//------------------------------//
// Knight's Errand 
// Story: Wyvern 
// by PegasusKlondike 
//------------------------------//

Cirzoke had been absolutely right about a few things. The trip to the north took weeks, flying for days on end without any food or rest. The twelve young dragons did make a few pit stops now and then if they found a particularly concentrated source of gems to eat. Or, as the case was more often than not, to display their draconic dominance over some creature village by doing a little pillaging and burning on the side. Far from their main goal, they typically left a village alone unless the denizens looked at the dragons the wrong way. 

Unfortunately, this plunder had to stop after that yellow scaled buffoon Az had taken a sword cut to the thigh. Some enterprising dragon-slayer wannabe had taken an opportunity to get his two bits on the yellow drake, and was promptly turned to ash by Venerax. The black dragon felt that such pillaging was unnecessarily rough on the mostly defenseless ponies and whatever else they encountered. Az deserved that little nick he had taken, of course he had been in the process of incinerating the poor fellow's barn when he was wounded. 

With the side raids put on hold, the journey northward started taking leaps and bounds, and within a fortnight the auroras danced in the skies overhead and the air grew chill with the night, though autumn was barely beginning.

The raiding party landed in a forest clearing, scaring away a small herd of grazing musk oxen. Venerax put his nose to the wind, sniffing for any scents of the dreaded wyverns.

"I do not smell any wyverns Cirzoke, are you absolutely positive that the elders were not just telling us stories to frighten us as whelps?"

Cirzoke slammed his clubbed tail into a log, shattering the wood. "They are real! We are not in their territory yet."

"How? This is the farthest north any dragon dares to go! 'The great mountains where lights dance in the sky, there you shall find the beasts of ice and die." Venerax recited an old nest rhyme that his mother had sang to him and his siblings after they hatched. 

Cirzoke clubbed the black dragon on his head, "Have you ever considered that there might be something on the OTHER SIDE?! The world doesn't just stop at the peak of these mountains, little-wings!"

Though his wings were actually much larger than Cirzoke's, Venerax growled at the insult that was so very serious among dragons. Tongues of flame curled from his maw, and Cirzoke hissed at his friend. The pair began to circle one another, their fighting instincts having taken over. Several of the drakes grabbed both the green and black dragons, holding them back.

"Calm down you whelps! We'll never find a wyvern to kill if we kill each other first!" 

Cirzoke threw off his oppressors, brushing dust off of his scales. "Kelmore is right, Venerax. I am sorry for the insult, but you tend to be a bit too zealous of the elder's tales."

Venerax shrugged off the drakes holding him down. "They are the elders for a reason, their wisdom is what allowed them to survive. And if anything we need to listen to their wisdom if we want to survive."

Cirzoke nodded, accepting the logical thoughts of his companion. "Very well, move out." The entire flight of dragons took wing northward once again, foolishly daring to cross the mountains that protected the rest of the world from the wyverns.


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Klondike and Spin both donned long cloaks to ward off the sub arctic wind, though their natural tendencies as pegasi made them unnecessary. Still bearing the sword that Spin had so willingly and oddly let him keep, Klondike walked with his elder to town for the nightly ritual of alcoholism. The pair approached Windshear, the palisade walls and ramparts covered in ponies that had willingly volunteered to act as vigilant watchmen. 

Passing through the gate they nodded to the townsponies who stood watch. A few were bandaged and bruised, likely survivors of the mine collapse. Though the injured were all too few in number. Several militia ponies stood huddled around torches and braziers, the warm flickers of flame not penetrating the coldness that the beast held on their heavy hearts.

Spin walked onto the porch of the saloon first, stopping the younger pegasus before they could enter. "I want you to know a few things before we go inside. We can't trust Owayn or his squire, even though we may need them. Don't say my name, and most certainly do not mention that I am a pegasus." Spin left his cloak loose to cover his wings. 

"Why not? Owayn might actually have the skills to defeat the Sun Eater."

"Owayn is here for one thing and one thing only, his shot at taking down Venerax. That old dragon is kind of famous amongst slayers like Owayn for his reputation of being untouchable. And with the gold mines paying him tribute, rumor says that Venerax might have the largest hoard north of Canterlot."

Klondike snorted, "So we have to get Owayn on our side....while not telling him anything."

"You're a quick one. Maybe training you won't be such a chore after all." Old Spin nodded and pushed open the door. Normally the patrons would have set about yelling in their normal idiom, but tonight there was no cheer or mirth in the atmosphere. Many sat at the bar, heads low as they stared at the bottom of a glass. Many seats sat open and lay barren of the miners and foremen that normally filled them. Some had bandages wrapped about their limbs, some even had limbs missing, the stumps sutured by untrained unicorn magic. 

Spin and his protege took the table in the corner, patiently awaiting the waitress to take their order. Aurora came within a few short minutes, her eyes baggy and bloodshot. "What can I get you? The usual Mr. Spin?"

Spin opened his mouth to ask for a bottle of whiskey and a salt block, "No. Get me a glass of water. And a round of drinks for everypony. Kid?" he asked the still hooded pegasus.

Klondike drew back his hood, looking into Aurora's eyes. "Two glasses of Fillydelphia whiskey."

"You're alive..." she said. "I thought you died after all those ponies said you chased after that monster."

"I'm alright, but a lot of good ponies died back there."

She nodded and proceeded back to the bar to fetch their drinks. Upon hearing about a free round courtesy of Old Spin, everypony's melancholy lifted ever so slightly.

A loud stomping of hooves from the second floor drew the attention of the two pegasi, Spin glanced up to see Sir Owayn tromping down the stairwell. Owayn didn't seem fazed by the fact that a monster had boldly attacked this very town less than a day ago, while he was around nonetheless. His foul squire Patsy followed close behind, forcing several depressed miners out of their table to accommodate Owayn. "Ey pretty mare! Bottle of your finest wine for his lordship!" Aurora obliged the foul squire, receiving an unwanted touch to her rump when she delivered to the knight. 

Grimacing at the unwarranted attraction, Aurora levitated her tray over to the pair of pegasi. "Your drinks gentlecolts."

Klondike picked up one of his glasses of whiskey, then with tear filled eyes he poured it out on the saloon floor. "This one for you, Pine." Taking the other glass he sipped it slowly, letting the burn of alcohol wash away some of his pain.

Spin drank down his water quickly. "Alright kid, I'll handle Owayn and Patsy."

"What do I do?"

Spin smiled and nodded in Aurora's direction. She stood alone by the kitchen door, trying to hide the tears that so much death had brought to her once shining amethyst eyes. "Go to her kid." Spin stood up from the table, throwing his hood back up and assuming the most cockney, backcountry hick persona that he could manage. Stumbling over to Owayn's table, he sat down across from the knight of Equestria.

"Hey local, this table is reserved for Sir Owayn!" Patsy growled to the newcomer.

"Well howdy there ye young whippersnappers!" Spin gave in a crazy old coot miner voice. "The name is Spin if ya don't mind s'much."

Owayn appeared offended by the presence of the old trapper. Horn glowing with magic, he levitated the glass of wine to his mouth without regarding the trapper.

"You deaf old colt? I said this table ain't got no openings!"

Spin lifted a hoof to his ear, pretending that he indeed was hard of hearing. "What's that? Y'all say yer lookin for openin's in that dragon's lair?"

Owayn's ears perked at the trapper's remark. Patsy continued his aggression. "I told you once, old foal, now you gone and pissed me off!"

Owayn captured Patsy's flying hoof as he prepared to punch out Spin. "Hold your anger Patsy. What do you know of the dragon?"

"Welp, I don't know much about Vindicator or Vinny or Vincent..."

"Venerax. His name is Venerax." Owayn corrected.

"It sure is young feller. Anyhoo, I don't know me much 'bout Venerax. But my young pegasus friend over thar knows 'im better than his own mama!"

Both outlanders looked over at the pegasus still nursing a glass of whiskey. "The Company baggage boy? How could he know the dragon?"

"Aw Klondike ain't no baggage boy. Til y'all showed up he was the town librarian!"

"Librarian? Of course, the other knights all say that Venerax treasures knowledge above all other things. Has your young friend been supplying him with literature?"

"Sure as shoot, Company pays 'im ta do it. Well, not no more since y'all seem to be on a dragon slayin' mission up hyar."

Owayn looked closely at the old trapper, "You seem familiar. Have we met before?"

"Just yesterday. I was a rantin and a ravin about the real monster!"

"And just what is this 'real monster' of yours?"

"Trolls call it a Sun Eater. It's a critter like a dragon, but not smart like one. From what me and my edu-ma-cated young friend over thar understand, it's totally unknown to pony science and research. I thinks that the reward fer bringin' something like that back ta Canterlot, with all its possible magical and alchemical values, could be worth quite a mighty fortune, more than the bounty on Venerax and his hoard combined."

The knight and his squire sat speechless, enthralled by the idea of such a bountiful prize, more so than any petty wyrm, flying around the north.

"What's the catch old foal?" Patsy chimed out.

"Y'all seen what that critter done ta this town? I'd be happy seein' a pair o' fine dragon slayers like yerselves do away with it. Well heck, I might just help ya out with this critter, seein as I know these woods and valleys like the back of my hoof."

"And your price, 'Spin' was it?"

The old trapper grinned. "One dead monster, Owayn."

The pair shook hooves. Spin leaned back on his chair, "So, what's been happening down south?" The knight and his squire poured themselves another round while regaling the old trapper with the news. Since he had come up north things had changed quite a bit, new Embodiements of the Elements of Harmony had been chosen and Princess Luna had been freed of the darkness that had consumed her. Discord had broken free and been imprisoned again, and all of Canterlot had been threatened by an attack by the Changelings during Princess Cadence's wedding. When he left Equestria for Snowreach several weeks ago, there had been some hoopla about 'demons' or some such. 

Over at the corner table Klondike finished his single glass, leaving the second empty and turned over for Pine Fresh. He could almost hear Pine poking fun at him, mirthfully drinking away the night as the pair talked endlessly about what they would do when they got home to Equestria. Klondike looked up from the bottom of his glass, his gaze drifting to Aurora. Standing from his table, he walked to the unicorn mare.

"Hey, are you alright Aurora?"

She sniffed and wiped her eyes, "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm....I'm just afraid is all."

"Me too." he whispered, remembering how Pine Fresh had died in his hooves, how that beast had come with her sky darkening wings and tore down his world.

"I heard about Pine Fresh, I'm sorry Klondike."

His eyes grew misty, "He was a brave pony, and he stood up for what he believed in. I'm proud to have called him my friend." The warm press of Aurora brought him back to reality, she had wrapped her hooves around his neck, tears streaking down her face. He raised his wings to wrap around her, the expansive feathers encircling the pair, placing them in their own private world. "Aurora, I swear upon Pine Fresh's memory that I will find that monster, and I will make it pay."

She squeezed him tighter, "No, please don't. We've already lost so much, I don't want to lose you." she gave him a warm kiss on the cheek, the soft gentle caress of her lips like nothing he had ever felt.

"I have to, if I don't then this monster will destroy everything. Nopony else is willing to stand against it."

Her embrace drew away, the warmth of her touch fading with the cold air of Snowreach. "If you do find it, I want you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"Come back home. Alive and in one piece."

He lost himself in those eyes of glittering amethyst, leaning closer to the mare he shared such a special bond with. She leaned closer to him, her glittering eyes closing ever so slightly. 

A gruff voice cleared its throat, the two young ponies snapping back to reality in that bare second before their lips could touch. Aurora blushed, grabbing her tray she cantered back to work, embarrassed that she had been caught in such a situation. Klondike shook his head, wondering what came over him. Turning back to the source of the damnable interruption he was greeted by the stares of Old Spin, Sir Owayn and his squire. 

"I apologize for interrupting such an intimate moment with your marefriend, but your old friend here has proclaimed that you have some exclusive knowledge of Venerax."

"Maybe I do and maybe I don't. What's it to you, Sir Owayn, Knight of Equestria?"

"My order of knights knows little to nothing about Venerax, we have combed the archives of Canterlot and of our priory, but to no avail. All we know is that he likes books and that he is what we term an 'untouchable'."

Klondike raised an eyebrow, "An untouchable?"

"Yes, a powerful dragon that holds some regard in the circles of draconic elders. For some reason they avoid him and his territory, and the dragon elders prevent the younger and more ambitious drakes from breaching his territory as well. In fact, I believe that Venerax is the only dragon within several hundred miles. He doesn't even have draconic neighbors, with the exception of your 'monster'. An incredibly odd phenomenon, considering the riches aplenty in this land."

"So you believe me? Spin told you?" The aged pegasus nodded, smiling. 

"Indeed, we seek your service to guide us to Venerax's lair and your knowledge of the wyrm. And in exchange, we will aid your town in disposing of your 'Sun Eater'."

Klondike sighed, he could not betray his draconic friend, but he must stoop to incredible lows to deal with the real monster. Dropping to one knee, he bowed his head. "I accept your offer, and agree to lead you to the dragon, Sir Owayn."

The knight smiled, his long wispy mustaches fluttering. "Arise, with your guidance we strike out tomorrow for Venerax's lair."