Beyond Imagination

by Argent

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“Wanderlust, wake up.” The unicorn wearily blinked his eyes open. Morning looked to be only a few minutes away and Dawnfire was standing over him. “We need to get moving. Wake Allegro while I check the perimeter and stretch my wings.” With that, the pegasus launched herself into the sky with a rush of air and left Wanderlust to desperately cling to consciousness with all four hooves. Dawnfire had insisted that they sleep in shifts, always leaving somepony on watch, and Wanderlust had yet to acclimate to the change.

With a groan he rose and walked over to Allegro. “Wake up, it’s time to go.” Wanderlust said, nudging the sleeping pony with a hoof. Apparently he was adjusting to their new schedule better than the unicorn was, because he was almost instantly awake and climbing to his hooves.

The two stallions glanced at the pegasus as she hovered above the treetops just outside the clearing in which they had spent the night. She looked much more at home in the barding than Wanderlust or Allegro, almost as if she’d been meant to wear it. The same was true of the weapons mounted under her wings: much bulkier than the unicorn’s, but much more powerful. The guns took up space that could have otherwise been used for carrying equipment, but that hadn’t been much of a trade-off by her standards.

“Are you sure giving her all that equipment was a good idea?” Allegro asked as they packed their things.

“Well, this way we won’t have to worry about her killing us in our sleep for ours.” Wanderlust said as he rolled his sleeping bag and fastened it to his pack. “Not to mention that she’ll be a lot more use in the fight.” He let his eyes linger a split-second too long on their new companion as she flitted about above the treetops. Allegro, of course, noticed instantly.

“It looks like somepony has a thing for the crazed warrior-mare.” The earth pony deftly skipped away from Wanderlust’s halfhearted attempt to strike him. “You should try talking to her.”

“Yeah, go flirt with the bloodthirsty, gun-toting pegasus. Nothing could possibly go wrong with that plan.”

“Is the guy who tried to kill a manticore with a stone spear the first time we met afraid of the mare with the pretty green eyes?” Allegro batted his eyelashes a few times before starting to giggle uncontrollably, but he still proved able to dodge a kick.

“I wouldn’t have had to listen to the manticore mock me for Celestia knows how long before it got around to killing me.” That only made Allegro laugh harder.

He was still at it when Dawnfire returned. She gave the earth pony a stern look but didn’t comment. “We’re about an hour from the edge of the forest. After that we start hitting patrols. The good news is that I know a back way in that should bypass most of the defenses. With luck, we’ll reach his inner sanctum without raising any alarms.”

“Isn’t it a bad idea to fight him on his own turf?” Wanderlust asked nervously.

“He doesn’t normally allow bodyguards inside; the bastard’s confident in his own ability to defend himself.”

“And is he right to feel that way?”

“Definitely. Surprise and numbers will be on our side, though.” Wanderlust gulped.

Their progress through the forest was slow as the three ponies, Dawnfire leading the way with Wanderlust at the back and Allegro between, picked their way through the brush and debris. It was only a few minutes before the earth pony broke the silence. “So, Dawn, is it okay if I call you Dawn?”

The pegasus sighed. “There’s not really anything I can do to stop you.”

“Great.” Allegro replied cheerfully. “So I was thinking, you really haven’t said all that much about yourself.”

“That was intentional.” She replied, deadpan, still sweeping her eyes back and forth over the trees.

“Well don’t you think we deserve to know a little more about you?”

“No.”

“Allegro, it might be a good idea to back off.” Wanderlust hissed at his friend. He had caught the edge in the pegasus’ voice, but he couldn’t be sure that the other pony had.

The blue pony ignored him. “Come on, Dawn. We’re putting a lot of trust in you. Can you really blame me for wanting to know more about you?”

There were a few seconds of silence followed by another sigh. “No.” She admitted reluctantly.

“So where do you live out here?”

“Wherever I can find somewhere dry and flat. Even those are optional sometimes.” Dawnfire said without breaking stride.

“But you must have some kind of home out here.” Allegro protested.

“Being tied to a static location makes you vulnerable. The only home I’ve ever had has been ashes for years.”

“So you’ve just spent your life wandering around these woods?”

“Not only these woods. I’ve traveled from the Spinward Seas to the Kingdom of Ghosts to Starboard.”

“Doing what?”

“Whatever I can to undermine Flamerage’s rule. I’ve rallied others against him, burnt his outposts to the ground, raided his supply lines, killed his minions.”

“So that’s really how you’ve spent your life?” Allegro asked in disbelief.

“The life I would have had died with my family.” Dawnfire snarled. “I’ll settle down and make a new one once I can mount the bastard’s head above my mantel.”

The conversation died after that, but it wasn’t long before they reached a low, circular stone structure that led them down into a cramped tunnel filled to their knees with foul-smelling water. Dawnfire took a few moments to get her bearings, then chose a direction. “This should take us to the edge of Flamerage’s lair. Stay close, these tunnels connect what’s left of the settlements in this region: lots of chances to get lost.”

“What exactly are these tunnels used for?” Wanderlust asked. The smell was almost enough to make him gag.

“They’re the remains of a regional sewer system.”

“You mean we’re standing in-”

“Yes.” The pegasus replied, cutting him off. “It may not be pleasant, but it’s better than fighting an army.”

The sloshing sounds echoing off the walls as the trio pushed forward were suddenly making the unicorn feel sick to his stomach and the feeling of the muck clinging to his legs wasn’t helping matters. Wanderlust took a sip of water from the tube next to his mouth and then hurriedly began talking to keep his mind from making that particular connection. “What’s our plan once we get there?”

“I scouted these tunnels years ago: we should come out within sight of his lair. With luck, he’ll be there and if he is, he’ll most likely be sleeping. Even so, we’ll have to move quickly: his senses are too keen for us to avoid notice for long. Our first move needs to be to take out his wings.”

“So Flamerage is a pegasus?”

“Flamerage is a dragon.” Dawnfire replied.

“A dragon?” Wanderlust was suddenly regretting their partnership.

“A large one.” The mare confirmed.

“You don’t think this is something that you should have mentioned earlier?”

“I didn’t think anyone would hear the name ‘Flamerage’ and not make the connection.” The pegasus was starting to sound more and more exasperated.

“She has a point, Wands. I figured you knew.” Allegro added.

“Great.” The unicorn muttered.
“Is this going to be a problem?” Dawnfire asked, stopping and turning to face him.

“No. I’ve just never fought a dragon before.” Wanderlust hoped she didn’t notice how his voice shook.

“Neither have I, but I’m looking forward to it. Flamerage dies today, no matter what it takes.” With that, she turned and continued down the tunnel.

“Completely insane.” Allegro whispered. “No idea what you see in her.” Wanderlust glared at him and followed after the pegasus. The earth pony raised his voice. “Anyway, a dragon can’t be all that much scarier than a manticore. What are you so worried about?”

“Manticore’s a tough kill.” The pegasus said. Wanderlust blinked; she sounded almost impressed. “How did you manage that?”

“Oh, he didn’t.” Allegro said cheerfully, ignoring another glare from the unicorn. “It killed him.”

“Excuse me?”

“It was an illusion.” Wanderlust explained with a sigh. “If the pony controlling it hadn’t ended the spell, the manticore would’ve killed me. I did manage to half-blind it with a spear, though.”

“Let’s hope your luck is better this time. Still, you really took on a manticore with only a spear?” The pegasus’ asked, sounding almost as if she didn’t believe him. “You’ve really got a pair of-”

She stopped mid-sentence and cocked her head, her ears twitching. “Voices, right side passage.” Dawnfire whispered. Wanderlust looked ahead, surprised to see that they had reached an intersection. The pegasus flattened herself against the wall and readied her combat knife. “I’ll take the first one, you take the second. I only hear two, but if there are more we’ll have to improvise.” She flipped on her barding and her voice came through the speakers in Wanderlust’s ears. “Allegro, stay back: they won’t have any qualms about killing an unarmed pony.” Wanderlust readied his own knife and flipped his barding on. He took a deep breath as his vision narrowed. “Go for the neck or the back of the skull if you can.” Dawnfire ordered.

After that, the only break in the silence came from two hushed voices approaching from their right. After what seemed like an eternity, the first guard rounded the corner. Dawnfire was on him in a flash, driving him down into the muck. There was a scream from her victim as the second guard rounded the corner, moving to help and with some sort of weapon at the ready. Wanderlust lunged at the newcomer, taking him by surprise and knocking him to the floor. The two of them struggled as Wanderlust tried to push the knife towards his opponent’s throat and the other tried with all his might to force it away. Finally, Wanderlust won out and plunged the blade into its throat.

The unicorn stared into his victim’s eyes, frozen in horror, as blood poured from the wound and the spark of life fled from the other pony’s gaze. “I just killed a pony.” He whispered, staring into its lifeless eyes.

“Wands!” Allegro’s shout brought him back to reality. “Snap out of it, we need to move!”

“I just killed a pony.” Wanderlust repeated, still not quite able to drag his eyes away from what had until seconds before been another living being.

“One that served the dragon. His death is no great loss.” Dawnfire said with disdain. No great loss...

“Deal with it later.” Allegro ordered. “We need to get to Flamerage before somepony misses these two. I know it can’t be easy for you right now, but there are bigger things at stake here, remember?”

“Right.” Wanderlust agreed uncertainly. “For Equestria.” The unicorn shook his head and followed in a daze. His mind was starting to clear as they reached the surface.

The ponies emerged in the midst of a ruin. The tunnel let out in the middle of a narrow street that ran between two massive, crumbling buildings of concrete and steel. There were others across a wide open field that looked to have once been paved. After untold years of neglect, the entire area was overgrown with weeds and grass that poked up through the barest remnants of tarmac and concrete. Vines grew up the sides of the concrete buildings, pulling at the weakening walls and hastening their slow return to nature.

In stark contrast to the decay stood three buildings across the field: the same design as those close to them, but constructed of silver metal that shone so brightly that they might have been constructed the day before. Compared to those perfect structures, the others seemed shoddy and rushed.

Wanderlust’s eyes finally settled on the dragon. It had to be at least a hundred feet long from the tip of its nose to the end of its spiked tail. The beast was covered in thick, maroon scales with soot-black edges. Puffs of smoke rose from its nostrils: Dawnfire had been right, it seemed he was asleep.

“Oh, Celestia.” Allegro gasped in horror. Wanderlust wasn’t sure if it was due to the fact that he was so frightened of the dragon or because the sight was so horrifically alien, but until that point he hadn’t registered the bodies. There must have been hundreds; hanging in cages, nailed to boards, every last one displayed in some horrible manner, all in various stages of decay, and nearly all of them ponies.

“This is what he does to those who defy him.” Dawnfire said, her voice cold as ice. “He likes to call it his ‘gallery’. If the gods have any mercy at all, there won’t be any left alive right now.” Wanderlust felt a chill as he stared at the bodies and Allegro started to gag. “Allegro, find a place to hide and don’t come out until we give the all-clear. This isn’t a place for someone without a weapon.” The earth pony wasted no time running off behind the buildings.

“That was kind of you.” Wanderlust said, drawing his weapons and maxing out the barding’s protective fields.

“It was the truth.” The mare replied. “Someone who can’t fight just gets in the way. Now come on, we’re wasting time.” The two of them started off into the field. “Still have any moral qualms about all this?”

Wanderlust cast a quick glance at one of the nearby bodies. A forest green mare, she couldn’t have been dead more than a day or two. He could barely make out her features beneath the flies. She must have been beautiful once. She deserved more than this; they all did. “Rapidly fading.” The unicorn replied, his fear turning to steel as he returned to the task at hoof.

“Remember, hit the wings first. After that, try to lead him into the buildings: we may be able to collapse a wall or two onto him and trap him. I’ll try to keep hitting him from above.”

“What if that doesn’t work?” Wanderlust asked, checking his weapons one last time.

“Then we improvise. On my mark.” Dawnfire hurled herself into the air with a powerful beat of her wings. She circled once, taking in the entire scene below. Wanderlust couldn’t hear a thing through the barding, but he could almost feel a tense silence descend over the ruins. His heart thumped in his ears, his breathing sounded almost deafening, his muscles felt like coiled springs. Isn’t this what I always wanted? I’m in an entirely different world, seeing things nopony back home could dream of, doing things few of them would ever even consider. I never wanted it like this, though.

Luna was right: if I ever go back, there’s no way I’ll be the same. How could they understand what I’ve seen? How could they condone what I’ve done? The lifeless eyes of that pony in the sewer flashed back into his mind and he shook his head to clear the memory. Oh, Princess. I want to go home. The unicorn took a deep breath. Focus, Wands. If you want to get through this, you need to focus.

“This is for my parents you slimey son of a whore.” The whisper was so quiet that Wanderlust nearly missed it through his earphones. “Now!” Dawnfire’s scream rang in his ears and made him jump as the pegasus began her assault. Wanderlust followed suit a heartbeat later. Firing their weapons for the first time, neither one knew quite what to expect. There was a stunning flash of light and a kick like a mule. It did little to affect the unicorn’s magically-stabilized weapons, but he caught a glimpse of Dawnfire as she nearly tumbled from the sky and sent her first shots wild.

Flamerage woke instantly and reared up on his back legs, roaring and unfurling his wings in an obvious attempt to intimidate his attackers. The move had the opposite effect as waves of plasma tore his right wing to shreds. The dragon crashed down on all fours as Dawnfire guided her weapons into the bone at the base of the wounded wing, burning clean through.

As the useless wing dragged on the ground, the enraged dragon bounded towards Wanderlust, who took off with every ounce of speed he could muster towards the derelict buildings. In the end, the dragon’s macabre display probably saved his attacker’s life: the tattered wing caught on every obstruction, forcing the dragon to slowly pick his way through his lair. Still, Flamerage was on Wanderlust’s heels as the unicorn reached the buildings with Dawnfire still raining shots from above, if the shouted obscenities streaming through his earpiece were any indication. She seemed to be doing little beyond fueling the tyrant’s rage.

Wanderlust dodged through a crumbled opening in the wall, almost diving into the dubious safety of the roofless building. Seconds later, the entire wall crashed down behind him, demolished by the enraged dragon. The unicorn just barely reached safety behind a pile of rubble as his pursuer let loose a torrent of flame. Wanderlust felt the air around him roil as he picked his path through the rubble. The instant the flames stopped, he shot to his hooves, fired a burst of plasma at the dragon’s face to distract it and bolted for the exit. The ground shook as the dragon launched into pursuit, only heartbeats behind.

Breaking into the open, the hunted unicorn found himself facing an unbroken wall of concrete. Without hesitation, he fired at the wall, trying to burn open a hole. It wasn’t enough. It’ll have to do. The pony thought, gritting his teeth. He flung himself into the wall, curling into a ball and trying to take the heat and impact on the protective fields.

It worked but he mistimed, jarring his head badly as he crashed through the wall. More troubling, he saw an almost imperceptible flicker as the remaining plasma splashed across the field that covered his face; not a good time to find out that it didn’t cope well with heat. The unicorn landed hard but unhurt as far as he could tell.

Before he could get to his hooves, the dragon came hurtling through the wall, still running flat-out. Wanderlust rolled onto his back and fired both his weapons up into the dragon’s soft belly, trusting its body to block the worst of the debris that rained down all around him. Flamerage roared: it was obvious that the two ponies were doing damage, but it wasn’t enough. The dragon reared and rounded, catching Dawnfire with a clawed foot and swatting the pegasus into a wall. As Wanderlust saw her fall to the ground, he hoped the barding would take the worst of the punishment.

The unicorn was on his hooves, guns blazing and running for cover until he slipped on a bit of stone. It was only a second’s lapse, but the pony knew it would be his last. Oh, Celestia. To come all this way and die from a slip... Wanderlust’s heart froze when he saw the dragon’s cold smile. The flames hit him like a freight train, knocking his weapons clear. He dug in his hooves, focused his mind, trying to deflect the flames with his magic, but he couldn’t muster the strength. The field covering his face, already weakened by plasma, failed first. There was a voice in his ear saying something about overheating and an almost immeasurably small moment of unspeakable agony on his right cheek, and then the world went black.

*

“You’re going to die, Wanderlust.” A soft voice told him gleefully.

“I know.” The unicorn sighed. “I’ve made peace with that.” His eyes were closed and he was desperately holding onto his composure. If this is death, I’ll at least meet it with dignity.

He could feel the warmth of the sun kiss his fur, a cool breeze nipping at his cheek. Every breath felt crisp and clean. Wanderlust slowly eased his eyes open and found himself standing on a mountain, high above the clouds. He looked down and saw Equestria laid out before him in all its glory. With a sweep of his gaze, he could take in everything from the stark towers of Manehatten to the shining glory of Canterlot. In the distance he could make out Cloudsdale, perched high above the ground, and the tiny collection of cottages that made up Ponyville.

The sight of his home brought a tear to his eye. His mind flashed back to his parents, his friends, his brother. The faces of every pony he had ever cared for raced through his mind in a heartbeat. He was suddenly hit by a rush of guilt. I failed them. I tried. Oh, princesses, believe me, I tried.

“They’ll all die, too.” The voice whispered in his ear, sounding even more gleeful than before. Wanderlust spun in alarm and saw nothing. He was alone on top of the mountain. When he turned his gaze back to Equestria, the view had changed.

The kingdom burned from one end to the other: a funeral pyre for an entire way of life. He watched in horror as Cloudsdale plummeted from the sky and shattered upon the ground, as the spires of Canterlot were pulled down one by one. The ponies that escaped outright slaughter were rounded up, corralled and led away in chains under the watchful gaze of black-winged dragons high above. The fires died, leaving behind blackened fields that would never again bear fruit and empty husks of buildings that would stand their watch, the shattered windows like gazing eyes, forever reminding passers-by what had befallen this kingdom: an eternal monument to the magnitude of Wanderlust’s failure.

“There’s nothing more I can do; I just wasn’t up to the task. Stop showing me this and let me have my peace.”

“Imagine what will happen to your companions. Allegro won’t fight: they’ll find him, butcher him like an animal and string him up in the gallery, just another ornament. And Dawnfire...well, I’m sure my Lord will find a particularly creative punishment for the one who robbed him of his wing. You have no idea the horror that waits in store for your little winged friend: her life will become pain. They will break her body, they will break her mind, they will break her very soul until she begs to join the others in the gallery.” Wanderlust closed his eyes as tightly as he could, blocking out the horrid visions before him, but he could do nothing to stop the sounds. “It may be years before she is allowed to die, such amazing things can be done with magic, and it is all because of you.”

The sounds hadn’t stopped. Wanderlust broke as his mind filled in the pictures that went with them. When he spoke, it was through tears. “Why? Why are you doing this to me? I don’t even know you!”

“Yes, you do. Open your eyes.” The voice commanded. Wanderlust resisted; he didn’t want to know what awaited him on the other side of his eyelids. “I said open your eyes!” The voice screamed at him, twisted into something dark. The unicorn’s eyes snapped open against his will and a chill ran down his spine. He was staring into the mud-caked face of a grey earth pony. Its blue eyes were clouded with death and blood frothed from a ghastly wound on its neck when it spoke. “Yes, now you know me. I’m your greatest sin, Wanderlust: you killed somepony who could do you no harm. What use would my sword have been against your wonders? This is my revenge for the life you stole from me: your friends’ pain will end, death will reach out its merciful hand for them, but for your crimes there can be no forgiveness, no mercy. Your torment will be eternal.” The ghoulish pony laughed as Wanderlust sank to his knees. “Your soul is mine, murderer. You’ll pay in blood for what you took from me, even if it takes until the very end of time.” Wanderlust covered his head with his hooves as his tormentor cackled madly.

Abruptly, there was silence. “Wanderlust, stand up.” This was a new voice, one that spoke with a quiet confidence that couldn’t be ignored. The young unicorn complied, rising slowly to his hooves and warily easing his eyes open. The mountain was gone, replaced by the vast emptiness of space. Behind his new companion, a small ball of light flickered in the distance.

The other pony was a tall, silver unicorn with eyes the color of polished sapphire. The newcomer wore an immaculate black uniform of a style foreign to Wanderlust and a matching black hat with a small insignia sewn to the front: a silver shield adorned with a ring of blue stars. The pony looked little older than Wanderlust, but something about his eyes gave off a sense of wisdom and determination far beyond his years. “Who are you?” Wanderlust asked, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

“A friend. That’s all that matters for now.”

“What do you want?”

“I’m here to remind you of something.”

Wanderlust’s confusion deepened. “Of what, exactly?”

“In a moment. First, though, you need to understand that your death is not an acceptable end to this.”

It seemed almost comical in a way, this new pony ordering him not to die. “I think you’re a little late on that.”

“Not at all.” The silver unicorn replied sternly. “You’re still very much alive, at least for the moment. Whether you remain that way is entirely up to what you decide to do next.”

“I’m not sure I have a choice. What can I do against a dragon?”

“That ignorant, clanless brute doesn’t deserve the title.” The silver pony growled. “It wasn’t so long ago that that overgrown lizard would rather have thrown itself into the sun, begging your forgiveness the entire way, rather than risk the ire of a pony.

“Your captors chained you physically when they threw you behind those mountains, but the mental chains were far more crippling: they robbed you of your history, of what we were. The Overseers did their best to keep that alive, they even named your prison after our ancient home, but they couldn’t act overtly enough, not with their own shackles weighing them down.

“I’m not here to give you support, I’m not here to build you up, I’m here to remind you of what some part deep inside you already knows: we were mighty once. You can either choose to remind that sorry excuse for a dragon of that fact, or you can roll over and die, condemning your home to destruction in the process.” There was a brief pause as the silver pony turned to leave, revealing a cutie mark of crossed lances. “I trust that you’ll make the correct choice.”

Wanderlust watched the other pony leave, struggling to understand. “Oh, and Wanderlust?” The silver unicorn called over his shoulder. “They’re trusting you to do whatever proves necessary. The shackles of morality nearly cost us all our lives once before; don’t let the same folly cost them theirs.”

*

The heat was back. It was an excruciating, crippling, killing heat. Wanderlust mustered one last attempt at resistance: he focused every ounce of anger, every iota of defiance, every trace of his will to live into one last effort to turn aside the flames. Magic coursed through him, he could feel the power pulsing in his horn as he tried to push aside the inferno. Time seemed to slow, the pain faded, the sound stopped. He reached out to the magic, shaped it to his desires, forced it to bend to his will. It wasn’t enough. The dragon’s flame was far too much for his efforts alone.

Visions of the fates of Dawnfire and Allegro flashed through his mind, and he shoved them roughly aside as he grasped for any possible escape. He felt something tugging at him, and he reached out to meet it: the crystals Luna had given him. The ancient vessels seethed with magic. He could feel the power inside of them, desperate to escape. More power than a dozen unicorns could call upon unaided and it was reaching out to him, beckoning him, begging to be set free. Wanderlust’s mind touched the crystals, felt the soothing warmth of their magic and carefully, gently, coaxed out the strength within and gathered it together. He set to work, lovingly weaving the tapestry of the spell to suit his needs. The heat ceased completely; the pain remained, but the unicorn was too far lost in his task to care.

Wanderlust caught the dragon’s fire and tamed it, harnessed it, shaped it, amplified it, turned it back upon its source. Even dragons could be burnt by a bright enough flame, and Flamerage had earned his name.

Time snapped back to normal and it was over in an instant. The flames stopped an inch in front of the unicorn’s face. The inferno swirled, coalesced, formed and shot forth like an angry sea, enveloping the dragon that had given it birth. The beast was dust before he could scream. Wanderlust stood for a moment in a daze, his fur still burning, before collapsing onto the ground, as broken as the building around him.

*

“Come on, Wands, time to get up.” Allegro’s voice seemed very faint, as if the other pony was speaking to him through a wall. There was a note of concern evident in his tone. “The kit says you’re well enough to be up and moving around. That’s all we have time for right now. Get up, Wands. Please, we need you.”

“Are you sure he’s well enough?” Another voice: Dawnfire. She’d survived. “He took one hell of a beating.”

“The kit says what’s left will heal on its own. At least I think that’s what it says. Celestia, I hope I’m reading this thing right. Either way, we don’t have a choice: if we found a way in, the other ones will, too. You can hear things outside getting worse.”

“If any follow us, I’ll deal with them.”

“I appreciate your confidence, Miss Bloodlust, but I’d prefer to get out of here without any more killing, if at all possible. Not to mention that your power source is out cold.”

Wanderlust was finally able to pry himself close to something resembling consciousness. “Not quite.” He said quietly, still unable to open his eyes.

“Wands!” Allegro clattered over and gave him a hug, making the unicorn wince; apparently his wounds weren’t completely healed. “Sorry.” The earth pony said sheepishly, backing away. His hooves were making a strange noise as he moved.

With some effort, Wanderlust was finally able to force his eyes open. He was lying on his back looking up at a metal ceiling high above. He tried to move, but it felt like there was something heavy weighing him down. The feeling was slowly fading, but it was still disconcerting, to say the least. “What happened?”

“You killed a dragon.” Dawnfire again, from somewhere he couldn’t see. “Thank you for that, by the way. Allegro hooked you to the medical kit and carried you here while I made sure we didn’t have any uninvited guests.”

“We’re in some sort of vehicle storage room.” Allegro said excitedly, poking his head back into Wanderlust’s field of view. “That’s what those big, silver buildings were. Dawnfire knew a way inside. She’s actually really clever. I was surprised, you know what they say about pegasi, after all.”

“Thank you, Allegro.” Dawnfire said dryly from Wanderlust’s left.

“Anyway, we’ve been waiting for you to wake up for two days now. You need more time, but I’m afraid we’re out.”

“Two days?” Wanderlust asked in shock.

“You took a stream of dragon’s breath to the face: there was quite a bit of damage. In fact, you might be the first pony to ever survive to make that claim.” Dawnfire again. The disdain that had always hung in her voice before was gone, replaced by something that might have been respect. And all I had to do to earn it was kill a dragon. She’s really easy to please.

“How bad, exactly?” Wanderlust eased himself upright and looked around. Ahead of him and to his right he could see the curved walls of the building in the distance. Celestia, this place is massive. To his left, Dawnfire was leaning against a gracefully sculpted dome of silver metal, trying to keep her weapons from pinching her wings.

“Your right eye was almost useless, but the kit repaired it as far as we can tell. How well can you see out of it?”

Wanderlust looked around a little. The floor seemed to curve away behind the dome ahead of him and there was a knee-high wall to his right that seemed to mark the end of whatever they were standing on. “I can’t even notice a difference.”

Allegro took over, his normally cheerful voice sounding oddly awkward. “There was also quite a bit of um...cosmetic damage that it couldn’t fix.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re going to have one hell of a scar.” Dawnfire said with a slight smile. “I doubt you’ll have to worry about getting into any bar fights anytime soon.”

“Bar fights?” Wanderlust asked, cocking his head.
The pegasus just sighed. “Nevermind, I keep forgetting where you’re from.”

“And hey,” Allegro interjected, his voice back to normal again. “with a pick-up line like ‘I killed a dragon with my mind’ who needs looks to make the fillies swoon?”

Wanderlust couldn’t help but smile a little at that. “Dawnfire, why are you here? I thought you were leaving after we killed Flamerage.”

“Where would I go? I never made any plans beyond killing Flamerage. Now that he’s dead I might as well tag along with you until I find something better.”

A crash echoed through the building, making Wanderlust jump. Dawnfire cast a nervous glance at one of the walls and started speaking again. “Right, that. When you killed Flamerage his entire army fell apart. They’re all fighting for whatever pieces of the empire they can get their grubby little hooves, hands and claws on. There’s only so much time before they find a way in and loot the place.”

When Allegro spoke, he had the look of a foal plotting mischief. “But we’re going to beat them to it.”

“What’s worth stealing in here?” Wanderlust asked. Allegro just stomped his hoof on the metallic floor. The unicorn cocked an eyebrow. “What are we standing on?”

“Walk to the edge and take a look.” Dawnfire replied with a grin. Wanderlust did as she said and peered over the knee-high wall to his right. They must have been twenty feet off the ground.

“We’re on some kind of ship, Wands!” Allegro exclaimed, so excited that he was almost jumping up and down.

“So why haven’t we left yet, if it’s growing so urgent?”

“It requires a unicorn to fly it.” Dawnfire explained.

“A unicorn specifically? Not just any pony?”

“Come on, we’ll show you.” Wanderlust followed the other two ponies to the front of the ship. There was a teardrop-shaped room with open sides that was separated from the dome by a section of open deck. There was a passage in the back wall that seemed to lead below into the ship, and across from it was a pedestal with a circular impression at the top, almost certainly intended to receive a hoof.

“We both tried it and nothing happened.” Allegro explained.

Wanderlust approached the pedestal and placed his hoof into the proper place. A flood of sensations hit his mind at once; the best way he could describe it was static. He was suddenly disoriented, he couldn’t focus, thoughts seemed to slide away as he grasped for them. His vision grew blurry and his legs went rubbery; just as he worried that he would faint, the feeling stopped instantly. When it cleared, he could feel the ship all around him, an extension of his body. This is going to take some getting used to.

He closed his eyes and found that he could still feel the building around him. The excited hum of the ship flowed through him as long-dormant systems came to life. He could feel the landing struts keeping him held firmly to the ground, and the pent-up energy building inside him as the engines roared to life. For every new sensation, his mind somehow supplied the words; it never occurred to him to wonder how he knew the alien terms. He reached out to the ceiling of the hangar and knew instinctively that it would part for him.

The sounds of battle intensified outside, but Wanderlust barely noticed through the exhilaration that flooded his mind as the sky opened to him. Dawnfire shouted a warning, but he didn’t catch the words, only the urgency. Unprompted, emergency procedures sprang into his mind and he urged the engines to action. He could barely hold back the rush of energy as the engines strained against his control, anxious to soar. The unicorn retracted the landing struts and felt suddenly like he was floating.

“Hang on.” He finally found his voice, if only for a moment. Then he was the ship again, and with a thought he let the engines run free. As they hurtled into the sky, Wanderlust could feel the wind flowing around him, tugging at his fur and blowing his mane. This must be what being a pegasus is like. It was intoxicating.

With a thought, he found he could access airspeed, heading, altitude, even a map of the ring. He effortlessly adjusted their course and slowed their speed to conserve energy. That task finished, he pulled his hoof away from the pedestal; it took more effort than he had expected. As a test, he thought of the vessel’s heading and a number popped into his mind. He switched it a few degrees and felt the ship sway back and forth under him before settling. I can control it remotely. The thought made the unicorn smile. “That was amazing.” He finally gasped, the adrenaline still flowing through him. He turned to his companions, who were staring at him as if he had sprouted a second head.

“What just happened, Wands?” Allegro asked.

“There’s some sort of magical interface with the ship. It lets me control everything directly.” The others just stared at him. The unicorn sighed. “Nevermind. The point is that I can fly this thing.” Trying to explain magic to a non-unicorn would be like a pegasus explaining what it feels like to fly. Of course, I just found out what that was like, too. The thought brought out another smile.

“If you say so.” Dawnfire said dubiously. “I’m going to make sure that we’re not being followed. I’ll be back soon.”

Wanderlust called after the pegasus. “There’s a safety field that blocks the wind and should keep you from falling out, but you should still be careful.” Dawnfire just waved a wing at him and kept walking. The unicorn turned back to the front and watched the clouds stream by, Allegro standing next to him in silence.

“So,” Wanderlust said after a few long minutes. “exactly how bad is the scarring?”

“Like I said, work the dragon-slaying angle.” Allegro replied cheerfully. “The fillies love that kind of thing; it’s certainly working on our feathered friend. Speaking of which, when’s the wedding? I need time to find a dress, after all: you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find one in my size.” Wanderlust cuffed the earth pony on the shoulder. “Right, sorry, ceremonies are too formal, you’ll probably just go hunt down a hydra together to mark the occasion.” Allegro started laughing. “In any case, you weren’t exactly pretty to begin with. With the story, I’d even call it a net gain!” The unicorn hit him again for good measure.

“Keep running that joke into the ground all you want; it’s never going to happen.” He replied with a smile that gradually faded. “Seriously. I haven’t seen a mirror this entire time: how bad?”

Allegro had stopped laughing. “The fur on the right side of your face probably won't grow back. The skin is red and raw, that'll probably clear up with some more time hooked up to the kit, you should grab it in a minute. Even after the redness goes away the skin is going to look wrong: that entire side of your face is going to be covered in scar tissue. A lot of your mane got caught in it, too. It probably won’t grow back, either, though the scarring on your neck won’t be as bad. If anything, it'll just make you look rugged: the mighty hero arriving just in time to save the day.” He was smiling again.

Wanderlust laughed, he had trouble thinking of himself as a hero. “Thanks. If you want to go, you can. I need some time to think.”

“Not yet. There’s still something we need to talk about, Wands.”

“What would that be?”

“The pony in the sewer.” Allegro was completely serious again. Amazing that he can bounce back and forth so quickly.

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Whatever you’re feeling about him, it can’t be healthy to just hold it in.”

Wanderlust sighed. “You’re not going to stop asking until I talk about it, are you?”

“No, I’m not.”

“I have mixed feelings.” The unicorn admitted reluctantly. “I mean, he was a pony, just like me, and I jammed a knife through his throat. I stood there and watched him die; have you ever heard of somepony doing something like that? At the same time, he was working for that dragon. From what Dawn’s said, who knows what kind of horrible things that pony did. There’s a part of me that can’t help but wonder if she’s right? What if I did the world a service by killing him?”

“You can’t start thinking like that, Wanderlust.” The earth pony urged. “You can’t judge who deserves to live or die, because you won’t come out the other side as yourself. Luna warned you: the stakes are too high to let yourself fall to that path. I don’t think it’s a good idea to put too much stock in what Dawnfire says, either.”

“Why is that? She seems to know what she’s doing.”

“Because you don’t want to become what she is, Wands. Can’t you see it? She’s spent her whole life consumed by this need for revenge. Violence is all she knows, it’s all she sees, in the end, it’s all she really is: she’s let it define her. What will happen to Equestria if you do the same?”

“You’ve seen what we’re up against here, Allegro. We’ve barely even started and I’m not sure I can ever forget what I’ve seen. I don’t think things will get any better, so what are we supposed to do when they get worse? What if Dawn’s right? What if we have to buy Equestria’s safety in blood?”

“There are always other options, Wands, you can’t afford to forget that. What have you become if the path to Equestria’s salvation is paved with bodies?”

“Sensible, most likely.” The cold voice made both ponies jump. The black pegasus was approaching them, her armor and weapons gone. “You don’t know enough of what it’s like here to understand, Allegro. That’ll change soon.”

“I know that there must be better ways to do this than by murdering our way to our destination.” The earth pony replied with a glare.

“Mercy and restraint will get you killed out here. Once you’ve seen the bodies, smelled the smoke, stared into the eyes of the ones who lived, I hope you’ll see that force is the only lifeline we have, because otherwise you’ll join them.” Dawnfire replied.

“Would you two stop?” Wanderlust interrupted angrily. “I doubt being at each other’s throats is going to help.”

“Right. Sorry, Wands.” Allegro said. He shot another quick glare at the pegasus before turning back to his friend. “Just think about what I said, okay? Please?” He asked quietly.

“I will.” Wanderlust said with a nod.

“I’m going to go take a look around, then. I’ll see you in the morning, Wands.” He turned to leave. “Dawn.” He said coldly as he passed the pegasus, she just nodded in response.

Dawnfire waited until his hoofsteps had faded. “He doesn’t really like me all that much, does he?” She asked, finally coming into the room.

“Where we’re from, violence isn’t something that’s commonplace, or even something that’s often discussed; it’s just not in our nature.” Wanderlust explained, looking at the clouds rolling past outside. “The fact that you’re so casual about it doesn’t sit right with him.”

Dawnfire snorted. “You’re just as much a pony as I am, or any of the others on the ring. Trust me, we’re capable of quite a bit of violence. Some seem to have quite the natural aptitude, actually.”

“Not back home.” The unicorn said sadly.

There were a few long moments of silence. “Tell me about it. Your home, I mean.”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Well, if I’m going to be helping you save it, I might as well know something about it.”

“You mean you’re really coming along?” Wanderlust asked in surprise. He’d expected the pegasus to get bored and jump ship within a few days.

“Killing Flamerage is something I can never repay you for. It’s only the barest fraction of what I owe, but my help is all I can offer: I’m here for as long as you want me.” The pegasus replied, staring out the window.

“Thank you, Dawn.”

“Your home. Equestria, right?” She prompted.

“Right. It’s completely different from out here. There’s always plenty to eat, it’s almost completely safe in the settled areas, everypony has a job, the weather is all controlled by pegasi, so there’s never anything too unexpected. The only real downside is that it can get pretty dull sometimes.”

“Dull can be nice, compared to the alternative.” Dawnfire pointed out.

“I thought you liked the alternative.”

“To some extent. I think I’d prefer peace and quiet, though.” The pegasus said wistfully. Wanderlust blinked: wistful wasn’t something he’d come to expect from the pegasus. “There are really no wars? No dragons?”

“There haven’t been any wars that I’ve heard of, at least not since the princesses showed up. As for dragons, there are quite a few nearby, but the big ones rarely get close to the settled regions.”

Wanderlust was still staring out the front window when he felt the pegasus rest her head on his shoulder. The shock of it almost seemed to stop his heart for a moment, and when it started again, he feared it would burst from his chest. “So what’s it like to have a normal life?” She asked.

“Like I said, it gets kind of dull.” The unicorn was having trouble thinking clearly, but he managed to keep his mouth moving. “Get up, go to work, have dinner with my family, read for a while, go back to bed. There were some things that would break the routine: big parties and celebrations when the whole town would get together, catch up on what everypony else was doing. Other times I’d just go off by myself. My house was right on the edge of town, so all I had to do was hop a fence and I could lose myself for a couple days in the wilderness.”

“Sounds like an amazing life.”

“It really was. Still, I wanted something more. I wanted to get out and see something new.” he chuckled. “I guess I’m getting more than my share of that now.” Oh, Celestia. I’m in so far over my head that I can’t even see daylight anymore.
After a few minutes of silence, Dawnfire lifted her head and took a step back. “We should both get some rest; it’s been a rough week, especially for you.” With a warm smile, the pegasus left the room. “Seriously, Wands, get some sleep! You look like hell!” She called over her shoulder.
“At least I have an excuse, Dawn!” The unicorn called back with a smile. He turned to descend into the ship and froze. He had missed it upon entering the room, but it jumped out at him now. Above the passage into the ship was a crest: a circle of blue stars on a silver shield. Whatever I saw while I was fighting Flamerage, it wasn’t my imagination.

Just a quick note from the author, I wanted to take a second to give a quick thanks to Roller, dking and Darktan, all of the Battlelog forums, for all they've done. Without their editing help, this would not be half as good as it is. In addition, I wanted to also thank Darktan for repeatedly convincing me to continue working when I felt like giving up. Without him, this story never would have seen the light of day.