originally mentioned.”
More? On top of killing the dragon and retrieving a gem inside its very heart, there was more? “Anything you request, my Princess, and it is yours.” He replied with another short bow.
There was a short time of silence in which not a word was spoken. The only sound between the two was the sound of the wind blowing their manes gently to the side. Finally, the Alicorn let out a small sigh before continuing, “I need for thou and the others to drink the dragon’s blood once thou has disposed of it.”
Awestruck’s eyes couldn’t have gone wider if he had tried. “D-drink its blood, Your Majesty…?”
“Something unheard of, especially by our own kind, I know.” Awestruck couldn't help but notice the surprising apathy on the Alicorn's face as she spoke. "Tis a well known fact that the very magic we use each and every day flows through all living creatures. Dragons, to our knowledge, are the most powerful creatures that walk the planet in terms of magic." Her eyes returned to the Unicorn that stood behind her, "If a pony were to take that powerful magic upon themselves... Just imagine the possibilities!"
Awestruck nodded for her. On the inside he was concerned as for what possibilities his princess had in mind. "And what of the others? Are they to drink as well?"
"We accepted them and they art risking their very lives for their country. It is only natural that they be allowed to take such power as well, especially if they desire to serve Us further." She replied, changing back to her We's and Us's as she turned and stepped closer to him. She stood tall before his form and looked down at him. "We trust that this task can be completed as well, should thou succeed?"
"O-of course, my princess!" He stammered, slightly flushed as the wind blew once again and led the Alicorn's scent to his senses. Awestruck did not realize that Luna had noticed, and she lifted his head upwards with her hoof and very gently touched her lips just below his horn.
"Please... Refer to Us as your queen, dear Awestruck."
-------------
"Rise and shine, you crazy motherfucker!"
When Awestruck Wonder awoke, he was both pleased and displeased. He was pleased because he couldn't help but feel shocked that he could still feel anything after what had just happened. He was displeased because what he was feeling was a weight on his chest and something slapping him across the face half of a dozen times rather forcefully.
He opened his eyes just in time to see the red limb smack him once more.
"Enough!" He groaned, his head feeling as if it were going through the dragon's fire. As he rubbed his temples, he looked up to see Red Star looking slightly redder than usual due to the blood in her fur. As always, she looked less than happy.
"Next time you decide to use your magical 'I Win' attack, make sure I'm far away from it."
As the mare climbed off of him, Awestruck couldn't help but feel confused as to just what she meant and more confused about just where she was during the events prior to his blackout, but at least she was alive. That counted for something, right?
The Unicorn rolled onto his side to find New Dawn crouched beside him. On the colt's face was something between relief to see that he was okay and apologetic for the red mare's abuse on him while he was unconscious.
"Awestruck,"
The expression on that colt's face turned to morbid fear when the two turned to be met by a now conscious Goliath with possibly conscious Saryn riding limply on his back. Her eyes were half open but unmoving.
"H-how is she?" He asked, desperately hoping for some level of good news. However, the look on the larger stallion's face confirmed his fear long before he spoke.
"She's not going to make it."
Awestruck suddenly found himself unable to breathe. How could this happen? They trusted him to lead them on this mission, and now just about every single one of them was lucky to still be alive. As if fearing that Saryn was not truly the only one, his eyes quickly looked beyond Goliath to where the others were gathered.
Red Star was covered in scrapes and bruises.
Morning Dew seemed fine, as she was tending to Wind Reaver, who appeared to have part of the mare's cloak wrapped around his head to cover his eye.
Star Light was up on his hooves again, but stayed close to Morning Dew just in case something were to happen.
Goliath looked like he had just undergone the worst night sleep of his life, but looked alright for the most part.
They were alright, mostly... But Awestruck held back any sigh of relief that dared think itself possible at the moment. His eyes turned back to the bloodied Unicorn. It almost felt like a dream when he tried to remember her just hours ago as she tried to outdo Red Star in little unneccesary competitions to prove who was better.
He hated himself right now. He hated the fact that his concept of medical magic was so limited, he hated the fact that even if he did know any spells that could save her, he wouldn't be able to help because of how drained he was feeling, and overall he hated just how helpless he felt...
But there had to be something, right? Something to at least dull the pain, to make sure that the mare could at least be calm as she passed. But even levitation was beyond him at the moment, what could he do for her? It's not like he could just conjure up some kind of magical drink that was powerful enough to save-
"Goliath... get your sword."
"Excuse me?" The stallion asked, confused about just what the magician had in mind. His eyes followed Awestruck's to find that he was now staring beyond the others and at the limp corpse of the dragon.
"I said get your sword..."
-------------
"We cut the beast open, and we did as you asked..." Relinquish smiled feintly as he sat next to Luna's prone form and looked into the sky, visualizing the memories of days long past. "We drank."
-------------
"T-t-they did WHAT!?" All of the mares that surrounded Mercy cried out at once, causing the young colt to cover his ears from their shouts.
"I said," Mercy began again as he massaged his ears, "We cut the dragon open and drank the blood. Dragons have a lot of magic flowing through them, and unless she drank it then she would surely die!"
"Yeah, we heard that part!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"Why did you all drink it though!?" Twilight added.
Mercy merely shrugged. "Sounded like a good idea at the time."
Their jaws dropped.
"Oh, close 'em before you catch a fly. I was joking. As it would seem, killing the dragon and obtaining the Fire wasn't all that Princess Luna wanted us to do. Like I said, dragons are very magical creatures, and if we took that magic upon ourselves then Luna assumed that we could become more powerful then anypony in the Royal Guard could ever dream of becoming. Personally, I think we're all a little lucky to even still be alive after the consumption."
"Lucky to be alive?" Applejack spoke for the first time since the story began, "Ya do realize that one of 'em has got a big ol' eye on their forehead, right?" She poked her own forehead with her hoof for emphasis.
"Yes, I understand this. And that actually leads to what happened next in the story. We consumed the dragon's blood, and it did in fact heal the wounds of the others... but that was far from all it did." For a moment, Mercy went quiet which prompted the mares to lean in closer. The colt looked down at the table that was between them all as he recollected the events. "It was... disturbing, to say the least, with what happened next. We collapsed, I remember that much, and it felt like my organs were being rearranged inside my body... It's hard to explain the feeling, I guess. But I'll never forget what I saw happening to the others... I just couldn't close my eyes...
"Red Star's blood must have been rushing at a mile minute... It looked like every vein in her body was popping out at once. Her body was shaking so violently... Star Light's skin was changing color between it's normal white, a dark blue, and completely black... Goliath's face began to melt and fall apart... Water began flowing out of Morning Dew's eyes and ears and fell out of her mouth every time she opened it... she was choking on it... Wind Reaver burst into dark fire... Saryn's wounds began to bubble with some kind of puss that eventually hardened... Awestruck's horn receeded into his head, and was replaced by that eye..."
By now, Mercy was shaking in his seat. Quietly, Rarity made her way to his side and put her hoof around him in hopes of keeping the colt calm as he recollected watching his friend's bodies twist and transform before his very eyes.
"The worst part was that I drank too... but nothing happened. I couldn't even share their pain... just watch."
"But why didn't it effect you like it did to them?" Twilight inquired.
Mercy shrugged. "I'm not sure. After everything had calmed down, I asked the same question. They figured that maybe the dragon's blood pitied me and saved me from such a fate. Thus, when it came time for new names to be given to us... I was given the name of Mercy, for it is what was given to me. Awestruck was named Relinquish, for he gave up everything for the princess... His identity and even his very horn. Goliath became Silence because he no longer spoke due to what happened to his face. He later carved a new weapon and mask from the dragon's bones as a sort of insult to the dragon for what it had done to him. Star Light took the name of Severance, for he severed all ties with friends and family after that day. Wind Reaver was named Regret, for it was what he held in his heart... both for his family, and for what had happened to Saryn. Speaking of, Lady Saryn took the name of Venom, for that was what dripped from her lips as she spoke, and due to her rather unnatural expertise when it came to certain types of magic. Morning Dew became Revenant for like a ghost, she was. Always appearing and disappearing... She uses the water to move around. Her body is constantly dripping wet because of it."
He let out a heavy sigh, "And that is the final part of my tale. We changed and tore the dragon apart to get the Fire of Passion from within it's heart. After that, we dropped off the map to all save Luna. Of course, one does not bring a magical artifact of the Fire's magnitude back to the castle without somepony taking notice. Celestia soon found out but Luna brushed it off as a gem that was found in the beast's hoard. The Fire was deemed too powerful on it's own and a second gem was cut from it. While it was being transported, the caravan was raided. As far as I know, that second piece is still gone. Regardless, tell me: even after everything I have told you, and even having seen a few of them in action... do you still wish to challenge their power?"
"Well, duh!" Pinkie stated loudly, snapping the others from their melancholy states. "Magically supercharged or not, the princess still needs our help!"
"Yeah, and there's yet to be a problem that our friendship hasn't been able to overcome!" Applejack agreed, which resulted in multiple murmurs of agreement from the others.
"I certainly hope you're right," Mercy said quietly beneath their agreeing statements, "For everypony's sake..."