//------------------------------// // The Black Dragon of Breezy Horn // Story: Breezy Horn: Beyond a Fairy's Tail // by DarklordAxel20 //------------------------------// The town of Everfree, September, X790 The town of Everfree, a small settlement set up on the very edge of the Everfree Forest, a massive forest shrouded by darkness and mystery. Very few people call the town their home due to the large population of monsters, bandits, and even dark guilds that reside within the massive stretch of forest. To those that do, however, often find themselves the victims of the forest's residents, but refuse to leave, as most have already made lives of their own here. One such dark guild that terrorizes the town is Crow's Murder, and after one too many attacks, the town of Everfree has put out a request for the guild to be dealt with. The trio from Breezy Horn were just now departing from their rather long ride, or as Spike would put it, "Escaping the hell on wheels". To say the train ride was enjoyable would be an obvious lie; Spike had done nothing but act as if he were dying for the entirety of the trip, much to the annoyance of Twilight and Rex. While Spike's moans and groans of pain and discomfort assaulted the ears of his feline companion, Twilight had used the lengthy trip to read up on the town that was their destination, as well as the mysterious forest that it was named after. The first thing Twilight took notice of upon stepping off the locomotive was just how empty the station’s platform was. Besides those exiting the train, there wasn't a soul in sight, which just didn't sit right in the mage's stomach. " How strange... " Twilight mumbled, as she dragged Spike's barely conscious body from the train. Rex stepped out behind them and made his way next to Twilight, " This town is populated right? ‘Cause if it's anything like the train station, we might just be in the wrong place. " Twilight slowly shook her head, " It's populated, the book said it was a part of a primary trading route in the region. " " Primary trading route? " He flew his way towards a nearby window, seeing nothing but a series of wooden shacks and endless forest. " I'd be surprised if the people here got any business at all... " Whilst the two were in mid conversation, Spike's eyes cracked open before eventually blinking rapidly. He quickly patted his hands across the floor beneath him, causing a smile to form on the young slayer’s face. " I'm alive!!! " he shouted, as he jumped into the air with joy. A sigh came from Rex, " ...and here I thought we'd actually get to look around in peace. " " Hey! " Spike yelled out in offense. " Alright you two, we aren't here to argue, we're here to find the mage that Master Celestia wants to bring home, " Twilight explained in a stern voice. The two simply backed away, putting enough distance between them and Twilight to avoid getting hit over the head. " Twilight's scary when she’s doing something for Celestia, " Spike slightly shuddered. She made her way out of the station with her one and a half companions, her eyes immediately scanning for anything that could help in their search. " I'm starting to think you're right, Rex, this place does seem pretty empty, " she noted while taking in everything around her. Spike joined in on observing the immediate surroundings, " This place is like a ghost town…I mean, I can smell people, but I can't see any of them... " " How peculiar... " Twilight began walking towards the wooden buildings that were spread across the "town". " Maybe we should go see if anyone's home, " Rex suggested. " ...I just said I smelt people, of course they're home, " Spike said dryly. " It was just a suggestion, you half-pint dragon slayer! " the winged feline exclaimed. " Come on guys, I already said we aren't here to argue, " Twilight sighed. She began walking past the two and towards the closest house, " but Rex is right, we need to check and see if anyone's seen the mage we're looking for. " " Fine, but it'd just be easier to sniff them out, " Spike said with a roll of the eyes. " It would also take an unnecessarily long amount of time to search with just your nose, " Rex stated as he flew after Twilight. Twilight came up to the house nearest to her, taking in its rustic and decrepit appearance, making it seem like no one had lived there in years. " U-um, hello? " Twilight hesitantly knocked, giving a slight pause between each knock. " Welp, no one’s home! Let's go! " Spike nervously chimed, as he tried walking back to the station, only to be pulled back by his hood. " H-hello?! " Twilight knocked again, slightly louder this time, but still no answer, to which she responded with a sigh. " I guess hoodie-head is right, let's try another house, Twilight, " Rex suggested, which was met with a nod. The trio tried several different houses, but no matter which building they tried, the results were the same, no response. There was only one last house left in the town, the largest and closest to the mouth of the forest. " This is pointless…Twilight, let's just use my nose already, or better yet, we could go home... " Spike groaned, but sounding optimistic on the last option he provided. " Not until we confirm that no one is willing to help, " Twilight said without breaking her line of sight with the building. Without warning, a lone figure draped in a ragged brown cloak appeared from the mouth of the forest. From what they could see, it was a woman slightly taller than Twilight, with semi-dark skin, wearing a rather tribal outfit, with a series of masks attached to the wrap around her waist. " Hey, Twilight, maybe that's who we're looking for… " Spike said in a not-so-quiet whisper, as the three formed a huddle. " I was under the assumption we were looking for a guy, " Rex added, causing Spike to almost fall over. A thought came to Twilight, " She might not be who we're looking for, but perhaps she could help us find who we're looking for. " Unbeknownst to the huddled trio, the woman in question was now standing in front of them, her face mostly obscured by the ragged hood she wore. " AAAHH!!! " the three of them screamed, as they suddenly leapt backwards, losing their footing in the process, and falling straight to the ground. A small smile came to the hooded woman's face, almost as if she were going to laugh, but kept it to herself. " I gave you no time to prepare, forgive me for the scare, " she said with a rhyme. " I-it's quite alright… " Twilight smiled nervously, sweat dripping from her forehead, as she picked herself up off the ground. She dusted herself off before letting out a small sigh, " We were actually hoping you could help us find someone. He's a mage and a part of our guild...well, we've never met him personally, but our master sent us to find him...and we haven't exactly had any luck doing so because we- " " We have no clue what the guy looks like, " Spike cut her off, but finished her sentence at the same time. Twilight rolled her eyes at her brother's rudeness, " Yes, like my little, rude brother said...we don't exactly know what or who to look for…so we're hoping that maybe you do. " A small chuckle came from the woman as she started walking past them, " This forest may be bleak, but here you will find the one you seek. " She walked a little further before stopping once more, "Where the light will fade, is where you shall find Midnight Shade. " She continued walking, and with a strong gust of wind carrying around a small cloud of leaves, she was gone, but not before the green-haired dragon slayer could catch sight of what looked like the Breezy Horn guild mark on her thigh. " H-hey guys...I think she was a wizard from the guild, " Spike suddenly spoke up. " You must've been seeing things, grass-head. Right, Twilight? " Rex crossed his arms and waited for a response, however, there wasn't one. Twilight was too busy trying to think over the woman's rather cryptic message, " ...‘Midnight Shade’...what does that mean? " She thought aloud. " Uh...dumb suggestion, but maybe it's the guy’s name? Kind of a gloomy name, but maybe it suits him, " Spike said. " It's not that gloomy of a name, " Rex said in response, " you just have poor taste in names. " " Says the cat with a dog’s name, " Spike retorted. " Might I remind you that you're the reason I have a dog’s name, " Rex responded bitterly. They both suddenly received a smack to the back of the head, " Could you two not fight like a couple of kids?! " Twilight said, blind to the fact that they technically ARE a couple of kids. " ..Sorry Twilight.. " Spike mumbled, as he started walking towards the last house with his sister. Once they reached the door, Twilight proceeded to knock, " ...Come on, someone please answer... " she mumbled to herself. Much to her surprise, she actually got a response after knocking twice. The front door creaked open, just enough for a single eye to be visible to the trio, causing both Spike and Rex to jump off the porch of the house. " What's that?! Who's there?! " came an elderly man's voice from the other side of the door. " Excuse me, sir, " Twilight started. " We don't want any! Now go! " the voice exclaimed. " N-no, you don't understand…you see, we're mages from- " but she was cut off again. " I told you for the last time, we don't want any trouble...should've known that no good wizard we hired couldn't get the job done. Went and sent him into those woods and they send you hoodlums back in retaliation... " the man's voice trailed off, almost as if he forgot they were standing there. " Th-the forest? You sent him into the forest? " Twilight asked. " What? Ya got corn in yer ears! I said git! " the old man suddenly slammed the door shut, leaving Twilight to think on what he said. " Gee...he was just brimming with hospitality , " Spike said while picking himself up. " Something wasn't right, he sounded scared almost, " Rex rubbed his chin with his paw, pondering the thought. Twilight had something else on her mind besides the man’s behavior, " ...That woman said the forest is where we'd find what we seek...and that man said they sent a wizard in there. It's no coincidence, we got to head into the Everfree forest. " Spike's eyes widened, " I-i-into the forest?! " He attempted to run away, only to have his hood grabbed again, " come on, Twilight, we don't have to go in there, we could just wait for him to come out! Please, Twilight?! Don't make me go in there! " However, his pleas fell on deaf ears, as Twilight proceeded to drag him towards the opening of the forest with Rex following close behind. " We don't have time to be scared, Spike. Master Celestia is counting on us…or perhaps you'd rather I send you home…alone…on a train…by yourself. " The color flushed from Spike's face, " You are an evil woman!!! " But knowing how determined Twilight was when it came to Celestia, Spike quickly gave up and began walking with his sister, " Fine, I'll follow...but this is a baaaaaad idea. " " Everything is a bad idea in your mind, " Rex bluntly stated as he flew ahead. " That's not true! " Spike shouted, " ...my ideas tend to be good ones… " as he now began to pout bitterly. A Little Ways Into the Everfree Forest The two wizards and their feline companion had made it a decent distance into the forest, and to say it was ominous would be putting it lightly. The further they trekked into the forest, the less sunlight that seemed to get through the trees’ canopy. Crows lined the branches of several trees that the trio passed, simply eyeing them as they traveled. Spike clung tightly to the back of Twilight's leg as they made their way down the dark forest trail. Despite being a "fearsome" dragon slayer, Spike tends to be very cowardly in certain situations, much to the annoyance of his companions. " …C-...can we turn back, Twilight? I really don't like the looks of things around here... " A loud sigh came from Twilight, " For the last time, Spike, no. We can't leave until we find the mage we're looking for...although, from what I can tell, we haven't really made any progress. " " Well, from what I've seen so far, the deeper we go, the darker it gets, " Rex spoke up. " Yeah, I've noticed that, too... " Twilight's curiosity grew as she began dwelling on the thought. " M-maybe the sun's just going down...w-which means it's getting late! So...so we should all head back now! " Spike quickly turned one hundred and eighty degrees and attempted to walk in the opposite direction, only to be drug along by Twilight…again. Twilight slowly shook her head, " First off, even if it was late, we wouldn't leave. Secondly, we only got here recently, and when we first arrived, the sun was still at its peak. " " ...So? " Spike quietly responded as he walked along with her. " So? " Twilight repeated, " So that means it couldn't possibly be late out yet, Spike. " " But...but...but… " Spike stammered, trying his hardest to come up with another excuse. " ‘But’ nothing. For the last time, Spike, Cele-...I mean, Master Celestia, has entrusted us with finding this wizard, and we are not going to let her down, " Twilight stated in a determined voice. Spike sighed in defeat as he walked behind his sister, " Yes ma'am... " The three continued down the marked path, until finally there was no path. There was just a light trail made from worn out ground due to constantly being walked on. Despite still being midday, the sky was as dark as if it were night time, with no explanation as to how. " I-I...I reeeaaally think we should turn back, Twilight... " Spike said, constantly looking back and forth out of fear. For the first time during the trip, Rex was ready to agree with Spike, " For once, I think he's right...something doesn't seem right with these woods. " " B-but we can't go back! We were given a job, " Twilight protested, a bit concerned now that it was two against one. Right as Rex was about to give a response, the sound of a nearby groan of pain reached his ears. " Did you two hear that? " They both nodded, " It's coming from over there! " Spike pointed out, before running in the given direction. Sweat ran down Twilight's forehead, " He wants nothing to do with this place, but the moment he feels the need to play hero, he's suddenly perfectly fine... " " Don't question it, at least he's going without us forcing him to, " Rex replied as he flew after Spike. The trio came across a beaten and battered man, he was in terrible shape and he looked terrified. " H-hey, are you alright?! " Twilight quickly asked. Suddenly the man shot up in their faces, " A monster! " " WAAAH!!! " his sudden outburst caused the three of them to tumble backwards. " That guy’s a monster! " he then collapsed, " ...h-...he tore our guildhall apart...made easy work out of all of us...those eyes...those cold, purple eyes! Like yours!!! " They sat there in confusion as they watched the man get back up and run off into the woods. " Well...that just happened, " Twilight said in a slightly startled tone. " ...That it did... " Rex said, equally startled. " Well, I'm going home, " Spike said in an eerily calm tone of voice and a broken smile. Twilight turned towards the dragon slayer who was now walking in the opposite direction, " Spiiiiiike… " It was then that he suddenly fell over, before taking a begging stance, " ...Please don't make me Twilight! He said there was a monster and I don't do well with monsters!!! " " ...You've never even seen one before, " Rex deadpanned. " That doesn't mean I don't know what I'm getting myself into! " Spike cried out. But as the two fought amongst themselves, Twilight proceeded down the nearby trail, one that she assumed the man had crawled from. " H-hey, Twilight, wait for us!! " they both called out as they ran after her. They traveled down the trail until they finally reached its end, but upon reaching said end, Twilight's eyes grew wide. Before them laid the remains of a massive building. It had been completely torn apart, with little more than a few support beams and the foundation left remaining. It looked like a tornado had hit the building, but it hadn't dawned on Twilight just what the building used to be, not until she found a piece of wood with the words "Crow's Murder" crudely painted on…this was a guildhall. " Tw-Twilight...I think we found where that guy came from... " Spike shakily said. Despite this knowledge, Twilight continued onward anyway. She took in everything around her, the rubble, black marks similar to singe marks, just without the fire, left on what would have once been considered a wall, even the presence of another person. "...Spike...there's someone here with us...Spike? " She hadn't gotten a response from her brother, and this bothered her, because even if he was frightened, he would've at least given a small response. " Spike what's wr- " she stopped as she saw her brother looking at something, eyes wide open. " Twilight...I think I found that ‘someone’ you were talking about, " he said as he pointed to a cloaked figure. He was sitting atop a pile of unconscious men, facing away from them. The cloaked man sat atop the piled up wizards, bobbing his head slightly as he lightly hummed, almost like he didn't notice the several unconscious bodies beneath him. " I think we should hit the road as soon as I finish this snack, " he said while picking a lacrima orb off the ground and towards his mouth. " All you ever do is think with your tummy, " came a small voice form under his cloak. Without thinking, Twilight suddenly called out to the man, " Hey, you! " " Hmm? " he barely turned his head, just enough to glance at her with one of his deep purple eyes. " Tw-Twilight…his eyes...this is the guy that crazy dude was talking about... " Spike could smell something was off about the man. A smirk could be seen on the part of the man's face that was visible as he looked at them, taking notice of Twilight's guild mark as he did. " Took em' long enough, " He thought to himself, before standing up atop mound of unconscious bodies and turning to face the mages before him. " You two kept me waiting, that's not very nice, " his voice was slightly deep, and he spoke with a calm and collected tone of voice. However, while the cloaked man seemed willing enough to talk to them, Twilight and Spike were ready to fight more than anything. " You hurt all these people! " Twilight yelled out, " And what for?! " " Listen. You got it all wrong, I was just- " but he was cut off by the female mage. " You were just what!? Attacking wizards and destroying their guild! " Twilight was angry at this point, it didn't matter who the people were, they didn't deserve to just be beaten and tossed into a pile like garbage. " Yeah! It doesn't matter how scary you look, my sister's teacher always taught us to help those in need, and those guys obviously need help! " Spike added. " Guess I'm not gonna get them to listen. Looks like that test is gonna start a tad bit early...damn… " the cloaked person gave a small scowl at this realization. " Fine, if you wanna fight, then who am I to stop you, but I'm gonna have to teach you two a thing about respect, " He grabbed the hood of his cloak, as well as the cloak itself, and tore them both off his body, tossing them into the air and revealing his appearance underneath. The young man standing before them had more than one feature that made him stand out. Most noticeable was his hair, long and colored ash-grey, with light spikes in the front, two long bangs on both sides, and was long in the back, but the most unique thing about his hair were the two horn-shaped tufts of hair on top which slanted backwards, giving people the initial impression that he had horns atop his head. The second most noticeable thing was his left arm, which was entirely wrapped up in bandages, all the way up to his shoulder. He was dressed in a dark grey sleeveless shirt with black pants, as well as a cloth strap wrapped around his right wrist, and three straps wrapped around his waist. Around his neck was a sun-shaped pendant with the letter "S" affectionately engraved into it, and lastly were his purple eyes, deep and dark in color. The hood he tossed into the air seemed to fly on its own, as if there were something inside of it making it fly, which their just might have been. " You're always starting trouble! " a smaller voice called out from under the floating cloak. " Yeah, yeah, scold me about it some other time. Right now, I got a couple of wizards to ‘teach’, " he said with a toothy grin while cracking his knuckles. Spike audibly gulped at the actions of the wizard before him. At first, it looked like he was reluctant to having to fight, but now he looked eager more than anything. " S-...something's not right Twilight...it's almost like he wants us to fight… " Spike tightened his hands into fists. He honestly didn't want to fight, mainly because he didn't really have much experience, but if he had to, then he was going to. Twilight nodded, " You're right, Spike, be careful…" The younger mage responded with a nod. The mage before them began walking their way, " Are we gonna fight or are we gonna sit here and flap our gums? " His toothy grin remained, " I'll even give you the honors of the first shot. " Nervous sweat ran down Twilight's forehead as she readied herself. " ...I've never been in a real fight before, just spars with Spike and occasionally Celestia...I wouldn't even count those wannabe bandits, but now I have to fight someone who can take out an entire guildhall?! What have I gotten myself into? " Twilight started walking towards him as well, " Well...if anything, there's no time to practice my hand-to-hand combat like the present… " " That's the spirit, " the opposing mage said, his grin turning into an excited smile. Two golden orbs of magic enveloped Twilight's hands as she took a stance, " Here goes, " she charged towards the mage with determination in her eyes, " Starlight strike! " she closed in on the man and swung her magic-filled fist at him as hard as she could. " A star mage? This changes everything, " he hopped backwards, before proceeding to side step out of the way of her oncoming barrage of punches. " H-hey! Hold still! " Twilight cried out in annoyance. His smile faded away as he watched her attack, " You've got a lot of power behind your swings, but you lack the training to properly use them…you're probably better suited for longer ranges. " " Don't criticize me! Only my mentor can do that! " Twilight was quickly getting irritated with his commentary. His eyes narrowed, " Then maybe I'll show you what a real punch is like, " he held his fist up which suddenly became enveloped in a pitch black cloud-like magic that flickered like flames, with purple streaks swirling through the darkness. " Twilight! Look out! " Spike came rushing towards her, his fist covered in a green, glittering aura, " Emerald Dragon's Shining Fist! " The other wizard's eyes slightly widened as he heard the boy call out his attack, " A dragon slayer?! " He quickly diverted his attention from Twilight, shifting it towards Spike. He opened his magic-covered fist and quickly caught the boy's oncoming attack. " You two are just full of surprises...a star mage and a dragon slayer... " his excited smile quickly returned. " Now, Twilight! " Spike called out, but as he did so, he was lifted into the air by the hand that had grasped his fist. " Now I really want to see what you to got! " he spun the boy to his right before chucking him towards the airborne feline, who up until now had tried staying as far away from the fight as possible. Twilight used this moment to strike, " Starlight Impact!!! " a much larger orb of magic energy covered her right hand as she swung it, connecting with her opponent’s face, causing him to slide back from the force of the hit. " I got him! " Twilight cheered as she hopped back towards Spike, who at the moment was picking himself up, along with Rex. Spike shook his head back and forth once he was on his feet again, " S-something’s not right, Twilight...besides tossing me, he isn't fighting back. " He received a nod from Twilight, non-verbally telling him that she noticed as well. " Then we won't give him that chance! Constellation Summon: Bow of the Hunter, Orion! " Twilight called out, forming a golden glowing bow from a magic circle as she had done before. The mage rubbed his face where Twilight had landed the blow, his eyes glued on Twilight as she readied the celestial bow. " ...Come on then… " he muttered, as he remained still. Three magic circles of different sizes formed in front of the bow as she pulled back the shining bow string, " Shooting Star: Tri-Shot!!! ” three shimmering golden arrows shot from the blow, flying towards her foe at blinding speed. Despite the powerful attack coming his way, he remained still. One of the three arrows grazed his face, cutting his cheek open, yet he remained in place, not even the walls of residual magic that trailed the arrows seemed to faze him. Twilight stared at him, a confident grin on her face, even a minor wound was still damage. " I'm impressed, " he wiped the bleeding cut away with his thumb before narrowing his eyes further at her. Twilight mentally cursed herself despite feeling her confidence rising, " Damn...I mean darn...my aim still needs work...on another note, what's with this guy?! It's like he wants us to attack him! " She stepped towards him, " Hey! " she called out, her confidence booming due to her previous attack, " why aren't you fighting back?! " " Hey, don't complain! I'm pretty sure this would be three times as tough if he were putting up a fight! " Spike jumped back several feet and took in air, " Emerald Dragon's Roar! " he opened his mouth, letting out a fearsome, sparkling, emerald green tornado of magic from his maw. The other wizard's magic began building up in his hand and forearm, causing the same black and purple aura to engulf the entirety of his lower arm. He grunted loudly as he swung his magic-enveloped arm toward the oncoming attack, meeting it in the middle, and with a minimal effort, backhanding the roar away from him. " Nice try, " he said plainly. Both Twilight and Spike stood there with their eyes wide and their mouths agape, " ...H-he...he swatted my roar away…like it was nothing! " Spike said. He was both amazed and petrified at the same time. " Is that even possible?! " Twilight thought aloud as she looked the mage over. He had hardly moved since they began their "fight", almost like he wanted them to attack him more. " Spike...have you noticed something peculiar about this fight so far? " she mumbled to him. The sound of his sister's voice broke the young slayer from his stupor, " Oh...uh, yeah, " he began mumbling back to her, " now that you mention it, he still hasn't attacked once unless it was in retaliation...almost like... " " Almost like he's sizing us up...doing nothing on purpose... " she finished. Twilight stepped forward once more, doing her best to glare the young man down, " …Hey, it's only fair that you fight back! " she said with a raised voice, " you've seen our magic...so now it's your turn to show us yours. " " So you’re really sure want to see my magic? " he responded with a slightly raised eyebrow while eyeing them closely. He was met with only silence and glaring stares. He cracked his neck, " Fine then, but I gotta warn you, you'll wanna stay back. " He took to the air before tilting his head backwards. A flickering light of the same black magic could be seen coming from his partially opened mouth. Spike's eyes widened, " Tw-Tw-Twilight! We gotta move! " he cried out as he scurried away from the grey-haired mage. She saw the fear in her brother’s eyes and quickly followed him, but her eyes never left the wizard, " Spike, what's wrong?! " " That!!! " Spike pointed in a panic. The grey-haired mage opened his mouth, " ABYSSAL…DRAGON'S… " " ...No way… " Twilight's eyes widened in pure disbelief. " …ROAR!!! " he lunged his head forward and expelled from his mouth a large black and purple stream of magic that tore apart the ground beneath as it rapidly traveled towards its targets. Twilight stood there, completely frozen, as the stream of destructive magic came barreling towards her, the amount of magic in the attack frightening her beyond words. " TWILIGHT!!! " Spike quickly tackled his adoptive sister out of the way. The two watched in awe and terror as the roar flew past them, heading towards the woods behind them. Their eyes grew wider as they witnessed the attack tear through the trees before finally hitting something unseen, causing an explosion that was still very much visible to them. " So much magic in one attack..." Twilight couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. She almost instantly recognized the attack, this man before her was a dragon slayer. They had been sent to fetch a dragon slayer, " ...C-could he...could he be the wizard we're here for??? " " Oops, " the newfound dragon slayer said genuinely before rubbing the back of his head, " Guess I put a bit much into that. " " ...A...a bit much?!? " Spike exclaimed in disbelief, " Try way too much!!! " The grey-haired wizard continued to rub the back of his head in a nonchalant type of manner. " You're a dragon slayer, too. Your definition of a bit much should be the same as mine, " he said bluntly, " now, give me your best roar. " Spike felt a spark go off in him. This man, this dragon slayer, was challenging him." I might just be a kid...but...but I'm not weak! " He went to suck in air when suddenly twilight stuck her hand out in front of him, " H-hey! Twilight…what are you doing?! " Twilight remained silent for a brief moment before speaking her reason for stopping him. " ...Spike...we were sent to find a dragon slayer for Celestia...right? " He nodded. " And that strange woman said what we were seeking was here...right? " Again he nodded " Spike...I think this might be the wizard we were sent to find. " " Wh-what?! But Twilight...look at what this guy's done...there's no way he could be a part of the guild! " Spike replied. " You've obviously never seen a dark guild before, " the man replied dryly. " A dark guild?!? " They asked in unison. " Yeah, " he made his way towards them, " Crow's Murder, a dark guild that's been bugging a nearby town, I was sent here to take care of them, " he replied, his previous excitement having left him. " S-so that means...you really are from Breezy Horn? " Twilight said with a tinge of hopefulness in her voice. He closed his eyes and his toothy grin returned, " You catch on fast, meaning you gotta be Celestia's pet student. " Twilight blushed slightly from embarrassment due to how he referred to her, " Yes...my name is Twilight Sparkle...and this is my brother, Spike. " A wide-eyed stare stayed on Spike's face as he looked at the mage before him, " ...Another dragon slayer... " The older slayer cracked his neck and knuckles, " My name's Midnight Shade, just call me Shade though, the Abyssal dragon slayer, " he said with a yet another grin.