//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Headfirst Dive // Story: The Forest Pony // by EverfreePony //------------------------------// Hot summer air whizzed among the many spikes and spines protruding from a messy brown-greyish ball barreling directly at a group of small ponies. None of them moved an inch. All were smiling happily, their bright eyes missing any sign of fear. The spiky ball unmercifully accelerated forward. Showers of stones and dirt darted around it. Decimated grass and jagged ground lay in its wake. The ball sped down faster and faster, individual spikes blurring in with their brethren. And still, none of the ponies moved. Nopony rushed to their aid. The ball accelerated more and more. Suddenly, it hit a bump in its path and soared high through the air. A large shadow fell on the group as the ball blocked out the sun. There was no place to escape now. With a quiet squeak and a crunch, the ball landed in the middle of the group. A few ponies fell to the ground, unmoving. "Snails! Do you think that what I forbade Snips to do doesn't apply to you, young colt?" Miss Cheerilee dragged the unicorn away by his ear. “It’s Lily’s pet, not a bowling ball!” The spiky ball slowly unfurled, a small nose peeking out. It sniffed at the fallen pony-shaped skittles, leaving wet spots where it touched them. Finding that the figures possessed no danger, the creature unfolded more, revealing a head of light beige fur and a belly infested with fleas. The hedgehog scanned its surroundings and pleaded with its beady eyes to anyone to be picked off its back and returned to a normal position. "Aww, here you are, Mr. Prickles!" A small pink filly hugged the critter. It desperately sneaked into the den of her large pigtails.  The filly frowned as she spotted one pony figure sticking to Mr. Prickles' spines, some of them bent or downright broken. She gently shushed and whispered to the creature while removing the skittle. "Aww, did he throw you too ha—" She fell back in awe and clutched Mr. Prickles to her chest, a few of his fleas changing owners swiftly. Feeling the creature tremble, she grasped him even tighter, ignoring the sensation of the hedgehog’s spines probing her skin. A large blue and black spiral of pegasus magic trailed into the sky, the filly’s eyes widening at the sight. The ground trembled under her hooves, and a sharp swishing sound filled her ears. Mr. Prickles curled up again. Gently, she started trotting up the hill, eager to see more. “What?” Luna repeated as she gobbled the rest of her apple. She looked down the hill as well, spotting nothing out of ordinary. A few families bathed in a pond in the distance, a group of ponies enjoyed an early lunch in the grass, and some colt demanded ice cream from his mother, throwing a slight fit. She even spotted Sev and the fillies under a tree nearby the ill-bred foal. “Nothing, hopefully… It’s just that Sev and his behaviour draws unnecessary attention… I’m probably just being paranoid.” Hedvika shook her head. “Anyway, my job is done here, so we can go now.” She snapped the buckles of her, now remarkably emptier, saddlebags shut and loosened the screw of her magnifying glass contraption, then folded the device against the side of her horn. Without another word she started down the gently sloping hillside. Luna cocked her head and wiped off the sugary zap apple juice stuck on the fur near her lips. She trudged and skipped after the mare. The new terrain induced daggers of pain over her whole body, and the tight coat chafed on her shoulders. "So, you take this strand"—Sev’s claw gently tugged on the hair—"and place it in the middle." "Then we take the one on the other side!" The orange filly pulled on the lock of pink mane. "Ouch! Careful up there!" Sweetie Belle called from behind the veil of her tangled mane. "Right, Scoots, just less force." Sev gingerly wrestled the hairs from the eager pegasus' hooves, patting her with a wing. Carefully, he slid it across the forming braid, waiting for Apple Bloom to move the next strand. “Hey, have you noticed your horns have grown up another twist?” An orange hoof ruffled the small tuft of hair on Sev’s head and stroked said pointy appendages. “No way, Scoots, I’m not growing anymore. You just never remember how many twists I already had.” He chuckled, shaking the little personal space invader off.  Scootaloo swung around his neck, hoof still mounted on his head. “Are you suuuuure? Because I’m pretty suuuuuure you had four last time, not five!” the filly singsonged, staring him right into his eyes, muzzle to snout.   “Yes. My head would fall off otherwise.” He pulled away, craning his neck and popping the spine within. A sharp pang rushed through his back, and his wings locked in place momentarily. He made a mental note to never again lift one of these pony tin cans called guards. The added weight of their armour was too much on his body. Sweetie Belle turned around, her unfinished braid doomed to turn back into her natural curls. “Aww, really? If they were larger, you could carve something in your horns, or get some glitter on them or put a ribbon around them or—” “Or ya can put an elastic between ‘em, creatin’ a catapult!” Apple Bloom tackled Sev from behind, causing him to almost topple over as she dangled on his horns. He crouched down, spread his wings, and craned his neck. “And do you know what I’d use that for? I’d pick a whole heap of acorns and shoot them at you three!” His tail swept behind him, collecting the nuts lying around, and bombarded the fillies.  They squealed, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle running around and cowering on the ground as the acorns drummed staccato around them; Apple Bloom still clung to him from behind, laughing.  “Don’t you think that you’ll escape!” Sev bent backwards, letting his teeth click shut just before they could scratch the yellow filly’s muzzle. She giggled playfully and grabbed Sev by his neck and knocked him over. They crashed into Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, all tumbling to the ground. The sprawled in the grass in a heap of hooves, claws, and manes and laughing as they stood up. “Will you finish my braid now?” Sweetie ran a hoof down his back. “More like start over ag—” Sev twitched, emitting a quiet purring sound. “Ah, stop—” The small unicorn simply rubbed his scales once more. “I’m seriou—” The dragon fell on his back and wriggled, claws grasping the air. A deep purr resonated from within his chest. Slowly, he dragged himself back up, panting. “Never. Again. Do. That!” He grunted and straightened out his wing membranes, shaking off the dirt. The fillies giggled and shifted back into position around the remains of Sweetie’s braid. Sev sighed and took hold of the tangled mane once more. “Here we go, again.” “And here you go, three bits back!” The stallholder bent over the counter, a few coins in her hoof. She offered a slightly forced smile as the white pegasus before her grabbed the change, leaving with a wing curled around her prized son. The pegasus mare huffed slightly, tucking the coins away in disgust. She was almost afraid to touch a feather to their scraped and mangy surface. Of course, she couldn’t expect bits fresh out of Las Pegasus mint, but there could still have been some level of decent cleanness. She turned to her son and watched him stuff his face with ice cream. “I know it is common carnival fare, but do you feel at least a little more colder?” “Yes, Mamma. Though the taste is terrible. Far more intensive than the food at home.” The colt smeared the cream over his lips, vanilla clinging to his blue fur. “Don’t you worry, darling, we will soon be back home and back to the trademarked cloud milk. But you know that Uncle Rich really wished to see us again. Though why he wastes time, money, and his business talent in this filthy hole is beyond me. Maybe it has something to do with his name, after all.” The mare tapped a manicured hoof to her chin.  Staring blankly into the distance for a few moments, she shifted in her slightly sweat-drenched dress and hissed at the touch of her silver jewellery. The metal, heated by the summer sun, felt as if it could burn holes into her. She wiped off the sweat from her trimmed brow to regain her dignified composure. They headed down the hill among the various stalls, the mare casting an occasional haughty glance at the ponies and displayed goods. Despite his expressed disgust, her son was eating the ice cream feverishly. “Oh, there is your father and uncle!” The mare delicately motioned forward to the grey pegasus and brown earth pony, both of whom sported a collar and a tie. Her son followed the direction of her gaze, but instead of the two stallions, he stopped on a group of three fillies and a strange reptilian creature under a large oak. "Hey, I didn't know ponies in such a small village had shrew slaves to serve them. Mamma, I want one too!" He tugged on his mother's wing, halting the mare. "Darling, it would be dangerous to bring one of those... creatures into your room,” his mother said, fighting the urge to paw her hoof impatiently. The only thing that stopped her from the act was the slightly muddy surface of the road. “Mammaaa!” the colt cried, shaking her wing wildly. “Okay, darling. But you have to wait by these foals here, I'll go ask your father." She bent down and straightened his bowtie, gave the group a dismissive glare, and strode away to the two stallions. The colt started for the group eyeing him suspiciously now. “Don’t stare at me like that, especially not you, shrew!” he ordered, planting his hoof forward. Sev only cocked an eyebrow at that, still intently folding the strands of mane. "Shrew is a pejorative title, mostly for a dragoness. Which you can clearly hear I’m not. To be precise, ‘shrew’ refers to the drakes with multiple heads and wits that wouldn't be sufficient even for one head, let alone a dozen."  "Oh, I'm sorry. I never thought somepony could be so cruel to make a colt—or whatever you shrews call it—do such a girlish job as playing around with manes!" The colt chortled. "Hey, let him be!" Scootaloo buzzed her wings and propelled herself muzzle to muzzle with the colt, who stumbled back in disgust. Apple Bloom stepped from behind her orange friend. "Y'all seem ta be from a posh family. Shouldn't yer manners be a bit better?" The colt turned to her, eyes narrowed. "I thought that my cousin's relatives were very well-known in this..." he looked around and continued as if the words were toxic, "... countryside. Such an inferior act as introducing myself shouldn't be necessary. But very well, ladies, I allow you to call me Twister." He took a regal stance and stroked his black and blue-streaked mane with a hoof. "Speakin' in fancy, ain't ya?" Apple Bloom's eyes narrowed even more than his. "Who’s yer cousin?" "Girls, don't pick any fights. It's not worth it." Sev was still staring right into Sweetie's mane, his tail pulling back on Apple Bloom’s. Twister smiled smugly. "Ah, so at least some-no-pony is acquainted with the power of the Rich family!"  Sev handed the braid to Apple Bloom and shook off the grass clinging to his scales. He made sure that a few loose straws hit the colt. "No, honestly I don't care if you are from a rich or poor family. I can just see that any argument with a brat like you is a waste of time." Twister seemed shocked at such impertinence. He quickly countered back, "I'm not talking to you, shrew!" "Sev, he's a cousin of the school bully. Didn’t you just tell us not to pick fights?" Sweetie Belle whispered and clutched his neck tightly. Ignoring her, the dragon flared his wings and looked at Twister. "Who are you talking to then?" "To this foal!" The colt shoved away the intently staring Scootaloo, causing her to fall back with an 'ow'. "Hey, aren't you that weird pegasus Tia told me about?" Twister bared his teeth, a smug grin on his face as the pegasus rubbed her wings. "W-weird? T-Tia? Like in Pr-Princess Celestia? She told you—" Scootaloo almost sobbed, looking at her feathered appendages with sorrow in her eyes. Apple Bloom approached the colt again, dragging Sweetie Belle along by the mane. Sev halted her with a wing. A few young passers-by stopped to watch the scene. "No, Tia is my cousin..." Twister's grin faltered. "But I have seen Princess Celestia once in Las Pegasus!" "Listen, boy..." Sev glanced around with a sigh. Spotting no adult pony nearby, he continued, "Looking at your flight muscles, I can tell you are not the best flier yourself." "Says a slave that probably had his wings shortened so he couldn't fly away!" Twister countered. A deep growl resonated from within Sev's chest. His scales bristled up a little. "Watch your tongue, little one. I wonder if I spat just a little flame, would there be any roasted meat on you or would it be just crackling?" "If-if you don't believe me, I can show you how strong my muscles are!" Twister pulled back and closed his eyes. "Very well then. Girls, if you don’t mind… clear the field and try not to look back. This is not going to be nice." Sev turned, ushering the fillies away. Casting the colt a sinister glance, he spread his wings and took off as silently as he could.  Twister could hear a few faint clip-clops of hooves skittering away, muffled by the grass. Feeling brave, he dared to take a peek at his surroundings again. To his surprise, the dragon was nowhere to be found.  He looked around, spotting only a few foals walking by and sparing him an occasional glance or friendly wave. He didn’t return either. A small green pond shimmered nearby. He could even see his mother quarelling with his father and Uncle Rich. It was a calm, ordinary view. Then why were freezing droplets of sweat sprouting on his head? He turned around quickly, hooves trembling.  Nothing, just one of those boring, early pastoral afternoons. He slowly relaxed, thinking about how the scaredy shrew was surely hiding somewhere, shaking in fear. He couldn’t have been more wrong. A chuckle resounded behind him as sharp claws dug into his flesh. "Show me how you can fly." Twister suddenly found himself in the air. His head spun from the almost vertical ride. "So show me!" Sev's voice thundered over the whizzing of the air. He tilted his wings a little, now ascending in a spiral. It seemed as if he intended to keep flying until they collided with the sun itself. With a yelp, Twister found the grip around him loosening. He gasped for air a few times, flailed his wings, and rocketed down. He wanted to yell, but it was impossible. His breath hitched. The wind stole all words from his mouth. It chilled his nose and immediately whisked away the tears forming in his eyes. His ears were buzzing, and his head throbbed.  Suddenly, the howling of wind stopped. He was still spiraling to the ground, wings and legs flailing uselessly. A terrifying silence permeated everything. “So, this is your master way of flying?” The voice seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. “In case you were wondering how I can speak to you, it’s just a bit of magic and molecular physics in your ears. Though, I doubt you can understand that. It still doesn't make me able to read your thoughts, which is a shame. Anyway, if that’s how you fly, mister, I should learn as much as I can. After all, there is not much time left.” The howling of the wind returned, nearly deafening him. Twister’s eyes widened in fear as the dragon appeared before him, wings and legs waving wildly around, resembling the colt’s own panicked movements. After a few moments, the creature straightened his wings, halting in the air. He shook his head and watched the colt rocket by. The poor colt cast his eyes to the rapidly approaching ground. He didn’t dare to close them. It was terrifying, yet fascinating. He could now make out the faces of the ponies gathered below, watching the show. Was it only his imagination, or did they start to space away from him? He had to land any moment now. A blue blur obscured his vision. He felt the grip of claws on his soft chest again.  Sev held him firmly, ascending again in a slight spiral. Twister looked back down, noticing a sparkling line of black and blue cascading from his mane and tail. Reaching the apex of the spiral, Sev folded his wings, gripping the pony even tighter. They rushed to the ground. This time, Twister shut his eyes tightly. Suddenly, he heard the voice in his ears again. “Terminal station. Thank you for using dragon air transport.” The grip loosened once more. With a grunt Luna collapsed next to the base of a large tree and panted. It was pleasant to be there in the field, at the edge of a wood with no ponies and, mainly, no guards in sight. Despite craving and fighting for ponies’ attention, Luna still enjoyed moments of calm and solitude. Stirring in the grass, she noticed something small and talon-like poking out of one of the many pockets her lab coat sported. With a gulp, she pushed it back in and pressed the pocket closed, hoping to never see that thing again, whatever it was. She craned her neck and scanned the canopy above her. “It would be nice to wait for once, at least I surely would not mind,” she cried into the treetop, a hint of annoyance creeping into her voice. Hedvika, standing on a branch up to this point, hooves wedged between various twigs and eyes fixed to the distance, shook her head and looked back down. "I'm sorry, Princess. Not really used to somepony trotting along." She rubbed the back of her neck, and her face scrunched awkwardly. Luna reared back, planting her hooves against the tree. “I noticed that… Albeit I thought you mentioned those fillies often keep you company." "Yes, but I'm mostly doing my work with Sev, and they are just running around. You have seen for yourself that they are like a tornado. They have no problem following me wherever I go. To be honest, keeping up with them is far more problematic for me," Hedvika responded, returning her gaze into the distance. "I see. Is it comfortable up there?" “For me, yes. Though I think you shouldn't try climbing up here. I don’t want you hurting yourself… more.” Luna cocked her head quizzically. “Do you think I would fall?”  “Well, given your state and lack of experience… yes?” The unicorn folded back her ears and forced a grin. “So, are you telling me that those are the reasons I would fall? And what about you? Can you not fall just by accident?” Luna said, her voice utterly plain. She lowered herself back to all fours. “Many things can happen to me, but falling is not one of them, not anymore,” Hedvika strained through her teeth, her mind racing back to a certain cliff in the Frozen North. “Really?” Luna couldn't help but smirk. This mare had been making fun of her the whole day, surely she could have a little fun as well. She bit her lip and braced herself for the pain in her side. She turned around slowly, then bucked the tree. And again. And again. "Ah, chickencoop! Stop that!" Hedvika cried, clutched the branches around her, and planted her teeth into the trunk. Her vision started swimming as everything around her shook. Her hind hooves slipped off the branch trembling with each kick, now blindly groping for any indent in the tree’s bark. Leaves around her rustled wildly, some slowly gliding down. Steadying herself, she gave up all her efforts to hold onto the tree. With a half-somersault, she jumped down. Landing on all fours, Hedvika spat out bits of bark from her mouth, her vision still twitching slightly. A broken branch flew through the air, hitting the unicorn squarely in the horn and bouncing off from her muzzle. Luna’s smile fell immediately. She let her hooves drop back to the ground and rushed to her side. “Oh, no. I apologize. I did not mean to—”  “It’s… okay?” Hedvika’s eyes stopped spinning and focused, the mare breaking into a fit of laughter. Luna pulled back. “Are you sure?”  Coughing a few times, Hedvika managed to calm herself down, but a smile still danced across her lips. “I might have a bump there, but that’s nothing I can’t handle. My loupe,” she moved a hoof to the magnifying contraption still attached to her horn, “didn't break either, so nothing happened.” “And your horn? Is it all right?” Luna slipped into a more serious tone. “It was a foalish act. I let myself be carried away with a simple joke, not realising the… possible outcome.” She gave the unicorn a sheepish smile. "Well,” Hedvika sighed, “this is what I get for mentioning my magical issue. If I keep quiet about it, new ponies that I meet start asking about it by chance. When I tell them, they stare at my horn, express concerns about missing magic, compare... or make awkward jokes about it.” She slumped against the tree with another sigh. “Princess, I lost my magic before I could ever use it. I've always done things with my hooves. I simply don't miss anything." Hedvika stared at her. Her plain tone made it clear this was not the first time she used this statement. She leaned against the bark and closed her eyes. "If I wasn't told that it would cause more problems than it’d solve, I'd have cut the horn off already, living like an ordinary, albeit weak, earth pony whom nopony would question about missing magic. I do not dwell in self-pity, that state of my mind is long gone. However, I think you should focus on your magic now.” She smirked, stifling a chuckle. Her hoof pointed towards the tree behind her back. Luna gazed in her tawny eyes. Unable to decipher the emotions trapped in them, she shook her head and followed the direction Hedvika signalled. There, among the crumpled lichens and cracks snaking through the bark, were multiple fresh, deep indents, roughly the shape of a pony’s hoof. “A small voice from the time of my studies tells me alicorns have all three types of pony magic, but one of them is often neglected. Anyway, welcome to the earth pony club!” Hedvika bumped Luna’s shoulder. The princess ignored the violation of her personal space this time. She raised her head, a wide smile spread across her features. She trotted to the tree and prepared to strike it once more. Hedvika quickly scrambled out of her way. Then, Luna bucked. And indeed, where her legs connected with the bark, holes were formed.  Looking at her hooves, the princess chuckled. Then, her chuckle changed to laughter. Turning to a smiling Hedvika, she said, “You were right, it is a heavily neglected one. But I am going to change that!” She stomped her hoof, compressing the ground below greatly. “Still, I have never had this much force in my hooves… I mean, I have cracked a few floors with them, but never anything like this.”  She rubbed her forehead mindlessly, striking her horn with her hoof tip. Her eyes widened. She turned to the bulge of her bandaged wing underneath the coat. “Have you ever heard of magic derivation points?” “Along with magic storage knots around the skeleton, magic vents in the mane and tail… yes, I have.” Catching Luna’s curious glimpse, the unicorn continued, “Well… let’s just say that there was a period of my life when I had been crazy about learning anything about magic, its channels, reservoirs, and drainage systems in the body of the user...” A hint of a blush crept on the unicorn’s cheeks. “So, not truly content with missing magic apparently.” The princess smirked and gave her a small nod. “Yeah…” Hedvika rubbed her neck awkwardly. “I even went so far to ask my zebra friend about some runes.” She extended her leg to reveal the sole of her hoof. It was interlaced with a plethora of various sharp slats and dents. “Turns out, zebra runes don’t work on a pony, but I decided to keep these as they make climbing far more easier than smooth hooves. That’s also why I didn’t want you following me up there.” She pointed into the treetop. Luna took her hoof in hers and started curiously tracing the lines. “Back to my magic, I take it that you know that the derivation points in a pony’s body can be in the wings, base of horn, or hooves, depending on the tribe.” After earning Hedvika’s nod, she continued, “If this point is disturbed, for example by striking a unicorn’s horn that is alight with magic or using a nullifier ring, their magic retreats.” Hedvika nodded again. “But in case of me or any other alicorn, the other derivation points are still active and working.” Hedvika raised her hoof, halting Luna. “Wait… you mean that your unicorn and pegasus magic—” “Yes, my little pony, both were transferred to my hooves. Uh, that is a strange way of addressing ponies. Seems like Celestia’s vocabulary is rubbing off on me...” Luna trailed off, looking at her hooves again. “Anyway… you know the earth pony ways of life. Would it be possible to teach me a thing or two? I was not even able to brush my mane this mornin—” Luna fell to her haunches, mouth agape. A sparkling spiral of black and blue ascended into the skies just behind a hill. She leaned against the tree, watching the display. “That has to be a really talented pegasus,” she mused. “Were the Wonderbolts also invited to the festival?” Hedvika shook her head in response, planting a hoof to her face with a soft ‘plop’. “I wish so, but I’m afraid it’s one proud dragon showing off.” Luna rose to her hooves, squinting her eyes to see better into the distance. “You can see that far?”  “No, I can just recognize the pattern of flight. Sev is not really keen on changing his repertoire too often.” Hedvika scrunched a leaf between her hooves. “Water?” She retrieved a canteen from her saddlebag, offering it to Luna. The princess greedily took the flask in her hooves, splashing the liquid all around. Steadying her hooves on the slippery metallic surface, she gulped down the rest swiftly. Hedvika observed the whole procedure intently. “Seems like you have the basic grip, just don’t use it very often. Might need to train your pasterns a little.” She supported her chin with a hoof. Luna raised her head, water dripping from her lips. “So, are you up for the job? Of course, I am going to make sure you receive a royal payment of your choosing.” The unicorn opened her mouth silently, her hoof moving to rummage through one of her many pockets. Luna caught a glimpse of a small brown notebook poking out. It disappeared as fast as it appeared, Hedvika apparently changing her mind. With a huff she bit her lip and shook her head. Finally, she said, “Well, it’s not like I have a choice. The only thing I ask from you in return is that you won’t get yourself killed. I don’t want your sister bringing back the death penalty just because something happened to you, and I or Sev was nearby.” “Not killing myself? Ha, that should be easy!” Luna exclaimed, falling back against the tree with a thud. The poor plant, previously tested by her hooves, gave just a grim creak of finality and collapsed down. Hedvika waved a hoof through the cloud of dust and dirt, coughing. She cocked a brow at the alicorn sprawled on the trunk of the now-uprooted tree, chest heaving wildly and hooves frantically clutching the bark. “Easy?”  “Hedvi, I think you should tell her she’ll get a heatstroke if she continues sunbathing like that.” Sev landed on her back, scratching his chin. His scales were bristled and slightly damp. “I… uh… am not sunbathing,” Luna babbled and slid down the fallen log. Sev turned back to Hedvika, the mare scorching him with her gaze. “Why?” she said, her ears lowering dangerously. “You know what I mean.” The dragon slithered from her back swiftly. “What was I supposed to do? That brat called me a shrew and hit Scootaloo!” Sev spat a small flame to his side, igniting a tiny patch of grass. Hedvika’s glare softened a little, her ears rising up. “Which brat?” Luna stepped forward, her face a solid mask, the same as that of an emotionless judge that had sat through countless courts. Sev sighed and moved his claws over the smoldering grass. “A spoiled upper class pigasus colt. I took him for a ride through the air a few times and then dropped him. Above a pond, mind you. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting his mother to jump into the pond for him, especially not while wearing a dress and half a jewellery shop’s stock.” He forced a grin, the grass under his talon now coated in tiny crystals of ice. Hedvika glowered at him for a moment, then her face relaxed, and she turned to Luna. “Here you can see, Princess, another reason for why we live in the middle of the Everfree. If it wasn’t for that, Sev would make all the attempts possible to reduce the pony population when somepony close to him was endangered.” Luna only turned her ears at that. She bent down and gingerly poked the frosted grass.  “It’s just the laws of physics and a bit of magic, Princess. All I did was slow down the particles of air around it. Doesn’t last long though,” Sev said. “Anyway, Hedvika has her peculiarities as well. Like kicking trees when she gets angry, but I assume you have already seen that. This one, however, is remarkably the largest I have seen fall to her. Usually it’s just those gaunt and withered ones.” Sev grinned sheepishly and hopped on the trunk. “Actually, that’s my work,” Luna said, proudly puffing out her chest. She quickly turned and gave the tree one swift buck. The dragon barely jumped off, the trunk dashing away and carving a ditch in the side of the hill. Hedvika moved a hoof to her mouth to lift up her hanging jaw. “Sev?” She turned to him. “Do one thing for me, and I’ll forget anything with that colt ever happened.” “Yeah?” “Burn down that tree.”