Chapter 20: The Everfree (Part 1)

The Everfree Forest. A gargantuan wood settled precariously close to Ponyville. Under its shaded branches great and terrible magic could be felt. The clouds moved by themselves, the plants grew on their own, and the creatures who lived there fended for their own wellbeing. The Everfree was truly a strange and wondrous place, but also one of great peril for any who dared enter.

Before Sun Cloak’s challenge, few ponies had ever even considered entering the dark Forest. But the allure of great treasure had pushed many beyond their normal boundaries and a host of brave adventurers had made their way to Ponyville, believing the Everfree Forest to hold the treasure they were after.

This is the same Forest that the Royal Treasure Seekers stood at the edge of. Fluttershy looked up until she could make out the tips of the tallest trees and then moved her eyes down to the dark path at her feet. Her legs trembled and she swallowed hard before taking a deep breath. She followed her friends into the dim lit woods.

All was strangely quiet. Only the sound of the ponies’ hooves clacking on the small dirt path and the chitter of a loud bug or two could be heard. Fluttershy moved her head at the slightest crack of a stick under her hooves, but Twilight and the others hadn’t seemed to notice that anything was off.

“So, the plan is to get to Zecora’s house,” Twilight was explaining to Rainbow Dash as they walked along. “We can take a quick break and maybe grab a snack. After that we’ll have our work cut out for us. It’s a long walk to the abandoned castle.”

“Right!” replied Dash. “That’s why I want to skip the stop at Zecora’s and head straight to the castle. It’ll give us more time to solve the next puzzle.”

“Yes…” Twilight nodded her head reluctantly, “but I haven’t seen Zecora for a while and I really wanted to drop by while we were in the area.”

“How about we put it up to a vote then?” asked Rainbow.

“Alright,” agreed Twilight. She turned her head to the side so she could see everyone behind her. “Ok everypony. What do you want to do? We could either stop by Zecora’s house and take a break or we could march directly to the abandoned castle and have some extra time to solve the next puzzle.”

A quiet murmuring came from those behind Twilight as they scratched their heads and thought about their options.

Rarity was the first to speak her mind. “I, for one, would like to stop and take a breather.” She was sweating under her bundle of clothing and panting.

“So that’s one for stopping,” Twilight counted. “Anypony else?”

“I’d like to get to the castle,” Applejack piped up.

“Noted.” Twilight nodded.

“I’m fine either way!” Pinkie said.

“So we have one for the castle, one for Zecora’s, and one for either,” Rainbow recapped. “That doesn’t help much.”

“I’d like to take a break,” Spike announced. “My back is killing me!”

“Spike,” said Twilight. “You’re riding on my back.”

“Exactly!” he replied. “Sitting on your back for too long gets to my back.”

Twilight gave him one of those looks. Spike didn’t notice as he sat happily on Twilight’s back.

“What about you Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash flew over to the yellow mare. Dash nudged her gently with a hoof. “Come on, the sooner we get to the castle the sooner we can all go home.”

Fluttershy was standing still. All of her friends turned to look at her and she froze.

“I…um…uh…I…” she stammered. Rainbow Dash smiled at her, silently urging her to choose the castle. “…I…” Fluttershy closed her eyes and took a calming breath. “I think that I’d like to see Zecora.”

“Zecora’s it is!” said Twilight happily.

“Fine, but let’s not stay too long. Ok?” pleaded Rainbow Dash.

The group continued into the thick foliage. They were headed to Zecora’s house. For whatever reason, the zebra had taken up residence in the untamed Everfree Forest. Perhaps it was because Zecora was a potion maker and the Forest provided many unique plants or perhaps it was for other reasons entirely. But, heedless of her reason for living there, the friends made quick time and soon were standing outside Zecora’s house.

Her house was actually a hollowed out tree. The tree had grown up twisted, but it was incredibly thick which made for a good living space. Zecora had adorned her house with many wooden masks and other such items from her homelands. Those masks bid welcome to the Royal Treasure Seekers as they knocked on her front door.

The sounds of bubbling water were coming from inside the hollow tree and the clack of hooves could be heard coming ever closer to the door. Soon, the door was opened and Zecora was standing before the seven travelers.

Zecora smiled warmly at the group. “Welcome my friends! Come in and rest. From what I have heard, you are on quite a quest.”

The friends walked inside Zecora’s house. They marveled at the numerous potions which lined the cupboards and cabinets and they noticed the many petals and leaves which were drying on her tables. They all took a seat in the one area of the house that wasn’t cluttered with papers, bottles, and plants.

“I am sorry about the mess,” Zecora apologized. “But I have been busy, I must confess.”

“Busy sounds like an understatement,” Applejack gasped as she looked at the clutter. “What have ya’ been up to?”

Zecora walked over to a bubbling pot in the middle of her house and started to stir and throw in ingredients as she replied. “Many ponies have been to the Forest of late. They did not know of its dangers so great. It has been my goal to these dangers abate. And so I’ve made potions for those met with poor fate.”

Spike looked around at all the potions lying on the table and a few broken vials which littered the floor. “So, you’re making potions to help the ponies who got hurt in the Forest?” he asked.

Zecora nodded and continued her work. “But my greatest work has been in curing Poison Joke. Many walk into it blindly, those poor pony folk.”

Rarity tilted her head toward Rainbow Dash and smiled a smug little smirk. “Ha! I knew this outfit would be useful!”

“Yeah, but we already know about Poison Joke,” Dash brushed her remark off. “We’d have to be stupid if we ever walked into those blue flowers again.”

Rarity crossed her front hooves and snorted. “Hmph.”

Zecora stopped stirring and took in a long sniff of the bubbling brew. She seemed pleased and ladled some of its contents into a vial. She swirled the potion in the vial and gave it one final look over. Then, she smiled and placed it on her crowded table.

“Now then,” Zecora turned around and truly looked at her guests. “Tell me, why are you here? Is the treasure you seek perhaps so near?”

“Not that we know of,” Twilight spoke. “We believe that Sun Cloak’s next clue is leading to the ruined castle here in the Everfree Forest, but I don’t think that the hunt will end there.”

“Ah, I see,” Zecora nodded her head. “Then there’s something you should know. Some ponies never left, though they entered long ago.”

The room became strangely silent. Only the small annoying buzz of a lone fly could be heard as the little insect tried vainly to exit through one of Zecora’s windows.

Spike gulped. “W-What do you mean, ‘never left’?” To help put his mind at ease, he walked over and opened the window a crack for the fly.

“I mean what I said,” replied Zecora sadly. “They never left; their fate I dread.”

Spike tried not to pay attention to the fearful words, but they only become more potent as he watched the little fly buzz out of Zecora’s window only to get gobbled up by a carnivorous plant. Spike shrieked and slammed the window closed. He began to shiver uncontrollably.

“Spike, are you ok?” asked Twilight, who hadn’t seen what happened to the fly.

Spike ran over to Twilight and looked at her with big, scared eyes. “T-Twilight. What if we never leave?”

Twilight chuckled at his antics. “Oh Spike. Don’t be silly! We’ve been in the Everfree Forest plenty of times now and we’ve always come out just fine.”

“But,” Fluttershy interrupted and raised a hoof to get everyone’s attention. “What about that time that you got turned to stone?”

This comment did not help Spike who began to whimper.

“Well yes,” agreed Twilight nonchalantly, “but I got out in the end. Thanks to you of course, Fluttershy.” She nodded toward the yellow pegasus. Then, Twilight placed a caring hoof around Spike and looked him lovingly in the eyes. “So don’t worry. We’ll be alright.”

“Y-You mean it?” stammered Spike.

“Absolutely.” Twilight smiled.

Spike started to breathe normally and he stopped trembling as much as before.

“It is true that you have braved the Forest and returned,” Zecora entered the conversation in a very stern voice. “But let not this warning be spurned.” She quickly got the attention of those seated in her home. “The Forest of late has been acting quite bizarre. It has grown more deadly than you think, by far. The many ponies who entered have disturbed this place. It will surely give even you seven less grace.”

Now it was everyone’s turn to gulp.

“S-So the Everfree is acting even m-more strangely than usual?” stammered Fluttershy.

Zecora nodded with a deadly serious look in her eyes.

“You know what?” Spike huffed nervously. “I think that I’ll just wait here while you guys go out and search.”

“And I’ll keep you company!” Fluttershy added quickly. She smiled, but her teeth were chattering.

“Come on you two!” Rainbow Dash groaned and dashed behind them. “Don’t be so scared of everything! We’ll be fine! Now come on, we’ve got a puzzle to solve!” She gave them each a good shove and they lurched forward and out the door.

Dash followed them out quickly and also blocked their way back into Zecora’s house. “Hey! Are you guys coming?” she shouted back into the house.

The others soon came out.

“Thanks for lettin’ us take a breather.” Applejack nodded gratefully as she stepped out the front door.

Twilight was a bit more hesitant to leave than the others. “Zecora, thanks for the warning. We’ll try to be careful. Just stay safe yourself, ok?”

Zecora chuckled softly. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be just fine. But one more thing, stay no later than nine.”

“We won’t stay in the Everfree a minute longer,” Twilight promised before walking out the door to join her friends.

She shut the door behind her and quickly readjusted her pack until she was happy.

“Did I hear Zecora say something?” asked Rarity.

“Yes,” Twilight replied. “She said that we shouldn’t stay in the Everfree Forest past nine o’clock.”

“But it’s already three!” screamed Rainbow. “Come on then!” she urged and ran off. “We’ve only got a few hours to get to that castle!”

* * * * * * * * *

Rarity was puffing, panting, and sweating beneath her bundle of clothes but a single sight before her made her smile. It was the sight of a lone bridge, suspended over a vast canyon. On the other side of this bridge lay the rubble of a long crumbled structure. This structure was once the proud castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.

“Finally, I can take a breather!” huffed Rarity. She sunk to the ground in happy bliss. “My hooves have been killing me!”

“Not yet Rarity!” corrected Rainbow Dash sternly. “We need to get inside the ruins first. Then you can relax.”

“Oh fine!” grumped Rarity as she stood to her feet.

The seven friends started across the dangling bridge. Dash was in the lead, followed closely by Twilight, with Spike riding on her back. Rarity was dragging her hooves and generally overacting how much her hooves were getting to her. Then came Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy crossed next, with Applejack in the rear. The old boards creaked and groaned as the ropes stretched taunt. But the workmanship must have been sturdy because the group made it across without any problems.

Finally on the other side, Rarity fell to the ground in contentment and sighed a long, dramatic sigh. “Ahhhhh…” She sunk into the tall, lush grass. “This is more like it.”

“Come on Rarity,” Applejack said with a nod of her head. “The castle’s only a few more steps away. Let’s all get inside and then ya’ can get comfortable.”

“But I’m already comfortable!” whined Rarity. “And besides, I don’t know if I could take even one more step.”

“Oh! Oh! I’ll help!” Spike jumped off Twilight’s back and ran to Rarity, his hand waving in the sky. “Here,” he turned around and pointed to his back, “I’ll carry you. Then you won’t have to walk.”

“Oh…well…” Rarity blushed ever so slightly. She reached out a hoof and touched one of Spike’s sharp spines. She drew it back instantly and winced. “Actually, I don’t know if you should go to all that trouble for little old me.” She stood back up to her hooves. “I think I can make it a few more steps.”

Applejack chuckled under her breath and Spike walked away with his shoulders slumped. The group walked into the decrepit ruins. Large grey stones littered the tall grass and vines clung to the few walls which had managed to stay standing over the long years. The windows were mere holes in the crumbled walls now, with twisted black bars showing where glass had once been placed. However, the further in the Royal Treasure Seekers moved, the more the ruins started to look like a castle.

Where the outskirts held mostly fallen bricks and cracked stone, the innermost sections tended to stand tall and proud. Most of the roofing had fallen apart and light would pierce through the shadowy interior of the once grandiose building. Two great doors still somehow clung desperately to the main entrance of the ancient castle. The ponies swung them on their rusty hinges and entered into the first chamber.

They all stopped as soon as they entered. They were looking at a single structure situated in the center of the room. It was large table-like statue, carved from stone. This statue held five pedestals with one large column in the center. The center column held an enormous sphere with moss and vines climbing over its surface, but the other pedestals were empty. Fluttershy’s eyes started water.

“It seems like it’s been so long,” Fluttershy whispered. A smile formed on her face as distant memories came flooding back.

“So long since what?” asked Spike.

“Oh! That’s right!” Twilight said in shock. She turned her head to Spike. “You were sleeping when it happened.”

“When what happened?” he pried.

“Spike, this is where we first found the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight announced proudly. She swung a hoof through the air, pointing at the large stone structure. “Five stone balls sat on those pedestals. We came here to get them in order to stop Nightmare Moon.”

“Five?” Spike puzzled. “But aren’t there six Elements?”

Twilight giggled. “That’s right!”

Spike looked utterly confused.

“Let me try to explain it to ya’ Sugarcube,” Applejack cut in. “Those balls represented the Elements of Harmony. It wasn’t until Twilight realized that the spirit of the Elements lived in us that the real Elements revealed themselves. Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, Kindness, Honesty, and Magic.” As Applejack spoke each Element, Spike looked at the mare who represented it. They all smiled when their Element was spoken. “But that’s not why we’re all gettin’ teary-eyed over this here structure. Nope. Spike, this is where Twilight first announced to Nightmare Moon- No! To the world, that we were her friends.”

Rarity started sniffling and a tear plopped to the ground at her hooves. “That was a good day.”

“I love you girls!” cried Pinkie, who then grabbed them all into one gigantic bear hug.

They all started crying and hugging each other. Spike slipped out of the hug and stuck his tongue out. “I’m all for friendship and stuff, but I think I’ll skip on all this mushy gushy stuff.”

He walked over to the statue and, wanting to get a better view, began to climb it. Suddenly, his stomach started to growl. It startled him and he lost his grip, falling a few feet to the ground.

“Oof!” he rubbed his head and shook off the shock. “I didn’t realize that it was dinner time already,” he mumbled to himself. The mares were still busy hugging and crying with each other. Spike shrugged. “I guess Twilight wouldn’t mind if I got some food out of her pack.”

Spike walked over to Twilight’s saddlebag and started to rummage through it. “Hmm…come on, I know that Twilight threw a gem in here for me…but where is- Oh!” He stopped searching and pulled out a tiny ruby. “Sun Cloak’s ruby. I’ll bet that we’re going to need this.” He stuck it between one of his scales and continued searching for his dinner.

A few seconds later, he came out clutching on to a big shiny sapphire. He licked his lips and a big grin grew on his face. “That’s more like it!” He kicked the bag flap shut and then sauntered over to the statue. He took a seat at its base. He lifted the sapphire into the air and opened his mouth. “Dinner is served,” Spike murmured happily.

A sudden flash of blinding light shocked him into closing his mouth and the sapphire bounced off like it had hit a diving board. A haunting humming noise filled the castle and the mares broke from their hug. All of them were looking around and Rainbow Dash got into a boxer pose, ready for danger.

“Welcome!” Sun Cloak’s voice cried.

Spike screamed and leaped to his feet. The ruby clinked against the ground and Sun Cloak made his appearance at the base of the statue.

“Welcome to the castle of the Royal Pony Sister! This is the renowned castle of Princess Celestia herself.” His transparent image began to trot back and forth as he continued talking. “This grand castle in the renowned Evergreen Forest holds the fabled Elements of Harmony themselves! Though some claim that the Elements are merely a legend, I believe that there is more to that legend than meets the eye.” He stopped pacing and stood tall and proud before the group once again. “But I did not bring you here to discuss legends and stories. Instead, I have another puzzle for your team to solve.

So far you have proven your strength of will in a game of Merring, you have proven your dedication by following the light through a baffling tunnel, and you have proven that when faced with a problem you can sit down and quiet your minds before taking rash actions. All of these are good qualities. But, in order to get my treasure, there is something even more important and something much more difficult that you must do.

And so this is my next challenge for you: You must learn to see life with the wonder of a child. Yes, the answer to the next clue is hidden somewhere in this castle, but you will not find it until you are able to see this castle like a child would. Good luck.”

His form faded from view and the haunting crystal grew dim and silent. Spike scrambled to his feet and moved across the uneven flooring until he retrieved the ruby.

“Wonder of a child?” Fluttershy pondered aloud.

Rainbow Dash smirked. “I guess that means that you’ll have to find the answer for us Pinkie.” She nudged the pink pony jokingly.

“Sounds good to me!” Pinkie Pie smiled.

Spike walked back over to the group and handed Twilight the crystal. “Um…sorry to interrupt your hug.”

“That’s alright,” Twilight replied as she accepted the ruby. “We needed to get started anyways. We don’t have a lot of time after all.”

“That’s right!” Applejack said. “We’ll need to split up into groups and search the castle from top to bottom.”

“Why would we do that?” Fluttershy asked. “How does that solve the puzzle?”

“It’s simple,” replied Applejack. “Sun Cloak’s got us on a scavenger hunt. I set em’ up for Apple Bloom and her friends every now and then. What better way to see this castle like a child than by playing a child’s game?”

“Oh! That makes sense.” Fluttershy smiled and nodded.

“Yipee!” shouted Pinkie. “I love scavenger hunts!”

“So is everyone agreed on searching the castle like it’s a scavenger hunt?” asked Twilight. The others nodded. “Great! Then let’s make groups.”

“Oh fun! A competition!” Pinkie voiced with excitement. “I call Rainbow Dash for my team!”

“Alright,” agreed Twilight. “Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash will be our first group.”

“Yes!” Pinkie shouted happily.

“Let’s win, partner!” Rainbow shouted back. They pounded their hooves together.

“Um…let’s see…” Twilight scanned over the others. “Fluttershy and Rarity you two can be our second group. Which leaves me, Applejack, and Spike for the last group.”

Everypony split into their respective groups. Pinkie and Dash were ready to take off, but they stayed as Twilight relayed one last instruction.

“Ok. To make sure that we cover the most ground in what limited time we have left, we’ll need to search different areas of the castle. So-”

“We’ll take the back of the castle!” screamed Rainbow. She then took off in a rainbow blur with Pinkie bouncing after her.

“Wait! I wasn’t-!” Twilight yelled after them, but it was too late. She sighed. “Too late now. Ok then, Rarity and Fluttershy you two will take the front section of the castle, including this room. That means that my group will search the middle of the castle. We’ll meet back here at 7 and then we need to leave or else we won’t get out by 9 like Zecora warned.”

“Right.” Rarity nodded her head. “Come on Fluttershy. Let’s solve this puzzle!”

They began to search, Fluttershy flying up and looking high and Rarity using her magic to search under the dense vines and clumps of grass.

“We’d better get looking too,” Twilight said to her group. “Come on.” She waved a hoof and charged off. “We’re going to solve this puzzle today! I can feel it.”

* * * * * * * * *

Wind and branches whipped past the face of the black dragon, Grallix. He flew under the boughs of the massive Everfree Forest in search of Sun Cloak’s magic. But things were not going as well as he hoped.

“Curse this Forest!” roared the beast as he sped on. “I can feel strange magics everywhere.”

He looked to his left and then to his right. A branch scraped across his face. The sound of the bark on his scales was like that of nails on a chalkboard, but Grallix paid it no heed. His scales were strong and soon the branch snapped without even leaving so much as a scratch on him. Grallix snarled impatiently and continued to press onward.

“It should have been simple,” he growled to himself. “Enter the Forest, sense the unicorn’s magics, and beat his foolish puzzle. But these other magics are interfering! I can’t even figure out which way is left and which way is right in this cursed woods!”

Finally, he stopped flying and allowed himself to simply hover above the forest floor. Long tendrils of grey smoke streamed from his nostrils in anger. He glanced all around, but couldn’t seem to find what he was looking for. At last, he set himself on the ground.

“Fine, Forest! You win!” he screamed to the heavens. “I hope that you’re satisfied! A bunch of lousy trees have bested a dragon.” He murmured to himself and then smashed a tree with one flick of his tail.

Then, his stomach began to growl. “I can’t think straight on an empty stomach!” he moaned. Grallix sighed in frustration and then lay on the ground, clutching at his belly. “I can’t remember the last time I had a decent meal. The few gems I’ve managed to find in these vile pony lands haven’t been nearly enough.”

His stomach gurgled again. It sounded like an earthquake. Grallix only groaned again. His head hit the ground in dismay and he closed his eyes. A few seconds passed by in silence and then, his nose began to sniff. It sniffed and sniffed until Grallix opened his eyes. He began to grow excited and the hunger diminished as a familiar scent touched his nostrils.

“Dragon…” whispered Grallix. His mouth twisted into a grin. “And where there’s a dragon, there’s a hoard.”

Grallix rose to his feet and allowed his nose to lead him. Past bizarre plants and twisting foliage trundled the great beast. He blazed his own trial, caring little for the plants and trees he smashed and not even noticing the thorns scratching across his scaly armor. Then, at last, he came to a stop.

Grallix lifted his head and saw a small rocky outcropping. It was like looking a miniature mountain. But what interested Grallix the most was the cave leading into the large rock. The stench of dragon was now overwhelming; if this wasn’t a dragon layer then Grallix wasn’t a dragon.

With a chuckle, he stepped into the dark cave mouth and made his way through a short tunnel. At the end of the tunnel was one room. The room was large and open, the perfect size for a dragon to rest comfortably and with leg room to spare. But the sight that drew Grallix’s gaze was the mass of gemstones piled nearly to the ceiling.

Grallix released a contended sigh and quickly stuffed a few of the shiny morsels into his mouth. They crunched in his strong teeth and he laughed as he savored each precious flavor. “Ahh…Now that’s good…”

He continued to eat and eat until he was content. He let out a loud belch and then released a great booming laugh. “Perhaps this Forest isn’t so bad after all! Ha! Ha ha! Ha ha ha ha!” He snuggled up to the pile of gemstones and rested his back on them like they were a gold throne.

“I wonder though,” he mused with his eyes closed. “When I’ll meet my host. That scent was fresh, but the other dragon is not here. Oh well,” he shrugged. “I guess that I’ll just have to wait then. Besides, I have a favor I need to ask.” He laughed again.

Grallix didn’t know how long he rested there, with his back on the other’s hoard, but he did know that it was exactly what he had needed for quite some time. But, like all good things, his rest came to an end when he heard the sound of stomping feet echo throughout the cavern. Grallix opened one eye, but remained sitting as a large green dragon entered the room.

“Greetings!” said Grallix. He stretched, but continued to rest by the pile of jewels.

The green dragon looked quite shocked to find another dragon sitting on his hoard. His orange eyes shrunk to slits as he glared at this intruder and his lime green spines seemed to arch a little further out of his back.

“Who are you?” he demanded. “And what are you doing on my hoard?”

Grallix only smiled and made himself more comfortable. “Your hoard is it?” smirked Grallix. “Last I checked, it’s only yours if you can defend it. And you sure weren’t here when I helped myself to some dinner.”

This had the effect of making the green one snarl and puff out a blast of smoke. “You did what?!” he roared. He unsheathed his razor sharp claws and brought forth the barbs in his tail. “Get out NOW!!!”

Grallix got to his feet, but stood his ground. He looked perfectly calm even facing a foe easily thrice his size. “And if I refuse?” He stared the much larger green beast square in the eye, daring him to make the first move.

“Then you will pay for it with you life, Pintsized!!” screamed the green one. He thrashed his sharp tail at Grallix, aiming for the black dragon’s head. Grallix stood completely still, not flinching an inch.

Suddenly, the tail slammed into a yellow wall and bounced off. The green dragon was dumbstruck, but Grallix only laughed harder when Sun Cloak’s voice boomed throughout the cavern. “My magic will protect the seven teams until the end of the hunt. Let this be a warning to you!”

The green one’s eyes went wide and he backed off. “That voice…”

Grallix couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, you know that voice?” he mocked.

“But how did you-?” gasped the other dragon.

Grallix snickered evilly and plucked a tiny amethyst from between his massive scales. It was glowing brightly and its small hum filled the cavern. “This gemstone holds his power,” explained Grallix. “And it’s all mine.”

Grallix noticed the green one’s eyes light up as he looked at the amethyst. Grallix knew that look, he had seen greed many times before and a plan began to take shape.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you want this?” he teased.

The other dragon tried to keep his cool by not speaking, but his body language betrayed him.

“Because you see, you have something that I need.” Grallix waved a claw behind him, over the pile of gems and jewels.

The green one glanced between his hoard and the small amethyst until his eyes came to rest solely on the tiny gem in Grallix’s claws. “That jewel for my hoard? Never!” But his eyes did not move from the amethyst.

“How about half?” asked Grallix. The yellow shield finally fell and the amethyst became dull.

“A fourth,” countered the dragon.

Grallix chuckled. “Catch,” he said.

Grallix threw Sun Cloak’s crystal through the air and the green dragon grabbed at it joyfully. But the green one’s joy was short lived for, as soon as he touched it, a powerful magic surged into his body and shook him violently. The dragon screeched and dropped the amethyst to the ground. Taking this chance, Grallix lunged at the much larger creature and tackled him to the ground.

He clawed his way up the green one’s neck until he could glare into the other’s eyes from only a few feet away. Reacting quickly, the green dragon opened his maw and blew forth a powerful stream of blazing hot orange fire. But Grallix countered just as fast with a purple flame of his own.

Both fires were mere inches from the dragon’s faces as they battled for supremacy in a fiery tug of war. The battle did not last long though, for Grallix’s purple flame pounded through the orange fire until it entered into the throat of the green dragon. Down his mouth the purple blaze roared and the green dragon’s eyes grew wide. The green one began to cough and choke and he convulsed on the ground.

Grallix leaped off his prey and allowed the dragon to roll around and spasm as he tried to breath. The coughing was severe and the green one could barely seem to haul in enough air to keep himself conscious, but at last he began to breath normally. He lay still on the ground with his eyes closed, pulling in huge gaping breaths of air.

“Wh-What did…What did y-you do to me?” he sputtered.

“Don’t be so scared. It’s not fitting for a dragon,” said Grallix nonchalantly.

“You…You’re gonna…pay for this.” The green one struggled to his feet and glared at Grallix. He pulled in an angry breath, ready to smite the midget with one powerful flame. But Grallix didn’t budge. In fact, the fire never came. Instead, a sorry puff of smoke lurched from the green dragon’s mouth and then he collapsed again on the floor.

Grallix sauntered over to his enemy’s face and looked him in the eye. “I took away your ability to breathe fire for a few hours. Now, now, don’t worry. It’ll come back. But for the time being you’re powerless to fight me.”

The green dragon closed his eyes in utter defeat. “You cheated,” he accused.

“Cheated? Me?” chuckled Grallix. “I did not cheat. I simply used your own greed against you. You’re really the one who did yourself in.”

“So then, what do you want from me?”

“It’s quite simple really. I’m hungry and I don’t know how long I’ll be stuck in Equestria so I need food. I need your hoard.”

The green dragon lay on the ground, struggling to just breathe. He didn’t speak.

“However,” continued Grallix. “I almost feel sorry for you, being stuck in this pony infested land and all. So I’ll only take half of your hoard. I’ll even let you keep your cave but you’ll have to help me move my half to wherever I see fit.”

The green dragon spit at Grallix’s feet. “If you feel so sorry for me, why not just kill me?”

Grallix held up his claw and his sharp nails grew out an inch or two. “If that’s what you want.”

The green one’s eyes grew wide. “No! No! Stop!” he pleaded.

Grallix put his claws down. “You must be a rouge then,” he snarled in contempt. “If you had been banished you would have seen death in combat as a blessing compared to living with these ponies.”

“I don’t need a lecture from a dwarf,” spat back the green dragon. He slowly rose to his feet. “But fine. In exchange for my life I’ll give you half of my hoard and I’ll help you move it. However, I never want to see your ugly face in my cave again.”

Grallix smiled. “Agreed.”

The green dragon lifted a large stack of jewels onto his back and grabbed more in his tail. “Where do you want it then?” he asked.

Grallix also picked up a large portion of the hoard and then faced his foe. “Follow me,” he stated.

With a powerful flick of his mighty wings, Grallix blasted out of the cave and then above the Everfree Forest. The green dragon followed closely behind. Grallix scanned over the woodland, but found nothing suitable. He then turned his gaze beyond the Forest. He saw Ponyville but frowned at it and moved on. Finally, his gaze came to rest on a wide open plain land to the south of Ponyville. It was full of open fields and of tall grasses. But, the best news of all, not a single pony in sight.

“There,” said Grallix. He nodded with his head toward the grasslands. He took off and the green dragon followed.

When he believed that he had gone far enough away, Grallix set himself down in a clump of the grass. It bent under his weight. He then set his gems down beside him. The green dragon piled his jewels on top of Grallix’s.

“Hand me that long emerald,” Grallix pointed to a jewel by the tip of the other dragon’s tail.

The green dragon complied and coiled the gemstone in his tail, which he then gave to Grallix. Grallix took the emerald and began to scratch it with his claws, making indents on its surface.

“What are you doing?” asked the green dragon.

“Keeping a promise,” replied Grallix. Now done scratching up the jewel, Grallix breathed out a puff of green fire. The flame enveloped the emerald until the gemstone had disappeared and its ashes were sent flying in an invisible breeze. Grallix and the other dragon watched until the ashes were out of sight.

“You are now free of my service,” Grallix said without looking at the other. He climbed atop his new pile of wealth and closed his eyes.

“Farewell, Pintsize,” hissed the green dragon before taking off.

Grallix cracked one eye open and watched his enemy fly back to the Everfree. “You remind me of another dragon I met here,” he mused to himself. “But he is not yet a rouge and he might even prove to be a valuable ally when I take back my throne.” He smiled and closed his eyes. “Yes, young one. You’re a dragon among ponies.” Soon afterward he was snoring peacefully.

Next Chapter: Chapter 21: The Everfree (Part 2) Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 11 Minutes