> My Little Skyrim
>  by Pippington Britishhooves
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Nightfall
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon sun beamed pleasantly down on the hills and mountains, warming the gentle slopes and making the grass glow an even more vibrant green. The sky itself was a vivid blue with only light, wispy trails of cloud high up in the atmosphere. A gentle breeze ambled lazily amongst the hills from the plains, caressing the children that ran and played there, laughing and enjoying the beautiful summer day.

Atop one of the mountains, a majestic, spiraling city sat nestled comfortably into the cliff face, hugging it as though more for comfort than safety. Beside it, a waterfall rolled off the side of the mountain, the river at the bottom providing a source of water and social congregation for many ponies from all across the plains; more news was exchanged here than was officially released by any institution, and was certainly spread far more efficiently. The waterfall also provided various uses for the city above it, which looked out onto the plains and observed all that occurred throughout the land. As was intended when the city of Canterlot was built and declared as the capital of Equestria.

Within the city, busy ponies bustled about, crowding the streets and trying to each get on with their individual lives. Occasionally, a split would open up in the crowd, and a unicorn would briskly trot through before leaving the gap to collapse behind them. The crowd would glare in annoyance for a second, then move on. Bankers joined the throng long enough to slip into jewelry shops or one of the many businesses that decorated the avenues, porters trudged along with overbearing collections of suitcases, and lawyers managed to dance between the thickest parts of the crowd, passing a casual eye over individuals in the crowd that might be worth representing in the future. Along the sides of the streets, families enjoyed the day, sitting in cafes and restaurants, allowing time to just pass by as they observed what everypony was strutting about to and from, often peering admirably towards the structure in the centre of the city.

In the centre of Canterlot stood the Royal Palace, proudly reigning over the city in the same way that the inhabitants- two very special inhabitants -reigned over Equestria. And up in the tallest tower, the astronomy tower, stood a shadowy figure, doing just that. Staring down at the city bitterly, the figure snorted derisively and turned away. It trotted over to the section of the balcony that overlooked the plains, seeming to relax slightly at the openness in front of it as it leaned against the golden banister, draping its forehooves over the top. The din from the bustling city below was muffled, and the vibrant green emanating from the plains was almost as warming as the sun overhead. The figure closed its eyes and breathed in deeply, before letting the breath out slowly, the wings either side of its body unfurling. For a moment, the figure enjoyed the gentle feeling of the breeze caressing its body and running through its wings. A slow smile began to spread across its face.

The wind picked up. It was a brief change, but there was definitely a change. The figure opened its eyes and looked back across the plains, the din of the city, momentarily forgotten, coming back once more. The figure waited, listening intently, trying to drown out the unimportant background noise of the citizens below. The breeze continued, dying back down from the sudden gust. The grass still glowed happily down below. The figure strained to hear, but there was nothing. After standing tensely for several seconds, the figure sighed, dropping its head and getting down from the railings. It took slow, heavy steps back towards the doors that lead inside, not really picking up its hooves, but dragging them in a disappointed fashion.

Somewhere out past the plains, a faint, deep roar reached the astronomy tower.

The figure stopped. Then, after a moment of motionlessness, began to grin. It lifted its head and allowed itself to chuckle. Casting one last glance back towards the plains, the figure strode happily away from the doors, towards the other side of the balcony, where the city was laid out before the palace. This time, the figure looked upon the busy, bustling ponies not with distaste, but with amusement. It rested a foreleg on the banister, grinning once again as it considered everypony below; their arrogance, their stupidity, their obliviousness.

“Tonight,” it crooned, “tonight it begins. First we take our food. Then we meet our troops. And then....” It paused to chuckle once more. “And then, we go to war. And we claim what is rightfully ours.”


*******************************************************


South of Canterlot, sitting quietly and modestly amongst the plains, was the small town of Hopesmeade. Here, the townsponies worked cheerfully and steadily, not worried about deadlines or rush. The town was tranquil, only about an hours trot from the base of the Canterlot mountain. Far enough away to avoid any disturbances or annoyances, but close enough to trade, which was what the town relied on to survive. The town actually grew most of the crops that fed Equestria, all the way from Canterlot to Manehattan. The plains were perfectly suited to grow almost anything, and Princess Celestia- the ruler of Equestria -had acknowledged that the residents of Hopesmeade were more than capable of running the scores of acres of farmland that they managed. It was from this idea that the town had initially been founded- a home for those who were looking for shelter and employment, the town welcomed all who were willing to pull their weight. Provided that you did, the other residents would become your greatest friends and would willingly offer anything that they could spare if there was trouble of any kind. Luckily, this ‘trouble’ consisted usually of an occasional bout of lice or the need for a babysitter if a trip was required for the monthly trading.

On this summer day, the citizens were hard at work, many of them tending the the fields or else transporting supplies across town. Mares flitted throughout the town, going to or from the market with the aim to buy the nights dinner or else sell that surplus supply of fruit that they frequently found they had. Foals danced around, playing as their mothers stopped to talk to someone that they knew and share the latest gossip, laughing and joking jovially. Being a relatively small town with just over 900 inhabitants, everyone knew each other, and so this happened a lot.

In one of the fields that littered the plain around Hopesmeade, a lone earth pony dragged a heavy plow behind him. His bright orange coat glistened in the afternoon sun, and every now and then he’d shake his loose, brown mane out of his vividly blue eyes. Despite having been working since the morning, he managed to keep to his work at a steady pace, pulling along the hefty plough behind him with relative ease. He enjoyed the tranquillity that the farm work offered him, and was glad for the environment in which he was able to spend his days. The solitude however, not so much. He would have been happy to have even one other pony to share the day with, chatting and enjoying the simplicity of the day together. But monotony, monotony was just boring. Still, he couldn’t complain, he had a job and a home....who was he kidding. He wanted to be out in the big wide world, exploring and discovering, and having adventures. Adventures were out there in the beauty of the world, and better still, they weren’t boring.

A low, deep roar reached the field where the orange stallion worked. He looked up, pausing his work momentarily to listen. The roar stopped as abruptly as it had started, leaving only silence in its wake. The stallion waited, pricking his ears up for the slightest hint of sound and squinting into the distance as if hoping to see something. There was nothing. The earth stallion gradually resumed his work, still pondering the noise. It didn’t sound like anything that he’d heard before, and he was pretty sure that there were no animals in Equestria that made that noise. Well, he told himself, there had to be something that made that noise. After all, he’d just heard it for himself. It sounded like it had come from beyond the plains, so maybe it was a creature from the forest, or even over the mountains.

He shook his mane out of his eyes again, and sighed. It didn’t matter, because he was stuck on this farm, and he’d be unlikely to ever find out what it was. If it wasn’t for the picturesque, isolated location, he’d probably have left the town as soon as he was old enough. But then again, where else was there for him to go? He slowed, dropping his head and sighing. He was grateful for the work; it was, after all, what he as an earth pony was probably best suited for, and the shelter here had saved his family’s life, so he couldn’t really grumble. But he still couldn’t get around the feeling that his life was meant to be more than the same routine, day-in day-out for his entire life. And the plains that surrounded him were both a curse and a blessing; they allowed him to work out in the open, granting him at least some of the freedom that he wanted. On the other hand, they also served as a reminder as to his current position in life, constantly taunting and telling him that he was trapped in a dull routine from which he’d never escape; the open expanse around him made him feel more trapped than ever.

The sound of somepony approaching made him look up. It was a group of mares carrying supplies to the workers in the fields. The stallion smiled at them as they looked over in his direction, and picked up his speed again. Despite his reluctance to carry this job, he was not a lazy worker, and he would not give that impression to anypony. Instead, he shoved his boredom to the back of his mind, and kept on trudging forward at a respectable pace. He looked over at the mares again, and this time spotted a familiar cream coloured one. Immediately, he picked up the pace again, this time almost running. The tranquility, as wonderful as it was, was not the sole reason for his staying here.


*******************************************************


By the evening, the stallion was sweating. He leant against a tree by the side of the field that he had been working in, and gazed at the sun casting its orange smear across the sky. He smiled. It was beautiful, and he felt satisfied at a hard day's work, regardless of what it entailed. In his eyes, it actually made it more satisfying that he had persisted and persevered in a line of work that he disliked; there was more achievement in that.

“Hey, Dawnfire!” A voice called to him from his right. The stallion, having worked up a sweat, the perspiration from a day's hard work making his orange coat glisten, didn’t really have the motivation to move anywhere in a hurry. If it was anything else, he would have continued watching the sun’s steady path through the sky, drawn a foreleg across his eyes, and shaken the sweat out of his clinging brown mane. That voice, however, drew his attention immediately. He looked up without a moment’s hesitation to see the cream coloured mare from earlier trotting over, a warm smile plastered on her face.

Dawnfire smiled back. “Hey Mira. How’s the stall going? Making a nice profit still?” The mare nodded, coming to a stop next to Dawnfire and looking out over the plains towards the setting sun. They stayed like that for a moment, before Mira turned back towards Dawnfire and took in his appearance. “Wow, it looks like you’ve been putting in your heart and soul today,” she noted. Before Dawnfire could reply, Mira continued. “The mayor has called a town meeting for tomorrow. All are invited.”

“What for?”

“To see what we want to do with the surplus.”

“Ahh.”

“What’s the ‘ahh’ for?”

“I’ve never really cared much for the planning and organisation.”

“You don’t care what happens to the crops that you put so much effort into harvesting?”

“I harvest them. I get paid in food and shelter. What they do with it is up to them.”

Mira clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Maybe you should start taking an interest in long term things. You don’t really seem to care about much.” Dawnfire shifted uncomfortably at that. Mira sighed, and then nuzzled him gently with her muzzle. 

“Look, I know how much you want to go out there and discover new things, but if you can’t even plan things within your own life, how could you plan out an expedition, or a team? You could never really achieve that, not with how you behave now. You need to grow up, Dawn.”

Dawnfire sighed. “Yeah, you’re right,” he grumbled. “Again, I guess. But I just want to see the outside world. I’m always looking into it, but never actually going out there to find it.” He looked down at Mira. Dawnfire had always been told that he was a ‘good height’ for an earth pony stallion. This meant that he was roughly average for a stallion, with a few inches on mares (although he did get the odd glint of satisfaction from an occasional annoyed glance from another pony that noted that he was a inch or two taller than some). It helped that he had solid muscle along his flanks and legs; his body was lean, with no fat on it at all. This sometimes gave him the appearance of being lanky, and making him appear as taller than he actually was. With time though, everypony realised that he was, in fact, a roughly average height, although there was no denying his firm build.

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that now, if I were you. I might mess up your mane,” Dawnfire warned. Mira pulled away. 

“How is my mane, by the way?” She asked. Dawnfire nearly answered ‘beautiful, just like you’, but caught himself in time. Instead, he answered “It looks lovely. But then, you always put amazing effort into it.” Mira beamed at him.

“You are really sweet, thank you!”

“I mean it.”

“I know. It’s just gratifying to hear that. I need to make the right impression at the market, and I’m happy to hear that I’m getting it right.”

Dawnfire pondered this. Mira’s mane was definitely enticing; plum and bubblegum pink, it fell past her head and curled at the ends. It looked like silk, like someone had gathered a mass of the stuff, dyed it pink and purple, and then gently folded it into a beautiful twist of colour that gathered near her body and curled out the way of her eyes. Speaking of which, were striking in themselves; deep blue, not unlike Dawnfire’s own. With her alluringly blue eyes, beautifully curled mane, and gorgeous cream coat- not to mention her attractive figure -she was a knock out for stallions, and a natural choice for customer service in any job.

“So then, did you just come to tell me about the meeting, or do you enjoy my company?” Dawnfire asked, grinning. Mira grinned back. 

“Okay,” she admitted. “I wondered if you wanted me to walk you back. You know, seeing as you’re scared of the dark and how you might need protection from the scary monsters that roam the plains at night.” Dawnfire laughed. 

“Okay then, fearless protector. Lead on.”

The duo turned and began walking away from the fields, and back towards the town. The sun sank lower in the sky, casting long shadows along the ground. The air began to cool although neither of the earth ponies noticed. “Hey,” Dawnfire suddenly perked up. “Did you hear the noise earlier? The roar?” Mira turned to look at him. 

“Yeah,” she admitted. “Do you know what it was?” Dawnfire merely shook his head. Mira remained quietly in thought for a few seconds, before turning back to look at him curiously. “What made you bring it up?” she asked him inquisitively. Dawnfire shrugged. 

“Well, you said about scary monsters, and that’s the first thing that came to mind.” Mira laughed, then said, “Wow, you really are scared, aren’t you?” Dawnfire looked at her with mock annoyance. 

“I am not!”

“Yes you are!”

“No I’m not!”

“Are too!”

“Are not!”

There was a sudden breeze, and Mira shivered. Instinctively, she moved closer to Dawnfire, pressing up against him. Dawnfire felt his heart beat faster, and looked forward as they walked. There was a moment’s silence before Mira looked up and noticed Dawnfire’s reaction. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve made you uncomfortable, haven’t I?” She moved away slightly, looking embarrassed. 

“No!” Dawnfire objected. He realised how sudden that sounded, and softened his tone. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. If you’re cold, don’t worry about it. Come on.” He smiled at her warmly. She hesitated, then moved over to his side again, hugging up against him. “Warmer?” he asked. Mira smiled up at him. 

“Much. Thank you.”

By this time they had reached the fringe of the town, the first few houses dotting the scenery. Dawnfire piped up, breaking the silence. “Hey, Mira? Can I ask you something?” She looked up at him curiously. 

“Of course”. Dawnfire swallowed nervously. 

“Well, next week is the trading trip, and I’ve thought about going.” He looked down at Mira, but avoided her eyes. “Well, I wondered if you were going, then maybe we could, um, spend the day at Canterlot? Maybe we could, g-go and see the palace, and maybe have lunch in ones of those fancy restaurants? Wh-what do you think?” Mira kept walking, looking at him. Dawnfire hated the silence. Why didn’t she just say something? Come on!

Eventually, she questioned softly, “Are you asking me out?” Dawnfire blushed, and not for the first time in his life, thanked nature that his coat was orange. 

“No, um, just companionship. You know, I like your company, and I thought it would be a nice treat for us both.” He paused. When he got no reply, he asked hopefully, “Is that a yes then?” Mira started shaking, and Dawnfire began to worry. It was only after a couple of seconds that he realised that she was holding in laughter. Managing to contain her laughter as giggles, Mira turned and nuzzled him. 

“Oh Dawn, you are so transparent! But yes, that does sound nice, and I would love to come.” Dawnfire felt a flush of relief, and suddenly realised that he’d been holding in a breath. He breathed out. Mira burst into a fresh fit of giggles, and they had to stop for a moment so that she could regain her composure. Walking on, Mira spoke up again. “So then Dawn, what are you planning for the day? Are we going to take a grand tour of the city, or relax in one of the spas? Or maybe...” Her voice dropped slightly and she stretched upwards to whisper in his ear “...maybe you’re going to sweep me off my hooves and into one of the hotels there?” Dawnfire blushed even more, and he wondered if he was actually giving off any heat. He sure hoped that Mira didn’t notice.

They reached Dawnfire’s house, and stopped. Dawnfire just stood there, unsure about what to do. Mira just grinned at him. Finally, she said, “Don’t worry, I’ll be able to get home fine. I only live around the corner.” As she said this she began to walk around Dawnfire, occasionally bumping into and rubbing up against him. “So then, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. From the feel of you, you’re too tired out to do anything tonight anyway.” She winked at him, and he grinned sheepishly back. “Goodnight then.” She turned and walked away, flicking his face lightly with her tail as she did so. He stared as she walked away, noticing that she seemed to be swaying her hips WAY more than she needed to. His grin got bigger, and he kept watching, determined not to let this moment end so soon.

The door of his house opened, and a green mare stepped out. She looked at Dawnfire, then at where he was gazing. She cleared her throat, and got no reaction. She sighed. “So then, productive day?” she asked. The response was a ecstatic nod. The mare looked at where Dawnfire was staring once more. “I heard that you really ploughed that plot hard.”

That got Dawnfire’s attention. He snapped round with a panicked look, and stuttered a bit before finally managing to ask “W-w-what?!”. The mare looked back to him. 

“I said that you worked the plot over thoroughly. Filled in all the holes and everything. Everyone said what a great job you’d done, and Mira seemed satisfied when I ran into her earlier today. Apparently you have an amazing stamina.” Dawnfire stared, mouth agape. 

“B-but I haven’t done.....” He paused. “Wait, are you on about the field?” The mare looked him over, puzzled. 

“Yes, that’s what I said. The plot.” Dawnfire sighed, both a mixture of relief and exasperation, and walked inside the house.

The house was relatively spacious, with enough room for the family that lived there. Dawnfire walked over to the table in the kitchen and slumped down. The green mare moved over to the stove, and began stirring the mixture inside. Dawnfire looked up long enough to call out, “I’ve told you before mum, it’s called a field. Its belongs to the town, so it’s not our plot of land. So it’s not a ‘plot’”. The green mare snorted. 

“I’m not sure what the problem is. All I said was that you worked hard today. Everyone commented that you always seemed to be working, not taking breaks, and that you worked efficiently.” She turned round long enough to eye him up and down. “And from the looks of you, they were right. You need a bath. Dinner won’t be ready for about half an hour, so get up there.” Dawnfire groaned, and struggled to get up from the table. The green mare looked over at him. “One more thing. Mira said that you didn’t take any breaks today, that whenever she saw you, you were working. And yet when I looked over just before she came along, you were having a break.” She paused. “Are you trying to impress her?”

Dawnfire stopped at the foot of the stairs. “Is that a problem?” There was a brief laugh. 

“Of course not. Mira is a polite, beautiful and smart young mare. And she’s been your friend since you were tiny foals in Trottingham. Her family moved with us to here when the unemployment skyrocketed over there, so you’ve always known her. It’s great that you get along so well.” Dawnfire smiled at those memories, and started to trot up the stairs gently. “But listen here. No funny business. We need your work ethic to support us, and you can’t do that if you’re encumbered with a family of your own. I don’t want to find that something’s gone on between you two. You’re too young to be raising a foal of your own.” Dawnfire stopped, and groaned. 

“Mum, I know how to handle my life. I’m 20!” he shouted back down the stairs, before galloping up the remainder before he could get another lecture about responsibility.


*******************************************************


Dawnfire came back downstairs as dinner was being served up. He had to admit, a bath after a long, hard day's work was not a bad thing. It soothed all the stress and tension that he had worked up during the day, and it was very relaxing. If he didn’t have his pride, he might’ve been tempted to slack off all the time just to take baths.

He rounded into the kitchen and saw that another stallion was seated at the table too, this one a vivacious red. The stallion heard Dawnfire approach, and turned round to greet him. Dawnfire nodded. 

“Hi dad.” The stallion smiled, and motioned with his hoof for Dawnfire to sit across from him. Dawnfire complied and took his seat at the table. The stew was served up immediately after, his mother taking her seat at the opposite end of the table. The family began to tuck into their meal.

“So,” the stallion began. “I heard that there’s a meeting tomorrow. Something about deciding what to do with the surplus.” Dawnfire nodded. 

“I heard the same from Mira.” His mother gave him a warning glance, which he ignored, and which his father missed entirely. 

“Well, there shouldn’t be that much to discuss. We’ll probably end up taking it to Canterlot anyway.” He glanced over at Dawnfire. “I guess that you’ll be staying here?” Dawnfire looked up. 

“Actually, no,” he said, surprising both listeners. “I’m thinking of taking the trip and helping the town. And maybe spending the day in Canterlot.” His father squinted suspiciously. 

“Why Canterlot? What are you planning?” he questioned. Dawnfire sighed. 

“I was thinking of taking Mira there for the day.” He looked up at his father, and sought out his eyes. “I take it that won’t be a problem?”. His father grinned, and shook his head. 

“No, of course not. I think you’ve earned that day trip.” Dawnfire smiled, and looked over at his mother. She had been glaring at him, but upon seeing her husband’s reaction, she merely sighed and submitted, nodding in defeat.

The conversation moved away from work and into happy memories, eventually reaching Dawnfire’s childhood. “Well,” started his father, “I remember when you were a tiny thing. You always were a little explorer. We’d try and stop you from wandering up and down the stairs, but you didn’t have any of it; if you wanted to go somewhere, you got there in the end.” They all laughed. 

“How couldn’t you stop me? I was only a tiny thing, like you said,” Dawnfire chuckled. Both of his parents smiled at this, and looked over at one another. 

“Well,” his mother replied, “You had the speed of a pony struck by lightning. You always seemed to outrun us.” Dawnfire grinned.

The conversation died down, and the three of them got down from the table and trotted towards the stairs. “Oh, one more thing. Why did you decide to call me Dawnfire?” he asked. His parents looked over at each other, a deep look of pleasant nostalgia etched onto their faces. After a brief while (in which they seemed to silently decide on who would tell the story), they turned back to Dawnfire. His father smiled.

“Well, your mother and I always wanted a child of our own. It was something that we’d always dreamed of. We spoke about the idea frequently, and both agreed that we were happy to have one whenever.” He stopped smiling. “But there were....difficulties. It seemed that no matter how much we tried, we’d never get a foal. It seemed like the odds were against us. But then,” his smile picked up again. “But then your mother found out that she was pregnant. It was one of the happiest days of our lives. I don’t think that all of the wealth in Canterlot could make us happier than that news.” His mother gave a confirming nod, and beamed. “We’d been waiting for years, and finally, here was the answer to our prayers.”

Dawnfire listened intently, and noticed that a shadow seemed to cross his father's face as he spoke his next words. “There were complications during the birth. Your mother went into labour, and...” He stopped for a moment, then collected his thoughts and continued. “I went outside for a moment. I couldn’t bear to stand there and watch your mother in pain like that, with all the others around her desperately trying to help. It was dusk, and the stars were starting to fade away. There was a gentle breeze, and it actually felt calm outside.”

The shadow faded from his father's face, replaced by a look of ease and reverence. “And then, as the sun began to break over the horizon, and the first light spread across the town, I heard a cry from indoors. A young, feeble cry.” He looked at Dawnfire and smiled gently. “That was when you were born. At the break of dawn, you arrived in this world, despite all the problems that had faced you.”

Dawnfire nodded. “So I was called Dawnfire because I was born at dawn. Logical I guess.” His father shook his head.

“Your mother wanted to call you Dawnbreak, but I talked some sense into her.” Dawnfire looked over at his mother in surprise. 

“Thank you dad, I really appreciate it.”

“But it was more important than that.”

“Oh?”

“You weren’t just born at dawn. For us at least, you provided light in our darkest hour, and brought something special into our lives. For us, you heralded the dawn, shepherded it.”

“So you called me Dawnfire-”

“We called you Dawnfire because you are strong and fierce and resilient, and you bring light that people need and expect to see every day. You are the beacon of hope in our lives.”

Dawnfire nodded with some satisfaction. “For you. I’m glad that I made a major impact on somepony’s life then. Even if it wasn’t the way that I wanted.” 

His parents glanced at each other, and his mother stepped forwards. “I wouldn’t say that. I mean, look at Mira. You were her friend since you started walking. She looked up to you and always went around with you. I was hard pressed to separate you, even for something like dinner, and when bedtime came, oh Celestia did you whine! You two had sleep overs so often that I wondered if we should just give you two a permanent residence of your own! And when the employment dried up in Trottingham, Mira’s family came with us to seek out Hopesmeade. And what did you two do? You jumped and ran and skipped around, all the way there. You didn’t care that you were leaving, or that you had to walk miles and miles. You were just happy to have each other to play with. So don’t doubt yourself; you inspire ponies, and bring out the best in them. You do have a special quality that you can be proud of.”

Dawnfire gazed at his parents, and considered this. He was glad that he’d brought happiness to someponies lives, even in such a small way. It was meaningful to them, and that’s what he counted; if the pony that you gave the gift to enjoyed the gift, then it didn’t matter what the gift was, because its value consisted entirely of the emotions that it invoked. He was the gift to his parents, and he made them happy, so he was satisfied in that regard. That would keep him happy until tomorrow at least. He smiled at that, and the smile stuck on his face as he trotted up the stairs to his room and settled comfortably into his modest bed. 

“Dawnfire”, he thought as he closed his eyes and welcomed the darkness that softly surrounded him. “The shepherd of the light......”


*****************************************************


A commotion outside woke Dawnfire from his slumber. He rose from the bed, pausing to stretch his back. Still dreary from just waking up, he stumbled from his bedroom and headed downstairs to find both his parents looking out the kitchen window.

“What’s going on?” Dawnfire yawned at them. Neither of them looked back at him, but his dad answered, “We don’t know. Some ponies are just marching through here. We don’t know why or what they want.”

Dawnfire’s mother looked round from her place at the window and glanced at him. Dawnfire didn't like the look of unease on her face. “It looks like Canterlot guards,” she voiced incredulously. Dawnfire turned to the door and opened it slightly, and the sound (which he now realised to be marching ponies) grew noticeably louder. The figures outside did indeed look like city guards, although not in any armour that he’d seen before; instead of the usual proud gold sheen that highlighted any member of the force that protected Canterlot, these ponies wore dark blue and purple armour. Dawnfire shook his head. 

“What are the guards doing here? It’s the middle of the night.” Even in his fatigued state, it didn't take him any time at all to realise that something must be wrong.

A figure stepped out of a house across the street from Dawnfire. It trotted in front of the column of guards, immediately bringing them to a halt. The noise dropped, leaving a profound silence. After a brief pause, the figure called out in a firm but respectful voice, “Hello, guards of Canterlot. Would you please state your business here. We will be happy to assist you in any way possible.”

From the parade of guards came forward a lone pony. From his gait it was easy to tell that he was in charge; he strode up to the front confidently and came to a steady halt in front of the pony that had addressed them. 

“Greetings, citizen of Hopesmeade,” the guard jovially smiled at the figure in front of him. “I wish to speak to the mayor."

The figure studied him for a while before answering stoically, “Well, you’re speaking to him. How may I help?” The guard smiled again.

From his position at the door, Dawnfire could easily make out the conversation between the mayor and the dark armour-clad pony. 

“I bring joyous news of the Princess Luna’s ascension and the rise of the night. I invite you to partake in this glorious event and welcome you to be a part of the New Lunar Republic, which will rise up and replace this corrupt system that we are all oppressed by.” The guard looked at the mayor expectantly, and there was a pregnant silence.

Dawnfire smirked. Not only was this cheesy and badly thought out from the sound of it, but it was highly entertaining. Finally, he could get some adventure that he so much desired. The situation outside was unexpected and unprecedented for Hopesmeade; ponies rarely visited, and the ones that did were new inhabitants. These trickled into Hopesmeade in small families, not parades, and especially not at night. This was certainly bizarre for the small town.

The mayor coughed, and regarded the armoured pony before him. After a while he asked, “So this isn't a message from Princess Celestia? It’s a....” He paused and chose the next words with a careful amount of consideration. “...a declaration from the other Princess.” The guard frowned at this, and glared at the mayor. 

“Her name is Luna, and she is the true Princess. The one, the only.” The mayor didn't react to this, but held his gaze with the guard. 

“Well, if there is a message to deliver, or a request, we are more than happy to help. But could you please ask, because you are currently keeping everypony awake, and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

At the word ‘tomorrow’, the guard threw back his head and let out a loud, bellowing laugh. The mayor raised his eyebrow slightly, but didn't say anything. The guard breathed a sigh of amusement and looked back at the mayor. 

“Don’t you see?” he asked in an excited breath. “There will be no tomorrow. From now on, it will be nighttime eternal. We shall all revel in this glorious dark which the true princess has created for us out of her generosity, her unparalleled power, her leadership. This is the new world.” At this, he raised a forehoof and swept it in an arc above him.

The mayor shook his head, deciding that the pony in front of him was either a prankster or an escapee from an asylum somewhere. If it wasn't for the wall of guards standing motionless in the background, he would have assumed it was the latter. Either way, this had gone on long enough, and the ponies in their homes had started muttering loud enough for the mayor to clearly hear their dissatisfaction out on the street. He sighed, and looked up at the guard again. 

“Okay then. Whatever the case may be, we are here now, and you want something. What do you want?”

The guard smiled at the mayor. “We require supplies and resources to power our campaign. Your town is the pride of Equestria. Its unfaltering commitment and labour are a testament to the strength of the ponies that reside here. Now, I offer you a chance to put your skills to work for a greater purpose. Give us your crops, and in return you can call yourself a part of this nation.” All noise in the street instantly stopped.

The mayor didn't respond, this time because he couldn't believe the sheer insanity of what he had just heard. Eventually, he managed to force himself to ask, “You want us to give you our crops? All of them?” The reply was a reassuring smile. 

“Yes, but don’t worry, you’ll be handsomely rewarded. Very handsomely.” The silence resumed. It lingered for several seconds, nopony daring to make a sound. The mayor stared at the guard incredulously. 

“All of our crops?”

“Yes.”

“That’s insane.”

“I know that it may seem very dramatic, but I assure you...”

“No. It is insane, and we are not going to hand over our hard work to the first pony who trots up and asks for it.”

The guard’s jaw tightened, and he stepped up to the mayor threateningly. “Listen here, we are taking those crops. It is for a better future, and you can be a part of it, but you must co-operate. You have a choice on where you stand, but not what becomes of your work. You will get a share back, but we are the soldiers fighting to secure our freedom. We need it more than you.” 

The mayor stared defiantly back, and answered simply, “No. They are our crops. If you want some, buy them from us.” The guard growled, then lent forwards.

“This is your last chance,” he hissed into the mayor’s face. “Give us those crops.” The mayor lent in even closer. 

“This is your only warning. Leave this town, or I will have the Canterlot guards on you.” The two figures glared at each other venomously for what seemed like an eternity, then the guard snorted and turned away. 

“So be it!” he spat back at the mayor, giving him a derisive glance before trotting back to his parade of armour-clad ponies. The mayor watched him as he slinked away, silently letting out a sigh of relief. This night had been too hectic, and he just needed his bed again. He turned back towards his house.

“ATTACK!” came the shout from behind him. The mayor turned in time to see a sheen of metal rise from the wall of guards. Spears. They were all carrying spears. The guards spilled out from their ranks and headed towards the houses scattered throughout the town. Screams and shouts of surprise could be heard as doors were kicked in and threats were hollered, the group easily breaking into each and every house, whether the occupants were awake or not. The mayor found himself tackled to the ground, and before he could struggle, he found a spear point at his throat. Looking up, he saw the guard from earlier grinning at him. 

“Don’t struggle,” he crooned, “and you’ll live to be the puppet mayor of this town.”


*****************************************************


Dawnfire jumped back in surprise when he saw the sea of spears rise from the guards in the street. This wasn't good, and it was about to get very bad. When he saw the guards rush towards the houses, he instinctively slammed his weight against the door, shutting it just as a cacophony of bangs and thumps announced the arrival of at least three guards. A lifetime of hard manual labour had given Dawnfire remarkable strength, and he could just about withstand the persistent bucking from the ponies outside.

Dawnfire looked over at his parents. His mum was cowering against a wall, and his father was searching through the kitchen drawers for something to use as a weapon. 

“Dad,” Dawnfire called out desperately. “What do we do?” Another jolt from the door added to the terror he felt. The stallion stopped rummaging, and closed his eyes for a moment. He sighed, then drooped his head. The door juddered. “Dad, we need to decide on something!” A crunch. “Now!”

The stallion looked up suddenly, and Dawnfire could see the fierce determination burning in his eyes. He galloped over to Dawnfire, and threw his weight against the door too, the look in his eyes persisting as he addressed his son. 

“Here’s what we are going to do. I’m going to hold this door. You are going to help your mother hide underneath the stairs. Then, you are going to take the back door and get to Canterlot however you can. You need to get the Canterlot Guard over here, as soon as you can.”

Dawnfire felt numb, barely even registering the thuds reverberating from the door anymore. “But, dad, I can’t leave you and mum here. Come with me!” The older stallion shook his head. 

“Your mother is in no fit state to run that far, but you are. We all know it. And I’ll look after her, don’t you worry. We’ll be fine.” Dawnfire gritted his teeth. 

“But I can’t get that far! I can’t leave you and everypony else here! I’m not going to run away, I want to stay and fight!” His father grunted as the door shifted a couple of inches. 

“Listen, you can do this! You need to! It’s our only hope, and it’s not just about you! This entire town needs you to run and get help. You’re not running away, you’re running towards the fight.” Dawnfire began to object again . His father raised a forehoof and slammed it against the door. “Listen! You will do this, for me, your mother, this town, and for yourself, okay? You want responsibility? You want freedom? You’ve always wanted that, so go out and get it! As long as I’m still alive, I am your guardian. I am ordering you to do this, so out of respect for me and your mother, do as you’re told!”

The words hit Dawnfire like lightning bolts. He nodded his head, and looked over to where his mother was cowering. “Can you hold the door?” he asked. 

“Well, I have to either way,” the older stallion grunted back. “Now get moving!”. Dawnfire took a deep breath, and galloped away from the door. Reaching the far wall, he checked his mother over. She was shaking violently, clearly in shock, and he could hear her sobbing. He bent down and tried to push her up, but she collapsed back against the wall. 

“Come on mum, get up!” he urged. “We need to hide, now!” She continued to sob in quick breaths on the floor. He forcefully pulled her up, and took as much of her weight as he could. “Mum, dad’s busy, so I’m the stallion around the house for now, so please, listen to me! Dad needs us both to do our part and be strong, so please, move!” She seemed to react to this, dragging herself along slightly as he guided her towards the stairs.

Reaching the door, Dawnfire struggled with the latch, eventually managing to pull it off and open the door. His mother stumbled inside, and he rushed over to a blanket covering several boxes. He felt a slight twinge of hope when he saw that they all contained foodstuffs, and took the blanket in his mouth. Dumping it over his mother, he whispered to her, “Stay here mum. Don’t make any sound, and stay under the blanket. There is food in the boxes next to you if you get hungry, and I don’t know how long you’ll need to stay here. I’m running to get help. I love you.” He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, and then stepped out, closing and locking the door with a heavy heart.

Dawnfire galloped into the kitchen to see his father still holding the door. Somehow, he’d managed to withstand all of the batterings since Dawnfire had left. The stallion looked round as Dawnfire entered. 

“Is your mother safe?” he asked. Dawnfire nodded, and the stallion looked content for a brief second, before adding hastily, “Good. Now run. Your mother can’t stay there for ever.” Dawnfire’s hooves refused to move. There was so much to say, and not enough time. 

“I love you dad. I’ll come back with help, I promise. Stay safe, please.” The last part was choked out with much effort. The older stallion looked back at him with pride. 

“I know you will. I love you too, and all that sentimental stuff that we don’t have time for.” He paused for  moment, and he looked Dawnfire in the eye. “Just...just promise me that, whatever happens, you’ll do the right thing. Not what you feel like, but what’s right, for everypony, for yourself. Don’t be driven by emotion. I need....wait, they've stopped banging so much. There’s only one pony banging on the door. Why did they...”

A spear smashed a window of the kitchen, and another followed suit. Glass rained across the room and skidded along the floor. The stallion holding the door looked at his son with alarm, and shouted out to him, “Go! Now!” Dawnfire turned and ran, galloping out of the kitchen and bursting through the back door, only pausing once outside to look back and see his father glaring defiantly at an unseen intruder. Dawnfire only belatedly noticed that his father also looked somewhat content and at ease, but then he was cantering away from his house, trying to act rationally in this insane situation.


*****************************************************


Whilst sneaking through the town, Dawnfire saw the guards escorting the townsponies down the high street. They looked exhausted, staggering forward towards the outskirts of the town beyond which lay the acres of fields. Dawnfire noted with shock that all the ponies present were stallions; they were being taken to pick the crops. He growled angrily to himself. Ponies weren't cheap slave labour.

Keeping behind the houses, Dawnfire managed to avoid the street and the guards themselves. Luckily, the vast majority seemed to be heading towards the fields with the townsponies, probably as much to help as to keep the stallions in check. The few that were left were keeping watch over the mares and foals in their homes. The thought made Dawnfire sick, and he took a detour, with a slight twinge of guilt, to a home not too far from his. Surely this wasn't betraying his father’s trust? Just a quick check would be all he needed, and then he could be on his way.

He kept his body low as he trotted silently along the walls and ducked under the window, sneaking up to the door and putting his ear up against the wood. He could hear voices from inside, and that was either very good, or more likely, extremely bad. Taking a deep breath, Dawnfire stepped back and pulled the door open a crack, just enough to see inside. The voices got louder, and Dawnfire could make out what sounded like three different stallions laughing and talking over each other. Every now and then, he could make out a smaller, silkier voice breaking through the cascade of noise; Mira.

Dawnfire opened the door some more, and managed to spot two guards with their backs to him. They had discarded their helmets and were leaning against the walls, their spears laying comfortably on the floor beside them. Another guard was laying on the sofa, grinning and chatting to the other figure in the room. Dawnfire breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Mira unhurt and apparently in good spirits, smiling and talking to all the occupants of the room. To the casual eye, she might have looked like a good host at a house party, bringing drinks to her guests and chatting amiably. Dawnfire, however, had known her his entire life, and he knew her mannerisms and character. She was exceptional at soldiering on and pretending she was okay. Putting on a happy face was part of her job, but she didn't act like this unless she had a reason to, and right now, Dawnfire could tell she was terrified. Leaning into the house as much as he dared, he started to make out the conversation.

“Why do you even live out here?” the guard on the sofa asked. He had a cropped blue mane and spoke in a gruff voice. “It’s nothing but endless fields and plains. There’s a reason we have cities, y’know.” Mira smiled at him and shook her head gently. 

“Well, this place has it benefits. It’s quiet and peaceful, and everypony here looks out for each other. I’m sure it’s similar to the bond that you soldiers share.” The guard on the sofa snorted. 

“Cute. But what is there to see? You just...well, what do you do? There’s nothing here.” 

Again, Mira shook her head, and answered, “Oh no, there’s so much to see. We’re surrounded by nature and tranquility, and I have a friend...” Mira stopped for a moment at this point, and Dawnfire felt a pang of pity for her. “...a friend who loves to just stop and look at the beauty that surrounds him. He revels in the joy that the day brings.”

One of the guards leaning against the wall sneered and said, “Well, not anymore he don’t.” There was harsh barking laughter from the other two guards, and Mira jolted slightly at the sudden noise. Dawnfire closed his eyes. He needed to think! What should he do? His father had said to go and get help, but he’d also said to do the right thing for everypony. What was the right thing? Help Mira, or leave her to help everypony else? His thought process was interrupted by the guard on the sofa asking another question. 

“So then, what’s a pretty little filly like yourself doing all on your lonesome?” Mira looked at him genially, but Dawnfire could see the condescension in her eyes. 

“I live with my father,” she replied. “You've probably seen him, he’s the toughest and strongest one out in the fields right now. He’s probably the reason why you've chosen to guard weak little me instead of him.” Dawnfire smirked. 

“That’s my girl!” he whispered to himself. The guards looked at each other and grumbled. The sofa guard looked back at Mira. 

“So then, what do you do around here, if you’re so weak and useless?” he demanded. Dawnfire started to think again as Mira gave her reply. 

“Well, I never said I was useless,” she answered jovially. “I’m not big and strong, but I have my talents. I always liked talking to people and making friends, and one day I found this small filly who was crying because she’d lost her mother. I was only 13 or so myself at the time, but I convinced her that we’d find her mother and get her home. We walked around the town for a while and eventually she recognised her mother in the crowd, and I received so many hugs and much thanks from the both of them. It made me happy to help other ponies like that, and when I got home, I found that I had this.” At this point Mira looked back at her body where a pattern of a smiling sun sat proudly on both of her flanks. The sofa guard grinned. Mira looked back at them and continued. “I’m good with ponies, so I run a food stall in the market here. I also help to calm down any trouble that may arise in the market, and-”

The guard from the sofa rose to his hooves suddenly, still grinning. Mira stopped mid-sentence and looked at him. “So,” he said, starting to steadily clop towards her. “You run a food stall, and you’re known for good customer service? Well, you’re just the pony to talk to then. You see, I have a sausage. A very big one, if I say so myself.” The other two guards  snickered, and Mira began to edge backwards, her smile starting to slip from her face. “The problem is, I haven’t used it for a long time, and I’m not sure if it’s still edible. Could you do me a favour and give it a taste?” Mira bumped against the wall behind her, and the guard still advanced, his grin getting wider. Dawnfire felt his blood boil. He couldn’t just leave now! He needed to help. What was the right thing to do?

Mira’s smile returned, though it was less confident than before. “Now, I don’t think you’d want to do that. You soldiers have a very high sense of honour, and that might be tarnished if your commanding officer hears about this.” The guard’s grin dropped, and he looked over at his two comrades with a look of mock consideration. 

“You know guys, she’s right. This will look very bad for us if it gets out. We don’t want the captain to know. Maybe I shouldn't do this.” The two guards chuckled. 

“Don’t worry,” one assured. “You never did anything. We didn't see it.” The guard’s grin returned, and he faced Mira again, reaching down to unbuckle his armour. 

“I get next round though,” the guard on the wall demanded. 

“Of course,” came the reply. “And you can have my cider too if you want it.”

Dawnfire gritted his teeth. Forget any dilemmas or decisions, this was what was right and this was what he was going to do! Pulling open the door as swiftly and silently as he could, he crept in and positioned himself behind the two guards. Luckily, they’d moved off the wall and clumped closer together to get a better view of what was about to happen. He spun round and looked behind him to check his aim, then lashed out with both of his hind legs. The bucks connected with the back of the guards heads with a loud thud, and they crumpled forwards and skidded along the floor, unconscious. Dawnfire turned around to face the room, and found the last guard staring at him in shock. He’d discarded his armour and had one hoof on Mira’s back, trying to push her down. Mira pushed his hoof away and ran to a corner of the room, as far as she could get away from him.

Dawnfire galloped straight at the stallion, who’d started looking around for his spear. Dawnfire noted with some satisfaction that it was on the sofa still, and with even more satisfaction the look of terror on the guard’s face when he looked up to see Dawnfire about to collide with him. There was no thought, no plan, no conscious decision. Dawnfire rose his right foreleg and smashed it as hard as he could into the stallion in front of him, who’d tried to turn to avoid the attack. Instead, the foreleg collided with his ribs, which would have been left completely undamaged had he been wearing armour, but it had been discarded not moments previously. There was a loud crack as four ribs broke, and the stallion howled in pain as he collapsed to the floor. He tried to get up, but the same foreleg that broke his ribs smacked against his head, which thudded heavily into the floor again. He settled for a low pitched whine and only partially took in the voice that growled angrily at him, “If you touch her again, there’ll be nothing left of you for your commanding officer to find out about.”

Mira heard the heard the crack, the scream, the thud and the low angry growl from her position in the corner of the room, and it wasn't until she heard the soft clop of approaching hooves that she looked up to see Dawnfire coming towards her, a concerned look on his face. “Are you okay?” he asked anxiously. Mira stood up shakily and checked herself over. 

“I’m not hurt. But I-I think....”

Dawnfire caught her as she threw herself forwards and wrapped her forelegs around him, burying her face in his side. “Th-thank you for t-turning up when you did,” she whimpered.“I can’t imagine what would have h-happened if you hadn't.” Dawnfire drew her closer and stroked her mane comfortingly, and the two of them stayed like that for a moment. Mira lifted her head and looked at Dawnfire with a look of surprise, as though something had just dawned on her. “How did you escape?” she asked. Dawnfire shook his head. 

“It’s something that I’d rather not think about right now. As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters.” Mira nodded her head in acknowledgement and buried her head in Dawnfire’s side again. He sighed, regretting that he had to end this moment so soon. She needed emotional support right now, but his job was to get to Canterlot. He hated having that job.

“Mira,” he spoke up. She gave a muffled ‘yes’ from his left. “I need to go to get help. I’m sorry, I’d stay here if I could, but we all need help. You, the town, my family...” He paused, realising that his father was probably out in the fields right now being used as slave labour. The thought gave him motivation to carry on. “I need to go, and you can come if you want, but I’m not sure how you’ll handle the journey.” Mira didn't react to this, and Dawnfire wondered whether she’d succumbed to exhaustion, but then she raised her head slightly, slowly. 

“If you need to go,” she said quietly, “then hurry up. Get help. I’ll just slow you down, so you’d better leave me here.” Dawnfire opened his mouth to express his concern, but she sensed this and smiled faintly up at him. “I’ll be fine. I’ll hide or something, just....go, get help however you can.”

They pulled away from each other. Mira strode past him towards the back door, taking care (Dawnfire noted) to step as far away as she could from the two unconscious bodies on her previously immaculate floor. Dawnfire fired a hate filled glare at the third guard (who quickly went back to pretending to be unconscious) and followed suit, making sure to kick the other two on his way. Mira stood patiently at the door, holding it open for him, and he clopped past her to the dark, open coolness of the outside. He breathed in deeply and let out a long sigh before turning round. She was still standing there watching him. He stood just as still, uncertain what to say. Eventually, she spoke for him. 

“Thank you. I’m.....just so grateful for what you’ve done. Get to Canterlot and do whatever you need to. Good luck.” She smiled at him again, and he returned the gesture. With nothing more to do or say, he laboriously lifted his hooves and trotted away.

Within minutes, he had come to the last house in the town, and he had completely run out of cover. He couldn’t see any guards, but he hadn’t seen the spears earlier, and that had been a deadly mistake. Beyond him was just darkness, and he knew that there lay a few miles of plains between him and Canterlot. The only other problem was, he had to guess where Canterlot was; in the dark, there was only the imposing bulk of the mountain jutting ahead that he could go by to guess, but the path up to Canterlot was all but invisible at this time. Dawnfire ground his teeth together. This wasn’t helping! He had an hour’s trek ahead of him, and he hadn’t even gotten started yet! He shook his head. No, he needed to stay cool. With that thought in mind, he decided he needed to start somewhere. That somewhere was directly ahead of him. He trotted into the open as quickly and quietly as he could, taking care to stay low. As long as any guards didn’t look out of the window now, he should be able to get clear and-

“Hey, who goes there?” called a voice from behind him. Dawnfire jumped, and looked behind him in panic. A guard had come out of the last house having just finished scavenging all the food he could find; he was walking on his hind hooves, cradling the edibles to his chest. Dawnfire cursed his natural orange coat and began to run. “Hey, stop!” the guard called again. Fortunately for Dawnfire, the guard still had the food he’d found in his forehooves, and had to decide what to do with that first before giving chase. The guard frowned. Great. That’s all he needed, an escapee. Still, it was only one, and this desolate town was the only civilisation for miles around, save for Canterlot. The chances of him finding anypony, never mind convincing them to help, was not worth worrying about. Besides, he wouldn't last long out on the plains, not at this time at night. His frown turned into a spiteful smile. Overall, not worth mentioning to the captain. Not unless he wanted to get his flank handed to him. He shook his head and carried on.

Dawnfire kept running. He’d tripped a few times, but he was immediately back on his hooves and running again. The dark was absolute out here; he couldn't see the ground in front of him, not the dips or the rises, and certainly not a destination. He stopped briefly to listen. The guard didn't seem to be following. He calmed his breathing, his heart still pounding in his chest, and looked around. This proved to be pointless, as there were no defining landmarks around anyway, even if he could see. Emphasising the pitch black was the deafening silence. No wildlife, no ponies, nothing. For Dawnfire, it was unnerving, standing alone not far from his home, yet so very far away from familiarity, with no hint of existence around him. It was like the world had ended and he was standing on the last patch of grass that there was. For him, his world had ended tonight. He shook his head. No, focus! Don’t think about that, get this done! He picked a direction, towards a bulk that looked like the mountain, and started running again, against the hazy confusion that his life had so recently become.
> Midnight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The plains were utterly desolate this late into the night. No light or sound made its way from any of the settlements dotted around, not that there were many. The closest city was Canterlot, but even from there lights didn’t reach across the plain, leaving the entire area gloomy and oppressive. Even the wildlife seemed to stay quiet. Dawnfire stopped caring about any of this after about twenty minutes.

He’d been stumbling about in the emptiness for what felt like a lifetime, and with absolutely no visuals to help him, it may well have been that long, or even longer. The ground underhoof had started to become harder and more like gravel or rock, which he hoped meant that he was at least drawing close to his objective. The only problem (well, one of the many) was that the plains were surrounded by mountains, and he could equally be running away from Canterlot as he could towards it. There was no way to tell which mountain he was approaching. No, he thought, he couldn’t have traveled that far this quickly. Only Canterlot was close enough for him to have got there in such a short amount of time.

Dawnfire cursed as he tripped up, the ground ahead of him sloping upwards alarmingly quickly. He floundered about, trying to find a way to push himself up on the uneven ground. Eventually finding enough grip to struggle to all four hooves, he stood up and stumbled forward again. The slope continued upwards for while, and Dawnfire had to grip onto the many rocks scattered about to stop himself from slipping and maybe even sliding down the side of the mountain. That wouldn’t benefit anypony, especially not himself. At least the increased presence of rocks meant that he was going in the right direction, or somewhere close to it- still a better result than being lost on the plains all night.

Suddenly Dawnfire fell forward again, for the opposite reason that he had last time- the ground had abruptly flattened, and he had attempted to put his weight onto something that wasn’t there. Sitting up and pulling himself onto the flat ground, Dawnfire rubbed his forehoof. It hurt from striking the ground when he thought it was still sloped, and he hadn’t expected to hit something so solid. Usually, that only came from things like paths or.....wait. Paths. He felt around himself and noticed that the ground was solid and defined, not just soil and dirt, but rock; it was a path, which meant it lead somewhere, which meant that........

Dawnfire breathed a massive sigh of relief, then chuckled to himself. He had found the path leading up to Canterlot, and not only that, but he’d done it in the dark by himself with no idea of where he was going, and he’d cut off a portion the journey by climbing up the side of the path instead of following the mountain round. Maybe if he told his parents about this.....

At that thought his eyes widened. His parents and his home! The whole reason for him being here was because his home was under attack! The thought spurred him into action and he leapt to his hooves and charged forward, banging into the cliff face but not caring, only changing direction and continuing on. When he reached Canterlot and got help, he could see that his family was rescued. Until then, all other thought had to stop. Sticking as close as he could to the rocky face to his right, he continued his ascent up the path towards the top of the mountain and, hopefully, salvation.


*******************************************************


The path just went on and on. It twisted right and left and lead inexorably upwards, but it never ended. Dawnfire trudged onwards, determined to reach his destination if it killed him, but as he plodded on he began to wonder if he’d already died and this was the afterlife. Maybe this was him ascending to the heavens, as some seemed to believe, but they’d never mentioned it being anything like this. Maybe it was the trial to see if he was worthy of making into the vested position of heaven, or maybe.....maybe it was eternal punishment. Dawnfire grimaced as he thought this.

“What did I do to deserve it though?” he questioned himself out loud. “Was it because I ran away when my home needed defending? If that’s the case, perhaps I do deserve this fate.” He hung his head as he walked, his voice taking a more morose tone. “I should have stayed and helped you, all of you: Mum, dad, Mira, the whole town. It’s my fault, and I’d do anything to help you know. Please, Celestia or anyone who’s listening; give me the chance to set everything right, if not for me then for them. Please, they don’t deserve this.” He looked up. “I will help them, some way or another, and I won’t rest until I do.” Step. Step. Step.

White. Utter, blinding white. Dawnfire collapsed backwards onto the path, screamed and covered his eyes with his forelegs, but the whiteness still burned. Well, afterlife it was then. He wasn’t sure whether this was paradise or purgatory, but it didn’t matter, he could rest. Well, he could after the whiteness stopped burning and blinding him.

“Who goes there?” called a gruff, authoritative voice from in front of him. Dawnfire tried to open his eyes but it hurt too much so he settled for shouting back into the whiteness. “Please stop that! It hurts to even look into it!” There was a grumbling and muttering from up ahead, and the white dimmed down to a bearable level. Dawnfire managed to open his eyes a fraction to see the outline of what looked like a pony, no, two ponies, making their way towards him. He shifted back onto his front and rose to his hooves yet again. He was making a habit out of falling over tonight.

One of the pony silhouettes clopped steadily out the glare of the whiteness to where Dawnfire was standing, and as it got closer he could begin to make out features; a mane styled into a mohawk, a cropped tail, and an outfit that covered its torso and head. The outfit seemed to shine, glinting and sparkling as the figure drew close enough to speak. It stopped, and the same gravelly voice from before grunted a question. 

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Dawnfire averted his eyes a little. The sparkle of the figure before him was beginning to hurt his eyes again. 

“I’m not sure where I am,” Dawnfire answered apprehensively. “I’m trying to find Canterlot, and I’m lost. I just sort of stumbled here.”

“You’re trying to find Canterlot? At this time of night? It’s early morning, what could possibly be so important that you couldn’t wait until daylight?” The figure sounded incredulous. Dawnfire sighed unhappily. 

“It’s a long story, and I really need to get going. It’s important that I get the Canterlot Guards now.” He made to move forwards, but the figure stopped him, pushing him back with a firm hoof. 

“And what do you need the Guards for? Their priority is to protect Canterlot, and if you've got something so important that you need them, then I’d like to hear about it,” the voice demanded. Dawnfire looked at the figure, ignoring the ache it caused his eyes. 

“It doesn't matter what my business is, all you need to know is that it’s important.” The figure in front snorted angrily, and Dawnfire continued firmly before he could be interrupted. “Why should I help you when I can’t even see you anyway? You could be anypony! I’m not going to give my details away like that!”

The figure huffed and shuffled about before calling over his shoulder to somepony behind. “Lower the level of the light spell, you’ve probably blinded the blighter as it is!” At his words the whiteness (light, Dawnfire suddenly realised- it’d been a light spell) faded to a point where it was barely visible, just enough to see by. Dawnfire blinked a couple of times before focusing on the figure in front of him. It was a white unicorn stallion, and the ‘outfit’ that had been sparkling before was in fact armour; golden plated armour, and the mohawk mane was the crest of the helmet. Dawnfire’s eyes widened as he realised.......

“Oh,” he said sheepishly, looking down. The guard glared back at him. 

“Yes,” he replied haughtily. “Oh. Now, maybe you could answer my previous question and tell me why you so desperately need to acquisition the Guards in the middle of the night when we’re busy guarding the capital of Equestria. Just so you know, it’s a full time job, so make your answer good.” Dawnfire glanced up at the guard and took a deep breath in. 

“My town has been attacked. I managed to escape and I’ve ran across the plains to get here. Please, I need you to help me. My family and everypony I've ever known is down there being used as slave labour for a group that I've never heard of or seen before.”

The guard remained expressionless throughout Dawnfire’s explanation, standing there stoically. When the orange stallion finished speaking, the guard fixed him with a stare and remained silent. Finally, he nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll give it to you. That is a great reason to seek out the Guards.” Dawnfire released the breath he’d been holding in. “However,” the guard continued, “it’s validity is something else entirely. What’s the name of your town?”

“Hopesmeade.”

“Hopesmeade?” The guard cocked his head quizzically. “Isn't that about an hour away?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I didn't exactly walk here calmly whilst taking in the scenery,” came the retort. 

A chuckle. “Well, it’s an interesting story, but highly unlikely. What evidence do you have to support your claim?” Dawnfire groaned in exasperation and looked at the armoured pony in front of him. 

“I’ve escaped from a hostile group of lunatics and you’re asking me that? What could I possibly have anyway? It’s not like I can ask one of them to come with me!” The guard shrugged. 

“Well, without evidence, we can’t act. Surely you can see the major flaw in your demand here.”

“Just send some guards over there and you’ll see that I’m telling the truth!”

“And take away protection from the city? Certainly not.”

“Take me with you then!”

“You could have several accomplices waiting for you to draw us out.”

“I’m a farmer! I have no desire to conspire against the throne, but the group that’s taken over my town does, and not only haven’t you noticed, but when somepony tries to tell you, you deny it and let it go on! Some guard you are!”

Dawnfire didn't see the pony move. The only reason he knew that anything had happened was because suddenly his vision was taken up by the helmet and fiery eyes of the stallion that had apparently moved towards him in less than a second. His voice was a low angry growl. 

“I'm getting fed up with your attitude. We're a highly trained group of soldiers dedicated to protecting the capital from attack, and charged with protecting the citizens who dwell within. I haven't got any time to spare for your melodramatic nonsense, nor do I have the patience to sustain a conversation with you. We're here to prevent threats from approaching the city, and as this path is the most direct route, that's where we are. We stopped you because you look suspicious, and I'd say that fits pretty well into our remit. So, before you tell me that I'm no good as a guard, remember that however you see it, I'm doing my job just fine. The city seems to think so, the citizens seem to think so, and the Princesses seem to think so, meaning that your opinion means absolutely nothing. Clear, kiddo?”

Taking the shocked silence as submission, the guard turned around and started walking back to where he’d came from. Dawnfire gaped at the sudden and unexpected outburst, and stared as the guard walked away from him. He didn't know what happened, but one thought pushed to the front of his mind: Hopesmeade. He shook himself out of his paralysis and shouted out to the retreating figure. 

“Wait! If you aren't willing to listen, then take me to someone who will! I want to see the highest authority here!” The guard stopped and looked back at Dawnfire. 

“Seriously?” he asked disbelievingly. “You expect us to just let you see whoever you demand to see? You want us to let you in and see an extremely important individual because you told us to?” Dawnfire strode forwards with determination. 

“I’m unarmed, and I want to be escorted all the way, including during my meeting with your superior,” he announced. “There’s no way I could harm them, but I need this meeting. Maybe they’ll listen to me, seeing as you won’t.” He was now right next to the armour clad stallion. Both of them looked at each other challengingly, and the silence stretched on. Finally, the unicorn relented. 

“If I do this, will you stop pestering us?” he asked. Dawnfire nodded enthusiastically. The guard sighed and gritted his teeth before looking to another armoured pony. “Get a transport troop. I want a typical prisoner formation, and he is not to be left alone at any time, especially not with”- a glance at Dawnfire -“the top brass. Go.” The other guard turned and galloped away, leaving Dawnfire alone with a rather annoyed companion.

The two stood there for several seconds, not looking at each other or acknowledging the other in any way at all. Choosing to break the silence, Dawnfire turned to the unicorn. 

“Thank you. You have no idea how grateful I am for this,” he offered. The guard snorted and glared back.

“No, I don’t. But I know this, and I’m going to warn you once; if you try anything, anything at all- running, sabotage, talking out of line- I will personally run you through with my own horn.” Dawnfire gulped and glanced nervously at the horn in question. 

“Can it cut into flesh?” he questioned anxiously. The guard held his gaze and muttered threateningly, “I’d find a way, even if I had to paralyse you first.” Dawnfire didn’t know how to respond to that, so the two lapsed back into an uneasy silence.

As he stood waiting in the night breeze, Dawnfire realised that this was the first time since he woke up that he had a chance to think. Not only that, but before he had been forced to continue for fear that any delay would result in the deaths of those closest to him; now that he was forced to wait, he couldn’t help but think about it. Part of him was tired, still unable to comprehend what had happened in the last few hours. Nopony, as far as he knew, had ever ventured into the plains at night, and nopony would have ever considered crossing them before now. And yet he had, somehow, survived a hostile takeover on his town, evaded capture, fought three dissident guards, stumbled through the dark and found the path to here. It was a miracle in itself, and Dawnfire normally would have spent time to congratulate himself on such a remarkable feat, but the realisation that he hadn’t actually achieved what he had came for left him worried and anxious to move on. Stray thoughts pushed their way to the front of his brain and images floated forward that he would have rather kept away. What if they’d found his mother hiding beneath the stairs? Would they punish her for hiding? What if they tried to do the same to her that they’d tried to do to Mira? And who would be there to stop them now that he was gone? These thoughts made him shudder violently.

“Hey, orange peel, pay attention!” came a sharp bark to his right. The order made Dawnfire snap out of his cogitation and he focused forward. He realised that he’d heard the clopping hooves of approaching ponies but it hadn’t registered in his brooding state. A line of guards were marching towards him, six in total, and were all clad in the traditional gold plating of the guards of Canterlot. Despite the imposing site of an escort, despite the fact the all the stallions present were not happy to see him, Dawnfire felt relieved to see the approaching formation. He felt that he was getting somewhere, even if it was far too slow for his liking. At least it was a trot in the right direction.

The guards came to a stop in front of Dawnfire and the other guard, and there was a rustling of armour as the troop saluted. The guard to Dawnfire’s right returned the gesture, and as he lowered his forehoof he asked “Are you aware of your orders and the severity of this situation?” The response was an immediate, “Yes sir!”. The guard nodded and gestured at Dawnfire. “I want you to escort this stallion here to his appointment and remain with him at all times. If he tries anything, you are authorised to use whatever force is necessary to neutralise the threat. Proceed.” With that, the troops rushed to surround Dawnfire on all sides and he found himself swept forward with a hasty shove. As they trotted forwards, Dawnfire noticed the ground changed from the stony texture that it had before to a wooden one, like planks, and the sound confirmed it. Looking up at the sky, he began to see the imposing outline of turrets and stone walls. He gasped. They were castle walls. He was walking across a drawbridge into a castle, and with guards this close to it, there was only one place he could be. The guard at the head of the column looked back and found Dawnfire. 

“No talking, okay? You’re to remain silent unless spoken to once we’re in Canterlot.”


*******************************************************


The trot through the streets of Canterlot was an eerie experience for Dawnfire. For the most part, he was switching rapidly between cursing himself for not noticing the massive city in the background when he’d been conversing with the guards and wanting to exclaim his joy to the world at having even reached the city. The streets were mostly empty at this time in the morning, but there were the few ponies still milling about- the street cleaners, some ponies apparently taking an early morning stroll, and the occasional drunk stumbling about. Dawnfire turned away awkwardly when they came across anypony else- well, anypony who was sobre. He didn’t need the looks of surprise and awe to realise that he probably looked like a criminal being escorted along like this. In fact, he probably looked incredibly dangerous with so many guards around him, and he was sure that his reputation would be tarnished if he were ever to set hoof in the city again, assuming that he’d be allowed in after this incident.

They twisted left and right through the maze of Canterlot’s streets, edging towards wherever they were headed. Dawnfire barely noticed which turns they were taking, merely following the directions of those shepherding him. Then again, he’d already proven tonight that he was hopeless at leading himself anywhere; he’d failed to notice that he was standing in front of Canterlot at all, mistaking the Guard post for a checkpoint on the road to the great city. Finished with another scolding phase, the other half of his brain quickly dove in to offer a defense. He’d found Canterlot on his own at any rate, and what’s more, he did it in the dark. No pony had ever done that before, and probably wouldn’t again, at least not for a long while. Surely that was something that he could be proud of?

The guards continued leading him down the paved streets lined with restaurants and shops, all closed at this hour but still advertising their various assortments of services for the (undoubtedly many) customers that would shuffle around all day. As they passed a spa, Dawnfire was painfully reminded of his proposal that Mira had happily accepted, which in turn brought a sharp pointer to the fact that she was still helpless until he actually received aid. The thought made him shuffle uneasily as he was directed to his destination, which Dawnfire suspected they were drawing close to. The path ahead rose in what looked like an arched bridge crossing a small river, and beyond that was a building of some sort. Whilst crossing the bridge he noted the minaret reaching upwards towards the sky, and two staircases leading up to a wooden door. They didn’t use the stairs. Instead, Dawnfire was lead to a wooden door directly parallel to the river that sat at the base of the structure.

Everything past the door reminded Dawnfire of the calibre of the city he was in; the floor was white marble, the hoofsteps of the escort echoing in the wide passage. They continued along until they reached a winding staircase, the brass banister supplementing the marble steps. He climbed the stairs, both following and being shunted onwards by the armoured guards around him, passing a landing, then another, before finally stepping off at the third. Here, Dawnfire noticed, the floor was chequered and was decorated with a deep red carpet, one that was very soft on the hooves (he nearly purred as they walked over it). The entire floor seemed to adhere to this pattern, as Dawnfire and his escort turned left and right, following the corridors wherever it lead them. He wasn’t actually sure how the guards knew where to go; the windows all had the same ten paned structure, alongside each was a pillar swathed with intricate designs and hanging baskets containing various colourful flowers, and the same red carpet flowed through the halls and corridors. Everything looked the same, but the guards somehow knew exactly where to go, eventually directing him to a large wooden door which they pushed open for him.

The chamber inside was massive, not so much in width but in length, reminiscent of the corridor that they had just stepped out of. The carpet continued along the floor of room up to a raised golden throne at the end, which at the moment remained empty. The six guards trotted over to the walls of the room and spread apart, turning and standing at attention. Dawnfire looked around the chamber some more, noticing the stained glass windows embellishing the surface. Most of them were simple maps; engravings of various lands and much of the known world. He moved over to busy himself with examining one which detailed Equestria. Canterlot was there, right in the centre atop the mighty mountain that had become the iconic symbol of the nation. Dawnfire realised (with a slight amount of embarrassment) that he didn’t know much about Equestria, neither it’s geography nor history. The stained glass was the first indication that he’d ever had of how large the country actually was, although a quick glance around to another window revealed other lands to the east and south, and a stretch of apparently uninhabited territory in the north.

A soft creak sounded throughout the room as the door opened gently, swiftly followed by a clatter of armour as the guards jumped to attention. Dawnfire looked round to see who had entered, and he froze. The guards, despite keeping their heads forward, fixated their eyes on Dawnfire- he could feel the glare. The newcomer walked into the room, a benign smile spreading across her face.

“Greetings,” she offered warmly. Her voice was soothing, and Dawnfire felt the tension seep out of him almost immediately, but her presence kept him in his awestruck state. “I hear you wish to speak to an official?” She stopped in front of Dawnfire, and he just kept staring. It was at around this point that he realised that his mouth was hanging open. Assuming that his jaw had probably hit the floor as soon as he had recognised the mare, he decided to follow suit. Dawnfire collapsed to his knees and bowed his head. He had never seen her before. He had never even seen a picture of her, or talked about her in more than passing conversation, and yet he had recognised her immediately. Her snow white coat, her flowing cerulean mane and her towering height made her unmistakable to all who saw her. And just now, she had spoken to him. Princess Celestia had actually spoken to him!


*******************************************************


Dawnfire shifted and fidgeted in the chariot, both from the anxiety of whatever would meet them when they arrived back in Hopesmeade and from the nerves (excitement?) of his first flight. He was an earth pony, and as a general rule, that meant he stayed on the ground. Pegasi were the flying race of ponies,  unicorns did magic, and earth ponies stayed on the ground. That’s how it always was, so it was understandably disconcerting to be moving without control through the air, and with no way to save himself if anything did go wrong. It probably would have been an extremely exhilarating experience if he hadn’t been worried about his family and the welfare of his town, but then again, it was due to that same reason that he jumped in without question when guided to the flying vehicle.

The chariot bumped as it hit an air pocket, and Dawnfire bounced slightly. The air whipped at his mane as it rushed past, and he shivered in his seat. At least he had it to himself, with the rest of the ponies flying alongside, ahead, or behind the chariot. None of them had said anything at all since leaving Canterlot, and Dawnfire didn’t try to start a conversation. He wasn’t sure whether that was because he was focused or weary, but he didn't question that either. There was no purpose in it. Instead, Dawnfire thought back to when he talked to the Princess. That was what gave him the most comfort.

“You may do away with the formalities,” she’d chuckled. “If you are here to see me at this time of day, then it must be important.” Dawnfire had mumbled an apology and stood up hurriedly, Celestia’s warm smile not faltering for a moment. She had waited patiently for him to get up, and then gently encouraged him to tell his story. He had jolted at the thought of his family and suddenly babbled about everything that had happened in the past few hours, to which she listened sympathetically. When he reached the part about his escape her eyes widened in shock, but she remained silent, waiting until he had concluded with her entry into the throne room. Only when he’d completely finished his story and gazed up at her imploringly, half pleading and half glazing over from shock, did she turn around to her guards decisively, who had moved towards the pair during Dawnfire’s account. They’d done it without making a sound, but at the time Dawnfire didn’t care at all. He just wanted somepony to do something.

“Ready a patrol and tell them to make haste to Hopesmeade,” she’d ordered firmly. The guards almost looked taken aback. 

“But, your highness,” one of them objected, his voice laced with confusion. “There’s no evidence to support his claim. He’s most likely lying.” 

The Princess shook her head and replied, “The sincerity in his words and eyes was not that of a liar. And as for evidence, a patrol to the town will either confirm or expose his story.” The guards still didn’t look reassured by this. 

“Your majesty,” the guard had piped up again. “I don’t wish to question your authority, but this seems too much like an elaborate ruse. Might I suggest-” the guard was cut off by another shake of the head from Celestia. 

“I appreciate your concern and input, but this is a matter which cannot be debated. I am capable of taking care of myself in this instance.” As the guards galloped away, Celestia had turned back to Dawnfire, who was staring at her again. 

“You......believe me? You’re just going to help me?” he had asked disbelievingly. She’d smiled genially at him, and he calmed once more. 

“This ordeal is clearly causing you a lot of stress, and I’d prefer to play cautious on the side of my subjects rather than let harm come to them.” Dawnfire had bowed his head and almost sobbed with relief.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” The Princess had merely smiled in return before asking for his name. “Dawnfire,” he'd answered. “My name is Dawnfire.”

They had traveled back down the hallways and out into the night again, Dawnfire repeatedly thanking the Princess, who dismissed the praise with an almost embarrassed smile. Walking out of the doors and into the fresh air outside, Dawnfire had decided to press a question that had worried him since he’d heard that the guards would send a patrol to Hopesmeade.

“Will I be able to go with them, your majesty?” She had looked down at him with empathy, as though guessing that he would have asked that sooner or later. 

“I’m afraid not. It’s too dangerous, and if it’s anything like what you described, then you would be put unnecessarily in jeopardy.” Dawnfire had expected this, but his heart still sank, and he had found himself disagreeing. 

“Your majesty, you don’t understand-” he had began before he was cut off by Celestia. 

“I understand that your utmost priority is to be with your family, but-”

“No, it’s not that!”

“Oh?” She was surprised. “Why then?”

“My mother is hidden and only I know where she is! If I don’t go, then she’ll be trapped for days!”

It had taken the best part of five minutes, but Dawnfire managed to convince the Princess that he should accompany the guards to the town. He’d thanked her again, promising to return the favour a hundred times over, and then promptly jumped into the chariot that had been hastily dragged out for him. She had watched them go, concern evident on her face as the fifty or so pegasi had risen in unison and flew away from Canterlot for the ten minute journey.

Dawnfire was dragged reluctantly back to the present by a shout travelling between the guards around him. He was unable to make out what they were saying, but from the urgency of their tone it was clear that it wasn’t good, whatever it was. Pulling himself to the front of the chariot, he could see a bright orange glow up ahead, standing out in the enveloping blackness of the plains. It seemed to expand outwards with every second that passed, and as they drew closer, it almost looked like it was flickering. Dawnfire’s eyes widened in realisation, any fatigue that he previously felt disappearing instantly. 

Desperately stretching forward to try and get within hearing range of the two pegasi pulling the chariot, he bellowed, “When did that start?!” One of the pegasi partly looked round and shouted back, “About a minute ago!”

Dawnfire collapsed back into the chariot, breathing rapidly. They must have seen or heard the approaching guards. No, that was insane, they couldn’t see anything out here, it was too dark. But sound? It was silent. Fifty pairs of wings in a dead silent area in the middle of the night would be unmistakable. Everypony would be outside, working in the fields, so maybe they’d be able to get away or.......

Dawnfire sat up again, peering over the edge. He had to get down there now! How far was the ground? He strained towards the two pegasi up ahead once more. Struggling to shout over the wind, as well of the sound of flames now, he shouted against the noise. 

“How far down is the ground?!”

“It’s about twenty meters! We’ll be there in about thirty seconds!”

“Can’t you go any faster?!”

“No, it’s too dangerous!”

“You’ve got ten until I jump!”

“What?! No, don’t be stupid! Just hold on!”

They drew closer to the town and at this distance Dawnfire could see the flames licking up from the individual windows of the burning houses. Illuminated by the fires raging around them, the dark armour clad ponies glowed bright orange as they scampered away from the incoming pegasi. Dawnfire felt anger brewing in his chest at the sight of them, hot enough to rival that of the inferno ahead. The cowards! They were running! And worst of all, after they made it away from the light that the fire provided, their armour would most likely hide them in the blackness that the plains offered. Spurred onwards by his anger and the sight ahead of him, Dawnfire clambered up onto the side of the chariot, ignoring the sudden warning shouts from the guards in the front. Below Dawnfire could see the ground rushing past at an alarming rate, hints of orange tinting the dark grass. He felt the chariot slow down slightly, and, deciding that the ground was close enough, took a deep breath. Pushing with his hind legs, Dawnfire jumped away from the chariot.

The drop made his stomach lurch, but there was only a second of fall before he impacted heavily on the ground, rolling over multiple times and smashing the air out of his lungs. He had heard a thud from the impact and felt the ground bash into him, throwing him about as he waited for it to stop. When he did grind to a halt, every part of him hurt. His legs were bruised from absorbing the impact, and his side ached and stung violently. His head buzzed and his ears rung. Movement increased the pain . His breaths came in laboured, rattling gasps and drags. He would have moaned in pain, but that was too much of a strain on his already overworked body, so instead he lay on the ground whilst the world spun around him and the grass caressed his battered body.

After finally managing to gulp enough air to allow some movement, Dawnfire shifted his forelegs from out under him, and pushed down on the ground. Pain shot up his legs, but he kept pushing until he was able to raise himself to a semi-standing position. He looked up, and the world blurred and swam before him, an incessant ringing in his head dulling the sounds of the world around him. He put one hoof forward, and groaned against the immediate strain he felt. The next step was no easier, but he managed to keep up this pattern, staggering towards the chaotic hues and heat ahead, pain lancing through his body at each step. He couldn’t have been more than ten metres from the nearest house, but it felt so much further.

Passing the burning carcass of the first house, Dawnfire stopped to check which way he needed to go, and felt the heat rise substantially. The ache increased in his legs and the smoke obscured his already blurry vision. He blinked, trying to clear his sight, and looked left and right. In both directions the fires ate away at anything that could burn, leaving the homes blackened and crumbling. The ache persisted, prompting him to move. He turned right and continued his slog through the main street, passing several townsponies on the way. Some were crying openly, holding onto each other as they sobbed and pined. Others just stared blankly at the carnage, watching their lives disintegrate before them. They paid no attention as Dawnfire dragged himself past.

There was nothing to identify the houses. They were all burning, some more readily and fully than others, but none were safe from the flame. The scenery was awash with orange, draining the colour from everything else. Somehow though, be it through instinct or just good luck, Dawnfire knew that this was his house. The door was wide open and flames were billowing out of the windows from both levels. The ringing in his head had started to fade, and now he could hear the roar of the flames around him. It was almost deafening. With sudden strength, Dawnfire limped quickly into the building.

The heat became intense, almost unbearable, and the roar grew even louder. Dense clouds of smoke choked the air, unable to spread out like it could outside, instead congealing at the tops of the rooms. Dawnfire coughed and tried to duck low, finding the air slightly more bearable nearer the ground. He struggled forwards, his coat bristling in the immense heat. The table partially blocked his way, now lying in a smouldering heap. He reached a hoof out to push the pile away, only to draw it back split second later with a sharp cry of pain- it was still hot. Looking around desperately, Dawnfire spotted a broom leaning up against the wall to his left, miraculously intact. He shimmied over to it steadily, grasped it in his teeth, and pushed himself back over to the pile of wood. The brush began to smoke when it came into contact with the wood, but Dawnfire pulled back and pressed forward with it again, nudging the wood over, albeit slowly. After several strokes, the doorway was clear enough for him to progress through.

Sighting the stairs, Dawnfire leapt forwards and reached upwards to open the bolt, ignoring the searing pain the metal inflicted on his tongue when he clamped his teeth round it. A sharp pull to the left and then back was all it took to open the door, and he wasted no time scrambling in, trying to alleviate the rising panic in his chest. In the corner the green mare stared back at him with wide eyes, not moving at all, as though resigned to her fate. It was like he hadn’t left at all. He threw himself at her and strained upwards, letting out a drawn out groan as he pulled the mare up onto her hooves. Flicking one of her forelegs over his back, he dragged her out of the confined space and into the hallway as the stairs started to creak and splinter. The air was black and obscured all vision, forcing Dawnfire to duck down to see where he was going. It slowed him down, but it was safer, and stopped him from running into the walls. They entered the kitchen, and Dawnfire saw the open door at the other end. Drawing on his last reserves of strength, he started to gallop, ignoring the protest of his screaming body until he burst out of the thickness of the smoke and into fresh, clean air, dragging the green mare with him.

He took ten steps away from the house before he collapsed, his body refusing to sustain his weight anymore, his mother falling atop of him. The two wretched and coughed, struggling to take in the oxygen around them. Dawnfire felt a hoof on his shoulder and continued coughing as he tried to look up. The tears made it difficult, but he wiped them away, along with the stinging that the smoke had brought, and saw a familiar red stallion looking down at him with a mixture of pride, disbelief, and concern.

“Son?” he asked apprehensively. Dawnfire smiled up at him. It was a smile full of fatigue, pain and pride; a true, heartfelt smile.

“Dad,” he replied, croaking the words out of his parched throat. “I did what you asked.” The red stallion smiled back and wrapped his forelegs around both Dawnfire and the green mare, hugging them close and holding them there.

A creaking and groaning caused the trio to look up wearily. Their house, still burning brightly, shifted and cracked, odd bits of wood falling down to the street. The groaning grew more intense and the roof swayed, wobbled, and finally fell in on itself, followed quickly by the walls and what was left of the house. The inferno greedily gobbled the debris, shooting a plume of flame into the air. The three ponies watched as their home and their everything they owned fell apart. They sat there in silence, not having anything to say, and not really knowing how to feel. It was too surreal for them to understand, as though it was happening to somepony else.

A tap on the shoulder brought Dawnfire out of his trance and he looked round, expecting to see his father. It wasn't. It was a guard, his golden armour glistening in the flames from their recently destroyed residence. He wore a solemn expression underneath his helmet. 

“I need you to move away from the the town,” the guard insisted. “It’s too dangerous here, and we’re conducting an evacuation nearby. Follow me please.” He turned to walk away. Dawnfire attempted to get up, and realised that he couldn't move. His limbs wouldn't respond.

“Can’t.....move...” he managed to whisper in a cracked voice. After several seconds, the guard turned back round and noticed their inactivity. He stepped forward and placed a foreleg under Dawnfire, waiting until Dawnfire’s father helped the mare to her feet before lifting the young orange stallion onto his back and trotting swiftly away.

The guard led them past the slowly dwindling fires out onto the plain, where the townsponies were being shepherded into the area by the guards. Chariots were arriving, pulled by pegasi and being loaded with the scared and confused ponies before lifting off and making way for chariots to arrive. The guard stopped and turned to face the two older ponies following him, waiting to address them for a few seconds so they could slump down in exhaustion.

“If you could please wait patiently here, we will call you up. You will be taken to Canterlot where we will.....” The guard trailed off at the sight of another armour clad pony striding towards him. The newcomer came up to the guard, leaned in close and whispered something whilst gesturing frequently at Dawnfire. The duo exchanged questions and answers for several seconds, interspersed with quick glances at the near unconscious stallion laying on the back of the first guard. Both of Dawnfire’s parents watched this exchange with concern, sharing their own meaningful glances. Apparently satisfied with their dealings, the guard carrying Dawnfire gave a sympathetic nod towards the two ponies slumped on the ground and trotted away, the second guard stepping forward to intercept the two which had just stood up to follow.

Dawnfire felt the rhythmic trotting of the pony carrying him suddenly stop, followed by a curious sensation of weightlessness. He rose, moved slightly, then came to rest gently on a wooden seat. He didn’t know or care what had just happened, only recognising the wooden texture below him. He heard a voice nearby chattering, and made out part of the conversation.

“....this is the one the Princess wanted. Deliver him to her, and then get back here. No delays.” Dawnfire felt the seat moving forwards and then lifting up before the motion finally pushed him into the bliss of sleep.
> Nocturne
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dawnfire opened his eyes groggily and groaned. He felt like he’d just slept for centuries, if such a thing was possible, and tried to stretch his legs out. For some reason, they ached slightly. He grimaced, thinking how hard he must have worked to get them into such a state. In fact, he must have worked hard, because he couldn’t remember anything except being exhausted and being rocked to sleep by the gentle motions of a carriage or something. Wait, a carriage? Why would they have a carriage in Hopesmeade? Hopesmeade.........

The orange stallion sat up very quickly, the memories of the night before coming back to him like a torrent; the attack, his trek to Canterlot, the meeting with the Princess, the fire. He rolled out of the bed (barely acknowledging that it wasn’t his own) and scrambled to his hooves. Looking around desperately, he took in his surroundings. He was in a tall, narrow room supported by flagstone pillars, with beds lining the walls. Beyond the window, Dawnfire could see it was still night, with a full moon clearly visible. Hoofsteps approached from his right, causing him to spin round on the stone floor.

A pale yellow mare rounded one of the pillars, a concerned look on her face. When she saw Dawnfire, her expression changed to one of relief, and she slowed her pace. 

“You’re finally awake then,” she observed, looking him up and down. “By the looks of it, you’ve also recovered from the sprains, bruising and concussion. That was quite a battering you took.” Dawnfire held his gaze cautiously, sizing her up. She frowned at his silence. “Are you feeling okay? Can you talk? I wasn’t able to test for mutism when you arrived, but I suppose now is as good a time as any.” 

These words prompted Dawnfire to speech. “W-where is my family?”

The mare blinked. “Well, you’re not mute at least. As for your question, I have no idea. I’m afraid you’ll have to ask somepony else, but for now, could you please return to your bed. I need to run some more tests on you.” She raised her hoof to usher him back to the bed he came from, but he stepped back. 

“No,” he replied firmly. “I need to know where my family is. Where are they?” The mare gave him a look of disapproval. 

“I really have no idea. I understand that you feel concerned, given the circumstances under which you came here, but the best way to proceed is to co-operate.” Dawnfire didn’t move, instead staring at her with suspicious eyes. 

“No, you don’t understand. I don’t know you, I don’t know where I am, and I don’t know why I’m here, so I won’t do what you ask of me, and you will answer my question!” His voice rose with each word, the sudden shout at the end causing the mare to jump slightly. She looked slightly shaken by his change in demeanour and opened her mouth to reply when the sound of a door opening caught both of their attentions.

Dawnfire looked left and saw the same tall white mare pacing through the doors that he had spoken to before. “I’m glad to see you awake and well after your ordeal, Dawnfire.” The Princess smiled as she spotted the orange stallion. “You arrived here in quite a bad way, and I instructed that you be put in the infirmary until you recovered. How are you feeling now?” Dawnfire considered the question for a second and struggled to formulate an answer. Finally, he managed to put his two responses into a coherent order. 

“I’m fine, no problems,” he answered hurriedly. “How are my family? Are they safe? Have you caught whoever is responsible for this? What-”

The white mare raised a hoof gently to cut off his rapidly accelerating stream of questions. “Your family is safe and is currently being cared for. Rest assured, they are in no danger.” A stern look overcame her features. “I’m afraid, however, that we haven’t yet caught the perpetrators of this crime, but we are diverting all available resources towards that task.” She nodded towards the yellow mare, a warm smile returning to her face. “Thank you for your patience and work, nurse. You may leave and return to whatever duties you may have previously had.” The mare bowed and trotted steadily out of the room, pausing slightly to turn her head in Dawnfire’s general direction.

The duo continued to watch the doorway until the sound of hoofsteps faded away, leaving them briefly in silence. Dawnfire shuffled slightly.

“How long have I been unconscious, your majesty?” he asked anxiously. Celestia tilted her head to look out the window, the darkness beyond offering no orientation.

“You were brought in here at least six hours ago, but when you arrived in Canterlot you were already unconscious. Assuming that you fell asleep at the start of your journey here, that would have been around six and a half hours, at least.” She looked at him with genuine concern. “You are okay, aren't you? Your ordeal was very severe, and I’d gladly offer you any aid required.”

The orange stallion shook his head slightly. “I’m completely fine, your highness. If I could ask, though, would it be possible to see my family?”

“Of course, I understand your anxiety regarding your family,” the white mare replied, trotting to the door. “I’ll take you to see them right away.” Dawnfire almost galloped after her, instead forcing himself into a canter as he followed her out of the door and into a hallway not dissimilar from the one he’d seen when he first came to Canterlot. He followed Celestia closely as she turned left and headed towards a door at the far end of the hallway.

“I’m due to raise the sun any moment,” Celestia informed the orange stallion beside her. “I should take care of that before we set out to find your family.” The earth pony blinked.
“You do what?” he asked. “As in, you physically raise the sun? Every morning?” Dawnfire blinked again at this prospect. He knew the Princess was powerful, but this was almost divine.

The Princess smiled at him. “Yes, and set it every night. I feel as though it would be better if you get to meet your family in the light of day.” She reached the door and pushed it open with her magic before stepping through the doorway and out into the cool night air. Dawnfire followed swiftly behind her.

The moon sat comfortably high in the sky, bestowing its pale light to the world below, illuminating the stonework of the vast city and giving the area an almost ghostly glow. The paved streets were still devoid of life, with many of the citizens still in bed, those that were active being only the servants readying their master’s shops and businesses. No pony paid any attention to the alicorn and earth pony trotting side by side away from the castle and towards the main city.

The Princess stopped as they crossed a bridge, turning to look at the stream flowing peacefully beneath them. The moonlight sparkled in the water, shifting and dancing gracefully. Looking up thoughtfully at the white orb above, she addressed Dawnfire.

“Normally Luna would have started to lower the moon by now, but she’s started running late recently.” She looked down again, offering a playful smirk. “Siblings can be difficult, even in matters such as sustaining the cycle of day and night.” With that, she closed her eyes, a bright yellow glow encompassing her horn.

Dawnfire was busy processing what she’d just said to him. Luna, that name. It was so familiar, but why? Sure, it was Princess Celestia’s younger sister, but why did that make any difference? It sounded more much more relevant than that. He cast his mind back to hours before, where he’d stood in the kitchen of his now demolished home. He remembered the words exchanged between the mayor and an armoured figure; So this isn’t a message from Princess Celestia? It’s a.....declaration from the other Princess. Her name is Luna, and she is the true Princess. The one, the only. I bring joyous news of the Princess Luna’s ascension and the rise of the night....New Lunar Republic.....There will be no tomorrow. From now on, it will be nighttime eternal......

The realisation hit Dawnfire suddenly, and his eyes widened. This was bad. It couldn’t just be coincidence, not after what the Princess had told him. It explained so much, but after the revelation, Dawnfire didn’t know if he wanted to know. This. Was. Bad.

The eastern horizon started to glow faintly as a faint tinge of orange spread through the sky. The stars began to grow dim, the blackness above slowly fading into a pale, then red, then orange, hue. The bright flawless sphere of the moon became dulled around the edges as the first rays of sun peeked around the corner of the world, casting majestic pools of celestial light on the towers of the castle and the buildings of the surrounding city. The sun climbed its way steadily higher, rising to crest the roofs of the shops, illuminating the golden armour of the guards standing atop the walls not far from the bridge that the Princess stood on.

Celestia gasped as the aura surrounding her horn brightened and suddenly vanished with a stuttered poof. The darkness rushed back in, the stars returning in full gleam and the moon regaining its powerful bright glow, forcing the light of the sun back down past the horizon. The city was once again blanketed in the dark of night.

Dawnfire blinked, hardly believing what had happened. One moment there was dawn, and the next it was dark again. He looked around, his eyes finding it hard to adjust to the sudden return of the black that had just started to take its leave. The guards on the walls were exchanging murmurs of concern and surprise, uncertain as to whether or not they should take action. Dawnfire looked to the Princess and saw her surprised look even in the murkiness of the dark.

“Are you okay, your majesty?” he asked. She glanced over at him and offered a small smile.

“Yes, I am fine, Dawnfire.” Her smile slipped into a mild look of unease. “I am not sure what happened there, though.” Shifting herself into a more balanced stance, she lowered her head once more and focused. Her horn began to glow again. Dawnfire waited to see what would happen, looking expectantly up to see if the same would happen again. As his eyes adjusted to the coarse black around him, he could see the silhouettes of the guards glancing back at the Princess every so often, only letting their gazes linger momentarily before shifting back hurriedly to observe the void beyond the city walls.

Turning his gaze back to Celestia, Dawnfire breathed in sharply at the look of effort etched into her face. She was struggling to raise the sun, almost as if she were trying to lift a large lump of rock manually. A very slight tinge began to materialise over the horizon, and the strain on Celestia’s face increased. She began to shake, the effort of bringing the sun up apparently too much all of a sudden. The small band of orange dissipated, and with a small cry Celestia collapsed to her knees, her magic fading from her horn.

“Your highness!” Dawnfire rushed forward, his concern overriding his caution about interacting with royalty. “Are you okay? What happened?” The Princess looked across to him from her position, a shocked look on her face.

“I....don’t know. Once again, I am perfectly fine, but I truly have no idea what happened. It was almost as if...” She trailed off, deep concern setting into her features and stretching her mouth into a grimace. “It was as if something were.....fighting against me.” Rising to her hooves again, she continued to address Dawnfire, her eyes drawn to the sky above. “But if something was resisting my attempts to raise the sun, then it must have a vast amount of power. Only Luna and myself have control over day and night. This bodes badly for Equestria. I don’t wish for another Discord incident, especially not after our recent tragedy in the north.” Celestia fell silent, her gaze held to the stars.

Dawnfire cleared his throat slightly, both to steel himself for what he was going to say and out of awkwardness of the situation. As benevolent as she may be, this was not going to be easy. “Your majesty, if I may?” The white mare broke her stare from the world above and paid her full attention to the stallion beside her. Her face still carried signs of unease.

“You are more than welcome to speak your mind Dawnfire. You have no need to ask.”

“Well, I....I think I may have....an answer to your.....your....problem.”

“Oh?” The Princess raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Then please do share your thoughts.”

Dawnfire remained silent for a few seconds, fighting back a grimace. He only partially succeeded. “I think that the culprit may be....uh, well.....the culprit may be....Luna.” The last word took great effort, and Dawnfire looked down immediately after saying it. In the silence that followed, he could feel chills running down his back. This was undoubtedly the most awkward moment of his life.

“Luna? My...sister?” Celestia’s voice was filled with disbelief, each word uttered in a soft but disconnected way. Dawnfire thought he should fill in the gap, if only to try and make the moment less awkward.

“Well, you said that only the two of you control night and day, and you struggled with raising the moon just now. You also said that she’d been running late recently, and during the attack on Hopesmeade, the attackers mentioned her name, and something about the rise of the night. It seems that Luna-” he caught himself, wincing as he realised that he’d just addressed royalty in such an informal manner. “-Princess Luna,” he corrected, “was, uh, has been, involved, somehow, or......something.....” His voice trailed off. That didn’t make the situation any less awkward at all. In fact, his face was now burning a bright red, and he couldn’t bring himself to raise his head. He’d glanced up once or twice during his explanation, but could only manage fleeting glimpses of the Princess’ face before shoving his head back down.

“There is merit in what you say, Dawnfire.” Celestia’s voice was not scornful as Dawnfire had expected, but anxious and concerned. “However, I would need proof of this before I make any accusations.” She sighed and started to walk into the city. “I am afraid that your meeting with your parents won’t take place in the light of the day.”

The statement caused Dawnfire to look up. For a couple of seconds, his mental gears whirred softly before clicking into place. Finding his motivation returning to him, he trotted after the Princess with a spring in his step. She looked to him as the orange stallion caught up with her.

“Would it be possible for you to recount your experience in Hopesmeade, if you did indeed hear my sister’s name mentioned?” Celestia posed the question as Dawnfire sprang up beside her, causing the stallion to slow down briefly to ponder how this would help. Catching on to her meaning, he resumed his pace.

“Oh, of course, your highness. Uh, how much do you want me to tell you?”

Celestia’s face became a mask of determination. “Everything. Anything that you can remember and feel comfortable sharing. The more you can tell me, the better suited we are to deal with this situation.”

Dawnfire sighed. “Well, this could take a while then.”


*******************************************************


The two of them walked through the city of Canterlot, the Princess listening as the earth pony described the details of the night to her. He told her about the interruption in the middle of the night, the conversation he overheard between the mayor and one of the guards, his eavesdropping on the three guards (and their subsequent fate) in Mira’s house, his escape and eventually his trek across the plains to reach Canterlot. The alicorn listened silently throughout the entirety of his monologue, offering only an almost imperceptible grimace at the description of the violence visited upon the ponies of Hopesmeade. When Dawnfire had finished, she finally spoke, her voice inquisitive but gentle.

“Thank you, Dawnfire. Your input has been most helpful, and very much appreciated. Is there anything else you wish to share? Perhaps something relating to your return to Hopesmeade, or something that you felt wasn’t important before?” The earth pony shook his head.

“I’ve told you everything I know, your majesty. After that you agreed to meet with me.” The Princess nodded in understanding. 

“With this information, I can question Luna about her role in this hideous crime. Hopefully, this is all a misunderstanding.” A sad look briefly crept onto her features, before a sincerity swiftly replaced it. “But whatever happens, I shall ensure that justice is administered, rest assured.”

Their pace had slowed as they neared their destination; the edge of a park on the outskirts of the city, currently bustling with townsponies. Dawnfire realised with a start that these were the refugees of Hopesmeade, a category that he now fit into himself. He swirled this thought around his mind. He was now a refugee. An outcast. A wanderer with no home. What was he now that he didn’t belong anywhere? What would he do with his life, now that he had no direction to follow and no role? He groaned in his mind, realising that he had relied so much on others telling him what to do, and with an even bigger internal groan that this was exactly what Mira meant; If you can’t plan things within your own life, how could you plan an expedition, or a team? You need to grow up, Dawn. She had been right, yet again, and he realised with a twinge of guilt that he actually missed the simplicity of his life that he had so often ached to get away from.

A tender voice slid through his reverie and roused him from his thoughts, the white face of the Princess looking at him curiously. He took a deep breath in, then exhaled slowly.

“Sorry your majesty, I was just thinking about my situation. Being a refugee now. It seems too weird to be true,” he explained. The mare nodded sympathetically.

“It must be difficult for you, and I offer my deepest condolences to you and your town. If there is anything I can do to ease your suffering and help you reformulate your lives, then you need only ask.” She brought her head around to face the small community taking up the grassy section of the outer city. “If you feel able, I’m sure your family would be more than pleased to see you.”

Dawnfire trotted forward eagerly. “Thank you once again your highness.” The mare smiled behind him.

“Not at all. If you feel comfortable to find your way to your family, then I should leave you to your reunion. I need to speak to my sister.” Dawnfire looked over his shoulder and gave a grateful smile to her, watching momentarily as she turned and walked back through the city and towards the castle.

The stallion navigated his way through the throng, observing the state of the ponies around him. Some seemed relieved, chatting quite merrily with their companions about their gratitude and the generosity of Canterlot, while others still seemed to be in shock, staring blankly ahead. Some were too tired to do either, laying on the ground in an attempt to sleep off the exhaustion and horror that had been so suddenly inflicted upon them. None of them took notice of the orange pony slipping through the midst of them, his eager eyes darting about for any sign of red or green. Whilst glancing to the left, he bumped in somepony, the two of them offering a simultaneous apology.

“Sorry.”

“My fault.”

Both ponies stopped, recognising the voice of the other. His heart pounding, Dawnfire turned his head, scarcely believing that it could be the very pony he was searching for. The other pony had spun round, looking Dawnfire up and down. They stared at each other for a few seconds, as if trying to determine whether or not they were real, their gazes flicking across the other’s mane, body and eyes. The two slowly broke out into genuine, heartfelt smiles, trotting forward and embracing each other.

“Welcome back son.” The red stallion spoke softly, as if this encounter were fragile and that speaking over a certain volume would shatter it. Dawnfire didn’t reply, instead holding his father closer to him and enjoying the knowledge that this time he wouldn’t be dragged away, that this time he would choose when he left the embrace. Minutes passed in silence, the contact conveying all that needed to be said between the two. Well, most things that needed to be said.

“Where’s mum?” Dawnfire asked, raising his head enough to look into his dad’s eyes. The red stallion ruffled his son’s mane with his forehoof and beamed.

“She’s just over there,” he answered, pointing to the green mare in question. She was laying down not ten metres away from where they were standing. Dawnfire cantered over to her, the mare drowsily raising her head as she heard the approach of hoofsteps. Spotting the orange stallion approaching her, she scrambled to her hooves and threw herself forward, grasping hold of him and hugging him tightly to her. Dawnfire brought his forelegs up, reciprocating the gesture.

“Are you okay?” she asked immediately, instinctively taking on her motherly role. “Oh, you poor thing. It’s okay, I’m here for you now, nopony’s going to hurt you.” Dawnfire chuckled heartily at his mother’s antics. She’d been trapped in a blazing building and she still found more time to worry about him than herself.

“I’m fine mum,” he responded with a cheerful smile. “I’m just glad that you’re okay.” They remained like this for a while, ignoring the bustle of the ponies around them. In contrast to the gentle and delicate hug between the two stallions, this was much more desperate. Dawnfire grinned as he came to appreciate just how strong his mother could be. And he’d thought himself to be strong.

“Uh, mum? You can let go now.” Wiggling slightly to try and move out of the embrace, Dawnfire winced as the mare merely hugged him tighter, looking behind him to search for his father.

“Dad, help.”

The red stallion shook his head, snickering silently, and made his way over, rubbing a hoof gently down the green mare’s back. “Let him go, he needs some space,” he uttered softly. She continued to cling to her son for a moment before the gentle caressing of her husband’s hoof on her back gave her the motivation she needed to let go. Slowly, she released her vice-like grip, sliding her forehooves down to the ground, though she made sure to keep physical contact, savouring the moments when she knew he was still there. Dawnfire subtly massaged his ribs.

“I’m glad you’re both fine,” Dawnfire sighed, allowing a smile onto his face again before shifting his gaze up. “You are both fine aren’t you?” The other two beamed.

“We’ve never been better,” his father replied, beaming. “Thanks to you, we’ve got our lives and each other.” He rested a hoof on Dawnfire’s shoulder. “You’ve really made us proud, your mother and I both.” Dawnfire frowned a bit.

“But what about our house?” he asked. “We haven’t got work or anything now.”

The red stallion smiled and shook his head. “We can rebuild, but the important thing is that we’re alive.” He reached forward and brought Dawnfire in for a hug once more, repeating the action for the green mare to his right. “Even more importantly,” he continued, “we have each other, and you to thank for it.” The family sank into the embrace.

For Dawnfire, this was the first time he could actually relax and let go of all the stress of the night. Being here with his family, regardless of the circumstances, knowing that they were safe, was probably the most comforting setting he could want. Being forced to wait on a rocky road outside of Canterlot wasn’t respite because he still had the pressure of responsibility. Being unconscious due to the strain of his efforts was not rest, not when he didn’t know whether he’d helped anypony. Being with his family, surrounded by his neighbours and friends, was essentially the first chance he had to genuinely relax, free of his responsibilities. He loved it.

A jostle from his father shook him back to reality. He looked up to see his father grinning down at him.

“As much as I’m sure you’d be happy to stay here, I think I’ve found somepony else who’d love to welcome you back.” The red stallion looked just behind Dawnfire, who turned to look, his heart skipping a beat when he saw what his father was looking at. Dawnfire felt his mouth stretch into a wide smile.

Mira was standing patiently waiting for him, a warm smile plastered on her face. Dawnfire looked back to his father, who nodded in affirmation. Twisting away from the hug, the orange earth pony walked towards the mare waiting several metres back.

“Hi,” he said when he got close, grinning uncontrollably. Mira chuckled.

“That’s the only thing you can think to say in these circumstances?” She mock pouted, but the effect was ruined by the unmistakable signs of a grin breaking her otherwise convincing charade. “I should be offended.”

“Well, I hope that I can make it up to you, my fair lady,” Dawnfire replied, slipping into his own charade. He lifted a foreleg invitingly. She accepted, leaning into him and wrapping her own forelegs around him. “Seeing as everypony else wants a hug, I thought I wouldn’t exclude you.”

Mira laughed. A moment passed in silence. “I’m glad you’re here, Dawn,” she admitted. “I missed you whilst you were gone.”

“I missed you too, Mira,” Dawnfire replied, smiling into her shoulder. “And I’m glad to be here as well. But I’m even more happy about the fact that you’re fine.” He had lost count of how many comfortable silences he had lapsed into in the last ten minutes, but figured that the warm softness of physical contact made the number irrelevant anyway. He broke the silence with a chuckle. “Well, I did promise to take you to Canterlot.”

“Well, you did, yes, and I’m impressed that you booked a chariot to take me.” Dawnfire felt her grin widen. “But the scenery is a bit bland, so I’m knocking some points off for that.”

“Do I gain some points for bringing everypony with us, or is that a negative too?” Dawnfire chuckled, expecting a similar reaction from Mira. When she didn’t, his smile slipped from his face. “Mira? What’s wrong?”

Dropping back from the embrace, Mira looked him in the eye, holding her gaze for a moment before shutting her eyes and sighing. Dawnfire frowned, now seriously worried. “Mira,” he repeated in a slightly sterner tone. “What’s wrong? Tell me, please.”

She didn’t look at him, instead delivering her answer to the floor. “Not everypony made it here.” Dawnfire’s eyes widened and his heart slowed sickeningly.

“Are they..” His breath caught, preventing him from asking any more. Mira shook her head.

“They aren’t dead, or at least not from what we know,” she replied. Dawnfire breathed out in relief, the concrete lump of dread in his stomach dissipating gradually. They weren’t dead. The ponies he had come to know and live with were not dead, despite the circumstances. Now that was something he never thought he’d need to be glad for.

“Do you know where they are?”

“We don’t know exactly, but the local guards are going to search in the morning.” She looked east as though her expectancy alone could summon forth the light. “Whatever happened earlier confused the guards. It confused everypony I think.”

The gnawing, churning feeling returned to the orange stallion’s gut. If the guards would only start their search when the sun rose, then it could take...well, ‘days’ was hardly an appropriate measurement of time any more. The search would have to wait for as long as it took the Princess to figure out the issue of the sun’s strange behaviour and fix it, and nopony could begin to guess how long that could take. Dawnfire wasn’t educated in Equestrian history, but he was fairly certain that there hadn’t been an incident like this before.

“How many ponies are missing?” he asked, straining to keep the stress and concern out of his voice. Mira steadily turned her head to face Dawnfire, her face making her thought process evident.

“I think ten,” she answered after a while. Dawnfire’s heart dropped.

“Ten?” he repeated, hoping he’d misheard, but Mira nodded. Heaving a massive sigh, he tentatively asked “Who’s missing?”

“The mayor. My father.”

The answer hit Dawnfire as solidly as a punch, stunning him momentarily. He stood with his mouth agape before blinking several times and struggling to form a sentence. “Wh-who-wh-wha-what?” he stuttered. “Your father? They have...your father?” Mira nodded, and Dawnfire lapsed into shocked silence, the twisting in his gut resettling into a concrete lump once more. “The mayor too? How did they capture them?”

Mira sighed and shook her head. “They were some of the stallions in the fields that didn’t come back. The attackers scattered when the Canterlot guards showed up and most of the townsponies escaped, but the mayor didn’t, and neither did my father or some of the others.” She gave sniff and looked away, contemplating something or other. Dawnfire clenched his eyes shut to try and dispel some of the rage that was building up inside him. How dare they take ponies prisoner? How dare they take his friends and peers? They were not property!

“Dawn?”

Mira’s soft voice cut through the red mist and eased Dawnfire’s mind. He opened his eyes to see the mare looking at him with concern etched into her face. “You looked....” She paused, searching for the right words. “Just then, you looked incredibly....angry.”

Realising that his face was still twisted in rage, Dawnfire quickly allowed his muscles in his face to relax back into a more natural shape. “I’m fine, just...thinking,” he sighed, looking down. Mira’s look of concern didn’t fade.

“It’s tragic, I know, but the guards say that they know-”

“Is there a way out of the city?” The question from Dawnfire came suddenly, surprising Mira, and for a moment she couldn’t think of anything to say.

“What?”

“Is there another way out of the city other than the gate? I need to get out without alerting the guards.” Dawnfire’s response was brief and precise, lacking hesitancy or concern.

“No, of course not! Don’t be so stupid!”

“I’m not. The stupid thing would be to wait for day to come before searching for them.”

“You have no idea where they are, and no plan! You can’t just run out after them!”

“What’s your suggestion then? Leave them?”

“Leave them to the guards, who actually know what they’re doing!”

“Mira,” Dawnfire growled. His voice had a slightly sharper edge to it now, she acknowledged. “I don’t think that the Princess is in control, and I’m not sure that she can even raise the sun.” Mira’s eyes enlarged minutely and her mouth opened in surprise. Dawnfire’s voice became agitated. “Something is horribly wrong, something that Princess Celestia herself has no experience with. The attack on Hopesmeade wasn’t a one-off thing; it was a part of whatever’s going on with the sun. You saw for yourself what happened when she tried to raise the sun.” He paused and allowed his body to dissipate some of its tension, his muscles relaxing. In a more urgent but softer tone, he continued. “I need to do something, because this won’t get better if nopony does anything, and I’m not even sure that they're separate incidents.”

“You’re saying that you need to do this because the situation with the sun and the attack on Hopesmeade are mutual?” Mira’s voice was laced with anxiety. The stallion kicked his hoof.

“I think so. It just seems too coincidental to be anything else.”

The mare swayed in place and her eyes glazed over. She looked at Dawnfire, but he could tell that she couldn’t really see him.

“Mira?” He prodded her gently and received no response. She continued to stare ahead with her vacant, worried expression, ignoring- or not feeling- his touch. With a grimace, Dawnfire shuffled his on his hooves. The silence that followed wasn’t comfortable but instead troubled. The two ponies stood together, neither saying anything to the other. With a sigh, Dawnfire took a step forward. “Look, you should get some rest,” he advised, draping a hoof over her shoulders. “This is stressful for all of us, and-”

“The walls.” Mira kept staring ahead, muttering the two words with as little motion as she could muster as he leaned in. Dawnfire blinked repeatedly.

“What?”

“The walls. You can try and climb the walls. Other than that I can’t think of a way out of the city.”

The two ponies stood still again, the stallion processing the information and the mare lapsing back into her detached stature. Of the several disjointed thoughts running through his head, Dawnfire noted the one persistently pushing forward to the front.

“You’re letting me go?” he queried. “You’re actually helping me to do this?” Mira looked round, her movements lethargic but  her eyes now focused, albeit barely.

“It makes sense to,” she replied in a muted tone. “Or, it at least makes more sense than whatever’s going on now.” Her eyes began to close as she sighed. Dawnfire nodded and gently lead her towards his parents. They looked up as he approached, smiles on their faces. Allowing Mira to slip tenderly onto the ground, he looked up and stepped back. “She’s fine, just make sure to look after her, please,” he responded to his father’s unanswered question. The red stallion nodded in confirmation and lowered his raised eyebrow.

“Where are you going then?” his mother asked, her suspicion hidden behind the intrigue in her voice. The orange pony, however, knew it was there, and made sure look her in the eye and give a smile when he answered.

“Just going to get some food. Also, the Princess wants me to come and see her now that I know you’ve settled in.” Lying made him cringe inside, but it was for everypony’s good, right? If nopony got hurt, then it was fine. Seeing the gasps taking hold of the green mare’s face, he turned to leave, hoping to trot away before she questioned him further.

“Dawn,” a soft voice called from where he’d just turned. Looking back he saw Mira getting onto her hooves and trotting towards him, pulling him into a hug. She pushed her head close to his as he pulled his forelegs around her form. “Be careful,” she whispered in a low voice.

“I will,” he replied just as quietly. “Take care of my family whilst I’m gone. I’m sure my mum will keep you busy anyway.” He smiled as she gave a tiny laugh, releasing her and giving one last comforting nuzzle before trotting towards the buildings of the city.

He covered the ground quickly, making his way down the first alleyway he saw and following it until he emerged in a desolate square. The buildings around him appeared to be shops, with one sporting a hanging sign painted with a loaf of bread, and another displaying an anvil. In the centre of the square stood a stone statue of an alicorn pony, rearing as the moonlight cast down and illuminated it in its brilliant white glow. For some reason the statue drew more attention to itself than the massive wooden buildings surrounding it, despite their size. Noticing the stone bench not far from the statue glowing in the same way, Dawnfire understood why; the statue was different and special, and the stone gave it a regal glow that the wooden walls of the shops could never achieve. An alicorn statue, the symbol of the united power held by the three pony races, beautifully carved from unblemished stone that stood apart from the hulking forms of the wooden structures around it. Massively fitting, and undoubtedly beautiful, but at the moment, Dawnfire shivered. The little square, for all its beauty, was deserted.

One steet lead away from the square, through an archway and towards the castle. Knowing that the gate would be more than a little heavily guarded, he opted to walk straight across the square and exited the other side from which he’d entered, leading (he hoped) towards the side of the city. His route started to take him uphill, twisting past more wooden homes and shops before levelling out not long after. The buildings stopped abruptly, leaving a street-length gap between them and the wall. Glancing around quickly to check for guards, he dashed for the wall, hoping that nopony would see him in the several metres he would be exposed for.

Reaching the city wall, he pressed himself as tightly as he could against it. Nopony was awake at this time apart from the guards, so it was highly unlikely that he’d be seen, but his heart still pulsed faster than it should have. Creeping along as slowly as he could, he came across a bulky section of the wall. Looking up, he saw it was a tower, which hopefully meant a way up. Moving round the circular structure, he came across a wooden door. Glancing around nervously, he raised a tentative hoof and pushed at the door. It moved slightly, but not much. Putting a little more weight behind his push, the door creaked moderately as it opened. Dawnfire held his breath, waiting to see if anypony came to investigate. Several seconds passed with no sudden approaching hoofsteps. Letting out a sigh of relief, he took a deep breath back in and carefully entered the tower, closing the door slowly behind him.

The interior was dark and closing the door cut off the limited amount of light that he did have. The stallion shuffled forwards slowly, attempting to find the start of the stairs upwards, until one of his hooves knocked against something. Lifting it up, he moved it forwards and down, the hoof coming to rest in a slightly higher position. Repeating the motion with his other hooves, he found himself gradually climbing the stairs upwards. The going was slow, hindered by his inability to see and his frequent stops to listen for approaching guards, although his pounding heart made hearing difficult anyway. He continued the climb upwards, attempting to follow the winding steps, a process made easier as the first glints of moonlight began to creep their way into the tower. Emboldened, he turned once more and found the door leading out onto the wall, stepping out gingerly.

The roar of the waterfall outside the city intensified as he exited the confines of the tower and approached the battlements. The moon shone down on the water, making it sparkle as it flowed past the city and out of sight. It was the dominant noise in the calm of the night, the cascading water blocking out other sound, even if there had been any to block out. The wall was high, but Dawnfire was confident that he could jump far enough to land in the water. Well, actually, he wasn’t. The river was pretty far away from the city walls, separated by a wide stretch of land. There was no way he could leap that distance. Maybe if he climbed down gently? He looked over the edge, finding the long drop and no holds. No, he couldn’t climb down. So what was he meant to do exactly? How could he-

“Hey!” came a sudden shout to his right, making the earth pony jump. Snapping his head towards the direction of the voice, he spotted the guard who’d just exited from the other tower joining the wall. He cursed himself for not being observant and, yet again, for being orange. “What do you think you’re doing up here?” Dawnfire could make out the scowl on the guard’s face as he paced towards the orange stallion, and hear it in his voice. His heart pounding, Dawnfire yanked his gaze away from the approaching guard and clambered onto the parapet.

“Wait, wait!” the guard commanded, his voice urgent and stern. The clip-clop of running hooves increased as the orange stallion turned and slipped off the wall, grabbing hold of the edge of the parapet with his hooves. A couple of seconds later, the guard peeked his head over the wall, glaring down at the earth pony. “What are you doing, trying to get yourself killed or something?” he demanded.

Dawnfire shuddered. “I’m just trying to rescue my friends!” he whimpered back in reply. “They’ve been captured and nopony else knows where they are!”

The helmeted face slackened its stern facade slightly at hearing this. “Hopesmeade refugee?” he asked bluntly. Dawnfire rigorously nodded, trying to retain his grip on the stonework. “Well, this isn’t the answer. Running out into the wild and getting yourself killed won’t solve anything, and it especially won’t help your friends.” He held out a hoof. “Just come back up here and we can get something sorted, okay?”

Dawnfire’s muscles were screaming at him to accept the hoof, as was his brain. He knew that he couldn’t hold on much longer, and the drop from the wall to the ground was very uninviting. He’d already fallen once tonight, and he didn’t like the prospect of repeating it. Begrudgingly, he reached up for the hoof offered to him.

He slipped.

Moving his hoof had caused him to lose grip on the wall, and he felt a gut-wrenching drop as he skidded further down the wall, grabbing desperately at the battlements as he did. Hanging by one hoof, he chanced a look down, gulping at distance to the ground; it was at least several ponies worth. Looking back up, he found the guard had disappeared, leaving him hanging there.

“Hello?” Dawnfire called out. “Where are you? Help!” The stallion looked around him, desperately looking for a way out of the situation while his hind legs kicked kicked beneath him uselessly. There was a tree slightly further along, if he could just get to it, then he could climb down. It was a few metres away and slightly lower than he was, but it was better than nothing.

“Hold on!” The voice came from above, and Dawnfire looked up to see the guard poking his head over the parapet once more, his scabbard clenched firmly in his teeth. He lowered it down the wall towards Dawnfire, trying to reach the orange pony. Dawnfire stretched upwards, biting down on the black sheath and trying to pull himself up. Both ponies grunted as they hauled, and slowly Dawnfire managed to heave himself up onto the parapet. The guard roughly pulled him up.

Gasping for breath, Dawnfire felt the guard let go of his grip on the scabbard and looked up to see him trotting towards an object on the ground. Picking it up with his mouth, he returned to Dawnfire, motioning towards the scabbard. The orange stallion positioned the scabbard towards the guard and allowed him to slip the object- his sword- into it. The guard looked up.

“Good, we’ve got you back up here,” he commented. His voice took on a severe tone as he ordered “Give me my sword back. Now.” Dawnfire flicked his eyes from the sword to the guard, and back again. He had a sword. He actually had a sword. The guard glowered. “Have you got a hearing problem? Give me my sword.” Dawnfire gave an apologetic look at the guard before he turned and jumped back onto the wall, then leapt with as much force as he could muster, still gripping the sword and scabbard tightly in his jaw.

His path carried him towards the tree he’d noticed earlier, and he extended his hooves as he crashed roughly into the branches, the impact whipping him back and forth. He grabbed hold of the nearest branches with a grunt, the sudden stop straining his limbs. Breathing deeply through his nose, he became aware of the guard atop the wall shouting and hollering at him, and quickly slipped down the tree and onto the grass surrounding Canterlot. Looking around, he found the waterfall careening down the mountainside and headed towards it, knowing the guards would be searching for him by now, or at least investigating the disturbance. The run took him a few seconds, and when he reached the water’s edge, he dove straight in.

The river was cold, but strangely refreshing. It soothed his battered body and calmed him. It also tried to carry him down to the edge of the cliff, but he could deal with that. His years of farming had left him with plenty of strength, his legs kicking against the tug of the water and towards the bank opposite him. He couldn’t tell what was going on in the city or just outside of it with the water muffling sound from the surface. When he reached the edge, he rose back to the surface, gulping down air and looking around. Sound had returned when he broke the surface, and it sounded like the guards in front of Canterlot had gone to investigate his escape. Hauling himself out onto the bank, he gave himself a quick shake and set off running, staying on the grass. He’d join the path later, but for now, he wanted to stay out of sight until he was sure nopony could see him.


*******************************************************


The orange pony found himself trudging once again across the plains, the darkness welcoming him back readily. Luckily, his eyes had adjusted slightly to the low light as a result of the lack of sunlight, allowing him to see by the dim light that the moon provided. The mountains around him were still dark masses, but at least now he could see the rises and dips of the ground, which gave him the ability to stop himself from tripping every couple of steps. The other advantage of the night was the silence; out here, sound could- and did- travel miles with little effort.

Although he couldn’t really gauge time in a perpetually dark grassland, Dawnfire guessed that he’d been walking for a couple of hours. He’d stopped not long after his brief bout of sprinting away from Canterlot to listen for pursuers, taking the opportunity to tie the scabbard around his body, leaving it resting comfortably on his back with the handle of the sword within easy reach of his mouth. The journey down the mountain had taken a surprisingly short time, and after trudging through the grass for a long while he’d heard angry voices several miles ahead of him. It was these that he’d been following for the last half an hour or so, and he could tell he was getting close.

The voices gradually grew louder, and soon enough he began to make out the shapes of ponies milling about in a group. Three of them were standing together and chatting amongst themselves, gesticulating at each other and the other ponies a few metres behind them. Dawnfire was getting close enough to hear what they were saying clearly.

“Well what do you think we should do then?” one demanded from the other. “We’ve got perfectly good slaves here, and you want to just let them go?”

“That’s exactly the point!” came the reply. “They’re slaves! We’ve just bought ponies to be used as a personal work force! When we left, it was to make a life for ourselves, not to take the lives of those less fortunate than us!”

The first pony snorted derisively. “You’re getting soft, you know that? This is a harsh world, and I don’t care what it takes, I will survive, with or without you. You choose!” The two glared at each other for a while, and Dawnfire took the opportunity to slink closer. He was now about twenty metres from the group, but they were so engaged in their argument that they didn’t notice him approaching. That was good; he didn’t want them to see him until he was ready for them to.

“What about you?” the first pony asked the third with a glare. “Are you a traitor too, or have you got enough sense to accept what we need to do?” The second glanced at him too, watching for his reaction. The third pony shifted uncomfortably.

“Well, we have paid I guess,” he responded uncertainly. “It’s not like we’ve gone and enslaved them ourselves.”

The first pony gave a barking laugh. “See? He agrees that it’s necessary!”

“But it’s not necessary,” the second growled angrily. “Necessary is defending yourself when attacked, even if that means killing in self defence. Buying slaves is not necessary! What can’t we do on our own that these slaves can? Besides, he didn’t say it was necessary at all!”

“I didn’t really say it was necessary,” the third confirmed. He looked to his right at a small cough from one of the ponies from the other group. As he started to speak, Dawnfire gasped in recognition.

“Could we have some food please? Some of us are starting to get hungry.” The stallion spoke confidently despite the position he was in and the types of ponies he was talking to. The stallion he addressed looked to the other two for consultation, unsure of how to react. The first pony spun around.

“No,” he responded haughtily. “What we’ve got is for us. Learn your place.”

“My place is to serve and protect my peers, and that’s what I’m doing. That is what a mayor does, and these ponies here are still my townsponies, whether or not we are in our town.”

The first pony advanced on the mayor. “You can be whatever you want to be amongst your little group, I don’t really care,” he spat. “But I’m your owner, and you will show me the respect I deserve.” The mayor steadily held the other pony’s eye.

“I believe I am showing you the respect you deserve,” he commented neutrally. “Now could you please provide us with some food, because we haven’t eaten in many hours.” A hoof lashed out and struck the mayor across the face, sending him sprawling onto the ground. As he blinked and coughed, he caught sight of Dawnfire standing nearby and gasped. “Dawnfire?”

The attacker looked up and jumped back, drawing his sword (which Dawnfire only noticed once it had been drawn) as he spotted who the mayor was referring to. The other two stallions looked shocked, unsure as to who the new arrival was and how they should react. Dawnfire stepped back a little.

“Wait, I’m here to talk!” he shouted, hoping to calm the angry stallion. It apparently worked, as the stallion lowered his sword slightly. Dawnfire trotted forward carefully, watching the sword with a careful eye. The other two stallions glanced at each other before the second speaker stepped forwards.

“What is it you want?” he asked. Dawnfire glanced at the mayor, who was now raising to his hooves, and the group behind him, who were looking at him in awe. He swallowed and gave a slight nod to them. Noticing where he was looking, the second pony frowned.

“The slaves?” he asked. Dawnfire thought he noted some disgust in his voice as he said this.

“Yes,” he replied. “Where did you get them from?”

The first pony, having seen where the discussion was going, sheathed his sword and wandered over to Dawnfire. “We’ve just got ahold of these lot not four hours ago I’d say. A group of guards came by and offered us some labour force, which is something that benefits us very well.” He laughed in way that made Dawnfire’s blood boil.

“Why did they want to get rid of them?” Dawnfire asked, struggling to keep his voice inquisitive. The other pony shrugged.

“They didn’t really say. All I know is that they seemed keen to get rid of them, and that they happily accepted spare bits of metal and things like that. I think they wanted to make some more weaponry or armour or something. That was the story they gave us, anyway. And speaking of armour, we could do with some. You don’t happen to have any leather or anything like that on you do you?” He gave a smile that made Dawnfire’s stomach churn.

“Uhh, no I don’t,” the orange stallion said simply. “Why do you want leather?”

The other stallion tutted impatiently. “To make some basic armour. We’ve got some hefty competition in the mountains and forests, and if we want to succeed, we’re going to need to kit up for the job.”

“What job exactly?”

“You’re not very bright are you kid? Mercenary work, banditry, all that good stuff. But if you’ve got no leather, then bits will suffice. I’d say 200 bits per slave.” He looked expectantly for bags on Dawnfire’s back. Finding none, he raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “You have got bits haven’t you?”

Dawnfire ignored the question. “The guards from earlier, were they wearing dark blue and purple metal armour?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, they were. I've seen nothing like it before, perhaps except on the Canterlot city guards. Maybe it was their night guard or something?” He shrugged, and then as if realising something, tilted his head suspiciously. “Why? You haven’t been sent to recollect have you? If you have, we’ve bought them, and you can buy them back if you want them.”

“I haven’t been sent by anypony, I’m here of my own free will,” Dawnfire stated resentfully. “And speaking of free will, why are they here?” He pointed at the stallions grouped together. “They’re ponies, not property. And if you’d like to learn the difference, maybe I could tell you a little story about a town called Hopesmeade, which is where these ponies came from, just like me.” His speech finished with an angry growl.

The pony in front of him changed his expression from shock to irritation. “Fine,” he replied grumpily. “I’ll knock down the price to 100 bits per slave, and if you don’t have the bits, that’s tough luck.”

“They’re not slaves, they’re ponies!” Dawnfire seethed. “And I’m not asking you if I can buy them, I’m telling you to let them go!” He paused, his heavy breathing filling the silence that followed. The two ponies in the background shuffled nervously.

Finally, the other pony’s face twisted into an angry sneer. “How dare you speak to me like that? I’ll do what I want to who I want, and you won’t tell me otherwise!” He reached behind his head and unsheathed his sword once more, but this time, Dawnfire reciprocated the action, stretching his head to the right and clamping his mouth around the handle to drag it out of it scabbard.

The two ponies stood apart, glaring at each other with their swords gripped firmly in their mouths. The orange stallion wondered what he was going to do; he’d used plenty of farm tools before, and many of them had involved dexterous use of both the mouth and hooves. He’d also fought with sticks and other thin objects during his childhood with some of his friends, but swords in themselves? Just a few hours ago he’d never even held a sword, and now here he was preparing to enter combat with somepony who probably had a lot more experience than him. Any experience at all would trump his. He just hoped that his reaction time was up to the task.

With a growl and a leap, his opponent twisted his head, swinging his sword at the orange stallion. Dawnfire ducked and twisted his head the same way, feeling the jar as the sword impacted upon his own and the clang of metal hitting metal. He stepped back, trying to stay away from the pony who was advancing on him. The two circled around, the orange stallion sweating slightly and his heart pounding, and the other breathing heavily in short angry snorts.

The stallion charged again and Dawnfire leapt to the side, leaving the stallion to swipe at empty air. Dawnfire stepped back again and the other stallion stomped at the ground in frustration. Uttering a muffled warning, he approached Dawnfire once again, making a quick dash forward and swiping at head height. Dawnfire dropped quickly into a crouch and the blade passed harmlessly overhead, leaving the orange stallion with an unblocked view of the other’s legs. Taking the opportunity, Dawnfire turned his head left and brought his blade across his opponent’s left foreleg. His opponent howled and tried to bring his own sword down, but Dawnfire had already scurried to the left, taking long steps back as his opponent rushed him again.

The other stallion leapt and drove his sword point at Dawnfire. Ducking to the right, Dawnfire turned to face the stallion as he landed, realising too late that his maneuver had left him vulnerable. The stallion slashed, with Dawnfire only just able to block, the blow sending a resounding jolt through his head. His opponent followed with another rapid attack, the strike putting Dawnfire off balance. Seeing this, the other stallion rushed in and shouldered him, sending Dawnfire sprawling to the ground.

The orange stallion blinked to clear his blurry vision and saw his attacker jumping up to finish Dawnfire, a cruel sneer twisting around the edges of his sword. The sneer made the anger resurface in Dawnfire, and he pulled all of his legs to his chest. When his attacker was directly above him, about to bring his sword down, Dawnfire kicked out, striking the stallion in his torso and shoving him over Dawnfire’s head. The stallion’s momentum carried him a few metres before he impacted heavily on the ground. Dawnfire rose to his hooves, his sword still clutched tightly in his mouth. He made his way over to his opponent, cantering past his head and turning to see him sprawled out.

The stallion was shaking his head, evidently trying to clear it of the buzzing. When he opened his eyes, he saw Dawnfire standing over him, glaring menacingly. The stallion’s eyes widened in shock momentarily before changing back to angry defiance. Before Dawnfire could tell him to put down his weapon, the stallion swung his sword, forcing him to parry. The other stallion tried to kick out with his legs, but the orange stallion blocked them with his own, pinning them down with his own limbs. Now straddling the other stallion, Dawnfire glared down at him. There was no more room to swing. The two of them were just pushing against each other, metal pushing against metal. The other stallion wouldn't give up. His eyes flared with hatred, clearly showing his contempt for his orange foe. He struggled to spit insults, his degradations marred by the handle in his mouth.

Dawnfire knew that this couldn't continue for much longer. He also knew that the other stallion wouldn't just give up. That left one other option for the orange stallion, but it was one that sickened him to even think about. He remembered the conversation he heard between the three stallions before he made his presence aware to the group; Necessary is defending yourself when attacked, even if that means killing in self defence. It wouldn't make him feel better, but he knew that the stallion was right. He was being attacked. This was the only way. Looking down at the stallion though, he didn't feel that he could do it. His eyes flicked up, seeing the other two stallions staring in awe at the fight. He looked across to the ponies kept as slaves, his eyes seeking out the mayor. Finally, he caught sight of Mira’s father, staring at him along with the rest of the Hopesmeade residents. He sighed deeply, giving a strong shove on his sword to force his opponents sword down, raised his head and turned it left so his sword’s point was facing down. He closed his eyes, images of Mira and her father reunited flashing through his mind, the Hopesmeade residents strolling about and laughing jovially, the farming season when he and his family would bring in the produce they worked so hard to grow.

He thrust the sword down.

There was a juddering halt and an almost simultaneous grunt from below. He yanked the sword back up with his jaw, a sickening sucking sound reaching his ears, and then he plunged down again. There was a groan and a thud, and Dawnfire fought the urge to vomit. This was just turning the soil, he told himself. He had the pitchfork in his mouth and he was turning the soil. That’s all it was, nothing else. Except soil didn't make guttering, gargling, gurgling sounds when it was jabbed and didn't struggle. Just die! Dawnfire screamed in his head. Please just die! Die die die die die! He repeated the motion with the sword, the vocal reaction from below growing less and less with each plunge. Eventually, all sound and movement stopped, and Dawnfire dragged the sword back one last time. He stayed there for a while, revelling in the silence around him. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath. That was good. No sound might mean no reality, and no reality might mean...

Dawnfire opened his eyes. The stallion was laying on his back, his head lolled to one side and his eyes staring blankly ahead. His sword had dropped from his mouth and was now resting on the grass beside him. His chest was peppered with wounds, the coat matted with warm, wet blood. Dawnfire swallowed and got up as quickly as he could, stepping away from the body and hurrying back towards the group. He looked at the other two, trying to give an intimidating glare with his sword raised. They gulped and backed away. The orange stallion’s breathing was heavy, his heart pounded in his chest, and it took all of his effort not to collapse onto his knees.

One of the two ponies cleared his throat. “We’re going to release your friends,” he stated nervously. It was the one who had been adamant on not needing slaves Dawnfire realised. The other one nodded vigorously.

“Y-y-yeah,” he agreed. Dawnfire nodded lethargically, motioning to where the others were with his hoof. Understanding his meaning, they rushed forward to help, taking care to stay away from the orange stallion. Dawnfire went to sheath the sword and noticed the thick layering of blood on the end, coating at least a quarter of the blade. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind and put the sword away out of sight.

He turned and trotted over to the others, seeing the two stallions working on undoing the shackles restraining the townsponies. Seeing the orange stallion approaching, one of the former slave owners turned to him. “Are you okay?” he asked. Dawnfire didn’t reply, instead staring at the floor. The other sighed. “Don’t worry about him. He needed to be stopped. You did the right thing, and nopony here blames you.” Again, Dawnfire didn’t reply. The other stallion shifted uncomfortably and went to turn back to the others.

“How did I win?”

“Huh?” The slave owner turned back to face Dawnfire.

“How did I win?” Dawnfire’s question came out as a whisper. “I had no experience with a sword before, and yet I’m alive.” The other stallion thought about it for a moment.

“Well, neither did he,” came the eventual reply. “And besides, you said that you came from Hopesmeade? If I’m not mistaken, that was a farming town? I guess you’re just strong.”

“Yeah, strong.” Dawnfire repeated the phrase as though it were alien to him.

“Whatever the case, I’m done with this life. I want to find a place to settle down. Do you mind if we come along with you?”

“Sure, come along,” Dawnfire muttered. “You’re free to do what you want.”

The stallion shifted uncomfortably at the word ‘free’. He offered a quick thanks and wandered away. The townsponies were talking among themselves, stretching their legs after their long imprisonment. The remaining slave owner offered out food for them, which they all gratefully accepted, if somewhat wearily. The mayor gave Dawnfire a feeble smile, and was returned one. The stallion that wandered off returned with something in his mouth.

“Uh, what’s that?” his friend asked.

“The sword,” he mumbled. “Somepony here might want or need it, and he sure doesn’t need it does he?” He gestured in the direction of the corpse. Dawnfire closed his eyes and tried not to vomit.

The stallion opted to carry the sword himself. The shackles were collected and carried between the two slave owners, and the group looked to Dawnfire. “Where are we going?” asked the mayor. Dawnfire looked wearily over his shoulder.

“Canterlot. Let’s go.”


*******************************************************


The journey back was undertaken mostly in silence, with the occasional whisper between some of the freed townsponies. Dawnfire payed no attention to them and focused on putting one hoof ahead of the other and repeating that motion for as long as it took.

They found the Canterlot mountain with relative ease thanks to Dawnfire’s guidance. Walking up was strenuous on some of the party, but with some support, they soon found themselves trotting along the road that lead to the massive city. For Dawnfire, it was a certain sense of deja vu. At least he knew where he was this time.

The guards were back at their posts, and flagged the party to stop. Dawnfire gave a rushed explanation, emphasizing ‘Hopesmeade’, ‘refugees’, and ‘Princess Celestia’ in the hope that this visit to Canterlot would see a quicker admission than last time. The guards sent somepony in to check, saw that everything matched up and waved them through. The two ex-bandits gave their thanks to Dawnfire and mingled in with the other refugees, while the other Hopesmeade residents were welcomed back with great gusto.

Dawnfire stood on the edge of the camp, watching everypony gather around the new arrivals, and felt a ghost of a smile creep onto his face. Something had gone right, at least.

“Stop right there criminal scum!” an angry voice called from behind him. “You’re the pony that stole my sword!”

Dawnfire turned to see a guard approaching rapidly, an angry scowl on his face. Understanding what it was that he’d said, Dawnfire undid the weapon from around his body and placed it on the floor in front of him. The guard looked down at it and then up at him. “Do you think that makes it better?” he asked with a growl. “It doesn't, and you've got a lot to learn about-”

“Is there a problem here?” The voice was inquisitive and polite, yet firm. Dawnfire looked over his shoulder to see the mayor standing there, a curious look on his face. The guard growled at him.

“Yes, actually. This pony here is nothing more than a common thief. He stole military property and-”

“This ‘common thief’,” the mayor interrupted, “rescued us from a lifetime of slavery. He has so far outperformed all of the Canterlot guard in both their duties and abilities, so I would say that that ‘military property’ is more rightfully his than it is yours.”

The guard looked ready to argue, but the crowd behind the mayor had grown during the brief conversation, all of them supporting firm looks. The guard huffed and picked up his sword, tying it to his armoured body.

“I am sorry about the theft,” Dawnfire whispered to the guard. “And also sorry about the mess.”

“Well, don’t let it happen again,” the guard grunted, pulling on the strap with his teeth. With a final glare at Dawnfire, the guard turned and walked away. Dawnfire turned to the mayor.

“Thanks, you didn’t have to do that.”

“Dear boy, you saved my life,” the mayor commented with a warm smile. “It’s the least I could do.”

“Three cheers for Dawnfire!” a voice shouted from the crowd. “The saviour, spirit and shepherd of Hopesmeade!” The crowd erupted into their celebratory cheers, leaving Dawnfire to blush slightly. The mayor leaned forwards so Dawnfire could hear.

“They’re right about the spirit part; as long as you live, this town will never truly be gone.” His smile turned into an expression of awe, and then he collapsed to his knees. Dawnfire’s confusion quadrupled when the rest of the crowd followed suit. Was he a divine being to them now or something? That was a bit too far, surely.

“I was shocked to hear that you’d left, but glad you returned safely,” came a silken voice from behind. Dawnfire spun round to see the Princess standing imposingly in the street. “If you don’t mind, would it be possible to have a private talk?” She turned and walked down the street, leaving a gulping Dawnfire to follow nervously behind.
> Darkness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You're not angry with me?" Dawnfire asked curiously. He'd expected for the Princess to scold him when she asked to speak privately with him, but instead she stood patiently as he gave an account of his absence from Canterlot. She didn't show any signs of being angry or upset, instead appearing genuinely interested in what he had to say. He also thought he noticed some concern mixed into her expression, which did offer some comfort to him. Standing on the bridge leading to the castle once more, the stallion felt a strange sense of deja vu.

"I'm very thankful for your safe return, as well as the return of your missing townsponies," she responded. "Your actions were brash and reckless, but they did result in an outcome which both me and my guards have been unable to achieve. I feel I must acknowledge your achievements, if nothing else."

Dawnfire gulped at this. Achievements? Sure, he'd found the missing ponies and brought them back safely, but the clanging of metal and the gasps and gurgles was what stayed prominently in his mind.

"Well, thank you," he mumbled to her. "How did your talk with Princess Luna go?"

The Princess stiffened minutely at this and let out a short, silent sigh. "I didn't speak with her," she informed Dawnfire. "My sister wasn't in the castle and I cannot find her anywhere in Canterlot. I am...extremely concerned that your theory may be correct." She spoke in a deflated tone as she told him this.

"But then how will we raise the sun, or even set the moon?" Dawnfire asked anxiously. He didn't want to stay in this state forever; time stood still, and everything was just stagnant. Besides, without the sun, no crops could grow, he realised. That meant that, given enough time, the population of Equestria, and probably the entire world, would run out of food. Dawnfire tried not to think about that.

"I will continue to search for my sister, but right now we have more pressing issues." She regarded Dawnfire with a regretful smile, and the orange stallion tensed up, expecting either some bad news or a taxing proposition. "With Equestria in perpetual night and the rest of the world facing the inevitable effects from the absence of the day/night cycle, other nations are bound to demand answers, or even take action," the white mare continued. "In order to help this crisis along as best as we can, we need all the nations of the world working together cooperatively, not panicking and fighting each other. The best way to achieve this is through open communication and the continuation of diplomacy."

The orange stallion tilted his head in confusion. "Surely that won't be an issue? We just need to talk to the other nations and explain to them what's going on." Celestia nodded slowly and sorrowfully, almost as though she expected Dawnfire's response.

"We have a diplomat who has trained for international relations and emergency summits, and she is ready to take on the role. The one issue we now have is getting her to the nations that she is required to appease, or at least pacify." The Princess let out a small sigh. "We have an army of unknown origin, motives and size somewhere out there who have already attacked and burned your town. Furthermore, there are various dangers across the land which I am not willing to expose a diplomat to."

"What about the town guards your highness? Couldn't they escort her?"

"No. With the emergence of this 'New Lunar Republic', we have to be prepared to defend each and every town and settlement across Equestria. I will not see so much as another hamlet burned to the ground. I can't afford to transfer even a few guards for escort duty; the guards are already stretched thin and we wouldn't have enough to defend any city we transferred them from. Aside from that, a convoy would draw attention and become a target."

"So we can't send this diplomat anywhere?" Dawnfire asked with a gulp. The situation was looking very bad. The orange stallion thought back to when he was glad to arrive at Canterlot, thinking that the ordeal would be over. Ironically, it just made him even more aware of how bad everything actually was, and that his ordeal was just a small part of a much bigger problem.

"Not with how everything is now, no," the Princess answered. She started to look slightly nervous. "I think I may have a solution, but it isn't one that I would have liked to take if I had any other option. Dawnfire, I would like to request that you escort the diplomat."

Dawnfire froze and his eyes shot open. Did he just hear her correctly? Princess Celestia had just asked him to escort a diplomat across the land that she had admitted was packed with dangers. She was giving him a sympathetic look which only marginally managed to assuage his concerns.

"Y-your majesty?"

"I'm sorry to have to ask you at all Dawnfire, I truly am."

"But I'm the worst possible pony to ask!"

"I would say otherwise," she assured him with a benign smile. "You are, I think, the best possible candidate in this situation for the role." Dawnfire gave her an incredulous look, but her confident expression didn't fade at all. "You have wandered into the plains and back again, and returned with more than you left. Twice, if I'm not mistaken. Furthermore, you have experience fighting whatever lies out on those plains, and with some training, I believe that you would be more than capable of escorting the diplomat and yourself safely around Equestria and beyond. With no guards available, I think that you more than anypony else are the best I could ask for."

"I...understand, but even so...." Dawnfire trailed off. He didn't know what else was keeping him back. Her reasoning was sound, especially given the severity of the situation, but he didn't feel that he could do this. When he tried to find why, he couldn't think of an answer. Maybe it was a lack of confidence?

"I understand if you don't wish to accept." The Princess bore a solemn look that exuded empathy and understanding. "I will not force you to take up this position, nor will I encourage you to do this against your will. I ask only that you give it some thought, and that you make your choice on your own merit and consideration. If you decline, I will not think any less of you."

Dawnfire squeezed his eyes shut as tightly as he could. It made perfect sense, and from what Princess Celestia had told him he was most likely the only pony she could approach for the job. If he didn't take it, other ponies would suffer. He had experience, he was being offered training, and the Princess herself trusted him enough to make him the offer in the first place. By all accounts, he should have been honoured, and deep down he did feel the faint pangs of pride being stoked by the situation.

Was he ready for this? He didn't really feel that he was. Just a day ago (or whenever the sun had last set) he had been a farmer harvesting and planting crops in a field alongside the rest of his community, and now he was being presented with the choice to venture out into the unknown in a situation that nopony had any set methods of dealing with. The situation was bad, and he was set to be sent out onto the frontlines. He gritted his teeth in frustration. How could anypony make a choice like this? It was insane!

Hopesmeade. The stallion had no idea why it popped into his head, but he remembered the acrid stench of the smoke as he pushed himself desperately through his house to rescue his mother. He saw the inferno as it devoured his home and the buildings around him, heard the roar of the flames as they licked hungrily at the once proud town. All of that had been caused by a group of ponies who had championed the rise of eternal night, ponies who were still out there. He was being offered a chance to stand against them, to prevent this from happening to other communities, and to sort this whole mess out.

You want responsibility? You want freedom? You've always wanted that, so go out and get it!

The memory of the words shouted by his father as he desperately held the door closed forced its way into his head and echoed about. The very thing that he had been contemplating and even complaining to Mira about on that very same day still rang true. He opened his eyes and looked up to see the Princess waiting patiently for him to come to a conclusion. The orange stallion noted that she hadn't moved nor pushed him since he'd lapsed into thought.

You have wandered into the plains and back again, and returned with more than you left. Twice, if I'm not mistaken.

Dawnfire, the shepherd of the light...

"I accept your proposition," he informed her in a firm tone. The mare gave a slow nod and a minute smile, and Dawnfire could see the relief evident in her eyes. Despite her composed demeanour, she was clearly pleased with the outcome.

"Thank you, Dawnfire. I appreciate your understanding and I admire your bravery in making this difficult choice."

"It's what needs to be done," he explained. "If I don't, everyone else suffers; me, my family, the Hopesmeade residents, the rest of Equestria, the entirety of the world. I might as well do something, anything, to make this better. And besides, I can't think of a better way to honour my town than to put my skills to use in helping the rest of Equestria."

Celestia smiled at his reasoning. "From the ashes of your town arises its spirit, stronger and purer. I commend your attitude." She glanced upwards at the moon quickly before returning her attention to the stallion in front of her. "If you would like to go and rest, I can arrange your first training session for when you wake up."

The stallion shook his head. "No thank you, your majesty. I'd prefer to start right now, if that's okay." The Princess looked remotely surprised but nodded compliantly.

"Of course, I can arrange that immediately. May I ask why you wish to start so soon?" The mare gave him an inquisitive look and the orange stallion swallowed, distant clangs of metal and the sensation of juddering resistance pressing towards the front of his mind.

"I'd like to prepare as much as possible," he offered in a small voice. "I can't possibly delay something this important." She nodded in understanding.

"Very well. If you follow me to the castle grounds, I will fetch your instructor, and you can begin immediately." The Princess turned and walked towards the entrance into the castle, the orange stallion following close behind. This night was going to be a very long one indeed.


*******************************************************


The training ground for the Canterlot Guard was a cordoned off field right next to the castle itself, nestled comfortably in the gardens next to the maze. Practice dummies were propped up in the centre, along with several targets for archery training. At the moment it was silent, with the guards either in their barracks or out on duty. The only pony here was the orange earth pony shuffling nervously about as he waited for whoever was coming to train him.

The night wasn't too cold thanks to the absence of any breeze. It was mild but perfectly bearable, and probably the best temperature to train in, assuming that he would have to move around a lot. At the moment, though, he moved his weight between each of his legs as he waited anxiously. The soft sound of metal clanking caught his attention and he turned to face the source of the noise.

A guard was trotting towards him, the sound of his armour clanging as he walked growing louder as he drew closer. The armour itself was a vivacious purple with gold trimmings, the moonlight glinting brightly off the smooth metallic plates. His helmet covered his neck and the sides of his head and bore a deep red crest atop it. Clopping to a halt next to Dawnfire, the guard looked him up and down before reaching up and removing his helmet. He wore an impatient scowl and Dawnfire noted that his mane was the same hue as his helmet crest.

"So you're the pony I'm here to train," he growled, placing his helmet down on the ground next to him. Dawnfire wondered if having a deep or gravelly voice was a prerequisite for joining the ranks of the town guard. "The Princess has requested that I train you in basic combat, and I'm not the type of pony to questions orders, especially not from Her. If I'm told to do something, I do it, because I know that She has Her reasons. But I wasn't told to like this, and I don't. From what the sentries have told me, you rocked up here in the middle of the night, demanded that they sent guards to Hopesmeade, and then stole military equipment and ran off to try and sort out the situation yourself. I'm sure you can figure out why I don't trust you, and with that in mind, I'd like your name."

"Dawnfire," the orange stallion answered apprehensively. The guard's violet eyes glared coldly at him for a moment before he gave a disdainful sniff.

"Well Dawnfire, if nothing else, you've got some drive in you. That's the only reason that I think I can teach you anything, although I am really not happy with providing you with any knowledge about fighting. You've caused a fair amount of trouble for us. Still, whilst we're here, we might as well go through the standard procedure. I am Captain Hammerfell, and I am here to train you in the skills you will need for combat situations. You're going to receive the same training regime as all the other recruits, so don't expect any sympathy, don't expect any special consideration, and most importantly, don't screw up so badly that I throw you off the side of the Canterlot mountain. Understood?"

Dawnfire nodded hurriedly at the brusque question. A crimson glow sparked and illuminated the guard's face, highlighting his silvery-grey coat and the firm facial contours. It also made it apparent that said guard was a unicorn, evidenced by the protruding horn that was the source of the crimson glow. Behind the unicorn, three objects emitted the same glow as they were telekinetically unstrapped and brought between the two ponies; two swords and a circular shield.

"Take one," Hammerfell commanded, and Dawnfire complied, reaching through the magical field and grasping at one of the sheathed swords with his teeth. The shield was placed to one side and the unicorn drew the other sword from its scabbard, which was placed beside the shield. "There are two techniques for wielding a sword, and three if you are a unicorn."

"I'm not though," Dawnfire muttered around his own sword. Hammerfell glared at him.

"I'm running through a training programme here, so shut up and listen. The unicorn exclusive choice is to hold the sword with your magic, although this can be taxing for your concentration without proper training. The other two options are the most commonly used, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. The first option is to hold the sword in your mouth. Try this now." He looked pointedly at Dawnfire, who clenched at the handle of his sword and drew it from its sheath, discarding the scabbard on the ground next to him.

"This technique is best used for defensive combat, due to the superior grip on the sword and the fact that you retain all of your movement and agility," the unicorn continued. "Your centre of mass is no different to if you were walking around normally, and thus you hold a strong position if you are attacked. I'll demonstrate; I'll swing my sword at you, and you block." The sword arched lazily through the air and the orange stallion strained his neck to the right, feeling and hearing the other sword clang off his. The unicorn brought his blade across from the left, to which Dawnfire twisted his head to the left to protect his side, again feeling the blow reverberate along his weapon.

"As you can see, it is effective against oncoming blades, but without a firm and dexterous set of muscles in both your jaw and your neck, you won't be able to utilise this position much at all. You may also have noticed that it doesn't offer much in terms of offensive capabilities, only allowing you to make quick and hasty strokes and swings. For this reason, holding your weapon this way should be limited to very close quarter and enclosed combat, or when stealth or mobility is needed or preferred. The other option is to hold the sword with your forelegs, which I will demonstrate here."

With a deft motion, Hammerfell loosened his magical grip on his sword and reared up onto his hind legs, catching the sword in his forelegs and clutching it tightly with both front hooves. Dawnfire gaped at his balance and unnerving ability to stand up straight so suddenly. That was unnatural, and seeing somepony balance so effortlessly while wielding a weapon was both awe inspiring and terrifying.

"This position allows for much greater offensive combat, due to your increased attack range and capability," said Hammerfell from his standing position. "From here, you can swing down at your enemies and force them into a defensive position, like so." With a sudden swing, he brought the sword through the air towards Dawnfire, who quickly twisted his own sword in the way. The familiar clang echoed along the metal as he took a step back. "I think you can agree with me on that point. There are, however, several drawbacks to this stance, including your more hindered mobility and balance. It requires a level of practice to be able to fight like this, although it does offer substantial benefits when mastered. Another noticeable drawback is your openness to attack." The guard swept a hoof along his underside in demonstration. "Obviously this disadvantage can be mitigated through the use of armour or a shield."

The guard lit his horn up again as the shield rose from the ground beside him, ensconced in crimson magic. Floating it across, Hammerfell slipped his left foreleg into the straps and let his magic fade away. He moved the shield to cover his underbelly.

"Now I have an adequate defense against frontal attacks, which strengthens my stance significantly. If you throw some attacks at me, I can demonstrate."

Dawnfire hesitated at the request, glancing at the guard uncertainly. Taking a nervous step forward, he took a small swing which clanged harmlessly against the shield.

"Again," Hammerfell commanded. The earth pony swung the blade again with the same result. The shield jerked forwards and shoved him backwards, stunning the orange pony. He blinked and looked at the guard in confusion, who looked back levelly at him.

"The shield has more use than merely blocking, as it can be used to shove your opponents back to create room for yourself, or even be used as a weapon in itself. For now though, we'll stick to its defensive purpose. If you stand up on your hind legs, I want you to practice holding the sword with your forehooves."

"I'm not sure I'm capable of that," Dawnfire told him. Hammerfell narrowed his eyes.

"That wasn't a suggestion, that was a command. Do it." The cold authority in those words made the orange pony swallow nervously, and he shifted his weight to his back and rose his forelegs off the ground, wobbling as he tried to straighten up. Reaching up to his maw, he extracted the sword from his teeth and clutched it tightly between his hooves.

"Now try curling one hoof around it," Hammerfell suggested. Dawnfire complied, taking one hoof away and gripping the handle of the sword tightly in his remaining hoof. Surprisingly, it fit relatively comfortably, remaining nestled into his grip with little effort. "Let's see how well you can use it."

"What?" The prompt caught the orange stallion off guard, and the other stallion sighed impatiently.

"Attack, go."

Less uncertain than before, but still apprehensive, he swung the sword around, only for it to smack harmlessly into Hammerfell's shield. His second strike was blocked with just as much ease, as was his third and forth and fifth. Attempting to gain some advantage, he pulled back from his sixth attack and tried to strike again, the rapid movement forwards unbalancing him and sending him into the cold metal shield. A rough shove from Hammerfell sent him sprawling onto his back.

The earth pony sighed internally from his place on the ground, cursing himself for being so brash. He could walk on his hind legs with a little wobbling, but he'd never tried combat from a bipedal position before. Was he seriously so desperate to prove himself that he was willing to swing his weapon wildly about? He shifted forwards to try and stand up again, only to stop in shock. Hammerfell was standing over him, pointing his sword at the orange pony's chest.

The image a of pony jumping up to attack him flashed through Dawnfire's mind, the cruel glint of the blade sending a sharp chill through him.

The stallion swept his sword in front of him, smacking his opponent's weapon to the side. As quickly as he was able, he brought his blade back to strike at the now exposed right side of his attacker, expecting the metal to cut into flesh. Instead, there was a metallic clang as Hammerfell raised his sword hurriedly, deflecting the blow. Before the guard could react further, Dawnfire kicked low with both of his hind legs, sweeping the guard's legs and sending him tumbling to the right and onto his back. Dawnfire made to swing with his sword again.

"Stop!"

The voice cut into into the orange stallion's consciousness and his eyes widened. He was aware of where he was and who was with him once again, and the thought of what he was about to do made him blanch. He felt his sword being tugged firmly from his hoof and relinquished it gladly. The unicorn heaved himself onto his hooves and placed the weaponry to one side before turning to face Dawnfire.

"I should throw you off the walls for that," Hammerfell growled. The orange stallion slowly rolled onto his front and rose onto his hooves, reluctantly looking the guard in the eye. "At least you show more aptitude for combat that I thought you would. That means I don't have to teach you as much." He gave a quick look over his shoulder at the shield. "I think you know the basics of sword play, now we can move onto armour."

"Could I stop for now?" the orange stallion asked quietly. The unicorn glared hard at him and for a moment Dawnfire was sure that he'd receive a lecture for giving up. Instead, the unicorn gave an uninterested shrug.

"Fine, it's your choice. I'm not going to stay around if you can't be bothered. Come and find me if you want to start learning again, but don't expect me to come running at your command." Without any more words, the guard picked up his helmet, fastened it onto his head, levitated the two swords and the shield and trotted back towards the castle, leaving Dawnfire alone in the field. After a brief moment, the orange stallion trudged slowly across the field and headed towards the city.


*******************************************************


It was on the street leading towards the refugee encampment that Dawnfire came across her. She came trotting towards him as he approached the camp, calling his name. The orange stallion shook his thoughts away and looked up, managing a marginal smile at the sight of her. He tried to banish his morose memories to the back of his mind.

"There you are," Mira smiled shyly at him. "I was just about to come and look for you, but I guess you've saved me the effort."

"Yeah, I was just coming back to..." Back to do what? Go to sleep? Find somepony to talk to? What did he want? Company? Rest? Peace of mind? Luckily, Mira didn't seem to need a reason for his sudden appearance. 

"Do you think we can talk privately?" she asked with a weak smile, and Dawnfire caught the subtle pleading look in her eyes. He nodded his assent readily.

"Of course. Where do you want to go?"

"Follow me." She walked past him and started up the street he'd just come down, giving a quick look over her shoulder to check that he was following. A short distance up the street, she turned right and into an alleyway. The two of them emerged a minute later into a square, and Dawnfire noticed the bulk of Canterlot Castle through an archway to his left. Looking around the square, he recognised the shops he'd seen several hours early on his way out of Canterlot when he'd passed through here.

Mira guided him towards the stone bench and climbed onto it, laying down as Dawnfire took his place on the cold stone facing her. His body temperature soon adjusted to the sudden change, and he looked across to Mira. She glanced at him timidly before shifting her gaze to the bakery, the lights and the noises from within showing that the ponies of the city had woken up at long last, although the streets remained empty. 

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" Dawnfire asked after Mira showed no signs of breaking her observing the scenery. She gave a sigh and looked round at him, and he was taken aback at the discomfort in her face.

"I was thinking whilst you were away," she told him, her eyes flicking rapidly downwards every time she met his eyes. "You were gone for a few hours, and I had no way to contact you, and neither did your parents or anypony else in the city. Not long after I saw you off, the guards started shouting to each other, and I realised just what I'd done; I'd sent you away to with no food, no protection, nothing. I did nothing to stop you from leaving, and I even encouraged you. You said you were going to try and help them, and I thought of my father, and..." she suddenly heaved a massive breath and gazed down at the floor. Dawnfire listened with concern as she continued. "I didn't think about your safety, or how unlikely it was that you'd succeed, or anything like that. I was so selfish, and I could have lost you forever, as well as my father. Not only that, but your family could have lost you."

The orange stallion reached forward with a hoof and gently lifted her head up. "Hey, what's all this?" he asked as soothingly as he could. "I chose to run off, and it was my own stupid idea. And you are most definitely not selfish."

Her face hardened into a mask of guilt. "It was. After telling you how stupid it was, I just gave in and let you run after my father on a whim. I endangered you and everypony that loved you, and you already did so much for us. You ran across the plains to get us help, and then I asked you to run across the plains to help my father without even considering you or your health."

"You did try to stop me, Mira. You did everything you could-"

"I didn't do enough." The last word came out as a sob, and she turned her head away from his hoof and rested it on her forelegs, looking forlornly down at the paved ground. "I let you go ahead with your plan, I encouraged you, and I spent the next few hours hating myself for it. I know that it was stupid and selfish of me, and I want to appologise, even if it doesn't make up for how I ignored your needs. I'm so sorry, Dawnfire, and I really want you to know how much I appreciate you."

Despite the morose nature of the conversation, the stallion couldn't help it as a minute smile tugged at his mouth. He reached forward and started stroking Mira's back. "You really are a silly pony, Mira," he chuckled lightly. She raised her head slightly in confusion. "Why are you sorry?"

"I've just told you why-"

"I know, but that's no reason to tear yourself apart. You were scared for your father's life, and I was offering an option to retrieve him for you. I was the one too stubborn to listen to you when you tried to dissuade me, and it was my choice to leave. You have no reason to feel bad. Besides, I returned safely, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did," Mira conceded with a flicker of a smile, and lifted her face up some more to look him in the eyes. Her expression had softened from immense guilt to slight regret. "You did, and you brought my father and the towsponies back with you. I want to thank you for that, and let you know that I really appreciate you. We all do."

The orange pony waved his hoof dismissively and looked to the side with an embarrassed chuckle. "It wasn't a big deal. I just did what anypony would have done."

"Except nopony else did. You did, and that's what makes you a hero." Her voice had lost its emotional tremor and regained its usual strength. "You're our hero, and you're especially my hero."

The orange pony blushed. "Well, thank you, but I don't deserve that sort of praise."

"Horseapples!" she almost shouted at him. "You are an amazing pony, and you deserve all the praise you get. I won't let you say otherwise." She shimmied closer to him across the bench. "Just...can you forgive me?"

"You haven't done anything that I need to forgive, but whatever you feel you've done wrong is forgiven, don't worry about that."

"Thank you," she beamed at him as she nuzzled his neck affectionately. He smiled, and wrapped her into a hug, enjoying having her close once again. This was a situation he would appreciate having more often, and something he'd trade sleep for any day. "I guess....I also have a sort of gift for you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, just something I feel I should give you."

"Why's that?"

"Because you've done so much and been through so much, and I want you to have this." She wriggled out of his grip and leaned back to look at him. "We, uh, we are still...you do want to...I'm still your fillyfriend, right?"

"Of course! If you want to be."

Mira smiled graciously. "I do. With that in mind, here's your gift." Without another word, the mare leaned towards him and pressed her lips to his.

Dawnfire's eyes widened at the contact. Her suddenness surprised him, but the action wasn't unwelcome. Warmth spread to him from her contact, and he felt himself easing into a lethargic trance. This day had been far too long, and now all he wanted was to stay here and enjoy whatever life decided to dish out. He let his eyes slide close.

A viscous pair of eyes burning with venomous malice glared at him. Those eyes continued to drill into him even as the pony they belonged to shuddered and gasped as a sword was plunged again and again into his chest, warm, sticky fluid dribbling and flecking out the wounds.

"Dawn? Dawnfire? Are you okay?" The concerned voice ushered him away from the daunting images. He opened his eyes to the sight of the cream mare looking down at him, holding his face between her hooves. "You're trembling."

The orange stallion gulped. "I-I saw...something I didn't want to see." He shuddered. "I can't get it out of my head. It keeps coming back and I don't want it to, but it keeps coming back..." His shaking increased, and he turned his head down and grit his teeth. "Whenever I close my eyes or stop for long enough, I see that image and I can't force it out, no matter what I do! It just comes back again and again! It comes back every time, whenever I close my eyes or try to force it away, it comes back!"

Mira pulled him closer to her and grasped him tightly in her forelegs. He continued to shake, her touch doing little to quell his shivering.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked him softly. He swallowed and slumped in her grasp.

"I don't know. I just want it to stop!"

"Why don't you try talking about it? If you share whatever you're feeling, it might help."

"I don't know, I-"

"Dawn, please. Just try it."

"I-I don't want to say something t-that will make you think less of me."

The cream mare gently pulled his head up with a hoof. "You know I care for you," she reminded him tenderly. "I've known you for my entire life and I've never once thought less of you in that time. If there's something bothering you, I want you to tell me. After all you've done for me, I could never think less of you."

The orange stallion remained silent for a few seconds, and then took a slow, deep breath. "I-I killed somepony, Mira." The mare became still. Her expression widened remotely in surprise, and the stallion lowered his head in shame. "I didn't want to, but when I tried to get him to let the townsponies go free, he drew his sword, and then we grappled, and...and..."

Mira pulled Dawnfire close to her and allowed him to sob into her chest, holding his heaving body as he wept. He was a quiet stallion who preferred to keep to himself and liked to be alone with his thoughts. He favoured solitude over congregation. Most of all, he didn't burden others with his worries and problems; they were his to deal with and nopony else needed to concern themselves with his issues. The one exception to this rule was Mira, who had been a constant friend, confidant and companion throughout his life, and somepony who could always coax more information out of him than he was willing to give.

The mare sat still on the stone bench, cradling the orange stallion as he let all of his hurt pour out of him in jerky spasms, his tears beginning to wet her coat. This was without a doubt the worst she had ever seen him. He'd never openly cried in front of her before- when they were foals, he'd find some excuse to slip away and lament his problems.

At the age of twenty, Dawnfire, the placid, fully grown earth pony stallion, shook in grief in front of his life long friend.

It took several minutes for the shudders to subside. The sobs quietened and faded away, leaving silence in its wake. Mira waited as the orange stallion kept his head down in shame. She waited for him to speak, but he remained quiet and motionless, and the mare wondered if he'd succumbed to exhaustion.

"He was an earth pony," Dawnfire mumbled into her chest. Mira closed her eyes and lowered her head to his. The stallion sucked in a shallow breath. "He wasn't as strong as me, but he was definitely an earth pony. I think he was brown, or grey, or a similar colour, I'm not sure. I don't even know what colour he was. I just pulled out my sword and killed him, and I didn't even really know what he looked like! He could have been a father or something, looking out for his family, and I just took away his life and that of those who loved him!" The stallion's voice grew louder and more anguished as he went on, stress snaking its way into his words, his voice cracking.

"Dawn, listen to me," Mira cooed to him. "I know you, and I know that no matter what happened, you only acted as was necessary. If you harmed somepony, I know that what they did or were going to do more than justified your actions. You brought my father, the mayor and the rest of the townsponies back here to safety, and back to us. Nopony else did, and nopony judges what you've done. Nopony in their right mind could judge you for what you've done. You're a hero to us and I'm sure that even the Princess admires your bravery. This pony, do you think he would have worried about killing you?"

Dawnfire paused in thought, running the scenario over in his head. "I....don't think so, but that doesn't make what I've done any better, does it?"

"Okay then, did he offer you food or drink, or generally act hospitable?"

"Well, no." Dawnfire thought back to the encounter. "He drew his sword when he first saw me, and again when I demanded that he let the townsponies go free."

The mare's eyes widened. "He attacked you because you wanted him to let ponies go?"

Dawnfire drew his head away from Mira and nodded. "He'd shackled them together and wanted me to pay for them, and then attacked me when I told him to release them." Mira's mouth fell open and she gawked at him.

"How could you do that to anypony?" she questioned herself quietly. Dawnfire shook his head in response, and Mira's mouth condensed into a thin, firm line. "He shackled my father? That monster. That absolute monster!"

"He's dead now, don't worry," the earth pony stallion reminded her morosely as she squinted disgustedly at the floor. Her expression promptly returned to that of shock before fading into a consoling one.

"Do you still think you were in the wrong?" she asked. The stallion raised his head and looked at her again.

"I guess I'm not," he replied slowly, the frown on his face lifting marginally. "But I don't feel any better about what I've done. I might not have done anything wrong, but it doesn't make me feel good either."

"I don't think you will feel good about it," Mira told him. "But that just means that you're a good pony. Nopony who can kill and enjoy it can be sane, or safe, or good." She turned and looked at one of the buildings in contemplative silence. Dawnfire sighed.

"I should probably let you know, seeing as everypony will find out sooner or later." Mira looked around in confusion, and he sighed again. "I've been requisitioned by Princess Celestia herself to escort a diplomat across Equestria. I'll be leaving in a day or two."

Mira gasped. "She ordered you to help?"

"No, she gave me the choice, but she sounded pretty desperate for me to take the offer," the orange stallion clarified. "I said yes, and I'm being trained."

"But you're not a soldier! You can't do this Dawn, it's not fair on you!"

"Mira, I've already been over this with the Princess. It's not ideal, but it's pretty much the only thing we can do."

"Why not get somepony else? A guard?"

"Misuse of resources and deployment. She talked me through it, and she had very good reasons."

"So, you'll be leaving us again."

"I'm so sorry, Mira. I really am, but I'm doing this for you. When I had to make the choice, I thought about you and your family, and mine, and the townsponies. I thought about what happened to Hopesmeade, and what could happen if nopony actually did anything."

"Is this vengeance?"

"No, its not, it's nothing to do-"

"Is it redemption? I've already told you that you shouldn't feel bad for what happened, and you really don't need to prove yourself to us. You've already done more than anypony should ever have to do."

"It's because I care about you, Mira, and everypony else! I've already lost Hopesmeade, but I've got my family and your family and nearly 900 other ponies that are still here, and can still be lost! There are hundreds of villages, towns and cities, and hundreds of thousands of ponies still vulnerable. I will not sit by and see all that destroyed, because we've lost too much already!"

The stallion slumped after his brief rant, and was immediately scooped into a hug by the cream mare. She didn't say anything else, and after a while, Dawnfire wiggled out of her grip, slipped off the bench and stood up.

"I should probably get some sleep now."

She nodded and rose to her hooves too, following Dawnfire as he headed back towards the small camp. They managed to make it to the alleyway before he broke the silence again.

"Mira, I'm sorry. I'm just so scared. I don't want to lose anything else. It feels like I'm in a nightmare and that I'm going to wake up soon, back in my bed at Hopesmeade, then just get up and work the fields."

"It's fine, I understand. It's been tough on all of us, but particularly you. I can't imagine how you're feeling right now."

The stallion thought about it as he walked, the clip-clopping of his and Mira's hooves amplified into heavier sounds in the small space before ending abruptly. "I'm feeling sad, and tired....but also hopeful," he confessed with a small smile. Mira looked at him and then began to smile too. "I'm hoping that I can make a difference, and that this whole mess will be sorted out. I also have the motivation to want to make a difference, and she's walking next to me, looking as beautiful as ever in this moonlight."

Her smile grew at his words. "Have you always been this sweet or have you been taking lessons?"

"I guess your beauty brings out my inner poet."

"More like your inner adolescent colt." They shared a giggle and moved closer together, emerging from the alleyway and heading towards the outskirts of the city.

"Can I ask a favour?" Dawnfire asked.

"Of course," Mira smiled back.

"Would you mind if I slept next to you tonight?"

Mira gave him a glance and flashed him a mischievous smirk. "What is it with colts these days? You tell me I look pretty in the moonlight and then expect me to hop into bed with you."

The orange stallion rolled his eyes and shook his head whilst smirking slightly. "Seriously, I was thinking it might help in case I start.....seeing him again." He swallowed nervously, and Mira's eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh, right. Yes, of course, anything to help you."

"Thanks."

The two soon found themselves among the townsponies, many of them sleeping and the rest laying down quietly to avoid disturbing those who were. The two newcomers trotted as quietly as they could through the throng, finding their impromptu allotment and settling down. Dawnfire looked over to Mira as she curled up a few meters away and gave him a comforting smile. Feeling more at ease than he did when Mira had led him to the square, he closed his eyes and lay down his head, the peace of sleep rushing in to claim him as though welcoming back an old friend.


*******************************************************


The thudding impact on the ground was only marginally assuaged by the armour, and the stallion grunted as he swung himself into a standing position again. He dropped into a combat stance once more, his hooves spread out wide to give him a solid balance, his weight more evenly distributed, and bore his sword shakily between his teeth. The pony opposite him stared back apathetically.

"Your mistake last time was rushing in and placing your legs close together," Hammerfell informed him in a perfunctory tone. "Spread them out more this time, and you might not just end up on your back again."

Dawnfire sighed. After waking up, he'd sought out Captain Hammerfell once again and asked to continue his training. The silver unicorn had agreed unenthusiastically and had met Dawnfire in the field where, for the last hour or so, he had been instructing the earth pony in the use of armour. The captain preferred a practical approach to training, and so it was for the fifth time in as many minutes that the earth pony stallion found himself reacquainted with the grass.

Hammerfell let out an impatient sigh. "You are going about this completely the wrong way," he commented irately, lazily twirling his sword above his head with his magic. "You're too hasty to try and attack me and you leave yourself open, which, in a real combat situation, could get you killed. I've swept your legs seven times in this session, which is seven times that you're on the ground, unable to defend yourself."

"Isn't t that why we have armour?" Dawnfire asked as he hauled himself back onto his hooves. The guard glowered at him.

"The armour is to help protect you, not to be used as compensation for poor combat skills," the unicorn growled sternly. "If you have any ideas of it making you invincible, of granting you fighting skills and allowing you to run ahead and play hero, get them out of your head now. A set of armour does not make a soldier; a soldier earns the apparel that they wear. Understood?"

The orange stallion nodded, wary of answering the unicorn back. The guard dropped his glare after a few seconds and motioned for Dawnfire to attack again. The earth pony complied, stepping forward cautiously, keeping his eyes on the unicorn, who stared back unwaveringly. He halted, hesitant to move any closer to the unmoving guard.

The floating sword cut through the air suddenly, forcing the orange stallion to duck hurriedly beneath its arc and step quickly to the side, turning the face the blade as it righted itself in the air and hovered in the air with a faint hum. He strafed the sword, keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the hovering blade, giving small, quick steps sideways to keep ahead of it. Giving a fleeting glance at the unicorn, Dawnfire sought some indication of Hammerfell's next move as he paced in a slow circle. The captain's expression didn't change, his gaze remaining fixed and unfaltering.

A sudden swish from the floating sword caused Dawnfire to jump back slightly even as he stretched to block the oncoming blade. With a familiar clang, the levitated sword rebounded from the earth pony's blade but quickly recovered and swung in from the opposite side. Dawnfire grunted from the effort of deflecting the attacks. Stepping towards Hammerfell, he gripped his sword tightly in his teeth and pushed the blade forcefully back as it rounded on him again, using the brief moment of respite to move closer to the unicorn guard, who had started to backpedal. Jumping forward to catch up, the orange stallion swung his blade in an arc, narrowly missing the captain, who ducked under the attack and slashed at the earth pony's back with his own sword, the metal weapon pinging off the armour.

Crouching slightly to avoid the attacks, Dawnfire cantered forward, forcing the unicorn to bring his weapon to bear in front of him in defense. Without a threat from behind, the earth pony continued forwards, stepping left to avoid a downwards swing and then ducking to dodge the diagonal swipe upwards again. Standing up rapidly, he shifted his weight to his hind legs, desperately seeking balance as his forehooves left the ground. Reaching to the left, he fumbled with the floating sword before wrapping his foreleg around it and tugging it out of the magical aura. Slackening his jaw slightly, he took his sword into his right foreleg and approached the now defenseless unicorn, wobbling on his two legs.

Drawing drew back the first sword, Dawnfire swung it downwards at his target, who dodged deftly to the side. Hoping to catch him with the second strike, the earth pony swiped the second sword at the unicorn, but he jumped the other way and dashed forwards. Stumbling from delivering two rapid strikes, Dawnfire struggled to regain his balance, unable to react as the unicorn captain turned, placed a rear leg behind Dawnfire's own, and pushed against him, tripping the earth pony.

Falling backwards, Dawnfire managed to retain his grip on both the swords even as he thumped onto the ground. Hammerfell clambered around him, allaying the grounded pony's attempt to raise the swords with his magic, forcing them back down. The earth pony tried to push himself up to give himself leverage, an action which had little effect except to bring his face to inches within that of Hammerfell's. The two ponies grimaced as they strained against each other, the blades slowly but irrevocably moving back down towards Dawnfire's throat. The orange earth pony considered distractedly how stoic the unicorn looked through his helmet, as though the clenched jaw were just as much a facade that he put on when driving swords into grounded enemies. Grunting with effort, the blades nearly touching his throat, Dawnfire, tried to maneuver his hind leg to push the unicorn away from him. Hammerfell quickly caught on, and shifted his left hind leg to block the orange pony's efforts. With nothing else left to try, Dawnfire stared with reluctant acceptance at his opponent, who stared stoically back.

"I must say, I find your progress impressive, Dawnfire."

The voice distracted the duo, and they looked back to see who had addressed them. Princess Celestia stood calmly a few meters away, observing with a mild look of interest. Hammerfell let his magic fade away and scrambled onto his hooves, standing rigidly at attention as quickly as he could. Dawnfire hauled himself to his hooves and stood beside the motionless captain.

"Do you have any comments to make, Captain Hammerfell?" she asked. Maybe it was the darkness of the night, or perhaps it was just how she always appeared, but the Princess seemed to exude brightness. It seemed to ooze out of her body, filling the air around her with pure, white light, pushing away the encompassing dark around it. Despite this, it wasn't painful to look directly at her; the light didn't hurt Dawnfire's eyes as he watched her, but instead seemed to sooth him. Even his muscles seemed to relax and loosen in her presence.

"Nothing of particular importance, your highness," the unicorn answered. "I've taught him everything he would be taught upon entering the Canterlot guard, albeit at a much more accelerated pace."

Celestia nodded understandingly. "Of course. I appreciate that you cannot train anypony to the same degree as would be expected of a guard within a much smaller time frame. You have faithfully carried out my instruction, captain. Thank you." She looked at the orange pony with a placid smile. "How do you feel your training is wearing on you, Dawnfire?"

"Perfectly fine, your highness."

"It isn't too onerous?"

"No, your majesty." This wasn't a lie; her mere presence seemed to rejuvenate him and replenish his dinted stamina. Hammerfell gave a slight sniff but remained motionless.

"Do you feel that you would be ready to embark on your journey currently?"

Dawnfire hesitated a moment before answering, "Yes, your highness." The white mare looked back to the unicorn.

"Do you feel that he is ready, Captain Hammerfell?"

The unicorn guard paused and didn't move. From his next words, Dawnfire could tell that he had chosen them very carefully, and judging from his marginally strained tone, he didn't particularly like what he had to say.

"I think that I have taught him everything that he will need for his assignment, and that I have instructed him on how to apply his knowledge and training. I believe that he should be sufficiently able to carry out whatever mission has been given to him." Apparently, Dawnfire determined, he found difficulty in praising or otherwise complementing the orange stallion, a conclusion which was reinforced by the clenched jaw under the guard's helmet.

The Princess gave a thoughtful nod to the captain and addressed Dawnfire. "If this is so, would you accompany me to the castle? I think it is time for you to meet your companion." With a reassuring smile, she began to make her way across the grounds. Dawnfire made to follow, only for a foreleg to reach across and bar his way.

"If you wouldn't mind," Hammerfell said curtly, "I'd like the armour back." Dawnfire hastened to unbuckle the straps holding the metal plates in place around his body and quickly shrugged the apparel off, tossing it into a heap on the ground. The captain sighed discontentedly as he scooped the gear off the ground with his magic. "Try not to die out there," he muttered as Dawnfire hurried after the receding princess.

After catching up with her, Dawnfire asked when he'd be leaving, to which Celestia replied as soon as he was rested and felt able to go. The answer, although not unexpected, sent a cold shiver through the stallion's body. He would be leaving his friends and family again, and at such short notice. He wondered how he would explain it to his parents. His mother, undoubtedly, would take it the hardest, whilst his father would stay silent and offer some last, desperate sentiments. The mere thought made his heart ache, so he shoved the thoughts to the back of his mind and instead focused on the task at hand. What were you meant to say when meeting court officials? Was there a procedure?

Before long the two of them had made their way into the hallways of the castle, trotting along the marble floors towards a destination that Dawnfire didn't know. He was unfamiliar with this part of the castle, having only visited the throne room and the front entrance which was elaborately decorated for important guests and noble visitors. Celestia paused at a door, and, with a quick reassuring smile towards Dawnfire, pushed it open and strode inside, After a brief moment, Dawnfire followed her inside.

The room was relatively small compared to the great elongated rooms that he had seen previously, being perhaps only twenty meters across and more of a cube in shape, but the orange stallion still observed a large square wooden table in the centre with map sprawled across it. A lone pony had been studying the map carefully, but had looked up at their entrance. She was a light pink mare with a chestnut brown mane and tail, both of which were wavy and curled at the ends. Compared to Mira's mane, which fell past her head and ended nearly at her legs, and was smooth and flowing, this mare's mane didn't fall further than her head, the excess hair thrown behind her to clear her eyes, which gave her a delicate flow of hair behind her head. A horn protruded from amongst her mane. Her eyes were a grey-blue, noticeably more dull in colour than Mira's, a detail he noticed as he walked over to greet her.

"Dawnfire, I would like you to meet Grace Bloom, the diplomat you will be escorting." Celestia motioned towards the pink mare as she made the introduction, smiling warmly. "Grace Bloom, this is Dawnfire, your escort and accomplice for your journey."

"Hello," the unicorn offered cordially, extending a hoof and smiling. Dawnfire met it with his own and shook, returning the smile.

"Hello." He couldn't really think what else to say beyond that, so he remained silent. Introductions had never been his strong point.

"Grace knows exactly where you need to go, and she knows exactly what to do when you get there," the Princess assured them, receiving an affirmative nod from the mare in question. "I have complete confidence that you will succeed in your task. When you are ready, I will walk you to the gate, and let you get on your way. Take as much time as you need."

"I'm ready to leave, your highness," Grace announced. Her voice was light and sweet, but had a confident edge to it. Dawnfire understood why she had taken on the role of a diplomat. The Princess looked to him, and he nodded.

"Very well. I have had your bags prepared for you, and Dawnfire's gear is waiting nearby for him. If you feel that you are ready to be on your way, we should allow him time to get ready."


*******************************************************


Dawnfire fastened his saddlebags more firmly to his body, giving them a firm tug to see if they were secured enough for their upcoming journey. Princess Celestia had ordered for food and other supplies to be brought up, and the culinary staff at the castle had hastily prepared two bowls of tomato soup and bread for them and provided a hefty supply of foodstuffs, all of which had been divided between the two ponies and placed into their respective bags; carrots, apples, loaves of bread, a few wedges of cheese, and some leather canteens filled with water. Some blankets and fur-coated clothing had also been packed into the saddlebags, during which Grace and Dawnfire had sat down to eat their soup, Dawnfire a bit more hungrily than his companion. After the wooden bowls had been emptied and the bread was gone, Dawnfire was presented with a suit of armour- studded armour, he was told. Rather than the plate armour used by the Canterlot guards, this armour looked like hide with iron studs crafted into the leather strips that fanned out towards the rear and an iron belt. It offered some light protection, but wouldn't wear him down or tire him out on long trips like the one he was taking. He didn't comment and just wriggled into it, tightening the straps and stretching to check how constricting it was. It fit comfortably.

He was offered his saddlebags, which he secured over the top of the armour, although they kept slipping. Next came his sword. Iron. Simple and easy to handle. It was different from the swords he had used before, which had had a crossguard above the hilt and a straight blade which narrowed swiftly into a point at the very end. The iron sword had a curved guard and a gently inwardly sloping blade which converged at the point. When he asked why it was different, it was explained that swords used by the Canterlot guards were made from steel, and that the iron sword was lighter. After giving it a few swings, Dawnfire found that it was indeed lighter, and quicker too. Content with his equipment, he slipped it back into its scabbard, tied on his left side.

The Princess walked with them to the edge of the city, stopping short of the encampment and motioning for Grace to do the same. She paused and shot a confused glance at the Princess and Dawnfire in quick succession. The Princess gave the orange stallion an encouraging smile.

"Go ahead, Dawnfire. We won't interrupt you. Tell them in your own time."

"But how did you-"

"I have lived for many centuries with the title of 'Princess', and in that time I have learned how to understand what my subjects want and need. You need time to tell them, and you will have it."

The earth pony nodded his thanks and trotted towards the gathering of ponies, many of whom were looking to see who the newcomer was. They began to mutter as he walked past them, moving to where he knew his parents would be waiting. The sickly squirming sensation had returned to his stomach, and his heart started pounding as he realised what just how serious this was. He might never see them again. Never see his family, or the rest of the townsponies, or Mira. He could die out there. It was a huge possibility.

He caught sight of Mira's face, anxious and concerned, and yet still calm. She gave him a reassuring smile and nodded towards where his parents were. He took a deep breath and slowed his roaring heart. He wouldn't die out there. He would come back home. He would see his parents, and Mira, and the rest of the town again.

Both of his parents looked up as he approached, their faces quickly forming confused frowns. With another look at Mira, who trotted over to stand next to him, he began his explanation of what was going on. His mother's reaction was more or less what he had expected, as was his father's; she gasped and begged him not to go, grasping him tightly as though she could hold him in place. His father stood still and closed his eyes, giving a sigh of acceptance. The older stallion told his wife that she couldn't keep her son close by forever, and that he need to go. The mare didn't move for a long while. before collapsing onto her husband and breaking out into sobs. Finally, looking at his son, he offered a final goodbye and, with a sad smile, told him that he was proud of him, and to stay safe. He spent a few more minutes embracing the both of them and Mira. His heart previously pounding heart had slowed to a deep melancholic thump.

Both the Princess and Grace were waiting patiently for him when he returned. He told them that he was ready to leave, and with that they trotted back towards the city gate. Passing the small camp, Dawnfire found that the townsponies had arranged themselves so that they lined both sides of the path leading to the gate, as though he were the centerpiece of a parade. They each bowed their heads as he walked past them, some of them mumbling words of encouragement or praise. He spotted his parents and Mira standing together, his mother's tear-stained face offering him a wan but prideful smile. He took a deep breath in to hold back a sob.

The doors were opened and the drawbridge was lowered, and the two of them turned to face the Princess. She looked them both in the eyes.

"This is where I leave you," she said solemnly. "You have everything you need to embark on this mission, and I have complete faith in both of you." She looked at Dawnfire. "I will look after your townsponies while you are away, and ensure that no harm comes to them. You have my word."

"Thank you, your majesty," the stallion replied, dipping his head slightly.

"The fate of Equestria now rests squarely on your shoulders. Good luck, my little ponies."

They turned and made their way off the drawbridge, hearing it begin to rise not long after. Stealing a quick glance backwards, Dawnfire saw the Princess looking out after them before the bridge rose enough to cut her off. With a clank, the bridge was fully raised and Canterlot was sealed up once again, and silence rushed in to claim its place in the void that was the night outside of the city.

They walked in silence for a long time, the only sounds being their clip-clop of their hooves on the dirt path and the occasional rustle of their saddlebags. Dawnfire's eyes rapidly readjusted to the darkness, drinking in the light from the moon and stars. A cool breeze played gently around them, barely tickling Dawnfire's coat. The air, while only tepid at best, didn't make him cold. It would have been a pleasant nighttime trek had it not been for the context, or if he could have been sure that it was even supposed to be nighttime at all.

"You were a Hopesmeade resident?" Grace asked suddenly. Dawnfire over at her with some surprise at finally hearing her speak.

"Yes, I was," he replied.

"I'm sorry. I heard about your town. I didn't realise that you had just been through all that."

"It's fine," the stallion responded dismissively. "It wasn't your fault it burned down, you have no reason to be sorry."

"I know, but it must have been horrible going through something like that. I can't imagine how you feel."

The stallion considered this, thinking back to how he'd felt at the time. Finally, he said, "It's not so much a feeling as a lack of feeling." Grace looked at him with an intrigued expression. "At first, I panicked, and worried about how my family was," he continued. "I just wanted to know that they were safe. Then came pain, seeing the town and all our hard work consumed in flame, followed by dread whenever I asked about other ponies from the town in case they were injured or missing, or worse. After that, it just started to feel unreal, like it was all a dream or something, and that it just didn't happen or something. Like a nightmare. It's like something has happened that just shouldn't have happened at all. I guess the best way to describe it would be shock."

Grace was looking at him sympathetically, silently observing the earth pony as he recounted his thoughts. She turned to look down the path. "Again, I truly am sorry, and if I can do anything to help, just ask." The orange pony smiled.

"Thanks, but really, it is fine." They walked on soundlessly for a few moments before Dawnfire broke the silence with, "How about you then?"

"Sorry?"

"Your story," Dawnfire clarified. "Have you lived in Canterlot all your life or have you moved here? Anything interesting at all?"

Grace smiled wryly. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but there is practically no story to tell. I was born in Canterlot, raised there, and haven't really seen anything outside of it. I went to school, did quite well, entered into a law firm, and was lucky enough to catch the eye of the Royal Court. I was trained in diplomacy and mediation, and not long after that, well, I'm approached by the Princess and asked if I can undertake an emergency meeting. I'm sure you know the rest." She shot him a small playful grin. "Anything impressive about your life so far?"

Dawnfire chuckled nervously. "Aside from the past few days, nothing has ever really happened in my life. I was born, moved to Hopesmeade when I was four, and then grew up there. I've more or less spent my entire life farming, just wishing I could be out exploring the world." He paused, then sighed plaintively. "Well, I guess I got what I wished for in the end."

"Where were you born then?" Grace asked. Dawnfire was glad for the sudden conversation change.

"Trottingham."

"Oh." She walked on pensively.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just that your accent-"

"Doesn't match up?" Dawnfire finished with an amused smile. She nodded, and he chuckled. "Why, expectin' a bita Trotney?" She grimaced at his change in accents, clearly not fond of the dialect.

"What made you leave?"

"The lack of job opportunities. My father couldn't find any work, so we moved to Hopesmeade. Open community, friendly, suited our needs perfectly. To be honest, I don't remember much about it- I was only four at the time."

"So you had traveled more when you were still a foal than I have in my entire life? That seems pretty interesting to me."

"We're out and travelling now, though."

"Yes, we are. And with company, no less."

They walked onward, stepping into the plains that surrounded the Canterlot Mountain. Grace breathed in deeply as they walked, the grass caressing their legs. Before long, she was pacing ahead of Dawnfire, looking up into the sky and the white orb of the moon, surrounded by stars which seemed to worship it, as though in awe of its brilliance. Looking up himself, Dawnfire couldn't help but admit how beautiful it was. Grace looked back and offered an embarrassed and apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I'm just excited. It's my first time outside like this."

Dawnfire gave her a smile of his own. "I understand. I was overwhelmed the first time I-" ran blindly across at night in a desperate attempt to save my family "-came out here on my own. It's quite different from any settlement, isn't it?"

"Yes," she replied breathlessly, her eyes shining. "It's so quiet and peaceful, and just so beautiful."

"I'm glad you're taking it so well," he chuckled, coming up beside her. "Where do we have to go?"

She looked at him blankly for a moment or two before realisation struck her. "Oh yes, the map." She made to open her saddlebags when a bright orange flash caught her attention. It was followed a second later by the sound of a deep, beastly roar, and a whooshing sound. Dawnfire turned around, trying to find the source of the commotion, when Grace pointed up into the sky.

There weren't many clouds in the sky, except the massive clumps clustered together low in the atmosphere. They shone silver in the moonlight, standing out against the blackness of the night sky. A small section of these clouds glowed bright orange.

"What's going on?" Dawnfire asked, but Grace didn't answer. She was staring transfixed at the sky. "Grace? What's going on?" In response, she pointed with a shaking hoof, and the stallion looked back.

A large shape loomed out from behind the clouds, flapping its wings as it flew around the clouds and silhouetted its form against them. It looked long and reptilian, with a large tail jutting out behind it. It opened its mouth, and another flash of orange erupted from the creature, catching something which then ignited, adding a second dirty orange smear to the clouds.

"That's Cloudsdale," Grace whispered disbelievingly. "The city of the Pegasi."

"Right," Dawnfire answered, swallowing anxiously. "And that big thing that's apparently breathing fire?"

"I think that's a dragon."

"Okay...so what you're saying is-"

"Cloudsdale is being attacked by a dragon!"
> Moonlight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

His hooves thudded below him as he sprinted across the plain, his sword and armour clanging against each other. The grass whipped softly at his legs as he ran, doing nothing to bar his progress as he hurried towards his objective.

"Dawnfire, slow down!"

The orange stallion pattered to a halt, turning to see Grace struggling to catch up. All this running was no problem for him, but it was unreasonable to expect somepony who had never set hoof out of a city to be able to sprint for a prolonged period of time across uneven terrain with exceedingly poor visibility. The mare finally caught up to him, panting lightly.

"We'll never make it to Cloudsdale like this!" he groaned in frustration, stomping a rear hoof. Grace looked up at the floating city, still several miles ahead and above, and then back to him.

"We can't get up there anyway, even if we do manage to run directly underneath it," she told him. "And even if we could, we have no means of helping anypony."

"Then what do we do, just leave them to die?" the earth pony responded frantically.

"We've just come from Canterlot," she reminded him. "There's the Canterlot Guard, we can call them and-"

"It'd take too long," he interrupted. "We need to act now, and we're closer to Cloudsdale than we are Canterlot. We are probably the only hope they have!" Grace gave a grimace and sighed, and Dawnfire stepped closer to her. "Please, if you know anything that can get us up there, tell me now!"

With another look up at the sky and the burning clouds above, she shook her head in resignation. "I know a cloud walking spell," she informed him reluctantly. "That and teleportation should enable us to reach the city."

"Good! Let's do it!"

She closed her eyes and focused, a small glow appearing around her horn. Dawnfire felt her magic seeping into him, exploring his body, probing at his frame. He felt it fill him, and when it gradually faded away, he felt strangely light. He wondered if he would float away if he tried jumping. Grace kept her eyes closed for a few more seconds, apparently applying the spell to herself. When she finished, he looked at her expectantly, but she looked back up at Cloudsdale.

"We need to get there now, we don't have time for awe!"

"I know, I'm trying to gauge the distance!"

"What?"

She gave him an impatient sigh. "If I'm going to teleport us up to Cloudsdale, I need to know exactly where to put us. I don't want to end up appearing midair with nothing to support me."

"Okay," the stallion replied, suddenly feeling a lot more anxious about the plan. "How long will it take you to do that?"

"Just a minute, let me focus. It was your idea to go up there, and if you want it to happen, you'll need to let me work this out." With that she lapsed into a focused silence, and Dawnfire decided to follow suit. He got the general feeling that she was a mare that you didn't argue with.

The screams from above filled the night now that the duo weren't talking. The sounds were still distant, but they were clear enough to Dawnfire to agitate him. He tried not to look up, but the screams and the occasional roar from the dragon, as well as the dirty pale orange glow caused by the light from the moon and the fires mingling together, made it hard to not. He couldn't ignore the large scale carnage being wrought, no matter how hard he tried.

"Okay, I'm ready!" Grace announced. Dawnfire looked at her, his heart pounding in apprehension. "Just relax and don't panic. Stay safe until I get up there." Without another word, she closed her eyes and leaned forwards, lowering her horn towards Dawnfire. It lit up again, magic wrapping itself around the appendage. When it came into contact with the stallion, he felt, for the second time in less than five minutes, the curious sensation of magic flowing through him, although this time it didn't seem to be prodding at him. This time it felt different. It was almost as if it were trying to pull him apart, although he didn't feel any pain. A ringing rose in his ears, and with a bright blue flash, the ground dropped from beneath his feet.

The blue flash of the spell faded away, and chaotic sounds of the violence in Cloudsdale rushed back in, amplified. The roars of fire were now audible, and the screams were constant and almost deafening. Physical shapes appeared in his vision; the blinding light of the fires, teetering houses and other buildings, and even the odd silhouette of a pony. The fluffy white of the cloud below him was duller in the presence of the flame, but it still stood out. A little too far below.

The rushing of wind in his ears told him he was falling.

Although the drop would normally have caused him serious injury, the softness of the clouds absorbed his impact, leaving him sprawled out from the crash and slightly dazed, but capable of jumping immediately back to his hooves. He looked up and stepped quickly to the side, seeing the flash above him which heralded Grace's arrival. She flailed about as she fell, screaming for the five seconds it took her to drop down to the street. When she thumped into the ground, he offered her a hoof and quickly helped her back up to a standing position, glancing hurriedly around for any danger.

The city was in a state of utter disarray. The heat of the fires seemed to be evapourating the clouds, leaving buildings and other structures to fade away into the night as steam, or else collapse as the support gave way under the blaze. Although the flames seemed to be rather short lived, the damage they inflicted on the city was disastrous; great portions of the city were missing chunks or undergoing a collapse, weakening and falling away under the intense heat.

It reminded him far too much of Hopesmeade.

Dawnfire motioned for Grace to follow him and set off through the streets. A mist was settling, rolling down the street like a lethargic stream of floodwater, parting when the two of them passed through. It felt horribly like a ghost town in the making, and it probably would be soon. They needed to find a way to stop the dragon, but with the smoke and glaring light of the fires, even finding it was proving to be its very own challenge.

They skidded to a halt as a gust of wind cleared the mist from the street and a gigantic figure appeared in the sky above them. The light from the flames cast colour onto its body, showing a grey scaly hide. It flapped its great wings to keep itself airborne, causing an updraft on the street.

"Hey!" Grace shouted up at it. Dawnfire gave her a look of shock. Was she trying to get them killed? "Down here!" She stepped forwards, and the orange stallion looked around. They were standing next to a house which, at the moment, seemed to be sturdily standing against the dragon's onslaught. The door was open too, presumably because the residents had fled when they'd first found that they were under attack.

Looking back to Grace, Dawnfire discovered that she was now trying to get its attention by flashing magic along her horn. The orange stallion stepped beside her and uttered warnings to her, keeping his eyes nervously on the behemoth directly above them.

"I don't think we should be trying to get its attention," he told her in an urgent tone.

"We have to try diplomacy. From what I know, dragons are intelligent sentient creatures, and they can reason."

"It's attacking a city, I don't think-"

At this point, the flashing light grabbed the attention of the great beast, and it looked down at them, eyes narrow and piercing. Dawnfire tried not to think about how predatory it looked, nor how giant it was compared to him. He gulped and took a slow step backwards. It leaned in closer, its lengthy snout edging towards them. Dawnfire could feel its breath as it breathed out, warm and acrid.

"What are you doing?" Grace asked demandingly. "This city is home to innocent pegasi ponies who pose no threat to you. You have no reason to attack it, and I ask that you stop immediately." The grey creature gazed intently at the unicorn for a long while, flapping its wings lazily behind itself. Grace waited for it to make some form of response, an indication of its intent, but it remained staring at her with what Dawnfire thought to be vague interest...or perhaps hunger.

"Grace," Dawnfire whispered urgently. "It's not reacting. Back away slowly." She waved him of with a subtle shake of her head.

"Just give it time," she replied confidently. "It will do something eventually."

"Like eating us?"

The dragon pulled its head back from the street, and seemed to form a sneer. The earth pony gulped as he saw the set of razor sharp teeth lining the inside of its mouth, glinting menacingly in the fires. It opened its jaw wider, expanding its chest as it took a deep breath in.

"Yol..."

Dawnfire grabbed the unicorn beside him with a foreleg and dragged her forcefully to the right, pushing her in the direction of the house he had seen before.

"Toor..."

He threw her roughly through the open doorway and into the front room of the house, leaping forwards himself immediately after, heart pounding ferociously.

"SHUL!"

Dawnfire wasn't looking up at the dragon to see the spout of flame which accompanied whatever sound it was that he exhaled. Instead, he saw the vivacious orange glow in the room in front of him and felt the scorch as the fire passed perilously close to his hind legs. He hit the floor and rolled, wincing at the searing pain that shot through his rear hooves. The roar of the inferno persisted for several seconds as the beast screamed flame, finally stopping after it apparently decided that it had incinerated them.

"Dawnfire! Are you okay?"

The stallion pushed himself to his hooves, hissing through his teeth as he put pressure onto his rear legs. He gave them a quick look over, not seeing any damage except that they were smoldering slightly. He looked up at Grace. She was wide-eyed, staring intently at him to try and gauge whether he was injured or not.

"I'm fine," he told her. "My legs sting a little, but there's no damage. It'll all fade in a few hours." He looked back to the doorway, noting that the walls were starting to sag and fade away into steam. The fire on the street had gone out, doused by the vapour that had been throw up by the extreme heat. "You should stay here."

"What?"

"Stay here. Hide under a something sturdy and don't come out until it is completely safe."

"We can't stop that dragon while we're hidden."

"No, but you can't get killed either."

"You keep saying 'you'. Please tell me you aren't thinking of running out there and trying to sort this out."

"Like I said, stay safe." He slid his saddlebags off his back and onto the floor, the thump muffled by the cloud. "I'm getting us out of here safely, and to do that, I'm going to need to stop that dragon."

"Dawnfire-"

He turned and moved swiftly to the door, peeking outside. Mist obfuscated his vision, as did the smoke and flame, and the cacophony of noise from around the city assaulted his ears. There was no sign of the dragon, however.

"Dawnfire, this isn't wise."

The orange pony stepped outside. The air was thicker, clogged with moisture and smoke, and the cloud felt squidgy and more sickly underneath his hooves.

"Dawnfire!"

The stallion spun around to see Grace's panicked face looking out at him from the doorway, feeling the tell-tale sign of the gust of wind against his coat as the mist cleared. The remnants of the fires fluttered slightly, stoked by the sudden wind, barely reflecting off the dark dragon's hide as it swooped back in to glare down at the stallion. He gulped, not looking away from the scaly beast staring from high up above him. He took a step backwards.

The dragon snarled, smoke rolling from its nostrils, making the orange stallion whimper slightly. With a slow, almost lethargic motion, it turned its head to look at the house. Dawnfire's eyes widened.

"Grace, get inside," he called as calmly as he could muster, his voice cracking with strain. "Slowly back away."

The mare took a shaky step backwards, keeping firm eye contact with the dragon. The dragon didn't react, just watching her sidle backwards into the house. A few steps later, she had disappeared from Dawnfire's view, and he remembered that he too was at risk of being burned to a crisp by this enormous creature, and so continued his own steady retreat.

"Yol, toor shul!"

The dragon sank its head down low and belched fire into the house, the flare burning Dawnfire's eyes and forcing him to turn away. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear away the sharp pain, and looked back to the home. It was slanting away from the source of the flame, alight and slowly dissipating away into steam.

"Grace!" he screamed, hoping against all odds for a response. "Grace!" He'd promised to get them out. He'd promised...

Satisfied with its work on the building, and attracted by the noise from the street, the dragon looked over at the distressed earth pony. Dawnfire contemplated running into the house to find Grace, but the roar from the dragon made up his mind for him. He turned and ran, taking one last glance behind him at the ruined building.

The cloud slid easily under his hooves as he thundered down the street, nearly causing him to slip. The moisture clung to his coat, clammy and cooled by the night air. His heart pounded mercilessly inside his chest, almost threatening to break open his rib cage as though it were unsatisfied with his pace and was trying to power ahead. The earth pony took heed and sprinted faster.

"Yol, toor shul!"

Dawnfire slid as he attempted a quick turn into a side street, narrowly missing the gush of fire that scorched the cloud he'd been occupying seconds previously. Ignoring the roar and the influx of heat, he pounded down the side street, weaving in between the buildings. The flapping of wings directly above him encouraged him to make another sharp detour, slipping down a narrow alleyway and out into a wide open area. He cursed himself as he sprinted across the open cloud, heart thudding wildly against his rib cage. It was too open here, and he wouldn't last long unless he found some way to hide, or otherwise even the playing field. The cloud was more soft and plump, lacking any fire damage from the dragon. It also made it easy to run.

So much so, that Dawnfire nearly tumbled off the edge of Cloudsdale. Luckily, the clouds provided enough friction to bring him to a swift halt. He leaned over the edge, looking down at the ground below. It was pitch black, like looking into an abyss. His breathing sped up and his throat tightened. This was it. He was going to die.

The taunting caress of wind caught his attention. He snapped his head around, unable to take his eyes off the dragon as it hovered slightly in front of him. It had him trapped. The great beast looked at him intently, its beady eyes looking him up and down. Finally, its maw twisted into a smirk.

"I don't see any wings on you, jul."

Dawnfire didn't say anything, but widened his eyes in surprise.

"You look like a groundwalker rather than a flier. Then again, you have the armour of a kendov, but the actions of a kiir." It paused for a moment, looking at him more closely, leaning in slightly. Eventually, it cocked its head and spoke again in its deep, malevolent voice. "But maybe that is simply the way of your kind. Maybe I must give you more opportunity to prove yourself, more of a chance to kod your true mulaag."

"Y-y-you c-can talk?" Dawnfire asked breathlessly. The words took some effort to force out of his mouth, his larynx closed tightly as though trying to quarantine the inside of his body, and they came as nervous pants and gulps. The dragon's eyes narrowed dangerously as it regarded the orange pony.

"Of course I can talk!" it spat angrily, it's guttural voice rattling the stallion's bones. "What do you think I am? Some mere beast? An animal with no conscious? No sense of being, or thought process? The dov are mighty, our race has powers you couldn't even dream of. We live centuries longer than any pony, and we have endured the harshest of conditions over the eons. What claim do you have to dominance? To flaunt your might? Such arrogance, so typical of the races of jul. Now, draw your weapon, and face me like a kendov."

Dawnfire gulped and whimpered slightly, making no move for his sword. If he attempted to draw his sword, the dragon would attack. He couldn't be seen to be acting aggressively. After several seconds of stillness, the dragon grunted angrily, and Dawnfire realised with dread that he had just agitated him more.

"Coward." Its words dripped with contempt. "You make no effort to defend yourself. No attempt to prevent the inevitable. Your race seems weaker than I thought. Even if you are incompetent, unable, lacking in strength and ability, you should make an effort to resist. You haven't, and this disappoints me. Even a beast will fight to survive against all odds, struggling with its last breath to cling onto life, but you are too weak even for that. I had hoped to find at least one worthy opponent amongst you, but I see I was mistaken in presuming that you would have a warrior's code. There will be no honour in killing you, but there will be no shame in wiping your pathetic race from existence either."

There was no other way out of  this. He was going to have to fight the monster, or stand here and be killed by it. With trembling hooves, Dawnfire reached behind himself and drew the blade from its sheath, standing upright and grasping the handle firmly between both forehooves. The dragon watched his efforts and seemed to grin.

"So you choose to die with some honour. Excellent. This will be a more fun kill."

Its mouth sprang open as the beast lurched forwards, a row of razor sharp teeth driving towards the earth pony. He struck out on instinct, bouncing off a couple of the teeth. The dragon turned its head and tried again, attacking while Dawnfire was off balance. The earth pony slashed lower, managing to catch some softer flesh just inside the dragon's mouth. The beast grunted and pulled back, eyeing the orange pony venomously, flicking his tongue around to assess the damage. With a snarl, it edged forwards, creeping gradually towards the bi-pedal earth pony. Dawnfire's breathing increased, his hooves sore from the intensity of gripping the sword.

The dragon flapped lazily to one side, keeping his eyes glued firmly on the pony before him. Dawnfire mirrored its motions, stepping tensely and unsteadily the other way, wobbling as he did so. The beast slinked forwards again, snapping sporadically at the air. Dawnfire swiped ahead of him, trying to keep the snapping maw away, but the dragon merely smirked, edging forward in spite of the flailing blade.

One of Dawnfire's slashes caught the dragon's nostril, and it grunted, baring its teeth as it turned its head slightly to the right out of instinct. Dawnfire brought the blade back, slicing across its upper gum. With small yelp, it drew back, turning to look at the earth pony with no small amount of surprise. Apparently, it didn't expect Dawnfire to be able to land a hit. With a snap, it made to launch forward again.

Instead, it let out a howling snort.

A group of pegasi flashed overhead, raking blades along the dragon's back whilst it had its attention fixed firmly on the orange earth pony. The fliers arched back overhead, splitting and zooming towards the dragon from different angles, the beast snarling angrily at the multiple attackers. One pegasus looked over at Dawnfire as he passed.

"Fly away, you idiot!" he shouted as he flew underneath the dragon, dragging a sword along the scales of its underbelly. The earth pony watched in amazement as the pegasi darted around, nimbly flapping out of the way of the snapping jaws and slashing claws even as they struck blow after ineffectual blow.

With a final roar, the dragon flared its wings out, batting away the flying attackers, and dove straight down, passing through the cloud as though it were smoke. Its tail swung round as did so, whacking a pegasus who was unlucky enough to be trailing it too closely, sending him sprawling onto the cloud. It also passed close enough to Dawnfire to knock him backwards, leaving him flailing his forehooves uselessly in a vain attempt to regain his balance, able to do nothing as he tipped backwards.

There was nothing behind him to break his fall.

He tumbled over the edge of the floating city.

The clouds above accelerated swiftly away from him, their silvery whiteness silhouetted brightly against the clear, dark night sky as they shrunk in size, the moon beaming down brilliant white light, as though acting as a model for the city to imitate. Then he rotated away from the luminescence of above and towards the black abyss of the ground. From here, he could only hear the whistling of the air rushing past him, feel it lashing wildly at his body as he plummeted deeper and deeper into the darkness. He had clutched instinctively at the sword, the only solid and tangible object left as he hurtled seamlessly in an unspecified direction, thrashing aimlessly about in a futile attempt to stop his uncontrollable fall.

No, not now! Not like this! Don't let me die like this!

His heart had either stopped completely or was thundering so fast and hard inside his chest that he could no longer feel it. Cold had permeated every organ and tissue of his body, both from the chilling effect of the night air and the iron clasp of fear. His stomach churned horribly.

THWACK

The impact was sudden and jolting, although not nearly as violent or painful as he would have imagined. Instead, he seemed to bounce, the surface of whatever he had hit flexing and absorbing his impact. It felt more like leather than soil and dirt. Before he had much time to register this, he was thrown sideways, skidding across a much rougher surface. Maybe this was rock? But, it felt like he was still moving; the air was passing by and tickling his face and mane, and he had to cling on whatever surface was beneath him to avoid slipping and sliding.

"Still alive, are you?" growled a deep voice somewhere ahead of him. "You are persistent and durable for a jul."

Dawnfire's throat tightened immeasurably as he realised that he'd landed on the dragon.

"You survived up there for much longer than I could have anticipated, but your luck has just run out. You will have no winged walkers to save you this time. No distraction to keep me from ending your pathetic life. You are in my domain now, ground walker."

The winged beast slanted to the left, arching round in a shallow turn and causing the orange pony to slide across its back. Scrambling to maintain his hold, the sword clattered against the tough scales, still held firmly by his right forehoof. Attempting to strengthen his hold, Dawnfire let the blade slip from his aching forehoof and pressed firmly against the scales, catching the sword in his mouth as it passed him by.  The dragon leveled out, relieving the strain on Dawnfire's limbs and allowing him to push himself into a squatting position. Clenching the sword firmly between his teeth, he swung it downwards at the dragon's back, furiously swiping in the hope that he would be able to strike something critical, the blade doing nothing but bouncing harmlessly off of the thick scales. A throaty laughed was carried back to him by the wind, although the reverberations along the its back would have conveyed everything he needed to know even if he hadn't heard.

"Such desperation, little one," it crooned maliciously. "Your weaponry cannot hurt me, for the dovah have long since gained natural armour against the feeble attacks of the feeble races. Iron?" It chuckled, a resonant, sonorous tone bubbling humourlessly from its maw. "Iron cannot penetrate the hide of a dov. Scales provide too much resistance."

It fanned its wings out, facing forwards, decelerating dramatically. Caught unprepared, Dawnfire was thrown forward harshly, smashing into the spines atop the dragon's head. He grunted as the air was knocked out of him, the momentum carrying him from the first one, flipping him into the second, and then cartwheeling him front-first into the third. He briefly thanked the fact that he had some form of armour on, as it had undoubtedly saved him from being sliced in half, or at least suffering a deep gash along his back and stomach. If he'd hit the spine higher up where it was much sharper, and hadn't bounced off at an oblique angle, he might have been missing most of his organs by now. Even so, he thought, grimacing from the stinging in his chest as he swung his forelegs desperately around the final spine, the impact would leave a bruise; the hide did little to protect from the collision, offering only a barrier against the coarseness of the dragon's exterior.

"This is the end for you," came the low, malevolent voice from below Dawnfire. "You've got nowhere to run. I'm sure you'll make a satisfying dinner, or at least an appetizing first course. Your flying friends will serve as an excellent main course, and for desert...there's always your mountainside castle."

Dawnfire's eyes shot open in shock. His parents, Mira, the entire town...NO! It couldn't happen, he wouldn't let it! Ignoring the throbbing ache in his chest, he heaved himself forward, drawing in long gasps around his sword, looking for spot to attack on the beast below. All he could see were scales, nothing which offered any vulnerability. Unless...

He took several deep breaths, each one soothing the tightness in his chest a little. Dragons may have tough hide, scales which acted as a natural armour against other creatures, and maybe iron couldn't penetrate it. However, that advantage only extended to the parts of a dragon that were actually covered in scales.

The earth pony dropped onto his stomach, wincing as pain lanced up his front from the abrupt landing. Hurriedly wrapping his hind hooves around one of the dragon's spines, he shimmied forwards to the edge of the dragon's head, maneuvering the sword with his tongue and mouth so that the point faced left. Heaving a final deep breath, Dawnfire twisted his head, pulled it back, and ferociously thrust the sword downwards.

Straight into the dragon's right eye.

Dawnfire was nearly deafened by the thunderous below of the dragon as it thrashed about, almost dislodging him from his place on its head. His legs were being strained, clinging desperately to the spine jutting from its head as he was tossed in every direction by the dragon's uncontrollable spasms, struggling to maintain a grip with both his legs and his mouth. Opening its maw wide, the dragon let out a sudden bout of fire, stinging Dawnfire's eyes and causing him to look away, shutting them tightly against the searing light and heat. The movement shifted the sword deeper into its eye, drawing even more flame and sharper, jerkier spasms. With a flick of its head, Dawnfire's legs were snatched away from the spine, leaving him hanging desperately to the sword. He wondered why he wasn't feeling much motion, given that he should be being tossed about. His heart skipped as he realised that the dragon was free falling down to the ground. The different forces were cancelling each other out, giving him a sense of weightlessness. If the dragon stopped spinning, and flinging its head about, or tumbling downwards...

Reaching upwards with a new found sense of urgency, Dawnfire tried to heave himself back on top of the beast. Swinging his hind legs to the right, he managed to gain some leverage on its snout, heaving down with the sword to gain momentum. Sinking up to the hilt, the blade of the sword finally dug into the dragon's brain. It gave a weak gurgle, barely able to keep itself airborne as it struggled against the pain and the lack of energy it had left. Dawnfire let go of the sword, flinging all of his limbs across the beast's face in a determined effort to stay in place. Glancing behind him, he saw what he thought to be the ground rising up quickly to meet them both. Gulping at the sight, he dug his hooves tighter into the dragon's face, hoping that the creature would live long enough to at least land. That didn't look likely; its head was drooping, and its wing beats were becoming increasingly weak and infrequent. The only reason that Dawnfire even knew that it was still alive was the low, guttural whimpering that it was giving sporadically.

With a final, strong flap that slowed their descent enough bring them parallel to the ground, the dragon gave a wet cough, and his clawed feet touched the plain. For the first few steps he managed to stagger, but then he faltered, tripping and falling forward. Hitting the ground, he rolled, his body bouncing slightly as the momentum carried him forwards. Dawnfire was jolted around, being sent flying from the dragon's face and landing on its stomach, narrowly missing being crushed as it span haphazardly. Thrown on the ground after another rotation, he felt the impact knock the wind out of him again, and let his eyes close, shutting off all sound and sight. The world ceased to exist for him.


*******************************************************


Sky Bolt scanned the ground astutely, her sharp eyes seeking out any shape that could resemble either a pony or a dragon. Circling down to a lower altitude, she listened against the stillness of the night for any immediate sounds. It had been quiet since that dragon had gone down, as if the hills and mountains themselves were holding their breaths. Right now, she really needed to find out if that dragon was well and truly gone, because if it wasn't, then it was still very much a threat, and it was her job to take care of threats. She shook her head in dissatisfaction as she still failed to sight any defined shapes, and, gathering that they wouldn't achieve anything up in the sky, descended steadily towards the ground, landing softly. Her partner landed beside her a few seconds later.

"We're not going to achieve anything up there," she stated, scanning the environment even as she spoke. "We need to spread out down here and look up close. It's the only way we'll find anything."

"Got it," a masculine voice intoned from behind her. "Find the dragon, make sure it's dead."

"Dead or incapacitated. As long as it poses no threat to Cloudsdale, it's not an issue."

"Right." The other voice paused. "Uh, Sky?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think it's actually dead?"

"It bellowed, spouted flame, spun wildly out of control, and crashed. That's sure how it looks to me."

"But do you really believe that it's dead?"

"That's what we're here to find out." She glanced over her shoulder at him. "Let's hope so. I want you two to stay together and search south bearing east. I'll search south bearing west. If there's anything of interest, or you need help, shout. Understood?" The two figures behind her nodded. "Good. Get going. We want this solved as quickly as possible."

Her two companions turned and trotted away, leaving her to search her own designated zone. With a brief look around, which turned up nothing, she set off, walking along the plains in search of some indication that the threat had been neutralised. There was no wind and no noise to distract her, and she used this to her advantage, pricking her ears up to catch any hint of sound. Up in Cloudsdale, there was almost always wind, ranging from light and cooling to blustering blizzards, but down here there was nothing. She ignored its absence, instead focusing on the space around her, eyes flicking methodically across the landscape.

There could be anything down here.

The grass went unnoticed as it brushed softly against her hooves. She trotted onward, the blackness ceding no shapes or sight which could potentially help her, casting her gaze left and right, keeping her breaths as light as possible to avoid missing any sounds. There was still nothing. Visibility was immensely limited, and even with her focus and her eyes adjusting to the lack of light, seeing far enough ahead to even walk in a straight line was a challenge. She'd been down here before, all of the Cloudsdalian Militia had, but that was during the day, when there was life and light, and when you could see for miles, your view interrupted only by the mountains.

Sky stopped as her watchful gaze caught sight of a large shape off to the right. It was currently an dark amorphous blob, but she had no doubt that it would become something more meaningful once she closed the distance. Bending her legs, she sprung silently into the air, spreading her wings and giving them a single powerful thrust that sent her gliding stealthily towards her target. As she drew closer, she began to make out features; scales, a long tail, and claws. Bringing her wings up to halt herself, she floated down to the ground, landing beside the static figure and glancing a gleam. A closer inspection revealed it to be moonlight glinting off one of its vicious teeth, confirming what she had strongly suspected- this was, without a doubt, the dragon they were looking for, and it was most certainly dead, if the handle of the sticking out of the bloodied remains of its eye was anything to go by. Sky Bolt blanched, turning away from scene and covering her mouth with her forehoof. She'd been expecting something like this, but that didn't prepare her for it at all. Through the eye? She shuddered as she thought about it, refusing to turn and look at the torn and sliced remains of its most vulnerable organ, the blood having dried against the cold scales of its face. She wouldn't get that image out of her head for weeks.

She shook herself and refocused her mind on the current task. She'd located the dragon, and confirmed it to be dead. The threat was neutralised. The next thing she had to do was to find the pony who'd killed it, and if the description she'd received was to be believed, it was an earth pony. She didn't understand how that was possible, given that earth ponies had no way of reaching Cloudsdale or fighting a dragon, but she also didn't understand how somepony could manage to kill a dragon at all, so perhaps she wasn't in a position to ask these questions. Whatever the case, the sword was still embedded in the beast's eye- she gave another small shudder at this thought- so the pony must be somewhere close. She jumped into the air once more and hovered, looking around the fallen form of the dragon. Somewhere close, surely? She ascended slightly higher, scanning for a smaller shape this time. Maybe he was further out? Maybe-

There.

Sky spotted his body laying about thirty metres away, and rushed towards him. Landing with a thump, she hurried over to his side, kneeling down as she checked him over. An orange pony, eyes closed, brown mane, no wings. It really was an earth pony then, this mysterious saviour. She'd have to save her surprise for later though. He was wearing some hide armour with some iron studs embedded into the leather strips at the bottom, and a scabbard around his torso. The sword was missing from it, although she already knew where it was. She stood up raised her head up to the sky.

"I've found him! Over here!"

She turned back to the pony at her hooves. He was quite young, she thought. He couldn't be any older than herself. Kneeling down once more, she put her ear to his chest, relieved to her a faint but steady breath and a regular thumping from his heart. He was alive, against all the odds.

A thump heralded the arrival of a second pegasus, but she didn't look round. The other pegasus walked forwards, coming to a stop beside Sky Bolt. He looked down at the unconcious earth pony, an uncertain expression on his face.

"Is he okay?"

"He's unconscious, that's all."

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"I hope so. I've heard some good things about earth pony endurance."

The statement drew the second pegasi's attention, and he gawked in surprise. "An earth pony? Did he actually take down the dragon?"

"Yes. It's over there." She pointed with a hoof, and the second pony followed, whistling when he saw the bulky shape. "Sword straight through the eye." She winced as the image flashed through her head once again.

"I have no idea how he did this, or why," the male pegasus uttered, both shocked and impressed. "But whatever his reasons or methods, that pony just saved Cloudsdale."


*******************************************************


"Did he actually take down the dragon?"

Fog. Confusion. Hurt.

What was going on?

"...that pony just saved Cloudsdale."

Cloudsdale. Saved...Cloudsdale. That was a city. A city under attack from a great beast. He had seen the attack, ran to help. He had found his way up to the floating city, fought off the evil creature. It was tough, incredibly tough. It had knocked him down. There was a fight, some falling, a blur which he couldn't make sense of. It had bellowed in pain, tried to shake him off, crashed. He was...laying on grass.

His physical senses started to come back to him, and he felt the muffled and distant voices become clearer, closer. The pain increased with it, making him grit his teeth. He tried to stretch his legs and body out, but found them heavy and phlegmatic. He was definitely laying on grass though, cool and an agonising relief against the pain in his body.

The voices were talking among themselves, just above him. A third voice, inquisitive, asked what sounded like a question, and the two figures above him turned to answer. A sound of soft and dull hoofsteps approached him rapidly, followed by thudding vibrations as the figure fell to their hocks.

"Dawnfire!"

The voice was painfully close, and he winced, but it also brought with it recognition. He was Dawnfire, an earth pony. He couldn't fly, and he had no way of walking on clouds. He couldn't have gotten up to Cloudsdale on his own. But he wasn't alone, was he? He had been travelling with somepony else, a mare. Who was it? Mira? No, that name was familiar, but it didn't sound right. Somepony else. Grace? That was right, Grace. Grace Bloom. A unicorn. She was the one who had helped them get up to Cloudsdale, who had taken refuge in the house before it had been burned...

Grace...

"...Grace?" he muttered, opening his eyes. His vision was blurry, offering little more than distorted, disjointed images and odd shapes. He tried to breathe, hissing at the sting it brought him. One of the blurry shapes moved closer, forming into something resembling a pony, the light hue registering in his brain. "Did...I kill it?"

"He's alive," a relieved voice sighed happily, and the form in front of him drew back slightly.

"Dragon," he sputtered, coughing as he tried to gasp out the words. "I think I...killed the dragon. Is Grace okay? Is she-" A shuddering coughing fit cut him off, and he sluggishly raised a foreleg to his mouth. The blurry figure knelt down by his side again, offering soft utterings of reassurance. The fit subsided, leaving a thumping ache in his head. Ignoring it, he shifted his body around, moving his legs into a position so he could push himself up. The movement made him dizzy and queasy.

"No, stop," the figure commanded. "You're in no position to move." A blue glow silhouetted the figure, amalgamating the colours into different shades of blue. A soft force probed at his body, running gently along his battered limbs. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, it vanished, the blackness rushing in again. "You've got concussion, sprained fetlocks, at least one fractured bone, and it's a miracle that you don't have even more serious injuries. You can't move."

"Yes I can," he gasped, coercing his muscles to respond to his efforts to push himself up. "I'm...capable...of movement." He cried out suddenly as he reached a kneeling position and pain lanced across his chest. The figure caught him before he toppled over, and righted him. Taking quick breaths through clenched teeth, he dragged a hoof forward. "Need my sword. There's still danger."

"There is no danger, Dawnfire," the figure assured him, holding onto him as he tried to move forwards. "You killed it, you don't need to worry anymore."

"Then help me...get my sword. I need to be sure. I want...to feel...like everything is...okay."

A deeper voice whistled in what sounded like appreciation. "That pony is tough. Beyond tough. I can't get up out of bed that quickly in the morning, and all I'm trying to recover from is sleep."

A feminine voice, lacking the bark of a firm authoritative tone, and awe struck itself. "Be respectful, Skimmer. He's barely concious."

"Exactly. How is he doing that?"

"Shouldn't you be asking what we can do to help him?"

"Oh, yeah." The voice gave an apologetic cough and called out to the figure supporting Dawnfire. "Can we help him in any way?"

"If you could hold him up from the other side, that would be very helpful," came the response. A few seconds later, Dawnfire felt the two other figures approach him and offer their mass as support, taking the effort from his legs. He was thankful for the help, grunting out a sound that he hoped resembled 'thank you'. He tried to shake the fuzziness from his head, but his head felt heavy and the movement merely made his ears ring. He choose to stop, letting his head slump forwards. A blue radiance emanated suddenly from the first figure.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to clear some of his concussion. He can't see, hear, or think straight, and that doesn't help us at all."

Dawnfire was about to ask what was going on when a cool, airy lightness swept across him like a pleasant summer's breeze. The fog that had been clogging his thoughts and clouding his mind was gradually pushed aside, his senses sharpening and refocusing. The pain across his body started to increase and he let out a groan as the pressure on his weakened legs became too much, leaving him to collapse against the figures supporting him.

"It's okay, we've got you."

That voice.

Dawnfire looked up at the face of the figure supporting him, the one who had emitted the light. A brown mane and a kindly, concerned look greeted him, and he was torn between collapsing in relief and hitting himself upside the head for not realising sooner. The blue light, the voice, the familiarity with his name. He blamed the obfuscation of his mind for not recognizing her earlier.

"Grace," he sighed happily, a smile breaking onto his face. "You're alive."

She looked at him, raising an eyebrow at his statement. "Given what you've just done, I think we should reserve the bewilderment for you."

"Right, okay," he agreed, wincing as he put some weight back onto his limbs. "How-" A pained grunt. "-did you you make it?"

"I managed to back into the house and threw myself into the kitchen before the dragon burned the house. A quick freezing spell kept the worst of it away from me, as well as the saddlebags. When I crawled out of there, I heard fighting coming from the edge of the city, but by the time I got there, you were gone and some pegasi were looking down towards the ground. I asked what they were looking at, and they explained that an orange pony had been knocked off the side of the city by the dragon, and then there was a gout of flame and a roaring, echoing bellow, and then...well, you know the rest. I spent some time explaining who we were and what we were doing, and after a while I managed to convince these two to come down and search for you." She nodded to his other side, and he turned obediently.

The first face he saw was that of a stallion, immediately beside him, who gave him a friendly smile. His verdant eyes shone brightly with a childlike mixture of curiosity, awe, and caution, seeming to capture the shine of the stars above and the hue of the grass below into two vibrant spheres. His orange mane was swept back over his head, leaving his eyes free from distraction and accentuating his solid blue coat.

"Hey," the stallion offered in a cheerful but slightly reserved voice. "The name's Cloud Skimmer. Amazing work you did with that dragon."

"Just did what needed to be done," Dawnfire grimaced back, taking in a ragged breath. "Thanks for finding me." Cloud Skimmer chuckled briefly.

"It wasn't anything, really. Besides, if you want to thank anypony, you should thank your friend over here, and Sky Bolt. I just sort of towed along." Dawnfire turned his head the other way, straining his neck back as he remembered that there was in fact have a third pony that he hadn't paid any attention to up util this point, something which he should probably amend immediately considering that she was helping to hold him up. Finally managing to look far enough behind him, he caught a glimpse of the final pony.

It was a mare, her pale, straw coloured mane shaped into a formal and neat cropping, allowing her a short fringe against her beige coat. He had to look down slightly to see her, and found her dark brown eyes gazing up at him cautiously. In stark contrast to Cloud Skimmer and his chirpy, outward attitude, her demeanour was more guarded and formal. After he turned to look at her, she gave him a succinct nod.

"My name is Sky Bolt." Her tone was firm, her speech clipped and concise. He could tell she was a mare who took things seriously, not necessarily rude, but not somepony who you didn't treat with a certain level of respect and sincerity.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Dawnfire replied, shifting his gaze back to Grace. "About my sword-"

"No," she cut him off disapprovingly, instantly figuring out where he was going. "You're too injured to get over there on your own, and I won't help you move unnecessarily for the sake of a cheap iron sword. If you have an internal injury that I didn't pick up, the move could kill you."

"We're going to have to move in order to get back to Canterlot," Dawnfire pointed out. "We're going to have get going at some point, and it doesn't matter which direction we go if I have some internal injury that will kill me if stretch too far." Grace paused as she considered his point, her mouth staying open slightly as she started to form a counter argument. "I've just taken down a dragon, and I'm not giving up because I have a few bruises."

"You've got much worse than bruising! It's a miracle you can even stand!"

"He has a point," Cloud Skimmer spoke up suggestively from Dawnfire's right. Grace looked over at him as he spoke. "If he killed a dragon and survived the fall, he can probably handle walking a few metres to get his sword back."

"Please, Grace," the orange stallion begged her. "It's for my own peace of mind as much as anything else." The mare looked down at him, keeping silent as she considered his request with a pensive look on her face. Finally, she relented.

"Fine. You get the sword, then we get you straight to Canterlot, understand?" The orange stallion nodded readily, and she looked over to the two pegasi almost apologetically. "Are you okay to guide him over to the dragon?"

"Sure, it shouldn't be an issue," Cloud Skimmer replied readily. Giving a nod and a final disapproving look at Dawnfire, Grace motioned for them to start forwards. They began a careful pace, half leading and half supporting the injured stallion as he tenderly lifted one hoof after the other, wincing and gasping with each tentative step. Grace moved her head a little under his neck, trying to keep him from stumbling forwards onto the ground. Gritting his teeth with effort, he forced himself onward, the arduous movement straining his already battered muscles. He was getting closer though, and he held on to that thought. He had started thirty or so metres away, and now he was finding his way closer to it. Twenty metres, then ten metres. His body started to cry, and then scream, in protest, but he pushed the sensations away, trying to detach his will from the pain pounding at his muscles and bones. Less than ten metres. Five, then three, then reaching distance. He let out a groan and leaned quickly against the rough scales of the dragon's snout, letting some of the weight off his abused legs. Taking a few moments to calm his breathing, he looked up, eyes rapidly seeking out the hilt of his sword jutting proudly out of the beast's right eye. Thankfully, the dragon had come to rest on its stomach with its head drooping down, giving him an easier reach up to it. With a repressed grunt, he heaved himself back onto his hooves and staggered forward a little more, stopping next to the beast's lacerated eye in which his sword was embedded. Grasping it between his teeth, and ignoring the pang of pain this sent through his jaw, he tugged it sideways, the blade coming free with a sickly sucking sound. He did his best to ignore it and turned back to his companions.

"Now that you've got your sword, can you please let us take you somewhere where you can be treated?" Grace asked him pointedly. He gave a slow, exaggerated nod. "Good. I doubt that this could have done any good to your injuries nor helped you in any way. I think you-" She stopped suddenly, staring in Dawnfire with her mouth hanging half open. He looked across to the two pegasi only to find them looking at him in the same way, either shocked or awestruck, he couldn't tell. All three of them started to back away slowly, keeping their gazes fixed firmly on Dawnfire- no, they were looking behind him, where they dragon lay. He turned around in confusion, belatedly noticing a rustling sound not unlike the noise of flames starting to catch.

"Dawnfire, get back," Grace called anxiously from a little way behind him. He tried to comply, back-stepping as much as his legs would let him, his sword clasped firmly in his mouth and his gaze locked disbelievingly on the dragon's corpse.

It had started to smolder, spouting glowing orange spots as though reacting to an internal fire. Flakes of skin or scale were drifting upwards like paper caught in an updraft, spiraling skywards like smoke before vanishing as though they had dissolved into the air itself. The glowing spots started shedding skin, large dark layers floating upwards and engulfing themselves in a quick bout of flame, like ash from a fire. The orange glow spread from the patches of shed skin, colouring the beast a bright orange. Suddenly, the hide seemed to combust, the flame spreading quickly to cover the entire dragon and the gentle rustle increasing in volume to a veritable roar. Dawnfire could see the flesh burning away under the intensity of the fire, although it only produced a gentle warmth and didn't seem to be igniting the grass or burning the ground.

An abrupt wind caught him unexpectedly, whistling shrilly past him. He gasped as eldritch light swirled around him, the translucent rays seeming to carry over to him from the flaming corpse of the dragon, which at this point had burned away to its skeleton. The flames diminished, leaving the bones glowing a bright white, still emitting the flow of misty light that was seething around Dawnfire. The stallion felt it pass through his body, simultaneously warming and cooling him, although he felt nothing physical from the mysterious energy itself. His eyes shot open even wider as he felt his fractured rib click, the discomfort taken away immediately, his head clear entirely, and his fetlocks soothe themselves. His muscles relaxed, warmth spreading through them, and his body settled. The flow of energy from the dragon bones stopped, the swirling remnants whirling around him as though he were saturated and it were struggling to find room to fit in. Slowly, all of it disappeared somewhere into his body, and everything fell silent.  The skeleton's bright white luminescence faded until it was dull, the bones cold and motionless, as lifeless as the mighty beast which they had once given strength and structure to.

Dawnfire swallowed, turning around slowly to look at his companions. They were staring at him in shock, none of them uttering a word or making a sound as he looked to each of them in turn. He raised a shaking forehoof to his mouth and took ahold of his sword, bringing it in front of his eyes to take a look at it. The blade was clean. It had no blood or gore on it, no remnants of the eye which it had cut into. Breathing quicker than he would have liked, he sheathed the blade, realising as he did so that he could turn without any difficulty. In fact, he didn't feel any pain at all. He lifted and lowered each leg in turn, finding them all to be perfectly comfortable and with a full range of movement. Taking deep breaths to try and calm his breathing, he looked up again, finding that the others hadn't moved.

He needed answers. A lot of them.


*******************************************************


The flight, although awkward and rather surreal, was speedy and allowed them to arrive by the city gates much more quickly than they could have traveled by hoof. Flying up the mountain alone shaved at least half an hour off of their journey, and getting into the city itself took very little time once the guards realised who they were. Galloping past the Hopesmeade refugee area, they sped through the city streets towards the castle, bounding up the steps and hurling the doors open. Dawnfire gave the corridor a quick look over, spotting a lone guard walking across at the other end. He turned to look as the four ponies hurried towards him.

"Do you know where Princess Celestia is?" the orange stallion asked hurriedly. The guard raised an eyebrow at him and looked over to the other three ponies, all of them panting slightly. Apparently deciding they had reason enough to be in the castle, he nodded and pointed a hoof down the corridor to the left, where he had just came from.

"In the meeting room with Captain Hammerfell. I wouldn't disturb them if I were you."

"Thanks," Dawnfire replied, immediately galloping in that direction. The other three took off after him, following his twists and turns until they finally reached a door where the earth pony stopped. Grace pulled up beside him, panting, followed by the two pegasi, who looked less out of breath than the unicorn.

"Dawnfire, please stop running," Grace said breathlessly. "Your injuries are still-"

"My injuries have healed," the stallion interrupted. "Thank you for your concern, but there's nothing wrong with me anymore. Besides, this takes precedence I think."

"You can't tell me that you've healed completely from what you suffered in a few seconds."

"That's what we're here to ask her about." He pushed open the door and walked into the room, leaving Grace and the two pegasi standing in the hallway. She looked at them, receiving a non-committal shrug from Cloud Skimmer.

"Stupid, stubborn stallion," she muttered to herself, shaking her head as she stepped through the doors.

There had been two occupants in the room before Dawnfire's entry, and both had looked up from a large map sprawled across the table when the doors opened. The large, white alicorn looked surprised to see them, while Captain Hammerfell maintained a stony expression upon seeing the newcomers. His helmet lay on the map, leaving his steely features on display to the room, his red mane swept back and his sharp eyes following the ponies at the door suspiciously.

"Dawnfire, I didn't expect to see you back here so soon," Celestia commented. "Is everything okay?" She looked up at Grace, and across to the two pegasi. Noting the look on their faces, she turned back to Dawnfire. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

The earth pony told her everything; the attack on Cloudsdale, how Grace had allowed them to reach the city, his fight with the dragon, waking up and taking his sword back, the spontaneous combustion of the dragon's corpse, how he'd been healed by it, and their flight to Canterlot. The unicorn and pegasi embellished his story, filling in the details he had missed or what other information they had from their perspective. Throughout it all, the princess had listened intently, turning to each pony as they spoke, clearly not missing a word they said. Hammerfell remained stoically by the table, his eyes flicking to each of the ponies, but otherwise not moving. After everypony had finished, Celestia remained silent for a moment.

"Thank you all, you have done Equestria a great service, and it shall not be forgotten," the great white mare spoke at last. "This dire event brings to light a serious issue, however, and I hope you can forgive me for delaying your appropriate rewards."

"Princess, do you have any idea what happened to me?" Dawnfire asked. Celestia looked at him with a hint of curiosity, and a pensive expression played across her face.

"I have a theory, but I may well be wrong." She looked around, then, spotting what she was looking for, hovered over a quill and a slip of paper. Scribbling a quick note, she put the quill aside and looked at Dawnfire. Taking a quick breath, she closed her eyes, the paper vapourising into a swirl of smoke. She waited, looking expectantly at Dawnfire. Seconds passed, everypony in the room remaining silent, wondering what was going to happen.

Nothing.

After a minute had gone by, she nodded. "I apologise for not giving you any explanation there. I was wondering if you would be able to make the note reappear."

The stallion' mouth twitched in confusion and embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise that I was supposed to do anything."

"You wouldn't have. If my theory had been correct, you would have made the paper reappear without consciously trying to."

"Could that work?" Grace asked, quickly inspecting Dawnfire. "I didn't realise that earth ponies had any magic ability."

"Earth ponies don't have magic ability," Celestia replied, "but my theory didn't necessarily require an earth pony. It could apply to any race of pony, including Dawnfire here."

"But how-" Dawnfire began before being cut off by a sudden warm expansion in his stomach. He raised a forehoof to his mouth and dropped his head, fearing he might be sick, feeling the warmth rising into his throat. Oh no, not here, not now. The last thing he needed was to vomit in front of Princess Celestia, and for no discernible reason. He tried holding it in, forcing the sensation back down, but it persisted, pushing its way upwards until it had reached his mouth. Eyes bulging, he felt the pressure build, forcing his mouth open and-

He belched smoke. The smoke solidified into a slip of paper, which was immediately ensconced in a golden glow and lifted up. Dawnfire turned to look at the other ponies in the room, noticing their disgusted looks. Grace was shaking her head at him in disapproval.

"I assure you all, Dawnfire was not being rude." They all turned to face Celestia, who was holding the note in her magic, smiling slightly. "He actually fulfilled my test, and I expected it to turn out this way, although much sooner than this. He did manage to make my note reappear, and I am now certain that I can explain your experience with the dragon." She turned her attention to the two pegasi and Grace. "You told me that you saw an energy flow from the dragon into Dawnfire?" The three ponies nodded their confirmation, and she refocused her kindly gaze on the orange earth pony. "You told me that the dragon combusted, that it burned away down to its skeleton, and that nothing was left but bone, and that you felt healed by the experience?"

"Yes," he agreed. "There was nothing else left." No blood on my sword. The princess nodded as though expecting this answer.

"When you slew the dragon and stood close to its body, you absorbed its soul, Dawnfire." A thick silence fell across the room. Dawnfire's eyes widened in surprise, and his mouth worked uselessly as he tried to find words. At last, he managed to break the silence.

"But...how? And why?"

"I didn't know if it were true until you managed to make the note reappear, but now I am certain. This is a clear sign of dragon magic, an ability that was awakened in you after you absorbed the dragon soul and ingested its knowledge. I believe that you are the Dragonborn."

"What's a Dragonborn?" came Cloud Skimmer's voice from behind Dawnfire. Celestia looked over the overwhelmed orange stallion to make her reply.

"They are rare and powerful beings, and it seems that Dawnfire is the Dragonborn of this era. There hasn't been one for thousands of years, and they'll likely not be one for thousands of years after him. Born with the body of a mortal and the soul of a dragon, they have the innate abilities of dragonkind. Nopony know their true purpose, although it has been said that they usually appear in times of great peril. I think that the last recorded Dragonborn was Galmar Stone-Claw, who unified the Griffons into a cohesive force, and it was because of him the the Griffon Kingdom exists today."

"And if we have a Dragonborn now, it means we're in a dire situation," Hammerfell grunted from across the table. His gravelly voice drew Dawnfire's attention, and he turned to look at the unicorn, who was fixing Dawnfire with an iron gaze. "He's not just a Dragonborn, he's THE Dragonborn, the one destined to pull us through this situation. He's meant to be able to take control of dragons, strike fear into the hearts of armies by shouting at them, and to turn the tide of battle just by showing up." His jaw tightened. "Up until he came to me, he hadn't even handled a sword. If he really is the Dragonborn, we really are in a dire situation."

"He's already taken down a dragon," Cloud Skimmer spoke up. Hammerfell flicked his eyes over to the pegasus, and Dawnfire looked around to face him. "He's saved Cloudsdale, absorbed a dragon's soul, and healed miraculously," the blue stallion continued, looking to Dawnfire and offering an encouraging smile. "I believe he can pull us through whatever's going on."

Dawnfire weakly returned Cloud's smile, trying to take the positivity from his support. I'm glad you believe in me, he thought to himself, groaning internally, because I have no idea what to do.

His quest had just become a lot harder.