Commander Gleaming Frost scanned the area for his allies, but they were not to be seen. The dragons had also vanished, which was unusual for creatures as large as they were. He was slightly worried about their absence for some reason. It could either mean that they had retreated and left, or had a more sinister plan in mind. If so, he needed to find his soldiers quickly, and wait for further instructions from the Princess.
While brooding over the matter, his eyes caught a moving body below the cliff. Was it a dragon or a pony, he couldn't distinguish. Teleporting down the cliff, he squinted at the rocky land. At first, he didn't spot her, but a while later, he could make out that it was the princess. She was flying towards the volcanic hills, and by her side were two of her royal guards. Frost hurriedly teleported after them, and with more wariness, watched out for the ferocious dragons. The princess stopped haltingly, and Frost caught up with her. But there was no time to talk, for they both heard the unmistakable roar of the dragon lord behind them.
Suddenly, as if on cue, the barren valley was filled with dragons of all sizes, appearing from caves and hollow rocks. Frost looked at the scene with astonishment, while Princess Celestia's horn instantly glowed. Nothing happened. She turned her head towards the entrance of the valley, and her horn glowed once more. This time, a galloping of hooves could be heard, and swarms of ponies marched into the valley. Soon, the valley turned into a battlefield.
The Pegasi were firing arrows and striking the dragons from above while the Earth ponies were attacking the dragons down below. The unicorns were firing spells at the beasts and teleporting injured soldiers to a safe place, erecting magical barriers around them.
Amidst the chaos, Frost saw a group of injured pegasi lying on a hill who couldn't fly to safety. He teleported himself there and lifted them one by one towards a small cave. As he was doing so, a large roar filled the cave, making a few stones shudder. He turned around quickly towards the source of the sound. Suddenly, he saw the princess fall to a strike of the largest dragon on the battlefield.
The princess saved herself by floating gently to the ground, but the dragon had not lost focus on her. He was about to strike again, when he felt a shock on his scaly back. The dragon roared and turned around to find his aggressor, who was on the edge of a cliff.
He roared at Frost with his fire breath. Frost cast a shield on himself, yet he could feel heat around him. He released his shield and fired another spell at the dragon, who was now amused by the stallion. Dragons and ponies stopped fighting and stared tensely at the duo. Princess Celestia tried to join in, but other dragons began to obstruct her.
Frost was exhausted by now, yet he used all his energy on fighting. Firing spell after spell, he grew dizzy. Knowing that he wouldn't last long by attacking, he tried to back out, but the dragon's eyes were on him. His eyes searched around urgently for a way out. Caught off guard, he was attacked by the dragon again. This time, the dragon defeated him. A giant claw swept and threw him over the cliff towards the ground. He landed with a thud, coughing blood out. Soon, he lost consciousness.
When he woke up, he saw the princess looking at him with concern. Frost was having difficulty breathing. He was in a bed and he was surrounded by several of his guard friends. He also saw his wife and daughter looking at him with tears in their eyes. Frost beckoned his daughter to come closer to the bed. He whispered to her.
"Peppermint... look after yourself now. I ... I can't watch over you anymore."