Sunset honestly didn’t know how to feel right now. In all her years, with all her training, she just didn’t know what to do right now. She felt useless. A part of herself was furious about that and how this all happened. ‘This is Gingersnap’s fault,’ she told herself, but a part of her knew better. That and she couldn’t blame the show mare right now. Gingersnap and her assistant had left some time ago, before the fires were finally put out.
She could still hear Fiddlesticks weeping. The farm mare was hugging a down, crispy tree like it was a dead relative. “Rootbeard, I’m sorry. I… I didn’t get the water soon enough.” She kept weeping, hugging it like a lifeline.
Sunset couldn’t help but feel something inside her break at the sight. She didn’t want this. Of course, before she could go any further with this line of thought, she felt someone sit next to her. “What is it, Spike?” She grumbled. ‘Oh great, he’s going to lecture me.’
“Oh nothing really,” Spike commented. “I just wanted to check to see if you’re conscious is eating away at you. Looking at you, that’s probably so.”
“Why does that matter?” Sunset snarled.
“Because it means you feel sorry about what you did,” Spike booped her nose. “You never did that with strangers.”
“That’s because she’s my friend,” Sunset snorted. “Well, kind of. I’ve only known her for a few days.”
“Does it matter?” Spike asked.
Sunset shrugged, grunting in frustration. “I… I don’t know. This whole friendship thing still doesn’t make much sense to me.” She laid down on the ground. “Maybe mom shouldn’t have listened to me and just taken me to Canterlot. Fiddlestick’s farm wouldn’t have been burned if I wasn’t here.”
Spike sighed, “Look, Sunset-”
“Are you trying to psychoanalyze me?” Sunset turned on him with a glare.
Spike blinked in confusion, “What? I’m just trying to help.”
“And that has nothing to do with you going to the psychology class,” Sunset sarcastically quipped. She narrowed her eyes. “Wait a moment. You’re just trying to write a paper for that cute teacher, aren’t you?”
“Oh now you’re just making things up,” Spike huffed, blushing slightly. He crossed his arms, “I don’t need a paper to woo her. I’m just trying to help my big sister understand ‘feelings’.”
“I don’t need to understand ‘feelings’,” Sunset snorted.
“Well that’s apparent,” Spike quipped. “Maybe you should go over and talk to Fiddlesticks, see about calming her down.”
Sunset’s ears folded back as she heard her friend’s whimpers. Again, her heart felt like someone was crushing it. “I… I don’t know what to say. I basically burned down a portion of her farm, because…” She growled. “Because of that witch, Gingersnap. This is her fault. Why, if I ever see her again, I’ll make her pay.”
Spike face-clawed, “Sunset, that’s exactly what got you into this mess.”
“But she was going to hurt you,” Sunset snapped, her body shaking slightly with rage. “Don’t you remember? You were shaking. What was I supposed to do?”
“How about not going off the deep end?” Spike said. “I’m not a baby dragon, Sunset. What was she going to do to me? Blast me? You’re a top tier magic caster and even you have trouble casting magic on me. What was she going to do, huh?” He sighed. “Yes, I was scared. She scares me, Sunset and I can change that.”
“See,” Sunset grinned. “You see my point. I had to take care of her.”
“Killing her wouldn’t do anything,” Spike growled, glaring at his sister. “I’m scared of her, but I don’t hate her. You know why? It happened years ago. It was in the past. Why should I care anymore?”
“You should care,” Sunset snarled. “You can’t just forgive someone at the drop of that hat.”
“And why not?” Spike threw up a hand in exasperation. “Equestria would be a hay of a lot more peaceful if ponies just did that. Condemning someone eternally for stuff that happened beforehoof is stupid. Did she kill anyone? No. Did she destroy anything? You’ve done worse. We’re all jerks at one point in our life and do crazy stuff.”
“You don’t understand,” Sunset shook her head.
“Yes I do,” Spike said firmly. His eyes softened. “What happened with Nightmare-”
“I ALMOST LOST YOU AGAIN!” Sunset screamed in his face, her eyes shimmering as they swelled with tears. “Do you know what it’s like? To almost lose your sibling twice in your life and you could have done something about it.”
“The river incident was an accident and we were kids,” Spike laid a hand on her shoulder. “And those dark sorcerers got the drop on us. We couldn’t do anything about it.”
Sunset scoffed, “Yes I could. Besides, you should have stayed home.”
“You wanted me to come with you,” Spike growled. “And even if you didn’t, I would have anyway. I can handle myself, just like you should handle yourself.”
“I….” Sunset stopped as she heard Fiddlesticks whimpers hit her ears once more. She glanced around again at all the devastation. “I… I…” Her eyes watered with tears. ‘I burned my friends farm. It was an accident. It was that witch. It wasn’t me. It wasn’t my fault… Why can’t I believe that? It’s the truth…. I…’ With not a word, she ran off crying. Even her brother’s pleads did nothing as she teleported out of sight.
___________________________________________________________________
There was never a peaceful moment in the Everfree Forest. There was always something dying. There was always another predator stalking its prey. Hate and fear ruled this place and the mares trodding through it now had an abundance of both.
Gingersnap scowled as she limped through the forest. Her burns were still healing. Thankfully, she had some potions she had bought from a zebra on the shore to help with them. Zebras were masters at potion making, so it would fine on her. The cuts and bruises were bandaged up and they were only slightly red now. That was good. The less blood that a predator could smell, the better. “Come on, Giddilee. It’s not far from here.”
“Umm,” Giddilee gulped as she helped Gingersnap from falling over. The wounded unicorn had to sometimes lean on Giddilee’s side. All the while, she kept hearing all sorts of monstrous sounds. “Gingersnap, maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”
The show mare scowled, “Why not?” She turned her head to glare at her friend. “What do I have to lose? That fake princess Sunset is going to go to her mother and say this is all my fault. What are my parents going to say to that? What is anyone going to say to that? I have to prove I can do something, anything, to get them off my back. That I’m not a hack.”
“And what is this plan?” Giddilee asked, scared about her friend. The look in Gingersnap’s eyes was maddening and confused.
Gingersnap grinned and pulled out a paper from her bag with her magic. She coughed slightly, painting the ground slightly red with her blood. “I’m glad you asked. You see, before we came to Ponyville, I decided to do some research. It turns out that a couple centuries ago, there was a treaty signed with a dragon that lives within the forest.”
Giddilee’s eyes widened. “And what does this have to do with us?” ‘Please don’t tell me what I think you’re going to tell me,’ she thought imploringly.
“If I’m going to clear my name,” Gingersnap grinned maliciously. “I need to kill a dragon.” When Giddilee tried to protest, she held up a hoof. “Ah, but I don’t have to kill a dragon to kill a dragon.”
“...What?” Giddilee was beyond confused at that.
“I just have to make everyone think I’ve killed a dragon,” Gingersnap giggled. “Collect a few scales, maybe a horn and some blood and I’m as good as any hero. My family will just be begging to take me back. Hay, maybe the princess will even take me as a personal student.”
“I’m not sure-”
“We’re here,” Gingersnap cut her off, gesturing to a deep, dark cave. There seemed to be currents of air blowing in and out of the cave at regular intervals, almost like it was breathing. Gingersnap giddily walked into the cave. It seemed the pain killers were finally kicking in, or she just didn’t care about the pain at this point.
“I really think we should head back,” Giddilee quickly caught up to her after hesitating. “We can’t fight a dragon.”
“Ah, but it’s sleeping.” Gingersnap smirked, looking rather proud of her intellect. “Dragons take long sleeps that can last over a hundred years. It’s healthy for them, so this should be easy.” She grabbed a long sword that she had stashed in her ‘endless bag’ and slashed it in the air. “I have to thank my late uncle for this.”
“What happened to him?” Giddilee quirked an eyebrow.
“He woke up a dragon and it ate him,” the showmare answered nonchalantly. “I’m not as careless as he was.”
“That’s the painkillers talking,” Giddilee spoke. “You’re not in-” She was silenced with a glare and the two carried onwards.
It took them a few moments, but eventually they came across a giant hollowed out chamber. It was so large that they guessed it could house the entirety of Ponyville. However, it’s size wasn’t what caught their attention. Glittering like the sun above, was a mountain of jewels. It had everything: gold, rubies, sapphires, etc.
Gingersnap grinned, “Jackpot.”
“This is a bad idea,” Giddilee shook in fear.
Gingersnap snorted and trotted over to the hoard. She started putting as much as she could into her sacks. “Stop complaining and help me here. We won’t go hungry anytime soon with a place like this.” There was a sudden growl that caught their attention. The hoard shifted as a scaly snout poked its way through. Gingersnap’s eyes widened as it came within a short distance with her. She was about to bolt away when she noticed the eye was still shut. The dark green creature’s breath came in long intervals, signalling it was still asleep. She laughed softly, “Oh this is beautiful.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Giddilee whispered as loud as she felt she could.
“A horn and some scales,” Gingersnap looked the dragon’s head over with greedy eyes. “That’ll do it.” Her horn glowed and a hue enveloped her body as she levitated herself. Self-levitation was actually easier than many thought it was. As long as you had the strength and endurance, you could even fly. Not for very long and you definitely wouldn’t win any speed contests, but it could be useful. She held up her blade and held it close to a draconic spike.
“Well thief,” a deep masculine voice spoke up, shaking her concentration. “I have to say, you are quite daring. A dragon’s treasure is one thing. Shearing parts of his body off while he slumbers? Most amusing.” The drake’s eyes opened.
“I…. I…” Gingersnap stuttered as she shook in fear. Her horn gave out and she fell on her rump. She tumbled down the hoard until she hit the ground. She jumped to her hooves, turning around to face the drake.
The jewels cascaded down like a waterfall as the dragon lifted his head. Opening his large maw, he yawned. It gave the two mare’s the creeps, especially since one tooth was larger than their own bodies. “However, no matter how amusing this all is, you woke me up from such a wonderful dream.” The drake narrowed his eyes. “For that, you will burn.”
“Wait,” Giddilee spoke up, immediately regretting it once the dragon looked at her. She did her best to steel herself, even though she knew she was shaking like a leaf. ‘You can do this.’ “We… We didn’t mean to hurt you or anything. My friend-”
“Is a thief,” the dragon growled, standing up. As the gold and other jewels fell away, the creature’s massive size became apparent. “If there is one thing I hate more then anything, it is a thief. This treasure is mine. These spikes are mine. This whole place is mine and you dare to think you can take any of it away from me?”
“And who do you think you are?” Gingersnap snapped, snarling at the drake. She apparently still thought quite highly of herself, if she believed snapping at a dragon was a healthy activity.
“I am Ragnok, The Terrible.” the dragon glared at her. He spread his wings out wide, which they nearly spanning the same length of his body. “The blazing death of countless cities. I laid low thousands of your warriors and you thought I would roll over while you took something from me?”
“Well….” Gingersnap’s resolve seemed to bolster as her anger got the better of her. “You don’t need all of this. It’s just laying around doing nothing. At least I’ll make something of it.”
‘Gingersnap, for the love of Celestia, shut your mouth.’ Giddilee whimpered.
“Do you know who I am?” Gingersnap stomped her hoof in anger. “I am the Stupendous Gingersnap, heir to the Razorsharp house. You will heed my words or you will face the might of the Equestrian army.”
“And pray tell,” Ragnok chuckled. “How will you tell anyone of this if you’re dead?”
“I will best you myself,” Gingersnap held out her sword. “They’ll reward me handsomely for your defeat.”
“Ah, so this was all for glory.” Smoke billowed out of Ragnok’s nostrils. “I am just some prize that you’ll lord over others heads just to make your pathetic existence worth something.” Before Gingersnap could react, a tail shot out from the hoard and smashed her into the wall. “I am no prize, pony. I am Ragnok, the Terrible.” He walked out from under his hoard, causing the cave to shake slightly. He picked up the sword she had dropped and crushed it. “No blade can pierce my hide.”
Gingersnap shakily stood her ground, “I am the Stupendous Gingersnap.” She coughed up a few goblets of blood. “I shant go down that easily.”
“A pity,” Ragnok growled. “If you had, it would have been painless. So tell me, Gingersnap the Stupendous, how do you wish to die?” Fire licked his lips as he glared down at the unicorn. Right before his fire blazed away Gingersnap, Giddilee tackled her, getting them both out of the way. “You know,” he commented as the flames died away. “I was thinking about letting the timid one live to tell of your demise, but now I think I’ll just kill you both.”
“Please,” Giddilee stood up before Gingersnap. “We weren’t going to take anything more than a few scales. She needs them. Do you know what it’s like to have the whole world hate you? To have them look down at you like your nothing? She just wants something to make them proud of her.”
“Is this supposed to move me?” Ragnok snorted. “She wants to be a hero by pretending to slay me? ME?!!” His roar nearly defeaned them. “I have killed ponies for less. Why do you think some little story will change my mind.”
“Because….” Giddilee shook in fear. Death was literally staring her down. His snout was just a few meters away, so his breath kept blowing her mane back and forth. “She’s my friend. I just want her to be happy.”
“And gaining the respect of her peers will make her happy?” Ragnok quirked an eyebrow, glancing at the battered and cowering unicorn. Giddilee nodded. The dragon smiled. “Well then, I’ve changed my mind.”
“You have?” Giddilee smiled. ‘Maybe this is a nice dragon.’
Ragnok nodded, “Of course. If she wants fame,” he snatched the two of them up in one hand, ignoring their screams of fear. “Then I shall make her famous. Everyone shall remember your name, Gingersnap. The name of the pony that brought fire and death to Equestria.” He stormed out of the cave, keeping them close.
“Please no!” Giddilee screamed, trying to get his attention. “Ponyville didn’t do anything.”
“So that infernal town is still around,” once outside he raised himself on his hindlegs and took a deep breath. He smirked, “Yes, I can still smell them. Perhaps that bothersome Smith is still alive.” He chuckled. “What was that saying you ponies have? Kill two birds with one stone?” He took off, roaring into the sky.
‘What have we done?’ Giddilee whimpered. She didn’t know how to teleport and Gingersnap wasn’t in any shape to do so. The blow from the dragon had shaken her up and it would take a bit for her to get out of it. They were all doomed.