Chapter 1: Became a Dragon

Tamriel, a mysterious continent filled with ancient secrets, a sky filled with gods, and realms beyond filled with the amused immortals. A land filled with diverse peoples, and great conflicts, it is a place where nearly anything can and has happened. Once, man, a race of unknown origin, were enslaved by the children of Akatosh, God of Time: the Dragons. Dragons spoke a language that was raw power, and quickly dominated northern Tamriel, forcing man under their influence. Kynareth, Goddess of the Heavens, took pity on them, gave men the ability to speak as Dragons do, and so the first Dragonborn came into existance. Slaying their masters and overthrowing their cult leaders, men buried every dragon known to exist, and cast the first-born of Akatosh, Alduin the World Eater, into time. Free of their masters, man spread out, and eventually conquered all of Tamriel. As the Empire rose, it reached it's peak after the third era, before a ancient order of Elves, the Aldmeri Dominion, nearly destroyed man's Empire, and tensions only grew after the war. The Nords, enraged that the Elves had banned the worship of one of their most coveted gods, rebeled against the Empire, and a new war started. As the rebel's leader was captured, and ready to be executed, fate acted against all odds, and Alduin returned to the world, inadvertently saving the leader, and the war continued. It was at this time, the time when dragons returned after millenia of sleeping, that a new Dragonborn arose. Trained under the tutelage of the Greybeards, Masters of the Way of the Voice, this Dragonborn saved an island from the First Dragonborn, Miraak, and stopped the up-rise of a great cult of Vampires, before finally entering the realm of Sovngarde, and slew Alduin, ending his rein of soul eating terror at last. In this realm, where the honored dead sing and drink for eternity, do we begin our story.

Before him, the great black Dragon Alduin burned, his very soul being cast from Sovngarde. The Dragonborn of the age, one going by the name of Ylven, watched as the dragon cried out in fear, his essence being ported through the great vortex above them all, at last, the world was safe. He stood in a tundra-like area, with mountains surrounding he and his companions, Dragonbons of old, the original slayers of Alduin. He felt some amount of pride rush through him as he realized that this was his doing, admittedly, he had assistance, but this kill, this was his soul to watch be destroyed. On his form sat a set of armor made from the dragons he had slain in Tamriel, and his sword, a tall Dragonbone Greatsword, still stained with the dark blood of the World Eater, rested on his back. He stepped away, facing the others, who revelled in their own glory, having finally defeated the beast that had slain them so long ago, all except the mage, whom had cast him into time in the first place. They all looked to him, and a simple nod was all he needed to commune his thoughts. Gilded energies of Dragons enveloped him, a Shout he had learned on Solstheim, which had aided him in Mirrak's defeat. Ready to leave he approached the ancient guardian of the Whale Bone Bridge, Tsun, the Nordic God of Trials Against Adversity.

"Hail, Dragonborn, Slayer of Alduin, the World Eater," the mighty god began.

Tsun was no mere Nord, and stood at least a whole two feet taller than Ylven, who had to look up to speak with him, "It couldn't have ended any other way, he had to be stopped."

"I understand why Shor stayed our blades then, I will admit I expected the doom of the four of you, but now that I see that I am corrected, I will offer you a path home."

Ylven nodded, taking a breath, "This has been a long time coming, thank you, Tsun."

Tsun readied himself, gathering his essence before releasing his Voice in powerful Shout,

"Nahl Dal Gol!"

And that was all that need be spoken. The Dragonborn felt the energies binding him here falter, and release him, allowing his spirit to return to the land of the living. He floated up, and was able to see the three Nordic heroes make their way back into Sovngarde's halls, to rejoin their bretheren, to sing and drink for the remaining eternity... one day, perhaps soon, he would join them... it certainly seemed like a worthy end, to join with so many other valliant heroes, some of which he had sent to their doom by his own hand. As the energies of Tsun's Shout took him back to Nirn, the energies from his Dragon Aspect began to glow more vibrantly, and pulse with unknown energy. He felt the effect instantly, and looked around him, the spiraling power began to slow, but continued to glow in a manner that suggested he was actually gaining power. He looked skyward, and realized he was getting rather close to the stars above, almost too close... that didn't seem like the way back to Skyrim... Still, his trust in Tsun's abilities held strong, and undermined his doubts. Soon though, the power surrounding him became blinding, and he found himself unable to see. As the power blinded him, he was sure he felt like he was moving, and quickly as well, where ever he was going, all he could hope that it was somewhere in Tamriel.

Back in Sovngarde, Tsun watched as the Dragonborn floated away into the high heavens, returning to... no, that wasn't right... Nahl Dal... Gol... Gol, Gol was earth... crap.

His speed increased, but something wasn't right... it hadn't taken him this long to reach Sovngarde, he was sure of that, but still he floated away, blinded by this confound light... wait... he couldn't feel anything, he was numb! Panic washed over him, what was going on? Where was he going? Where had that fool of a gatekeeper sent him?! It was dead quiet for a time, but soon something sounded in the distance, causing the Dragonborn's heart to stop. The roar of a dragon. He could take any dragon, any day, but blinded? And seemably without control over his body? No amount of armor or magic could save him now. Wingbeat sounded, and he found himself feeling his doom creeping closer, he had just lamented on joining the other nordic heroes in Sovngarde, but not like this! As he continued to struggle, it became clear that the dragon had stopped, and was now hovering just mere feet away from the debilitated Dragonborn, who struggle with his magical constraints, no doubt that the beast was preparing some vile Thu'um to end him...

"Be still, one of my blood," a voice, so proud and powerful, Ylven had never heard such power in a voice before, even among dragons.

"Why should I obey one of you?" Ylven asked, trying to struggle against his prison further.

"For I hand a hand in the creation of your world, and govern time, I ask that you take that time and lend it back to me."

The Dragonborn stopped; governed time... wait, "A-Akatosh?"

Suddenly, the light vanished, and reavealed a sight to hold, a dragon, as large a a mountain but still within the Dragonborn's vision, glowing with golden energy and looking at him... no, in him, "It is I, first of the Divines... I wished to speak to you, Dovahkiin."

Ylven gulped, trying to bow, but finding that he was still immobile, "My apologies, o' lord, I had feared my end was at hand, what is it you ask of me?"

"Time brings all things to pass... And I ask nothing of you, but I bring a warning: You will not be returning to Nirn."

Ylven crooked a brow, "If I am not being returned to Nirn, then where? Aetherius? Oblivion?"

Akatosh seemed to smile, and a warm fiel enveloped him, "No, my child, you are traveling to a place beyond places, to a realm where I cannot see. The Daedra cannot harm you there, and the Aedra will not be able to reach you, but I have faith that you will survive there as you have on Nirn, perhaps."

"Perhaps? Far be it for me to question you, Lord of Time, but why do you speak to me?" Ylven questioned, feeling uneasy as the stars raced past them as he felt them leaving the realm.

"I speak to you to prepare you, young one, for you shall receive no help there. I am speaking with you because I must, for the folly of Tsun has caused a change in you, and where you shall be going."

Ylven blinked, "If I may, what do you mean?"

Again Akatosh smiled, and the same wave of utter kindness washed over Ylven, "Look upon yourself, One-Born-of-Man, and realize your new form, as a Dovah."

Suddenly finding himself with the ability to move, Vylven craned his neck, and found that i was much longer than usual. Looking down, he saw the layered scales, the razor talons, and boisterous wings, capable of lifting him off of the ground with ease, all attached to his body, and finally, he realized something, the way he and Akatosh communed was with the language of Dragons. How had this all happened?

As he inspected his new form, Akatosh suddenly emitted a wave of anxiety, "I warn you, Dovah, our time grows short as you make your way to this new realm, all I ask of you now, is that you follow the same path as before, righteous, and helping those that need it."

As Ylven was about to ask something of the time deity, Akatosh seemed to stop moving altogether, and was suddenly left behind as the new Dragon soared into a new realm, "Farewell, Dovah, may your heart always be true, and you mind always be sharp."

Ylven could say nothing as he watched the once massive god begin to shrink away in the distance, before becoming but a glow behind the fog of reality. Soon he found himself in a vortex, an aura of distinct and bright colours washed over him, and he again gained speed. As the Dragonborn, now a Dragon himself, raced through time and space, he could only think of Tamriel. His home, his birthplace, his land to tame and conquer... gone. Most likely forever, unless he could find a way home... who knew, perhaps this new realm could be nice. After slaying the World Eater, he supposed that he had earned a break. Yes, this new realm thing was beginning to feel like it might actually work out... perhaps he would make this work. It was a new realm after all, he could probably tame and conquer all the countryside he wanted... perhaps he could make like the Dragons he had slain and try to dominate a village, he had always wondered what it was like to attack and decimate villages of 'lesser' creatures. Obviously there were going to be no Dragonborn to slay him, so he might be able to entertain himself... yes, this could work out quite nicely.

Before him the portal separated into shards, and a gorgeous meadow was revealed below. Ylven spread his wings, and felt the wind rush over them, and for the first time, he flew without the aid of another Dragon. He spotted a small village in the distance, and began to fly towards it, feeling powerful with his ability to fly, and be above all. Once over top of the buildings, he released a feral roar, something he had wanted to do for a long time, and felt his chest puff out with pride as he prepared a speech for them.

"I am Ylven, Dragon of Tamriel, hear my voice and cower in fear!"

Ponyville, 12:00 or so

Twilight was having a fantastic day! Celestia's sun was shining, Rainbow Dash's weather team had cleared the clouds, Spike had rearranged the library, and Twilight had just treated herself to perhaps the best daisy sandwich to ever cross her lips. She trotted down the streets of Ponville, an aura of giddiness surrounding her. As ponies waved and smiled to her, she waved and smiled right back, ever since her coronation, she was getting more attention than ever, usually that bugged her a little, but today she was more than obliged to return the favor. Ponyville seemed to be in a similar state as her, everypony was waving to one another, everypony was smiling, it was almost like it was an official holiday... national smile day? That sounded like something Pinkie Would come up with.

"Hey Twilight!" Twilight heard a familiar voice cry, the pony was none other than Pinkie Pie herself, party pony extraordinaire.

"Hey Pinkie, what's up?" she gleefully responded, waving a hoof.

Pinkie bounced up to her, doing a full loop around her and then stopping at her face and holding out a letter, "We're having a get together party, and your invited!"

Twilight happily accepted the invitation, "Sounds great, who all is coming?"

Pinkie sat down, scratching her head as if in deep thought, "Welll... there's Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and you!" she stopped for a moment, springing back up onto her feet, "And me too, but I'm hosting."

Twilight nodded, storing the letter in her bag, "I'll be there, when are we due to arrive?"

Pinkie giggled, "Like, now! But it's okay if you can come later, we won't start without anypony!"

"Actually, I'm not doing anything today, so I could come with you right now," Twilight offered.

Pinkie beamed with happiness, and held out a hoof, "Twilight Sparkle, take my hoof..."

Twilight rolled her eyes, but accepted the gesture, and joined Pinkie in skipping to Sugar Cube Corner. On any normal day, Twilight might feel a little embarrassed, hopping and skipping with one of her friends to the local sweet shop, but today, nothing could dower her mood, and so she played along, even spreading her wings a little each time they left the ground. They hopped all the way to Sugar Cube Corner, where inside, Twilight saw all of her friends gathered around a single table, awaiting their arrival. The moment they got inside, the smell of sugary treats and fluffy cakes blasted her, and she stopped at the door to get a good whiff before continuing inside.

As Pinkie bounced into the back, Twilight took the chair adjacent to Rarity, "Hey girls!"

"Oh Twilight, how wonderful of you to join us! I had feared that today was going to be one of those 'completely avoid contact with sunlight' days of yours, that kind of treatment is dreadful for your skin, darling," commented Rarity, and yes, Twilight knew very well the effects of sunlight on a mare's coat and skin, in fact, without Rarity, Twilight might not be so versed in such a topic.

"Nope, it's just been a fantastic day for me, I don't really know why it is... it's just... special," Twilight said, still smiling.

"Ah'll say, it's been smooth sailin' at th' farm. Got the fields all done today, and Big Mac's handlin' the stall, right as rain, I tell yah," added Applejack, tipping her hat slightly.

"Yeah, I've been trying to do this trick all week, but I kept on loosing too much speed at the loop, but today I got it just right!" Rainbow Dash bragged, stretching her wings proudly.

"Well... um... Angel didn't complain about his food..." Fluttershy sank into her seat after her lame excuse as to why she was so happy.

"Cupcakes, coming through!" Pinkie announced, practically slamming a large tray of delicious looking, icing topped, Pinkie Grade cupcakes in the center of the table, "Dig in everypony!"

And so they did, even Rarity, who had never seen such a fattening cupcake in her life before, took all of one cupcake for herself. A great deal of gobbling went on around them, and everypony was enjoying themselves until Pinkie began to vibrate. Soon her tail wrapped around her body, and she sprang into the air and began to spasm. Everypony stopped all at once and began to watch the display eagerly. The show continued for a full thirty seconds before Pinkie landed back in her seat, shivering as the sensations ended.

"Whoa, that was a doozie- no, super doozie! Something super doozie is gonna happen!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Whll, whht ish it?" asked Rainbow Dash, churning a cupcake into mush, whilst speaking.

"Wellll... hmm, tail wrap... shaking... flying... *Gasp* Everypony get behind the counter now!" and with that being said, Pinkie launched from the table and behind the counter's protective glass, occasionally sneaking a cupcake from behind the display case.

Everypony else merely looked at one another and shrugged, carefully getting out from their seats and meandering behind the counter, taking cover with Pinkie. They all stayed like this for a few minutes, until Pinkie stood up with a cupcake in hoof.

"Huh, I guess it was a false alarm," she said before devouring the cupcake.

Just everypony else began to stand back up, a ferocious roar was heard above town, followed by somepony going on about a dragon. It became eerily quiet for while, before there was a tired creak above them, followed by a series of snaps and crackles as the roof collapsed, and a slightly smaller, but still pretty big dragon fell through the rafters. Everypony was stunned as the creature began to regain it's bearings, muttering on about something like terrible rooves before raising it's head and looking directly at them. Fluttershy fainted, and everypony else merely stared it down, unsure on what to do. It wasn't long before it opened it's mouth to speak...

Ylven soared through the air above the town, looking for an acceptable place to land. He spotted a house made from solid looking walls and white stones that seemed like it could support him, and began his descent. He still felt some amount of pride pumping through him for making an opening like that, and as he touched down, the roof creaked, but held. He felt a small wave of relief before the ground seemably opened up and swallowed him, the sound of splitting wood and the feeling of splinters showering his armored body filled the air as he tumbled down, with little sense as to when it would stop. Soon, there was a loud thud, and he felt himself stop.

"Stupid... pitiful alien rooves... the Nords make them better than these creatures..." he stopped in the middle of his muttering and realized that he was being stared at by at least six tiny horses, one of which promptly passed out at the sight of him.

They stared at one another for a while, before he realized that he was the superior here.

"Behold my might, ponies! For I am Ylven, are you not in fear?" he chanted, craning his neck and looking down at them.

There was a moment when he was sure that he had frightened them stiff, until one of these creatures burst forward with such speed that he was unable to react in time and kicked him directly in the face, in midair! Unable to process what had just happened, the other creatures joined in, and soon he found all manner of objects being hurled at him, spoons, cakes, kitchenware, then they began to use magic. He had seen mages levitate things to them for short periods of time, but these things were worse than Elves! Obviously being some kind of master wizards, they began to cast painful spells and beat him with kitchenware covered in auras of energy. The blue one took off through the hole he had made earlier, but soon he heard a sound like thunder, and upon looking up he saw an odd circular rainbow appearing in the sky, followed by... by Mara was that the pony?! He tried to react, to do something, but being in such a small space prevented much movement, and soon he found himself restrained by the mages, the sound of a whizzing arrow inching nearer and nearer. At the last moment, he saw the pony come through the roof, and in slow motion he saw her smiling... smug little-GUGH!

Outside the building, a massive explosion of rainbow dust erupted into the air, before silence ensued. Inside the now ruined establishment, there was but a single sound uttered in the wake of the explosion:

"...Ouch..."

Chapter 2: Realized Something...

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Chapter 2: Realized Something...

"Ouch," rose the only sound since the devastating explosion, rainbow dust still slowly falling back to the ground.

In the basement, a dragon lay, large, young, and covered in mottled brown scales, beaten. By a tiny horse creature and its friends. Rising without a question, the Dragon of Tamriel quickly spread his wings, knocked over one of the few remaining walls, and took to the sky purely on instinct. Once in the air, an almost voice in his head told him to run, to escape, that death was not an option here, while the other part told him to turn back, and burn them where they stood! His mind was clouded by pain, and fear and confusion, how did this happen? They were horses, he was a Dragon! In Tamriel, horses were a dime-a-dozen creature, he literally almost killed one daily because they were too stupid to realize that that troll, or Dragon, or sabre cat has the mutual advantage. He was a Dragon! How did he just lose to a creature so small and pitiful and- ... Oh... Was that what it was like? Finally gaining some amount of sense, he found himself over a forest, and so searched for a clearing amongst the sea of vegetation below. Landing haphazardly, he sat there alone, thinking.

Was that what a Dragon felt like when he had defeated it? When they soared the open skies and prowled the air, did they see him as weak? Pitiful? But a horse amongst beasts, ripe for the kill? And when he brought them down to earth and cut at their body with weapons hewn from their very bones, did they despair? Think what he thought? Was he becoming a Dragon in the way that he thought himself superior? What had happened... mere minutes ago, Akatosh, God of Time himself had asked that he Dragonborn to live a righteous life as he did on Nirn... why did he attack that village? Perhaps... Perhaps Alduin himself had been given a similar mission, to live righteously... but the knowledge of being immortal, being so powerful... why should he allow them to govern his days, when he could slay them with a whisper!? No... that was the Dragon speaking, not him, not Ylven! He was a hero, a warrior who slew evil in all it's forms! HE did not attack that village, the Dragon did, something he was going to have to keep in check from now on.

Groaning and wiping his face with a claw, he sighed aloud, "Divines, I understand you cannot hear me, but know that I have been a fool... please, forgive my wretched soul..."

He needed to rest, someplace to stay... A thought came to him, a mountain would be fantastic right now. Spreading his leathery wings he took to the sky once more, and began to search for a suitable home, someplace where these... ponies, would not find him, and where he could not harm them again. Overlooking the woodlands, he saw a small range just a few kilometers away. Perfect. Steeling his will, he began to rise through the air, and make way to the mountains. As he travelled, a thought came to him. The Whirlwind Sprint... he wondered, now that his soul was on par with that of a Dragon's...

Opening his razor lined maw, Ylven prepared a Thu'um, one he had been taught by the Greybeards themselves, "Wuld Nah Kest!"

Suddenly, the world around him stretched out, and he laid his wings flat at his sides, allowing him to move through the air with little trouble. Colours became stretched out lines, and the forest beneath him became like a stream of green, followed by a quick flash of gold and white as he passed over the town again -that was some impressive distance already. The air tore around him, and he could actually feel his scales warm a little from the sudden burst of heat, nothing he couldn't manage though, being a dragon and all. It ended as soon as it came, spreading his wings, he saw that he was substantially closer to his goal than before, an impressive distance indeed.

"Wuld... Nah... Kest..." came the whisper from behind, followed by a thunderous sound he had heard only once before.

Swinging around, he readied himself for a fight before seeing that there was no Dragon to speak of, and realized that it was his Shout that he had just heard... had he truly just travelled faster than sound?
A mock smile spread across his scaly features, this new body had its advantages, it would seem. Forgetting about the event, he corrected his course, and returned to reaching the mountain. It was so close now, and he could feel himself ready again. Opening his mouth once more, he readied himself for the journey, laying his wings flat and straightening his tail...

"Wuld..."

Skies above, it was hot out! Celestia stood upon her balcony, alone on her tower, she stared into her own sun. Had she done that? Yes, perhaps it was a tad warm today, but moving the sun out of position could be such a hassle, she didn't really feel like ruining its trip now. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth from her golden globe, all you had to do was believe it was warm, really, and then it would be. Content that she had gotten her balcony time all wrapped up, Celestia returned to her room, shutting her doors and sitting behind an oak carved desk. A few stacks of paper had accumulated, invaded her space, and she was going to have to fend them off the only way she knew how. A quill and inkwell appeared behind her, and she readied her chosen weapons, her way of defeating them was simple: Literature! Charging at the stacks she furiously began to read and sign every note, occasionally dipping her quill in the ink as to not run dry. Papers in the 'In' box began to lose numbers, and papers in the 'Out' box suddenly found themselves a considerable bolster. Every now and again, she would pick a traitor out from their midst, and it would promptly be incinerated. She would not tolerate tax evasion.

As the battle began to reach its climax, a familiar fizzling sound caught her ear, and she stopped, catching the note that had materialized behind her.

"Dear Princess Celestia... We were attacked by a dragon?!" she read aloud, and quickly began to scan the rest of the page,
"Fought it off... flew into woods... last seen making it's way to Canterlot?!"

Just as she finished, a thundering sound echoed from the distance, "Nah... Kest..."

Freezing, she quietly waited... listened. Screams echoed shortly afterwards, and she teleported to where they seemed to be originating from. She found herself above the street, as intended, and spread her wings and began to hover. Looking down she saw the townsponies running in the streets, faces filled with fear and panic, and then she heard it. Wingbeats. Not her own, but massive, strong and rhythmic wingbeats, something dragons were quite commonly associated with. Following the sound, Celestia spotted the culprit -a dragon, at least the size of a small house, was flying in place, it's long, armored neck stretching around as it observed the city... her city. She watched it for a while, waiting for it to make the first move. So far as she could tell it didn't seem to be hostile... assuming this was the same dragon that attacked Twilight though, it could merely be plotting. Soon, it began to shake its head, and she watched as it nearly fell from the sky, grasping its head between its claws, it began to plummet. As quickly as it came though, it stopped, the dragon regained height, but there something different about it... something... darker, something about the way it moved, the way it began to scan the ground below it. Suddenly, it didn't feel like a friendly visitor anymore, and more like a warlord studying the battlefield.

It opened its mouth, and Celestia watched closely as it spoke, "Yol..."

"Toor Shul!"

A jet of flames erupted from his maw as he burned the desecrators below. Heathens! This was HIS mountain! Moving from one place to another, he began to torch the city below, wooden roofs and flammable materials igniting from the massive gouts of flame being sprayed from the sky, how DARE they build here, upon his temple?! It was an outrage! As he was about to set fire to another building, something struck him in the side. Roaring in anger, he followed it's source to a pony, but this one... there was something different about this one... She was taller, much more regal, had a mane that was as large as she was, and her horn had to be as long as one of his talons. She seemed quite angry with him. That would change soon. He saw her charge another spell, and at the same time he released another Shout.

"Tiid Klo Ul!"

Time shivered, and then slowed. Suddenly, he could see every movement, and released his Whirlwind Sprint again. Just as she fired the spell in slow motion, he appeared beside her, and did a midair somersault, slamming her with his tail, in slow motion. Before she could even react, she fell to the ground, creating a small crater in the street below. In slow motion.

Time began again, and soon everything returned to normal. Below him she lay, eyes wide open, face plastered with surprise. Roaring victoriously, he began his assault again. A blast of energy knocked his mouth sideways, though, and he turned to see his assailer. She was back up, and looked angrier than ever.

"Give up!" she yelled to him, charging a spell with her horn, "Before i have to get serious."

Dragon Ylven merely smiled, "You believe that you can defeat me?"

She lowered her horn again, ready to fire.

"If you wish for an untimely demise, so be it..."

With that, he opened his mouth again, but this time, made the words in his mind, creating his own shout there and then, "Guard... Ward... Shield!"

A great barrier of energy appeared before him, just as she released her spell, and a beam of golden power crashed into his Shout. The spell was powerful, he had to admit, but his Thu'um was stronger, and withstood the attack. A great explosion ensued, and a cloud of smoke appeared. Using it as cover, Dragon Ylven closed the distance between them with a single powerful wingbeat, trying to ram her head first. She seemed to anticipate his attack and evaded it with ease, getting behind him. He felt a powerful shot strike his back, enough to cause him some minor pain. Annoyed with her efforts, he released his Fire Breath Shout, engulfing her in flames. To his surprise, she didn't try to avoid it. The Fool! Feeling victorious once again, he allowed a smile to crease his lips, before another powerful beam of energy struck him into the earth. Clambering out of the crater, Ylven snorted, this creature was making far too many comebacks...

Looking up, he saw that she was totally unscathed, and had a smug grin creased across her face as she charged another spell. Great. Immune to fire. He formulated a plan, he needed to level the playing field, he had ice or frost, call a storm? Blast her back, create a cyclone, drain her strength, or bite her, that worked too. Trying to figure something out, he allowed her to humor herself as she released another blast that was absorbed by his hide. Fire doesn't work, but as a Dragon, he had the entire language at his disposal... hmm... Got it.

Just as she charged another spell, he spoke from the ancient language again, making words no regular Dragon could, "Behind... Location... Shift."

Suddenly, his body became a void, and he disappeared. Confused by this, the pony began to search desperately for him, until he appeared again behind her, teeth rearing and ready to go. Releasing a devastating roar, he reached out and grabbed her between his jaws, and then began to squeeze. She cried out in pain, and instantly began to try and escape his razor prison, but to no avail. Chuckling inwardly, he began to squeeze harder, he had her now... She began to scream as his teeth actually began to cut through her flesh, she was tough, but not invincible. That honor belonged to the Dragons alone. He saw that she was trying to cast spells, to thrash her way out, but with so much pain it must have been awfully hard for her to concentrate... heh. Her heard a solid, and sickening snap, this time, there was no scampering free of his victory again!

"Sister!"

Ylven cocked a brow, but before he could look to see who it was, his prey disappeared in a flash of blue energy, causing him to snap his jaw shut. Feeling his rage boil over, he quickly looked to see another wing/horn combo holding his prey on her back, carefully checking her vitals.

"YOU!" he screamed, causing the newcomer to stare directly at him, "I've about had enough with you pony creatures! Your doom draws near!"

She had a slightly more serious face plastered on, and took a midair combat stance, slowly igniting her horn. Using the same Shout, he appeared behind her, but a beam of midnight energy was blasted into his face, causing him to stagger backwards. Next a hellstorm of tiny energy pellets was launched at him, like a small rain of power. Each pellet did little to harm him, but there were enough to actually push him backwards and make him close his eyes. As he was blinded, there was another flash of energy, and the assault ceased. Allowing himself to see again, the newcomer was nowhere to be found. He felt his power surge, and he roared violently into the air. These magic users were becoming QUITE annoying. Deciding to take his rage out on the people, he released a burst of fire more powerful than ever that easily engulfed three more homes or businesses, and began to incinerate them. As he rampage continued to destroy the town, the pony returned, Ylven could feel it.

He turned, ready to torch her into Oblivion, but saw a single green beam fire from her horn, followed by the sensation that he had just been hit by a lightning bolt, and was frozen. Unable to move, he lost altitude, and crashed into the ground, totally frozen. Unable to move or think, Dragon Ylven was frozen in mid-flight, but now on the ground, and slowly being approached by the pony. He heard the sound of armor, and realized that he had been surrounded by knights of some degree, with the more noble blue one hovering over him.

"Take this beast into the dragon holding cells, and make sure to get it muzzled, its words are... odd," she commanded, and the ponies saluted, before approaching his still frame.

At first he thought it was a fool’s effort, until they picked him up with magic and hauled him onto a sizeable cart. This magic was different from Tamriel’s magic due to the fact that he certainly couldn't move, but he seemed to be quite malleable at the hands... er, hooves, of these ponies. As he was hauled off to Gods know where, all he could do was stare the blue pony down. She would pay... soon... so soon.

Luna took a sigh of relief as her personal guard carted the dragon away. There was something different about him... most dragons couldn't teleport. Or beat Celestia in a fight. Given, she had grown a little soft over the years, but that thing’s armored hide, it's intellect, it's... magic were all quite formidable. During the fight she had been able to bind it and get Celestia to an emergency room --whether she needed it or not had yet to be seen, but it was always nice to be sure. She looked to Canterlot, and sighed as Fireponies began to douse the raging flames that had come with the attack. Luckily, it looked like nopony had been harmed, save for Celestia, but it would take more than a single bite to end her spark, Celestia was, if nothing, durable. Still, she couldn't help but feel that her sister had given the beast too much slack and had underestimated her opponent, who seemed to be quite versed in combat spells and tactics. What kind of a dragon was he, anyway?

Taking off after her guards, she saw them load the beast into the castle, the townsfolk gathered around the creature as it was imprisoned in the courtyard, a massive set of chains and heavy wooden shackles being latched onto every joint and limb, before being enchanted so that he couldn't break free. Perhaps the most vital was the solid Arcanium collar being attached to its neck, Arcanium ore being one of the few metals that totally negated magical effects, even Discord's masterful powers were useless against the rare metal. She had to wonder what a dragon was doing so far away from any woodland, local mountain, or cave, considering that Canterlot Mountain was swept weekly for the things and all known caves had been sealed. How did it get here without the guard being notified? Dragons usually kept each other in check, and most were content living their days out in caves hoarding treasure - why had this one so suddenly attacked them? And where did it get it's filthy claws on that kind of magic?! It's power was... raw. She could feel it, like the Dragon itself was using its very soul to give power to it's magic. However such magic usually required a very powerful being, something of a god itself, like an Alicorn, or Discord, could use Soul Magic, but even then it was quite taxing.

She had many questions for it, and all the time in the world for it to answer. Floating down to the dragon she saw that he had closed his eyes. She would let it rest, for when it woke, it was going to need all the energy it could muster.

Ylven was asleep. Something had happened... he was going to the mountain and then... ugh... his head... wait, why couldn't he move? Shuffling his wings, he heard the heavy clanking of iron clasps, and felt something wrapped around his neck. Opening his eyes, he found himself face to face with another pony creature, this one, though, was taller than the rest, had both a set of wings and a horn as well as a... a crown... oh great, the leader.

"Are you awake now, beast?" she questioned, looking deeply into his orbs.

He shuffled slightly, was this like prison for Dragons? Well. Crap.

"I asked you a question, monster!" she asked a little more forcefully, and he could hear the rage in her voice, was this about the little town?

"I... I think so," he stated, trying to get comfortable in the shackles, which were obviously designed to be the opposite of comfortable.

"Good, good," she began, and stood up on all fours, "To begin with, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Ylven blinked, this was about the town, "I'm sorry, I was so confused... And that building, those ponies, I could help to repair it..."

She squinted, "Oh, so suddenly you're very kind are you, what happened to the animal that was trying to eat my sister and burn down our city?!"

Burn down her... Ylven could see something, smoke. Black billowing clouds of smoke. Black billowing clouds of smoke being made by fires that were currently being doused by ponies in odd red chariots... it had happened again, and this time, he couldn't even remember it!

Sighing, he shuffled in his shackles again, "Your Majesty, if you'd please bring me your tallest glass..." his stomach grumbled, and he realised that he was, in fact, Dragon size, "...Tallest barrel of mead, I would be happy to tell you."

She squinted again, this time in bewilderment, "What is mead?"

Suddenly something cracked inside of Ylven, and he lowered his neck, craning it as close to the Princess' face as possible, he faced a fear that no warrior should ever have to, one that was currently causing an internal breakdown as he sat there, chained against his will, he had but one question for her:

"What?"

In the realm where the Gods dwelt, Akatosh looked up at the 'sky' where the Dragonborn had left them. Kynareth joined him there, and looked with him, wondering with him.

"What is that troubles you Akatosh?" she asked.

"The Dragonborn... He had become a Dragon as he left this place to find another," came his response.

"Why does that worry you?" she asked again.

"He was a man. A man who has become something else, like the Daedra's Werewolves and Vampires, men often lose themselves in their bestial forms. He was no Daedra, far from it, but that does not mean the influence of a Dragon, to overcome and dominate, will not infest him. If he cannot tame it then he will look for a place to call his own. He will find this place, and defend it dearly. Should anyone defy him, they will suffer. Alduin was my Firstborn and most powerful. He defeated Alduin in the form of a man. Now that he is a Dragon, he may be unstoppable."

She smiled, "If there is one thing I know of Ylven, it is that he can overcome anything. He was a wolf once too, remember that."

"I do. But a wolf is very different from a Dragon, especially when you cannot become what you once were ever again, he may soon look upon himself as more of a beast than a man anymore."

"He will not. Nords are stubborn amongst men."

"Perhaps," Akatosh allowed himself to admit, "perhaps..."

Chapter 3: Listen and Learn

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Chapter 3: Listen and Learn

Canterlot... A great, shining city clutching to the side of a majestic mountain, capital of one of the worlds largest nations. White, gleaming towers of marble and polished stone, gilded, golden roofs, and clear glass windows were practically a standard in the great pony metropolis. The once docile city had become restless however, burning homes and businesses causing the sky to choke on dark clouds of black smoke. Fireponies worked around the clock to protect the buildings surrounding the ignited ones, as saving them was out of the question. The citizens, once proud and secure with the knowledge that nothing bad could happen this deep into their country, were scarred, scared, and otherwise bewildered. How had a dragon, a mere beast from miles away, gotten here without alerting the guards, and then proceeded to burn down at least four blocks of buildings? Some even said that the dragon defeated Princess Celestia, but very few believed that. The town had one thing on its mind though: Justice, justice to the beast who had ruined so many lives and caused some amount of the secure feeling to burned to ash. A horde had gathered at the castle gates, stallions and mares, a few of them victims of the dragon’s rage, bellowing and demanding the execution of such a beast. They battered the front gates, and caused an unsteady falter in the guard holding them back.

"I will be the one asking questions!" Luna yelled over the sounds of the nearby crowd.

The dragon seemed to slump, despair washing over his features, "No mead... what's a Nord without his mead..."

Luna sat down again, a few feet away from his snout, and looked into his eyes, "A Nord? What is a Nord? Answer me dragon!"

"Maybe I could make some, like before... no, that batch was terrible, and I wasn't even a Dragon then..." Ylven mumbled.

Luna groaned, her mane flickering around like a candle flame instead of a piece of cloth caught in a perpetual breeze, "You are trying my patience, beast! I merely wondered why you had attacked, but now it seems that I know why, you are mad! Crazy as a crawsnap, and I have no time for those whose minds have left them..." with that, she stood, and began to leave.

Ylven barely noticed, mind already shrouded by thoughts of one of his most coveted drinks. What was a Nord without mead? A beast, that's what. Like the damn Elves and their Alto Wines or the Milk-drinking Imperials; both were less than men... was he to join their ranks? However, as Ylven sat alone an object was hurled over the the wall, flying gracefully it struck its target, and broke apart on his nose. Something feral awoke in Ylven again as his sane mind began to try and figure out how to procure mead, and he released a bestial roar, struggling against his restraints. Luna took notice as she was leaving, and saw his predicament. Part of her knew that this was what he deserved, that she should turn the other cheek and let justice prevail, but the other more militant part knew that this was comparable to blasphemy, what the citizens were doing, disobeying direct orders from their Princesses. She ordered her soldiers to stop the riots, and began to return to the dragon, who was starting to crack the stones anchoring him there. Pegasi flew into the air, knocking down objects with their hooves and weapons, while unicorns began to restrain some of the rowdier citizens.

Luna's horn glowed bright blue, and suddenly Ylven was surrounded in the midnight pony's power, and he was forced to stiffen. Luna approached from in front, and looked him directly in the eyes.

"Be still now, dragon, or I will be forced to paralyze you again," she commanded, making sure her message got across.

She began to feel him stop struggling against her magic, and so released him. He slumped down for a while, before facing her again, "Thank you..."

She frowned, "Understand that I did what I must, we are not friends."

He nodded, "But neither are we enemies."

She chuckled, "Dragon, after all you have done, we are about as much enemies as we can be."

Ylven sighed, "I did not want to do those things."

She chuckled, "Do not try and trick me, beast, I have not ruled for this long because I fell for such pitiful traps."

"I see... I do not take you as a fool, your majesty, but when I came here, I was... not myself."

"Is that so?" Luna asked, "And why, dragon, should I trust you, even after all you have done? Do you not hear the citizens? They are outraged, and I must admit, after what you have done to my sister, I don't much like you either."

"I wouldn't either, mighty Amazon, but please, hear me out, I do not wish to start a war," Ylven explained.

Luna sat just feet away from his snout, "Go ahead, humor me dragon."

He nodded, "Princess, do you have werewolves in this world?"

She seemed surprised, "Something similar... wereponies, they transform into feral beasts every full moon, why?"

He tried to stretch himself out, but the metal clasps kept him from doing much, "I was not always the beast you see before you, I was once a mighty warrior, perhaps one of the most powerful to ever be born since Tiber Septim himself. But, when my world was threatened by a great Dragon, a son of a God, who tried to destroy the world, I set out on a quest when I learned that I was the only one that could stop him."

She chuckled, "Oh, is that so? So, what were you before you were this dragon I see before me?"

"I was a man, a Nord, the Dragonborn, the last Dragonborn. A being born of man with the blood of a Dragon within, who can absorb a slain Dragon's soul and knowledge directly after slaying them. I had slain many of my now brethren before I faced the monster Alduin, the World Eater in combat in the realm Sovngarde. I, with the help of other, long dead Dragonborn defeated Alduin, and cast his soul into the void. The world was safe. We were victorious, and the guardian of that realm sent me back to my world... or that had been his intentions. Obviously, it didn't happen. I was brought here instead, and given the body I had loathed just minutes ago, before landing in a nearby township, one I am not proud to admit I attacked."

She raised a brow, "Is that so, assisted by long dead cousins of yours? Tell me, how did this happen?"

"Sovngarde is the realm of the honored Nord dead, and Alduin had been devouring souls there to strengthen himself after our previous conflict, which left us both scarred. As I was sent home, I was somehow morphed into this beast before you. I have been a wolf before, known the hunt, and purged myself of that Daedric taint, but even then I could control it, and I would become man again after some time... I was... sane. But now, I know that I will never be man again, never to enjoy the splendors of mead, or the rush of adrenaline a battle would give me... now, I am a monster, as you have described so many times, and there's a part of me that wants out, to let the beast free, permanently, to join my brethren in the sky and enslave those who oppose me... Dearest ruler, hear me out, I was once a mighty warrior, strong, and just, but now I am a Dragon, powerful, and greedy. I fear what would happen if I cannot tame this creature inside me, but I have a feeling few could stop it should it come loose again... today, was just a taste, be weary should I come to blows again, I do not wish to harm your people."

Luna sat, bewildered by his speech, but it was clear he was finished speaking, and lowered his head to the ground, shutting his eyes, almost as if he were praying. She was dumbfounded... a dragon, from another realm, once a warrior who slew the thing he is now, and described his condition like that of a werepony... well then, there was one action that could be taken.

"Do you know what we do to ponies who have become wereponies, and terrorize the night?" she asked Ylven, causing him to lift his head.

"No."

She smiled weakly, "We seek to help them, to let them understand that the beast within is a gift from forces beyond our control. The deaths they have caused or the terror they have sown was not theirs, but the beast’s. Learn to control it, and it can become a great asset in times of need. I will not release you, Dragon of Sovngarde, but I will bring you help, so that you may cope with these conflicting feelings."

He stopped for a moment, "Ylven..."

She raised a brow, "What was that?"

"My name... it's Ylven, of Cyrodiil. I was born in Cyrodiil before I came to Skyrim, where I learned my fate."

She placed a hoof on her chest, "Princess Luna of Equestria, nice to meet you, Ylven of Cyrodiil."

He let a smile cross his beak, "And you as well, your Majesty."

She waved a hoof, "To you, just Luna. I will be leaving shortly, but when I return, I will come with one who may be able to help you with this exponential increase in power, for she has been learning to control great amounts of power recently as well. Farewell Ylven, until we meet again."

He nodded, "Thank you Luna, this means a lot to me."

She smiled, before taking to the air and back into the castle. Looking up now, Ylven felt some amount of warmth from the sun... perhaps... just perhaps, things were going to get better.

"Do you think she's okay?"

"Oh I hope so... dearest Fluttershy, come back to us!"

In the remains of Sugar Cube Corner, five friends gathered around one slightly more unconscious friend, who had fainted after the dragon attack. She slowly stirred, groaning as she awoke from her involuntary slumber.

"Ugh... girls... what happened?" Nausea overwhelmed her as she rose, being helped up by her friends.

"A dragon attacked, that's what!" Rainbow reported, gesturing to the area around them, "And he totalled the Corner!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie yelled, "And my house too! How am I supposed to explain that a DRAGON attacked while they were away?!"

"I'm sure they'll understand Pinkie, and about your house, you can always stay at my place until the building is repaired," Twilight offered, patting the pony as she dealt with what just happened.

"Ah hope Canterlot's alright, dragons are right mess makers, they are," Applejack said, looking at the mountain in the distance, Canterlot being visible from practically anywhere in Equestria.

"Are you kidding? That's where the Princesses live! They'll kick his flank back to Draconia in no time FLAT!" Rainbow said, making a few punching and kicking movements with her hooves.

Fluttershy blinked, "Oh... well, I'm glad that nopony got hurt, at least."

Twilight nodded, "Thats right, we're all still alive and healthy... What did he say when he fell through the roof? ‘Fear me I'm a dragon?’ He definitely seemed pretty confident about his abilities."

"Reminds me 'f a certain pony..." Applejack mentioned, smiling wryly at Rainbow.

"What?" Rainbow shrugged, "Even if I was a dragon, I wouldn't attack Ponyville! Do you know how aerodynamic scales would make me? I would be Sonic Rainbooming all day!"

As they talked amongst themselves, Spike came running up the road, holding a letter, "Twilight!"

Her name caused her ears to swivel on her head, and Twilight faced Spike as he clambered up the wooden steps, and soaked in his surroundings, "Yes Spike?"

"Uh... message from Princess Luna, wanted you to see it... what happened here?"

"A dragon attacked," deadpanned Rarity, "A very rude, brute of a dragon, nothing like yourself dearest Spike."

He nodded as Twilight floated the note from his hands, "Jeez, he was a big one, wasn't he?"

Twilight unrolled the scroll, and began to read its contents, "Oh... well, we know where that dragon went."

Everypony began to gather around Twilight, "What's it say, Twi'?"

"It looks like they were able to capture and subdue the dragon, as well as get it to explain why it attacked."

"Why would they need to know why it attacked? It's a dragon, right?" Rainbow asked, unsure to why they would waste their time like that.

"Not so fast, it looks like they want me to come an see him for some reason..."

A round of gasps.

"Why? Aren't they gonna haul it back to where the dragons live and release it, you know, make sure it never tries again?" questioned Fluttershy, looking over the paper.

"It doesn't say why, just that I need to go to the Canterlot castle courtyard as soon as physically possible... looks like I'll have to go then," she said, moping.

"It's alright Twily! We'll clean up while you're away! Make sure to give that dragon a piece of your mind!" Pinkie said, already sweeping up broken boards and splinters alike.

The rest of them nodded in agreement, though Rainbow seemed to do so loathingly, and set her on her way. Twilight thanked her friends, and took off, leaving them all to their work. Canterlot wasn't all that far away, and she soon arrived at the perimeter of the city after a few minutes of flight. Instantly she noticed something about the city, something was different... it wasn't the weather, that was for sure, it was a sunny afternoon, but it was like something had disturbed the city. There were more ponies at the train station than usual, some of which had bags and furniture. She knew ponies moved in and out all the time, but there was an actual lineup of ponies to leave now. There weren't as many ponies on the street anymore, and those that were jumped at her shadow, which was admittedly a lot bigger from being so high, but still definitely pony shaped. On her way to the castle, she saw why.

"Oh no..."

Downtown was a wreck, some houses still smoldered while ponies threw water onto the dying flames, and craters caused by some sort of conflict were visible, construction crews already assessing the damage. Perhaps the most prominent feature about the entire situation was at the castle... it seemed like half of the city had gathered at the gates, and were being subdued by the castle guard. Finally she saw the cause of all the havoc, the dragon that had attacked them, and quite obviously attacked the city as well. She tipped her wings downward, and dived towards the castle. Why had the Princesses called her to the castle again? To talk to it? What good would that do? Perhaps they wished for her to give it a piece of her mind, as Pinkie had intended. Whichever the case, she felt its gaze follow her as she descended to the front doors, and was allowed inside by the guards.

"Why is the new Princess here?"

"We want it dead and gone!"

"Boo to the Princesses!"

Twilight was surprised by what she heard as the doors closed behind her, ponies weren't usually so... rude. In fact, citizens of Canterlot often times prided themselves on being some of the most courteous and well-mannered in Equestria. Ignoring their comments for the time being, she made her way inside the castle proper, and towards the throne room where she expected both sisters to be awaiting her arrival. The castle had changed little since her last visit, and the floorplans to the entire building were etched in her brain, her mind reading her memories like a map and guiding her to a set of ten foot tall golden doors. She had always wondered why they were so blasted tall, but she supposed it gave them a sense of majesty no normal sized door could.

Stepping inside the throne room, her eyes were assaulted by the amount of extra light everything let in compared to rest of the castle, something she had never truly gotten used to. The stained glass murals and velvety rugs coupled with the rising marble pillars certainly gave the building an aura of awesome, and it all lead to the twin thrones... one of which was empty.

"Twilight!" Luna called, flying over to her, "I'm glad you could make it!"

Twilight was surprised by the sudden embrace of the Moon Goddess, but returned it in kind, "It's good to see you as well, what's going on?"

She seemed a little downtrodden from the question, and sighed, "It would appear that we have a situation..."

"The dragon?" Twilight guessed.

"The dragon..." Luna confirmed.

Twilight curled her mouth around a little, "I don't know what's expected of me, I should probably be furious with it, but I kind of just dealt with it, I suppose."

"Hmm? Oh, no, we're not going to get rid of it, we're doing to opposite, were helping it," Luna explained.

Twilight blinked in disbeleif, "What?"

Luna sighed, "Allow me to explain what information I have gleamed off of our guest: He is from another world, he wasn't always a dragon, and finally, he wants nothing but peace, but he described his... condition, like that of a werepony, when he becomes enraged, a sort of beast escapes, the kind that burned down some buildings and attacked Canterlot. But now, when he's calm, he actually talkative, and it is our responsibility as Equestrians to help him."

"I see... Luna, where's Celestia?" Twilight asked, remembering that it was just the two of them.

"Oh... uh, she was... er, attacked. By the dragon," Luna explained hesitantly, unsure how Twilight would react.

Twilight blinked, "And we're helping it?"

Luna smiled sheepishly, "I knew it seems odd, but until proven otherwise, it was the angry dragon that got her, not Ylven, the much nicer dragon."

"Was she seriously injured, what happened?" Twilight asked suddenly, taking a step towards Luna.

"No, well, not by Alicorn standards, she may have lost some blood but... she's alive, and the doctors assure me that she'll make a full recovery by sundown tomorrow. We heal rather quickly, so you don't have to worry."

"Have you even taken her word into account?" Twilight inquired, looking into Luna's eyes.

"Well... I feel that it's the right thing to do. After all, she forgave Discord, he did some pretty nasty things in his day, as well," defended Luna, seeing that this was going nowhere fast.

"Luna, we need to at least check with Celestia before we make any major decisions, Discord served his time and was given a chance to make restitution, this dragon has not, other than sitting in shackles just outside the castle. I refuse to help him until I get the go-ahead from Celestia," Twilight said sternly, and sat down before Luna.

"Come now Twilight, we're both Princesses, and both fully capable of making our own decisions in life, Celestia may be older, but that doesn't change the fact that our power is split equally," Luna reminded her younger associate.

"Maybe so," Twilight assured her, "but this is more of a respect thing than a political issue, I feel that we should wait for the victim to speak before we go and make a choice that doesn't honor hers."

Luna sighed, "I see your point... Still, I feel that we should help, as a once warrior, he could be a very valuable asset to Equestria, not only that but a esteemed source of information on his unique and powerful form of magic, surely as a scholar you must have some interest in that?"

Twilight stopped for a moment, "What kind of magic?"

Luna shrugged, "I haven't a clue, the kind that relies on spoken words, and can teleport an entire dragon behind you in a heartbeat."

Twilight mulled it over for a second, "Alright fine, I'll go and talk to him, but Celestia still decides what ultimately happens to him."

"Of course, Twilight, it would only be honorable," Luna agreed as Twilight exited the room, before hoof-pumping, "Hook, line, and sinker!"

"What was that?"

Luna scrambled back into a princessly pose and followed after the younger triarch, "Nothing, nothing at all."

Chapter 4: Friendship

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Chapter 4: Friendship

Yells of rage. Objects and fruits being sliced and splattered onto the stones before me. Noisy, angry complaints from the crowd outside, Canterlot was quite an exciting place. Still, being locked in a courtyard surrounded by guards and angry townsfolk was not how I had hoped for this entire trip to go. I just wanted a mountain to roost on, but no, there had to be a heavily populated city there. Now, I was trapped, against my will, well, semi-against my will, part of me knew that it was probably for the best. He had seen yet another winged and horned pony make her way into the castle, she seemed familiar, but they seemed to be relatively common, so he thought nothing of it. That was, until the castle doors swung open again and both Princess Luna and the new purple pony stepped outside. Yep. Definitely the one he assaulted. Fantastic...

Approaching first, Luna introduced the newcomer. "Ylven, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle, she is a young but already renowned scholar, and would very much like to learn about your unique magic and condition."

The purple princess stepped forward, her hooves lacked any form of royal slipper, and she didn't have a crest like the others. Instead she had only a crown, a golden tiara encrusted with some of the most sparkling amethysts he had seen.

She seemed quite formal, and sat not far away from his snout. "Hello Ylven, as Luna explained, I am Twilight Sparkle."

"Hello Princess Twilight Sparkle, a pleasure to meet you," Ylven replied, reaching to shake her hoof or something, before promptly realizing he was a Dragon... he was still getting used to his new body, it seemed.

"I'll just let you two get to know one another," Luna said, before backtracking into the castle, her movement followed by both Ylven and Twilight, who waited for her to leave until they continued.

Twilight released an annoyed sigh, "She thinks herself so clever, I know that she wants me to get to know you and thusly root for you when the time comes, but while I am willing, your first impressions weren't stellar."

Ylven chuckled nervously, scratching his chin on the ground. "I understand. I don't blame you for your thoughts on me, but I promise you, the creature you see before you would not have done so, the beast inside... obviously, that's a different story."

"Obviously," Twilight agreed before pulling out a quill and paper Ylven was sure weren't there before. "Now, your name is Ylven, from the province of Cyrodiil?"

"Yes."

"Good, now, Luna tells me that you have an interesting and rare form of magic that has never appeared before in Equestria's history. Would you mind giving me a rundown on how it works and how you utilize it?"

Ylven let his mind wander for a moment, this could be difficult, "I suppose... erm, I'm not much for teaching though, I'm afraid."

"That's alright, just tell me how it works and I'll write it down, and perhaps give me some... Oh, I see, Arcanium. I assume that it's a form of combat magic, then?" Twilight inquired, pointing out his new collar.

Ylven nodded, his chains rattling as his neck rippled up and down, "Almost, like all magics it had many uses, but I... he displayed it in many ways I had hoped to avoid. The form of magic you are referring to is called the Thu'um, or the Voice, sometimes simply a Shout. The Thu'um is spoken in an ancient and powerful language, Dovahzul, or the Dragon Tongue. It is, perhaps, the oldest and most complete language in my world. There are two ways it works, there is simply speaking Dovahzul like Dragons and ancient Nords, and then there is the Way of the Voice, a group of four monks have mastered this way, and have totally abandoned man's tongue in favor of Dovahzul, and restrain themselves from speaking in even that language, but with good reason."

"And why is that?" Twilight inquired, stopping her mad scribing in time with Ylven.

"You see, The Way of the Voice takes decades to master, and once you have learned it, your voice practically becomes power, a mere whisper from the Greybeards could kill you, their tongue so fierce that it can literally shred people. It is a force like no other, and the Thu'um, the magic I, as Dragonborn, have become very versed in, is basically the same thing, merely a set of three separate words to forming a Shout. The Shout, or Thu'um, can work with only one or two words, but becomes much more powerful with all three, and can be used to create blazing infernos or deadly ice storms that can freeze you solid. The power of the Thu'um depends on its caster... I, myself have made many a Dragon bend to my power, having a very powerful shout allows me to do so. On a different note, that is how Dragons govern themselves, the more powerful your shout, the higher your status amongst their ranks."

Twilight stopped when he did, copying his speech word for word. "Fantastic, is there anything else, like what a Dragonborn is, exactly?"

"A Dragonborn, or Dovahkiin, is a mortal born with the soul of a Dragon, and can master a new Thu'um in just seconds, like a Dragon can, as compared to the Greybeards, who must practice a Thu'um for decades before it can become as powerful as my own. As Dragonborn, I am also hailed as the mightiest Dragon Slayer, for I have the ability to absorb a Dragon's very soul, their knowledge and power, directly. It is said that knowledge is power, and when it comes to Dovahzul, that is very much the case."

Her quill ran dry, and she inked it in a well that Ylven knew wasn't there before, and finally made one last mark on her parchment, "Interesting, I can't say that dragons are a very big problem here, but it seems like they are quite a nuisance in your world."

Ylven was prompted to laugh out loud at her assumption, before looking back to her, "Twilight, the Dragons of old were powerful, fearsome creatures that enslaved all of mankind thousands of years ago. They were heralded as gods, being immortal and the literal children of Akatosh, God of Time and chief deity of the Nine Divines, they had every right to be. I, however, cannot assume that this was their ultimate purpose, as Akatosh is known to be benevolent and wise, chances are they went astray somewhere down the line, and so they were regarded as demons instead of angels, all but one, who has redeemed himself in my eyes, as well as the eyes of the Greybeards. His name is Paarthurnax, brother to Alduin, second-born of Akatosh, and he taught man how to use the Thu'um. If it wasn't for him, Kynareth's gift would have been lost upon man, and we, forever their slaves."

Twilight seemed to be surprised, setting her quill and paper away, "And now you’re..."

Ylven nodded, knowing what she was to say, "And now I am what I fear most, what I hate most, and what I had worked the hardest to be deviant from. I am a beast now Twilight, there's no denying that now, a curse has been laid on me, and it seems you are all destined to suffer with me, unless you do away with me, which I admit, does not sound pleasant, but is probably best for your people."

She seemed struck, and took a few steps towards him. "Ylven, you sound like a kind, honorable person to me, just because you look a little different doesn't mean that you're a beast. I'm sorry about earlier, I shouldn't have been so shortsighted, I'll revoke my submission, and work to help you gain control over this new body of yours."

Ylven blinked... unable to believe a word he had just heard, "I... thank you, Princess Twilight Sparkle, it is clear why they elected you into the halls of royalty, your wisdom and kindness is evident, never before have I seen such kindness issued to a beast such as myself... you... you make me feel human again."

She blushed madly, giggling, "Well, I was sent here to help you. Now, about this condition of yours..."

Ylven nodded. "Yes, I suppose that's one way about looking at it, a disease. Fortunately, on my world, there's a potion that cures practically every illness, unfortunately, my bag appears to have disintegrated."

Twilight chuckled, "Curious. I know you’re troubled, but have you ever thought about this as more of a gift than a curse?"

"No, I have not. In what way is this a gift?" Ylven replied, perplexed by her proposition.

"Well," Twilight began, "first of all, you can fly now, next, your a lot stronger, and bigger, you've also gained an understanding of their kind, and finally, your power is on par with that of Princess Celestia's, perhaps even overwhelming, and she raises the sun!"

Ylven snorted, jets of hot air racing from his nostrils, "Oh yes, and there's also this great niggling voice in the back of my head that occasionally tells me to use my power to destroy everything in sight."

"Come on now, have you ever received a gift that you were totally satisfied with?" Twilight asked sincerely.

"I -well, uh... I haven't received many, to be honest, the few I have I usually downright hate, but those are different! They don't take you from your home and give you the body of a monster!"

Twilight blew a strand of hair from her face, displaced by Ylven's hot breath. "Maybe not, but they're gifts anyway, and you should try to respect them in every way you can. Just a week ago I was sent a bent, near useless oversized gold coin, but I was able to make the most of it by using it as a paperweight. And being a Princess hasn't always been sunshine and moonlight, but it has been an experience like no other, and I now have the ability to do things I couldn't even dream of before! Now I also have a responsibility with these new abilities, and I do everything in my power to help other, less fortunate souls through their day-to-day endeavors. It's your responsibility to learn how to make this body work for you, and others as well. I heard you were once a valiant and noble warrior, sometimes totally passing up rewards even after daring missions. Where did that Ylven go? He certainly wasn't left behind, so I think he’s just a little shy to come out again. He made the most of his life in Tamriel, and used his power to help others where their power wasn't great enough. Now you can do that, and so much more! That is why this is a gift, it's not just a gift to you, it never is, it's a gift for everypony."

Ylven was struck. He had, hadn't he? He had helped save millions of lives, and he bet that he wasn't even going to get another reward, not that he really needed one, so why so different now? He was more powerful now, faster, stronger, and blessed with an everlasting life. Twilight was right. He had to make the best of it, disease or not.

A jagged smile crossed his maw. "Thank you again Twilight, I doubt that I could have understood myself in a way so wise as the way you have shown me. Even if there is a beast lurking within, perhaps it is best I utilize it for others. Yes, that sounds like a much better idea than pillaging and destroying, as fun as that was, I won't let it happen again. Of this, I can promise you," Ylven bowed his head to the ground, "I hereby swear myself to the great kingdom of Equestria, I am yours to command Princess Twilight. And when a warrior, especially one who is Dragon, gives you his faith, he does so eternally."

Twilight blushed again, not expecting this result at all, "O-Oh... well, um. Thank you... I guess. Uh..."

"Though I'm afraid I cannot do much for you in these shackles, I trust that you will release me when you see fit though," Ylven hinted.

Twilight chuckled again, "Right, sorry."

With that, she undid his braces and collars, totally releasing him. He stretched himself out, spreading his wings and shuffling his body, hearty cracks and creaks sounding all over after his hour or so of imprisonment. He soon found himself back before Twilight, who smiled seeing him free.

"I was going to wait until Celestia recovered, but you know what? I'm a Princess too, and I hereby declare you no longer a prisoner of Equestria, but a friend of royalty, and a great ally in times of need," she announced aloud, and Ylven could certainly see that it was her first time making such a decree, it was all over her face.

He nodded, "And I in turn will serve you until one or the other finally meets their end. What would you have of me?"

Twilight looked to the town square, blocked by the polished stone walls, but a crowd could still be heard, heavily deflated and no longer throwing objects into the courtyard, but still there, impatient and demanding his banishment.

"It's no secret that you did some damage to Canterlot, and Ponyville. I think it's best that you help rebuild what you broke, if you feel that you're ready."

The Dragon acknowledged her, "And this Celestia, I understand I caused her a great deal of pain."

"Yes, you knocked her unconscious and broke a few of her bones, actually... she'll recover, Alicorns are tough, but I can't imagine she'll like the decision Luna and I have come to..."

"I think I can help there..." Ylven mentioned.

"Oh?"

"Yes, all Dragons have a wealth of knowledge of Dovahzul, but few have had such time to master Thu'ums in the same way I have, usually quite content with knowing how to breath fire or ice, but I am well versed, and may have the words to revive her," Ylven offered, looking quite proud that he was taking his first steps to good.

"That would be great! Discord is still looked down upon, but ponies are starting to warm up to him, not that I expect them to totally trust him, that would be quite stupid actually; you however haven't become a legendary evil of Equestria, so it could be quite easy to improve your public image. Healing Celestia would be a fantastic start," Twilight agreed, making her way towards the castle, Ylven following close behind, until she stopped suddenly, "Actually, I don't know where Celestia was taken..."

"Luna would know, she was the one who saved her, we should start with her, my liege," Ylven suggested.

"Yes, I suppose that would be a good idea... and my liege? Don't you think that's a little excessive?"

Ylven shrugged, "As Thane of five of Skyrim's holds, I suppose being a subordinate has become a sort of habit of mine, sorry."

Twilight chuckled, "It's okay, you don't have to call me anything special, just Twilight is fine. Now, where to find Luna... Actually, you know what? Just Shout into the air, and that should bring her running right to our feet."

Ylven reacted without hesitation, and let his head stretch skyward, "Fus!"

A blast of energy erupted from his jaws, his voice thundering above all others. Twilight knew that the people would be afraid, but such a simple blast of energy couldn't possibly-

"The dragon is free! Run for your lives!" Of course, there was always that one pony...

Twilight took to the air as the cityfolkzens.... citizens? cityfolk? ... Citizens began to flee the gates. Her wings were quick to react, and she soon rose above the wall, hovering above the crowd. Everything was in chaos, the ponies were panicking, the street was still rather crowded, which was causing even more grief for the grounded ponies, and any fliers were actually being grappled as they tried to take to the air, the other ponies were so set on leaving that they were willing to hitch a ride!

"Please, everypony calm down! The dragon is quite tame, I assure you, we have everything under control! Your voices will be heard, but please let us work!" she yelled over the panicking cityscape.

A few still scampered to cover, but what few had stood their ground seemed to be reassured that there was no more odd noises, and that one of their Princesses was on the job, especially the one who had saved Equestria multiple times.

"Why is he still here? Get rid of it!" a mare in a dark dress protested, shaking her hoof at Twilight.

"It's a menace and it needs to go!" screamed another pony, a stallion draped in a khaki suit.

Twilight found herself at the receiving end of an angry mob, ponies all yelling their complaints at once. Despite her being in the air, and a full unit of guards standing by, keeping the ponies out, she felt... daunted. It was an odd feeling, one she hadn't really felt before. Staring off Discord or fighting killer plants in the Everfree had frightened her, but this... it was something new. It was like fear, but not in the face of something scary, more along the lines of an entire crowd just being upset with her and her progress. As the ponies once again advanced, it hit her, she was being ridiculed by her citizens, the ponies she was supposed to be looking after were blaming her for this. Being a Princess meant that this sort of thing happened, she knew that, but now... it was like she had been given an easy assignment, and then failed it miserably, and was now being berated.

As she began to cower, a booming voice swept the crowd, "SILENCE!"

Twilight nearly fell out of the air, and everypony present simply did as told, and sealed their flapping lips faster than a mouse trap snapped shut.

Twilight turned and saw Luna approaching over the top of the gate, her mane flickering angrily. "YOU HAVE HAD YOUR ANSWER! BEGONE!"

The ponies were stunned for a moment, not believing what was happening, their minds had become spoiled over the years, but obeyed. Grudgingly, the ponies began to disperse, and the crowd faded to naught. Twilight found herself in the company of the Lunar Princess, and nearly clung to her as she flew closer.

"Oh thank goodness you're here! I thought something terrible was about to happen..." Twilight gasped, holding a hoof to her chest.

"I understand, you are a kind ruler, but sometimes you need to be a little more stern with them. If we let them govern themselves...well... Canterlot might just fall right off the edge of the mountain. I heard a certain dragon 'shout', what has happened?" Luna asked.

Twilight began to descend down to the main doors, Luna following close behind, "Ylven and I have come to an understanding. I can help him, or find somepony to help him, learn to control his inner Dragon, and in turn, he had sworn fealty to my command... it's odd, having somepony other than Spike do as I ask, and even then, neither of us really think of it that way."

Luna nodded, "If he was a warrior, then I don't doubt he had loyalties to many a Duke. I suppose you've become an authoritarian to him, well done, I'm proud of you Twilight, and I can only guess that Celestia will be too."

Twilight stopped for a moment, "Where did you go again? You didn't say."

"Ah," Luna began, realising her folly, "I apologize, I had figured that Celestia had told you about our own special medical room. I took my sister to the castle infirmary, they're some of the only ones who can nurse us back to health if need be. They're close to the throne room, in an unmarked chamber three doors down to your left as you exit. If you ever feel that your new body is giving you ails, go ahead and see them, they always have a doctor on site."

"Thanks, and Ylven is waiting just outside the gate, come on," called with the enthusiasm of a child.

The two Princesses finally floated down to castle gate, touching down with all the grace of a five foot tall swan. Ylven lay, waiting for their return. When not attacking a city, his bright orange scales glistened as if a fire had cloaked his body in it's heat, well polished and with few scars, his rugged armor shone almost like a knights. Not only that, but Ylven seemed like a fire in more than one sense; on one hoof he was a dragon, on the other he could ignite like a match without proper care, and proceed to burn the city.

He bowed his head at their return, dark horns curling out of his skull, and it almost seemed as if he was about to ram them.

"Hello Ylven, good to see you not trying to burn everything to the ground..." Luna jested as she landed.

"It is nice to meet you without steel cuffs binding me, your majesty," Ylven replied in kind.

Twilight chuckled, "Well, that's settled. The ponies are going home, the construction workers are already beginning repairs, and Ylven can walk around without trying to Shout things to pieces!"

Ylven winced, a feature not easy to display when you are a Dragon, "Twilight, can we please drop the subject for the time being? I know its a big breakthrough, but I'm still feeling quite ashamed of the entire situation..."

She covered her mouth, "Oop, sorry. I was just poking at fun, I didn't know that bothered you."

"It's not just that, it's the memory, I enjoy a good joke as much as the next ex-human, but I'd rather forget about what I've done here," he admitted.

Luna nodded in agreement, "Of course, but you're still going to have to do some community service. Other than that, no leaving the city limits, and no using your magic unless it is absolutely necessary, understood?"

Ylven bowed again, "Of course, Princess Luna. I would hasten to my work immediately but uh..."

A loud grumble filled the air, and both Princesses had to suppress a laugh as they realized what it was. "I haven't eaten all day... can we please go and get something to devour?"

"Yes, yes we can hungry dragon," Luna giggled, "Come with us, the dining hall has enough room for you."

The Princesses made their way inside, the great golden doors swinging open to admit their newest guest. As he entered, his searing breath hitched in his throat. This place was... marvelous! The pristine white walls, near invisible lines where the bricks were laid, the fantastic, cathedral type windows, the expensive carpet, the little flower pots, everything was spot on. The White Gold tower was put to shame, and the Blue Palace was a far cry away from that still. It was as if it had just been built, despite the fact that this city had to have been here for a few decades for it to get so big, and yet, untouched. Ylven fit quite snugly in the tall halls, the lobby being but a taste of the extravagant palace. His presence had sent a few maids scurrying and more than a pair of guards had raised their spears, but all suspicions were put aside when both Princesses explained what he was doing here and where they were headed. Ylven found himself as the center of attention, every set of eyes turning as he passed by. It was quite obvious that only his head would fit through many of the doorways here, but luckily that didn't seem to be a problem as they approached what he assumed was their dining hall, another tall pair of golden doors that were just ahead.

A pair of guards gave him a nervous glance, but opened the doors for the group, albeit, a little reluctantly considering that he was still a rather frightful sight. The dining hall was just as splendorous as the rest of the castle, a beautiful light purple marble floor covered in a brilliant red carpet with golden accents, at its core sat the table, hewn from a red tree of some sort. The expertly carved centerpiece drew his eye. Surrounding it were at least a hundred seats, perhaps more. It was, even by Nordic standards, massive, and could probably seat every maid and guard present at the castle. Luna and Twilight took their places at the head and just beside, respectively, and Luna moved a few chairs away to make room for Ylven.

He sidled his considerable bulk up to the grand table, taking his place in an awkward sort of hunched manner. Dragons just weren't made to sit. Luna took her place at the head of the table, Twilight sitting just left of her and with Ylven sitting opposite to her, easily taking up four or five guest seats. It seemed as though they had only just sat down before a pair of wooden doors opened. A myriad of delicious smells wafted out into their hall, making Ylven draw in a great breath of air, the fresh scents being captured in the vacuums that were his nostrils. He choked just seconds later, he smelled a great deal of dishes, his new nose capable of almost perfectly describing the trays with just a whiff alone, but not a single strand of cooked flesh could be detected by him. Ponies were a vegetarian species, so it shouldn't have surprised him that there would be no meat. Perhaps it was simply because he had never drawn in such a divine scent without their being any meat in it that shocked him the most, like there was a hole in their meal roster. In fact, he didn't even know if something could be called a meal if it didn't have at least a leg of chicken or a slice of roast included with it, otherwise, it was merely a vegetable snack.

The wave of intriguing scents wasn't the only thing to join them in the hall. With them came a pony, who seemed to think she was a cloud, practically floating into the room with calculated and precise footwork. Upon her head sat a tall chef's hat, her body was covered in white fur and her Cutie Mark was that of two kitchen knives crossed behind a head of lettuce. She was an Earth Pony, lacking any wings or horns made that quite obvious, Ylven could only guess she was the head chef, what little he knew about cooking in a royal kitchen was that it usually included a good deal of cooks and plenty of ingredients... if only some of them knew that about thirty percent of their goods could be turned into a poison by simply mixing two of the wrong items together.

She bowed as she arrived at the table, barely noticing the massive dragon attending them this evening and spoke with a voice that couldn't hold any more smugness if it tried. "Good afternoon Princess Luna, Princess Twilight, and guest... May I have your orders?"

Luna was first to go, and tapped her chin in thought, "Hmm, I believe I'll have the Gilded salad, and a glass of wine."

She nodded, memorizing Luna's selection, "Would you like any specific vintage, Princess?"

"Oh, anything older than say, five years will do for tonight, also, Salad Slasher..." Luna began.

"Yes, your majesty?" Salad responded.

Luna looked around, as if fearful someone might hear her, "Do you know anything about our guest or the recent happenings outside the castle?"

Salad Slasher's gaze switched to Ylven, practically scanning his frame, judging every nook and cranny of scaled hide on him. "I can't say I do, madame. We heard some noises and then afterwards that a dragon was involved, however I trusted that because this one came in with you that it is safe, am I correct?"

"Yes, that is correct, see to it that that same attitude is instilled in the staff, understood? No mistrust towards our friend here," Luna said with only a hint of force in her voice, and Salad Slasher merely nodded.

Next the chef looked to Twilight, "And for you tonight, madame?"

"A daisy sandwich and some hay fries please," Twilight responded almost instantly.

"Very well, and would your pet like anything?" she asked without restrain, totally oblivious to Ylven's status.

He certainly heard her, and columns of smoke jetted from his nostrils. "I am no ones pet, cook, I am Ylven, servant of her Majesty Twilight."

The chef nodded indifferently. "I see. Am I to assume then that you'll be having nothing?"

"You may procure me whatever you feel like, cook, I'll eat it, I am no picky eater..." he grumbled, while he usually tried to be kind and understanding, there was always something about those with respect for others that sat wrong with him.

"Mhmm, one plate of anything coming right up, will that be all o' knight of our knightly order?"

"Yesss that will be allll," Ylven responded with clenched teeth.

She nodded, bowed curtly, and made her way back to the kitchen without giving any of them a second glance. Ylven glared at her all the while she walked, snorting once as she left the room.

Twilight was quite aware of his mood, it was hard not to notice an angry dragon, "Sorry for that, Ylven, I know Salad Slasher can seem a bit... arrogant at times, but she really is Equestria's greatest chef, and not only that, she had to claw her way up the culinary ladder, Earth Ponies don't usually make it to such high standings as chefs due to their... well, lack of magical anatomy, and she has changed through the course of it all."

"Mhmm..." Ylven grumbled, muttering something under his breath.

Twilight gazed at him a moment longer before coughing and turning her focus towards Luna, "So what do you think about Celestia's condition?"

Luna shrugged, removing a slipper so that she may inspect her hoof. "Sister should recover shortly, the doctor says that she'll be awake by morning, though the bones won't be healed for another ten days or so, even with special magical medical care."

""And does your pet want anything?" ... I'll show you something..." Ylven mumbled as the Princesses conversed.

"So what's the diagnosis? How bad is it?" Twilight asked as they waited.

"Three broken ribs, a cracked horn, fractured left rear leg, broken right front, a few puncture wounds in the chest region... I know that sounds bad, but I fear the greatest wound she has suffered is to her pride, not often is an Alicorn downed, and when we are, Celestia has been known to react the worst."

"I ought to box her ears, tiny pony thing... wait... I said anything, but she'd best not bring me a salad," Ylven grumbled, glaring at the door Salad Slasher had left through.

"Wow... that does sound quite bad, Luna, you've been... around for a while, may I ask you something?" Twilight began, seeming to be squeamish about her subject.

"I wonder how pony tastes..."

Luna smiled warmly, "Of course Twilight, anything at all."

"The wounds she's suffered, they seem like the kind of wounds any regular pony would... die from. Are we immortal in more ways that one, or just long lived?"

"Maybe with a nice snowberry sauce..."

Luna chuckled aloud, shaking her head, "A question I have often asked myself sometimes Twilight, for I do not know. I certainly haven't gone as far as to test whether or not we are truly immortals, though these wounds are not all that severe, the puncture wounds aren't that deep and the bones are only... slightly broken. Really, a pony with the same injuries could survive with the right medical care, but one thing is for certain, we do not heal like regular ponies. Besides that, Celestia has been wounded before, and she has healed all the quicker each time, coming back just as rigorous as before, almost as if it had not happened, whether that be because of our immense magic pools, or simply a difference between us and 'regular' ponies..." she shrugged, "again I cannot say."

"Maybe cut into a roast, or with some pork... mmm pork."

"I see... well, pain certainly hasn't changed, that's for sure!" Twilight joked, chuckling awkwardly at her own jest.

"Indeed..." Luna began, but turned to Ylven, who seemed deep in thought, "And what about your kind Ylven, do the scars become less painful or the healing any quicker with men or dragons?"

"Eh?" he uttered once. Breaking from his trance he looked upon the lunar leader. "I do apologize, I appear to have been lost in thought."

"Tell me, what are you thinking so hard about that our little conversation totally flew over your head?" Luna asked sincerely.

"Well I was wondering how ponies might taste... purely philosophical thoughts, you understand," he admitted, turning his gaze once more to the kitchen doors, "Well... perhaps I am merely curious..."

Luna chuckled upon hearing this, thinking that it may have been a joke, before realizing that he was serious, "Oh... you... you eat meat?"

This drew his attention however, and he swapped focus' once more, "But of course, what else could sustain such a beast as I other than meat? I thought you said you have dragons in this world?"

"Oh we do!" Twilight explained, "but they mainly eat gemstones, rubies, emeralds, that sort of thing, I think they also eat meat, according to Fluttershy – a friend of mine who is an animal expert – but I didn't know you ate only meat..." Twilight stopped for a second, "Oh... which also means..."

Just then the kitchen doors swung outward once more, the delicious scents once more flooding their hall and invading Ylven's nose, and once more the white coated chef emerged. This time she was flanked by two sets of trays, and one enormous copper pot, most likely Ylven's meal. Brandishing covered silver platters that glimmered in the light, the cooks delivered the Princesses’ meals personally. Ylven's pot was about half as tall as he was, it was also quite heavy, four unicorns all seemed to be having troubles simply carrying it with their magic.Not a trace of food emanated from the pot, and so he expected this to be some kind of prank from the cook, but as the orange cooking pot was dropped in front of him with a clatter, he found it was indeed filled with... something.

Salad Slasher bowed before the trio, inquiring whether or not the food was substantial.

"As always royal cook, you prepare to impress," Luna reassured Slasher, "it looks delicious."

Twilight gave a similar comment, however across from her, one patron was not impressed. Reaching into the cook pot Ylven drew a ruby from the vast glittering field before him, it was beautifully cut, and seemed almost like a ripe raspberry... almost.

He held on aloof, shaking his hand questioningly, "What is this supposed to be?"

Salad Slasher rolled her eyes, sluggishly trotting over to Ylven’s side of the table. "There are some of Equestria's finest gems in that pot, all assorted based on quality and cut, you should find them delightful, much better than any rocks you could dredge up from the lava wakes of Draconia."

Ylven stared at her for a moment, trying to discern whether this was a trick or not, before looking to Luna and Twilight, both seemed to be enjoying their meals, though Ylven could see they were trying to stay out of the conversation, "And... I am supposed to eat it?"

Salad Slasher's eye twitched ever so slightly, but she otherwise kept her calm composure, "I am not sure, I haven't studied dragon culture, but if you don't know how to be a dragon, then stop asking me to try and fix you a meal to please something I know nothing about."

Ylven grumbled to himself, staring at the gemstone for a moment, he could sell this thing for a thousand Septims in Skyrim, were they really ready to feed him an entire pots worth just to satisfy a guest?

"If I eat this entire vat, not that I plan to, won't that be rather costly for Equestria?"

Salad Slasher shook her head, "No, come now, even if Equestria isn't so absolutely saturated with gems as Draconia, any average pony could go digging in their backyard a few meters and come up with a bucket load. Now, if you don't have anymore questions, I shall return to my duties, please enjoy your meal."

With that, she flicked her tail and returned to the kitchen, leaving Ylven and the Princesses to their meals. Ylven stared back down at his pot with bewilderment, then to the Princesses, both still more focused on their meals than him.

"Where were you both during this whole conversation?" Ylven asked, lowering his head to the table.

Luna raised her head, a piece of salad stuck to her cheek, "I'm sorry, what? Did I miss something?"

Ylven's eyes narrowed to slits. "Really, you didn't hear a thing, eh?"

Luna shrugged, tongue flicking out and snatching the leaf of lettuce off of her face before answering, "Well, let's ask Twilight," Luna shifted in her seat to face the other Princess. "Twilight, did you hear something?"

Twilight, now close to finished her meal, shook her head, "No, not a thing."

Ylven retracted his neck as Luna looked at him expectantly, "See, nothing wrong at all, what happened, do fill us in."

"I had an argument with the chef here again; why can you not simply explain to her that I am not from this realm and allow me a break?" Ylven wondered.

Luna shrugged, "I've learned it's best simply not to argue with what Salad serves you here, not that she's ever prepared a distasteful meal, but without her, well I don't know that there are any chefs quite as skilled as her in all of Equestria. Now eat your gems before they get cold."

Ylven rolled his eyes, sometimes he preferred a world where if the servant disobeyed you, you'd strike them... gods above where did that come from?

Ylven shook his head, returning his focus to the meal splayed before him. Tentatively he reached into the pot, as if something was going to jump out and devour his arm. He picked a single gem from the pile, gulped, and slowly brought the jewel to his maw. He closed his jaw, razor teeth already going to work grinding the gem to dust. He chewed slowly, not sure what to expect from eating a rock. He expected a gritty surface and the taste of dirt, but to his surprise, it... wasn't all that bad. He still preferred a nice cut of venison over the gem, but these would do. It didn't really have much of a taste, instead it simply had the most divine of textures as he rolled it around in his mouth. He swallowed it soon after, it fell down his gullet in the smoothest of manners, he barely even had to swallow. These gems weren't so bad, but he doubted that they counted as food, not that it mattered, Dragons couldn't starve, but an empty stomach was still just as uncomfortable.

After the meal, the sun began to sink behind the clouds, leaving a slowly darkening sky in its passing. Ylven watched with wonder upon a balcony with Twilight and Luna as the stars began to appear, one by one they lit the evening sky until it was filled with innumerable sparks. Luna's horn grew darker with the night until she wasn't actually using her magic, and simply let the night take its course.

"Sorry that the sunset wasn't as beautiful as usual, you two. Celestia is much better with her sun that I," Luna seemed saddened by her inability to create a sunset she had never tried to make before.

Ylven shook his head, "I disagree, it was fantastic as any night I have seen in my realm, if not more so. Well done, your majesty."

Twilight nodded, "Yes, I would doubt that Celestia was even harmed today."

Luna blushed at the remarks, "Truly, there is no need for you to praise me so, I know when I haven't done a good job. Anyway, Celestia shall be well enough again tomorrow morning, then you shall experience a true Equestrian sunset."

Luna ushered everyone away from the balcony and into her quarters. Ylven was barely able to squeeze through the doorway, but managed to get inside without scraping too many upholsteries with his spines. Luna's room was a perfectly attuned to the pony who resided within. The furnishings were dark, the walls were painted like murals, depicting local constellations and the waning and waxing cycles of Luna's moon. The floor had deep blue carpets and an ebony colored hearth sat at its core, warming the room to the perfect temperature. Luna sat on a cushion on the floor and Twilight was invited to sit beside her. Ylven took his place before the two of them, resting on all fours.

"Well, today has been an eventful one indeed," Luna began, "A dragon unlike any other crushes a local bakery in Ponyville, then travels to Canterlot in a matter of seconds, burns a tavern, home, and a flower shop, defeats my sister in combat, and then befriends both myself and the young Princess Twilight after only about an hour of being imprisoned. You Ylven are a mysterious creature indeed."

The Dragonborn chuckled, as if sore, "Yes, well..."

"Not to mention you have an incredible magical ability whose power outstrips pretty much anypony elses, which is quite incredible really," Twilight added, before coughing into her hoof, "Even if that power was a little misdirected..."

Ylven sighed, sounding quite tired as they recollected, "I understand everyone wants to reminisce about todays events, but I for one am quite tired. Is there anywhere particular that I can rest? Er, sorry, but I really am tired."

Luna smiled knowingly, "I understand, Twilight please show mister Ylven to the special little place we have set up for him in the courtyard."

Twilight nodded, standing up from the pillow and preparing a spell, "Just sit tight Ylven, this might tingle..."

There was a brilliant purple flash, and both had disappeared from the room. Not far away, in the gardens below there was a similar flash, and once empty space was now filled with the bulk of a dragon and a pretty pony princess. Twilight guided Ylven, who was still a little shaken by the teleportation, to a section of the garden that was rarely visited. His neck stretched above the beautifully cut hedges and well trimmed trees to see a large tent raised at the opposite end of the garden.

Twilight lead him to the entrance and grabbed a rope with her magic, preparing to reveal its interior to the surprised dragon, "Ylven, welcome to your new temporary home."

The rope was pulled, and revealed a supersized interior. It was rather roomy, impossibly so, and he was surprised to find that his entire bulk fit inside quite easily. There wasn't much inside, some hay for him to lay on and a barrel of water, but he didn't need much, and almost preferred the simplicity of it all.

"T-thank you... I... I can honestly surprised that you would set this all up for me, especially after all I've done."

Twilight smiled in earnest, happy to see he liked his living space. "It wasn't much trouble really, the hard part was making it bigger on the inside for you."

Ylven nodded. "I can't thank you enough for your hospitality, and I'll make sure to help with anything you need from here on out, my liege."

Twilight rolled her eyes, "Of course you will, Ylven, you need to realize that Equestria is a pretty lax place, really, there isn't any need for the 'honor or death' lookout on things here. I'm just Twilight to you, and all my friends. Now if you need anything else, just ask. Goodnight Ylven."

And the flap was shut, leaving Ylven to himself. Yawning, tired and aching after the events of today, he curled into a ball and awaited sleep. There was still something dark in him, that was for sure, but with the help of his new friends, things would become easier, he just knew it. Sleep came swiftly, filling the air with dragon sized snores. Tonight, rest, tomorrow, work.