It took surprisingly little time for Black Beauty and Thunder to come to terms with being able to speak to their dragons. We offered to have them join the Freedom Fighters but they refused.

“If we suddenly joined up with a rookie team out of the blue it would raise a lot of questions,” Thunder said as he was walking out of our room, “don’t worry, Black Beauty and I will help as much as we can and offer advice when you need it.” He waved for Shield Fang to follow him, “Come on buddy, you and I have some things to talk about.”

The silver dragon snorted, I’m sure we do. He looked at Winx with a warm smirk, see you later sweetheart. I’d rather stay here with you but you know how it goes.

Winx blushed madly again, I’ll see you at the race in three days. You’d better be there.

He parted his lips in a draconic grin, wouldn’t miss it for the world. He glanced at Nilak and Mel, keep her out of trouble until then okay?

Nilak waved him off with one paw, get moving or you’ll end up spending the night again.

Shield Fang chuckled as he turned and followed Thunder out the door, would that be such a bad thing?

Whiteout rolled her eyes as the big male turned the corner and disappeared from view, I swear he’s going to flirt with the wrong dragon one of these days and get his muzzle clawed.

Black Beauty pat the dragon’s cheek with her hoof, “Don’t worry about him. He can take care of himself in those situations. As for you six,” she said as she looked at us, “watch out for the shooter at the next race. It would be the perfect time to take another shot when you’re busy running the track. Whoever wants you dead won’t stop at one failed attempt.” With that she led Whiteout through the doorway, the pearly dragon using her tail to flick the doors closed behind them once they left.

The remaining dragons shared a look as Lucky, Ivy and I did the same. We all looked at each other as the same thought entered all of our heads, we need better gear.

I think some decent armor would come in handy, Nilak suggested, at least some thick leather to protect our bodies.

Maybe we can use some light metal plates to protect our more vulnerable spots and cover the rest with your leather, Mel added.

“Both are good ideas,” I said, “but the added weight would slow us down quite a bit. We’d need to train with more weight than the armor so that once we race the armor won’t slow us down.”

Lucky tapped her hoof against the floor, “How about we attach a harness to the saddles and hang metal weights off of that? It should be more than enough to hold the amount we need.”

“I don’t know,” Ivy said thoughtfully, “can you imagine how much that armor is going to weigh? We’d need almost two tons of metal to best that amount for all three dragons.”

What if we only had one of us wear the harness each day? Winx suggested, that way the bad guys won’t figure out what we’re up to and it will lessen the cost of the gear.

Great idea Winx, Mel said as she beamed down at the smaller female, why didn’t I think of that?

Because you have half a brain? Nilak offered, earning a tail swat to the back of the head from Mel, oww! I didn’t mean it Mel! Why’d you do that?

Because you were being rude and sarcastic, Winx said smugly, I would have hit you first if Mel hadn’t beaten me to the punch, or swat, as it were.

Nilak rubbed the back of his head with his left paw, that still doesn’t mean she gets to get away with it. I’ll just have to figure out my revenge at a later date. Right now we have more important things to worry about.

“Save the petty bickering for later you three,” I said as I clapped my hooves together, “we need to find someone who can make the armor and harness as well as someone who can supply us with the weights.”

“I think I might know where I can find the harness and armor,” Ivy said. “I saw a sign in the main entrance that said ‘Blacksmith’. If I go to him it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

“I’ll look around for a weight room or something similar,” Lucky said as she walked over towards the door, “I’m sure they’ll let us borrow a few for our needs without too much trouble.”

“Wait a minute Lucky,” I said as she reached the doors, “we need to figure out how to pay for all of this. I’m sure that even if the person in charge of the weights lets us use them, the blacksmith is not going to be free or even cheap when it comes to a project this big.” Lucky walked back over and sat down on the couch as Ivy narrowed her eyes in thought, “Now think hard. Is there any way we can pay for the armor with the minimal funds we have?” Both girls shook their heads and I looked at the dragons for help, “Nilak? You know a lot about the Dragon Circuit from your superiors right?”

He shook his head from side to side gently, I know just as much as you do. All I was told was to infiltrate the Circuit and win the Draconic Heaven. Anything else I had to figure out on my own.

“So we’re stuck,” I growled, sitting down in a chair in defeat, “we have no way to pay for our gear.”

I might be able to help with that, A female voice echoed inside our heads, seeming to be coming from far away, I overheard your conversation because my quarters are directly above yours. I have more than enough gold to pay for what you need, but the winnings of your first race come back to me as payment.

We looked up and I asked in disbelief, Black Beauty? Is that you?

Who else? Her laughter rolled through our minds, believe me, paying for armor is nothing compared to losing an ally to enemy fire. I’ve seen the Blood Claw cheat in races before, and I’ve seen racers die because of their actions. I knew from the start that they were behind the attack, I just didn’t know what to do about it. Now that you six have solved the problem for me, I think it’s the least I can do to loan you the money you need to make it happen.

Thank you so much Black Beauty! Winx said excitedly, her frills jumping up as she bounced slightly on her paws, how can we ever repay you?

She just said how we would repay her silly, Mel said in annoyance, or weren’t you listening?

Oh, Winx replied, her fins lowering for half a second before bouncing back up again, does that mean we can all wear the harnesses at the same time? Are you willing to do that Black Beauty?

I will give you enough money so that you can get three harnesses and three sets of armor, she replied, it wouldn’t do for me to help you and then short-change you on my goodwill. Stop by my room in the morning and I’ll get you what you need. Now get some sleep, because I’m going to have Thunder, Shield Fang and Whiteout help me in training you three in racing. You have some basic skills mastered, but you’ll need to learn a lot more if you’re going to make it all the way to the top. Anyway, see you bright and early. Whiteout and I will be knocking at your door before sunrise.

Once she cut the connection we all looked at one another in shock, “Did she just really say that, or was I imagining it?” I had to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.

The girls and dragons nodded in sync, Lucky glancing up with wide eyes, “First day in the Circuit and we’ve already got new allies.”

“Well don’t get cocky or overconfident,” I reminded her. “We’ve got powerful friends but anything can happen in a race. We need to be the best there is and I agree with Black Beauty about needing more training.” I clapped my hooves and shooed them into the next room, “You girls are sleeping in the bed. I’ve slept on worse things than a couch and I don’t plan on invading your privacy.” I glanced at the dragons, “I guess we can hang out in here together. I didn’t see a separate place for you to sleep in so it looks like the floor with you.” I climbed onto the couch as the girls walked into the bedroom, “Goodnight you two.”

“Goodnight,” they chorused. The door closed with a click and I rested my head on a plush pillow as the dragons lay down around me in a circle.

Nilak rested his head on the end of the couch next to my back legs, looking at me with lidded eyes as he sent me a quiet thought, do you think we can trust Black Beauty and Thunder that quickly? I mean they seemed a bit too quick to trust us and offer help. Call me paranoid but it seemed far too easy.

I leaned forward and rubbed him between the eyes, making him rumble softly in a dragon purr, you worry too much. I wouldn’t have let them in on our secret unless I trusted them. Thunder Ace is the worst liar in the entire Circuit, so we would have been able to tell if he had hidden something from us. Black Beauty may be a bit shady on the outside, but I know for a fact that she’s taken in several dragons that had their riders killed in one way or another. She keeps them at her home and has them taken care of while she’s out racing, but during the off season she’s with them all the time, keeping them happy and healthy when nopony else would take them in. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like somepony we can trust without suspicion.

Alright, I see your point, Nilak conceded, just don’t come crying to me if this blows up in our faces because of one of them.

He closed his eyes and I leaned back onto the pillow again, letting my gaze roam across the ceiling, just worry about the races and let me worry about the rest. He didn’t answer and I looked down to see his eyes were closed and his chest was rising and falling in smooth motions. A soft snore exited his nose and I rolled my eyes, lazy oaf. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander, the darkness of sleep overtaking me as I listened to the dragons softly snore or mumble.

Everything around me was pitch black, with no discernible features in any direction except for the feeling of solid ground beneath my hooves. I turned around, hoping that I might be able to see something, only to feel a sickening sensation in the pit my stomach. It was that pinching you get when you are absolutely terrified, and as my surroundings began to grow brighter, I realized why.

All around me where my friends, tied up with rope and covered in cuts. Their faces were frozen in screams of pain as shadowy figures drove glinting blades into their flesh. I tried to run to them, to put a stop to this torture, but no matter how hard I moved my legs, I couldn’t get any closer to them.

“You cannot save them Silver,” a deep and hauntingly familiar voice said from behind me, “you will watch as they die slow and painful deaths, and I will delight in their agony.”

I spun around to try and find the source of that voice, but all I saw was a fading puff of smoke.

I froze as a hoof grabbed my shoulder from behind, the cold taste of steel tickling my throat as a knife was held against the fur, “The Blood Claw never give up, and sooner or later your defenses will fall. At some point you’ll let your guard down, and then your friends will join your dear mother in the grave.”

I was helpless to do anything as my mother materialized in front of me, bruised and shivering as dozens of shadows circled her like wolves on the hunt. Her eyes met mine and she screamed in silent terror as the shadows attacked, my own scream echoing through the darkness as her body was devoured by the void. Before I knew what was happening, I was spun around to face my captor, his blood red irises and black eyes boring into mine from the face of the local gang boss, his fur dripping with blood and his teeth replaced with those of a shark.

“No,” I whispered as I tried to back away, “Nilak killed you and your group. I saw you burn to ash!”

His lips twisted into a sadistic grin, “I’ll see you in Hell once my brothers see to it that your world falls apart. Then I’ll enjoy seeing you scream as I have some fun with your dear momma.” He sank the blade into my stomach and I coughed up blood as my eyes locked with his.

He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “You cannot escape your fate Silver, not even if you run to the ends of the world.” My body slumped to the ground as his grip on my shoulder released, “Stew in your helplessness for a while. I’ll be waiting for you.”

His hoofsteps faded into the distance, and I was left in a growing pool of my own blood as the images of my friends flashed before me one by one. I shut my eyes and tried to block out their screams, but it was no use.

I woke up in a cold sweat again that night, but the act of going back to sleep eluded me until the light of the sun was already peaking over the horizon. That had been the worst dream so far, and I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be the last. Even as the others woke up around me, the sounds of their screams echoed through my mind until long after we left the room.

Author's Notes:

Well it seems not everything is right in paradise. Silver is being haunted by the ghost of his mother's murderer, and is now facing the possibility of losing his friends. Lovely picture wouldn't you agree? (Note the sarcasm)

Anyways, that's all for now my lovely readers. Check in next time and we'll see where our intrepid heroes venture to next. I'll see you tomorrow and a Happy New Year to everypony!!

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.