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Life in Equestria1,303 words
A Beauty of a Beast2,014 words
The Helm of Nightmare2,079 words
The Southern Holds2,317 words
Scaleside2,301 words
The Mines2,379 words

The Helm of Nightmare

Twilight watched the last of her friends emerge from the armory, each a matching shade of dull navy. Every suit of armor was vastly different in minor ways; where Rainbow's had been all sleek and spikes, Fluttershy's was rounded and soft, blades hidden and armor altered for a more Earth-Pony physique. Where Pinkie's was flashing claws and pouncing attacks, Applejack's was sturdy and built for powerful kicking with underbelly protection. Rarity's was a mixture of them all, elegance mixed with efficiency, crest of the helm studded with magical crystals and tail banded with a single spiked chain.

Twilight's chest, head and feet were still bare, however. Carbon held her boots under his wings, while Steel levitated the helm and neckpiece with an amulet Carbon had described only as 'a gift from Celestia'.

The thestral stared up at her, frowning. "Will you wear Her helm, thestral Princess?"

Twilight took a deep breath. "I... I will take her place as Guardian of the thestrals. But I will not take her Stone."

Carbon glanced over at the neck-piece, the small gemstone inside flickering in the light. "W-why not, thestral Princess?"

"The Stones are the core of a Princess's immortality. In taking that, I would take her life and make it mine. I cannot do that." Twilight levitated the boots and helm from Carbon and Steel. "I will lead you, but not with her life as my protection."

She slipped her hooves into the boots, finding the rear set adapted for claws. The helmet slid easily over her skull, and the dark violet glimmered brightly against the rest of her dull black armor. She could almost feel the phantasmal skin of the previous bearer taking over her own, a sensation she quickly dismissed.

"If it comes to a point where I must die to save you, I will not hide behind magic to do so."

-----

"The Southern dragons are not the same kind of dragons as those you are bonded with. You all have some of Spike's essence in you, and he is a Northern dragon." Luna turned, unrolling a wide poster with her magic and holding it open.

She pointed a hoof at one of the two large dragons taking up the canvas. "This is an Equestrian, or Northern, dragon. They are under our rule like any other Equestrian, and because of this do not have the constant fights for dominance like those of the South. From generations of this, they have grown rather soft and rotund."

Luna turned her gaze over to Fluttershy. "You have defeated an Equestrian dragon by talking to it, yes? That will not work on a Southern. Pony hooves will do little but glance from its scales, and magic," here, she turned to Twilight, "will do little to no good. You will have to use everything at your disposal to take but one down, and you will be going to a Hold, which normally contains near to a hundred."

She pointed at the other dragon. "The Southern dragons live under constant threats from other dragons and survival itself. Gems are far less plentiful in the South from ages of relentless mining, and territory relies on dominance. Rainbow Dash!"

"Uh, yeah?"

"You saw the dragon's hoard, yes?"

"Yeah." Rainbow scuffed a hoof on the ground. "And?"

"Rarity, you saw how much Spike grew when he gained his material wealth?"

"Yes, Princess."

Luna nodded briskly. "Southern dragons do not have hoards. Their size is purely from age and fighting. They pride themselves on their knowledge and skill, not on petty belongings. This also allows them to leave areas without needing to bring anything with them, as anything they need with them to stay strong not be in physical form."

"So how do you beat them?" Pinkie asked. "You make it sound like they're invincibubble!"

"Invincible, yes." Luna corrected. "Nearly. The only way you'll be able to defeat one is through sheer strength. Once challenged, they will not wait for you to recover, and chances are they will not let you live. You may be able to seek refuge as they are not themselves. The force seemingly overpowering them may be more relenting than they are."

"Do we know anything about this force?" Twilight questioned. "Do we have any idea of what we're up against?"

"One of the dragons, the one that sent us that letter, once vanquished both my sister and I during the battles prior to peacetime. Had we not mastered the stones of immortality," she brushed a hoof against her neck-piece, "we would not have lived to sign the treaty."

"We're so dead." Rainbow muttered.

-----

Twilight folded a third map, sliding it into her saddlebags alongside various blank scrolls, an inkwell, and a quill. She knew from experience that Rarity would pack any clothes they could possibly need, and Pinkie would cover food. She had a whole second set of bags to carry her armor when she wasn't wearing it - Carbon had repeated that it was enchanted to be lightweight, and to fold up for convenient storage - so that wasn't a problem.

As she puzzled through a stack of books, she was faintly aware of somepony shuffling their hooves outside of the door. "Hello?"

The hooves stopped moving, followed by a soft knock.

"You can come in. It's alright." She looked up at the door, letting her books hover in a pink-tinted cloud around her.

Steel edged around the door, looking up at Twilight's magic in mild awe. Twilight smiled at her guest, patting the ground with a hoof to invite her in.

Twilight set the books down in a ring around her, leaving space for the second pony. "I'm just trying to figure out what to bring."

The kirin frowned, scanning the titles around her. With a smile, she tapped her hoof on the cover of a nearby tome.

"'The Royal Equestrian Bestiary'?" Twilight read aloud, laughing. "Even I should have known that."

Steel nodded in agreement and continued onto the rest of the books as Twilight packed the bestiary away. By the time the large book had been shoved, Steel had sorted out a pile of much smaller books, each surprisingly suited to the task at hand.

"Dungeons and Dragons? Really?" Twilight hovered the last book above the bag, tossing a quizzical glance back at the kirin.

Steel shrugged.

-----

Carbon jolted to attention as Twilight trotted into the hall, Steel trailing behind. As she passed to join her friends, she caught a glimpse of the two hugging, Carbon obviously trying to convince Steel he'd be okay.

"Are you ready to go, girls?"

Applejack smiled, claws clicking on the tile floors. "Ah reckon as ready as we'll ever be."

"Ready to kick flank!" Rainbow cheered.

Fluttershy dipped her head. "I guess seeing some new sights would be nice."

"Do dragons like parties?"

"Oh, what colors go with fire and brimstone?" Rarity fretted, re-opening her bags. "I hope something I brought matches!"

Twilight smiled, turning around at the click of metal on tile. Princess Celestia smiled down at her faithful student.

"We're ready."

"I'm coming with you." Carbon interrupted, filling the space beside Twilight. Between when she had glanced at him and now, he had slipped on a full set of black armor, offset by the navy accents of the Night Guard. His eyes gleamed from behind a thin sheet of wire. "I won't let you go in this alone."

Princess Celestia laughed as Twilight glared Carbon away from her side. "Let him come. He can do no harm."

She paused, shuffling her wings.

"And remember, Twilight, you are never alone. Equestria will always stand at your back, and the sun and moon will guide your travels."

Twilight nodded, wings opening slightly in her excitement. "I know."

"Good luck, my faithful student."

And with that, she stepped back, allowing Twilight and her friends outside, to where a line of navy carriages awaited. The six Kirins harnessed to their carts beamed as Twilight looked towards them.

She was stopped as a navy Alicorn stepped into her path, letting her friends by but holding her with a firm teal gaze. "You're leaving so soon?"

"Yes." Twilight looked over the Night Princess's shoulders, trying to see her friends. "The sooner the better. No lives should be lost from our late arrival."

"You make a good point, Twilight Sparkle." Luna nodded, "but promise me one thing."

"What?"

"That you will come back alive."

Twilight's breath hitched in her throat as a sudden wave of emotion pulled her deeper into the Alicorn's eyes. Flashes of fire and white, yells thrown over crashing thunder, heat and chills, a sister's love torn away. Icicles pricked along her spine, making her fur stand up.

"I-I will." She choked out, turning her gaze away from Luna.

The Princess seemed not to notice. "The sky is a rather lonely thing to paint alone."

"Yes."

"I want you to use all the power you can, should you be in a fight. Whether it be your own," she pointed a hoof towards Twilight's neck-piece, the small socket where a Stone would fit currently vacant, "or that of another," she pointed towards the slim back of Nightmaren armor peeking out from her bag. "Remember you must survive."

"You... you want me to use Nightmare Moon's Stone?"

"I want you to live." Luna clarified.

Twilight glanced back at the pale blue armor, noticing Carbon's finish had turned her full suit the same shade. She'd have to have a talk with him about that. "Of course."

Luna simply nodded and breezed past her, a misplaced wingtip drawing a cold snake down her side. Twilight's breath felt like ice in her throat, fading quickly as the Moon herself vanished into the castle.

"Are you ready to go?" One of the Kirins asked, looking back over her shoulder. Her cart jolted as Carbon leaped on, curling up on the seat and inviting Twilight to join him.

She studied the mare as she climbed onto the chariot. Faces she didn't know, but wings and scales she did. Another five ponies willing to give up their soft furs to stand by her side. She sighed, letting the wind wash over her as she was pulled into the air. Carbon crouched beside her, shaking in fear and pressing up against her side. She let a wingtip drape over his shoulders, protecting him somewhat from the wind.

It was going to be a long time away from home.

She glanced towards her friends, each returning her gaze with a smile. Even Carbon halted his terrified shivers enough to give her a grin and a short, "thestral Princess?"

She took a deep breath, feeling her magic run through every vein and muscle, filling her with power.

It was going to be a long time away from home, that was for sure. They were fighting blind against a legendary enemy, and darkness seethed at the edge of the Southern horizon. Her bones ached with predictions of restless nights, and her skin itched with the promise of filth and dirt.

She wrapped her magic around her heart, the calm dun-dun pulling her back to the here and now. She scanned the eager faces of her friends for the second time, tracing the edges of scales and the cat-like pupils in their eyes.

It may have been a long time away from home, but she was not alone.

And as a distinct fire blossomed in her soul, she realized she never had been.

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