Twilight walked alongside Draven and the others down the winding mountain path surrounded by towering evergreens. Everything in the Blacklands seemed much larger, almost prehistoric. She had to admit, the rugged terrain of the Blacklands was quite daunting, and her whole body tingled with curiosity at the thought of exploring it all. The birds were vibrant and exquisite; strange parrots and giant dragonflies flew about the treetops. Every creature was as fascinating and alien as the last.

"So... This is a shortcut?" Twilight asked as she squinted ahead at the exhaustingly long trail.

"I know what you're thinking... and yes, it is. You're lucky we didn't take the long route." Draven replied with a jolly tone in his voice. "I have no doubt Spike and the others probably took this path as well. Most who are in the tournament do."

Twilight thought for a moment. There was something that had been bothering her for a while since her rescue at the Changeling Embassy. Not letting the opportunity slip, she popped a question to Draven; finding it appropriate, as she knew it would be hours before they would reach the top of the mountain.

"Hey. Draven?" Twilight said with an anxious expression pasted on her face.

"What is it, lass?" Draven answered.

"Back at the Changeling Embassy... I was wondering what kind of magic that was that you used when fighting Constantine. It was thunder-magic no doubt, but... what were those wings?" Twilight wondered. "I have never seen anything like that before."

"I admire your curiosity, lass!" Draven chuckled. "But I must warn you first, it's quite a lengthy explanation."

"We have time," Twilight said as she looked up to Draven.

"I was hoping you'd say that!" Draven admitted as he looked up to the top of the mountain "You see, there isn't just one type of dragon you know."

"Elaborate," Twilight said, intrigued by the statement.

"You ponies have your own subsets... your own races. Earthponies, pegasi, unicorns, and alicorns all have different specialties and unique skills. To the surprise of many ponies, we dragons have our own categories too."

"You mean like frost dragons, fire dragons, and other various elemental types?" Twilight suggested.

"Well, yes there is that, but what I am talking about is somewhat different. Some dragons have wings you see, whilst others don't. Winged-dragons are called Awyr-Dreigiau in our tongue, which actually means 'Sky-Dragons' in your speech." Draven explained. "These kinds of dragons are a lot like pegasi in both magical ability and physical ability. They are quick, and they can manipulate the air and winds around them, and because of their own unique abilities, they are not placed in the classes of regular Dreigiau."

"What does this have to do with you?" Twilight asked, raising her left brow and cupping her chin in her hand.

"Hold on, lass, I'm getting there," Draven replied sharply. "Ahem. As I was saying... this is where the lines get blurred on what category a dragon is in for most who are not our kind. Non-winged dragon categories are defined by blood. The first category is a strong and hardy kind, the Cyffredin-Dreigiau, or 'Common-Dragon' is a lower class of dragons with less potent magic-blood, or in this case, the dragon equivalent to an earthpony. Our blood is what determines our magical potential as you can see."

"What about you?" Twilight wondered.

"Ah, see this is where it gets interesting," Draven said with a childlike excitement. "Higher-up dragons are the unicorns of the Dreigiau, also called Hud-Dreigiau, or 'Magic-Dragons'. Their blood is pure, and bursting with magical potential. This category specializes in using only certain types of magic that agree with their blood, which is where elements of magic come into play."

"Is that where you and Spike fit in?" Twilight inquired as she looked back to Fluttershy and Gin for a brief moment.

"Which brings me to the last category of dragons... the Arglwydd-Dreigiau, or 'Lord Dragons'," Draven said with a smirk. "These dragons are among the strongest of our kind and are the elite force within our kin that have the combined powers of all the other classes. They are usually high-ranking nobles of pure blood and the sons and daughters of Elemental Dragon-kings, the alicorns of Dreigiau. This is where Spike and I fit within the categories."

"So his magic is as strong as me, or Celestia?!" Twilight gasped; she never thought Spike had such magical potential.

"Well, not yet... but he has the potential to surpass you, and others," Draven informed her as he looked up the trail ahead.

"I had... no idea." Twilight admitted as she held her head in disbelief.

"When a Lord-Dragon reaches a certain level of power, he gains his adenydd, or his 'wings'," Draven said. "The adenydd allow Lord-Dragons to unlock their full magical-potential. They are a sign of wisdom and power"

"So that's what those wings were." Twilight thought out-loud.

"I want Spike to learn more about who he is, and what he can become." Draven cheered with intensity and pride. "I want him to unlock his power with training. Like I had unlocked my power when his father taught me... I owe it to the both of them."

"I understand. It's just-, I don't want him to get hurt along the way. He's more than my best friend... he's my brother." Twilight said with worry as she looked towards the ground, processing it all.

"You remind me of myself at your age. Spike's father was my brother too, and I loved him like my own blood. Although we were some years apart, we grew up together as if we were twins." Draven uttered with a warm smile. "I promise you Twilight, I will look after him like you would, with all my heart."

Twilight replied with a smile and compassionate eyes as she heard his comforting words, and the load on her shoulders seemed lighter than ever. Despite their brief time together, Twilight felt at ease around Draven. He had this sort of magnetic aura about him that drew ponies in, comforted them. Twilight could tell the bond between Draven and Spike's father was strong, as strong as her connection to Spike. Twilight gave a light sigh as she walked along the trail for a short while, taking in the scenery. Though, this was not to last. The calm was soon broken when Draven put his arm out and stopped Twilight and the others.

"What is it?" Fluttershy asked nervously; noticing Draven's eyes narrow to look further ahead.

"Captain, what's going on?" Gin said in confusion.

Draven was silent for a few seconds before replying, and he turned his head slowly as he looked back to Twilight and the others. "We've been followed," Draven whispered as he jolted his head to the side and closed his eyes, picking up on a barely audible rustle in a nearby brush and faint traces of dark energy.

Fluttershy began to feel on edge. Not because she was scared, but because she could sense the presence of over a dozen immortals closing in on her and her friend's position. She could hear the sharp fangs and claws extending from behind the thick forest in the distance. They were closing in for the kill.

"Vampires..." Fluttershy had thought to herself nervously; her instincts screamed at her as she clenched her teeth. Were they coming for her?

"I don't like this..." Gin muttered as she reached to grab her blunderbuss strapped to her shoulder.

Twilight readied her magic, casting a sensory spell to survey the surroundings. Her eyesight became infrared, scanning the trees only to find that there were no heat signatures of any kind.

"I can't spot anything with my magic!" Twilight said softly, but with much frantic desperation.

"That's because they don't have a heat trace! We're being ambushed by vampires!" Draven said in a panic. "They're moving too fast to be anything else."

"Vampires?! Here?! Why are they this far out of their territory?" Gin's breath became rapid and uneasy as she pressed the butt of her gun to her shoulder.

"I don't know, but I can hear them clearer now, and they're coming right at us," Draven said, opening his eyes and sharpening his vision.

"What do we do?" Twilight asked as she readied her offensive magic.

"They're using the cover of the trees to avoid the sun. If we stay out in the middle of the road we should be safe." Draven said as his fists became engulfed in electricity. "Fluttershy and Gin, you stay in the middle. Twilight and I will cover the two sides of the road."

"It's a cloudy day... do you think it's enough? Gin inquired as she raised her blunderbuss to the nearest opening in the thicket.

"We have no other choice but hope for the best. We're surrounded." Draven said as he raised his hands. "Here they come!"

The rapid rustling in the forest became quiet for a brief moment; catching the group off guard before a wall of red eyes glowed brightly behind the bushes, then a maelstrom of magic attacks shot wildly from both sides. Twilight raised a large magical bubble in defense whilst Draven let out a burst of lightning, scorching the trees and bushes, and sending deafening crackling-noises throughout the forest, along with shrieks from the attackers. After the attack from Draven subsided, another wave of magical force began to wear on Twilight's defensive spell, causing the sides of the magical dome to slowly crack.

"Your turn! I'll cover you!" Draven bellowed as he raised his hands high to summon a wall of surging electricity in a protective circle.

Twilight lowered her shield and began firing off shots of purple arcane energy at visible targets, and followed up with a flash of light that knocked back multiple enemies on Draven's side. A vampire on her side attempted to claw Draven but was halted by a blast from Gin's scattergun; sending him flying backward behind the trees.

"Get down! Now!" Draven shouted as he released a blast of lightning that struck multiple vampires with a loud boom.

When the attack subsided, Draven lowered his hands and let out a sigh of both exhaustion and relief to see that they were retreating.

"Is it... over?" Twilight panted as she fell to one knee.

"I think so," Draven said as he looked to the now scarred terrain around him.

"There's one over here!" Gin said as she looked down at an injured vampire; steaming as the rays of the sun shone on his pale body.

"Who sent you?!" Draven said as he effortlessly picked up the vampire by his collar.

"Să use înece în frică, muritorii! Să se înece în frică, muritorii!" The burning vampire sneered maliciously. "Dragon dezgustător!"

"What is he saying?" Gin asked.

"He is speaking in vampire-tongue," Twilight stated as she observed the pale stallion.

"Speak so I can understand you! You filthy bloodsucker!" Draven yelled as he shook the vampire violently.

"Vestitor... The Harbinger of Frică... Fear." The struggling vampire hissed. "He shall drain the muritori of their life, and smite those not loyal to his majesty! Arrragghh!"

The vampire let out an agonizing cry as he burst into flames; Draven dropping him to the ground as he did so. Fluttershy turned away and wept as the stallion writhed and convulsed in pain for what seemed like forever, then falling silent as his skeleton disintegrated into ash that was swept away by the wind. Twilight held Fluttershy for a moment to comfort her. She knew Fluttershy was sensitive to such things as this, and this was the only thing Twilight knew to do when comforting Fluttershy. She wiped away her tears eventually, and broke-off from the compassionate embrace shortly after; allowing Gin to put an arm around her in sorrow.

"There was nothing we could do... the prolonged exposure to the sun was going to kill him even if we brought him into the shade." Gin reassured Fluttershy.

"I wish he could have died in peace... He was a pony once too." Fluttershy cried.

"He was trying to kill us-!" Draven stopped when he saw Twilight gesture to him to be silent.

Draven stepped forward and took his hat off in shame; disappointed by his words of hatred towards the vampire. Regardless of what he believed about vampires, he knew that in his heart it was not right to dishonor the dead, evil or otherwise.

"I'm... I'm sorry Fluttershy. Not even a cutthroat like him deserved a fate like that." Draven admitted; feeling empathy for the sensitive mare. "Are you okay to move on?"

Fluttershy nodded as she wiped away her remaining tears slowly, and Gin removed her hands from her shoulder as she sniffled a little.

"Yes... let's get going." Fluttershy whimpered as a half-smile replaced her frown.

Twilight Put her arm around Fluttershy as they walked up the trail whilst Gin and Draven stayed behind the two. Gin seemed uneasy about the whole situation that took place, and walked alongside Draven, leaning in a little as she whispered to him.

"Hey, do you know who this 'Harbinger' is?" Gin said softly.

"As a matter of fact I do," Draven said in a grave tone of voice. "The Sorcerer of Fear, Alptraum, has been known to be associated with vampires. He has even been rumored to have created vampirism in the First Age for his followers so that they could rule the Blacklands with him as immortals."

"Do ya really believe that it was the Sorcerer that the vampire had referred to?" Gin inquired.

"Undoubtedly," Draven replied. "With Leere's impending return, it would make sense for Alptraum to return to this realm as well to spread fear across the world once more."

"Why attack us, though? Why are we special?" Gin asked, peering into the woods, still somewhat cautious of another ambush.

Draven looked up and stared at Fluttershy for a moment, then looked back to Gin slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible. "I'm not too sure Fluttershy's being honest with us..."

Author's Notes:

Hope you enjoyed! Sorry if there was a little wait! I had a break from school and didn't really do much for a while. (Sorry!)

P.S - If you're wondering, the language of dragons is Welsh (Although in the story that's not what it's called...) and the language of vampires is Romanian (Which I think sounds perfect for vampires! My opinion though...)