Cliff groaned as Fluttershy's cottage came into view. The crowd of protesters had grown again, almost completely surrounding her yard.
Beside him, Fire Claws wordlessly reached out with her magic to link the two of them, Burning Torch, and Fire Eyes together.
Each of the four dragons sent waves of calming emotions to the others as they strengthened their defensive spells, just in case.
“Leave Fluttershy alone, you monsters!” a unicorn stallion shouted as they drew near.
“Give the real Fluttershy back to us!” an earth pony mare demanded. “What did she ever do to you?”
“We won't let you conquer us using our own friends!”
“You can't trust carnivores!”
“Hybrids!”
None of them want a fight, Fire Claws reported. They're just trying to scare us off.
I'm not seeing any imminent attacks, Fire Eyes agreed.
An instinctive desire to protect members of the herd, coupled with a show of force to dissuade potential predators, Burning Torch mused. As herbivores, they would gain little by killing us, and only put the group at risk by attempting it. Fascinating how their entire culture reflects their instincts.
Cliff tried not to roll his eyes. His grandfather was as concerned as the rest of them, but his scholarly nature often lead him off on tangents.
They reached the cottage itself. Cliff slipped inside while the others spread out to feed Fluttershy's animals.
With all the windows shut and the curtains drawn, the inside of the cottage was fairly dark. Even so, he could make out a glaring white rabbit holding a rolled up newspaper.
He's still blaming you for all this, Fire Claws provided.
“Angel,” Cliff sighed, “you know we don't have time for this today. Just help us get her to the meeting, like you promised.”
The rabbit unrolled the newspaper in his paws and then tossed it at Cliff's feet. The cover, once again, had a picture of Fluttershy, standing in Autumn's apartment, wearing Cliff's illusions. Her leathery wings and scaled body stood out like a sore claw.
He had no idea how the press had gotten their hooves on that picture, but it had been plastered over every major newspaper and magazine for the better part of a week now. Today's headline read, If The Elements Can Fall, Is Anypony Safe?
“That's why Autumn came all the way from Canterlot to help,” Cliff explained. She came highly recommended by both Spike and Princess Celestia. Apparently the crystal mare was also a leader in some organization dedicated to helping other crystal ponies adapt to modern Equestria, making her uniquely experienced in the sorts of problems the Cultural Exchange Program was going through.
Angel squeaked several times and waved his paws around.
I think he's trying to say that the situation would fix itself if you just left Fluttershy alone, Fire Claws sent him.
“Look, are you going to help us or not?”
The white rabbit glared at Cliff before he put a small metal pot on his head like a helmet and marched outside through the pet door.
Figuring that that meant 'yes,' Cliff made his way to the bedroom, where he found Fluttershy huddled under a mass of blankets. “Hey there,” he whispered.
A pale yellow muzzle peaked out from beneath her hiding place. “Good morning.” There were dark circles beneath her eyes, but a tiny smile still lit up her face.
“Well, 'morning' at least.” He leaned down and nuzzled her cheek gently. “How are you holding up?” he whispered into her ear.
“I'm okay.” She really didn't look okay.
“You don't have to go out there, you know. We can just bring the meeting here.”
“N-no, I couldn't inconvenience everypony like that, and since this is really my fault, I-” she was cut off as a pair of scaled arms pulled her into an embrace.
“Don't ever say that.” Cliff extended the link to include her. They had been using it to help her since this whole mess started.
As soon as she accepted it, all four dragons poured feelings of comfort and reassurance into her.
Fluttershy's spirits slowly lifted, and she hugged Cliff back. Different types of fear still echoed through her heart, but at least the guilt and self-hatred had been soothed again.
They held the embrace until the rest of the coven finished their chores, then Cliff and Fluttershy made their way to the front door.
“Remember, we're all here for you.” Cliff backed his statement with feelings of determination and companionship.
She nodded faintly, almost desperately pulling in the positive emotions. Unfortunately, it was entirely possible to become dependent on shared emotions, and so Cliff and the others had to limit how much they gave her.
Through the door, Cliff heard his grandmother say, “Alright, Angel, do it.”
A few seconds later, a flurry of chirps, screeches, and growls reached them, followed by shouts of surprise and disgust from the ponies outside.
“What's going on?” Fluttershy asked.
“Your critter friends are convincing the protesters to leave,” Cliff replied. It had taken hours of begging before Angel agreed to help, but if the amusement he felt from the others was any indication, it had been worth it.
They stepped outside to an empty yard, splattered liberally with bird droppings. A small army of woodland creatures stood at attention in front of Angel.
The white rabbit squeaked out a few orders and then turned to face the dragons. He 'said' something else. Meanwhile, the other animals started cleaning up their fecal mess.
He's ordering us to bring her back safely, or something like that.
Fluttershy approached her pet and gave him a loving hug. “They will, Angel. Thank you.”
Angel grumbled as he squirmed out of her hooves, but there was a light blush on his cheeks.
Huh, I didn't know he could feel emotions other than 'pissed off.' It was probably for the best that Fluttershy couldn't understand Fire Claws' emotion-based speech.
Since more protesters could show up at any moment, the four dragons quickly formed a defensive wall around Fluttershy and set out for Ponyville.
Luckily, their trip was uneventful. As they were reaching the palace, Cliff saw Rainbow Dash on the other side of town, shooting out large bursts of fire as she shouted about how stupid this whole nonsense about a hybrid army was.
This, of course, had drawn in a large crowd, clearing the path for her timid friend. Rainbow met Cliff's eyes and winked before continuing with her speech.
Spike, Twilight, Autumn, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity were already waiting for them upstairs, sitting in a loose circle of chairs and couches. Spike was sitting next to Autumn, but, through his grandmother, Cliff could feel a huge amount of awkwardness between them, and even more reflecting between the pair and Rarity.
If only Spike would come talk to us about this. Cliff sighed. He had been trying to get his brother to open up about what happened for days with no luck.
He will when he's ready, Fire Claws assured him.
Autumn's heart suddenly flashed through several emotions, I agree. The wound is too fresh right now. She smiled faintly at Cliff's surprise. I can sense emotions as well, you know.
Oh yeah, he sent back. Sorry.
No need to apologize.
The front door opened and shut, and Rainbow Dash came running into the living room. “Whew, some of those reporters are fast! I shot off so much fire that I had trouble keeping ahead of them.”
“I did warn you about that,” Twilight said as the newcomers took their seats. “Flight and fire breathing both draw from the same pool of magical energy.”
“Yeah, yeah, Twilight. You've only told me, like, a thousand times.”
“Yes, well, we should get started now.” Twilight turned to Autumn. “Thank you again for agreeing to help us. Did you get a chance to read through my notes on the situation?”
Autumn nodded. “Yes, Twilight. They were quite... thorough.”
“Thank you.” Twilight smiled at the compliment, to her mind, at least. “What is your analysis of things?”
“I'm afraid there is no easy way to say this,” sympathy began to well up in Autumn's heart, “but I believe that, starting at the end of this meeting, the Cutie-mark Crusaders, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy should avoid contact with all wyrms other than River, especially Cliff Runner.”
Cliff felt like an earth pony had just kicked him in the chest. He barely heard the storm of protests Autumn's comment provoked. All he could feel was the sickening numbness reflected between himself and Fluttershy. He met her gaze, trying to think of something, anything he could say. This can't be happening.
Ears splayed back against her head, Fluttershy stared back at him until she had to clench her eyes shut against the coming tears. She turned away with a choked sob.
“I truly am sorry,” Autumn said over the tense silence that had suddenly descended. “Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy have already been seen with draconic features, and one article has already mistaken the games you play with the Crusaders for combat training as part of some sort of hybrid army. The way you all have banded together to help Fluttershy has only reinforced the idea that you consider her more dragon than pony, and any evidence we bring up to counter these false claims could be ignored or dismissed as coming from yet another hybrid in disguise.
"Even a royal statement from Twilight or Princess Celestia would only have a limited impact because they are both so close to Spike, whom they have already begun to suspect is part of this nonexistent scheme to take over Equestria. The only way to end the rumor mill completely is for us to cut it off at the source.”
The others all looked at Cliff and Fluttershy of them with a mixture of shock and sympathy, but none could dispute what Autumn had said.
Cliff closed his eyes, and told himself to nod. It had never been so hard to complete such a simple action. “What should we do about River?”
“Any articles that have mentioned her at all have expressed the hope that her Ponyville friends can 'redeem her from the instincts of her race.' For the time being, at least, she can spend time with any wyrm or pony she wishes without causing problems.”
In spite of the warmth being poured into him and Fluttershy by the rest of the coven, Cliff still felt cold as he wrapped his arms around the yellow mare. It was an empty gesture, and they both knew it. He couldn't pretend to be strong for her when she could feel just how weak he was. Between the thoughts of losing her, the good friend he had found in Rainbow Dash, and the three fillies he had grown to love so much, it was all he could do hold himself together.
Autumn's voice dropped to a sad whisper as she said, “I promise you all that I will strive to my utmost to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.”
“Anyway,” Twilight mercifully drew the group's attention, “what can the rest of us do?”
Snapping back into business mode, Autumn said, “Rainbow Dash, you need to stop breathing fire in public.”
“Ugh,” the blue pegasus groaned. “Do I have to?”
“Quit yer whinin',” Applejack told her. “That ain't nothin' compared to what Fluttershy n' Cliff are dealin' with.”
That deflated her rather quickly. “Alright, I'll do it.”
“Thank you.” Autumn turned to the other dragons. “We need good publicity to counteract all the lies. I know some reporters I can contact, but you need to have something impressive to show them when they get here.”
“Well we've already cleaned out the hospital.” Spike shrugged. “Any other ideas?”
“I still heal ponies there everyday,” Fire Claws pointed out.
“Good.” Autumn nodded. “We can use that, but we need more.”
“Volunteer work, perhaps?” Rarity offered.
“The farm could always use a helpin' hoof,” Applejack said, “but do ya think that'd help at all?”
“I don't think it would hurt, at least.” Spike shot his brother a sympathetic look before continuing. “We could also have the newspapers write short autobiographies for everydragon. It might change some ponies' minds about about us if they realize that we're individuals like them.”
“Excellent idea, Spike.” Twilight said. “I could also publish some of the things I've learned in my studies. Understanding wyrms better is sure to make more ponies relate to you all.”
Autumn studied the list Spike had been keeping. “These are good ideas. We should also talk to some of the hospital patients that were healed, and maybe bring up the hydra that Cliff fought off.”
As they continued to hammer out details, Fire Eyes, Fire Claws, and Burning Torch moved to stand in front of Cliff and Fluttershy, offering the couple what little privacy they could to say their goodbyes.
“I'm so... so sorry.” Fluttershy whispered between her sobs. “You were only trying to help me, and, and now...”
“Fluttershy, listen to me,” he whispered back. “Don't blame yourself for this. None of it is your fault. It won't last long, you'll see.” He prayed to the stars that he was telling her the truth.
-_-_-_-_-_-
Compared to the lifetime of a dragon, seventeen days didn't seem like much. Even for a pony it wasn't terribly impressive. For Cliff Runner, however, seventeen days of feeling completely useless while Spike, Twilight, Autumn, and Rarity worked day and night was a very, very long time.
Cooking and cleaning around the palace only took up so many hours of the day, and Autumn's reporter friends barely needed him for a few minutes one afternoon. Their articles did help somewhat, or so he was told, but Cliff was still left with two large problems: a lot of free time, and even more anger that needed venting.
Luckily, he had two other things: a list of spells his grandmother wanted him to practice, and a friend that was as frustrated by the whole situation as he was. Today, like most other days, had largely been devoted to the two friends taking out those frustrations on each other.
Cliff slid to a stop in front of the Dragon House, panting softly. He resisted the urge to growl when he saw that a small group of paparazzi was standing at the side of the road, watching him intently. He wasn't nearly exhausted enough yet to deal with them without making a flambe out of somepony, and Fire Eyes was still a speck in the distance.
He ignored the reporters, who were too nervous to approach the 'Dragon's Lair,' but would doubtless torment him all the way back to the palace, and went to a small barrel of gemstones on the side of the house. Something about the crystalline structure of gems amplified the effects of any dragon spells cast on them, making them ideal ammunition for a new attack he was learning.
Cliff picked out a teardrop ruby, took aim at a large tree at the edge of the forest, and cast Speed Burst, followed immediately by Momentum Transfer.
Enough kinetic energy to accelerate him to several hundred miles per hour was forced into the ruby all at once. It shot out of his hand with a thunderous crack, slicing right through the tree and into the one behind it. The knot he had been aiming for was completely untouched, however. At least his second shot hit it.
He finished off the barrel, and was halfway through retrieving the gems when Fire Eyes finally caught up to him, gasping for air. “Okay... so that's... twenty-two... to zero.” She flopped onto the ground.
“Sounds about right. Let me grab the rest of these gemstones and then we can have our duel.”
She nodded weakly. “Yeah... have fun.”
By the time Cliff finished, Fire Eyes had gotten her breathing under control, and was glaring at the reporters. They were both under direct orders from Fire Claws not to 'accidentally' injure any of them.
“Ready?” Cliff asked.
She nodded. “Point match, or submission?”
“Submission.” Against Fire Eyes, it was more or less signing up to get a few limbs broken. Submission matches had only one rule; fight until somedragon either gives up, or loses consciousness.
“My thoughts exactly.” They took their positions and Fire Eyes tossed a rock into the air.
Thud
The ground at Fire Eyes' feet exploded upwards in a cloud of dust. Cliff didn't give her time to react as he shot forward, slamming into her hard enough to knock them both clear.
They had just landed when a blast of telekinesis hurled Cliff diagonally into the air. The young dragon barely got a shield up in time to block her followup, a bolt of lightning.
He reversed his momentum and cast Speed Burst immediately, followed by Momentum Transfer just as he reached his old friend. Cliff was left standing still and Fire Eyes went skidding across the field, plowing up dirt and grass as she went.
The white dragoness somehow managed to cast Explosion before crashing into a tree at the edge of the forest. The force of her blast knocked Cliff flat on his stomach, and left a small crater in the ground behind him.
Fire Eyes pulled herself upright, and paused. Cliff had gone invisible.
The spell took an unbelievable amount of willpower, and only lasted for a few seconds, but Fire Eyes' signature precognition magic couldn't predict the moves of an opponent she couldn't see.
A rock smashed into her stomach with enough force to knock the breath out of her.
She cast Shield instinctively, but Cliff had planned on that. A pair of ethereal claws, extended out to several feet in length, passed through the shield like it wasn't there, scoring deep cuts into her forearms. Drops of crimson began to well up on her otherwise white scales.
Of course, glowing claws kind of gave away his position. A surged lightning bolt connected with the young dragon, leaving tiny arcs of electricity to dance across his invisible form.
Momentarily paralyzed by the attack, Cliff was unable to dodge a telekinetic thrust that smashed him sideways into another tree. He couldn't tell if it was the tree or his arm that made that cracking sound. To make matters worse, his invisibility spell ran out.
Fire Eyes closed the distance and surged a Strength spell to deliver a resounding palm-strike to the left side of his head.
Scale Armor absorbed enough of the blow that Cliff wasn't knocked senseless, but it still left his teeth rattling and his ear ringing. Luckily, his opponent was now close enough that she wouldn't be able to dodge his counterattack. He surged his own magic and delivered a flurry of strikes to her chest.
She jumped back and brought up a shield, obviously confused by the fact that she hadn't felt a single one of the blows.
Cliff threw up a shield of his own to block another explosion. His expression was somewhere between a grin and a grimace. He couldn't blame Fire Eyes for her confusion. Delayed activation spells was something he would never have thought of if Twilight hadn't brought it up, and this was his first time using it in a fight.
The timers went off, and the white dragoness was hurled back with the combined force of four simultaneous Speed Bursts. A large tree seemed to explode as she crashed through it, raining shards of wood down on the whole area.
If it wasn't for his scales, Cliff would have been covered in splinters as he shook off the effects of Fire Eyes' blow and shot after her.
She was splayed out across a boulder at the other side of a small clearing, holding her side with one arm. Even so, she managed to roll out of the way of his ethereal claws. A shock-wave of energy knocked him off balance long enough for her to latch onto his right arm.
Electricity began pouring into Cliff from her hand, making the muscles in his arm spasm and clench uncontrollably. He grit his teeth against the pain and tried to shoot away. Unfortunately, Fire Eyes' grip was strong enough that she was pulled along, and a burst of telekinesis knocked him to the ground before he could get very far.
The two of them rolled across the forest floor, clawing and biting each other. Cliff's ethereal claws left dozens of bloody rivulets across his foe's scales, until she was able to bite down on his free hand.
A wyrm's jaws were by far the strongest part of its body, coupled with teeth hard and sharp enough to cut diamonds, it was enough to slice right through to the bone.
With one arm caught in Fire Eyes' electric grasp, and the other hand pierced by her teeth, Cliff did the only thing his pain-addled mind could think of, and bit down on her neck, just hard enough to make sure she felt it.
They both paused, then Fire Eyes dropped her spells and let go of his hand. “Twenty-one, to one.” She spat out a mouthful of blood. “Good fight.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
“You're making me feel like a slacker.” Fire Eyes said as she finished putting out the small fires they had started during their match. They hadn't needed to do that nearly as often lately, as their fights were slowly killing off all vegetation in the area. “I'm still nowhere near catching up to you in a race.”
“Tons more magical endurance though,” Cliff breathed from his spot on the ground. That one fight, and healing himself afterward, had used up nearly all of his remaining willpower.
“Yeah,” the dragoness shrugged, “but you're catching up in that too.” She looked down at him and sighed. “You need help getting back to the house?”
“No thanks.” Cliff groaned a little as he climbed to all fours. “You know, I think this is the first time in years that I've beaten you in a magic duel.”
“It's because you're improving, Cliff,” Fire Eyes said as she led the way.
“Maybe a little.”
She glanced back at him. “Two weeks ago, you were lucky if our point matches were five to two. Just admit it, Cliff. You're getting better a lot faster than I am.”
Cliff remained silent for a moment. In truth, some part of him felt guilty for catching up to Fire Eyes. She was pouring everything she had into training, but she had always had trouble maintaining a large number of spells at once. Nearly becoming her equal in combat felt like he was rubbing salt in his friend's wounds.
“Speaking of getting better,” he said at last, “how is Spike's training coming?” Due to their schedules, Cliff was always either shopping or cooking while his brother trained.
“He does what we tell him to,” she said, “but it's obvious his heart isn't in it. He reminds me of you that way.”
“Yeah, I can see that. I was always busy with running, and now Spike is focused on dealing with the media.” They were getting close to the house. “We're lucky he's so good at it though. Otherwise, they would have kicked us out of Ponyville weeks ago.”
“I guess that's true.” Fire Eyes reached the door and pulled it open. “But it doesn't give us much to talk about.”
“Ask him about his dating life. Spike may be the only dragon under the stars with more problems in that field than me.” Cliff paused, and then smiled gently. There was a scroll on the kitchen counter top.
River, ever thoughtful, had started carrying private messages back and forth between the coven and the ponies they weren't allowed to see, mostly Cliff and Fluttershy.
His expression fell a little when the scroll turned out to be from Rainbow Dash, talking about some new trick she had learned.
“Not the letter you were hoping for?” Fire Eyes asked softly.
Cliff sighed. “I know I shouldn't feel disappointed. Rainbow taking the time to write any kind of letter is actually a bit of a miracle, but Fluttershy's letters spend so much time asking how I'm doing that I barely know what she's up to anymore. I just... I guess I'm...” he trailed off as a pair of claws covered his mouth.
“Stop before you hurt yourself. I'm sure your marefriend will write you another letter soon.” Fire Eyes pulled her hand back and walked towards the bathroom. “Anyway, is Spike still pining after the white unicorn?”
“Yeah,” he followed after her, glad for the change of subject. “Even though he has been spending time with Autumn, the crystal one, for a month.” Cliff shook his head in frustration. “He still hasn't recognized her feelings for him, let alone his own feelings for her. Seriously, how can such a smart dragon be so incredibly dense?” He turned on the hot water and flopped into the tub.
Fire Eyes climbed in as well. “You're pretty dense too when it comes to love.”
Love... Cliff fell silent as he scrubbed the grime from his scales. Fluttershy jumped back to the front of his mind. Why didn't I ever tell her that I love her? “...Yeah,” he sighed, “I guess I am.”
Fire Eyes put a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry.”
“Don't worry,” he shook his head. “Autumn said we're close to getting things back to normal around here.” They had Princess Celestia to thank for that. Her own P.R. team (as they were apparently called), had released several statements to the public, condemning reporters and protesters alike for their unfounded attacks, while praising the Ponyville Coven for enduring it. Since then, fewer and fewer newspapers had been running anti-dragon stories.
“Good.” She smiled. “It's about time we caught a break. I wasn't talking about you and Fluttershy though.”
Cliff blinked. “I've never courted anydragon else.”
Fire Eyes returned his stare with an amused one of her own.
“Oh,” realization dawned on him, “you're right.” He leaned back to stare at the ceiling. “The time I tried to court you was pretty stupid too.”
“Not nearly as stupid as all the years after.” She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, I developed a crush on you like three months later.”
“H-ya-wha?” He shot straight upright. “Huh?”
Fire Eyes laughed. “Still think your brother is so dense?”
Cliff's cheeks flushed red. “Well... no.” He sank back into the water. “I'm so sorry, Fire Eyes. I can't believe I never noticed...”
The dragoness waved her claws dismissively. “I realized that you grew out of that crush over a year ago.”
“...But you didn't?”
Fire Eyes' casual demeanor slipped a little. “Well, no. Not until recently, when I saw you with Fluttershy.”
“I'm really sorry, Fire Eyes. I didn't mean to-” Cliff stopped when a clawed hand covered his mouth.
“Cliff, relax already. I'm not a hatchling anymore, and I'm sure not upset that you and Fluttershy care about each other. Heck, I was glad to see a good friend so happy.” She lowered her hand. “The point is that you should be more patient with your little brother.”
The young dragon smiled gratefully at his friend. “You're right.” A sly grin crossed his lips. “Want me to hook you up with one of the stallions around town?”
She splashed water in his face. “Yeah, no. I'm not into the whole furry scene.”
“Suit yourself.” Cliff laughed. It seemed like the first time in a while that he had done that.
-_-_-_-_-_-
The next Monday, Cliff Runner was shocked to read that Discord had held another press conference. Not only had the draconequus refuted all claims that Fluttershy or the Crusaders had become hybrids, but he threatened to prank the entire staff of any newspaper that said otherwise.
“'Discord went on to explain,'” Twilight read with a grin, “'that Rainbow Dash's draconic abilities are solely the result of unicorn magic, performed by Princess Twilight Sparkle.' I can't believe it!” She grabbed both Spike and Cliff in a hug. “I have no idea why Discord did this, but the timing couldn't have been more perfect!”
Cliff felt a little dazed. For nearly three weeks he had been praying for something like this to happen, and now it had come from the most unexpected source of all. It was only with a fair amount of difficulty that the young dragon kept himself from running straight to Fluttershy's house.
Waiting until after breakfast for Autumn and Rarity to arrive was torture, but even worse was their decision that he should wait at least two more days, just to see if the press really would move on.
After their meeting, Cliff found himself in the unusual position of being too excited to focus on training. Twilight was reading another dragon book, and Spike was writing another article for the newspaper, leaving the older dragon to his own devices. I still need to write back to Derpy, he decided. The mailmare's most recent letter had been a much needed reminder that Ponyville still supported him, and a promise that they would do everything they could to let him and Fluttershy be together in peace once more.
My dear friend, Derpy,
Sorry I've taken so long to write you back. I can't thank you enough for your friendship and support during this time. Anyway, I'm sure you've already heard, but it seems Discord has come out against all those lies the newspapers keep printing.
With any luck, I'll be able to see Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and the Crusaders again soon. Not soon enough for my tastes, but I'll take what I can get. Pinkie will probably throw us a party when the time comes. I hope you'll be there so I can thank you.
It's funny, I just realized that the two of us have never had a conversation face to face. I know you said you have trouble expressing yourself out loud, but I'm sure it can't be all that bad. And even if it is, you're still my friend. Do you really think I'd think less of you for it?
Besides, I know how smart you are. Don't even try to deny it. I've read too many of your letters to think otherwise. I'm not the only dragon to think so either. Grandma tells me that you're one of the most insightful ponies she has ever met.
Speaking of Grandma, she also tells me that you've got a crush on a certain stallion. She didn't tell me much. Just that you work with him as a side job. Who is he? Maybe I can help set you up with him. Or better yet, ask Grandma. She's a lot better at that sort of thing than I am. If I'm being completely honest, she's better at pretty much everything than I am. I love that about her.
You know how, when you're young, your parents seem perfect? They know everything. They can do anything. You want to be just like them when you grow up. Well, Grandma is kind of like that, only for adults too.
Did I ever tell you that her name means 'Great Protector'? Well, that's one interpretation, at least, but it's the one that suits her best. It took me a while to figure out that ponies see fire as a bad thing. Dragons can't be hurt by it though, so to us it's a symbol of home, family, and safety. When combined with something related to combat, like 'claws,' it focuses more on protecting or defending other dragons.
'Fire Claws' is also the name of a spell that creates things out of fire. They only last as long as you pour willpower into them, but Grandma once used it to hold off a berserk drake for over an hour while I ran to get backup. It was a rank three berserker at that. By all rights, it should have killed her, but she just said that she wouldn't let herself die while the rest of the coven was depending on her to keep them safe.
Okay, okay, I just realized how much I've been geeking out over her. What can I say? She's my hero, and I'm really happy that you get along with her too.
Anyway, I was sorry to hear about your troubles with your little sister. She's about the same age as the Crusaders, isn't she? That would explain it. You wouldn't believe some of the things River has said without realizing how hurtful they were. Once she told me that I'd probably never find my brother, since I'd been searching so long without success. I think Dinky really is proud of you, whether she realizes it or not.
Maybe she's upset because of that bully, Diamond Tiara, and is taking it out on you. River Wind tells me that she has been “extra mean” lately. No offense, but I don't understand why ponies put up with bullying. At a wyrm coven, that filly would have been punished severely for her behavior.
Anyway, let me know if there's anything I can do to help. I look forward to hearing from you again soon.
Your friend,
Cliff Runner
After finishing the letter, Cliff put it in an envelope and delivered it to the Carrot's house. Golden Harvest was working in the yard when he approached. The two exchanged uneasy waves, but didn't speak. According to Derpy's letters, her roommate partially believed the newspaper stories about dragons creating a hybrid race to conquer ponykind. Frankly, Cliff was surprised that he had even gotten a wave.
With nothing else to do that day, the young dragon made his way to Zecora's house. He was ashamed to admit that he hadn't spent much time with her in the last three weeks either. He intended to fix that.
-_-_-_-_-_-
“Hello Zecora.” He smiled sheepishly when the door opened. “Long time no see.”
“A long time indeed,” she smiled back, “to not see a friend in need.” She motioned for him to come in. “What brings you by, if ask might I?”
“I realized that I haven't talked to you in a while is all.” Cliff took a seat beside her as she ground herbs into powder. “How's business?”
Zecora shrugged. “My healing potions are not in need since your kind did your good deed.”
Cliff felt a little guilty. “Sorry about that.”
She gave him an amused smile. “What kind of zebra would I be, if others in pain I did not wish free?”
“True.” He smiled back. “What about your business though? Are you making enough to get by?”
The zebra pointed to a shelf with several bottles on it. “Growing plants, delicious food, beautiful mane, and all things good.” She turned back to him. “I still sell potions my dragon friend, but of a different kind and towards another end.”
“That's a relief, but is it enough?” Cliff gestured around the room. “I noticed that you have fewer bottles than normal.”
“To suit my needs I make enough,” she assured him, “collecting ingredients, however, has been quite tough.”
“Okay, but promise you'll talk to me if you run low on bits. I never spend my Royal Adviser salary anyway, and we both know it's not good for me to hoard it.”
“You touch my heart,” Zecora smiled, “and yours is pure. In a friend I could not ask for more.”
“I haven't been by to see you in weeks,” Cliff reminded her. “I think you could ask for a lot more in a friend.”
“None are perfect,” she returned, “this we know, but a good friend returns, while others just go.”
The young dragon watched her work for a few moments before he spoke again. “You mentioned that you're having trouble collecting ingredients. If you don't mind my asking, why is that?”
“A sleeping drake is starting to rouse. Around the forest he sometimes prowls.”
Cliff grabbed the zebra. “We need to get you out of here!” A berserk drake wouldn't have any particular reason to attack Zecora's house, but he wasn't going to risk a friend on the chance that it saw her and happened to be hungry.
She gently pushed away his claws. “Peace, Cliff Runner. You need not fear. Many enchantments protect me here.”
“But-” A hoof covered his mouth. That seemed to be happening a lot lately.
“He cannot harm me in this house.” Zecora smiled at her friend. “And outside I am quiet as a mouse. Though the stealth is truly needed, finding ingredients has been impeded.”
“Okay,” Cliff sighed, “but I need you to tell me about this drake.”
The zebra pulled over a bag at her workstation. She removed a hoofful of green dust and blew it into the air. The dust formed into the shape of a fully berserk drake, albeit many times smaller. It was extremely well muscled, had especially sharp claws, and its tail was covered in blade-like protrusions. “Green as a leaf, with deep yellow eyes. He has ruled this forest since ancient times.”
Great. Cliff thought. Spike had once encountered a drake that looked like this one. “Do you know if his cave is in that direction?” He pointed.
Zecora nodded.
Even worse. He swallowed. “Zecora, I don't mean to scare you, but that thing is a rank three berserker. It's smart enough to plan, and angry enough to go after anything it feels is challenging its authority.” He caught her with a firm look. “You should really come stay in Ponyville until we deal with it.”
She held his gaze for a moment before nodding. “Very well, Cliff Runner, I heed your advice. Perhaps time in Ponyville would be nice.”
Cliff breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Zecora. I'll sleep a lot easier knowing you're safe.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
Cliff spent the next several hours talking with Twilight and helping Zecora move. Luckily, the Apple family had a spare bedroom that they were willing to let the zebra use. They also offered to sell her potions alongside their apples in the marketplace, which was sure to draw in more customers for both sets of products.
Apple Bloom had frequently told Cliff how cool she thought Zecora was. He wished he could have seen her face when she heard the news.
Talking with Fire Claws when she got off work was far more serious. Berserkers recovered slowly from their hundred year sleeps. If Spike had been the one to awaken it back when he accidentally stumbled into its cave, then they would likely have another two or three years before it became alert enough to attack Ponyville. Before that happened, Cliff and the others would have to find it and either force it to move elsewhere, convince it that Ponyville wasn't part of its territory, or kill it.
He relayed everything to Twilight afterward, who gathered Spike, Autumn, and Rarity.
“We can't afford a repeat of the hydra incident,” Twilight said. “It would probably be best if you avoid confronting that drake with all the reporters around.”
“We could take it on out in the forest,” Cliff replied.
Spike shook his head. “At least one reporter would be sure to follow if all of you ran off.”
“Fine,” the older dragon sighed. “Zecora won't be happy about the delay, but we'll focus on defending Ponyville for the time being.”
“It would be best if a third party told everypony about the threat,” Autumn said. “Any connection between you and this drake could easily be misconstrued as an alliance.”
Twilight nodded. “I'll ask Celestia to send out an announcement. She might be able to spare some guards to help keep the town safe.”
“Only let her send the best,” Cliff warned them. “A rank three berserker is powerful enough to take on a small coven by itself.” He thought for a moment. “Pegasi would fare best against it. Have Celestia send those, if possible. We can teach them what to do.”
“I'll ask her,” Twilight promised.
“If I may,” Autumn turned to the older dragon, “how can you be sure of this drake's power? And if it is as big of a threat as you've said, how did you plan to fight it with only four dragons?”
“Wyrms have been fighting berserkers for thousands of years,” Cliff reminded her. “It was only a matter of time before we came up with a way to quantify the threat a given one represents. Berserk drakes, for example, have a base zero rating scale. This one is stronger and more deadly than a regular drake, based on its body build, but seems to lack any advanced technical skill in combat, so add one. It can talk, which means it's intelligent, and it's prone to attacking other creatures in anger. Add one for each of those. In total, a rank three berserker. Add one to its rank and then cube to get an estimate of what it would take to defeat it. In this case, sixty-four.
“However,” he continued, “the members of our Ponyville Coven are all extremely talented fighters, and capable of linking. They had to be, otherwise one of us might go berserk and the others wouldn't be able to handle it. My grandmother is probably a rank four warrior by now. Fire Eyes and Grandpa are rank two. I'm approaching rank two myself. Add up all of our ranks, plus one per member, and square the result to get our effective power when fighting as a linked group. In this case, one hundred and ninety-six. These are all just estimates,” he clarified, “but it gives you a fair idea of what would happen if we fought it.”
Autumn's eyes widened slightly. “That is a surprisingly mathematical analysis, but are you not worried that your estimates may be wrong?”
“Of course I am,” Cliff said, “but neither Spike nor Twilight is ready for linked combat yet, so the four of us or a team of pegasi are our only options.”
“I can help,” Spike objected. “I'm working my tail off with Fire Eyes every day.”
Cliff considered his brother for a moment. Spike could be stubborn when he set his mind on something. Disagreeing with him outright would probably just make the younger dragon angry. “With any luck, we won't have to fight it for a while. If Grandma says you're ready when the time comes, then you can join us.”
Spike nodded. “I will be.”
Doubtful. Training in linked combat usually took weeks, and his little brother was still at least a month away from even beginning it. In truth, Cliff was a little glad of that. He didn't want Spike getting anywhere near a berserker, let alone one this powerful.