Equestria Lost: Dragons beyond time

by Tythen

The Forest of Wind

Author's Note:

I have inserted some hyperlinks that should help set the mood for some parts of the story. When you find another link for another word, and the music is still going, feel free to stop that and go to the next song!

"Alright you two," Francesca led her two companions through the forest, a kilometre away from the Halidom, "There's something you need to know about the pattern of fiends. First off, you should've noticed that there aren't any fiends attacking us here. That's because, on main roads like these, Cleo and some church people at her time were able to enchant items with a special sacred power that repels fiends. Like the signpost over there..." She pointed to a typical-looking wooden pole with arrows pointing in different directions. "If you ever want to travel alone, these are a good way to tell you where to go, and they provide a very low risk of getting attacked."

"What about the place where we did get attacked?" Big Mac asked,

"The area you landed when entering New Alberia was not part of the main road." The merchant responded, "In unprotected areas, Fiends tend to appear out of thin air... Sometimes, in front of you, behind you, and wherever. They can only access protected areas by walking into their range and even then, they'll constantly feel harm whenever they're in it. Though some daring ones may want to do some destruction over their safety."

"Yes. We remember..." Estelle nodded, remembering the time she saw Flash clawed on the chest, spilling blood.

"Speaking of, we'll be starting our treasure hunt there. You think you're ready to handle it this time Rar-I mean Estelle?"

"I have two forms of magic. I can handle them with no fear!" Estelle laughed,

"Good." Francesca nodded as she stopped at a narrow path with a small signboard marking danger beyond the point. "Stay close to us Mac, you'll never know when things get dicey."

"I'm not Flash, ah won't charge recklessly Adagio--- I mean Ms Franny... Ya don't mind if ah call you that?"

"For that, you're sticking to Adagio! And don't even think about calling me Ms Adagio either! I may not be human, but I want to be addressed according to my looks!" Francesca snapped and marched forward, "Now hurry up!"

"We appreciate it," Estelle chuckled, holding Big Mac's hand as they walked in. "Let's go!"

The narrow path they took led them to a wide one. Within this enclosed area, the trio could see stones, broken wheelbarrows, barrels and crates, and even an apple tree, sitting in the corner of their nature-paved pathway. Big Mac's eyes sparkled at the sight of the bright red plump fruits.

"Now... It's time to move out!" Francesca declared and ran forward,

"I'm as ready as ready gets!!!" Estelle smiled back and followed behind,

"W-Wait!" Big Mac yelped while trailing behind, "what about them apples? C-Can I at least take one?" The girls sighed.

"Stand back please," Francesca instructed and Big Mac did so. She approached the tree and gave it a firm smack with the hilt of the dagger. Five apples broke off from their branches and fell to the ground with a soft bump.

"Oh, thanks." Big Mac sighed as he gathered it up and placed it in a rucksack he brought along.

"Hmm..." He picked one out to feel and sniff, "it certainly smells fresh! Have you ever considered foraging apples from here?"

"Not really, but there's something else that's fresh!" Francesca spoke,

"What's that?" Big Mac turned with a bright face,

"Us! For the Fiends!" Returning the smile, Francesca pointed her dagger to a group of slimes in jars hopping menacingly towards them.

"Oh..." Big Mac's face dropped, "Mah bad."

"You don't have to apologise," Estelle smiled, whipping out the Loving Hand, "Fighting fiends are a part of the quest!!!"

"You wanna cut back to safety?" Francesca asked,

"A-Ah said ah came to help, so ah'm gonna stick to it." Big Mac shook his head, "Jus' distracted cause of the apples."

"Good," Francesca gave a devilish grin, "Let's get fighting!"

With no fear of getting hit, Francesca charged forward giving a wide swing, catching the bouncing slimes or tripping them over. Attempting to get up, one of the slimes was subject to the merchant's lethal dagger skills.

"One!" Francesca started off with a forceful slash against the slimes' body. Estelle widened her mouth at her allies' skill with a dagger.

"Two!" She then followed up with two quick slashes in succession, right in the same site of injury. The slime would scream if it had a mouth.

"Three!" continuing after that, she delivered another pair of slashes that were slower than before, but with more force than the first time.

"That's incredibly fast!" Estelle watched "I've never seen Adagio move that much during the time of the Battle of the Bands!!!"

"You mean Francesca, right? Let's try an' stick to the pseudonyms." Big Mac reminded.

"Ah! Francesca! Around you!" Estelle warned. Amid her fighting, the other slimes around Francesca began to converge around her.

"That just makes things easy! Four!" Francesca laughed as she spun around with her dagger outstretched. The dagger made whistling sound cutting through the winds, air, and the other slimes.

"Wow..." The two spectators spoke in awe.

"And for the finishing blow..." Francesca continued, performing a mighty backflip with her dagger still pointing towards the enemy. This drove an upwards slash so strong it split the slime and its pot in two, disintegrating into black steam.

"That was amazing!" Estelle and Big Mac cheered,

"Um... Hello!?" Francesca yelled back, "If you can cheer, you can FIGHT! Isn't that why you're Estelle in the first place!?"

"Oh umm..." Estelle quickly panicked, desperate to come up with a good excuse. "Sorry, I'm still under the impression that Healers normally wait behind the front lines."

"This isn't a video game! Didn't Cleo teach you how to fight already!? Swing your staff and shoot these things!" Francesca continued yapping,

"Okay okay!" Estelle sighed as she marched forward. Just like before, Estelle steeled her body, trying to control the flow of mana inside her body. She smiled once again once she successfully guided the tingling sense through her body and into her staff.

"Take this!" Estelle yelled, casting a volley of Yellow Orbs straight into the slime horde. The group of Slimes either flinched, reeled, or recoiled in pain when the orbs popped the moment they touch them. Some even went down for the count. The Loving Preacher took this all in and compared it to the time fighting against the jumbo fiend.

"Phew!!!" Francesca wiped her forehead once she stabbed the last slime in the vicinity. "That's that!"

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Estelle asked,

"Not at all. Slimes are easy pickings anyways!" Francesca laughed, "it's the bigger ones that you'll need to worry about. Now before we all talk more, let's get moving before more fiends show up! The pool we need to find is up ahead, and expect something nasty too."

With no time to stop, the trio dashed on ahead, while swiping any group of fiends that got the ambush on them. As they saw a bright light ahead in their path, they came to a halt. A small but heavy feeling seemed to emanate from within that light, making the trio feel giddy.

"I can feel something uncomfortable blowing in my face..." Big Mac moaned,

"My stomach feels a bit quirky too," Estelle added,

"Yep." Francesca nodded, "Despite different feelings, it still means the nasty thing I was talking about is up ahead. That's when things will get tricky... I'm still alright though, ready when the team is."

"All good," Big Mac saluted,

"Alright then, we march!" Estelle pointed her Loving Hand forward and led the group into the light.

---

*Boing Boing*

A massive fiend, emotionless in looks, bounced ferociously before the three adventurers, ready to give a thrashing.

"Isn't that...?" Estelle looked to Adagio, pointing at the sight of a giant pot that seemed to hold a giant gelatinous goo that had a mind of its own.

"Yep, the large fiend we're fighting is a Jumbo Slime." Francesca nodded, "and yes, they look exactly like their smaller counterparts."

"Shouldn't be so hard since all we've been facing are slimes!" Estelle laughed.

"I wouldn't say tha-- Watch out!!!" Francesca tackled the priest away from a darkening shadow. It seems that through their talking, the large slime took the chance to leap up to the sky and drop upon the area where the Priest was standing, kicking up a cloud of dust, grass and soil. Once all three subsided, the Slime harmlessly hopped from its spot, leaving behind a dirt crater from where the slime slammed down. Estelle blinked wildly at the giant fiend's crater and began to perspire and shiver.

"Thanks... And Sorry!" Estelle apologised, "I shall focus on fighting!"

"You still here big guy?" Francesca called. A red hand and arm out from a large shrub and waved. Francesca found him.

"I see you!" The merchant yelled, "Keep your eyes and ears on the big guy. If you feel like it's coming towards you, run!" The arm gave a thumbs up for the advice and slithered back into the green.

"Now Estelle, the best thing you can do is to stay back and hit it from afar." Francesca commanded, "I'll be dealing damage up close."

"O-Okay..." Estelle nodded, seeing the slime leaping hopping madly, with each landing point leaving a crater.

"We may have the same element, and you may be the strongest fiend here... But you're outnumbered!!! Hyaaa!!!!!" Francesca growled as she zipped forward, right into the enemy's face.

---

"Hya! Hya! Hya!" Flash Sentry grunted and yelled with each thrust of his lance. Stuck with the responsibility of staying behind and doing housekeeping, the teenager desperately vented his frustration on his training.

"You know, a lot of people these days would avoid fighting," Sweetie spoke, sitting on a log and watching him fight.

"Fighting, whether in court or combat, is the last resort that must not be neglected, especially in this day and age." Flash returned, "That sort of thinking was part of why my mum and dad got together."

"You really dedicate a lot to fighting. I guess I was wrong about thinking that you were a joker about that."

"You can just say sorry for those snide remarks. Is apologising too much for people's pride?"

"Hello you two," Cleo approached them, carrying two mugs of orange juice, "perhaps some refreshments?"

"Oh, thanks!" Sweetie thanked as she took a mug,

"I'll leave yours with Sweetie, Flash. For when you decide to take a rest," Cleo informed, "So how different is the lance compared to your type of staff?"

"Typically, the staff weight distribution is balanced throughout its length, but add a spearhead to that, and there's a lot of things I need to adapt to." He spun the lance around without any effort or difficulty, causing Sweetie to blink out of amazement, "A little weight from the Spearhead's nothing though, and adaptation when it comes to swinging any long stick is pretty easy."

"Why not another feature to add to your training?" Cleo suggested,

"Like what?" Flash asked, hitting the hard dirt with the bottom of the lance.

"Keep on giving deep breaths, in and out." Cleo instructed, "And not just when you're training. I'd like you to do it whenever you enter this place."

"Huh... Not that I have a problem with something like that but... Why?"

"I will reveal the reason, the moment you've done enough of the breathing. I will impart the knowledge, however, that this is an important step to be able to defeat those fiends."

"If you say so." Flash shrugged and nodded, and started to breathe deeply while resuming his lance spinning, swiping, and thrusting.

"Sweetie, I see you're quite interested in watching Flash but aren't you going to try singing the translation I gave you?" Cleo turned around,

"I'm not motivated for that now..." Sweetie yawned, "And I've finished taking all my pictures except for the summoning island. Watching Flash fight, on the other hand, is rather entertaining. And it raises a question for me."

"And that is?"

"One of my best friends is a family friend of Flash's, or rather, her big brother. Now I understand that he's not part of her family, but she seems to treat him very closely. I've introduced my family to her and my other best friend, and vice versa. She mentioned NOTHING about him. Does he mean something to her or not?"

"I'm still within earshot you know," Flash halted his swinging, "How about asking her? I'm sure she'll be happy to talk about her Big Brother. Good and Bad."

"Flash? Deep breathing." Cleo responded,

"Are you seriously going to remind me that every time?" Flash sighed as he resumed his deep breaths.

---

"Wow. That was one doozy of a fight!" Big Mac laughed.

"To think fighting that thing would only last for five minutes..." Estelle sighed, "I thought it would be difficult as the Shroom!"

"Oh, they are!" Francesca clarified. "If you're caught hesitating, you'll pay for it immensely! If you keep on the pressure, it will be down in no time! Course, if we were facing a fiend in the Lake area, one to two hits can finish off the small fry, and any large fiend there can be defeated in almost a single minute if you have someone like me!"

"That sounds great!"

"On the other hand, there are more types of fiends that lurk around there. There are spitting serpents, savage wolves, and angry trolls!"

"Oh come on!" Estelle complained, "A job this big of a risk would be prohibited! And a spitting serpent doesn't seem all that dangerous!"

"This 'risk' is what you and Cleo prevent! Calm down!" Francesca retorted.

"Both of you calm down." Big Mac stood between them. "First off, Rarity's still new to this Estelle thing, and second, you two still pulled it off. Amazing really."

---

"H-How is this going to work!?" Francesca wailed with embarrassment.

"Stop squirming! You're already messing up my hair!" Estelle grumbled, frantically balancing the merchant on her shoulders. "Furthermore, you're deceptively heavy! Why are you so heavy for one that's so short!?"

"Excuse me!?!?!?" A bitter growl came out from Francesca, "you want to talk trash about my weight!?"

Meanwhile, Big Mac peered from his shrub at the bickering girls. He had a pretty strong inkling on why Francesca would be so heavy, but he'd best keep that to himself.

"Anyway!" Estelle continued, "This thing keeps on bouncing around and attempting to body slam you. I can be your legs, while you just focus on attacking it!"

"But I need to move around if I want to efficiently attac--!!!"

"JUST. STAB. IT." Estelle commanded with a forceful glare and ran towards the slime.

"Fine!!! But you'd better not drop me!" Francesca retorted.

Francesca readied her dagger once her piggybacking preacher was half a meter away from the pot.

"Perfect!" Francesca responded, "I can reach the slime's core!"

"Go wild!" Estelle encouraged, now running circles around the fiend.

"Alright!" Francesca laughed as she began stabbing the slime's sludgy body over and over. "Hahahahaha!!! This is quite fun!!!"

---

"Yeah, that trick only lasted for about half a minute." Francesca sighed, "We got body-slammed when Est was trying to regain her balance. Then again, I was 'apparently' too heavy for her."

"Oh be grateful that I decided to piggyback you!" Estelle pouted, "The only time I piggybacked someone was with Sweetie Belle, and we were both young back then!"

"Speaking of... Why didn't you use that Diamond shield trick like before?"

"Well..." Estelle turned red, "You see..." She held her arm out, "I... I can't create those Diamond projections... During our way to the eldwater pool, I realised that I could not use any of my own magic powers as my usual self! And not to mention, I don't feel as agile in this body either. The weight of these boots and gauntlets may be taking a toll from my muscle memory!"

"Well, that's an enigma." Big Mac placed a hand on his chin, "Looks like we have a weakness with these essences..."

"Oh, I see..." Francesca gave a smug grin, "So you can't use your Equestrian Magic, because each and every adventurer of the Halidom has no idea what it is, let alone use it. Perfect! Guess you're not as powerful as you seem to be!"

"Hey girls?" Big Mac interrupted, "Let's not fall apart. Ah'm sure that there 'er things that ya can't do when yer Francesca, 'Dagio. Perhaps yer proficiency in usin' daggers? Or how about bein' a merchant or courier?"

Francesca gave a mean frown to the farmer, "Stop being such a killjoy."

"Bingo. Ah love learning new things." Big Mac gave a small grin, "Seems like you need more than just the essence to capably fight with it."

"I'll wipe that grin off your face." Francesca growled, "You've been hiding for the entire time. And the moment when that Slime was coincidentally about to land on you..."

"You were watchin' me run?" Big Mac responded with uncertainty, a bead of sweat running down his face.

---

Big Mac peered through the bushes, watching the battle unfold before him. He tensed up when he saw both girls come apart when the massive slime hurled its body into their path, sending them flying for two seconds and rolling on the soil. Thankfully, both did not fall unconscious, but Francesca was certainly feeling the pain.

"This body..." Francesca coughed, holding her bruised body together, "... Isn't as durable as you think. H-Heal now, please? Before the slime attacks us again!"

"Well, my body seems ready to do it so... Healing Faith!" Estelle chanted, which covered the merchant with green healing hands.

"Much better!" Francesca nodded with approval as she got up, "Now let's get back at it!"

"Come on, y'all can do it!" Big Mac mumbled to himself as he watched Francesca dance to and fro with her dagger at the giant fiend, with Estelle moving from point to point to land her shots at different body parts. After one minute of doing so, the slime shook compulsively and began to move, or bounce, faster than usual. Had she not rolled back in time, that slime would have slammed her then and there. Big Mac watched and took it all in. This sort of behaviour must be the 'enraged' state that Cleo and the others mentioned back then, the farmer-turned-tracker deduced. Once in that state, a fiend's might and speed become a force to be reckoned with. Watching the slime again, it has resorted to madly hopping around like a bunny, although he could feel the ground tremble this time. It attempted to crush the Merchant, then the priest, and just when it leapt towards the direction of the shrub...

"HYAAAAAAAA!!!!" Big Mac screamed as he held tight to his bag and hightailed it out of the shrub, Just before the slime flattened it with a terrifying 'CRRRRRRAK'!

"Huh... Huh..." Big Mac breathed heavily as he turned to face the slime, concealed by the amount of dust it kicked up from the landing. "That was a close call..."

But once the dust settled, Big Mac found himself staring straight into the slimes' large eyes, complete yellow without any pupils, irises, and scleras. The slime wiggled around, looks like it found a new target.

"Nope, Nope, NOPE!" Big Mac turned tail and ran as fast as he could once again, this time with the bouncing slime hot on its trail, shaking the earth with each bounce.

"HELLLLLLLLLLLP MEEEEEEEEEEEEH!!!" He bellowed, tears welling down his eyes while making sure not to trip from the tremors caused by the slime.

"I got ya!" Francesca yelled and joined the pursuit.

"Well that's something you don't see every day," Estelle chuckled to herself as she saw the runaway tracker being chased by the giant slime, while it, in turn, was being chased by an eager merchant.

"Hey! Preacher! Do something!" Francesca waved her hands.

"Oh! Sorry!" Estelle waved back in apology.

A hail of yellow orbs rained down on the slime as it was getting closer and closer to his prey with every bounce. That attempt was just enough for Big Mac to extend his distance and for Francesca to close in and deliver a forceful spinning attack which tripped it over.

"Gotcha now! Time to go on the offensive!!!" Francesca laughed, "take this! Peregrine Blade!!!"

A few seconds after the merchant chanted those words, the slime lost its gelatinous form and melted to a lifeless liquid, before itself and its pot exploded into black motes. Leaving behind a brown treasure chest.

"Treasure!?!?" Big Mac and Estelle exclaimed with shock,

---

"Of course I was! Otherwise, I would never have swooped in and achieved victory!" Francesca responded, looking smug.

"You told me to run..." Big Mac calmly explained, "And ya know ah'd never survive gettin' squashed by that."

"Still, your face was a moment for the ages!" Francesca continued her snide remarks.

"Well, no use crying over spilt milk then." Big Mac sighed and shrugged, "But ah at least know how these fiends move from spectating. And not to mention we got two birds with one stone."

"A treasure chest full of Wyrmite! What luck!" Estelle explained,

"And we managed to obtain enough Eldwater too. It looks rather interesting. Judging from what Cleo said, ah have half a mind to drink some."

"Don't get any ideas." Francesca warned, "After many years, It'd be a risk if we were to consume some now."

"By the way, what about mana?" Estelle added, "Isn't that one more ingredient?"

"As it was said before, fiends tend to release mana when they go kaput. That mana is then transferred to the person who performed the finishing blow. Of course, it is possible to transfer that excess mana to others or into some magical container for that sort of storage. Large fiends tend to drop lots too."

"Guess that means quest clear!" Big Mac chuckled, "Time to head home?"

"We could," Francesca nodded, "Or perhaps you want to take a little detour since our mission took a very small time... Any place where you want to go?"

"I wouldn't want to keep Sweetie waiting." Estelle chuckled, "And I think I'm tired of fighting for one day. I'd like to take all this off now."

"... Actually." Big Mac changed his tone, "There is..."

"What?" Estelle gasped, "What's with the change of mind?"

"It appears the desire to explore within Big Mac is not a lie. Alright then, where would you like to go?" Francesca asked,

"Is there any interesting place around the Forest?" Big Mac asked,

"Anything worth interesting? Just one... The Windwyrm's Den." Francesca answered. Big Mac's eyes pricked up, Francesca grinned back.

"Windwyrm... You mean the Den of a Dragon?" Estelle froze, "Y-you're actually wanting to enter a Dragon's Den!?"

"You should see your face," Francesca laughed at the preacher's timidity, "But there's actually no need to fear. I've been there before, and there's no Dragon to be found. And even if there were, the Dragons around here are intelligent and allies of Cleo. I'm sure they'll be friendly if we tell them that we're friends with her."

"Ah'm in." Big Mac answered, "Ah want to see a dragon."

"Are you sure?" Francesca raised an eyebrow, "The path to the den will have fiends, and as I said, I've never seen a dragon there. I even believe that they might not be living anymore."

"Well, that's fer me to find out mahself right?" Big Mac responded,

"Hey, hey... I'm not doing this." Estelle objected, "I say we go home."

"Okay then, 'ow 'bout I lead the path of least conflict?"

"Hmm???" The girls cocked their heads.

"As ah said, ah ain't a spectator fer nothing. It's no sham when you said that they appear out of nowhere, but if they're prowling around in the area, we could sneak around."

"A stealthy approach? I must say I'm very intrigued." Francesca nodded, "what do you think Est?"

"That's even worse! It would get my clothes and hair in a mess! Even if these clothes aren't technically mine!" Estelle protested again,

"I see, thanks for your decision!" Francesca nodded, "Sadly, in the case of democracy, it's a two to one overrule!!! We sneak into the den!"

"Wha!? We never took a vote on this!!! That's not fair!!!"

"Don't worry," Big Mac gave a thumbs up and an optimistic grin, "Ah'll do my best!"

---

"Thanks for helping out again Flash." Cleo thanked as she walked through the hallways of the Halidom, "You really are a helpful guy to have around."

"No problem. People will always need help." Flash responded, walking with her, "Besides, learning more about the adventurers is just as wonderful. And it turns out there are plenty of 'sensible-dressed' females according to Rarity."

"Have you got the list and locations?"

"Yes." Flash pulled up a list on his phone, "Philia, a girl who believes in fate and love (a whole lot too), wears normal warm clothing and a winter beanie with tassels. There is Melody who is a maid and has worn nothing but the typical Fancy Maid clothes. And then there's Hildegarde, the most devoted of all the Clergy people here, and wears the right size of robes that covers up her body well. The same goes for her 'Valentine's' outfit, although it does appear that she's quite stacked underneath all that Holy Cloth!"

"Flash!" Cleo glared,

"I'm sorry." Flash chuckled, "But I'm also very much interested in this Valentine's event... What's it about?"

"It's a cultural festival where people express their love for one another. Popular with couples, and those who have deep feelings for others. It involves lots of sweet things like Chocolate."

"Hmm... I knew it. It's just like Equestria's Hearts and Hooves Day." Flash responded, "Most of our festivals seem to be alike. That's interesting."

"La... La... La..." A young girl's melodic voice flowed through the halls.

"Hmm?" Flash's ears perked up,

"That must be Sweetie, probably singing some songs from the choir book after translating them." Cleo answered, "She's in the room where I got it from."

"Ooh... May we watch?" Flash asked,

"I don't see why not. Let me show you the way." Cleo answered, "but make sure you're taking deep breaths while you're walking."

With Cleo guiding the way, Sweetie's singing voice became louder and louder. The duo reached a door where they could practically hear her melodic voice seeping out of the door.

"She has a wonderful voice." Cleo complimented, "if she existed in my time, there is no doubt that she would be welcomed as a member of the Harmonia Choir."

"A choir of children, right?" Flash clarified, "Big Mac says they're well-known. How much though?"

"Absolute stardom. Their voices are angelic and divine. In times of fiends, however, a few of them have also learned how to fight. They joined our band of adventurers. Did you know the manager and owner of this choir is a Dragon?"

"Really? Dragons can do that?" Flash exclaimed,

"Dragons play a big part in human life. That's one of the many things we get when dragons and people like you and I co-exist."

"In our time, Dragons are large figures of pop culture fantasy. They're powerful, they're beautiful, some call them deities or Gods in the fictional universe." Flash compared,

"Interesting. It doesn't sound far off from what we believe in..."

"Really? Speaking about beliefs..." Flash took a deep breath and spoke courageously. "What of the Goddess Ilia? There were plenty of preachers and knights/paladyns who serve under her name and grace. Didn't you say she was human?"

"She was the First Auspex of the Ilian Church alike to her name, and is the starting point of the entire relationship between human and dragon, alongside the Holy Dragon Elysium. Their power together was transcendent and they delivered both Dragons and Humans from the forces of Morsayati. I was not born at that time, but stories did say that at her moment of passing, she ascended to Godhood, and her faith and actions have been passed down through millennia via the Ilian Church and Faith. Of course, it does have its conflicting issues, as you may have read from Elisanne's bio, but that doesn't bother the Prince. He'll welcome anyone to the Halidom as long as they mean no harm."

"I see. Really interesting." Flash mused and acknowledged with a nod. Silence followed after that.

"Huh..." Flash looked to the door, "Looks like Sweetie's stopped singing."

"I was listening to the conversation." Sweetie opened the door, "If you wanted me for something, you could just knock. No need to talk behind closed doors."

"Sorry, we initially wanted to listen to you, but we got carried away talking. Do you mind?"

"Not at all, come right in!" Sweetie opened the door wide. The room that the two entered had a heartwarming winter theme to it. Some artisanal snowmen, decorative candle stands, and a plushie of the most adorable and fluffy polar bear with horns, claws, a dragon's tail with a bow tie, and a silver bell on its neck. On one of the desks in the room, a group of plump mice watched the two new visitors come in with deep eyes and twitching noses.

"I already had an audience before you two." Sweetie introduced, "The mice you see here came out of their hidey-hole when I was singing. Aren't they cute?"

"Squeak!" One of the mice made a sound,

"Ms Cleo," Flash pointed at the mice, "Do you normally have pests around here?"

"Hey!" Sweetie spoke defensively, "They're not pests!"

"Sweetie is right." Cleo agreed, "These mice are the closest friends of Pia, the Choir Member whose book I've gifted to Sweetie. Or to be more specific, their descendants, considering the lifespan of mice."

"Ah... I'm sorry. Again." Flash apologised, "Forgive my judgements."

The mice gave an offended stare at the boy and squeaked a response.

"I'll take that as an apology accepted."

"Anyway, please continue," Cleo suggested, pulling up a seat for Flash and herself.

"Okay then. Apparently, the choir book seemed to have a certain verse circled in here for a song. If anything, does this mean it's a solo?" Sweetie asked,

"I remember the times when I listened to the Harmonia Choir and their soloists. Perhaps give me the name of the song."

"I think it was called 'Blurry'?"

"Yes! That is a solo for Pia. The first time I listened to the Harmonia Choir, she was the one who sang that verse as a solo. Initially, the solo part was meant for her fellow member, friend and roommate Elias, but after some struggle with his inner despair, Elias was happy to give the role to her."

"O-Okay then! I got it! Thank goodness that music scores were not lost in translation. Here I go then..." She took a deep breath and sang.

With no instrumental to back her, everyone was glued to the young crusader, who was sight-reading the music score with her voice, as well as looking to the roughly translated lyrics of Cleo. To Flash's ears, the translated English lyrics of the song doesn't make sense when spoken, but it did not obstruct or compromise the wonderful, pitch-perfect tone of the girl herself.

When she finished, the two humans responded with gracious applause, as well as the mice.

"That was amazing! You really are Rarity's sister, or rather, your own wonderful voice!" Flash applauded.

"Thanks," Sweetie chuckled, "It's great to be complimented as my sister's equal, rather than her completely."

"Do you take singing lessons?" Cleo asked,

"Well, Rarity and I are naturals at singing, but we practice singing together for fun. I do know that Rarity is part of a barbershop or vocal quartet with Big Mac, quintet if you count Fluttershy. They've been to many music contests, both interschool and outside events!"

"That sounds very wonderful. How about you Flash? Do you sing?"

"I do. I'm the lead singer and guitarist of a school band, though I haven't been singing as much lately." Flash answered,

"Really? Then... May I ask you for a favour?" Cleo changed her tone,

"Sounds serious," Sweetie gulped,

"Adagio. She told me her life story, a being that can absorb negative emotions and use it as dark magic. To do all that, they sing. She can't do that anymore, so I was hoping that she may be able to recover that ability once again. Perhaps through the four of you."

"Okay, hold it there Ms Cleo." Sweetie stopped, "That last time she was singing, she brainwashed us to be extremely competitive and aggressive in our music performances and that herself made her stronger, from what Rarity told me. I don't know much about Sirens myself, but if she was able to sing, her voice would scramble our heads again!"

"Adagio was comfortable in telling me the entire story between her and Rarity. She was also honest about her own ambitions and evil purposes. If she still held those evil feelings, I would have kicked her out of the Halidom, but she chose to stay and change her ways, bit by bit. If she didn't change, would you ever see her being a delivery courier?"

Sweetie and Flash looked at each other and shook their heads unanimously.

"Exactly. As for her 'magic', that's already been taken care of. She's been living here for a few months now, that she's breathing that magic in as a part of her body as Francesca and herself." Cleo continued.

"Grastaean Magic, that's mana. Right?" Flash asked,

"Yes." Cleo smiled, "I don't how powerful Siren Magic is, but I can assure you that Mana is very much distinct to it. For one, Mana isn't unique to a particular species or being, anyone can harness it. As I said, it is the source of life and magic in New Alberia, and the entire nation of Grastaea."

"Can we use it?" Flash asked, "Can we harness mana as humans did in your time?"

"Sadly." Cleo closed her eyes, "I have no idea... Unless you want to volunteer as a test subject."

"Well, if it's anything to bring me on equal ground with the fiends, I'm--"

"That was a joke." Cleo gave a furious glare to Flash, "I'm not going to risk forcibly transferring mana into your body. Do you want to fight those fiends? Then refine your Lance skills, and don't stop breathing deeply!"

Flash rolled his eyes and did as he was told, taking deep breaths.

"By the way," Flash asked after exhaling, "When's Adagio, Rarity and Big McIntosh coming back? It's almost going to be lunch soon!"

---

Somewhere along a fiend-infested path, a pair of eyes gazed at a group of goblins mindlessly wandering about, sometimes pausing its movements to jump around like cavemen, or scratch their bottoms. The eyes paid no attention to anything but the goblins, as they hopped on ahead, wondering if they'll run into any live targets.

"Alright..." Big Mac whispered, "keep on trudging through the bushes."

"I. Hate. You." Estelle whispered seethingly as she slowly crawled after him,

"Heh... Your Rarity is showing Estelle..." Francesca snickered, "Ah well. As if there was any difference anyway."

"For the sake of the lady, are we there yet?" Big Mac responded,

"Yeah... We're getting close to the bridge. Beyond that, you'll find the doors to enter the Windwyrm's Den."

"That's great... We've come so far, we ain't backing down on the travel!" Big Mac encouraged until he heard the screeching sound of an eagle above them.

"Stop! Heads down!" Big Mac signalled with his hands. Peering out of the bushes, he saw a green bird with sharp plumes circling a brown wooden bridge in front of them. The avian fiend landed on the handrail and decided to clean its feathers and tail. Big Mac sighed under his breath, it's a waiting game here. No matter the pins and needles he felt on his arms, and the grumbles of Rarity (since he doesn't know whether Estelle would mind hiding in the dirt), he kept on signalling the girls to keep down and not make any noise. It was after three extended minutes that the bird decided to fly away, far from the bridge.

"Alright..." Big Mac kept a patient eye on the bird until it was permanently out of his view. "Go! Go! Go!" He crawled as fast as he could out of the bushes and down the small ridge. He held his hands up so he could let the girls slide down delicately, given that their time in the bushes has left them in the dirty, messed up, and 'un-delicate' state.

"This was the worst decision!" Estelle growled, pulling out multiple twigs, leaves, and dirt stuck in her purple twintails, "I'd rather face the fiends head-on than do something like this again!!!"

"Oh really?" Francesca gave smug-toothed grin while adjusting her hat and scrubbing off the dirt on her face, "You think facing four groups of slimes and three groups of goblins, with each group having five members, was better than sneaking around? And not to mention, that bird fiend back then was an Arrow Raptor. These fiends attack from a distance by whipping up dangerous whirlwinds, and if you get up close to them, they'll charge at you with the force of a jet, not only hurting you in the process but making sure to keep a distance from you!"

"... Y-Yes! I stand by my decision! Hmph!" Estelle turned her head in denial.

"In any case, we're here without fighting." Big Mac pointed to their destination. Across the small wooden bridge was the entrance to ruins made out of stone. A pillar stood guard on each side of the door, decorated with overgrown moss and flowers. The walls were also accounted with fresh grass and flowers poking through the cracks of the stone structures and designs.

"I know what you're thinking." Francesca looked at the two, who were looking at the Den with great interest. "These dragons don't live in dark caves, or in hordes of treasure, most of the time. These dragons live in temple-like ruins. Wherever a dragon makes their den, a lot of living things grow well around it. That's why they have authority and power over nature, even more so than us."

"Well, in that case, let's go see if there's a dragon beyond those closed doors!" Big Mac laughed as he began crossing the bridge,

"I hope whoever that Dragon is can offer us a ride home. At least I'll be satisfied that I can ride a dragon!" Estelle grumbled,

"Woah hold it there!" Francesca warned as she chased them, "you still need to be careful! The doors to the den are closed because--"

A spiked gate of magic shot up from behind, blocking the trio from the path they came from, and trapping them on the side of the Windwyrm's Den.

"-- A fiend's blocking it with its power." Francesca finished.

In continuation with the sprung trap, the Fiend that stood guard appeared in a quick blink of light, just how all fiends had appeared. But this fiend was unlike any other...

It wasn't another Jumbo Slime, it wasn't a goblin or an arrow raptor in a great or hefty size. Rather, this Fiend was a bipedal hulk that stood as tall the den's five-meter doors. Not only that, but it was also wide in size covering the distance between the pillars standing guard. Finally, the fiend was all big and bulky rocks and boulders from head to toe, from shoulders to arms. The only thing that stands out, was a singular glowing red eye in a black crevasse for its face, towering over the completely astonished and gobsmacked trio.

"The guarding fiend... Is a giant golem eh?" Big Mac spoke, trying to hide the trembling fear he has.

"A Hefty Golem to be precise..." Francesca nodded gloomily.

"So after all that sneaking, we still have to fight either way..." Estelle coughed, "... We should have fought our way through instead. That way, I can build up that healing power of mine!"

"For once I agree with you, Rarity. I could build up my skills too." Francesca nodded in defeat, intentionally using the true identity of the preacher's wielder.

"Sorry?" Big Mac gulped.

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!" The Hefty Golem gave an inhuman wail and swung both its giant arms towards the intruders.

"EVERYONE SKEDADDLE!!!" Big Mac yelled and the three broke apart and rolled away just in the nick of time as the two rocky hands slammed into the dirt.

It was a tremor far greater than the slimes, shaking the ground to a new magnitude, and the very trees and river itself.

"Alright! You guys got any plan?" Big Mac yelled, keeping on his toes, "anything we can do?"

"Dodge and attack!" Francesca yelled, "from experience, this guy has more tricks up its sleeve! Aside from that ground-shaking move, he'll be more than happy to stamp the ground, and roll on us!"

"Roll on us?" Estelle clarified. As if the fiend had heard, he began a demonstration by curling into a ball and rolling straight for Preacher at high speeds.

"Oh no!" Estelle quickly rolled away once more from the golem-ball's path into the mini cliffs. A nasty slamming and crushing sound invaded the adventurers' ears.

"It took a long time for me and Cleo to fight this thing. We're just two adventurers equipped with a Dagger and a Staff." Francesca sighed,

"Are you saying this may take longer than the slime?"

"They're Golems for a reason! Why are you whining?"

"Excuse me? I'm merely complaining. Do YOU want to know what whining is like!?"

"Girls, getting put out here is the last thing ya want!" Big Mac yelled, "If ya fixin' to take out that golem quick, ah have an idea, but uhh... Can ya'll try building up yer skills and spells by hittin' the chunk o' rocks? And distractin' him?"

"Sure! You got us in this mess so find a way out of it!" Francesca hammered,

"That's rather rude... Though you're not wrong..." Estelle bickered, "... Just do your best Big Mac!"

The two girls grit their teeth and began an assault on the Hefty Golem, even if their chained stabbing and orb lobbing amounted to minuscule damage. Big Mac quickly took the time to look what's underneath the bridge; A massive river flowing with tremendous speeds. The farmer found it odd because he swore that this river was calm before they crossed the bridge. Is something controlling it? Despite how it is, it was the ticket that Big Mac needed for the plan to execute.

He looked back to the fight. The Golem had Estelle in its grip, and it seemed like it had something nasty prepared for its catch of the day.

"H... Hrk... Help... Me!!!" Estelle frantically waved, feeling the tight grip of the golem and its hard rocks rubbing crudely on her body and clothes.

"You idiot!" Francesca moaned, "Hold up! I got you!" Francesca quickly leapt to the height of the Golem's hand and delivered multiple slashes as quickly as she could. She was desperate to free her companion lest she gets crushed. However, her Bejeweled Dagger slid across the Golem's hand like chalk to a board; A sudden worry that her rescue effort will amount to nothing.

"Don't lose hope y'all!" Big Mac encouraged, "keep tryin' to break free Rarity! Yer body of Estelle may not be as agile as you were, but ah'm sure she's stronger, given how she uses that Lovin' Hand!"

"Awk... O-Okay!" Estelle coughed,

"'Dagio? Keep at it! Even steel can cut through rock if ya' keep at it, you'll make 'em wail!"

"You really aren't sticking to our pseudonyms, are you?" Francesca asked,

"Y'all in trouble, and y'all listen more if ah used yer true names in times like these." Big Mac reasoned, "Now don't take yer sweet time!"

"Rrrgh!!!" Estelle, with that motivation, dug her hands between her body and the fist, pushing as hard as she can to loosen the Golem's grip.

"Yaaa!!!" Francesca jumped up and let loose an even faster flurry of stabs and slashes, almost to the point where the rocks were scratched deep. That combination was enough for the Golem to loosen its grip for the preacher to fall through and be rescued by the farmer.

"Ya did it." Big Mac chuckled,

"Barely," Estelle gasped for air, "Now what's your plan?"

"This..." Big Mac started as he quickly whispered everything into the preacher's ear, to which she nodded approvingly.

"If the power of nature around here is controlled by Dragons, I can say that they're looking out for us!"

"Keep on distractin' it, and don't get caught again. 'Dagio?"

"Over here," Francesca grabbed the farmer and drew him away from the Hefty Golem, now swinging madly due to the loss of its victim. Big Mac whispered the same plan to the Merchant, and she too nodded in approval.

"After the attempts to free Estelle, I've got a skill ready in case things need an extra kick," Francesca explained.

"The rockhead seems to be mad that we stole its victim. Let's hope that clouds its judgement!" Big Mac gulped.

Executing the plan, the first step was for the three of them to group together and stand close to the edge of the raging river. The golem followed the preacher that slipped from its grip to now seeing the entire three in their view.

"Hey! Rockhead!" Francesca taunted, "come get us!"

The Golem growled,

"Hah! Compared to Tom, you are nothing but a constructive and architectural mess! You can never hope to match his amazing symmetry and smooth surfaces!" Estelle laughed haughtily.

"Who's Tom?" Francesca whispered,

"Weird story. For some strange reason, she got attached to a large boulder, thinking it was a diamond, and gave it a name. Almost thought she was under the influence of somethin'." Big Mac responded,

"Hrrr...." The Golem growled even louder, rage and wrath seeping through his tone,

"Y'all don't amount to a hill of beans Golem. Y'all just Sticks and Pebbles." Big Mac spoke with a heavy mocking voice as he slapped his butt at the enemy, "Prove to us yer a hard nut to crack!!!"

"ROOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!" The golem yelled and curled up into a ball, ready to crush them all.

"Predicted," Big Mac chuckled, "now SCATTER!!!" At his command, the three of them quickly dodged out of the Golem's steamrolling path, letting it roll straight towards the river! The Golem realised that it fell for a trap that he could have avoided, and quickly put on the brakes with his hands.

"You're not stopping there!" Francesca yelled, "Peregrine Blade!" This time, both the preacher and the farmer were able to see how the merchant's dagger skill was executed. The dagger was enveloped with mana from Francesca's body, to create a real-life projection of a Peregrine Falcon, complete with its body, wings, talons and beak. The merchant held the dagger (within the falcon's body) like a dart, and tossed it towards the breaking Golem, flying at the maximum speed of the bird it took the form of.

One. The Peregrine Blade pierced through the Golem's stony chest at breakneck speeds, making a U-Turn for another piercing run.

Two. The Blade aimed for the area that connected the golem's legs and pierced through just like the first run. Judging by the Golem's reaction by his eye squirming around haphazardly, the golem does appear to have sensitive parts. The pain was far from over though.

Three. Without losing any speed, the Blade shot through the Golem's head, right above its eye. The Golem began roaring in pain, now losing its friction. From there, the flying dagger went straight back to Francesca's hand, and like the dagger itself, she moved as fast as a falcon up close to the golem for the final blow.

Four. With the Falcon's piercing cry, Francesca dealt an upwards slash that knocked the Hefty golem closer to the river's edge with no chance to protect himself.

"It's not enough! Let me handle this!" Estelle ran ahead towards the tumbling golem. In her hand, the Loving Hand began to glow yellow. "Prepare thyself, THE LOVELESS HAND!" With the loudest slap, The Hefty Golem was propelled even further, but thanks to its massive size, it was only enough to send it teetering over the river's edge.

"Oh come on! It wasn't enough!?" Estelle complained. Just then, a red blur zoomed past the girls and straight for the balancing golem.

"Enjoy the taste of defeat!" Big Macintosh yelled as he jumped to the air, placed his legs on the golem, and pushed away as hard as he could. The one final tip to send the hefty golem tumbling into the raging river with a mighty splash.

"ROOOAAAAARRR!!!" The Hefty Golem gave one last inhuman roar as it was swept away in the relentless rapids until it was nothing more than a speck on the horizon, never to be seen again.

"Oof!" Big Mac grunted in pain from landing on his buttocks and drenched all over. "That was a close one."

"Big McIntosh." Estelle laughed as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'd never thought you'd be the one brave enough to deal the finishing blow."

"Don't tell Flash this, but he kinda inspired me to pull this reckless kick." Big Mac chuckled, scratching his head.

"Speaking of inspiration," Estelle turned to Francesca, "You actually decided to save me! Even if I was your enemy! Perhaps you really have changed!"

"Keep on dreaming." Francesca pouted, "If Cleo found out you got choked to death, it's going to be on me. Besides, healers are important, even if you took the guise of the most repulsive one."

"Well, now that the guarding fiend is swept away, will the door open?" Big Mac asked. As an answer, the doors to the den slowly opened inwards.

"There better be a Dragon back here." Estelle grumbled as they entered the Den, "I'm as tired as is now."

---

The three found themselves in a large round hall, with the rays of the sun seen from above. Around them, there were bushes of flowers, flocks of friendly birds, even a beehive with friendly bumblebees, but unfortunately...

"This Den lacks a dragon." Francesca concluded, "Welp. I hope you're not disappointed!"

"Well, I guess we're walking the hard way out, right?" Estelle groaned, her patience fully exhausted.

"Nope. There's a secret path at the back of the hall that will take us back to the main road. It's a one-way path though." She laughed, "Hey Mac? You're ready to go?"

Big Mac said nothing, but inspected the hall with his eyes,

"Hey, Equestria to Big McIntosh. What are you looking at? There is no Dragon here. Let's go home before our Lady starts to whine."

"Sure..." Big Mac spoke, "There may be no dragon here right now... But you can darn bet the farm there are traces of one bein' 'ere."

"What? Don't try to complicate things." Francesca moaned,

"Did ya say that wherever Dragons make their nest, livin' beings tend to thrive there? This hall may be a dragon's home, but it's no hospitable place for the other creatures or plants. And yet, they're growing here just fine."

"Huh... Did I say that? I mean, this was just a rumour that I found when looking through the information on one of the paintings of the Halidom." Francesca explained,

"Well, ah'll stick to them rumours fer now, but ah know that there's still a--" In the depths of his eye, something green began to shine. "Hold yer horses! Ah just found somethin'!"

"Big Mac, please!" Estelle began to whine, "Just how far are you going to scrounge up any evidence of a fairytale creature living in this place that we wasted so much time getting to!? I'm tired, I'm bruised, I'm hungry, And I'm--"

The preacher immediately shut her mouth when she saw what Big Mac had picked up, as did Francesca. Nestled in the hands of the farmer, a green light wavered into their eyes...

---

"I deeply thank you for your kindness to repair the island." The woman on the Summoning Island thanked, "These grounds hold more importance than just summoning the powers of dear adventurers who bravely fought. Rather, this pool delves into the history, fate, and destiny of each adventurer. If something happened to the pool, perhaps history and time here could change for the worse."

"Hey, no worries. It was fun..." Big Mac chuckled "Good training, gettin' a hang of the fiends... Ah learned a lot."

"Well then, a promise is a promise." The woman remembered, "The favour I asked yielded a reward, and I shall give it to you."

"Great!" Sweetie Belle smiled as she finished dumping every piece of Wyrmite the trio found into the middle pool and pulled out her phone, "Ready for a picture?"

"Hold it there. In truth, who was the one that made their way to acquire those materials. You?" The woman stopped,

"No, it was Big Mac, Big Sis, and Adagio!" Sweetie pointed to the three adventurers, the latter two changed back to their normal selves, "They're the ones who went out and did all the fighting for me!" She froze in shock. "Wait... You don't mean."

"Indeed Sweetie Belle." The summoner laughed, "The ones who should reap the reward are the ones who worked tooth and nail for my request. In this case, they are the ones deserving."

"Oh, so that's why you wanted us to fix this pool by gathering those materials. You wanted a gift from her right?" Adagio grinned, "A photo of this place?"

"Err..." Sweetie Belle arched her eyebrows in anger and embarrassment.

"She's right. You did absolutely nothing but assign this quest to Rarity, Big Mac, and Adagio. They were brave enough to go, It's fair they get the reward!" Flash laughed,

"Shut up..." Sweetie Belle began to pout,

"You know... If ya came along like ah did, we'd be happy to take you along. You'd be gettin' the reward too if yer' lookin' for materials. Wonder why ya didn't... I mean Rarity even offered you to come since yer not a pain-eater like Flash!" Big Mac chuckled,

"Oy!" Flash grumped at the remark,

"Oh Sweetie Belle, always wanting others to do your work. Well, this is real life. You won't get anything if you won't do it yourself!" Rarity added. The four kids, plus the summoning woman, burst into laughter.

"Stop it!!!" Sweetie Belle's cheeks inflated and turned red with sheer envy. "I get it! Fine! You take it!"

"In any case," Cleo spoke lightly so everyone could calm down, "Is there a gift you would like to ask for?"

"If it's just one gift..." Adagio turned to Rarity,

"... I think it should belong to Big Mac!" Rarity finished, looking at Adagio.

"Eh? Me?" Big Mac jumped, pointing to himself.

"Two to one, overruled." Adagio quickly spoke, "We decide that you get the gift."

"Very well then, what do you desire, Big McIntosh?" The summoner asked,

"Well, ah did this task without the knowin' there'd be a gift so uh... Not really anythin' ah have at the moment, so uh... If ya still wanna gift me somethin', just give me anythin'!"

"Will that be your choice?"

"... Yeah, ah'll let you decide." Big Mac nodded,

"Very well then. In that case, I shall grant you one summon! Prepare yourself!" With a wave of her hands, the water in the summoning pool began to ripple and move on its own, as well as soaking in the reflection of the sun's rays, filling the water with life and movement.

The summoner bent down with her hand pointing towards the pool, and as the farmer saw before, a light began to form.

"Haah!" The woman stood up straight again, her hands now up to the sky. The light within the pool rose like a pillar of light and formed into a familiar blue circle of sigils, shapes and incantations with three large arrows pointing away from its radius. But to everyone's surprise, that blue circle grew bigger and turned into a colour of gold, this time with five large arrows pointing away in the shape of a star, and the inner blue triangle turned into a pentagon with only its vertices showing. The golden circle collapsed inwards and formed a golden ball which shot off to one of the ten platforms. The group watched the item land with confusion. What landed was not a golden dagger, nor a staff, or a sword, blade, or any form of weapon.

Instead, it appeared to be a golden crystal, with smaller straw-like fragments floating below it.

"Here, let me get that for you." The summoner offered as the crystal floated from the platform into the farmer's hands with the swipe of her own hand. "This is a pactstone. Like many adventurers whose fate rests with the Kingdom of New Alberia, so too did many dragons in Grastaea. This is the artifact wielded by the Prince and his companions to harness the power of the Dragons."

"I recognise that shape. Isn't that the same rock Adagio wears as a necklace?" Sweetie asked,

"It is indeed." Cleo nodded. The golden crystal enveloped itself in bright light and shrank until it was able to fit into Big Mac's palm. Once the light died down, a smaller pactstone dyed in red lay motionless with the smaller stone fragments dangling on one side of the large stone rested within the farmer's grasp.

"Thank you so much for your patronage. Have a nice day." The summoner gave her farewells as she disappeared.

"A pactstone huh? I mean, it's a very nice accessory, but I'm a little disappointed in what you got, considering that Pactstones can't be used unless we have someone who has Royal Dragonblood." Rarity sighed,

"None of us are bluebloods, at least not until you told me. But... Perhaps we might make a compromise with a dragon." Big Mac suggested.

"Assuming if there is any left." Flash reminded,

"About that... Y'all in fer a surprise." Big Mac chuckled as he pocketed the red pactstone, and pulled out a green trinket surrounded by visible currents of green wind. Cleo, Flash and Sweetie jumped in surprise.

"What is that!?" Flash yelled, "this thing... Has the wind surrounding it!!!"

"Ooh..." Sweetie Belle gave a little touch of the mysterious item, and a windy set soothing sense blew through her nerves and body. "... That's a very nice breeze..."

"Ms Cleo? Ah believe you know what this is?" Big McIntosh asked. It only took one proper gaze from the Belle Healer herself to answer with confidence.

"That, by no mistake, is a scale of the Windwyrm Midgardsomr. Judging that it's able to control the winds around it, that's a Squallscale to be exact. It houses a fair measure of his power."

"Really!?" The teenagers performed a shocking double-take, except for Big Mac, who was smiling to no end.

"Ms Cleo. Ah found this scale when 'Dagio, Rarity and ah decided to visit the Windwyrm's Den before comin' back. As someone who's got experience in tracking. This scale is very fresh, meanin' that there was a Dragon back then."

"You are right and wrong about that." Cleo answered, "Right in the fact that yes. The Squallscale here is unrefutable evidence that Midgardsomr must have been around at his den."

"And wrong?"

"The Scale's 'Freshness'. The power that resides in a dragon's scale does not wane, does not grow old, and does not lose power. Even if a dragon may shed its scales, the power residing in them is eternal... Much like the Dragons themselves."

"They're immortal!?!?" The four teenagers (except Big Mac as usual), performed a shocking double take again.

"Yes. Perhaps I should have let you known about that beforehand. It is true that to fully utilise the pactstones and the dragon's power, a member of the Alberian family must be pactbound with a dragon. With the Alberian family no longer living in this day and age, the Dragons no longer find their ties to the Halidom of any use, and thus left a long time ago. However, 'a long time ago' will not impact their life at all. Keep in mind that even though they are 'immortal', they aren't 'invincible'."

"Now that... Is certainly somethin' amazing." Big Mac concluded, "Well?" He turned to his friends, their jaws dropped to the ground. "Y'all gonna stand there like lookin' like goobers?"

"Ehh... Sorry." Flash regained his composure,

"Deep breaths Flash!" Cleo hastily reminded. Flash stood to attention and resumed his deep breathing.

"Ms Cleo, ah gotta say... If it weren't fer our little discussion an' story-sharin' this mornin', ah wouldn't have been egged to explore the Windwyrm's den. We almost got torn up there... With that Hefty golem an all."

"A Hefty Golem!?" Cleo gasped, "My. That's extremely dangerous! You must have taken a long time then!"

"Not really, we booted it into the ragin' river." Big Mac chuckled, "Figured out by yers truly."

"That river... I've never seen it raging. It was always a calm stream." Cleo wondered, "But regardless, I'm happy to know that I've... Egged you on to find such a wondrous truth for everyone to see."

"Ah'll admit it. Ah wanted to follow the girls cause ah wanted to follow the desire on whether Dragons did exist or not. Thanks fer the idea." Big Mac laughed,

"Adagio?" Rarity whispered to the Dazzling once they calmed down, "Big McIntosh is now in the same box with Flash Sentry. We are NOT taking ANY of the guys out to the field anymore."

"That's a promise," Adagio responded "Pinkie?"

"Pinkie Promise." Rarity agreed, making a Pinkie Promise.

---

The next day was Monday, and it was the time where School was on. Sadly, the four teenagers from CHS had to dedicate their time to the tough experiences and trials of schoolwork and homework over visiting Cleo and Adagio, but they were more than happy to share their latest adventure with their friends in the school library and to answer their questions.

"So how is Adagio?" Sunset asked, "Does she still have that pendant?"

"It's a different Pendant. She's wearing a Pactstone instead!" Sweetie answered, "And she said that it's just an accessory. It doesn't have any power."

"Hmm... I'm not sure whether to believe someone like her though..." Rainbow shared her honest thoughts.

"Ah thought that too," Applejack added, "But Big Mac here seemed to have gotten the same Pactstone thingamajigger. In his favourite colour of red! He says the same thing, and ah believe him more. Everythin's hunky-dory fer me!"

Without a word, Big Mac lifted his left arm and pulled back his sleeve, revealing the red crystal with the mini stone fragments clumped tight around his arm.

"You're wearing that as an armband?" Rarity asked,

"Reckon it suits me more." Big Mac shrugged,

"In any case, she saved Rarity's life twice now." Flash added, "I think she's changing for the better."

"That's... Actually really nice to hear." Fluttershy spoke,

"One more thing!" Applebloom jumped in, "Ah heard from big bro that at this New Alberia, there be dragons!"

"Oh yes, there are." Flash agreed, "I was very sceptical at first, but Big Mac found a crucial piece of evidence that changed my mind."

"And what is that? I'm very curious myself." Twilight asked, eager to find out, "There have been no records of Dragons ever existing here."

"Yeah," Sunset added, "and Dragons NEVER played a big part in the culture of the 'other' Equestria. We were just separate intelligent species living our own lives and cultures, never a co-existence accepted by all dragons and the most dominant species."

"Feast yer eyes on this!" Big Mac placed the Windwyrm's Squallscale on the table. The girls gasped with glee.

"Wow!" Pinkie exclaimed, "that looks really pretty!!!"

"Shh!!!" Went the numerous students around the library.

"Touch it." Big Mac encouraged. Pinkie was the first to do it without a word. The moment she touched it, the windy sense flew through her body, giving her a face of pure tingly excitement.

"Woo!" Pinkie laughed as she let go, "That was really fun! I could feel like the wind is blowing inside me!"

"Shh!!!" Went the CHS students, unaffiliated with the group, again.

"Let me try!" Rainbow whispered and touched it. "No way..." Her eyes widened, "that... Is... AWESOME! It feels like my body is light as a feather! I could go fast with this!"

"Ooh!" Scootaloo squeaked as she touched the scale, "same here!"

"Okay, I'll admit that I've never felt something like this from what I expect a Dragon Scale to be like..." Twilight admitted as she took her turn. "But if dragons existed here, why haven't they made their presence? It seems they're far more powerful and intelligent than we are. Why aren't they--"

"Assertin' dominance?" Big Mac interrupted jokingly before resuming a serious tone, "Naw. That behaviour is out of kilter fer them. They're dragons, not humans. 'Sides, their co-existence with humans means they live in harmony, not fight over territory. Not to mention, they've got the power to control nature an' all. They seem pretty stable."

"Okay then... So why aren't they helping us now?"

"Hmm..." Flash thought, "I remember Ms Cleo telling us that Dragons have always been working together with Humans. Given that they're immortal, perhaps some are probably mad that we've been going through all that deforestation or ocean polluting since they're a part of nature. But given their time when New Alberia was a thing, perhaps they also remembered the important and harmonious times when they've lived, worked, and fought together. It would be unwise of them to think only about the negative consequences humans have wrought. That's kind of what our own society is doing in a way."

"What if dragons can turn into humans and help out?" Scootaloo suggested,

"That's actually a very good theory!" Twilight pointed out, "These Dragons of Alberia seem to be more powerful than our technology. Having the ability to shapeshift into humans can be possible for them!"

"I bet they would look crazy... Like they'll still have some horns and tail sticking out of their bodies!" Pinkie shared. The crew instantly thought of a human wearing a dragon tail and horns with the dumbest look on his face and laughed out loud in unison.

"WILL ALL OF YOU BE QUIET!?" A woman's voice roared.

"Oh..." Sunset gulped as a mature-looking and well-endowed woman with long purple-red hair, purple-framed glasses, a white dress shirt and a black skirt that went covered up to her knees and half of her lower legs, approached them with a rather angry and frustrated face, "Sorry..."

"As much as it is boring to not talk out loud, Puh-LEASE be respectful of your fellow classmates who want to study in peace!"

"Sorry, Ma'am."

"Furthermore. What exactly are you looking at?" The teacher stared at the Windwyrm's Squallscale and Big Mac's Red Pactstone.

"U-Uh..." Big Mac gulped, "It's well--"

"Whatever they are, they are highly valuable items. And you know what our number one rule is with valuable accessories?" The teacher continued scolding,

"S-Sorry ma'am..." Big Mac hung his head low as he picked up the scale and pulled off his Pactstone Bracelet,

"What are you doing?" The teacher arched an eyebrow, "Are you assuming that I will confiscate them? No! I will not do such a thing for an item as valuable to you! No... One scolding and reminder is enough."

"R-Really?" Big Mac jumped,

"A reminder that you must keep those things close to you at all times. I can tell that these things mean a lot to you, so if you lose it, you'll be losing more than you think. Please remember this for me... Okay?"

"Y-Yes ma'am..." Big Mac nodded, "And yeah. These things are important... Ah spent a lot of time findin' these things."

"I know what it's like to have something valuable to you lost... Though I guess that time was inevitable... N-Nevertheless! Keep it with you! Leave it in a safe place at home. Don't let ANYONE take it from you. Understand?"

"Y-Yes... Thank you ma'am," Big Mac nodded.

"Now, may all of you please be quiet as long as you're in this place. For the sake of your classmates please?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Pinkie saluted, the others merely nodded.

"Thank you. And Big McIntosh? I know it may seem out of left field to say this, but that bracelet looks good on you! Better keep it close alright? The same with that green thing... I swore I could feel something come out of it, but it's not my authority to know unless you plan to do something devious at school with it. You aren't, are you?"

"No Ma'am." Big Macintosh shook his head, "H-how do you recognise my name?"

"I had two special someones who told me how important names are, no matter how small our lives can be. Every student here is yearning for something great, and I'll do my very best to encourage you, such as remembering all your names." She pointed to each student, "Applebloom, Scootaloo, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle..." She slowed down, "Sweetie Belle... Rarity... Y-You must be Flash Sentry? I'm sorry, it's hard to remember your face..."

"That's me..." Flash rolled his eyes,

"... And Big McIntosh." The teacher finished, "I'm all right. Right?"

The group nodded,

"You know, you don't have to call me ma'am either. You can use my name too. Well then, take care! I've got some books to collect, and that job is painful."

"No worries." Big Mac waved as the teacher returned to her duties, "Thanks ma'... I mean, Ms M."

The Farmer in the Halidom and The Forest of Wind.

The End

Comments

[shadow0knight]

Finally got back to reading this.

You know with Adagio talking about Siren magic and after playing the Summer event, makes it really interestsing should Adagio ever run into Siren (Dragon) I know this was written before the summer event so lol

Also no brainer who the teacher really is with the description and the talks about losing a beloved and also flustered with Flash knowing who the VA played in DL. But I'll read the rest as I continue this story.

[Tythen]

9853759
Welcome back

Ha ha ha... I mentioned the summer event as an author note in newer chapters, as it came out during then.

Regarding the teacher, please no spoilers. However, regarding Flash and Ms M, that was unintentional. I merely played on the joke about Flash not having a 'personality' as stated by fans.

Are you enjoying the anniversary event? Cause I sure am! I will do my best to get Gala Euden and continue writing this story... Especially regarding the news about DL being Unionized...