I flew through the early light of dawn following the pendants familiar glow, and pondered on what had happened back in the caves. Dragons…Somehow I doubted anypony would believe me, or Nimble for that matter. I hoped he would be alright and that he wouldn’t get himself into strife with his superiors. Although a bit of a chatterbox, he was an intelligent young stallion and would be quite capable of concocting some sort of cock and bull story to cover his back.

My travelling companion on the other hoof, continued to cling to my back like a leathery black limpet. I thought she’d have become bored by now and flown off back home, but she was still here nuzzling into my mane. I hoped dragon slobber washed out. I was surprised though, that Barathel had not seemed to mind her going, nor did he seem as hell bent on killing us as I thought a father would be. Actually, come to think of it, was Barathel a male or female? I had no idea.

Pursuit had disappeared along with the disaster in the caves. From what Nimble had told me, it seemed there was nothing mysterious about the army chasing me after all…they all were. How nice it was to be wanted! This sort of attention though, I could really do without. Anyway, they’d probably be licking their wounds for a while and may think twice about coming after me again. With any luck they’d even think I’d died in the caves, but hope springs eternal!

I flew high and in the cloud layer as much as I could to avoid detection. This journey was really beginning to wear me down though; day after day, through wind and rain, I struggled on, finding shelter in forests, barns, anything that would give me a safe place for the night. When I had to, I would release a little of the magic at night to help ward off potential predators whilst I slept. Mostly all it caught were mice and the odd rabbit in its deadly embrace. Seeing their frozen bodies like that wrenched at my heart, but I had to think of myself, or rather Shadow, first. I was relieved it didn’t affect Tarragon though, and she continued to sleep happily on my back unless she wanted to wander off looking for food.

I’d come to the point where I’d quite literally lost track of the time I’d been flying…how many days had it been now? I was beginning to think there was something wrong with the bloody pendant after all, I mean, it had been designed around a thousand years ago or something like that, hadn’t it? How could it still be working properly now? I held the thing up before me and as always, it shone brightest to the north, as indeed it had done since I left Smiling Borders. I sighed, hanging my head. Goddesses, I needed a bath.

As luck would have it, in the distance I could make out the telltale rainbow of a waterfall. And where theres waterfalls, theres often pools for a tired pony to relaxed and wash. A sudden wiff of unwashed equine caught in my nose, Celestia’s furry arse I needed a bath! With a whinny, I dived down to the river below and circled, checking for any unwelcome visitors, before landing and hastily dumping my kit. Getting that weight off my back was a relief in itself.

My dragonling passenger leapt off my back and clicked her funny little language before waddling up to the lake and taking a long drink. For some reason, she reminded me of shadow at a distance. The black leathery look, the odd clicking and hooting language, maybe they were related somewhere along the line? I still preferred hooves to claws though, as although small, the dragon’s talons dug in like bloody needles. Fortunately, my gear had decent enough padding and she seemed happy with that so long as she could nuzzle into my mane.

I’d have to think of a name for her, and hopefully something that didn’t come back to bite me on the arse later too. I didn’t know anything about dragons except the one’s I’d read about when I was a young colt, ‘Tarragon, the terror of the east’. I’d loved that book, it was supposedly about a fire dragon that annihilated a number of towns on the east coast of Equestria before being hunted down and captured by pegasi. In the end, they’d banished the destructive dragon to the north with a magical ward to stop it ever coming here again. I guess the soldiers had that in mind for me as well, courtesy of the lovely Celestia no doubt. What the hell was it with ‘the north’, was it really that bad?

I reached over and fussed the little creature on the head. She butted my hoof with her head, closing her eyes and chirruping in what I could only think was a happy manner.

“Do you have a name already?” I asked her; always best to ask right? She cocked her head to one side watching me quizzically but then seemed to give up on understanding the strange pony in front of her and began biting at muck between her claws, “Right then, Tarragon it is. Do like that little lady?”

The dragon didn’t seem to understand, but I imagine they take an enormous amount of time to develop. How old was Barathel after all? How old was Tarragon?

I offered her a piece of oat cake from my pack, which she sniffed at before emitting a snort of displeasure. Of course…carnivores, hope she didn’t fancy pony any time soon. Darting off back to the pool, Tarragon stood carefully on the edge of a rock and dangled her long red tongue into the water. Seconds later, there was a splash and her head darted in quick as lightning. My initial reaction was shock, thinking my diminutive friend had fallen in, when she suddenly pulled her back triumphantly waving a rather large fish in her jaws.

“Show off…” I muttered to her, stepping into the water. She squawked at me and returned to her dinner.

The river water was bitterly cold but intensely refreshing on my hide. I could feel the filth, blood and general build-up of days sloughing away in the river side pool. Checking the pendant once again, it confirmed that I was still on course. With Luna’s grace, hopefully I was nearing my destination.

I scrubbed myself well and towelled off as best I could, laying it out on a rock afterwards to dry in the sun. Tarragon rushed off into the woods, squawking at something she probably wanted to eat. For myself, I leaned back on the warm rocks, using my packs as a pillow. Rummaging in my pack for the case of accoutrements, I treated my mane to a damned good brushing out. I was really glad Tingles had made me take her spare grooming set now, despite my initial misgivings about needing the thing and it taking up valuable space in my pack. Goddesses, that felt so good! Next, I gave my tail a good service. The white streak had some stubborn stains in it and I was beginning to wish I’d brought a shampoo, rather than just soap, to help me get the damned knots out. A tangled tail was no joke and the comb would catch and pull painfully.

Mum used to tell me off as a foal for running through thickets and brambles, catching all sorts of things in my mane and tail which she would then fuss over getting out. I’m sure she used to deliberately pull hard on the comb to make her point, and I bet she was doing the same with Sparrow now too, the awkward old mare. Raising a hoof to my eye, I felt a tear welling up and wiped it away…I missed them, all of them. Sometimes I just…

I sighed, these melancholy moods of mine were never helpful; I needed company. Speaking of which, where was Tarragon? She’d been gone for ages which was unusual for her, normally she didn’t stray far at all or for long. I left my gear by the river and walked into the tree’s at the edge of the woodland calling for her. It was quite dark in here, not much natural light could penetrate through the thick canopy above.

“Tarragon? Where are you?...Tarragon!…”

Still no reply, I was starting to get worried now. I thought about going back to get my kit, but I was too far in now to go back, and what if she was hurt? I took a grip on my magic and let it flow through me gently, just enough to enhance my senses and be ready in case I needed it.

I could ‘feel’ the forest all around me, smell the leaf mould, the damp soil beneath my hooves. In the distance I could hear the eerie cries of deer, the chirrup of crickets and…something else…something nearer, a muffled shrieking noise…Tarragon!

I homed in on the noise and charged forward, the cries growing louder. I could smell something now too, burning, like roasted…oh goddesses no!

Bursting through the tree’s I was met with a sight beyond my worst imaginings. Tied to a spit was Tarragon, being roasted over a fire by large dog like bipeds. The beady eyed beasts hadn’t noticed me and were busy gutting rabbits, throwing their skinned bodies into a pot.

Tarragon shrieked in pain and fear as the flames licked around her, her captors callously ignoring her plight. Without pause, I magicked a blast of icy wind at the fire and with a gout of ash and steam the source of her torment was instantly transformed into a mass of ice. Using my sharp teeth, I quickly severed the tight bindings and flipped the little dragon onto my back. I could tend to her injuries later, right now…

I turned to look at the foul things that had done this, baring my teeth and hissing out my anger at what they had done. I could feel the power, the hatred rising inside me…how could they? How could any being do this to another? I advanced on them, thick plumes of freezing fog rolling out from my hind legs, turning the ground and trees into cracking, splintering solid lumps of ice.

The dog creatures drew knives and gabbled at each other in some sort of pigeon equestrian. I wasn’t listening, I didn’t care. These filth had dared to attack one of my friends, they didn’t deserve mercy…they would receive none. The dog things turned and ran, shrieking into the woodland and I followed. Howling my fury at their fleeing forms, a well aimed blast from my horn turned one of them into flying chunks of meat. Panicking, the second creature tripped and I was on him in an instant, my fangs sinking into his throat and ripping out his windpipe. I savoured the taste of his life energy as it poured into my open maw, replenishing and revitalising me.

Tarragon squawked and I noticed her warning just in time as a spear flew past my ear and embedded itself into a tree with a ‘thunk’. There were even more of the dog creatures now, and they were taking cover in the thick undergrowth. An arrow flew towards me and I barely had time to bring a shield up to knock it away. More spears, more arrows…the bloody things were getting cocky, but the show wasn’t over yet. I’d teach these filth a lesson they’d never forget…my lips curled back baring my teeth, winter had arrived…

The burning desire for vengeance concentrated my magic to a white hot fury, unleashing a roiling wave of mist and fog out toward the source of the attack. I smiled to myself, watching in grim satisfaction as the ground froze beneath its inexorable path. For added measure, I breathed deeply, focussing my magic into my horn and unleashed a blue hell into the trees and bushes before me. The crackling beam of lethal magic swept from left to right at almost ground level, cutting through tree and bush, both wood and rock alike exploding into splintered fragments.

Blood curdling cries and agonised screams accompanied the onslaught until, eventually, silence fell once more upon the forest. Not even the birds sang now, my blind anger and fury had brought a swathe of death and destruction to this once idyllic place. Nature was resilient though, it could rebuild what was destroyed, mend the scars and grow anew. Not so my friend, that was my role.

I felt Tarragon shudder and she whimpered pitifully on my back, bringing me back to my senses; she needed my help. Lifting her off my back in my magic, I lay her gently on a carpet of leaves and knelt over the little dragon. Checking her over, I felt unbidden tears sting my eyes at the sight of the ravaged body of my friend; those bastard creatures had really done a number on her. Blood and burns covered her from nose to tail, her minute scales cracked and blistered from the instense heat of the fire. The young dragon looked up at me, her green eyes pleading with me. She was my friend and by the goddesses, I would do what I could to help her now.

I felt the familiar feeling of magic unleash a small stream of the silver blue fluid into my mouth, which I drizzled onto her wounds. Carefully, I rubbed it all over the small body with my hooves, watching with relief as her hide steadily repaired itself and the rapid rise and fall of her chest returned to normal.

I picked her up, sinking to my haunches and cradled the young dragon, “You silly little thing, don’t you ever, ever run off again like that again, do you understand?”

She nuzzled my chest as I held her in my forelegs, the little creature had become quite special to me; she’d abandoned her home, risked her life and for what? To help a pony she’d never met before? Equestria was truly full of wonders. I put back her on the ground and, keeping my magic ready, walked over to where the arrows and spears had come from. I wanted a closer look at the things that could commit such an act of evil.

There wasn’t much left to see, that was intact anyway. Scattered around me were the bloodied body parts of burnt and frozen dog creatures. There must have been around four of them here, but it was hard to tell now; I didn’t think it too many. One of them however, still mostly intact, was still just barely alive. Its lips moved, it was trying to say something,

“Why? Why you attack us?”

I leaned down to face the mangled beast, “Why did you try to burn my friend alive?”

“We…need meat, to survive…lizard is meat…”

I shook my head, “I think you’ve got this the wrong way round, friend.” I moved my muzzle close to the dog things ear and whispered, “You see, she needs meat to survive too. And, from what I can see,” I smiled, “…she’s hungry for yours…”

Tarragon looked to me and I nodded.

The creature cried out as Tarragon began to take her fill, and later, when it was ready, I took my fill of the beast’s life energy. Sated, we both headed back to the river and recovered my gear. I felt a strange feeling down inside…was that guilt? I shrugged, maybe, but now there would be no more mercy for the cruel and wicked. Where once there had been the watch, now there was only the corruption of the commissioner. Wherever I was, I would bring my own justice and to hell with anypony, anything, that tried to hurt that which was special to me. The feeling I had, as I soared up into the blue sky, Tarragon snuggled into my back, was one of…liberation.