Dreams can be funny things. They can be good or bad. They can even be memories from your past. This dream was the latter of them.

Draigo was back in the castle grounds. He was walking and looking around to see what wares were being sold. One booth caught his eye. It was set up in a way that it could be broken down and stored very quickly, even for one person. This booth had lots of jewelry and other nicknacks that drew the eye by shining in the sun.

Only one person was manning the stall. She looked like a typical gypsy girl and nothing seemed off about her or the booth. As Draigo went in, the gypsy turned and offered a friendly smile. She walked over and asked him if he was looking for anything in particular. He told her that he was looking for a piece of jewelry that would stand out with his armor. She thought for a bit and then led him to a display in the back.

It held a single pendant that seemed to be of very high quality. It was round and looked like a reptilian eye. The main difference was that the ‘iris’ was four different colors in a swirling pattern that emanated from the ‘pupil’.

“The gems and stone used for this piece are top grade material. The red is ruby, the green is an emerald, the blue is sapphire, and the gray is spinel. The black pupil is obsidian that was smoothed and polished. All of these materials were worked by a top notch gem worker. The price you’d pay for this in a jewelry store would be astronomical. Since this isn’t a jewelry store and since I’m having trouble getting rid of it. I’ll sell it to you for $400. I can guarantee that there’s nothing wrong with it and that it’s exactly as it seems. I only say this since I’ve tried giving the same deal to many others and they all thought it was cursed or something. Anyway, what do you say? We got a deal?” the gypsy said without letting him get a word in edgewise.

“Hmm, okay. I’ll take it. There’s no such thing as curses, magic, and those other supernatural things. I really don’t understand people that are superstitious,” Draigo replied and took out four hundred dollars from the leather bag attached to his waist.

“Thank you and have fun. Don’t go too crazy with your new body and powers. I’m not sure where you’re going can handle it,” she said as he put the pendant around his neck.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked as his vision faded and everything turned black. He felt himself being pulled through a void. The things he witnessed inside were something no person should have to see in their lifetime.

Draigo awoke from his dream breathing heavily. He hated nightmares like that. It was still dark out and he hoped he hadn’t awoken any of the Apples. Once his breathing was under control he went out for a walk.

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

It had been a few weeks since Draigo started living with the Apples. Applejack for one was glad for the extra help around the farm. She didn’t realize that having a dragon around could be so useful. His magic and strength made even the hardest tasks seem almost mundane.

Applejack had gotten into the habit of going out and checking on Draigo every morning, since he tended to fall back asleep if left alone. She hadn’t slept well last night and so had woken up earlier than usual. It was still dark when she was on her way to check on him. When she was a ways from the barn she saw the dragon walk out of the barn. He looked like he needed to get something off his chest so she followed him at a leisurely pace.

After walking a ways away from the barn, Draigo grew to his full size. He didn’t notice Applejack following him due to him brooding over his nightmare and the memories it brought back into focus. These weren’t pleasant memories and neither was his mood. He needed to vent a bit so he went to an area of the farm that was wide open. He didn’t have to worry about damaging anything out here.

Applejack grew more and more concerned as she followed Draigo. She’d never seen him act like this. She saw him stop out in an area of the farm that was left alone for future development. She wasn’t sure what he was doing out here, but she decided to wait and see. She found a tree that would completely conceal her and hid behind it. She hadn’t waited long when she heard something she never expected out of the dragon. He began singing.

Luna, Celestia
You know I am a justly drake
Of my power I am very proud

Luna, Celestia
You know I'm so much fairer than
The common, greedy, crass, ignorant drake

Then tell me, Celestia
Why I see her standing there
Why her smold'ring eyes still scorch my soul

I feel her, I see her
The sun caught in raven hair
Is blazing in me out of all control

Like fire
Hellfire
This fire in my skin
This burning
Desire
Is driving me insane
It's not my fault

I'm not to blame

It is the gypsy girl
The witch who set this flame

It's not my fault

If that world

Made the gypsy so much
Stronger than I was

Help me, Celestia
Don't let this siren get away
Don't let this fire sear my flesh and bone
Destroy this deceiver
And let her taste the fires of hell
Or else let her come here for me to burn

He set himself on fire at the first mention of the gypsy. Manipulating even more fire around him as he sang. He created a flame version of the gypsy and then blew her apart with purple hued flame. He continued to manipulate the flames as he sang. The flames started as red. At each mention of ‘hellfire’ the flames would turn purple and when he mentioned ‘dark fire’ the flames went black.

Hellfire
Dark fire
Now gypsy, it's your turn
Choose me or
Hellfire
Give in and you will burn

There'll be no mercy for her

Only mercy for me

She will give in
And she will burn!

As he finished his song he sent a pillar of blue flame, that took up almost the entire empty farmland he was in, rocketing skyward with all of his power. He felt a little more strain on his reserves than he thought, but powered through it. At this Applejack ran to tell Twilight and the other girls what had happened. She sprinted toward Golden Oaks like a pack of timberwolves was right on her heels.

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

In Canterlot Luna and Celestia were discussing the grand galloping gala. The plans were well under way and the tickets had been sent. The only thing left to do was oversee the preparations that would start in a couple months.

They were interrupted when their room was lit up from an unknown source. They quickly went to the balcony and witnessed something neither had seen before. A pillar of blue flame that reached higher than either of them could see.

They knew only one being who could produce this much power and it worried them beyond belief that he was using so much power.

"Sister, We'll go with some of our Night Guard to see what's going on. Please remain here to placate those that come here in a panic," Luna said as she rushed towards her room.

"No, Luna. For him to display such power....something profoundly disturbing must have happened. I'll go with my guard. It's almost dawn and this will most likely stretch out well into the day," Celestia said as her words froze Luna at the door.

"Very well, Sister. We shall be here when the ignorant nobles and confused citizens come asking us for answers," Luna said as she watched Celestia don her armor.

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

In a distant land, another being noticed the flame pillar and knew instantly who had created it. It had been a long time since he’d last seen his old enemy and he looked forward to the day that they once again met on the battlefield. Thinking of their reunion he stood up and started traveling toward the distant pillar. Our fight will be sooner than you think, Draigo. Your hide will make a wonderful addition to my home and bring some much needed pride back into those I’ve created.

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

Applejack burst through the library’s door and quickly shut it behind her. She slumped to the ground gasping for breath. It was only once she’d regained some of her breath that she looked around and saw the shocked and concerned expressions of Spike and Twilight. She hadn't even noticed them coming down the stairs from their bedroom.

“Gotta talk to ya about Draigo. There’s something wrong and we should all be afraid,” she said between gasps of breath.

“What happened? I’ve never seen you like this before. Not even when Nightmare Moon came back,” Twilight said curious as to what had scared her friend so much.

“Well, I was on ma way to check on Draigo when I saw him leave the barn. He didn’t look none too happy and it seemed like he needed to talk about somethin'. I followed him at a distance so he could settle down a bit. Once he stopped he still didn’t seem ready to talk so I hid behind a tree while I waited fer a better opportunity ta talk to ‘im. Then he started ta sing. It started out all fine, but he then set himself on fire and was using a lot of fire for other things. The words he was singin’ went from calm to furious. I saw him turn the fire from red, ta purple, ta black, then ta blue. Didn’t ya see the giant pillar of blue flame?” Applejack told them after she'd caught her breath.

"Wait, that was him? When we looked at the pillar we couldn't see the end of it. How much power does he have? That probably woke up all of Equestria. What was he singing about?" Twilight asked in a rush, worry apparent in her voice.

"He was singin' about some gypsy girl and how he wants her to burn. Hay, he was even asking Princess Luna and Princess Celestia for help," Applejack

"That's not good. He obviously loathes that gypsy. I'll write a letter to the Princesses, in case they don't already know. I believe the best course of action would be to get him to talk about it. Do you know where he is now?" Twilight asked as she started writing her letter.

"I've got no idea. I ran here as soon as he created that there pillar. He could be anywhere by now. I'll go get the girls and we can search for 'im," Applejack said as she trotted toward the door.

"No, that won't help. If we assume that he can change his form like he said then we won't find him unless he wants us to," Twilight explained.

"Well, what do we do then? Sit around and wait? There's a pissed off PRIMORDIAL DRAGON out there and nopony knows what he'll do. You saw the pillar. We've got ta do somethin'!" Applejack shouted out of frustration.

"Applejack! We're not doing nothing. Now that the letter has been sent we'll go to where he was to see if he's still there. If he is we'll talk to him. If he's not then we'll try to figure out where he went, even if it is nigh-impossible to find him," Twilight explained as she gathered her things together.

"Okay Applejack, let's go check on him," Twilight said as she put Spike on her back.

The three of them trotted toward Sweet Apple Acres. On the way, the sun finally rose into the sky. It was easier going now that they could see further ahead of them. It took longer than Applejack's sprint, but Applejack was glad since her muscles were still recovering from that mad dash.

Upon arriving at Sweet Apple Acres, they were met by the rest of the Apple family. Each had a concerned look on their face and ash on their hooves.

"All y'all okay? Where's Draigo?" Applejack asked.

"We went ta the area that pillar came from and it's empty, just burnt ground. Are ya sayin' Draigo did this?" Applebloom said.

"I saw it with ma own eyes. He was really upset about some gypsy he was singin' 'bout." Applejack explained.

"Do any of you have an idea where he went or at least a direction?" Twilight asked.

"Nnope," Big Mac replied.

"Well, let's go look at the burned area to see if we can find any clues," Twilight said.

"Any idea who this gypsy could be Twi?" Spike asked.

"Hmm, did he describe the gypsy at all Applejack?" Twilight asked.

"Only that she had raven hair and fire in her eyes. I don't think that last one means anythin' about how she looks, though. He did create something that had long hair out of his fire, but I didn't recognize its species," Applejack said in contemplation.

"Well, it's more than we had before. Now, if only we can find something to indicate a direction he went in," Twilight said as the clearing came into view.

As soon as they arrived they heard the sound of wings flapping. They looked toward the source and noticed Princess Celestia and her Day Guard flying towards them. The Princess looked concerned, confused and was fully armored. No one had seen her like this since the last war.

All present were in awe. Celestia stood there with her ethereal mane and tail somehow braided. She wore golden chainmail below golden plates. Her wings had golden plate mail along them and the first two feathers had a thin metal covering them that could be used as a weapon as well as the spike that was at each wing joint. She wore a helmet that had her crown incorporated into it that would cover her head and cheeks while allowing her horn and mane to be unencumbered. A battle axe was strapped to her right side and a sword to her left.

"I had hoped Draigo would still be here. Seeing his display of power earlier was very disconcerting," Celestia said as she and her guardsmen landed. The guards quickly form a circle around the area and awaited further orders.

"Princess Celestia! You saw the pillar in Canterlot? Do you have any idea where he would've gone? None of the Apples saw anything and we just arrived," Twilight said as she and the others bowed.

"Yes, Luna and I were discussing gala plans when we saw the pillar in the sky. I first met Draigo a long time ago. Whenever Luna or I tried to find him we'd give up after a while," Celestia said as she looked over the area.

"Did you notice anything as you flew in Princess?" Twilight asked.

"No, the only thing I noticed was the scorched area's size. I believe that should you measure it. The circle would be about fifty meters in radius. I'll have my guard search for him. We don't know how his mood will affect his decisions," Celestia remarked as her guardsmen took off to set up a standard grid search.

“Now, I want you and your friends to go about your daily business. There’s nothing else for you to do except calm the town and wait until Draigo returns. I’ll be joining the search in short order. So, if there’s anything I should know besides what you wrote in the letter. Please tell me now,” Celestia said.

“Yes, Princess. The only information we didn’t tell you was that Draigo apparently made a fiery construct of the gypsy he was singing about and Applejack couldn’t identify her species. She apparently has raven hair. That’s all we know about the gypsy,” Twilight told her.

“Thank you, Twilight. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a friend to find. I just hope he lets me,” Celestia said, the last bit under her breath.

With that Celestia took to the sky in the direction of the mountains. She figured that Draigo would hide there since it’s all too easy to hide in the numerous caves therein.

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

Draigo had settled into the foothills of a nearby mountain. It had taken more out of him than it should have when he used that amount of power. He was taking deep breaths and listening to the sounds nature provided. He'd always enjoyed and was calmed by these sounds.

He realized that he'd have to apologize to the Apples for burning almost an entire hectare of land. That could wait until he'd gotten everything out of his system. It had been quite awhile and he still was riled up from the memories that dream had brought up.

He continued listening to nature and thinking about the extra amount of power it took for his earlier display, but he soon found he could hear two familiar voices in the distance. At first he couldn't place them but as they grew closer he realized that they belonged to Rarity and Spike. Draigo quickly concealed himself and continued to listen.

"Okay, we'll split the gems 60/40. With the forty going to me," Spike said.

"That sounds splendid Spikey. Now, let me locate some gems," Rarity said as she lit her horn.

Soon enough the two stopped talking except for the occasional comment on gem location and amounts found.

Draigo peeked over a ridge and saw them both at work. Rarity seemed to only locate the gems while Spike dug them up and put them into a little red wagon. Neither noticed as Draigo watched them from a distance.

This continued until three diamond dogs ran out of a bush and grabbed Rarity. Spike tried to fight them off, but they had better reach and strength. The young dragon didn't even touch them before they disappeared into the ground with Rarity in tow.

As soon as Draigo saw this he flew down and looked Spike over. Spike wasn't hurt just tired and worried about his friend.

"Stay here Spike. I'll go get her back. There's no need to panic," Draigo said as he shrunk and changed into a bipedal form.

Draigo had changed into the bipedal form he had before he was changed. He decided to modify the armor he had before, though. What was once iridescent scale mail was now crimson and gold plate mail, mainly. His helmet has a long red plume and a golden face mask. A crimson and gold cape flapped as he moved. A shield and spear were on his back and a golden hatchet was strapped to his waist.

"Okay, but you've got some answering to do when you get back! That pillar, you disappearing, and now you changing forms! There're a lot of questions!" Spike yelled at him as he sunk into the earth.

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

Rarity had been chained to a wall while the diamond dogs decided how best to make her find and dig gems for them. She wasn't very comfortable since she had to stand on only her hind legs.

The diamond dogs were far enough away that Rarity couldn't tell what they were saying all the time, but she heard things like 'torture', 'branding', 'kindly ask', and a few others. She didn't like the sound of any of them except for being kindly asked.

As she was dreading the outcome of their discussion she saw two eyes coming from the darkness. The eyes were glowing with power and she tried to get as far away from them as possible. She didn't know and didn't care who those eyes belonged to, she just wanted to get out of these restraints since they were rusty and were leaving marks on her pristine fur.

She didn’t have to wait long to see who those eyes belonged to. They belonged to a biped covered in armor. She assumed that he wasn’t any good, just like the dogs. Rarity began to formulate how to get out off this new predicament. She figured that she could talk her way out but knew that she could probably distract the creature long enough to make a run for it if needed. Rarity was in the middle of a thought when the creature, who the dogs hadn’t noticed due to bickering, began to attack the diamond dogs.

The creature didn’t use any of the weapons it brought with it, just it’s armored limbs. Punching, kicking, headbutting, and anything else it could do to inflict damage to the dogs. The commotion had alerted the rest of the dogs in the area and reinforcements soon arrived. The biped turned and engaged its newest foes. The dogs did their best, but they were only able to leave gouges in the creature’s armor. It seemed that the biped was concentrated solely on offense, not caring about getting injured. Their battle raged on as more and more dogs showed up. Rarity had lost count of the dogs once their unconscious bodies started making piles against the walls.

Once the sound of battle ended Rarity looked around and saw that the biped was the only one left standing. She hoped that it would let her go after it saw she wasn’t a threat. As she thought this, she watched as the creature started walking towards her. She started to panic a bit since she hadn’t heard it speak even once so far and didn’t know its intentions. She closed her eyes and looked away as it steadily got closer. She could hear its footsteps getting closer and closer. They stopped and she felt the chains connected to her restraints being grabbed. She then fell to the floor after hearing the chains break. She looked up and saw the creature reach down for her forelegs. It grabbed the restraints and pulled them apart like they were made of paper. Rarity rubbed the areas that had been in contact with the metal. She soon realized that the circles of rust residue that was left by the cuffs would need much more than rubbing to get rid of.

Rarity looked up at her rescuer and wondered what he was going to do now. She figured from the creature’s body shape that it was a male. She could still hear the diamond dogs moaning from their beat down and it served as a reminder of what he could do.

“Um, well, thank you. Thank you for saving me. I don’t know who you are but I would be more than willing to give you a reward for this kind deed,” she said as he began to reach down once more.

“You’re welcome, Rarity. I don’t need a reward or prize, but I wouldn’t turn down something if you truly insist upon it,” he said as he picked her up and cradled her bridal style.

“Do I know you? Your way of speaking seems familiar. It's very similar to a new friend of mine,” Rarity explained as she wrapped her forelegs around his neck.

“Oh? Who is this new friend of yours?” he said as he carried her further into the cave system. He couldn’t help but smirk inside his helmet.

“His name is Draigo and he’s a dragon. He disappeared earlier today after frightening most of Equestria. Princess Celestia even deemed to go and search for him herself. I do believe that she is still doing so as we speak,” Rarity said as she relaxed into his grip. For some reason, she felt very safe around this creature.

“So? What do I call you kind sir? Also, what are you? I’ve yet to see a creature like you. The closest to you that I’ve seen are Minotaurs,” She asked hoping she hadn’t offended him by referring to Minotaurs.

“Ah, right. None of you have seen me like this before. Well, I’m what you’d call a human and you already know my name,” he said as he stopped below a hole that had light shining down it.

“It’s not very gentlecoltly of you to leave a lady in suspense like that,” Rarity pouted.

A chuckle escaped his lips as he looked up into the hole.

“I apologize. I believe though that my next little demonstration will help jog your memory,” he said as they started to ascend into the hole.

Rarity looked down and saw that they were still standing on solid ground even though they were clearly moving.

“The only one I know who can do something like this is Draigo. You’re Draigo!?” she cried in surprise.

“The one and only. I had told Applejack that I could change forms and I believe that she told the rest of you. It seems that fact might have slipped your mind or most of you thought I was just stretching the truth for entertainment, or something. In the past, I regularly changed my form so that I could blend in and travel in peace. I would only return to my true form if a fight was beyond the form I had chosen. Now, i tend to keep to my draconic form and this one. There’s truly no need for others, unless it’s for fun,” Draigo explained.

After a short ascent, they reached the surface. They appeared exactly where Draigo had sunk into the earth and Spike was waiting for them.

“What took you so long?” Spike asked.

“Sorry, there were more dogs down there than I initially thought. They put up a decent fight but couldn’t penetrate my armor,” Draigo explained as he walked over to him.

“You okay Rarity?” Spike asked.

“Yes, perfectly fine. Draigo’s prompt rescue saved me from being hurt. It didn’t save my fur from being blemished, though. I’ll be scrubbing this rust residue for hours!” Rarity exclaimed while she showed Spike the blemishes.

Draigo and Spike were chuckling at her remark when they heard flapping wings approach them. They looked in the direction of the sound and saw Princess Celestia, still in her armor, landing nearby.

“I thought I sensed your magic from this area Draigo. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you in a bipedal form. Are you feeling better or did something try to attack you back at Sweet Apple Acres?” Celestia asked.

“It’s nice to see you again, Celestia. It’s also been awhile since I’ve seen you wearing that armor. Nothing attacked me at the farm. Several somethings attacked me just a few moments ago, though. Some bad memories were refreshed last night and I tried to get the rage out of my system. I’m fine now thanks to the catharsis I experienced during my fight earlier. I’m sorry to have worried you. I’ll make sure to make it up to you and the others. For now, though, let’s get these two back to town,” he said as he grew a pair of wings and took off with Rarity still in his arms.

Celestia grabbed Spike in her magic and took off after him. They were joined by any of Celestia’s guards that saw them. Celestia had one of them inform the rest of the guard that they could return to Ponyville. All were silent as they flew. Draigo knew that Celestia would lay into him once they were alone.

As they flew over the town many looked up to see the pair fly by. There were a few who bolted for a building, but many saw Celestia and relaxed since she was flying beside the new being.

They soon reached Rarity's boutique. Draigo put Rarity down as she bolted inside to begin scrubbing hey hooves clean. Spike stood outside with Celestia and Draigo.

"Okay, care to explain a bit?" Spike asked.

"I'll answer what I deem you need to know," Draigo answered.

"Okay. What is that form? Why did you create that giant pillar? Why did you disappear on us? You had all of us really worried. If Princess Celestia hadn't told us to go about our business we'd have been looking for you as well," Spike proclaimed in an annoyed tone.

"This is my first form. My form before becoming what I am today. I created that pillar to try to get rid of a sensation inside of me. It didn't work as well as I had hoped so I went away so that I wouldn't accidentally hurt anyone while I calmed down," Draigo answered with a patient tone.

"While that is all nice and good. There is much more I'd like to talk to you about Draigo," Celestia chimed in.

"Spike, please tell Rarity that I can create all the gems she still needs. Now, I must go to Sweet Apple Acres to fix the land that I burned," he said as he ignored Celestia and took off once more with her hot on his heels.

"You won't get out of this that easily Draigo!" Celestia yelled at him.

Draigo dreaded being alone with her at the moment. He knew the power of her lecturing. It was one of the things he feared in this world.

They flew along and soon landed at the Apple family house. Draigo walked up and knocked on the door. After a while of waiting and receiving no answer, he walked off toward the area he burned.

It wasn't a long walk, but it seemed longer than before. It didn't help that he was pointedly ignoring Celestia. She had been glaring at him ever since they left the boutique.

As he got closer he noticed each of the Apples were working to get rid of the ash that covered the area. He silently reached out with his magic and overturned a quarter of the scorched land. Doing this added the ash and everything else to the ground as a fertilizer for the future.

The Apples looked up and gasped when they saw the pair walking towards them. Each were apprehensive about the crimson and gold being. Draigo stopped at the edge of the scorched circle and continued to overturn the earth.

"I'm sorry. There's no excuse for this. I'll return this land to how it was," Draigo said with a sad but serious voice.

"Draigo? Is tha you?" Applebloom asked.

Draigo nodded his head in response as he overturned another piece of the land. The Apples got off the scorched area and trotted over to the pair. They stopped a couple feet away and looked him up and down. Applebloom and Applejack stepped closer. Applejack gestured for him to lean down. Draigo complied and got hit by both ponies. Applejack hit his head and Applebloom kicked his shin. Neither hurt but he reacted none the less.

"Okay, I may have deserved that," he said as he rubbed his head and shin.

"Ya think? Ya scare me worse than Ah've ever been scared, ya burn our land, disappear without a word and then come back like it's nothin' big and in a different form ta boot!" Applejack ranted at him.

"Well, I'm sorry I scared you and made you worry so much. I disappeared so I wouldn't take anything out on someone who doesn't deserve it. It's out of my system now," he said as he finished turning the rest of the land over.

"Now, is there anything I can do, besides restoring the land, to make it up to you?" Draigo asked the family before him.

"Nnope,” Big Mac replied.

“Well, there’s nothin’ ya can do for us but the Princess seems ticked at ya. Ya might want ta be askin’ her instead of us,” Applejack said.

“Yes, she’s been trying to bore a hole in my armor ever since we left Spike and Rarity at the boutique. I should probably go tell the rest of the girls that I’m back and everything is alright. I don’t want to have them being worried any longer than necessary, “ Draigo said as he desperately tried to not be alone with Celestia.

“Oh! I can go do tha for ya, Mister Draigo!” Applebloom said as she ran off to do so.

Crap, there goes that idea. Guess it’s time to face the music. Draigo turned to look at the still glaring princess.

“Celestia, is there anything I can do to make up for the trouble I caused you?” Draigo asked while looking down into Celestia’s eyes. She only came up to his shoulders while in this form.

“Come to the castle with me. There are more things we need to discuss, besides this incident. I’d like Luna to sit in on this as well. She’s still back at the castle taking care of the citizenry in my absence,” Celestia said as she took off with her guard.

“...I’ll see you guys later,” Draigo said to the Apples and sighed as he took off after Celestia.

Author's Notes:

This is the chapter that I spent the most time on. Mainly because of rewriting "Hellfire" to work with the story. I'm using a lot of songs because songs are some of the few things that get me emotional and I feel that they can convey much more than simple words.

The images are there because I suck at describing them in detail without taking up too much space.

Let me know what you think.