"So where are we headed?! We've been flying for a good couple of hours, you'd think we would have seen something by now! Are you even sure we're on the right track?!" I yelled through the searing wind that made even the most ear deafening bang near inaudible. I had no choice but to ride on Vendium's back, a blood red scaled dragon, whose eyes were a contradicting sky blue. I was always required to put my greatest grip forward as to prevent me from falling to my death to the far ground below.

"Discord said it was this way, but I'm beginning to have doubts myself." Vendium stated. Bellowing from his large vocal cords, he was much clearer and audible compared to me.

Wisteria, the griffin who was with us, jerked his head to the right, toward our direction. "Will you two shut your traps?! He said it'll be this way, and it'll be this way, no questions asked!" he prompted with a sharp tone within his voice that cut through the high winds. He was always a griffin filled with contempt, always wanting to complete the task at hand as fast as he could. If he could, he would abandon me and Vendium, but he always followed Discord's orders to stay with us. He wore his usual black scarf that had holes torn through it around his head, fashioned like a hood to cover his face from unwanted eyes, having it flap and shake through the gust. He had a scar that ran from his left cheek to his right, grazing over his beak and making an indentation that would never vanish to it's original form. We all had bore injuries of our past experiences, such as Wisteria's scar, Vendium's chipped and crushed incisors, and my... burns.

Vendium let out a rancid puff of smoke from his nostrils in hatred of the griffin. The smoke swept over his head, but onto my face. I couldn't rub my eyes, for loosening my grip would his scaly neck would send me off his back, then to the ground at high speeds, which won't be good for a common earth pony like myself. My eyes teared, but I looked away from Wisteria, for I couldn't let him see me like this, even if it was for something as trivial as smoke in my eye. I managed to rub my face against the fur of my shoulder hoping it would sooth my eye, but it only made things harder to see. After a few moments, the stinging pain began to subside. I still had trouble seeing, but I could make out blurry images in the distance. Lights. Lights, along with houses and small shops scattered along the streets, full of color and vivid character.

"See, I told you two we were on the right path. There it is. Ponyville." the shimmer in Wisteria's eyes began to grow. His excitement only increased the closer we got to the settlement.

Our speed began to decrease at a more drifting rate, allowing me to loosen my grasp on Vendiums neck. With a hoof, I pulled out a scarf of my own, one similar to Wisteria's, out of an abused saddlebag from my side. The only difference between our scarves was that his was torn, while mine had spots where it was charred rough.

I huddled closer to Vendium's neck so that he would hear me. "Vendium, aren't you going to need one?" I asked, trying to look out for someone who would maybe look out for me.

"Nobody will care, or frankly, I don't care if somebody recognizes me," he rumbled in his bass filled voice. I could feel by skin rattle since I was closely huddled on him. "I lost everything, so being wanted in another town won't matter to me." He whispered the last sentence, still with the shaking undertone.

Wisteria sarcastically rolled his eyes to the opposite direction. "Why the hell would you care. We're all wanted, so scarf or not, if they manage to capture us, then we're done. All over. Nothing left but to rot in some forsaken dungeon somewhere."

The town's lights began to shut off. One by one, the lamps hung outside of the houses were blown off, smoking the last ember of their wicks. It appeared they were awaiting our arrival.

"Vendium, they know we're coming. They probably got word of our actions in the other towns. Should we turn back or do we-"

"Damn it! We're going to finish this if it costs us our lives, got that?!" Wisteria spat, just wanting to get there as quick as he can and enjoy his time there.

Shutters were being slammed shut and doors were closing tight. Wisteria dived straight to the ground, followed by Vendium and me on his back. Wisteria landed first, letting out a fierce growl as soon as his talons made contact with the green grass, then shot like a cannon into the town, keeping his distance in the air hovering distance from the ground, dragging the grass along down his abdomen.

"Get back now!" Vendium roared, bellowing a command that would frighten even the hardest of hearts.

He continued to speed into the town. "I can see the town hall. I'm going to get started. You guys can get the rest, right?!" With that, his voice faded off into the dark night, soon to be lit.

"He's not coming back. If he's going to get started, then we have no choice but to do the same," I informed Vendium. I secured my scarf over my head, tightening it so it wouldn't slip off if I were to get into some sort of quarrel.

Vendium flapped his scaly wings, hovering over the green land, making the blades of grass ripple and wave with the powerful wind coming from beneath us. I jumped from his neck and onto the shaking earth. It was the same as always. Wisteria leaves, I head to the outskirts, and Vendium goes towards the center. This night however, felt strange. The wind felt... colder? No that wasn't it. It was just this feeling that this night would be different from the others.

"Are you alright, Lathyrus?" Vendium asked, about to go his separate way.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I know he could sense the worry on me. He was a dragon afterall.

"Will you be fine going alone?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me. It's going to be the same as always, huh?"

"Yes. See you on the other side."

I trotted away from him, adjusting my scarf, hoping this would be just another time where it's the same as always.