Succession

by Helrael

11 - The Dragon Hunter

Twilight gritted her teeth against the snowflakes that, at her current speed, cut into her face like tiny razors, forcing her eyes shut as her chariot pullers fought to break through the cloud cover above Manehattan.
 
Winter came so suddenly, she reflected, weaving together a spell that would shield her against the frigid weather.

“You’d think the weather patrol would schedule the snow storm for sometime after almost a hundred flying chariots needed to take off!” one of the pegasi pulling the captain’s chariot grumbled to his partner, who only shook his head.
 
“Manehattan needs water!” he shouted over the howling winds. “It hasn’t rained around here for weeks! Just be glad it’s snowing and not hailing! My sister says everypony in Cloudsdale has their hooves full turning their water supplies into something less substantial than... you know, giant chunks of ice!”
 
“But today of all days!?” the first pegasus asked despairingly as a violent gust of wind shook the chariot.
 
“It’s four days, actually.”
 
“Besides,” Twilight added, expanding her protective field to her two chariot pullers. “We left in a notice of just a week. A blizzard this size must have taken much longer to plan, right?”
 
The second pegasi cuffed his partner on the ears good-naturedly. “See that? Even the unicorn knows more about weather than you do!” He grinned over his shoulder at Twilight. “No offense, Captain.”
 
The unicorn smiled and shook her head, turning her head to see what lay behind her before she would vanish into the thick layer of clouds above. Flying in a loose formation behind her own leading chariot were more than eighty similar flying vehicles, all carrying either supplies or the total of the one hundred and seventy soldiers Scarlet Bolt had given her for her current assignment.
 
One hundred and seventy ponies, Twilight thought, still unable to wrap her head around it. One hundred and seventy unicorns and pegasi loyal to me, ready to do whatever I tell them to. All of them counting on my wisdom and leadership.
 
Below her was the huge city she now called home, covered in at least an inch of snow after just a few hours of enduring the storm. Amid the white landscape, Twilight saw a variety of tiny specks of color. No doubt the citizens of Manehattan venturing out into the blizzard to see the spectacle of nearly a hundred flying chariots taking off simultaneously.
 
She briefly wondered if Rarity might be down there as the clouds enveloped her chariot and obscured her view of Manehattan. Most likely, though, her friend knew nothing of the Sword of Equestria’s assignments and had no idea that the creatures of Dragoncrest had gone as crazy as everywhere else in Equestria. Perhaps that was for the better.
 
Not for the first time since her talk with Scarlet Bolt, Twilight felt fear and worry creeping into her heart as she thought of her oldest friend. I’m coming, Spike. You’d better be your good old self.

Delayed by the huge blizzard around Manehattan and having to fly around a violent lightning storm above the Everfree Forest, it took the Sword of Equestria and its additional soldiers three full days to reach Orange Valley, which had become nothing more than a smoldering ruin.

“Sure am glad to have the Heroine of Equestria on my side...” Amber Vane said as he stood beside Twilight, looking out upon the completely decimated town. “Because defeating something that did this sounds almost impossible.”

“This could have been Ponyville,” Twilight muttered, awed at the destruction. Not a single building had been left standing, and not a scrap of wood seemed to have been spared the dragon’s fury. Deep trenches had been carved into the earth where Twilight suspected the dragon had landed or taken off, and large trails of soot-stained earth bore witness to the titanic bursts of fire that had leveled the small town.

During Nightmare Moon’s reign, it was said dragon raids were a common occurrence, but I guess Celestia must have done something back then to protect her kingdom. But what? Can I do it?

“This place was even bigger than Ponyville,” she added, “and now everything’s gone. There’s nothing we can do about it. Nothing we could have done.”

“We’ll get everything sorted out in the end,” Amber Vane assured her. “Eventually. We just have a lot on our plate right now, dealing with Celestia’s death and Nightmare Moon’s return.”

Nightmare Moon... Not for the first time, Twilight wondered if the dark alicorn somehow could be involved with the dragon attacks, yet again plunging Equestria into fear and uncertainty. But why? Why does she need us to be so afraid? She could take over all of Equestria if she wanted. Unless she’s still weakened by The Great Tragedy, of course. It seems unlikely that she’d be incapacitated for more than half a year, though. Are the dragons her allies then, or have they truly gone insane? And if they have gone mad, is it because of her?

“Don’t spend too much time worrying about Ponyville though,” Amber Vane continued. “They’ve got the Elements of Harmony, right? I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

“There are only three of them left,” Twilight countered. “Without the rest of us and the Elements themselves, we really aren’t that special. Besides, Canterlot had both princesses and the entire Royal Guard. I don’t really think anywhere’s safe...”

“That’s what we’re putting a stop to, right? Taking care of all the timberwolves, ursas, and dragons so nopony gets hurt?”

“And yet we’re still standing outside the burnt-down ruin of Orange Valley,” Twilight insisted, but was soon distracted by an approaching pegasus.

“Sorry, Cap’n,” Night Flight said, landing in front of the two unicorns. “It’s obvious there was a dragon here, but it’s impossible to say where it went. Do we expand the search area?”

The lavender unicorn shook her head. “Dragons can fly halfway across Equestria without having to stop. If we can’t discern the direction in which it travelled from where it took off, we most likely won’t be able to find out at all. For all we know, it could be on the other side of the continent by now. Our main focus should be finding out what’s causing this disturbance and putting a stop to it. The rogue dragons will just have to be second priority, I’m afraid. Round everypony up; we’re leaving in half an hour.”

Only a few hours after leaving behind the remains of Orange Valley and flying north toward Dragoncrest, however, the fleet of chariots was met by the ominous beating of leathery wings, suggesting that the dragon wasn’t as far away as anticipated.
 
For a long moment, both soldiers and chariot pullers were quiet, the silence punctured only by the rhythmic beating of the dragon’s wings that almost drowned out the lavender unicorn’s own heartbeat as she and the others scanned the skies above for the hidden giant. “Pegasi, take to the air,” she commanded, refusing to let the cloud banks around her position out of her eye as she spoke. “Pegasi chariots and supply wagons, find a safe place to wait out whatever comes next.”

Her subordinates did as they were told, the pegasi warriors disembarking from the chariots in midflight while the very same chariots turned sharply, seeking the shelter of ground from the winged predator.
 
No sooner had the chariots and wagons left than a monstrous gout of fire erupted from the inside of a cluster of clouds to Twilight’s left, the vivid brightness of the inferno revealing the silhouette of the Sword of Equestria’s newest adversary. Having already prepared the spell, the captain summoned a large screen of magenta that deflected the oncoming tidal wave of flames, which instead rippled out in every other direction and completely obscured the image of the dragon’s shadow with its fiery, almost blinding brilliance.

“Ground it!” Twilight shouted at the top of her lungs, blinking against the spots that danced before her eyes and growing dizzy as she held back the fires that threatened to consume herself and her soldiers. “Pegasi and unicorns together! Attack the wing..!” Whatever else she had had to say was lost in a sharp gasp as an enormous, orange, reptilian head reared up above her barrier, its claws easily smashing through the much smaller pony’s spell. As it passed by overhead with a thunderous roar, Twilight quickly assessed the dragon to be quite a bit larger than a typical ursa minor. With wings and the ability to breathe fire, however, it could very well prove far more dangerous than any ursa. She had no delusions as to why Scarlet Bolt had granted her so many soldiers; some of them would not be returning to Manehattan. How many depended solely upon her.

While she attempted to reclaim the energy of her broken shield, a swarm of no less than one hundred and five pegasi enveloped the fire breathing reptile, beating down on the spot where the dragon’s wings met its body in an effort to disrupt its flight.

The orange titan twisted around, spraying a jet of fire as it swept its head back and forth. By some miracle, not a single pegasi swarming around it was hit.
 
Twilight found herself wincing as the winged ponies vanished between clouds of smoke and blasts of fire only to reemerge unscathed. This isn’t working! We’ll need a different approach before anypony gets hurt. Twilight turned to face the majority of the unicorn fleet as the chariots circled in place at a safe distance from the raging dragon. “The primary attacks have failed!” she called out to the mages and soldiers, using her magic to amplify her voice. “We’re switching tactics! One-pony show! Initiate one-pony show!”

Sixty-four unicorns should be able to replace the Element of Magic, Twilight assured herself as she winked out from the chariot and appeared within the densely wooded area beneath. Hopefully.

A ray of magenta light erupted from her horn and soared upwards for all to see, signalling the change of tactics to the pegasi engaged with the dragon.

The pegasi broke free of their struggle with the orange giant, kicking into overdrive as they fought to reach their captain before the dragon could get a clear shot of them. Meanwhile, the chariots carrying the unicorns that would be supporting Twilight lifted higher into the air, making sure the mages weren’t close enough to the ground to warrant the approaching dragon’s attention, but still close enough for them to reach their captain and her immediate area with their magic. “Prepare redirect!” she ordered of the ponies above her, and the black sky sprung to life in a myriad of different colors as sixty-four horns began glowing. “Clockwise!”

Looking past the flying soldiers, Twilight could see the roaring dragon approaching fast, its jaws parting slightly as it prepared to roast the flock of pegasi flying in a tight formation straight at their captain. Twilight dug her hooves into the ground in anticipation as the dragon came within fire breathing range of her, preparing to give the order at the slightest sign of danger.

A bright light blazed to life within the winged lizard’s maw, followed by a violent eruption of fire that rushed toward the one hundred pegasi directly between the dragon and the captain of the Sword of Equestria. The winged ponies pulled away sharply, scattering completely while Twilight gave the order. “Now!” she screamed, her own horn flaring magenta as her magic reached out toward the oncoming wave of fire. A split second later, the magic of her subordinates joined her in her efforts, grabbing hold of the flames and twisting them free from their original path. As the jet of fire passed harmlessly through the space where the pegasi had been only seconds before, it began to veer off course as the unicorns’ magic took hold of it. The flames that would have engulfed Twilight curled around her instead, encasing her in a blazing incandescent cocoon with only a few square feet to spare before the jet of fire exited its orbit around the lavender mare and leapt off the ground, hammering into the dragon with full force, bright fiery tongues licking at the beast’s head and underside.

With a venomous snarl, the dragon locked eyes with Twilight who now stood in a small, burnt-down clearing, the monstrous reptile forgetting all about the pegasi as it landed a hundred feet ahead of her, knocking over a large group of trees. Twilight took an involuntary step back as the ground shuddered beneath the dragon’s weight and yelped as her hoof touched the scorched ground that had appeared all around her.

Okay, no walking. Calm down. This isn’t your first dragon, Twi. There was the red one right outside of Ponyville, there was the hydra, the one that attacked Spike, the other ones that attacked Spike, a-and Inferno, of course.

The dragon loosed another burst of fire and Twilight shouted “Barrier!” summoning a small force field that deflected the dragon’s attack, the unicorn doing her best to take in her surroundings in the meantime, searching for anything that might help her. Before she could think of anything, however, another long jet of fire was unleashed straight at her, and Twilight barely managed to envelop herself in a magenta force field as the flames swept over her and the entire clearing. As grass and trees alike were consumed by the dragon’s rage, smoke erupted unnaturally from every fire in the area as Twilight’s magic took hold, utilizing one of the strategies she had used when fighting Inferno at Manehattan. “Smoke veil!” she ordered, and while it hadn’t been one of the commands she and the unicorns had rehearsed, she was relieved to see them realizing her intent. Great billowing clouds of black soon enveloped the entire clearing, making it impossible for the dragon to spot its prey. Twilight, however, could easily hear her adversary’s heavy breathing and see the occasional gouts of fire that were released as it snorted and growled with frustration.

To the captain’s vast satisfaction, she soon heard the dragon yowl in pain and increased frustration as the pegasi resumed their assault upon the grounded dragon without her even having to order them to do so. As she saw the faint outline of the orange reptile’s head rearing up out of the smoke, she gave the order, and sixty-five lightning bolts of varying intensity were launched at where she suspected the dragon’s exposed underside to be, obviously scoring a direct hit as her adversary choked on the fire it had been preparing to breathe at the pegasi.

The scaled giant began flapping its wings, clearing away the smoke, but as it did so, the pegasi once again bore down on the reptile’s wing joints, their attacks finally succeeding as the right wing seemed to either dislocate or become somehow paralyzed, flopping limply to the ground.

“Uppercut! Hammer!” The combined force of every single unicorns’ magic delivered a hefty telekinetic blow to the weakened dragon, followed by a crushing downwards thrust that managed to stun the creature. Twilight vanished from the only patch of green left in the newly formed clearing with a flash, appearing on top of the dragon’s head. “Attempting Memory spell! Bind me! Keep me stable!” It took a few seconds for the other mages to process her strange order, but they were soon able to focus on forging a series of magical bonds that wrapped around the captain’s legs and the dragon’s horns and jaws, keeping Twilight lashed firmly in place upon the giant reptile’s skull.

Let’s see if this doesn’t work better the second time around.

Her horn flared to life once more as the equine mind connected with the draconic, Twilight once again venturing into the mind of her foe in an attempt to cure it of its insanity. At least she hoped it was insanity and not alliance to Nightmare Moon.

It took her even longer to gain any sense of direction or orientation within the dragon’s mind than it had when she had been within the ursa major’s, the ancient and alien workings of the reptile’s thoughts much too strange for Twilight to comprehend at first. Though it was hard to recognize, Twilight found that the dragon’s mind, like the ursa’s, revolved around a specific cluster of memories, although the pattern of the orbit seemed to be beyond any mammalian comprehension. As far as she could tell, however, the dragon’s mind didn’t seem to be quite as chaotic as the ursa’s, suggesting that it was perhaps salvageable.

Taking a deep mental breath, Twilight opened up the cluster and immediately felt her body being tossed about as the dragon shook its head desperately, images of what Twilight identified as Dragoncrest Valley spilling out all over both minds. Although there were no visual impressions that explained the dragon’s distress, there was a general sense of wrongness over the memories; much like her own ability to feel magic, it seemed this dragon could sense some kind of evil presence within the valley it had come from.

Nightmare Moon might have been there, but she hasn’t been directly involved with the dragons, Twilight thought with relief as she began taking hold of the evil memories. At least not this dragon. And no changeling thing or whatever it was to freak me out.

Working slowly but steadily, her Memory spell destroyed the dragon’s mental trauma, the roiling mind calming with every memory banished. Eventually, there was nothing left within the dragon but its usual thought pattern and Twilight finally withdrew, cutting off the connection between the two minds. With a deep and tired exhalation, Twilight blinked for a few seconds as she adjusted to her own body once more.

“Alright, everypony!” she shouted to the soldiers all around her, using her magic again to augment her voice. “Everything should be alright now. Let the dragon go and we’ll see what happens.” The bonds around her vanished and so did she, reappearing in front of the dragon who was slowly awakening from its momentary stupor caused by the spell. “You... You shouldn’t by any chance understand Equestrian?” she asked of the dragon, though the reptilian giant only looked at her with confusion. Giving the pony soldiers around it a suspicious glance, it spread its wings, flexing the one that had been paralyzed a few times before launching itself into the air and making the ground shudder as it did so.

A moment of silence followed their previous enemy’s departure before the Sword of Equestria cheered loudly, celebrating their first victory over a creature as formidable as a fully grown dragon. Another moment later, Twilight’s chariot landed beside her, and as the captain lifted into the air once more, flying north toward Dragoncrest, Coup de Grâce fell in beside her in midair.

“You did pretty good,” she told the captain, sounding genuinely impressed. “Don’t know what the council’s gonna say about you going up against a dragon all on your own like that, but it worked.” Coup de Grâce sighed. “You do know that Scarlet Bolt’ll have our hides if anything happens to you, though, right? I mean, it’s probably not even that good of an idea to tell her about your stunt here.”

“I won’t say anything if you don’t!” Twilight replied with a small smile, although it was not returned by the armored pegasus. “Did we lose any pegasi? There were some pretty close shots from what I saw.”

“Three,” the large mare replied. “Cloud Stroke, Whistler, and Sky Darter. They were among the newcomers.”

Twilight was silent for a while, her joy of victory effectively dampened by the sad news. “I’ll be faster next time,” she finally assured her second-in-command. “And I should have realized pegasi alone wouldn’t be able to bring down an adult dragon.”

Coup de Grâce mimicked her captain’s moment of silence as she thought of a reply. “If you’re gonna blame yourself for everyone who dies on this trip, you’re gonna have a tough time as Captain. Things like this happen, but we need to carry on.”

“I know,” Twilight sighed, gazing out upon the dark forest passing by below her. “I knew this was why Scarlet Bolt gave me all these soldiers. I just didn’t know I would lose any already.”

“We lost them,” Coup de Grâce stressed, showing some annoyance at her captain. “We aren’t your soldiers; we don’t fight for you. We fight with you just as you fight with us. You might be our captain, but we’re still a team. We share our victories and our defeats... A pretty good Captain of the Royal Guard told me that once.”

Twilight returned her gaze to the mare gliding beside her. “You... You knew Shining?”

“Yeah...” Without any further explanation, however, the armored pegasus broke away from the chariot, returning to the main body of the flying fleet.

It took the Sword of Equestria another four hours of flying before they finally reached their destination, the peaks surrounding Dragoncrest Valley towering above the rest of the mountainous area the soldiers had entered a while ago. Tired after their long journey and the recent battle, the ponies decided to make a rough landing on a relatively flat plateau not far from the valley, taking a much needed rest.

While the majority of the soldiers slept, however, Twilight found herself unable to do so. Instead, she wandered about the hastily set up camp, pretending to check up on the soldiers posted along the perimeter of the encampment, her eyes wandering back to the tall peaks a few miles away every five minutes.

Spike’s right behind those peaks. Dragons in this area have been acting crazy for the past week if not more. Something was there in the valley... something wrong. How can I just sit around here? He could’ve been attacked by whatever it was that dragon had sensed, or been driven as crazy as all the other animals in Equestria. I haven’t seen or heard from him for more than two and a half years... Twilight sighed at herself. The guards are starting to give me strange looks. Can’t blame them, though; this is the fourth time I’ve passed them. Just... calm down, Twi. We’re going in there tomorrow, right? Just a few more hours.

“Captain Sparkle?” one of the unicorn guards called out almost in a whisper as she passed him, a look of worry in his eyes. “Is something wrong?”

“No, I’m alright,” Twilight replied almost automatically. As she looked the guard over, she bit her lip guiltily, considering whether or not to act on her urges. Just as the guard was about to speak again, she finally caved. “Could you... Could you wake up my chariot pullers? They should be in the large green tent near that ramp-like cliff. Tell them to meet me by the captain’s chariot.”

The unicorn guard saluted shortly and set off toward the other side of the camp at a brisk pace. In the meanwhile, Twilight decided to pay a visit to Coup de Grâce. No doubt the second-in-command would be beside herself with anger if the captain decided to leave without telling her.

At least Coup doesn’t seem as paranoid about my safety as the council is. She might even think it’s a sane plan.

“What?” came the sleepy and perhaps slightly annoyed grunt of the pegasus who emerged from the darkness of the tent almost immediately. It occurred to her that she had never seen Coup de Grâce without armor; the mare looked much darker in just her brown coat when she wasn’t encased in gold and bronze, but somehow just as imposing.

“I need to go in now,” Twilight explained promptly. “I keep worrying about Spike; if I don’t get some kind of closure, I’ll go crazy!”

“Dragoncrest? You want us to go now?” Coup de Grâce inquired, trying sleepily to follow while casting a gaze back at her tent where her armor lay. “I’d suggest waiting a few more hours. You know? Let everypony rest up like we agreed? We don’t even have a course of action planned out.”

“I do,” Twilight said. “I’ve been thinking it would be a pretty bad idea for a large force to enter the valley. We don’t know how many dragons are in there, and defeating one was hard enough.”

“In that case, a pegasus would be better suited for the task,” Coup de Grâce pointed out. “Getting you in there would be... difficult. A chariot, even flying, is far from suited for stealth.”

“I need a chariot to get Spike,” Twilight insisted. “I need to get in there and make sure he’s alright.”

Coup de Grâce frowned at the captain. “You said yourself we don’t know how many dragons are in there. If an immediate investigation of Dragoncrest is really your order, I’d suggest sending in a team of pegasi to scout out the area.”

“What if they get spotted?” Twilight argued. “Once the dragons are alerted to our presence, it could be impossible for me to get in there!”

“This isn’t about you!” Coup de Grâce hissed back at the captain, sighing as she motioned for Twilight to enter her tent. “Contrary to your belief, Captain, we’re here to find out why all these dragons have been acting so hostile,” she continued as she closed the tent flap, making sure nopony could hear their discussion. “Arranging a meeting with your dragon friend isn’t a priority!”

“But it’s the easiest way to do things!” Twilight countered. “Spike knows Equestrian, so instead of spying on the dragons, why not just ask one of them? It’s the best and the quickest way of completing the assignment!”

“You’re talking about taking a flying chariot into the heart of a valley full of dragons to search for a guy that may or may not be there and may or may not be hostile! That is not the best solution!” the pegasus pointed out angrily. “I agree, stealth is the best way to go, but what you’re suggesting is not stealth! It’s charging into a valley full of dragons alone! I was put on this team to help you with the decisions, so let me give you this piece of advice: Use our pegasi. Scout out the area, and see if that doesn’t tell us what the problem is. If not, we’ll find another way based on the reconnaissance. It’ll take a few days, but no one will be in danger.”

“Our supplies will only last us another week,” Twilight reminded her. “Flitting around the edges of the valley and looking for a solution will take a while.”

“That’s why our supply carts can fly,” Coup de Grâce said, waving off the captain’s argument. “It’ll only takes us a few days to restock.”

“Sending a team of scouts into the valley isn’t all that safe either,” Twilight continued. “No matter what, it’s still a valley full of dragons. If they get spotted, those scouts would be in much more danger than I would be. My approach is less subtle, yeah, but at least it won’t be a whole team of scouts that’s put at risk...”

“It’ll be the captain,” Coup de Grâce finished flatly. “There are times when a captain must stand on the front lines, encouraging her soldiers, and there are times when the captain should remain in the background, coordinating the forces at her command. There are not times when the captain should be out scouting behind enemy lines! That task belongs to our scouts! Like it or not, the council doesn’t want you to die, so please don’t try to kill yourself! I’ve told you before, and I’ll tell you again, you need to start acting like a captain!”

“Fine!” Twilight sighed angrily. “As the captain, I say that I should be the one to enter Dragoncrest!”

Coup de Grâce shot her a venomous glance and turned her back to the unicorn, taking a series of deep breaths before responding. “A chariot then, and two pegasi to pull it,” she said in a much calmer voice.

“I’ve already got that covered,” Twilight revealed. “They’re being woken up as we speak.”

“Can I at least convince you to take a small team of pegasi with you?” Coup de Grâce asked, her back still turned to the unicorn and annoyance creeping into her voice again. “When you get spotted, you’ll want somepony to distract the horde of dragons coming at you. I’d suggest you take Night Flight and Featherbeat; they’re our fastest scouts. For the remaining three... Squall, Twister, and Horizon Bloom were one of our best when it came to taunting and distracting the dragon back there; they’ll be able to help you out if anything goes wrong.”

“If it’ll make you more comfortable, sure,” Twilight agreed impatiently. “As long as it won’t take too long to mobilize them.”

“Your dragon is small, right?” Coup de Grâce inquired as she went to the tent flap and opened the entrance. “If there’s room, I’d say bring a unicorn. Your magic is strong, but you’re going up against dragons.”

Twilight was hesitant at this, but decided disagreeing wasn’t worth another argument with the large pegasus and followed her out the tent. “Fine. I’ll get Night Flight and Featherbeat and find a unicorn. You get the other three.” Coup de Grâce nodded back at the captain and went off in search of the three soldiers while Twilight did the same.

The question is, which one do I take? Amber Vane would definitely be the best company and I’d definitely rather have him around when I find Spike, but if I need any kind of backup, Lightning Rod is the strongest unicorn and the best choice by far... I guess there won’t be much talking on the trip regardless... Lightning Rod it is then.

A few minutes later, Twilight and Lightning Rod were standing together in the captain’s chariot lifting up between the steep peaks that surrounded Dragoncrest Valley, the five pegasi accompanying them flying in a tight formation in front of them.

“Any idea where we can find Spike?” Night Flight whispered back at the captain who shook her head.

“I only followed him out here; I haven’t seen him since he crossed the mountain ridge. He could be anywhere, really. But you know, most likely a cave or something.”

“Right...” the scout muttered, eyeing the hundreds of cavern entrances adorning the cliff faces all around them.

“This’ll be like searching for a needle in a fire breathing haystack!” Horizon Bloom whispered despairingly.

“At least none of them seem to be awake,” Featherbeat pointed out optimistically.

“Don’t say stuff like that!” One of the chariot pullers hissed at him.

“Why? It’s true, isn’t it?” If the scout had had anything else to say, it was lost to him as the distinct roar of a dragon sounded from not far below them, echoing throughout the large valley.

“Now look what you did!” the puller scolded Featherbeat angrily. “You just don’t tempt fate like that!”

“Quiet, all of you!” Twilight ordered in a hushed whisper. “It might not have seen us. We need to find somewhere safe to land and set up some sort of base of operations for our search.”

The party was quiet for a while more, the ponies flying through the silent night air above the shadowy valley below as they listened for any activity from the dragons that could come at them from practically anywhere.

“Why do we always have a full moon?” Lightning Rod whispered nervously. “We must be in plain sight for anything on the ground!”

Before she could reply, Twilight’s ears perked up at the sound of a deep inhaling sound. Her horn sparked to life within a fraction of a second, and a force field of magenta formed around both the chariot and the pegasi flying alongside it just before a violent burst of cyan fire enveloped them. The fire abated, and the captain removed the force field, yelling orders at her subordinates. “Spread out and distract it! We need to land the chariot!” She turned to Lightning Rod as the aircraft pulled into a gentle dive to gain speed. “How are you at force fields?” she asked, trying to find their adversary below. Her eyes locked on to an aquamarine dragon, its yellow eyes riveted on the chariot as the ponies fought to escape.

Lightning Rod shook her head. “Didn’t have Shining Armor as a brother, I’m afraid. I mostly do lightning and telekinesis.”

“Alright. Uhm... do what you can to keep it grounded, I’ll block its fire.” She summoned a wall of solid energy, deflecting a second jet of fire as she finished her sentence, banishing it again as the flames subsided and Lightning Rod’s horn began crackling with lightning. Eventually, the chariot moved over a small forested area, and the dragon chasing them was slowed down considerably by both the vegetation underfoot and the bursts of lightning flowing from the yellow unicorn’s horn.

“Ten o’clock!” One of the chariot pullers cried out and Twilight turned her head to see a wave of bright crimson fire rushing straight at them. The captain gritted her teeth as she summoned her third magical barrier, her energy deteriorating quickly from holding back the fires hot enough to melt rock. Once again, the stream of flames ended, revealing a light gray dragon closing in on them from the opposite direction of the blue one behind them.

“Get us back to the Sword!” the captain shouted at the pegasi, straining herself to be heard over the grey dragon’s furious roars and the sharp crackling of electricity coming from Lightning Rod. “We’ll have to shake off these two before we can do anything!”

“Incoming!” everypony seemed to yell at once in response to the captain’s order, and Twilight threw a force field around the entire chariot once again. She fell to her knees with a grunt as the ponies were encased in both red and blue flames, stealing away her powers at an alarming rate. She screamed as she felt an immeasurable force smash through her wards, the aquamarine claw of a dragon grazing the side of the chariot immediately afterwards, tearing off the guard and wheel on Twilight’s side of the aircraft and causing it to jolt violently as it was almost plucked out of the air by the predator.

The captain hardly had any time to regain her balance before the gray dragon lunged at the chariot as well. Fortunately, the pegasi were able to lift themselves and the unicorns above the dragon’s leaping range in time by swerving violently upwards and to the side. Unfortunately, the sharp turn threw Twilight out of the chariot, sending her flying into empty space as the three other ponies flew off without her, too distracted by the dragons to notice anything else. For a moment, she felt like she was back in the Canterlot palace, falling to her death as she fought to escape Nightmare Moon’s fury. This time, however, the fall wasn’t nearly as long, and she had magic at her disposal.

Doing her best to remain calm under the circumstances, plunging through the cold night air toward a sparsely forested area, Twilight summoned her waning powers and directed them at the birch tree she was currently about to crash into, focusing her seldomly used transformation magic. The tree glowed brightly, collapsing in on itself as she applied her magic while the white of its bark spread to the entirety of the birch until the tree had been replaced by an enormous pillow. With a dull thud, the unicorn dropped onto the summoned cushioning, terminating her spell almost immediately to preserve her magic.

“Incoming!” Twilight, who now found herself lying by the the base of a birch, heard her chariot pullers shout out, and she turned her gaze to the sky only to see the aircraft be consumed in a third dragon’s fire. The captain inhaled sharply and averted her gaze, but as she did so, she caught sight of Squall, the moonlight reflecting off of his silver wings just as he too was caught in a blast of fire.

No, Twilight muttered to herself, shaking her head slowly in disbelief. No, no, no, no! Why did I go in here!? Why did I take anypony with me!? Should’ve listened to Coup! Stupid! Worst captain ever! Realizing that the dragons might come looking for her, the unicorn pushed herself into a gallop, finding a suitable temporary hideout in the alcove formed by the roots of a large oak. You don’t bring ponies who trust you with their lives into a valley you suspect is infested with insane dragons! What was I thinking? My chariot pullers, Lightning Rod, Squall... What about the others? Did they make it? Will they bring in the entire Sword and be burned alive to find me? And why in the name of Equestria did the Council of Nine send me out here!? If they wanted to keep the Bearer of the Element of Magic alive, they shouldn’t have sent her off to battle what’s probably equivalent to a city of dragons!

“I highly doubt they wish to kill you,” something among the shadows of the forest said. “Perhaps they wish to see you grow.”

Twilight flinched at the voice and she looked out the alcove at the dark trees surrounding her, seeing nothing.

“To harden you. To carry you as a shield against that which they cannot face themselves as the world they once knew marches into the shadowy realm of an uncertain future.”

Twilight now recognized the voice as belonging to the thing or hallucination that had spoken to her in Greengloom after the timberwolf slaughter. But just it had been back then, it was impossible for her to find the creature speaking.

“Or perhaps they are but foolish and mortal ponies; prone to mistakes as they wander around blindly in the darkness left by the absence of your Solar Princess, ruling a country with naught but incompetence and ignorance.”

“Who are you?” Twilight hissed at the speaker, speaking in a hushed whisper in order to not catch the attention of the nearby dragons.

“I have told you already. Who I am depends solely on the choices you make.”

“Are you Nightmare Moon?” Twilight challenged the creature or apparition. “Some kind of servant of hers? Give me a straight answer this time!”

The thing hiding in the shadows chuckled at her last question. “Nightmare Moon... Yes... That was my name once.”

“Once?” Twilight sighed and shook her head, convincing herself that there were more important questions. “Are you here to kill me then? Or just to taunt me?”

“Neither.”

“Then why are you here!?” Twilight asked angrily, stepping out from under the oak. After a few moments of searching, she finally caught sight of the same amber eyes she had seen in Greengloom. “What’s with the weird voice? Why are you hiding from us all? Why don’t you just take over Equestria and be done with it?”

“Equestria?” the creature that was apparently once Nightmare Moon said, sounding disappointed. “You insult my ambition, Twilight. I have better things to do. More important things.”

“I’ll stop you,” Twilight stated determinedly. “Whatever you’re planning, I’ll be there to stop you. As long as I’m alive and able to fight, you won’t win!” Her horn flared to life, the light it emitted once again seeming to bend around the spot where the creature stood. “Face me!” she shouted, loosing a bolt of energy at the amber eyes, although even her spells warped around the hidden enemy.

“Soon, my impatient unicorn,” the voice promised gravely. “We shall meet underneath the full moon when the northwestern skies are stained with the blood of the innocents, their doom inevitable. You will have no choice but to be drawn to me. What happens from there depends upon you. Until then, I wish to assess you. You have grown stronger since I destroyed Celestia, have you not?” The amber eyes closed, completely obscuring the thing that had once called itself Nightmare Moon. “I suggest you run.”

The unyielding shadows finally gave way to Twilight’s light, suggesting that the alicorn had vanished. Before she could even begin to consider her enemy’s mysterious words, a warm, yellow glow fell upon her. She looked up and saw the hungry eyes of the aquamarine dragon staring intently at her. The massive maw parted, and Twilight vanished in a flash as bright blue fires washed over the area, drawing in the attention of all other dragons within sight.

Solid cover! Something that can’t burn! Twilight cast her eyes about frantically as she ran through the small forest, doing her best to ignore the branches and undergrowth whipping and tearing at her as her eyes darted about in search of both safety and any pursuers. Several trees came crashing down in front of her as a large but not quite adult dragon stumbled into her path and the unicorn teleported once again, changing direction as she materialized when she heard the blue dragon snarl at its escaped prey. I’m just one unicorn! Why are so many dragons intent on catching me? Are they that desperate for food?

She heard the roar of an oncoming wave of dragon fire and threw a force field around herself just before the entire area was blanketed in scarlet flames, reducing everything around her to ashes and setting an even larger expanse of the forest on fire. As the flames subsided and she set into a gallop again, ignoring to the extent of her abilities the pain of running upon the scorched ground, she cast a glance backwards only to see the blue and gray dragons that had almost brought down the chariot closing in on her rapidly, the smaller dragon following not far behind. She twisted around to face her pursuers just as the gray dragon was about to unleash another wave of fiery death at its tiny adversary, who cast as powerful a force field as she could muster around its jaws, trapping its fire within its mouth and choking it. As the beast stopped up in confusion and tried to regain its breath, the younger dragon crashed into its elder and was sent careening off course and into a cluster of particularly large and thorny trees.

Using the very last scrap of her magic, Twilight teleported herself as far upwards as she could only a second before the aquamarine dragon’s jaws could close around her. She rematerialized atop the dragon’s outstretched neck, fighting to retain her balance as her overly enthusiastic would-be predator’s momentum carried it plowing into the ground head first.

Almost there! Twilight cried to herself triumphantly as she realized she had escaped the small forest and stood before a steep cliff jutting out from the mountains surrounding the valley. Only a few hundred feet ahead of her was a small fissure in the rock that would easily accommodate one of her size, but prevent any of the dragons chasing her from sticking their head in.

Her horn, however, sputtered uselessly as she attempted to close the distance instantly, and so Twilight found herself galloping down the slightly dazed dragon’s neck, every muscle in her body screaming at her to stop as exhaustion began making its mark on her in earnest. As she reached the blue dragon’s head, a vicious snarl from behind suggested that her second pursuer had recovered from choking on its flames. Throwing herself to her side and off the first predator’s head clumsily, Twilight once again narrowly dodged becoming a snack as the gray leviathan’s jaws closed around the blue dragon instead. A flailing neck and a pair of forelegs furiously scrabbling for purchase missed her by mere feet as the aquamarine giant roared its disapproval at the gray, its prey temporarily forgotten as it retaliated upon its competitor, the two dragons soon locked in a deadly struggle of razor sharp claws and blistering flames.

Willing herself to continue, the unicorn got to her hooves, limping on bruised legs for a moment only to enter into a full gallop again as she heard and saw the younger dragon bursting out from among the cluster of thorny trees, continuing where the two larger beasts had left off. Roaring and screaming in desperation, Twilight pushed herself beyond her physical limits, seeing the crevice looming ever closer, but hearing her final pursuer closing the distance between the two at an alarming rate. Grass and earth gave way to rock and the captain made a final desperate leap across the much welcome border between open terrain and closed-off cavern. Scrambling off into a corner of the pitch black cave, Twilight could do nothing but take deep shuddering breaths of relief as she saw first a large claw poke uselessly into the opening, followed by a lance of fire that seemed to be nowhere near of hitting its target.

“I’m safe,” she panted as the dragon eventually left, falling over onto her side as she let every muscle in her body relax. “Stuck in a valley full of crazy dragons... but for now, I’m safe.”