As the early hours of the morning approached, something stirred Zero from his sleep. Initially, he was confused and it wasn't until he took a deep breath did he realize the problem. He smelled smoke. Assuming that his house had somehow caught fire in the middle of the night, Zero jumped out of his bed, quickly made his way to a window, and swung it open so he could step outside. However, he saw that it wasn't his house that was on fire. Rather, it seemed the whole town was on fire as a gigantic cloud of black smoke hovered ominously over Ponyville. He immediately scanned for any fires, but was unable to find a single one. He turned to see that Mordecai was already outside, looking in the direction opposite of Ponyville with Ember perched on his shoulder.
"What is happening?" Zero questioned.
Mordecai raised a hoof and pointed towards a mountain that was barely visible in the distance, "It's coming from up there. Something big must be living up that mountain."
"What makes you think that?" replied Zero.
"I sent Ember up there to scout around. She heard whatever it is causing all this smoke snoring in a cave at the top of that mountain. She couldn't actually see what it was due to the smoke being too thick," answered Mordecai.
Zero nodded as he saw that the smoke did indeed seem to be coming from the mountain. "Perhaps the others will know more."
Mordecai returned the nod and the two of them made their way into the center of town.
It wasn't long before the two encountered a mass of ponies, all talking amongst each other in concerned tones. The two stallions took their place off to the side as they noticed Twilight preparing to address the crowd.
"Everypony calm down," the mare shouted, "The smoke is not the result from a fire." The crowd let out a sigh of relief. "Instead, the smoke appears to be coming from a dragon who has taken residence in one of the nearby mountains.", she finished. The crowd immediately fell into chaos again at her words. Zero took this time to get close to Twilight and speak with her.
"A dragon? Like Spike?" he asked.
Twilight shook her head slighty, "Spike is only a baby. This dragon is full grown and much, much larger."
He nodded and then turned towards the crowd, "Silence."
The ponies complied, all of them turning to face Zero. They all knew who he was at this point. They knew about his fight against the Diamond Dogs. Some even knew of his involvement in stopping the attack in Canterlot. They especially knew that, if Zero spoke, they should listen.
Upon gaining the full attention of the crowd, Zero continued, "I will handle this/ The dragon will be put down/ You will all be safe."
The ponies began exchanging glances. What Zero planned to do what quite simply insane. One did not simply "slay" a dragon. But despite their doubts, they accepted the stallions statement. It's not like they had a better alternative. The crowd quickly dispersed, leaving Zero, Twilight, and Mordecai behind.
"Princess Celestia has already asked my friends and I to handle this situation. She wishes this to be dealt with diplomatically," Twilight said once the crowd was gone.
"Your going to try and reason with a dragon? How the hell do you plan to do that?" questioned Mordecai this time.
"I'm sure there's a way to convince the dragon to leave without anypony having to get hurt," she replied.
Zero spoke up, "Then you will not mind if we join you. Just as a safety precaution."
"Well," Twilight began, "I'll leave that decision up to the others."
"Fair enough," he replied as the three of them made their way to the meeting place Twilight had told her friends to gather at. They arrived to see that the rest of the group was already waiting for them. The rest of the group except a certain pegasus, that is.
"Where's Fluttershy?" Twilight asked her friends. They all gave her looks that said they had no clue.
"I haven't seen her," said Rainbow Dash with a shrug. The others also stated they had not seen her today.
Zero nodded, "Then she must not have left her cottage." He wasted no time waiting for a response from the group as he took off in the direction of Fluttershy's home. Mordecai shook his head before turning to the group.
"We'll be back," was all he said before following Zero.
Mordecai caught up to Zero right before arriving at the cottage. Zero quickly approached the door and gave it a light knock. After several moments, the door cracked open to reveal the timid pegasus. Upon realizing who was at the door, however, she opened the door fully.
"Hello Zero," she looked over to the other stallion with Zero, "Hello Mordecai." She smiled warmly.
Mordecai responded first, "Hey Flutters. You know your friends are waiting for you, right?"
Her smile quickly faded, "Oh um...about that. I was going to go with them, but then Twilight told me about the," she visibly shrank, "Dragon."
Mordecai gave her a reassuring look, "I know you're afraid but your friends need you. Your way with animals might help them reason with the dragon. And besides, if you don't go, who's Ember going to talk to?" He smiled as he pointed a hoof at the phoenix perched on his back.
Fluttershy lit up, "You're going with them to?"
Mordecai nodded, "Zero and I plan to. Just in case anything goes wrong, we'll be there to protect everyone."
"Oh...well in that case," the mare began, "I guess I'll go. For Ember's sake."
Zero shrugged, "That works."
The three united with the rest of the group and they soon began their trek to the mountain. Their journey was mostly uneventful, though Fluttershy would occasionally refuse to move as the group began to hear the dragon in its slumber. The only way to get her to budge was to place her between Zero and Mordecai, where she would take turns cowering behind one or the other when she was frightened. After surviving an avalanche that Fluttershy inadverently caused, the group found their way to their destination. They settled themselves outside a cave in which the trail of black smoke was emanating from. Twilight began informing the group of her plan for removing the dragon from the cave. Zero payed her no mind, for her plans did not involve him. Instead, he joined Mordecai, who was sitting a good distance away from the group against a rock.
"Do you think they'll be able to reason with it?" Mordecai asked as Zero took a seat next to him.
Zero shook his head, "It is unlikely."
They both watched as the various attempts of their companions to get the dragon to move failed. It wasn't until Rainbow Dash prepared to go in did they pay close attention.
"Let me show you guys how it's done," Dash said to her friends. Before Zero could stop her, she darted into the cave. Several moments later, she came back out, fear evident on her face. Then, the whole mountain began to shake as what he assumed was the dragon began to move inside its cave. Then he saw it. The dragon approached the group of ponies, each step producing a thunderous sound. Zero slowly drew his blade, eyes locked on the great beast before him. The creature was atleast five times the size of the manticore he had faced before and was clearly much more powerful. Zero grinned, knowing that this wasn't going to be easy.
"Badass approaching/ This will be a true challenge/ I shall enjoy this."
The dragon rose to its full height and looked down at the ponies. "I have had enough of you incessant ponies.", he growled. The dragon took a step closer, "You will leave my mountain or you will become my next meal. Your choice."
"I choose neither," stated Zero as he sprinted at the beast, raising to his hind hooves as he got close. The dragon watched in amusement at the bravery this particular stallion was exhibiting. Eventually, the dragon brought down a hand to crush the pony. Zero easily dodged it and latched himself onto the dragon's arm. He attempted to drive his blade into the dragon but was met with a loud clang, his blade harmlessly bouncing off the dragon's scales.
"Uh oh.", was all he managed before the dragon flicked him off with a single claw, launching Zero back towards Mordecai. Zero twisted in middair and landed on his hooves, minimizing the damage. Mordecai was looking at him with a grin on his face.
"You done jumping the gun yet?" asked the hunter.
Zero shot him a look, "Do you have an idea?"
"Just one.", Mordecai replied as he drew his rifle and flicked a switch on the side of it. The tubes that ran through the gun began to fill with a purple sludge-like substance Zero recognized as slag. He took aim down the rifle's scope before speaking again, "Go for the weak points." He took a shot, a direct hit on the dragon's left leg. The shot itself didn't seem to phase the dragon, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that, where the shot had connected with the dragon, there now was a large purple patch of slag. Zero immediately understood Mordecai's plan and sprinted towards the dragon again. Dodging another predictable attack by his foe, Zero managed to reach the dragon's left leg and climb to the slag stained area. He once again attempted to drive his blade into the dragon, but this time he was able to pierce the dragon's scales. Zero grinned as the dragon yelped in pain. Despite his disgust with slag, Zero could not argue with its effectiveness. His grin was soon wiped from his face as the dragon slapped him away with surprising speed. He slid across the ground a short distance before stopping and steadying himself.
"Ouch," was his response as he rubbed his head. He then continued his assault with the aid of Mordecai. They striked at random, hitting various points on the dragon's body in hopes of not developing an obvious pattern. The dragon would occasionally get lucky and return the blows to Zero. Despite the progress he was making, Zero was taking a lot more damage than he was dealing. Finally, Zero decided to pull back and reconsider his tactics with Mordecai. As he did this, however, the dragon swung his tail with blinding speed, catching both the stallions off-guard and launching them against the nearby rocks. Zero tried to raise himself, but found his body was reaching its limit. He raised his head to see what his foe was doing and was horrified by what he saw. The dragon was no longer paying him any attention. Instead, he was now approaching his friends, whom were backed onto the edge of the cliff. He knew that the two pegasi in the group would be able to save themselves and one or two others, but some would have to be left behind. He wasn't going to force them to make that decision. He slowly rose to his hooves, ignoring the pain tearing through his body. He turned to Mordecai who managed to sit himself up and was now groaning about needing alcohol once they were done.
"One more shot," Zero commanded Mordecai.
The pegasus gave him a confused look, "What makes you think this one will be any different?"
Zero did not have time for questions. "Do it. Aim for the head."
Mordecai was going to argue that Zero should back down but saw the cold determination in the stallion's eyes and instead shrugged, "Fine. I don't see how you're going to get up their in your state." He aimed to take one last shot at the dragon, a clear view of the left side of the beast's face. He held his breath to steady himself, shot a quick glance towards Zero, and pulled the trigger, the sound of the shot ripping through the air.
As soon as he heard the gunshot he requested, Zero began to make his way to the dragon in a rather slow pace. He took one look at the dragon, whom was now refocused on him, and closed his eyes. He began to concentrate, conjuring up the now much more familiar powers of a unicorn. His horn began to shimmer lightly but soon intensified, coating the area around him in a cerulean glow. He was not casting any spell he had practiced. He was simply allowing the magic to flow through him, as if by instinct. The radiant glow began to envelop his blade, random sparks of arcane energy arcing off of it. He began to quicken his pace, not sure how long he would be able to maintain the magic. The dragon grinned, impressed by the perseverance of the stallion. Noticing that the unicorn was not moving at his usual quick pace, the dragon rose a foot and brought it down upon Zero. After grinding his foot into the ground in order to make sure the stallion was truly dead, the dragon turned his attention back towards the group of ponies. Before he could even approach them, however, he felt a small weight upon his head. He tried to get a look at what was on his face, but stopped once a familiar voice began to speak.
"This is between us/ They have no part in our fight/ You shall not have them.", said Zero as he brought the blade deep into the dragon's face. The dragon growled as a spike of pain ran through his face. Before he could remove the stubborn stallion, the pain in his face grew immensely. As the blade found its mark, it unleashed a magical shockwave that tore the initial piercing wound wide open. Zero quickly teleported himself away from the dragon and watched as the wound he had just created bled profusely. The dragon was stuck in a state of complete disbelief, for he had never seen himself bleed as heavily as he was now. Unsure of what to do, he did the first thing that came to mind: He ran. The dragon launched himself into the air and flew away in order to allow his wound to heal. Once his foe was out of sight, Zero allowed himself to fall to a knee, fatigue overwhelming him. He looked over to see Mordecai approaching him with a grin on his face.
"What a bitch. He could have slaughtered you if he didn't back out," the pegasus informed Zero.
Zero only returned the grin, knowing perfectly well what Mordecai just said was completely true. The rest of the group had trotted over in order to tend the two fighters' wounds. They both shrugged them off and began making their way into the cave.
"What are you two doing?" questioned a concerned Twilight. She had just seen them both take quite the beating and they still persisted on moving.
Mordecai turned to face her and smiled. "We're going to go see what loot that dragon was hiding in there."
Zero and Mordecai were not surprised to see the massive hoard the dragon had. Gold littered the floor and there seemed to be an endless supply of jewelery and gems. They didn't care for these things, however, and began looking for anything that could benefit them. They went their separate ways as they explored the hoard. Eventually, Zero saw something that caught his eye. He trotted over to the point of interest and saw that he was looking at a longsword submerged in the sea of gold. He got a grip on the hilt and pulled it from its golden tomb, immediately examining its features. It was a great deal heavier than his own blade, but not so much heavier to the point where it was a burden. He did not recognize the metal it was constructed of but admired the light gray color of it. Despite being unused for a long time, the blade was still extrememly sharp. The blade was a perfect balance to the one he owned. Before he could continue his examination, he was interrupted by Mordecai.
"Zero! You gotta see this," was all the hunter said. Zero walked over to the pegasus in order to see what was so important. As Zero approached, Mordecai held out something towards him. "Look at this."
Zero looked at the object in his friend's hand and was completely taken aback. There, in Mordecai's hoof, was a shard. A shard of something he knew all too well about. He took hold of the shard and examined it, comfirming his suspicions.
He was looking at a shard of a Vault Key.