//------------------------------//
// 7 - Locating 
// Story: Twilight's Story 
// by Damaged 
//------------------------------//

"This is a lot more smoke than most accounts of dragons would suggest…" Twilight marched along at Night's side, the pair taking it in turns to keep a big bubble of magic around them. Clean, stale air was much nicer to breath than smoke.

"What does that mean?" Night wanted nothing more than to grab up Twilight and take her away from smoking mountains and bugbears. But she wouldn't have that. He shook his head at even thinking of trying to protect a monster hunter from herself.

Twilight Velvet's eyes were bright as she turned to look at Night Talon. "It means either there is more than one dragon, it is a really big dragon, or it is a very annoyed dragon."

The smoke cleared suddenly, but not for any natural reason. Huge wings blew so much air that it scattered the smoke that was still billowing from the dragon's mouth. "Two out of three, pony." Dragon Lord Torch crashed to the ground, all four limbs striking it and causing the rock under the little group to shake. "And what would you do about it?"

Looking from side to side, seeing all her allies stunned into silence and shock by the huge and apparently surly creature, Twilight stepped forward, her horn blinking as she let the shield around them drop. "Why are you so angry then? We are the wardens of the bugbears on this isle and-"

"You protect these savage beasts?" The bellow of the dragon cut Twilight off, her mane and tail blown backwards by the force of the Dragon Lord's words. "If you guard them from my wrath then you are in my way…" One huge claw raised and drew back.

"No!" Night stepped forward, moving before Twilight. "We don't protect them, we are here to keep them pacified so they don't attack Equestria. What did they do?"

The dragon's eyes narrowed as he took in the stallion, 'clearly trying to defend his mate', or so the dragon thought. Something in the great creature seemed to break. "My lovely one, she owned the sky with me, she flew at my side." Twilight had to jump to the side to avoid a giant tear from hitting her. "She laid her last clutch here, in this cursed place. I protected them, I guarded them. Our two eggs."

"They took them?" Twilight stepped forward, her own spirit a little defeated with empathy for the dragon. "Where?"

"If I knew that, little pony, there would be not a bugbear left here." Torch's eyes were full of fire and fury. "If you save them…" He choked and beat his wings, taking to the air and leaving his promise uncompleted. It was clear to all present that the dragon would give anything for his mate's clutch.

"What would a bugbear want with eggs?" Night Talon could see Twilight wasn't coping as well with standing her ground against the dragon as she had first looked.

"What does any predator?" Staccato lifted a hoof. "They would eat them, more than likely."

Twilight suddenly spotted something that got her hopes up. She trotted forward and lifted up a scale in her magic. "This, we can track them with this!" Night advanced and looked at it. "You see? We can use the same spell that any unicorn would use to find something missing."

Face brightening, Night nodded. "Of course, uh, hold on!" He quickly put up their bubble of protection again as the smoke was reclaiming the gap the dragon had made.

Already casting a spell, Twilight Velvet focused it not on herself, or another, but the scale. Settling the spell on her own horn, she turned in place.

"What does it do?" Frida moved closer to reduce the strain on Night. She got her answer as Twilight, grinning, turned until her horn lit up. "That way?"

"Yup!" Twilight took off marching down the hill, the four at least had a target now. Night caught himself looking up at the mountaintop, wondering just how they would let the dragon know when they had found them.

Marching along, it was Staccato who eventually asked, "Does that spell tell you how far?" Night and Twilight, both, shook their heads. "Then climb on." She stretched herself out and indicated her back with a hoof.

"Oh no, no no no!" Twilight looked scared and looked to Night for support. She watched as the stallion climbed onto the siren's back. "What? Night!"

"Come on Twilight, there is plenty of room for both of us and I promise you I will hold you tight." Not a single one of the four failed to understand the full meaning of Night's words, but for the sake of getting the mare into the air, not a single one said such. "Please?"

Inhaling deeply, Twilight closed her eyes and marched forward. "Stand up to a dragon once and everypony expects you to be fearless…" The mare continued mock-grumbling as she climbed onto Staccato. A pair of hooves gripped her sides and she looked back with shock to see a grinning stallion behind her. Blushing, she gave a little smile that was quickly lost as the siren stretched up and took to the air, riding on her own special magic.

Staccato looked backwards. "Twilight, look forward please, I can't get a reading on where to fly if you keep looking back at Night." The unicorn mare spun back to look ahead, her horn lighting up and then dimming again. The siren slowly turned in the air, tail undulating, until the mare's horn lit once more. 

This time, with her friend gripping her tightly, Twilight did open her eyes and look, and it was… "Wow, this is amazing!" With wide eyes she looked off to each side, her horn flaring every time she turned. "Why didn't you tell me this was so coo-" Eyes going crossed, Twilight coughed and choked.

"I should have warned you! Don't fly with your mouth open!" Flying beside them, yelling to be heard, Frida couldn't help but giggle at her friend. "Unless you like the taste of bugs, that is!"

"Is that a ship?" Twilight gestured with a hoof down and to the side, her horn lighting up brighter as she turned to look. "And what is that flag? That isn't Equestrian!"

Already seen themselves, none of the little group could see any reason not to land in view and came in on the beach where some ponies were waiting, a little rowboat pulled up on the shore. "Well, looky what we got 'ere?" One pony, a unicorn mare, glared at them and strode up before the others. "Couple'a scallywags. Shove off, we got no business with you!"

Twilight looked to Night and then to the mare. "We are here looking for something, have you seen some dra-" Twilight cut her question short with an 'eep' when a curved sword, held in the mare's magic, lifted free of its scabbard and the tip aimed right at her throat. 

"Dragon's eggs? Nope, 'aven't seen any. Tried checkin' the buggies?" The mare lifted one eyebrow. It was then that Twilight realized where she had seen that flag before. "Oh, but where is me manners! Captain Sharp Horn, at your service." The blade pulled free, sheathing itself before the mare's tricorn hat was lifted free, letting her give a proper bow.

"Twilight Velvet. This is Night Talon," Twilight introduced them, gesturing with her hoof, "Staccato, and Frida. We were… uh, looking for a pair of dragon eggs?"

"Ye said that, sure enough. Well miss Velvet," the mare stepped forward, stepping really close to Twilight, "just what do you have for trade?" Leaning up, the mare Twilight knew full well to be a notorious pirate, whispered, "I'll give you one egg if'n you give me that fine stallion. Bet I could break him into me crew in no time." Twilight pulled back from the closeness quickly when blunt teeth gently bit her ear.

"What? No!" Twilight shook with anger more than fear now. "He is my special somepony and you won't be taking him!" As soon as she had said it Twilight blushed hotly.

"Special somepony is it? Very well, both o' ya on my crew, fer a year. For both eggs." Sharp looked across to Frida and Staccato. "Those two as well if'n ya want a wild year." She knew a siren when she saw one, having a friendly sea monster on her crew would make her unstoppable.

Night looked around, watching the other ponies that were obviously pirates. "Two conditions." He looked right at Sharp. "Nopony gets hurt while we ship with you."

"And?" Sharp Horn locked eyes with the stallion, her desire for his company growing the more she realized he was clever, too.

"And we get to return the eggs first. You have my word we will do what you want, just no hurting anypony." Night looked to Twilight, then to his other friends. It was obvious that if the captain wanted to make this a not-nice encounter, she could.

"A deal. Oh but ye can bet I gonna work ye hard, all'a ye." Sharp looked around the new crew members. "Where ye gonna take the eggs?"

As the crew revealed the two eggs, Twilight grinned. She let the search spell drop. "Oh, I bet I can get them picked up…" She channeled power though her horn, sending a surge of light into the air, bursting and showing up to be an image of a dragon. 

"What are you doin'? You daft fools! T' dragon will come!" Sharp's eyes were wide, she looked to the eggs then back in the direction of the mountain, but it was too late. Great wings cut through the air as the huge Dragon Lord sped toward them. "LEG IT!" 

Twilight stood her ground as the dragon advanced and landed, looking up at him. "I found them!"

"You did, little pony. Why should I not believe you were part of these… thieves, that took them?" Torch stepped over the eggs, putting his bulk between anypony and the precious offspring. "This could have been a plan to steal them and then get a favor from me." Torch could tell it wasn't the moment he had said it, the mare looked… shocked.

"I would never do that!" Twilight stomped a hoof, her honor besmirched and her fury, small as it was, demanded it be restored. "We had to promise to work for the pirates for a whole year to get them to give up your eggs!"

Torch's eyes narrowed. "You would want to work with these… unlawful… miscreants?" 

"Well, not really. But I could see your eggs meant so much to you, I wouldn't want anything to happen to a foal of mine…" Twilight ran out of words, particularly when her brain managed to connect Night in on her 'having foals' and she was left both blushing and indignant.

"Pirate." Torch said the word, but he said it with such force that the trees around the beach shook. "Pirate come out now or I will burn your ship to the waterline." He smirked when he saw the pirate captain, the pony who was obviously so, approach. "There now, you took my mate's last eggs," Torch could see that the pirate's eyes opened in surprise, "this was a great crime, and I would eat you for it. But instead I will put your fate in the claws of these ponies." A claw as big as Sharp's head gestured to Twilight.

"What'r you mean? They is me crew!" It was the last hope Sharp had, she pointed to Twilight. "They just signed on, you can't make them in charge'o me!"

"You are the pirate Captain Sharp Horn, scourge of the Celestial Sea, thief, brigand, and a bad pony. You should have to go back to Princess Celestia and ask her what to do with you." Twilight looked at the mare. "But, we did promise. So we will let you off with giving us a trip to the mainland again, and letting us go."

Torch beamed at this. "I am sure that is reasonable. And I will follow you, up in the clouds. Don't want your little arrangement to be… forgotten." Torch leaned down and nuzzled the eggs and froze.

Having an odd rapport with the dragon, Twilight could sense something was wrong. "What is it?" She stepped forward, right up and toward the eggs under the dragon. "Oh, is something wrong?"

"This one is… it was always a worry. A dragon egg shouldn't have much magic in it, but this one had so little I feared for them." Torch nosed the egg toward Twilight. "Take it. Ponies alone can twist magic to their desires, maybe your princess could give them a chance at life."

Twilight looked at the egg, it was a little smaller than the other, it also felt less… there. "I… I will." She looked up at the pirate captain. "And you will be getting us home as quick as you can. We won't report you when we dock, but don't linger." 

"Knew I shouldn'a tried this. 'Captain Sharp, there would be a huge payout from anypony wanting to collect dragon eggs!'" Sharp parroted the last bit with perfect pronunciation, but a silly voice. "What'r you lot lookin' at? Imma keel-haul the lot'a ya!"

"We'll have to get another group to cover here." Night looked in the direction he thought their little hut was. "Even without a dragon riling them up, the bumblebears will need somepony to keep an eye on them." The stallion was startled to get a kiss on his cheek. Blinking at Twilight, who looked very pleased with herself, he couldn't get a word out.

"We will. Now, let's get going. With luck, we might even be able to return and be the ponies to look over things again!" Twilight gestured with a hoof toward the pirate ship.