> The Story That Never Happened
>  by Darkswirl
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dawning Amity breathed softly as her mind came to.  Her eyes opened, and her breathing shook as she took in her surroundings: a forest bathed in shade.  She blinked to clear her eyes and realized she was moving.  "Are we almost there, dad?" she heard herself ask, as though she were merely a passenger in this dangerous trek.

"Almost, sweetie.  If the family was right, it should be just north out of these woods." a golden-brown pegasus sounded from before her.  Beside him walked a light yellow pegasus mare who carefully picked her way through the underbrush as the trio slowly and quietly made their way through the woods.

Soon, the woods gave way to a clearing, and their path ended at a deep ravine with a churning river yards below them whose rough waters masked their voices.  "They didn't mention a river... Are we still on the right path?" the yellow mare asked, her voice filled with hesitation and fear.  Before any answer could be offered, the ground began to tremble behind the family as a Doom Dog burst from the ground with a terrifying snarl.

"Get across the river!" the golden-brown stallion ordered to his daughter as her parents took low flight to distract the creature.  But Dawning Amity could not move; her hooves were planted firmly into the ground and her body was still with fear as her mother and father struggled to avoid the massive claws of the Doom Dog as he swung them through the air to swat the ponies like flies.

The next moment, a pained cry sounded through the forest as the yellow mare slammed into the ground and the Doom Dog, content with the strike but growing tiresome of the other pegasus, charged forward towards Dawning Amity in a reckless rage of blood lust.  The breath was stolen from her body as the creature slammed into her, sending them both careening into the rapid waters below, where she could not hear her father screaming. 

Water enveloped the pair, and Dawning Amity felt no pain as the world faded to blackness...




Breathe...

Breathe.

Breathe!

Dawning Amity awoke with a gasp and a cough as her body demanded air, and she hurried looked about to make sure she was safe, taking comfort in her familiar surroundings.  The rain thudded against the roof of the makeshift shack in a calm but dangerous pitter-patter of nature.  Looking down, the golden pegasus mare discovered that a puddle of water had been forming from a hole in the roof directly where she had been resting her head, threatening to drown her if she had remained asleep for much longer.

"Are you alright?" her father asked from across the room.

"I'm fine, it was just a nightmare...  How's mom?" Dawning Amity responded as she cleared her throat.  Her eyes fell upon the pair huddle up against the wooden wall of their home, with her mother laying slumped against her father; a large gash in her side turning green and blue around the edges from the fight a few days earlier.

Her father did not immediately respond, and turned to look once at his sleeping wife before carefully settling her down on the floor as he stood up to approach his daughter.  With a heavy sigh, he sat beside her and stared through the wooden door of their dwelling, his mind lost to memories and better times.  "Dad?" Dawning Amity whispered, pulling her father from his thoughts with a blink.  "Is mom going to be alright?"

Without a word, he turned to his daughter and studied her face, finding admiration in the soft curves of her cheeks and the flat top of her snout that reminded him so much of his wife.  "The infection is getting worse." he said; his voice masking the majority of his fear and sorrow.  "She needs proper medical supplies if we're going to treat it."

"What do you want me to do?" Dawning Amity asked as she stood, ready to bolt out the door and prepared to do anything to save her mother.  

"I need to stay with your mother and make sure she's safe.  You need to go to Oort's family and ask for medical supplies." her father replied.

"But we have nothing to trade!  We have no food or anything!" Dawning Amity exclaimed.  "They won't give us anything..."

Dawning Amity's father looked silently at her; his eyes filled with pity and regret, the likes of which the young pegasus mare was far too inexperienced to understand, before quietly speaking: "You must try.  Trust in the good of others, if nothing else.  All we have left in this world is each other."

Dawning Amity gave a short, determined nod as she hurriedly moved to leave the relative safety of their home before her father spoke once more.  "Dawn," he began, quietly.  "your mother and I love you very much.  If she were awake, she would tell you how proud she is of the mare you've become."

Dawn smiled at her father as she pushed open the door to the outside world.  "I'll be back." she promised, before galloping off out towards the mountains in the north west.  Her father watched, sadly, as his daughter left and, when she was beyond his sight, he shut the door behind him and placed the heavy wooden bar to block any from entering before returning to his wife, whom he held closely and tightly with one hoof under her snout and the other across her forehead; her head pressed against his chest.  With a deep breath, he turned his head down towards his sleeping wife and whispered softly into her ear: "I love you."
> Chapter One: Survival of the Fittest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dawn immediately opened her mouth towards the sky as she drank in the pouring drops of cold water.  It had become a luxury in this new era where Discord was king, where his monstrous creations roamed the planet, hunting her denizens.  With her aching throat soothed and her fur and feathers matted down and cleaned, she took one last look at her family's lopsided, wooden shack before starting off once more towards the mountains in the distance.  She knew it would be a long journey, even longer if one of Discord's lumbering beasts was in her way, and part of her feared she would not make it back in time to hear her mother, again.  But her young, foolish optimism and determination pushed those thoughts aside as she stretched her wings and took off, low to the ground.  It was dangerous to fly above the treeline, lest a Grycordria spot you, and she knew her mission was far too important to be ended so soon, so she kept herself low and fast, careful to land into a gallop should she need the immediate mobility and, before long, she found herself climbing the hills just outside of the plains.

As she clambered up the side of the slick, steep hill, she made an effort to press her body as far into the ground as she could; a creature could spot her from a mile away if she wasn't careful.  She reached the peak of the hill with ears laid back and eyes barely visible, darting from side to side as they took in the world beyond this little hill: another lush forest filled with white-tailed deer spread out towards the horizon before her, and the looming mountains past the rolling foothills signaled to her though their peaks were above the clouds.  Luckily, it was still the Summer season, and Discord would not be back from wherever he was across the eastern ocean until the Fall season, so she had little fear from the climate in terms of a sudden, violent change.

What she did have to fear was the little cottage built along the edge of the forest before her, whose side had been torn open and its contents scattered about the grassy field.  Dawn studied the dilapidated dwelling until she was certain it was safe before climbing out over the hill and taking off, once more.  As she flew by, she spared the home a sad glance and pushed her thoughts of whatever family had once foolishly built it out of her mind.  Survival had been a hard lesson for her, growing up, and one of the most valuable things her father had taught her was how to hide your presence from the monsters.  Unfortunately, this was not a lesson that all managed to learn in time and, in the centuries following Discord's rise to power over the world, those with the will and knowledge to survive were separated from those who struggled to continue their rapidly diminishing cushy lives of the old world.

Dawn breathed a small sigh of relief as she entered the dry woods, gracefully gliding between the thick trunks as the wind rushed around her and dried her fur and feathers.  The forest was familiar to her on a primal level, and she found it easier to maneuver than among the clouds where her ancestors once dwelled.  She felt safe here.  Her fears and sorrow faded away as she sent leaves gently rustling with her passing. 

And that was when the Devier chose to strike.

The antlered reptile snapped its left jaw at the speedy yellow mare as she passed, though its teeth only caught loose strands of her auburn tail.  She quickly scanned the trees in front of her as she hurried forward, barely spotting the second and third Devier in time to avoid being caught in either of the creature's twin jaws as they snapped down towards her in unison.  Dawn's heart raced as she panicked and soared for the treetops, eager to break into the downpour once more and escape alive.  As she did, with thin branches tearing at her side, the Deviers quickly scampered up after her until the pack had all broken through the treetops with a great shriek to signal the rest of their colony within the forest.  To the surprise of both Dawn and the Deviers, however, another shriek responded, and Dawning Amity's fear-filled eyes found themselves locked into a steadily growing figure in the skies above her: a Grycordria.

As the Deviers began hissing at both the pegasus and the horrid combination of gryphon, hydra, and scorpion, Dawning Amity found herself rolling through the low, watery skies as she desperately tried to avoid tooth and claw while rain splashed into her fur and clouded her vision once more.  The next instant, a loud swooshing sound of air erupted close behind her, followed by hissing and snarls and the rapid snapping of tree branches.  Dawn risked a glance behind her and gave a tired, fearful yet relieved laugh as she saw the Deviers scurry towards the Grycordria who had clumsily slammed into the forest behind her.  The sounds of pained screeching and hissing as the two species fought gradually faded as the pegasus flew on into the storm until she could not even see the hole punched through the forest canopy.

As she neared the foothills to the mountains, Dawn slowed the beat of her wings and tried to order her legs to respond in time to land.  Her hooves touched into the wet, wild grass and she managed a few steps to slow her before she collapsed from exhaustion into the ground.  She lay there in relative silence, save for the thumping of her tired heart, the occasional roll of thunder, and the pained gasps for air as she struggled to catch her breath, until she began to cry into the mud.  The stress of constant survival had always taken its toll on the young mare, who frequently fought back these feelings so that she could always be at her best for when her family needed her, but it had reached yet another boiling point.

Dawn thought of the world she now inhabited, one filled with gruesome creatures always hungry for ponies or simply looking to toy with and terrorize those who failed to fight them off.  She cried for her mother, whom she feared she would be too late to save.  She cried about the state of her species, how she had heard great stories of a time long ago where pegasi and unicorns lived together in peace.  She cried about the cruelty of this new world from her own kind, how survival had made everyone selfish: there was no longer good will or favors.  If you did not have something worth trading, you would get nothing in return.  "A wing for a wing." her father had always said, coldly.  She felt out of place in this world.  While she could hunt and build shelters and traps as well as any other survivor, her mind was rampant with ideas and hopes of peace, harmony, and trust between survivors.

She was thankful, however, that nothing stumbled upon her as she regained control over her emotions and, when she managed to pull herself to her hooves and find proper footing on the slick grass, she swallowed her sadness and fears and began her climb up into the mountain.





Dawning Amity slowly and carefully placed one hoof in front of the other as she squinted her eyes to try and make out any shapes in the darkness.  It had taken her the better half of the day to climb the winding path up the mountain carved by an ancient river, and she dared not risk taking flight in her tired state, especially while a Grycordria was potentially near.  All she could be thankful for was that the rain had stopped.  So, here she tread, carefully, up a gash in the face of the mountain as the sun began to set; moving ever so slowly to avoid losing her footing on the wet stone and tumbling to her death in the valley below until she clambered up onto a ledge.

Dawn had no idea how far she had managed to make it, but she knew she had been taking too long.  Each moment wasted was one that brought her mother closer to death, so she did her best to catch as much of her breath as she could before continuing up.  After a final hour of climbing, she was rewarded with bleeding hooves and sight, as the storm clouds parted to reveal the moon in the skies above, who shed its dull moonlight onto the glossy wet mountain and revealed a flat path further into the mountain.

Pain jolted through her legs with each step she took with sore hooves, but still she pressed on until she found a familiar slope and collapsed in front of a large wooden plank blocking the entrance to a cave.  Weakly, she tried her hardest to knock loud enough to catch the attention of the family inside, but all her hooves could manage was a dull little thud that barely even registered to her own ears.  She was so exhausted.  She struggled to keep her eyes open as her body throbbed in pain, pleading for a rest lest her muscles rupture.  With the last of her strength, she brought her hoof hard against the wood to create an echoing thud that resonated off the cave walls before her eyelids became too heavy to lift.

In the remaining moments of her consciousness, Dawning Amity thought she heard the telltale sound of wood sliding against stone...





“Mom!” Dawning Amity shouted as she struggled to find footing on the rocks as a thin sheet of water ran down the side of the mountain.  She risked a glance behind her and saw the pack of Deviers slowly stalking her up the side, their twin snouts matted with blood and feathers as their slitted eyes fixated on her.

Her heart began to scream in her chest as she tried to climb, wiggling the nubs on her back where her wings had once been.  As she felt the razor teeth of a Devier gently wrap around her leg, she looked up towards the top of the mountain where her mother stood, silhouetted against a blazing sun.  “Mom, please, don’t leave me!” Dawn begged as she began to cry, feeling the teeth of another Devier wrap around her other leg.

But the silhouette of her mother simply turned away as though in disgrace, and Dawning Amity screamed through tears as she was slowly pulled down the mountain to be devoured.

“Mom!” Dawn shouted as she hurriedly sat up from the cave floor, only to have a hoof quickly clamp down around her snout.  

“Not so loud!” a dark blue coated pegasus ordered.  “Do you want to get us all killed?”

Dawn’s fear turned to relief as she relaxed and pressed her head into the stallion’s chest, who soon eased his grip on her snout.  “Oort…” Dawn began.  “I’m sorry, I… Thank you.”  

Oort gave a soft little sigh as he held Dawn close and rested his chin atop her head.  “What are you doing all the way out here?  You look like a Grycordria tossed you down the mountain a few times.” Oort asked, softly.

“We were heading through the forest just south east of here when a Doom Dog caught us.” Dawn began to explain as she noticed another, larger, blue stallion glancing at her next to the large slab of wood that served as the family’s door.  “My mom got hurt, so we headed back, and then her wound became infected.”

“Did anything follow you up here?” the large stallion interrupted with a gruff voice.  

“No, but there is a Grycordria and a pack of Deviers in the forest, below.” Dawn informed, to which the older stallion simply snorted before turning his attention to the slab of wood, once more.

After allowing herself a moment of comfort, pressed against Oort's chest, she pulled herself from his fur and stared at him.  "Oort, my mom needs help." she whispered.  Oort turned to look at his father, but a gentle hoof stained with blood pressed against his snout and stopped him.  "No, Oort." Dawn continued with a whisper.  "I don't have anything to trade..."

"Dawn, you know I'd help if I could but, if you don't have anything to trade, there's no way my dad would help."  the light-blue maned pegasus whispered, in return.  "He'd kill me if I just gave you the spread."  

Dawn closed her eyes and tilted her head down in distress before looking back up at her friend.  "Please, Oort..." Dawn begged.  "My mom is going to die..."  

The blue pegasus simply held the mare tightly and gently petted her mane as she began to cry into his chest.  "I'm sorry, Dawn..."

"Keep her quiet and she can stay for the night." the older stallion said as he stood up from the door and passed the pair as he moved deeper into the cave, sharing a glare with his son.  "But I want her gone, come sunrise."  Oort didn't say anything as his father left, and he did his best to comfort the quivering mare as she emptied her eyes into his fur.

When she had finished, Oort did not relinquish his tight hug, and Dawning Amity did not resist it as she stayed close to the stallion, still quivering as her head pounded.  "What am I supposed to do?" Dawn wept, but Oort had no answer and no further support than his comforting presence, so he said nothing.  "She's going to die... She might already be dead..."

"Dawn, you need to sleep." Oort finally said.  "Even if my dad did just give you the spread, you're in no condition to travel and certainly not while a Grycordria and a pack of Deviers are out there.  I'll take you home, in the morning, I promise."  Dawn simply pulled herself from his chest and slumped against the wall with a gentle sniff, making an effort to distance herself from Oort, who sadly turned and headed deeper into the cave as Dawning Amity let her pain send her into sleep, once more.





Dawning Amity awoke, slowly, letting a yawn erupt from her mouth before a headache announced itself with a thunderous thump, causing the mare to wince in pain.  "Dawn, are you up?" Oort asked, giving a deep yawn of his own as he stirred from beside his friend.  Dawn did not respond as she remembered all that had happened last night and the day before, instead silently rising to her aching hooves and heading towards the wooden door.   "Dawn, wa-" Oort continued.  

"I need to go." Dawn interrupted.  "My dad will be worried about me."  Oort quickly stood up and stretched his legs with a pleased groan before moving to help Dawn with the door.  When it was open, the pair stepped through the door, out of the darkness and into the gentle morning light.  Oort took a deep breath of fresh air before he turned to close the door behind him.  "I can make it on my own." Dawn challenged, flatly.

"I know," Oort replied as he unfurled his wings.  "But you can't go without this."  Dawn's eyes widen in shock and quickly turned to hope as she saw a tightly woven ball of leaves resting on Oort's wing; the poultice she had came all this way for.  

"Your dad is letting me have it?" Dawn asked, in disbelief.  But Oort simply tucked the ball back under his wing and began walking towards the edge of the mountain; a grim look in his eyes as he passed.

Dawn's hope and shock faded from her eyes as she understood and, with a gallop, the two leapt off the edge of the mountain and spread their wings; Oort careful not to spread his wings too far, lest the poultice fall into the valley below.
> Chapter Two: And the Fittest, Survive
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The pair descended speedily down the eastern face of the mountain, taking great care to avoid the forest and instead choosing to fly through the rolling hills for some time before they ended, and gave way to the grassy plains where Dawning Amity's family had made their home.  In the distance, on the bank of the river, Dawn saw the familiar slanted dwelling and her heart began to race as she eagerly flew ahead of Oort.

"Dad, I'm back!" Dawning Amity shouted in excitement as her sore hooves touched into the ground, breaking into a short gallop.  As the mare reached the slab of wood and pressed her body up against it, confusion jolted across her mind as she found that the door would not budge.  "Dad?  Dad, it's me!" she shouted.  "I have the poultice!"

No answer came from beyond the door save for the soft, echoing thuds that came from the pegasus struggling to gain entrance.  "Dawn," Oort began with some hesitation from behind her.  "What exactly did your parents say to you when you left?"  Dawn paused for a moment as she recalled her memories from her tired mind.  

"Dad said... Mom wouldn't survive without this, that he loved me, and that mom would be proud if she were awake." Dawn explained as she looked quizzically at her friend. "Why?"  Dawn felt a pang of familiarity as she saw the same look her father had given her in the eyes of her friend.  Instantly, she understood, but she refused to accept the possibility even in passing, and she began struggling with the door, once more.  "No, no, he wouldn't do that!" Dawn shouted through growing tears as Oort turned his head to the ground in shame behind the mare, allowing her to pour whatever strength she had left into the solid, unmoving door until she began loudly slamming her hooves against it.  

"Dawn, please stop." Oort pleaded, softly; his words falling far from Dawns ears as tears and trembles clouded her senses until even the door blurred and faded before she fell to the ground.  

"He can't do this!" she cried.  "I got the poultice! Everything was going to be fine!"  Dawn ordered her body to cry, but the tired mass of flesh refused to cooperate; exhausted beyond rejuvenation from the cruelty of yesterday and today.  Instead, all her body could create was another splitting headache that caused her to quiver in pain.

Oort looked sadly upon his friend before he lay by her side, offering support should she choose to cry once more into his fur.  But no tears came, and all the yellow mare could manage was soft trembles and shudders against her friend as she lay in the dirt.  Oort hesitated to talk to her, understanding that she needed time, but staying out here in the open during the day made the blue pegasus uneasy, and his eyes darted from tree, to hill, to sky as he attempted to keep them both safe.

Thankfully, nothing threatened them in their time of sorrow and, after becoming frustrated that she could not cry, Dawn stood up from the ground and shook the dirt from her coat.  She wanted to fly away somewhere where she could leave all of this behind her, but she knew that each new patch of land held its own threats and rules, and Dawn sighed as she realized there was little she could do, at all.  Oort stood beside her, carefully judging his friends face before he finally spoke: "I'm sorry, Dawn." he explained, letting his words sink in before he continued.  "But we need to leave.  We've been here too long."

"Where would we go?" Dawn asked with a flat snort of disgust and misery.  "Your family would kill us both if we went back, and my family couldn't make it through the forest.  What chance do we have?"  

"We'll have no chance if we just stand here and give up." Oort replied, bowing his head to meet Dawn's sullen gaze as he stood in front of her.  "I know it's hard, and right now you may be thinking of doing something brash, but all we have left is each other.  If you value our friendship then please, come with me."

Dawn shrugged her shoulders to the side in defeat as she began to follow Oort, who began to lead her towards a smaller mountain to the west, out of the flat plains.





"This looks like a good spot."  Oort announced as he paced around the inside of the tunnel before turning to look at the sullen mare at the entrance.  "Come on in."  Dawning Amity took slow steps into the cave while idly surveying the oddly symmetrical walls and the over all constant arching of the cavern that led straight through to the other side of the mountain.

When she had reached Oort, he settled down at her hooves and beckoned her to do the same.  "So we need food and water."  Oort stated as he turned to look at his friend.  "I don't know about you, but I haven't eaten in about three days, and I don't think we can count on another rain storm any time soon."

"There's a river in between the forest and my plains, but it's too open and too big of a distance to bring stuff back..." Dawn mumbled, halfheartedly.  "Plus, I don't have the skill to make a proper trap for rabbits..."  

"Yeah..." Oort admitted, with a sigh.  "To be honest, the only meat I've ever had was scraps from eagles and hawks around the mountain, and it was difficult to catch them."  The pair sat in silence as they contemplated their options for survival, until Dawn spoke up, once more: "We could try to drive a rabbit into the river."

Oort pondered this idea silently in his head before giving a considered nod.  "We'd have to find a colony and force them out, then manage to keep them from going anywhere else." he explained.  

"I can do it." Dawn offered.  "Dad taught me how to scare rabbits out of their holes, and I could teach you."

"Then it's a plan!" Oort decided with a smile as he stood and approached the entrance to their tunnel, careful to slow his pace as he looked through the sky before stepping out into the sunlight, once more.  Dawn quickly followed after him and stuck close as loose gravel gave way to grass and dirt beneath their hooves.  

As they entered the plains once more, Dawn took the lead and paused.  "The key to finding a warren is not to stomp through the field looking for a hole, but to wait for the rabbits to come out." Dawn explained as she stood, motionless, at the edge of the field.  "If the rabbits hear you stomping around up top, they won't come out for a long time.  But, if they think the coast is clear, they'll be cautious and peek their ears out from any hole to make sure it's safe for them to come out."

"And then we see just how many exits they have." Oort realized with an impressed, understanding nod.  

"Exactly."  Dawn continued.  "Then, it's just a matter of quietly plugging up some holes and having someone ready to chase the rabbit as it comes out of the only exit it has left."

The pair sat in silence for many minutes, and Oort fought off the cries from his body to stretch his muscles as he, too, remained motionless; eyes scanning the field looking for any signs of movement among the swaying grass in the gentle breeze.  "There." Dawn whispered, breaking his concentration and motioning with her snout.  Oort followed the line and saw grass part quickly as a rabbit appeared in the distance, cautiously sniffing the air.  Oort soon spotted another, a shorter distance away, and motioned for Dawn.  Soon, they had mentally marked four holes and Dawn spoke once more.

"Now we have to be very careful." she explained.  "If the rabbits sense danger, they'll run back into their holes.  But if they think they're being hunted, they'll scatter."  

"We need to act like we're just walking through." Oort agreed. With a little nod, the pair split up and calmly paced through the field as though they were taking a relaxing waltz through nature; startling the rabbits from a distance, who paused to assess the pegasi before scampering back into their home.  

When the field was clear, Dawn and Oort signaled to each other and the pair began independently filling the twin holes they had found, leaving only one entrance and one exit.  When they had finished, Oort stood behind one hole facing the river, ready to give chase once a rabbit fled, and Dawn stood at the other, taking a deep breath before pushing her snout into the dirt and letting out a terrifying scream that bellowed from Oort's hole and sent a shiver under his coat. 

The next instant, the pitter-patter of soft scampering announced itself to Oort and soon a group of rabbits burst from the hole and fled in different directions.  As Oort took off after a pair, Dawning Amity joined him in the corralling of their meal, and soon the pair of rabbits crashed into the deep river with Oort diving in after them.  Dawn watched Oort's rippling image beneath the current with interest as he thrashed and caught both rabbits in his jaw, struggling to keep them in his grasp as they drowned.

After a few more moments, Oort broke the surface and clambered onto the shore, shaking his soaking coat before proudly announcing to Dawn with a mouth full of rabbit: "Iff goff femm!" Dawn smiled at the display and soon began to snicker, with Oort joining in after he had dropped the dead rabbits at his hooves.  

"The great rabbit hunter, Oort; scourge of the plains!" Dawn teased as the blue pegasus playfully posed in triumph.

"Indeed, a remarkable strategy." a deep, calm voice sounded, causing the pegasi to turn their heads in fear as their eyes fell upon a massive, light-purple and green scaled beast calmly laying on the opposite bank of the river, blending in among the trees.  "It's been quite a long time since I saw ponies working together towards a common goal."  Dawn's body screamed at her to run, but her mind remained calm as her eyes locked with the creature's gentle, green eyes.  She could sense Oort's body tensing next to her, but he remained at her side despite fear radiating through his coat.  The creature remained motionless, as well, staring at Dawn in silence until he offered his voice once more: "I assure you, I'm not one of Discord's monsters or the Lord of Chaos himself; were I, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"W-What are you?" Oort bravely choked out as his voice found itself back in his throat.  

"A long time ago," the creature explained.  "my kind lived in the farthest reaches of the world.  Today, I suppose there hasn't been a dragon sighting in well over a millennium.  You may call me Spike."

"A-A dragon?" Oort stuttered, quizzically.  

"Yes." Spike replied.  "Magnificent, massive reptiles who soar through the skies spewing magic from their mouths.  Or, at least we once were.  I appear to be the last of my kind, and I haven't spread these useless flaps in centuries."  Spike idly twitched his massive wings as he referred to them before resting his gaze once more on the golden mare, seeming to focus on something beyond her before she finally managed to stop shaking.

"You won't try to eat us?" Dawn asked.  

"Of course not." Spike chuckled.  "I prefer to clean up Discord's monsters; besides, pony meat is far too stringy for my tastes."  Dawning Amity was put off by his final comment, and moved to shy away from the dragon before Spike smiled apologetically.  "I'm sorry, just a little dragon humor to lighten the mood.  You two seem far too tense."

"Well, we're talking with a thing that looks ready to pounce on us if we turn our backs on it, and we're out here in the open where a Grycordria could spot us!" Dawn defended, causing Spike's smile to fade into a frown before he stood up and tilted his head towards the sky, letting loose a massive jet of flame that roared through the sky and sent all nearby creatures scurrying for safety as he opened his mouth.  When he had finished, he settled back into his spot before speaking: "No creature would dare approach, now.  Please, stay a while; it's... comforting to have someone to talk to, for once.  I can even cook your food for you." Spike offered, sensing their hesitation.  Silently, Oort and Dawn both weighed their options and ultimately agreed that settling down for the time being was in their best interests, if for nothing more than keeping a dragon from eating them whole.  With trepidation, Oort cautiously brought the two rabbits before the massive creature and hurriedly stepped to the side as a much smaller jet of flame spurt out across the rabbits for a few minutes before subsiding, leaving hairless chunks of brown, cooked meat which Oort quickly scooped up before hurrying back to Dawning Amity, wincing in pain as he held the hot meals in his wings.

"How old are you two?" Spike asked with interest in his voice as he watched the ponies ravenously devour their food.  

Dawn paused after her initial bite to answer: "Seventeen or eighteen marks, I think.  Hard to tell when Discord comes and changes the seasons."  

Oort nodded as he chewed his food before swallowing with a loud gulp.  "Between seventeen and nineteen marks, definitely.  How old are you?"

Spike chuckled once more.  "You would not believe me if I told you." he explained, and neither Dawn nor Oort pressed the question further.  

"What are you doing here?" Oort asked, causing Spike's gentle green eyes to cloud as he focused on incorporeal memories of times since passed.  

"I was born close to here." he finally admitted.  "And I lived in a homely little town that used to stand where you now sit.  Every once in a while I grow homesick."

"There used to be a town here?" Dawn asked.  "Like, lots of ponies all living together?"  

"Over a thousand ponies lived in Ponyville." Spike nodded.  "It was home to six of the greatest minds of the Golden Age."

"Who were they?" Dawn asked, entranced.  

Spike shrugged slightly and sighed, sadly.  "I have forgotten most of their names with time, but I still know two of them: a unicorn named Rarity, and another unicorn named Twilight Sparkle.  They were the bearers of the Elements of Harmony."
> Chapter Three: The Golden Age
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"The what?" Dawn inquired.  She had long since stopped eating her rabbit to listen to the great dragon's tales, and only her growling stomach demanded that she keep eating.

"The Elements of Harmony." Spike stated, as-a-matter-of-factually, before smiling and shaking his head in realization.  "How silly of me, I'm sorry.  I supposed Discord would have done everything in his power to hide those and keep them hidden from the world."  Spike stopped to catch his breath as he searched through his memories for more information.  "For almost three thousand marks, I've been searching all over Equus for the Elements of Harmony."

"What are the Elements of Harmony?" Dawn sheepishly interrupted before heeding the demands of her stomach.

Spike took a moment to gather his thoughts, completely, before continuing.  "They are six gems imbued with ultimate power, the likes of which can easily outmatch that of Discords'.  But they require an unwavering connection between themselves and the Bearer of each Element, or else their full power cannot be unleashed." Spike explained.  "I believe one of the old Bearers was... out of tune with their Element, so to speak, and they were unable to stop Discord all those marks ago."

"What kind of stuff could those Elements do?" Oort asked with a mouth half-full of rabbit.

"As far as I have learned, the Elements have only ever been used twice: once by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to defeat Discord the first time, and the second time to try and defeat him when he broke free of his prison." Spike explained.  "I could not learn more than that in all of my travels; they seem to be the most mysterious objects in the world."

"So, where are they?" Dawn pressed, utterly entranced with the dragon and his tales.

"I do not know." Spike admitted.  "I've only been able to find scraps of history here, some rumors there; I don't even know where the Bearers are or if they have the Elements with them."

"You said it's been three thousand marks." Oort interrupted, irritated.  "How do you know these things, or the Bearers, even exist anymore?"

"Watch your tone with me, bird." Spike growled, causing the blue pegasus to shrink down under the dragon's menacing glare until he was but a clump of shivering fur.  Spike took a moment to calm himself as he took a deep breath, and continued.  "If the Bearers are killed, the Elements will locate new hosts.  I've been all over the world and haven't seen anyone with the Elements stuck to their chest, so the Bearers are still alive, somewhere - likely under close watch by Discord, himself."

"And if the Elements were destroyed...?" Dawn sheepishly inquired, earning a scowl from Spike.

"If what I've learned is correct, that would be impossible." Spike explained.  "Discord, with all of his power, could not even send them to the bottom of the ocean if he wanted."

Dawn shook her head in frustration before resting it on an upturned hoof, staring at the ground with a furrowed brow, deep in thought.  "You talk like you know so much but, when we ask questions, you just dart around the subject." Dawn sighed.

"We dragons are straight to the point." Spike scoffed, proudly.  "If you have questions, ask them."

"Why can't Discord destroy the Elements of Harmony?" Dawn asked.

"The Elements get their power from a much more powerful source, and this source protects the Elements from destruction or impassable containment." Spike answered.

"What source?" Oort piped up, hesitantly.

"I do not know.  Nothing in this realm, that is for certain." Spike replied.

"You said some princesses used the Elements of Harmony to defeat Discord?" Dawn asked.

Spike nodded as he opened his mouth to explain.  "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were sisters who once ruled this land, uniting the three races of ponies and bringing them out of the First Era of Chaos into the Golden Age."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Oort interrupted in disbelief.  "Three races of ponies?"

"Yes." Spike stated, flatly.  "The unicorns, magical ones with horns on their head, the pegasus, you two, and the earth ponies, who had neither wings nor horns but were the hardiest of them all."

"I know about the unicorns in the north, but I've never seen an 'earth pony'." Oort explained, his voice riddled with confusion and doubt.

"I suppose they would have been easy prey for Discord's creatures." Spike mused.  "No wings to fly away on, or magic to fight them off; it's likely they went extinct rather quickly into the era."

You said you've been all over the world?" Dawn asked, after a pause.  "And other ponies live there?  What's it like?"

"There are other species in the world, but they are not all ponies." Spike informed.  "To the north west, across the ocean, lies Khoyor Tuuari; the land of the minotaurs.  But they no longer walk their sacred grounds, though I believe they continue to survive in relative safety, far underground.  To the east, across the other ocean, lies Zebrica; the desert nation of a race similar to you ponies, but with black and white stripes and no horn or wings; zebras.  Their land is empty, as they left the dangerous wastes to better survive in the lush forests of their neighbors, the minotaurs.  All have suffered under Discord's reign, and they will continue to suffer until there is nothing left if something is not done."

"Then let's do something!" Dawn pipped up, standing and stretching her wings, completely energized.

Spike simply stared down at the eager pegasus with his cold gaze until she understood and sheepishly sat down, once more.

"The journey I have planned is far too dangerous." Spike explained.  "You will likely die if you follow after me."

"We'll die, anyway." Oort grumbled, having overcome his fear and channeling it into bitterness at being made a fool of in front of Dawn.  "If Discord's monsters don't get us, we'll either die old trying to survive or starve."

"Oort's right." Dawn explained.  "There's nothing for us, here."

"And what do you think you have to gain if you follow me?" Spike asked, quietly; his stoic features hiding his genuine curiosity from the ponies.

"It's not about what we have to gain." Dawn spoke, with a sullen gaze back into the watchful green eyes of the dragon.  "I lost my family a few hours ago, and Oort gave up his to help me; they'll kill him if he goes back.  You said you've been all over the world, and you've seen what its like for the zebras - what about the minotaurs, gryphons, and the unicorns?  I don't want anyone to have to go through what Oort or I had to; surviving is hard enough as it is.  I want to help them."

Spike sat in silence as he considered the golden mare's words, before he finally spoke.  "You want to help those who you have never met, those who would sooner turn you away with a scowl and a kick than give you their last berry?"  Dawn gave a determined nod as the dragon turned his head to Oort, beside her.  "And what about you?"

Oort stared silently, longingly, at Dawn, who kept her gaze with Spike and did not notice her friend.

A small, knowing smirk found itself across Spike's snout as his eyes flicked back to Dawn.  "Of course." he said, to Oort.

Spike quietly weighed his options within his mind as he ran scenario after scenario through his head, before he finally turned his eyes skyward just in time to catch the last rays of sun disappear between the two mountains in the distance.  "Then sleep." Spike ordered as he settled his head into his claws.  "I'm leaving as soon as I can see the sun, whether you are ready or not."

Before long, Oort and Dawn found themselves listening to the gentle snores of the great dragon before they, themselves, settled into the ground.

"Dawn?" Oort whispered as he settled next to his friend for warmth.  "Are you sure you want to do this?  I mean, I know it's this or trying to survive until we just die, but there's no telling where he'd be taking us or what we'd find there."

"You can stay if you want to." Dawn replied, gently as she pressed against her friend.  "But I'm going.  The world needs to change, for the better, and I want to help change it."

Oort did not respond, and he soon found himself listening to Dawn's own gentle breaths as she slept before he, too, fell into darkness.





"Come on, wake up, silly bean!" a bubbly, cheery, feminine voice sounded and caused Dawn to pull her eyes open, revealing a pink blur before her. "There you go!  You just fell asleep on the side of the road, are you alright?"

Dawn took a moment to blink several times and rub her eyes as she tried to make out the blurry shape before her, but it remained defiantly undefined.  "What?  Where am I?" Dawn asked as she rose to her hooves and shook her head clear of leaves.

"Wow, you must have been really out of it." the pink blur mused with a concerned tone before returning to its happier, bouncy tone.  "You're in Ponyville, silly!  Are you here for the Summer Sun Celebration?"

At the mention of Ponyville, Dawn turned her gaze from the headache-inducing blur and took in her surroundings: all around her were structures much larger and better built than the slanted wooden shack her family had once lived in; these structures appeared built with patience and care, and one could see the love poured into the creation of the structure in each sturdy wall, built to last.  Ponies like her were flying through the air, carrying ropes with little square and triangle pieces attached to them, each brightly colored and imposing a sense cheer and celebration to Dawn as she watched them being set into place.  Unlike the pink blur before her, Dawn could clearly make out the features of these ponies, from their manes and coats to strange symbols adorning their flanks.

"Whoops, look out you silly!" the pink blur interrupted, gently pulling Dawn out of the way so a large box on wheels accompanied by a gray mare with a black mane could pass.  Dawn stared in amazement as she took in the features of this pony, who had neither wings nor a horn; was this an Earth Pony?  "You really need to get focused.  Are you feeling alright?"

"Y-yeah." Dawn stammered, quietly.  "How did I get here?"

"I dunno, but you're here, now!" the pink blur replied as she slowly began bouncing away, beckoning Dawn to follow.  "If you're lost or looking for somepony, I can help you."

"Where are Oort and Spike?"  Dawn asked, looking around expectantly.

"Oort?" the pink blur inquired.  "I don't know anyone in this town named Oort, and I know everyone!  But I know who Spike is, want me to bring you to him?"

"Please." Dawn insisted, hesitantly, as she began to feel overwhelmed and unnerved from her surroundings.  All around her, ponies talked and played, set up decorations or bustled about to do things in other parts of the town.  Ponyville was surging with activity, and all of the commotion made Dawn apprehensive of those who gave a friendly wave to her as she passed.

Truth be told, this whole experience was strange.  How did she get here?  Where exactly was here?  Perhaps the better question is when was here?   Dawn had little time to think about her situation before she bumped into the pink blur rather suddenly.

"Didn't ya hear me?" the blur playfully teased.  "I said we're here!"

Dawn stepped to the side of the pink blur and was greeted by the sight of a large tree that had been turned into somepony's home; complete with a front door, several windows, and a balcony.  Before she could further react, the pink blur bounced up to the large red door and gave a few excited knocks as she pressed herself against the wood.  "Spiiiiike!  You have a guuuueeeest!"

Dawn eyed the pink blur with confusion and distrust as she called for Spike.  Although the tree was large, Dawn was not stupid and knew that there was no way the massive dragon she had met could fit inside of the tree.  Before long, she could hear the soft patter of small feet on wood for a few moments before the door opened, and Dawn's eyes were dragged down as the door opened to a small purple and green figure standing on two legs.

Static sounded as the small purple and green thing addressed the pink blur, before he turned to wave at the golden mare.  "Hey, Dawn." he said, his voice sounding far higher but just as smooth as the words that had come from the much larger dragon.  "I appreciate you coming to see me, but it's time to wake up."

"Dawn!" Oort whispered urgently as her eyes flicked open, and she found herself standing in the grassy field far from the river where they had slept.  She turned to see Oort standing beside her with a concerned and scared look in his eyes, and the large dragon sleeping where the two had left him next to the river, a few yards behind the blue pegasus.  "What are you doing?!"

Dawn blinked in silence as she turned her gaze back to where a tree had once stood in her dreams.  "I was dreaming." she said, after a pause.

"You were sleep walking?!" Oort asked with a heavy, irritated sigh.  "I thought you were just leaving us!  I'm glad I caught you before you got too far."

"I'm sorry, Oort." Dawn apologized as she shook her head clear of the fading feelings from her dream before turning back to follow Oort to the river.  "But... it felt so real."

"Dreams tend to do that." Oort shrugged.

"No, I mean, I was there." Dawn explained.  "I was in Ponyville.  I saw earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns... I saw Spike, but he was so small."

Oort gave his friend an amused look as she tried to explain her dream, her words failing to force anything to become realized by either of them before they reached the river once more and settled down.  Dawn gave a tired, frustrated sigh as she tried to make sense of her dream, and Oort pressed his head against her side, comfortingly, as he was lulled back to sleep by her gentle breathing.

As Dawn put her head in her hooves to try and sleep, once more, her eyes locked with the giant emerald orbs of Spike's, and Dawn noticed a rapidly fading trail of light purple mist from his mouth.  "What did I see?" she asked, quietly.

"You saw Ponyville in the Golden Age of Equestria." Spike whispered, careful not to wake Oort.  "You saw ponies living and working together in harmony.  Remember that when we begin our journey, tomorrow."
> Chapter Four: The Journey
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dawns' eyes steadily twitched as rays of early morning sun shined on them.  She could hear before she could see and images of Oort pressed against her, steadily breathing in a peaceful trance, were confirmed as she lifted her head.

Across the river, the grass of the plains swayed gently in the wind as the clouds began slowly mashing together into clumps.  It would be long before they would blot out the sky but, at the very least, the overcast would shield them from the more dangerous winged creatures when they started their journey.

The journey! Dawn thought, with a start, immediately shooting up to her hooves and startling Oort awake as she scanned the area for any sign of the massive purple beast that had laid across from her the night before.  Her darting eyes managed to catch the fleeting glimpse of a purple tail with green ridges before it disappeared into the trees.  In an instant, Dawning Amity bolted towards the water as a groggy and confused Oort slowly caught up.

"What's going on?" he asked, scanning behind them for any signs of danger as the pair bolted.  "Why are we running?"

"He's leaving us behind!" Dawn shouted, angrily, as she dove into the forest, narrowly avoiding a dead branch that had not yet completely fallen off, while Oort was not quite as lucky.  "We gotta catch him!" she continued, oblivious to the fact that her friend had fallen behind and could no longer hear her.  As she bound through the forest, over roots and in between trunks, she searched for the telltale purple colors that did the dragon no justice within the sea of brown and green.  Soon, she caught a glimpse of a tail, and then a foot.  Before long, she had caught up to Spike and rammed herself into his side, doing nothing to harm the dragon and giving herself a rough scratch across her cheek. 

"Where are you going?!" Dawn exclaimed, angrily.  "You were leaving us behind!  We could have been killed if something found us while we were sleeping! We trusted you to look over us!"

"I told you I would be leaving, come sunrise, whether you were ready or not." Spike defended, as-a-matter-of-factly.  "And speaking of trust, all this talk of 'we' makes it apparent to me that you've forgotten your friend."  

Dawns' anger quickly melted into fear as she turned to see a distinct lack of Oort anywhere nearby.  She spun in frantic circles as she surveyed the forest in panic, caught up from the adrenaline of chasing down the dragon so soon after waking up.  "Oort? Oort! We have to find him!"

"I don't have to do anything." Spike stated with snark as he turned to continue on through the woods.  "I, very clearly, stated my plan and its condition."

"You're just going to leave him behind? To die?!" Dawn exclaimed with wide eyes.

"I will if I have to." Spike explained, quietly.  "Will you?"

Dawn stared at the dragon is disbelief.  How could this gentle, wise beast she had spent the night talking to suddenly be so cruel and cold?  How could he make the instant decision to put them at risk and practically guarantee one of their deaths?  Was this the creature Dawn was prepared to travel to the ends of the world with in order to save it?

"The day goes on." Spike reminded her, snapping her from her thoughts.  The golden pegasus gave a determined scowl and turned  away from the dragon; darting back in between the trees to search for her friend.

"Oort?  Oort!" Dawn cried out as she picked her way through the trees and underbrush, searching for a tuft of blue fur, or a torn feather.  Perhaps even blood.  She winced at the last thought and shook the impossibility from her mind; she couldn't think about that, now.  She couldn't think about that, ever.  Oort was her childhood friend ever since her family had clawed their way into the valley below his mountain.  They had defied parents, monsters, and essentially Discord himself in their adventures.  Their destinies were interlocked since the very beginning, and Dawn couldn't bear even imagining his passing as a possibility.  

Her body fell into an automatic routine as her thoughts consumed her conscious: memories of meeting for the first time, hidden behind their parents as the older ones fought with words, staked claims in the land, and hurled threats.  She remembered locking eyes with his from behind her mother's leg and seeing the glimmer in his beautiful green gaze as their parents braced for war.  She remembered him taking the first shy step towards her, free from the safety of his family as the two met.  She remembered the break of tension between everyone as the silence fell without her knowledge, and the peace was shattered by a gentle boop from her and a playful giggle from him.  Their friendship had help mend scars between the families and ultimately secured each others safety.  And that's only where their friendship began.

Dawn found herself smiling, recounting the events of their first sneak-out, unaware of the true dangers of the world as she and Oort found themselves frolicing in the plains between their families, laughing as quietly as they could and letting their hearts race together.  Chase after chase, race after race, dare after dare, and night after night, the two were inseparable.

Before Dawn could continue to let her memories and feelings carry on, the world pulled her back into reality as she found herself charging toward a blue pile of feathers and fur.  "Oort!" she shouted, as she hurled herself into his side, wrapping her hooves around him to bring him closer.  He was out cold, gentle hot air parting his mane as it covered his face, while a gash dripped sickly red juice from his forehead.  

Dawns' silent pleading grew vocal as she continued to shake her friend, her mind scrambling to come to any conclusion as to how to wake him, how to make sure he was safe.  "Oort!  Oort!" she screamed, her voice growing louder and sending what remaining birds still lived scattering for cover, their flurry of fluttering wings masking the approach of a lumbering beast...

"Help him!" Dawn cried, acknowledging Spike's arrival, but the dragons' pace did not change as he surveyed the damage.  "Please! We have to help him!"

Spike bent his head down towards the pair, giving a sniff to assess the damage.  "He is still breathing and wound has already clotted.  There is nothing that needs to be done."

"Wake him up!" Dawn pleaded.

"He will wake up, in time; we have much ground to cover.  Either carry him or leave him behind, but I will wait no longer." Spike explained, starting to turn around.

Dawn felt a sudden serenity before a mass of rage welled in her chest, causing her to squeeze Oort tightly as she bellowed at the dragon.  "HOW CAN YOU BE SO CRUEL?!"

Spike breathed an unseen sigh as he stopped, letting the golden mare hurl insults and curses at his scaled back side until she had all but thrown out her voice.  "Are you quite finished?" the dragon inquired, turning his head and nothing more.

Dawn winced in pain at each breath, still shaking in anger, as she glared at the dragon.

"Good.  I am teaching you a valuable lesson in the only way that would grant you experience." he began.  "To the north lies a bastardization of what Unicorns once were.  They live by the rule of strength, the survival of the fittest.  Those who have nothing to give will do, and those who do will have it taken from them by others; they do not care for anything less than themselves, and I have heard rumors that they deal in Pegasi slaves."

Dawn made no indication that she had heard nor cared for the dragons' words, still struggling to catch her breath between winces as she continued to glare.

"A sheltered creature like you two would not survive on my protection, alone.  You needed to learn that before we go, to recognize that anger and fight it.  If you act on it while we are in the north, they will not hesitate to destroy you and I will not be able to protect you." Spike explained, before moving towards the pair and laying beside her.  "But him on my back, I will carry him."

Dawn snorted in disgust as she turned away from the dragon and awkwardly carried her friend over her own back, doing her best to keep him balanced with her wings.

Spike sighed to himself as he watched the two head off into the woods, and dutifully followed.  "I'm doing my best, alright?" he whispered, to himself.





Water.
Drink.
THIRSTY!

Oort's eyes shot open as he gasped, his head feeling light and causing him to lose his balance.  As he tumbled off the side of the dragon and into the snow, his instincts took control and he began eating mounds of the delicious ice to taste just a hint of water.

"Oort!" dawn cried out in joy, leaping off of the purple scales to land at her friends' side.

"He's thirsty; there is a lake, ahead, and we have no time to dawdle." Spike interrupted, before the two could embrace.

Reluctantly, Oort was pulled away from the snow as he clambered back onto the dragons' back.  "What happened? Where are we?"

"You hit your head chasing me and were out for two days." Dawn explained, softly, as she parted her friends' mane with a hoof to inspect the wound.  "I've been doing my best to treat your wound but I'm afraid it might be getting infected."

"Two days?" Oort asked, his voice trailing off in disbelief.

"Yes.  Your friend was quite dutiful in trying to wake you, and I tried to explain that you would wake up in time, but never-the-less." Spike responded as they approached a quiet, cold lake.  "We are less than a day's walk from crossing the Crystal Mountains.  Beyond that ridge lies a settlement of Unicorns who know the way to an ancient fort." 

"And that fort is where we're going?  What's in it?" Oort asked as he leapt off to land at the edge of the lake to drink.

"Hopefully it houses information on where the Elements of Harmony are located." Spike replied.

"And if it doesn't?" Dawn asked, coldly, as she began to drink.

"We will cross that bridge when we come to it." the dragon mused, cautiously surveying the sky. "It is safe to fly over the mountains once you're done drinking. We should be there by the end of the day."

Dawn rolled her eyes as Oort shivered from the cold water sliding down his throat.  "Did something happen between you two, while I was out?"

"Yeah." Dawn whispered, casting a glare at the dragon.  "He wanted me to leave you behind when you hit your head."

"And I explained exactly why I said what I did." Spike interrupted, turning his gaze from the sky.  "The Unicorns you will be meeting care only for themselves.  You must be ready for the absolute worst treatment you can expect, from them, unless you can offer them something they want."

Dawn answered only with a silent glare at the icy lake as Spike began to spread his wings.  "We're almost there." he assured.
> Chapter Five: The North
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Is that it?" Oort asked, pointing over the side of the dragon as icy winds lashed at his fur.

"No." Spike replied, flatly; a hint of irritation on his tongue at being asked, yet again, if a large gash in the side of a mountain was the home of unicorns.

"How can you tell where we're going? It's so cloudy down there." Dawn sounded out in concern as she cautiously peered over the side.

"I have flown these skies many times; I know where we are and where we're going." Spike sighed, as if speaking to bothersome children who ask too many questions, yet are too young to believe their parents answers.

The dragon tuned out the metaphorical buzzing of the two ponies as they surveyed their frigid surroundings and soon found himself lost in thought as he played out this journey in his head, as he had done so many times, before...

"Fear not, sweet Rarity!  After a long and arduous journey, I have finally found you!" Spike declared, triumphantly, as he took a heroic pose before the six mares, who swooned at his feet and thanked him in a chorus of appreciation.

"Not so fast, little dragon!" Discord bellowed, appearing before the heroic savior and sending the mares scurrying behind the scaled hero for safety.  "Those mares are mine and, as soon as I've dealt with you, they're going right back into stone where they belong!  I may even make you a nice little paperweight!"

"Over my dead body, beast! Have at thee!" Spike snarled before spreading his wings and charging the draconequus; the pair clashing claws in mid air as they swirled about, struggling to one-up the other, all while the mares below cheered their purple friend onwards towards yet another victory.  "You've defiled this land and tortured its denizens; today, you pay for your crimes!"

"Over my dead body, dragon!" Discord barked, as he made a lunge for the dragon, allowing Spike a critical opportunity to strike at the exposed opening as the draconequus stretched its arms towards him.

"Precisely." Spike uttered with a grin, charging the exposed belly of the beast with open jaws until teeth met skin and blood spurted out across the dragons' snout as Discord let out a cry of pain.  But Spike did not release his grasp, and instead dug his teeth deeper and deeper into his flesh until he had bitten clean through, letting Discord's body fall to the ground as the monsters' gurgling cries fell silent.

Below, the mares released thundering hoofsteps in joyous approval, and Spike gracefully landed before them to bow in respect as he wiped his jaw clean.

"Our hero!" the group announced in unison, charging to throw themselves at the dragons' feet once more, before Spike was suddenly pulled from his day dream by the rough tapping of a hoof against the back of his head.

"Hey, hey!" Oort sounded, irritatingly.  "Is that it?"

"No, that is not-" Spike began, letting his temper flare up for a moment before he looked towards the decently sized hole in the side of a mountain.  "...That is actually it."

Oort beamed with pride as he turned to look back at Dawn for approval, who simply gave an amused smile and shook her head, slightly, in disbelief, as the dragon began to descend.





"Frost-Horn." a stoutly gray unicorn began, calmly, as he held his temper in check.  "Let me get this straight.  You were at your post, guarding the mouth of the cave. Our home.  The place where we sell goods, where we sleep, where we raise our children.  Then, a dragon with two pegasi on its back flies down and asks if it can come in.  is that right?"

"Yes, sir, Captain Serenity." Frost-Hown nodded, slightly shaking in his heavy cloak.  But he was not shaking from the frigid cold wind that periodically blew into the cave.  Rather, he was shaking due to the presence of the massive dragon standing patiently, behind him.

"Then, for what reason in all of TARTARUS did you bring it inside?!?" Captain Serenity screamed, forcing the other stallion to collapse to his feet in fear.  "Get out of my sight! You are stripped of your rank, Frost!"

The fearful stallion, his mind being torn between fleeing and curling into a ball to die, froze as it struggled to choose the best course of action, until a flare of Captain Serenity's magic sent him scurrying deeper into the cave with a frightful whine.  Once the soldier had gone, Captain Serenity eyed the dragon and his companions, suspiciously.

"Who are you, and what do you want?  I know you're not here to cause trouble, or you'd already be doing so." the unicorn explained.

"I am Spike, and this is Dawning Amity and Oort." the dragon replied.  "We came seeking a guide to an old fortress in the area. We are prepared to pay."

"I'll need to inspect your payment." the Captain began, trotting over to the pair of ponies to eye them, more closely, before the dragon spoke up, once more.

"They are not for sale, Captain." Spike said, as he turned his head downwards and began gagging.  

After a short time, and a bewildered stare from the three ponies, Spike spat out a glob of dripping green goo that sizzled as it burned the grit and other small debris that littered the cave floor.  Before anyone could speak to voice their disgust, a small jet of green fire spurt from between the dragons' teeth and engulfed the blob, burning away the putrid stomach acid to reveal a raw sapphire the size of a pony's' head.

With great reluctance, the unicorn approached the uncut gem and did his best to inspect it, before turning his head towards the dragon. "Go on in, but keep those two freaks close to you and out of trouble. If any of you cause trouble, my guards will be on you before you know it; and we won't be asking you politely to leave."

Spike gave a simple nod in agreement as he swallowed the gem whole, once more.  Beside him, Oort struggled to keep what little food was in his belly down, while Dawn's face was riddled in a mix of fear and anger over the revelation that unicorns dabbled in slavery. 

"What the hay was that about?!" Oort began, the first to speak as the trio made their way deeper into the well-lit cave.  "That was disgusting!"

"Do you see any bags hanging over my sides?" Spike retorted.  "How else do you expect me to carry things?"

"I don't know, just... Not like that!" Oort finished, with a shake of his head. "Warn me next time you're going to do that."

Spike simply gave a shrug as the trio left the narrowing tunnel and emerged into a massive room, riddled with holes carved out into the walls that were turned into shops and housing, complete with wooden boards for doors and shutters as unicorns hawked their wares to any passerby.  Near the middle of the room, several ponies stood on a raised platform, and one seemed to be speaking quickly and loudly to a crowd that had gathered before them.  As they neared, it became apparent that this was a slave auction, and Dawn reeled back in horror that ponies would stoop low enough to sell their own kind to the highest bidder.  As they walked past, a young unicorn mare with a white coat and dirty blue mane was sold for sixty pounds of gems.  She didn't even have a cutie mark.

"Dawn, look at that." Oort called from ahead of her, pulling the pegasus mare from her thoughts and sorrow as she followed her friends' hoof.  A short distance away, large wooden cages filled with sad looking monsters sat behind a pair of unicorns.  The next moment, Dawn realized that these weren't ordinary beasts, but creations of Discord!  The Grycordia with its tail snipped and wings clipped barely gave a snarl as a foal approached it and gave a cautious pet through the bars, before its mother snatched it up and began scolding it.

"The unicorns proved themselves far better suited to the harsh realities of this world than most other species." Spike explained.  "While they may have survived Discord, their own downfall turned out to be themselves and how they adapted to this world.  A long time ago, unicorns were the pioneers of magical arts: magical defense, technomagic hybrids, street performances, it didn't matter what.  Everything they dabbled in was done for the betterment of Equestria and Equestrians."

"How did they get to this point?" Dawn asked, as she passed a group of children playing king-of-the-hill atop a pile of rocks.

"Desperate times change a pony." Spike stated.  "When you go without food, water, or shelter for so long, when every day you live is spent avoiding the talons of another beast, you adapt.  You try anything to get what you need.  Unfortunately, it's far easier to betray your brother for a meal than it is to starve, together."

"There are so many ponies, here.  I've never seen so many in my entire life." Oort blurted out, in amazement.

"The north was far easier to adapt to, for unicorns.  Less visibility meant less threat of a monster eating you, and the dangerous passages throughout the mountain range were easily conquered with magic.  Frankly, I'm simply surprised there aren't more unicorns staring at us; not often you see a dragon, let alone a pair of pegasi."

"Should we be worried?" Dawn piped up.

"I wouldn't be.  If a fight does break out, this room will trap the heat from my flames and cook everything alive." Spike mused.

"Lovely." Oort said, with a groan.

"Don't worry, my scales do well in extreme heat; I'll keep you two tucked safe in my wings." the dragon continued, his eyes becoming fixed on something in the distance.

The next moment, Dawn saw it: an orange unicorn mare with a yellow mane and a dirty straw hat flanked by a stack of loosely bound books, beckoning the trio closer.

"Ooh, you all must be travellers!  What brings you to our cozy cave?" the mare bounced, her voice dripping with a very  forced, traditional southern accent.

Spike eyed the mare with intense suspicion, seemingly trying to place the familiarity before giving up.  "We are looking for guide to a nearby fort."

"Oh, you must mean Fort Artemis! The one just over Mount Talonshire?" the mare bounced.

"I... Suppose so? I am unfamiliar with this area and its names." Spike admitted.

"Oh, don't fret; we didn't name either of those.  They were named way back when there were lots of other ponies living around here, before Discord was around, if you can believe that.  I'm Red Delicious, and I know this area like my own hoof." the orange mare bowed, in respect.

Something clicked in Spike's mind, betrayed only by the narrowing of his eye slits, as he placed the familiarity.  "Tell me, Red Delicious, how does a unicorn make a straw hat so far north?"

"Oh, this old thing? Well, I've actually travelled all over this world and seen a lot of stuff.  Got it down south when I was helping a band of pegasuses till the land for their crops." Red Delicious said.

"Mhm.  And is that where you picked up that ridiculous accent?" Spike mused in disbelief.

"I'll have you know this accent has been in my family for generations, thank ya kindly!" Red Delicious defended, passionately.

"Of course.  Regardless, we need a guide. Would you be willing to lead us to Fort Artemis?" Spike asked.

"Well, that depends on what you've got to offer me, now doesn't it?" Red stated as-a-matter-of-factly.

Spike's teeth showed in pleasure as he smiled, and Oort hurriedly turned his face away as he held his snout in disgust.





"Woo wee!" Red exclaimed as she took a stance against the icy wind that blew towards the cave, towards her home.  "Can't believe I get to go outside, again! It's been so long since I was last out here."

"Which way to the fort?" Spike asked, straight to the point.

"About a three days' walk in that direction-" Red pointed to the west, over the cave entrance. "provided we have good weather. In this brewing storm, though, I reckon it'd take us about a week. Hope you brought some food for yourselves."

Dawn and oort looked, unsurely, up at Spike, who stared silently at Red before picking her up and placing her on his back, prompting the pegasi to hop on, as well, despite the mares' protests.  "What in tarnation are you doing? Let me back down or I'll call the guards!"

"You can drop the horrendous accent, now." Spike said as he spread his wings and steadily lifted himself into the air. "Your hooves don't have a days worth of wear on them, and there's no 'band of pegasi' down south; they've all scattered to survive.  You got all of your information out of books, and lying to fill in the gaps."

"I'm not a liar! How'd I get this hat if I've never been down south, then?!" Red shot back, clinging to the ridges on the back of Spikes' neck as he took off over the mountain, towards the west.

"We passed a wild wheat field on our way up here, about a half a day's walk downhill.  You've never left the mountains, have you?" Spike challenged.

For a while, the mare was silent as he unseen face was twisted in irritation.  "Fine. My name is Crystal Shard." she finally admitted, in a crisp, somewhat posh voice.

"Lying may get you somewhere, at home, Crystal Shard-" Spike began, thoughtfully. "But it can also pay to be honest."

"What does it matter what I say my name is, or where I say I've been?" Crystal retorted.  "At home, I'm just boring old Crystal Shard, buried in her rotting books.  But, in my head, I can be Red Delicious, travelling farm pony who sees the world and helps others!"

"There is comfort in fantasy, Crystal Shard, but think of all the good you could be doing if you used your knowledge to help your town." Spike said. "You have a desire to help others and to see the world; you are a free spirit if ever I saw one - exactly what this world needs."

Although she fell silent after the dragons' words, Dawn could see that the mare was lost in contemplation for the next few hours.





"Is that it?" Oort piped up, with an amused smile.

"What? Oh, yes, that's the fort, down there!" Crystal observed, directing Spike towards the crumbling building.

In no time at all, the group had landed in the deep snow before the archway granting entrance to the fort, and Dawn noted to herself that, underneath the snow, the once proud oak door had crumbled into mulch long ago.

"It's... Smaller than I was expecting." Oort spoke up, eyeing the dragon-sized stone building and its dark interior.  "You thought this place had the Elements of Harmony?"

"The Elements of-" Crystal Shard began, in wonder, before Spike hushed and interrupted her.

"The fort is deep underground, accessible only by a stairway in this building." Spike explained, crawling through the archway with the ponies in tow, before he brushed away debris from the center of the room to reveal a large pit that had once held a spiral stairway; the only remnants of which lay broken and crushed at the bottom of the pit, having collapsed in on itself centuries ago.

"Dragons first." Oort offered, with a smile, before Spike crawled down the hole with Oort following.  Crystal Shard blocked Dawn from going down, eyeing her with a bewildered gaze.

"The Elements of Harmony?" she questioned.

Dawn was hesitant to respond; why had she taken such a sudden interest in the Elements? Did she know what they were? Did she know where they were? Dawn was tempted to call out to Spike in case this unicorn tried to hurt her, but she simply took a step back from the hole and cleared her throat in realization.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be so forward with you; we've barely met and all.  Please don't be afraid of me." Crystal said.  "I have actually been down south, but only once; to an ancient castle lost in the woods."

"What did you find there?" Dawn pressed, unsurely.  She was still prepared to fight if things went south; offput from this mares demeanor.

"A pedestal buried in vines, with an inscription mostly unreadable.  But I did recognize a few of the words that were left over, and I cross referenced them with an old book I managed to salvage from underneath that same castle." She continued.  "That pedestal once held the Elements of Harmony.  I don't know what happened to them, but they were gone by the time I got there."

"What did the inscription read? Maybe it said what happened to them?" Dawn asked, being pulled from her conversation by a call from Oort.

"I don't know, I couldn't read it all.  But it mentioned a unicorn with wings named Lunaria, and that she fell a long way and I guess she died? It was all very confusing." Crystal recalled, as Oort flew back into the room to beckon the pair down.

"I was beginning to worry you two changed your minds." Spike mused as the group pooled in front of him, before Crystal Shard produced a light at the end of her horn and took the lead; her pace slow so that the lumbering dragon could keep up in the narrow hallway. 

"Not to worry." Crystal replied with a smile at Spike.  "So, what are we looking for?"

"Yes, indeed, what are you looking for?" a quiet voice sounded from ahead, causing the party to freeze and duck as Spike clambered over them in protection.

After a moment of silence, the voice revealed itself to belong to a smaller-than-Spike dragon with dull gray scales and sharp blue eyes.  "Well, no need to be shy. What brings you, uninvited, into my home?"

"We mean neither you nor your home any disrespect; we believed this place to be abandoned." Spike spoke up.  "We will leave if you wish."

"And go another few centuries without guests?  Absolutely not!" the dragon exclaimed, as though offended.  "Come, come, I'll cook up some Gryphon for us and you can tell me all about the world, upstairs! Has it gotten better? The last time I was up there, there wasn't a lick of life except for a few ponies here and there.  Nowadays, I have enough Gryphons to feed me all winter!"

The trio of ponies exchanged wary glances before turning up towards Spike, whose face was solidly concerned at the dragons' demeanor, as if expecting a fight and not getting one.

"Well?  Don't just stand there, come in! Come in!" the dragon beckoned, disappearing into a room on the side without needing to squeeze into the doorway.

Hesitantly, the group proceeded down the hall and into the room, leaving Spike at the door with his head poking in, as he was far too large to enter. Within the room, the dragon stood before a large pot sitting atop some logs in an indent in the wall, which quickly sprout into flames as the gray dragon breathed bright red fire onto the logs.  Not long after, whatever liquid lay inside the pot began to bubble as the dragon took a seat across from the door.

"So, how is the wonderful world, out there? Teeming with life, I imagine?  Is that brute of a draconequus still coming over every few years?"

"Uh... Bad, no, yes." Oort responded, in turn, leaving the dragon with an expression of subtle shock.

"Oh.  I assumed it would have gotten better by now.  Where are my manners, I'm Nyr'va. This old hole has been my home for the past, oh, I think seven hundred years, now?" Nyr'va introduced herself.

"I'm Spike, and these three are Dawning Amity, Oort, and Crystal Shard, respectively. We came here to find an old library." Spike explained.

"Oh! The library!" Nyr'va exclaimed, leaping to her claws and beaming in excitement. "Yes! It's still here, I've been taking care of the books ever since I got here; you wouldn't believe how old some of those books are, but I saved them all! Or, well, most of them.  The ones that mattered, anyway."

"The ones that mattered?" Spike inquired, nervously.

"Yes, the ones with all the great pictures of the different types of creatures that used to be alive.  I like to look at them when I'm hungry, sometimes; they all look just so good! I've always wondered what a Mantehcor tasted like; is it spicy, or sweet? that tail makes me wonder!" Nyr'va rambled on, before a groan from Spike caused her to stop.

"About how much of the library would you say is still intact?" Spike sighed.

"Oh, a couple of shelves here, a couple of shelves there.  You want to see it?  I love the library!" Nyr'va bounced, once more as Spike began to move from the doorway.

"No offense to you or your books, Miss Nyr'va," Oort interrupted. "But, could we eat, first? Please?"

A pained groan from Oort's stomach further pressed his plea.





"Oh, this is so exciting! I mean, I've never had guests over, let alone guests that are interested in my library! I love my library, did I mention that?" Nyr'va bounced as she led the party into a larger room that allowed Spike to stand to his full height as he no longer felt constricted. 

As he did so, however, he noted in horror and sadness that tall shelves had once reached the ceiling in a time where the entire room was filled with books, portals in time to the worlds' past and all that came before it.  Now, only pitiful piles sat in the corner, which Nyr'va hurried towards, carefully snatching and opening one of the books to a page showing the anatomy of a Manticore.

"See? Doesn't it look tasty?" Nyr'va questioned with a large grin on her face, letting all of her teeth show.

While Spike was distracted with his own disheartened thoughts, the trio of ponies began to explore the room by picking through the piles of rotten wood, ancient leather and paper, never hoping to fully comprehend everything that was lost to time in this room.  Out of the corner of her eye, however, Dawn caught a glimpse of a glowing purple light along a far wall.

As she approached, the light from Crystal Shards' horn faded as she moved, and the purple glow disappeared.  Dawns' gaze narrowed in confusion.

"Crystal Shard, come here for a moment." Dawn called, her eyes scanning the dark wall. As the unicorn grew nearer, and her light shone upon the wall, the purple glow appeared to fade in from nothingness once more, and grew only denser and brighter as she neared.

"Whoa, what is this?" the unicorn asked in amazement, scanning the glyphs and runes that swirled around in a circle before the pair. "They look like... Words, almost."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked, seeing nonsense in the swirling purple light.

"Look, right here!" Crystal noted, bring her hoof up to one of the slower moving glyphs. "This means 'sacred', or 'secret', I'm not sure which.  And this one is 'library'.  I know that for sure."

"It's a secret room." Spike announced, unexpectedly, causing the pair to shriek in fear at the sudden appearance of such a large dragon.

"Sweet horse apples, you're quiet for such a big guy." Crystal Shard stated.

Spike gave an amused smile to himself and turned back towards Nyr'va, who had curiously followed him.  "You wouldn't have known about this, would you have? it only showed up because of Crystal's light; it's activated by magic."

"How do we open it, then? I don't know any spells besides levitation and light." Crystal said.

"Do you see any guards around?" Spike mused, causing a confused glance to be cast on him as he stepped in front of the party and took a breath.  in the next instance, the wall before him crumbled and collapsed to reveal the secret room. Much to everyone's delight, the room was filled with ornate looking books, glowing with their individual magic and appearing in pristine condition; an affect of the preservation spells cast upon them thousands of years ago.  Spike beamed in happiness, quietly thanking whatever unicorn took such protective measures as he quickly scanned over the titles embroidered into the leather covers.

"There." he said, simply, reaching for a decently sized book with a dirty red cover and golden spine, whose cover was decorated with six different gemstones. When his claw neared, however, a powerful jolt of magic surged from the protective barrier to zap his claw, causing him to reel back in shock as he let out a pained growl.

"Stupid old fool..." he muttered to himself as he rubbed his singed claw.  "The protective spell prevents any creature other than a unicorn from touching it; an ancient safeguard since the Order of the Sun and Moon, those who built this place, were entirely Unicorns.  Crystal Shard, would you be so kind?"

Hesitantly, Crystal Shard reached out and teased the magical barrier, receiving no punishment.  Quickly, she retrieved the book and breathed a sigh of relief, before opening it and flipping through the pages as quickly as Spike could read them.

The party stood motionless, expectantly, for several minutes with nothing but the gentle turning of pages and the occasional zap of magic lashing out at Nyr'va as she attempted to read the books breaking the peace.

After nearly an hour of apprehension, the tension finally broke as Spike groaned, once more.  "I was afraid of that." he muttered.

"Afraid of what?" everyone inquired, at once; all deeply invested in whatever the dragon had learned.

"The Elements of Harmony aren't those trinkets, as I thought; those are simply a conduit for its power.  In times of crisis or if the Bearers are rendered incapacitated, the Elements of Harmony will relocate themselves into the safest place in the entire world: The Canterlot Vaults."