A fierce roar of a mighty dark-green dragon soared in the ever-gloomy heavens. It broke through the strong and cold wind. Strong and mighty wings flapped hard, but the dragon wasn't flying peacefully. The dragon was soaring up, diving down, spinning 'round, and turning left and right. And these are to accomplish its goal of removing a pony who is currently binding his limbs around its neck.
The air above was strong, cold yet thin, and Gold Blitz was already having a difficult time breathing normally. He was already feeling pretty weak, after forcing himself to choke the dragon. But it has been twenty long minutes since they started flying out in the sky, and the pony had already realized that he couldn't keep this up. Sooner or later, he'll probably lose either his strength or his consciousness, and everything he has done will end to nothing.
He couldn't have that. He shouldn't. But what more can he do? He's fighting against a massive dragon. If this is how a dying dragon is, then how much would a living one be, if ever he'll need to deal with that, he thought bitterly and amusingly. Still, he won't give up. He'll try his best to keep it up, until he still has both the strength and the consciousness to continue.
The dragon roared as it dove towards the earth with speed that made the earth pony's eyes shed tears. The air was deafening, and he almost lost his grip when the dragon suddenly pulled up. His hind hooves slipped off, and he struggled for a few seconds before he manages to clamp them back onto the dragon's neck.
His hope that the dragon wouldn't notice was swept away after he noticed the dragon was grinning as it quickly flapped its wings and flew higher and higher. The black blanket of clouds were getting closer and closer, and soon, the dragon will dive down again. Gold Blitz gulped, shivered slightly, and strengthened his hold.
But the dragon kept flying. It kept flapping its wings, bringing itself and the pony through the thick blanket of clouds. The air suddenly felt poisonous, and the earth pony coughed and wheezed a few times before deciding to stop breathing, even though his lungs demanded air.
His ears could now only pick the dragon's flapping wings. Soon, however, they emerged from the sea of darkness, and Gold Blitz's eyes saw the magnificent and beautiful crimson sky in the far west. He turned his head slowly to the east, mesmerized by the sky's color from orange to night-blue. Stars were shimmering like diamonds in the dark sky, and he kept staring at them until a large dark-green dragon head appeared before his sight.
Gasping, he just realized that he has already softened his grip on the neck of the dragon. He tightened his hold, even though his strength was already drained.
"Enjoying the view, aren't we?" The dragon grinned with an eye closed shut where dried blood has flowed.
Gold Blitz wasn't sure whether to made a response. He didn't even know that a dragon could talk. Then again, Spike is—or, was a dragon, and he ca—could talk. Remembering Spike made his spirit drown in the sea of despair. Without even realizing it, he nodded in defeat.
"You are a strange one..." the dragon spoke, turning its one-eyed gaze at the sea of stars.
Gold Blitz was actually confused by such a remark. "What do you mean?" He needed to know. Earlier, they were trying to kill each other, and now, what is going on? He needed to know.
The dragon slightly shook its head. "...unicorns started the war. They enjoy nothing but power."
"I'm not a unicorn..." Gold Blitz pointed out quietly, but the dragon's sharp ears picked it up.
"No, you are not." The dragon growled, "but you are among them."
"What?" Gold Blitz blinked. "Among them? Me? Among the unicorns?"
The dragon's head turned to him, though it only managed to give him a side-stare. "...are you not?"
The pony fixed the dragon with an angry stare. "I'm not one of them." The dragon seemed unconvinced, and Gold Blitz sighed. "I've escaped their empire twice! Well, once... The recent one was I was rescued out of there..."
"Rescued..." the dragon echoed in a whisper-like manner. "They are after you?"
Gold Blitz was about to respond; about that the unicorns didn't really captured him. He was about to tell the dragon that he went there to seek answers, but that'd probably take a few minutes to explain everything. He settled with an uneasy "...yes..."
"Hm..." The dragon returned its gaze back at the stars. "I've lived quite a long time, and from those years, I've been able to know whether creatures such as yourself are telling the truth or otherwise..."
Everything was quiet for a while, except for the dragon's flapping wings. Eventually, the dragon broke it the silence.
"...there is more to that story, is there?"
"...yes..."
"...then answer me this..." it turned its gaze back at the pony. "...why did you hurt the pony I cherish the most?"
Gold Blitz cringed. If he's going to answer that would anger the dragon, then he's sure he'd be good as dead. He started forming lies in his head, but decided against them after the voice inside his mind reminded him of what the dragon had just said. The pony eventually sighed in defeat yet again.
"I didn't want to hurt her but...she knew..." The silence bid him to continue. He sighed once more. "...she knew that I was going there...to your cave...but she didn't stop me." The pony allowed several seconds of silence before continuing. "...she knew everything, but she told me nothing. She made me take Spike along in that cold place without realizing that baby dragons aren't supposed to be out in the cold...so..."
The silence hung in the air for seconds until the dragon spoke. "So it is her fault then?"
"How should I know that Spike shouldn't be taken to cold places!?" Gold Blitz spat.
"That dragon you refer to as Spike is from the unicorns, yes?"
"He i—was, and he's sick of that place as much as I am! And he didn't even know that he wasn't suppose to be in cold places!"
"Do you think he should tell you if he knew?"
"Of course he will! And I don't even know why you are asking me these questions all of a sudden!"
"...to test your ties with him..."
Gold Blitz was taken aback. He blinked in angry confusion. "W-what?"
The dragon nodded. "Figure that out on your own."
Gold Blitz wanted to ask how he'll be able to do that if he's going to be dead soon, but decided against it.
The dragon returned its gaze back to the stars. "I am Xelene, and from your words I could see that my cherished Fluttershy is at fault. You harmed her because you cared about this Spike, and not because you are with the unicorns that gave you such an order of doing so... You have told her that you are heading to my resting place, yet she did not stop you."
Gold Blitz actually sighed in relief that the dragon could actually see reason.
"...however," Xelene spoke, eyeing him, making Gold Blitz tense, "that does not excuse you of hurting her."
The earth pony gulped.
Xelene turned her gaze back to the stars. "But I'll let it slide..." she then slowly eyed him, "...for now."
The dragon tilted her body down, and the pony, sensing what is going to happen, hold on tight.
---
Spike was fighting against the strong, chilly and snowy air as he dragged the wounded and unconscious pegasus mare on the snow-covered path that spiraled around the walls of the tallest mountain in the Smokey Mountains.
He didn't know where his pony-brother Gold Blitz went. The last thing her remembered was a faint memory of him telling him to grab on tight as he took a few steps back before jumping to the next path.
He wished he was here now though. The thought of him leaving him there inside the cave to die was...no! That's impossible. He wouldn't do that...would he?
He shook his head viciously. He needs to stop thinking of thoughts like that, but...he keeps on thinking them anyway...
He shivered. He never realized how cold the place is. He never felt so cold in his life, and he wished he could get out of here sooner than later. But how could he? How could he continue when the path ends here? There's another path up ahead, but with his tiny body, it's impossible for him to reach it.
"Oh, Gold Blitz..." he cried as he heard a faint echo of a roar of some sort in the far distance. He didn't mind as he dropped himself into a defeated sitting position. He sniffed. "Why'd you have to g—!"
He jumped after a powerful loud roar echoed from a distance. He turned just in time to see a large pair of claws towards him. Spike closed his eyes as soon as the claw...caught him?
That's not how predators grab their prey... Daring to open an eye, he saw that he was now standing on a large open claw, and Fluttershy was on the other. He gulped and slowly turned his gaze up until he saw a brightly grinning brown earth pony riding on the back of the dark-green dragon's neck.