To Princesses Celestia and Luna,

Talon nibbled at the end of the quill at a loss for words.  He'd never had to write a letter to royalty before and the formalities were intimidating to say the least.  The blue dragon fiddled a bit with the feather clutched between his claws, determined to find a way to lower it to the parchment again and start writing.

It's only been three days since we set out from Canterlot but we've travelled far.  So far nothing to report.  Somehow we've avoided any of the beasts in the forests out here.

Talon looked around as that sentence gave him a pang of fear.  The woodlands around him seemed peaceful with foliage growing thick all around.  Descending the mountain that Canterlot rested on had been a surprisingly easy task for the trio.  At the base the trees were more thick, tangled vines drooping from the branches.  The canopy above gave the sunlight a filter of green and cast shadows on the forest floor.  The only other light came from a blue campfire crackling in front of Talon.

"Just stay focused, alright?"  Ray's voice encouraged from nearby.

"I'm...Trying..." Moonbeam responded in a strained voice.

Ray is trying to help Moonbeam get a handle on her magic.  Whatever that strange pony did her to had some weird effect.  Before the worst she'd ever managed was levitating her bed but now

Talon suddenly became aware of the silver light that was overpowering even the sun's rays.  He looked over his shoulder, eyes widening at the sight of a sizable boulder (easily double the size of a pony) shaking in the grip of Moonbeam's magic.  Cracks splayed across its surface, giving the dragon just enough warning to duck for cover.

BOOM!

Talon raised his head cautiously.  Moonbeam stood behind where the boulder had been with a dejected look on her face as Ray's shield dropped from around them.

"Well, power isn't a problem at least," he admitted.

Moonbeam let out a frustrated sigh and lowered her head.

her power goes off in fits.  Nothing like the barrier-destroying spell, but certainly more than she's managed before.  I know they'll find a way to get a handle on it but I can't help but worry.  Moonbeam keeps looking so distressed about it.

Will keep you updated,

Talon

Chapter 3

New Faces

Talon rolled up the message scroll, taking a few practice puffs as he did.  With forceful blow the adolescent dragon released a burst of cerulean fire on the scroll.  The paper quickly curled into a small pile of ash that blew away with a magical chime on its way back to Canterlot.

"At least your magic is working," Moonbeam said glumly as she sank down next to her scaly brother.

The filly's coat and mane had a fine layer of dust and a few stone chips scattered over them.  Ray was in a similar state, looking more frustrated than anything as he followed her over.

"Moonbeam, come on.  We just started today's practice!" the stallion scolded.

"But we've been trying for three days!" Moonbeam countered.  "It just feels like it's getting worse and worse!"

Moonbeam trailed off as her body began to spark and shimmer with magic.  Ray quickly brushed against her, his own yellow light struggling for a bit before it overpowered hers.

"See?" Moonbeam whimpered.

Talon gently draped a wing across the filly's back as Ray knelt next to her.  Moonbeam sniffled, turning her head away from Ray as he tried to meet her eye.  The stallion stood back up and shook his head with a sigh.

"Alright.  We'll break for lunch or something," he relented.

"How's some soup sound?" Talon suggested, pulling Moonbeam closer.

"Fine," she muttered.

"You work on that, Talon, I'll..." Ray trailed off, glancing back at the fire.  "I'll get some more firewood.  Shouldn't take me too long."

The adolescent dragon nodded while Moonbeam just grunted some sort of confirmation.  Ray turned away, heading off among the trees while Talon got up to stoke the sapphire flames a bit.

Ray's horn wasn't glowing as brightly as it usually did when he used his magic.  His thoughts were elsewhere even as he levitated a few fallen sticks and dead branches.  One word in particular kept rolling over his thoughts.

Banishment

The Princesses hadn't said it of course but the idea was there.  Moonbeam being sent out on some impossible quest that even the royal alicorns wouldn't undertake?  Talon had the spell to send messages to the Princesses but who knew where that might actually go?  Ray sighed heavily, looking back the way he had come.

"How am I supposed to tell them that?" he muttered to himself as he picked up a few more branches.

The bundle of wood offered no answers as Ray's mind and hooves continued to wander.

A breeze lifted through the woods, stirring up the smoke coming from the campfire.  Talon looked up from the simmering pot he'd been stirring and nervously glanced at the trees around them.  He'd have sworn he'd heard something rustling around.

A heavy sigh from Moonbeam distracted the young dragon.

"What's gonna happen to us?" she asked, her voice making it clear she was straining not to cry.

Talon went back to her side and carefully smoothed down her mane.  Whatever spell Ray had cast seemed to still be holding back her magic for now in spite of the tears starting to come to her eyes.

"You heard the Princesses," Talon whispered, wings enclosing the two just to be safe.  "We'll find the Elements of Harmony and then - "

"I can't even control my magic!" Moonbeam sniffled, her body trembling as she started to cry.  "How-how am I-"

She couldn't continue as the tears fell in earnest.  No magic started to spark but her body shook with sobs as Talon's wings folded back in surprise.  He reached for her again to dry her eyes but the filly pulled back.

"Just leave me alone!" she managed to shout before burying her face in her hooves.

Talon's claws quickly wiped away some tears starting to form in his own eyes as he tried to hide his troubled expression.  He just turned and lumbered back to the soup pot as Moonbeam cried behind him.  He turned to look back at her, his voice catching in his throat as he tried to figure out just what to say...

CRACK

"YE-OWCH!" Talon screamed as he stumbled to the side, a hefty stone bouncing off his skull.

Moonbeam's crying immediately stopped as Talon clutched the side of his head.  The dragon seemed to biting back a string of curses as a brown blur barreled from the nearby bushes.  With a resounding crash of breaking foliage and the splashing of the soup pot hitting the ground, Talon was sent tumbling to the side.

The unicorn filly was on her hooves in an instant but couldn't take a step before the new figure placed himself in front of her.  She leaned back to take in the full size of the huge earth pony before her.  Noticeably taller than Talon, his body thick with muscle, his chocolate-brown coat criss-crossed with light scars.  Trimmed fetlocks revealed black hooves matching his shaggy mane and tail.  His cutie mark depicted the simple image of two lightning bolts crossed behind a horseshoe.

The earth pony looked back at her, his brown eyes causing the filly to freeze under his glare.

"What are you waiting for?  Get out of here!" he ordered.

"W-what are - " Moonbeam started to ask.

There was a thrashing of claw ripping brush as Talon fought his way back to his feet.  The dragon's purple eyes narrowed as he spotted the stranger standing near his younger sister.

"Get away from her!" Talon shouted.

The earth pony snorted, turning back toward Moonbeam and quickly ducking as low as he could.  Surprisingly he was able to get his head under her, swiftly pulling up and rolling the shocked unicorn onto his back.

Moonbeam screamed as the stallion took off, carrying her away with Talon in hot pursuit.

An all-to-familiar scream echoed from behind Ray.  The yellow unicorn gasped, his bundle of sticks falling to the ground.

"Moonbeam!" he shouted, suddenly realizing just how far he'd let himself walk.

Ray broke into a gallop, charging back toward the campfire.  He didn't notice the cave he had wandered close too or hear the growl of something inside waking up from the racket now echoing from further in the forest.

The earth stallion continued his charge, seemingly able to ignore the screaming filly on his back.  He trampled his own path through the thick growth of the forest, crashing through bushes and narrowly dodging around trees.

"Put me down!"  Moonbeam shouted, beating her front hooves against the stranger's side.

"Did you not notice the dragon chasing us?" he chastised in response.

A rush of heat drew both their attentions upward.  A blue fireball arched over them, falling into a patch of bushes straight ahead.  The earth pony skidded to a halt as the flames caught surprisingly fast, turning the plants into crackling barriers.  He spun around only to find a rather perturbed dragon glaring straight at him.

"Put her down," Talon growled, wings unfurled in anger.

Moonbeam let out a sigh of relief as her captor crouched, letting her slide back to the ground.

"Good, now..." Talon began.

He didn't have time to finish before the stallion charged again.  Talon barely had time to brace himself against another impact, the large pony bull-rushing him toward a nearby tree.

"That does it!" Talon shouted, digging his foot claws into the ground as he managed to stop his slide and push back.

A clatter of hooves against dirt could be heard approaching as Talon and the stranger struggled in place.

"Moonbeam!  Talon!"  Ray's voice called out, getting closer with each moment.

Talon glanced toward the voice and in that second the stranger drew back.  The dragon stumbled forward, almost falling on his face as his opponent stopped pushing back.

Ray came charging into sight just was the earth pony slammed down with his front hooves, pinning Talon to the ground.

"Talon!"  Ray shouted, his horn shimmering with magic.

The light glow around his horn suddenly flared like a bonfire as wisps of purple and silver floated past.  Ray gasped as he turned toward Moonbeam.  The filly's eyes were sparking with energy as she glared at the brown-furred dragon fighter.

"You!"  She gasped out.

"What in Equestria?"  The earth pony grunted.

"Moonbeam don't!"  Ray shouted, charging toward his sister.

"Leave.  Us.  ALONE!"  Her voice exploded out along with a wave of force.

Ray had a half-formed barrier around himself as the wave struck.  Everything seemed to vanish into blinding light.

An older, pale-pink pegasus mare was humming gently to herself as she carefully brushed a paint-dipped feather over the canvas in front of her.  She peeked from behind the easel, looking up to the almost-clear sky visible above the wall watching a few clouds drifting off into the distance.

"Mother!" a voice scolded from nearby.

The mare's vision was drawn to the cabin nearby, a pure-white pegasus that shared her blue-green eyes walking toward her.  She had a tray with mug of steaming liquid balanced on one wing while the other draped over the older mare.

"What are you doing outside, mother?" the younger pony asked, her eyes filled with worry.  "Especially after how bad you were feeling this morning?"

"I just felt so much better I thought a little fresh air was in order," the rosy mare answered, fluttering her own wings a bit.  "And I wasn't doing that poorly this morning."

"You can't be too careful, especially with your health," the younger pony responded, leading her mother toward the cabin.  "Come on.  It's time for your medicine and for lunch."

A light growl sounded from the mare's stomach and her cheeks flushed a darker shade.

"I suppose I had lost track of time," she admitted.

A distant shriek brought mother and daughter to a halt as a powerful wind tore over the top of the wall.  Both pegasi stared up in awe as a burst of silver rose into the sky before dispersing into a cloud of purple sparkles.

"Oh dear," the older of the two whispered.

"My medical bag," the younger one said, leading her mother with a much quicker step now.

"What?" asked the rose-colored mare as her daughter reached the cabin with a worried look.

"Thunder Hooves is on scouting duty today, remember?" the white filly declared, dashing for a bag hanging from the wall.  "Oh, I hope he's alright!"

A huge burst of wind tore through the forest as the light shot skyward, the sound of Moonbeam's scream echoing along with it.  The impromptu gale ripped at the wings of a young pegasus who shouted in surprise as his silvery-gray body spun head over hooves.

"Whoa!  Hang in there CT!" a filly below shouted as she jumped toward him.

The red earth pony managed to snag the flying pony's tail in her teeth, dragging him down as he managed to straighten out.  The wind had died back to normal, his wings flapping as he hovered in place.

"Close one.  You almost got smeared across that tree," the filly chuckled.

"What're you talking about?  I was totally in control," the colt responded, setting himself on the ground.  "What do you think that was all about?"

"Dunno..." was the response.  "We aren't near any villages with barriers."

"Well somepony needs help from the sound of that scream," the pegasus pointed out as he jumped back into the air.

"Right you are.  Let's get movin'," his companion said with a nod.

The duo took off, winding through the trees in the direction of the strange wind and light.

With a low growl the thing from the cave stalked closer.  The light and wind had gone but the scent of ponies was still heavy in the air.

It could smell its meal up ahead where all the noise had come from.  It stalked closer, able to make out several ponies just laying about in the clearing.

It was lucky.  It wasn't often so many would be so helpless.  It paused at the sight of scales and wings though.  A dragon, but a young one and also unconscious.  No threat.  It moved forward.

"I see something!  This way!" a voice shouted.

More ponies coming.  The thing stopped and growled.  It hungered but ponies tended to move in large groups.  If more were coming then it wouldn't be safe to feed.  It couldn't even risk taking one.  It would be sighted long before escaping.

The thing turned and moved back into the woods with the scent of its meal still teasing its nose.  It would find these ones again, these ones foolish enough to tell the forest where they were before resting.

Voices echoed from somewhere, muffled as though being heard through cotton.  Ray struggled to open his eyes in defiance of the pounding in his head trying to push him under again.  A blur of red with green eyes greeted him, pulling back a bit in surprise.

"Mornin' there, stranger," the blur said.

She sounded female, her voice carrying an odd accent Ray couldn't quite place as he blinked to clear his vision.  An earth pony filly, about his age by the looks of things, with a cherry-red coat and a blond mane pulled into a messy ponytail came into focus.  Even from the ground he could see her cutie mark was a trio of hoof prints racing up her flank.

He let out a groan as he struggled to his hooves.  The cherry filly ducked by his side, looping one of his forelegs over her back and slowly raising him back up.

"Th-thanks," Ray stammered out, his other legs trembling weakly.

"No problem, name's Trailblazer," the filly said, taking the brunt of the stallion's weight.

"Ray.  Solar Ray." the young knight responded, wiping his other fore-hoof quickly across his aching forehead.

It came away with a smear of red across it and a blinding stab of pain racing through his skull.  Ray slumped awkwardly against the filly next to him as she staggered in surprise and barely avoided dumping him back on the ground.

"Careful!  That's a nasty lump you got there," she cautioned.

As his vision faded back to normal Ray was able to take in the clearing.  Or rather what was left of it.  Most of the grass had been scorched away by Moonbeam's wild spell, as were the leaves on the trees nearby.  A muffled grunt and the sound of something frantically smacking against the ground pulled Ray's eyes to the other side of the clearing.

The huge stallion from before was still there with Moonbeam slumped over his back.  The filly's eyes were closed, her breathing slow and deep as though sleeping.  Barely registering as slightly more important than that was Talon's predicament.  The dragon was tied to one of the singed trees, his mouth held shut with rope as well and his tail slamming the ground as hard as he could.

"Sorry about that, didn't think to tie up his tail," a voice from above admitted.  "Kinda surprised me.  I thought he'd be out longer than that!"

A silver pegasus swooped from above, his spiky white mane and tail bouncing with each flap.  As he settled on the ground his wings half-covered the blue comet that made up his cutie mark.  Ray also noted how much shorter the pegasus was than himself, barely taller than Moonbeam from the looks of him.

"Dammit Comet Tail, I told you to be careful!" Moonbeam's carrier chastised as he moved away from the bound dragon.

"You also told me to hurry up so I could make sure no other dragons were coming," the pegasus countered.

"Untie him," Ray muttered.

"That doesn't mean that - Wait, what?" the earth pony asked, looking toward Ray.

The unicorn's horn was shimmering gold, as were the ropes around Talon.  The larger stallion snorted, quickly putting himself between Ray and his target.

"What do you think you're doing?!" both of them shouted at each other.

Ray cringed as his head throbbed again from the combination of effort and stress.  Comet jumped in between the duo, his wings raised defensively.

"Ease up, Thunder Hooves." the gray colt spoke up.  "This guy - "

"Solar Ray," Trailblazer interrupted.

"Right.  Solar Ray got knocked on the head remember?" Comet Tail pointed out.  "Probably doesn't even know where he is right now."

Something shimmered around Ray's neck.  A golden locket wrapped in his magic aura opened with a gentle click.  The unicorn panted, his head feeling like it was going to split open as his support filly leaned closer for a look.

"Hold that thought, CT!" she spoke up, carefully lifting the locket away from Ray with her mouth.

The other two boys looked to their crimson companion and the locket she held.  Eyes widened at the picture inside and the young unicorns and dragon on it that looked a little too familiar to be coincidence.

"Ah'm starting to think we might have been a touch hasty," Trailblazer said.

Ray was breathing heavily as he was half-carried along by Trailblazer.  The group of now five ponies was moving in rather awkward silence.  Mostly owing to the very grumpy dragon near the back of the group.

Talon plodded along on all fours, his wings half extended to let Moonbeam rest on them.  The filly had yet to awaken and, after being untied, Talon had been rather adamant about carrying her himself.  Ray and Trailblazer weren't far ahead of him mostly due to the unicorn stallion's slow pace.

"Look, I'm sure Thunder Hooves is really sorry about the mix-up," Comet Tail commented from above, finally breaking the quiet.

Talon just huffed in reply, and unsurprisingly so did Thunder Hooves.

"Yeah, the first thing I should have thought when I saw a crying filly and a dragon was that they're related," the huge pony responded sarcastically.

"Least we got this settled 'fore things got any worse," Trailblazer spoke up.  "Lookin' back it's kinda funny, don't ya think?"

"You try waking up tied to a tree," Talon grumbled in response.

"Aha!  So you can talk!" the filly cheered.

Talon just rolled his eyes in response, trying to look at Ray while ignoring the cheerful female helping him along.

"How are you feeling, bro?" the dragon asked.

"I've been better to be honest," Ray said as he hobbled along.  "Think I can hang on until we get - Wherever it is we're going."

"Hoofsdale," Comet Tail spoke up again, landing with a grin as he trotted alongside the unicorn.  "No need to thank us either.  It's the least we could do for ponies in peril."

Talon looked like he was about to say something when Thunder Hooves' voice cut in.

"Hey Stone Stomper!  You still up there?" the large stallion called out.

Their attention drawn ahead again the others saw they'd reached an end to the forest.  A large wall of wood and stone at least five pony-heights tall stood before them now with a heavy set of doors built into it.  The sounds of several ponies chattering could be heard from the other side, two voices raising over the others only to stop at Thunder Hooves' shout.  A dusky-orange head with a brown mane peeked over the top as Thunder Hooves walked out of the tree cover up to the gate.

"You sure took your time getting back!" the stallion at the top of the gate called down.  "Cloud Dancer been making a scene since that light and - "

Stone Stomper was cut off as a white pegasus suddenly popped up next to him.  The curls of her sky-blue mane bounced a bit as she gasped at the sight of the chocolate pony below.  Before the orange guard could stop her she sprang from the wall, her feathered wings spreading as she gently glided toward the ground.  Thunder Hooves grunted in surprise as she wrapped her forelegs around him as she landed, her wings still up revealing a cutie mark shaped like a cloud with two bandages crossed over it.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?!" the pegasus filly scolded, releasing the giant from her hug and giving him an incredulous look.  "Everypony saw that weird flash but they wouldn't let me go look for you!"

For once Thunder Hooves' expression softened as he nodded to the others.  Trailblazer and Comet Tail were quick to break cover, Ray being dragged along by the red filly.

"Thanks for worrying about me, Cloud Dancer," Thunder said as they emerged.

"Aww, sweet as ever ain't ya CD?" Trailblazer chuckled.

"Got some other ponies here that need your help before things get too sappy though," Comet Tail cut in.

Cloud Dancer gasped and hurried to Ray, her hoof gently lifting his bangs out of the way.  The unicorn winced, trying to pull back as she shook her head at the damage.

"Oh dear, I need to bandage that quickly," she muttered, one wing folding over her bare side and drawing her attention.  "And I left my bag inside the gate, didn't I?"

"He's not the only one you need to look at," Talon commented as he made his way from the trees.

Cloud Dancer gasped, backing away a few steps at the sight of Talon.  Silence held for a second except for the still chattering ponies across the gate, soon accompanied by the clunk of hoof meeting face.

"Aww shoot, Ah fergot about this," Trailblazer muttered around her own hoof.

"DRAGON!" Stone Stomper shouted from the top of the wall.

Talon cringed as the sound of ponies screaming could be heard on the other side of the gate, hooves clattering against the ground as they ran.  Comet Tail took off in a blur of silver toward the sky, letting loose a shrill whistle as he went.  Every conscious creature present covered their ears in pain as the shrill noise echoed around the forest.

"Hey now everypony, you've got nothing to worry about!" the colt shouted.  "Talon out here's a nice dragon."

"Are you kidding me?" Stone Stomper responded, other voices of protest rising to join his.

Cloud Dancer was still trembling as Talon looked back to her.  The teen dragon seemed to be doing his best to ignore the shouting match over head as he turned to the side and lowered to the ground.

"Please?  Moonbeam won't wake up and we don't know what's wrong," Talon muttered, giving the white filly a pleading look.

Cloud Dancer steeled herself, hovering carefully over Talon to get a closer look at the unicorn stretched across his wings.  Comet and Stone's argument was escalating though, Thunder Hooves' scowl becoming more and more pronounced with each passing second.

"Stone Stomper I kicked this guy's scaly flank myself!  Do you really think I'd let him follow me if I thought he was dangerous?!" the giant stallion roared.

The orange pony atop the gate flinched at the admonishment, allowing Cloud Dancer an opening to fly back up to him.  She could see the other ponies still near the gate, at least half a dozen earth ponies of various colors that hadn't run and were all looking from the guard to the gate.

"Please Stone.  I need to get those two inside so I can treat them," she pleaded.

"Don't do it, Stomper!" one of the bystanders yelled

"It must be a trick!  If that thing gets in the village - " another called out before cutting off with a shudder.

Cloud Dancer cast a disapproving glare down at the detractors, Stone letting out a frustrated sigh.

"CD, you know I can't let a dragon into the village.  Even if he's not dangerous everypony will panic!" the guard apologized.  "What about them, huh?  What about your mom?"

"Then I'll wait out here!" Talon's voice shouted from below.

All eyes flew to Talon, a few of the ponies behind the gate even rushed up to the watch post to look down at him.  Ray especially seemed shocked at the declaration.

"Talon, no," Ray protested, only for a gentle claw to silence him.

"You and Moonbeam need help and we don't have time to argue," the dragon said, casting a glare at the ponies on the wall.  "I'm not letting you guys get worse because of me."

"You shouldn't need to do th-this," Ray stammered, his vision blurring again.

Cloud Dancer slowly drifted down, a gentle smile on her face as she gestured to Moonbeam.

"I can carry her in," she offered.

Talon nodded, carefully transferring his sister to the medic's back.  He gave his brother one more smile before backing up to the trees, the six ponies moving closer to the gate.  Stone Stomper cast one last nervous glance to the blue reptile before disappearing behind the edge of the wall.  With a steady creak the doors slowly swung out.

Talon curled up against a nearby tree, watching as his family was lead inside.  He craned his neck, trying to keep an eye on them for as long as he could before the doors swung shut again.  Soon he was alone but for the small group of ponies watching him from the wall.

Cloud Dancer allowed herself a small smile as she gently applied a damp cloth to the unicorn filly's forehead.  Moonbeam muttered something in her sleep, but didn't awaken as the pegasus blew out the lantern and slipped away toward the sitting room.

Much to her surprise there were five other ponies in the main room of her little cabin rather than four.  Thunder Hooves had his head ducked to avoid some of the herbs that were hanging from the wall to dry whilst Comet Tail and Trailblazer helped themselves to some tea.  Ray, stretched out on the floor nearby with a bandage wrapped around his head, was being served a cup as well by a pink feathered wing.

"Thank you very much ma'am," Ray said appreciatively, wincing a bit as he lifted his bandaged head from the ground.

"Think nothing of it Ray.  And please, call me Pastel," the mare requested, her artist palette cutie mark visible until she folded her wing back into place.

"Mother,"  Cloud Dancer sighed.  "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Nonsense, young filly, we have guests!"  Pastel responded.  "And it's been so long since our two favorite travelers have stopped by."

"Aww go on," Comet Tail chuckled, flicking a hoof nonchalantly.

"Actually Ah'm a bit more interested in Ray here," Trailblazer spoke up.  "Ain't everyday you see a couple of ponies travelling with a dragon!"

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing," Thunder Hooves said, his sharp gaze not leaving the unicorn.

Ray chuckled nervously, looking at his hooves as he did.  Pastel, however, gave Trailblazer a frightened look.  Her body trembled a bit as her coloring seemed a touch paler.

"Dr-dragon?" the elder mare asked quietly.

"Trailblazer!" Cloud Dancer scolded in a harsh whisper.

"Sorry, sorry!" the earth filly apologized.

Cloud Dancer jumped to her mother's side, gently supporting her as her knees went weak.

"It's okay, mother.  He's outside the village and he's not big enough to hurt anypony." the white pegasus spoke softly, brushing a wing along the pink-furred back.

Pastel looked at her daughter, her aqua eyes watering as she gulped for breath.  A fine line of sweat was forming along her brow.  Cloud Dancer smiled gently as she turned her mother toward the next room.

"Come on, let's get you settled into bed." she said.

"But our guests..." Pastel protested.

"For my sake, please?"  Cloud Dancer asked.

The rosy mare nodded, allowing herself to be ushered from the room, Ray watching silently the whole time.  Cloud Dancer moved back to Ray a moment later, kneeling next to him to check his bandages.

"Just what is with the anti-dragon sentiment around here?" Ray asked, giving the other four a confused look.

Only silence answered him for a moment before Thunder Hooves let out a heavy sigh.

"There was a dragon attack on the village years ago.  When I was still a colt," the large pony explained.  "Since then the whole place just locks right down if there's any chance of danger, not just dragons."

"I wasn't even born at the time it happened, but most around here are...understandably nervous," Cloud Dancer added.

"Besides that...Well it's a dragon!" Comet Tail spoke up.  "I mean everypony knows the stories.  They breathe fire, waste villages, eat pon-"

The colt cut himself off at the sight of the glare Ray was giving him.

"Um, Talon's cool though.  Guess you can't believe everything you read, huh?" the young pegasus tried to backtrack.

"Speaking of, you still didn't answer my question," Trailblazer spoke up.  "Just what're all three of you doin' wanderin' around the forest?"

Ray sighed and looked back to the room Moonbeam was resting in.  Cloud Dancer gently brushed his back with one wing.

"If you can't tell us then - " She started.

"No.  No I guess you deserve to know.  You've been trying to help us," Ray said, glancing at Thunder Hooves.  "Or at least trying to make up for things."

The larger stallion hmphed but stayed silent.

"It all started a few days ago," Ray began.

Voices again.  The cave thing stopped.

The noisy ponies had moved on, but their trail was fresh.  In the dying light of the sun the forest's shadows were perfect for hiding as it followed the scent.  It had been following, learning where they'd been taken.

Now it could see the blue and purple wings of the dragon from before.  Beyond the dragon though, past the edge of the trees, was The Wall.  Pony voices carried from the top on the evening breeze, the dragon cringing with each word spoken.

"What will we do if it decides to attack the gate?"

"You heard what it said.  It just wants to wait - "

"For those two unicorns, we know Stone.  It's still a dragon!  We don't know what might come afterward!"

"Guys, it has wings.  What if it just flies over?"

Silence.  The dragon released a shuddering breath and wrapped his wings around his body as though trying to keep out the voices.

The cave thing began to circle the village.  The dragon would be tough and scrawny, not worth the effort to hunt.  Ponies were in that wall but scared to use the exit near the reptile.

It would stalk.  It would watch.  They would come out somewhere else.  It would strike then.

"So we're effectively banished, stuck out here looking for some magic trinkets that might not even exist."

The room was quiet again as Ray finished his story.

"That's - um - Wow," Cloud Dancer broke the silence.

"Gotta say Ah never expected to actually meet a pony from Canterlot," Trailblazer spoke up before jabbing at Comet Tail.  "Which means you gotta carry the packages for the next whole week!  I told you it exists!"

"Joke's on you, it was my week to carry anyway," Comet chuckled before looking back to Ray.  "So does that mean Moonbeam's magic caused that light show earlier?"

"Yeah," Ray admitted with a tired nod.

"No wonder Big T didn't wanna talk about what happened," Trailblazer snickered.

Thunder Hooves shot the giggling pony a glare, his stormy face speaking volumes.  A white hoof mussed his mane though, his face softening again at Cloud Dancer's touch.

"You still brought her back here though," she said, a smile on her face.

"Well yeah.  I'm supposed to just leave a filly stranded in the woods?" he asked with a shrug.  "How much damage can she do when she's asleep anyway?"

"You really don't want me to answer that," Ray cut in.

"I wouldn't worry, I've seen Moonbeam's condition before in some of the local unicorns," Cloud Dancer assured the saffron stallion.  "She's just burned through too much magic in one go.  Her body sort of shut down in order to keep it from happening again."

Trailblazer gave Ray a playful shove to the shoulder, almost knocking him over in the process.

"So ya can quit worryin', Ray.  CD didn't get a medical cutie mark for nothin'," she encouraged.

"Once she's rested for a while she'll be right back on her hooves," Cloud Dancer confirmed.  "Speaking of rest you should get some too.  It's already getting dark."

A look out the window confirmed that.  The sun was setting, the shadow of the protective wall falling over the little cabin with a few streaks of light filtering through the gaps.  Rather than relaxing though Ray jumped to his hooves.

"Oh gosh, Talon!  He must be worried sick!" Ray gasped before almost collapsing as his head started swimming.

"Cool your hooves.  I'll go let him know you're fine," Comet Tail offered, stretching his wings.

"My shift on the wall is coming up too," Thunder Hooves grumbled, his back popping as he stretched his own massive body a bit.  "Some pony has to keep an eye on your 'big brother.'"

There was no joy in the large stallion's statement.  Ray grunted a bit in surprise as a white wing rested across his back, gently guiding him away from the front door.

"Trailblazer - " Cloud Dancer started to ask.

"Don't gotta say anymore, Ah'm here for ya," the earth filly responded, helping Ray along.  "Come on, let's get you set up.  This won't seem nearly as bad after a good night's sleep."

"I hope you're right," Ray sighed as he relented to the pair of females.

Moonbeam looked up at the trees surrounding her.  Her entire body shimmered with a gentle silver light as she took a few steps through the dark forest around her.

"Hello?"  She called out.

Nothing answered, at least not verbally.  There was a blink though.  Something in the distance sparkled through the trees.  The filly started toward it cautiously.

"I can't believe that!"

Moonbeam yelped and came to a halt, spinning around searching for the source of the voice.

"She couldn't have!  Not for us..." the voice went on in a heavy accent.

"Who's there?"  Moonbeam called out.

The voice was silent, but the sound of somepony crying was echoing from off in the distance.  Off in the distance she could see a group of houses, a small village surrounded by a strange glow.  Taking a deep breath the filly started toward it, her own magic illuminating a path.

Ray winced as his mind somehow dragged itself back to the waking world once more.  Somepony was coughing in another room, rather violently from the sound of things.  Cloud Dancer's soft voice was somehow carrying over the noise.

"There you go mother, just drink up," she encouraged.

The coughing came to a halt and Ray let out a grumpy sigh as he cast his gaze around the room.  According to the pegasus it was her own bedroom, and with Moonbeam in the bed there had been no options for Ray other than to sleep on the floor.  The soft glow of moonlight was playing off the walls and bed, lulling the tired stallion back to sleep.

Ray bolted upright as his eyes drifted to the source of the light.  Rather than the window it was Moonbeam.  The filly was standing at the far side of the room, her body shimmering with magic as she stared at the wall.

"Oh-no.  Not now," Ray whispered as he got up and headed for his sister, horn already glowing.  "Moonbeam?  Are you okay?"

His sister looked up to him and Ray stopped in his tracks.  Her eyes weren't filled with silver light but they didn't seem to be focusing on him.  It was as though she were seeing something else far away.  The magic glow around her intensified as she turned back to the wall.

"Moonbeam what are you - " Ray's jaw dropped, cutting himself off in mid-sentence.

The navy-blue filly stepped toward the wall and went right through it.  She simply phased through like the house itself wasn't real.  In less than a second she was gone, the room falling to darkness again as Ray frantically pressed a hoof against the very solid wood.

Something shimmered outside through the window.  Ray dashed to the opening, sticking his head out and craning his neck as far as he could.  He could barely see his sister moving toward the wall of the village only to pass through it as easily as the house wall.

"Moonbeam!"  Ray shouted, trying to struggle out the window.

"Am Ah interrupting somethin' here?" a familiar accent spoke up.

Ray popped back inside, spinning around to find Trailblazer behind him.  Cloud Dancer was in the hall just outside, a worried look on her face.

Talon let out a heavy sigh, twin streams of smoke spiraling from his nostrils as he looked up to the starry sky.  The ponies that had been watching him up on the wall had finally left and everything was quiet at last.

"So, you like trick flying?"

Or rather it would have been if Comet Tail ever stopped asking questions.  The pegasus colt was trotting back and forth along the lip of the wall, his coat shining under the moonlight as he used his wings to balance.  Talon simply grunted, not even looking up at the energetic pony.

"Aw come on, I'm trying to be nice here!"  Comet Tail chastised.

"Face facts Comet, I don't think he wants to be friends," Thunder Hooves pointed out as he marched by.

"Neither do you.  That doesn't stop me," the smaller pony pointed out.

Thunder Hooves just turned in place and began marching to the other end of his post, eyes scanning the forest.  Comet Tail sighed, flapping his wings and hovering down to the dragon's side.

"I get it, it was those other ponies wasn't it?"  The pegasus guessed.  "Talking about you when you hadn't even done anything - "

"Foal-napping my sister, tying me to a tree - "  Talon cut in, glaring at the pegasus.

Comet cringed a bit and gave his companion a sheepish smile.

"Hey, let's be fair.  I was working off Big T's word when I did that," the colt said, landing in front of Talon.  "How was I supposed to know better?"

Talon responded by lifting his own locket on one claw.  The golden jewelry still sat around his neck in spite of everything else that had happened.  With a twitch of a claw the tiny flame cover opened to reveal the same picture as Ray's locket.

"Point taken, we jumped in too fast," Comet admitted.  "But everypony makes a bad first impression or two.  Come on, give a guy another chance?"

'Big T' seemed to be doing his best to ignore the chat going on below.  Talon gave the pegasus a confused look, crossing his arms as he did.

"You're really not scared of me?" he asked.

"Little tough to be scared of a dragon that gives his unconscious sister a pony-ride," Comet Tail chuckled.  "So come on: Trick flying.  Wings that big you've gotta be awesome!"

Talon extended one of the leathery membranes with a sheepish look.

"Well actually - " the dragon started to answer.

"Who's there!" Thunder Hooves' voice suddenly cut in.

Talon and Comet both jumped at the shout, looking back up to the top of the wall.  Thunder Hooves wasn't visible but his voice was hard to ignore, as were the other ponies speaking.

"Open the gate!" Ray's voice called out.

"Cloud, I thought you kept a tighter rein on your patients than this," Thunder Hooves grunted.

"That was before a teenage filly sleep-spelled her way out of my cabin!" the medic's voice answered.

"Wait, Moonbeam's out here?!" Talon shouted, eyes widening in panic.

"Come on Thunder!  No way you're gonna let some poor filly wander in the forest alone, right?" Trailblazer pointed out.

There was an audible click as the gate began to open.  Ray and Trailblazer both dashed through, followed closely by Thunder Hooves.  With another click the gate shut again, Cloud Dancer sailing down from the top of the wall.

"Dammit, if anypony finds out about this - " The giant stallion muttered.

"Alright, she went through the wall near Cloud Dancer's," Ray explained to the others.

"I'll give it a fly over!" Comet Tail volunteered.

"We'll be right behind ya, pardner!" Trailblazer answered.

With that the sextet took off.  The gate stood silent behind them, nopony being around to hear their departure.

Something, however, stalked from under the trees and into the moonlight.  It licked its chops before silently darting after the noisy ponies and dragon.

Moonbeam stared up at the strange tree she'd reached, set in the middle of the un-sheltered village.  She'd certainly never seen one like it before, seeing as the massive plant was carved from solid gold.  The yellow metal glinted oddly under the moonlight, strange orange fruits dangling from its branches, its leaves rustling in the otherwise silent wind.

"Ah need ya'll to help keep it safe," the voice spoke again.

Moonbeam looked around, there was still no sign of the speaker, or indeed anypony else, and it was beginning to scare her again.  This time the voice seemed to be coming from right in front of her.

Purple eyes shot upward as something glinted at the top of the tree.  An apple, larger and riper looking than any of the other crystal fruits, shone with a light that overpowered the moon.  The filly squinted at the strange fruit, a new voice speaking up.

"Brave the trail before you,

though monsters howl and bark.

Find honest eyes and seek the truth

from a guardian in the dark."

"Moonbeam!"

The filly's eyes opened before she'd even realized she'd closed them.  The silver light shining around her faded, letting her body drop toward the forest floor into a waiting pair of arms.

"I've got her!" Talon cheered, holding his sister close.  "Oh man, she's burning up!"

"Talon?  Ray?" Moonbeam panted, her head swimming as the last of the dream faded from her vision.

The golden tree was gone but the forest wasn't.  Ray had a look of relief spreading across his face as he looked

down at her, the bandages around his head coming loose.

"Thank Celestia," Ray sighed, nuzzling his sister before his gaze went stern.  "You scared the living daylights out of me!  What were you doing!?"

"S-sorry,"  Moonbeam stammered, before gasping.  "Ray, you're not gonna believe it!  I was dreaming about this forest and there was this huge tree - "

She was cut off by an unfamiliar white hoof connected to an equally unfamiliar white pegasus.  The unicorn gasped and tried to pull away only for Talon to run a reassuring claw through her mane.

"It's alright, this is Cloud Dancer.  She was helping take care of you after you passed out," the dragon assured her.

"Her temperature is probably from overexerting herself," Cloud Dancer fretted.  "I don't understand though, her body shouldn't have let her use anymore magic.  She was completely exhausted..."

"I did mention the part about the Canterlot barrier earlier, right?" Ray asked.

"Ray listen!  I think - I think one of the Elements of Harmony might have spoken to me!" Moonbeam shouted.

"Would you tell her to keep it down?" Thunder Hooves' voice admonished.

Moonbeam, however, squirmed her way out of Talon's grip and darted the few steps to Ray.  She pressed her fore-hoofs against his chest, staring pleadingly into his eyes.

"I'm not making this up, Ray!  Something was talking to me!  It told me some weird rhyme and - " Moonbeam was silenced by her brother's hoof on her muzzle.

"Whaddya think, Ray?"  Trailblazer asked, Moonbeam looking in confusion at the scarlet filly.

"Well we heard her saying something on the way over," Ray pointed out.  "Plus I can honestly say I've never seen her do anything like that before."

His blue eyes wandered back to Moonbeam, a slight smile daring to come to his face.

"Maybe the Princesses were onto something here," he said.

"Yeah, uh-huh, great.  Now that we've found her let's get back to the village before - " Thunder Hooves cut in, stomping the ground in frustration.

Something roared behind them.  Everyone spun around, Talon's wings flaring up as a massive lion bounded into the moonlight.  Easily three or four times the size of anypony with a pair of leathery, red wings sprouting from the tawny-yellow fur of its back.  A vicious tail with a barbed stinger rose up behind it was it charged at the group.

"Move!"  Talon shouted.

Moonbeam gasped as both she and Cloud Dancer were shoved aside by the dragon, rolling to a stop with the medic's wings wrapped around her.  Trailblazer yanked Ray to the other side, his tail gripped in her mouth, Thunder Hooves alongside her.

The monster's charge wasn't fruitless though.  Talon attempted to jump aside too only for the beast to slam into him, knocking him to the ground and pinning him there with one paw.  The dragon gasped in pain, the wind driven from his lungs, struggling to break free.

"Banzai!"  A silver blur shouted as it barreled from above, slamming into the small of the monster's back as it slid to a halt.

Comet Tail flipped backward as he bounced off the beast, a smug grin on his face as it glared up at him.

"A manticore, huh?  Pretty big one too, what's he been eating?" the rambunctious colt asked.

"Not us if I can help it!" Thunder Hooves responded, charging ahead.

The manticore swiped with one massive paw at the approaching pony only for him to leap over it.  Though he stumbled a bit on the landing, the chocolate-colored stallion managed to spin around and planted a solid kick on the monster's side with his back hooves.  The winged lion roared in pain as it stumbled a few steps, leaving Talon sprawled on the ground.

"You guys get back to the village!" Thunder Hooves commanded.

"Big T, behind you!" Comet Tail shouted.

The earth stallion shouted in surprise as the manticore's paw slammed down trapping him to the ground in Talon's place.  Comet Tail shot down at the beast only for its tail to snap out and send him flying toward the others.  He skidded to a halt on the ground in front of the others.

The manticore snarled at the pony it had pinned only for an unfamiliar weight to bounce up onto its shoulder, then to the back of its neck.  It twisted, trying to find the source only for a sharp tug on its mane to make it reel back onto its hind legs.

"Yee haw!  Git along there, critter!" Trailblazer cheered through a mouthful of lion mane.

Thunder Hooves scrambled back up as their opponent stretched its forepaws toward the filly riding it.  Another solid buck to the stomach caused the beast to double over, pitching Trailblazer back to the ground.  She rolled to a stop before bounding back to her hooves with a chuckle.

"And you told us to run?" she challenged.

"Fine, I owe you one," Thunder Hooves responded, the pair dodging just in time to avoid another paw swipe.

Ray, in the meantime, had darted to Talon.  The dragon was groaning as he managed to pull himself back up.

"Are you okay?" Ray asked, frantically.

"I'll be fine, thick scales remember?" Talon groaned.  "How're the others?"

Ray looked over.  Moonbeam was trembling like a leaf but, surprisingly, her magic wasn't fluxing.  The filly's horn seemed to spark once or twice but whatever magic had lead her out there seemed to have drained whatever power was left.

Cloud Dancer was tending to Comet Tail, her hooves deftly wrapping a length of bandage around his stomach.  Talon snaked past Ray, getting to Moonbeam's side in a sapphire blur and gently wrapping his wings around her as the stallion ran to join them.

"How's Comet?" Ray asked, keeping a weather eye on his sister just to be sure.

"Well he's - " Cloud Dancer started answering only for the colt to spring back up.

"Fine, never better!  We got a plan for putting that cat out?" he asked, loose ends of the bandage trailing as the medic struggled to fasten them.

Ray's eyes darted around, silently wishing he'd thought to grab something before leaving the village.  There was nothing around except for Cloud Dancer's medical supplies and the plants growing around them.  The unicorn's gaze stopped however as he looked up at the vines dangling from the trees.

"How strong do you think those are?" he asked, golden light surrounding the fibrous plants.

Trailblazer stuck her tongue out at the massive cat, blowing a harsh raspberry right in its face before rolling out of the way of its tail.  The manticore roared in frustration, lashing out with claws and barb at the pair of earth ponies darting about it, its body bruised in several places where Thunder Hooves had struck it.  The pain only seemed to anger it though as one of its paws slammed against the nearest tree and tore a huge chunk from it.

With a buzz of oscillating wings Comet Tail darted between the combatants.  Vines dangled from his mouth as he flew circles around the manticore, the beast rearing back on its hind legs trying to swat him from the air.  The colt just chuckled as he managed to duck and weave around the flailing paws, releasing the plants as they began to shimmer with yellow light.

"OUTTA THE WAY EVERYPONY!" he shouted.

Trailblazer and Thunder Hooves dove to the side in the nick of time.  With a startled yowl the vicious feline was yanked toward another tree, the vines tightening around its body and lashing it into place.  Ray grit his teeth, magical energy blazing as he managed to knot the vines before releasing the spell with a sigh of exhaustion.

The manticore snarled and thrashed, the vines straining to hold it in place as the ponies and dragon regrouped.  Moonbeam was quick to jump on her older brother, forelegs locked around him in a tight embrace.

"That was great!" she cheered.  "And the way the rest of you just went after that thing - "

"Can we talk about it when it's not standing right there?" Thunder Hooves asked, pointing one hoof stubbornly back toward Hoofsdale.

"He's right.  And you need to tell us more about that dream you were having," Ray said, gently pushing his sister off.  "Come on, everypony."

The manticore roared one final time at its escaping meal as the group headed back through the forest.

Pastel coughed once more as she made her way into the sitting room of her and her daughter's cabin.  There had been a loud BANG like the door slamming open and now the sounds of ponies chattering was carrying through the house.

The rose-colored mare stopped in the doorway, surprised to see all six of the ponies from that afternoon gathered.  Ray's magic was levitating a set of saddlebags as he affixed another pair to his sister as the filly bounced excitedly in place.

"Cloud Dancer?"  Pastel asked, spotting her daughter closing the front door.  "Is something wrong dear?"

"Oh!  I'm sorry we didn't mean to wake you, mother."  The blanche filly apologized.  "Just a little - Well - There was a little incident you see and - "

"Miss Pastel!" Ray spoke up, almost making a salute before stopping himself halfway.  "I wanted to thank you as well as Cloud Dancer for the help you gave us earlier.  I'd hoped we wouldn't be leaving without saying goodbye."

"You're going already?" Pastel asked, sounding confused.

"Not if he'd listen to me," Cloud Dancer insisted, spreading her wings in front of the door.

"Yeah, in case you forgot there's still a hungry manticore out there," Thunder Hooves pointed out.

"Not to mention it's the middle of the night," Trailblazer added.

"And you guys only have some freaky riddle to use for directions," Comet Tail spoke up.

Moonbeam had stopped bouncing, looking worried at Ray.  The stallion also seemed unsure, his saddlebags hovering in the air behind him.

"They've gotta point, maybe we should at least wait until morning," a new voice spoke up from the nearby window.

Thunder Hooves face-hoofed before glaring at the speaker.  Pastel's eyes turned to the scaly muzzle sticking in through her sitting room window and she immediately turned a shade paler.  Cloud Dancer hurried to her side, shaking her head frantically.

"Mother, just calm down.  There's a manticore in the forest, we couldn't just leave him out there!" the medic explained.  "Plus he tried to protect us from it - "

"A manticore...And you were outside the wall,"  Pastel put a hoof to her head, looking quite faint.

"Maybe it'd be easier to start from the beginning," Ray offered.

Pastel sipped some more water as the nights events were laid out before her.  The saddlebags sat to the side, thoughts of leaving forgotten in the recounting of the tale.  Talon was crouched near the door, looking a little sheepish with his long arms wrapped around his legs.

"So you think that rhyme will show you where one of these Elements is?" Pastel asked.

"Maybe.  It's more than I ever expected to get out here," Ray admitted, scuffing the ground with one hoof.

"Which is exactly why you oughta wait 'till mornin'!" Trailblazer spoke up.  "Look, CT and Ah are gonna be headin' out ourselves.  We can at least take ya'll to the next village so you can start searching."

"Maybe that's a good idea, I don't even know what the village in my dream was," Moonbeam spoke up.

"Alright, point taken," Ray sighed, looking to Trailblazer.  "I don't want to put you guys out though."

"Aw it doesn't bother us!  We've gotta run messages to Coltenberg next anyway," Comet Tail chimed in.

Ray nodded in thanks, before a yawn forced its way from his muzzle.  Cloud Dancer got to her hooves, carefully helping her two patients up.

"Alright then, that's enough.  It's been a very exciting night but if anypony is going anywhere in the morning - " she started to order.

"Relax, CD, we get it," Trailblazer chuckled, leading Ray and Moonbeam back towards their rooms.

Pastel took another gulp of water as her daughter watched the brother and sister hobble off with the delivery ponies and Talon.  There was worry etched on the medic's face as the frailer pony set her glass down.

"Maybe you should go with them dear," Pastel advised.

"What?  I-I couldn't!  What about you, mother?" Cloud Dancer gasped.

"Just look at you, dear!  I know when you're fretting over a patient, I've seen you give Thunder Hooves that same look every time he goes on patrol," Pastel pointed out.  "If that lot are going out into danger and you're worried then maybe you should be with them."

The filly lowered her head, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Perhaps you're right.  It would just be to the next village," she admitted.  "But you'd be all alone."

"I'll be fine, dear.  There are plenty of other ponies to keep an eye on me," Pastel said with a smile.

"Now wait a minute, I'm not about to let you go off with that gang on your own," Thunder Hooves protested.  "I mean really?  Trailblazer and Comet Tail?  Plus you just met those other three a few hours ago!"

"True, but they clearly need help.  I'm a medic, Thunder Hooves.  I can't just ignore a pony in need," Cloud Dancer pointed out.

The large stallion sighed and nodded to the filly.

"Then I guess somepony will need to keep you all out of trouble," he said simply.  "It's just to the next village after all.  We can tell them in the morning, I'll meet you at the gate."

Pastel and Cloud Dancer both nodded before a huge yawn emanated from the pink mare as well.  Cloud Dancer helped her mother up, leading her toward her bedroom as Thunder Hooves headed for the door.

Outside the earth pony looked up to the stars, taking a deep breath of cool night air.  With a heavy sigh, he started back for his post to wait for the next day and the new journey it would bring.