Author's Notes:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13gCNaeFe99jH9t2lq7ORapeTF2i1osY7is5X8so7rEU/edit

In case people didn't see my blog post thing, I created a list of characters: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AU--H_nGSGUFkRqwC62g_Q9O9R-MLb80hPvTEHsV6fQ/edit

It's not finished and suggestions/comments are welcome.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been over the ocean. Once, it was a thing of wonder to me, an experience that I could always enjoy and think back on fondly. Over time, it grew stale. I lost the thrill of feeling the ocean wind and misty sprays of water from the waves.

But flying over it on my own wings was something else entirely. If I fell, I risked drowning. I had to constantly keep alert and keep beating my wings. That said, it also gave me more control and let me actually fly right above the water and smell the salt up close. It was an amazing experience, one only slightly marred by the horrified dragon riding my back, constantly asking what I was doing and if I was trying to get myself killed.

Spike had his own wings, though, so I ignored him and had fun. If he got tired of it, I figured he could go ride Reginald instead. Of course, Reginald didn’t seem that enthusiastic about anything at the moment. The closer we got to Iceland, the more dour and silent he became. He did explain the basics of the dragon code, which were pretty much your standard common sense rules mixed with a bit of naga honor, but after he finished explaining it, he reverted to monosyllabic answers and grunts.

That was fine by me, at least. It gave me a chance to finally enjoy wings that weren’t stunted, in the wrong place, or demonically cursed.

It’s a long way to Iceland from the Everfree. By himself, Reginald might have been able to make it in a single flight. His wingspan is a lot larger than mine and he’s much more comfortable in his own body. My presence meant we had to land in an uninhabited part of Greenland when night fell. My wings ached and I was starting to get tired, so making camp was an easy choice.

It helped that Reginald was growing more nervous the closer we got to Iceland itself. I honestly had a feeling that he wasn’t quite ready for what was coming.

Thankfully, making camp gave Blaze the chance to ask me a question I kinda wish he had asked before I left. “So how are we going to contact the water elementals when we determine where my brother is?” he asked when I got settled down onto the icy ground, Spike cuddled up against my belly.

Well… There are ways. Randomly stumbling upon them won’t be likely, but I can contact Twilight.

“How can we do so without revealing that you are my host? I could speak to her, who can speak to her water, but they would learn the truth.”

I guess you really haven’t been exploring my memories. Thank you. He snorted again. I wasn’t even being sarcastic. Can you put me to sleep and bring me to your realm?

“I have not made a realm in your mind yet. That is something done with your entire mind, not with the small part you have forced me into.”

Oh. Then I guess it’s a good thing Flo did make me learn how to do this myself.

“Do what?”

I forced myself into the dream anteroom, putting my body in a sleep-like state. Blaze immediately appeared next to me and looked around the place with something approaching wonder. “This is the world of dreams,” I said. “Every single dot you see is a dream. Humans created this world somehow and I have remote access to the dream machine that controls it.”

“...Hm. I remember… hearing something about a similar machine. Before the war, that is. I don’t remember what exactly it was. I’m surprised that such a thing is still active.”

“It wasn’t, for a while. The ponies discovered it and managed to activate it, but only for ponies. Flo and I reconfigured it a few months back to work on every other race as well. Check this out. Access subroutine artificial intelligence defender.” Three red humans appeared next to me, which made Blaze flinch. “These are AI that humans programmed into the machine. Kinda like a much more dumbed down version of you guys. They can follow certain orders and answer certain questions, but they aren’t actually intelligent.”

“Very, very interesting,” he quietly said. “How old is this machine?”

One of the defenders made a dinging noise and then replied, “[Data corrupted]”

“Yeah, I’ve been down that road before,” I said. “It’s old enough that it shouldn’t be working anymore. These things are on their last legs. Most of the information they were programmed with has been lost over time. They can answer a few questions, but nothing useful. This is the main use I’ve gotten oughtta them so far: List active users.”

One of them said, “Navarone, admin. Unknown manual override user: Admin.”

“Huh. I guess Luna’s up and about. Let’s see…” I thought about Twilight. My head didn’t turn. “Twilight’s not asleep yet, looks like.” I thought about Celestia. My head still didn’t turn. “Neither is Celestia. That’s strange, but we have all night.”

“So what use is this realm?” Blaze asked.

“Most of the races we created can’t dream on their own,” I replied. “There are a few exceptions here and there and everyone very rarely has some dreams without this machine. But with it, everyone can dream every night. Or at least, everyone that’s close enough to the machine. As far as I can tell, that’s the purpose of it. I don’t really know what the benefit of dreaming is versus not dreaming, though.”

“Hm. I assume if you can see all of these dreams, you can see into them?”

“I can see into them and I can enter them. I can also lock a dream down to keep someone asleep for as long as I want. The shit I can do is really fun and really amazing. I use it for stress relief. I’m actually really happy Luna taught me how.”

“I would like to enter one.”

Before I could agree, I heard a throat clear behind me. Oh boy, here we go. We both turned and saw Luna floating there. “Hello, Navarone,” she calmly said. She looked… different. Before, her hair was always floating around like Celestia’s and looked like the night’s sky. Now it was a pretty shade of blue. Her eyes also lacked some of their old intensity. She was slightly shorter, but not by much. She was also wearing nothing.

“Good evening, Luna,” I slowly replied.

“Who is this with you?” she asked, looking at Blaze. “He looks like a demon, but demons are incapable of dreaming.”

“I am Blaze, a fire elemental,” he said. “I have heard of you. Would you like me to pluck her eyes from her skull, Navarone?”

“Not right now,” I said. “Maybe later, though.”

Luna didn’t really look impressed. “I would like to talk to you, Navarone. Will you allow me that?”

I have to wait for Celestia and Twilight and I want answers anyway. Fuck it, let’s see where this road goes. “Yes, on two conditions. I want to know why you abdicated and I want to know where you are.”

“Agreed. I am on Mount Oberon, the fortress guarding the entrances and exits of Tartarus.”

“Oh shit.” I guess that explains some things.

“That is why I would like to speak to you. My… Princess Celestia has informed me that there is something in Tartarus you require.”

“There is. I’m not looking forward to the trip, either.” Especially if it means I have to deal with you.

“Then allow me to make it for you. Tell me what you need and I will obtain it. Despite what you may think of me, you know I have skills that would enable me to survive where you might not. Let this be the beginning of my eternal punishment.”

Alright, now we’re getting kinda dark. “...Luna, why did you abdicate?” I asked.

She looked down and fell silent. I knew she was going to tell me, but I guess finding the words or the courage wasn’t easy. After a few moments, her gaze met mine again, back to its old intensity. “I am evil, Navarone,” she finally said. “It is something I have come to accept. I am evil. Because I am evil, I cannot rule. I can’t be a princess of Equestria. I never deserved the title and I never will. All I am good for is hurting others. So I chose to exile myself to a place where all those I can hurt deserve it.”

“I don’t think that’s the entire story, Luna. You didn’t just wake up one day and realize you’re evil. This is something that’s been building in you for ages. What was the tipping point? What made you finally give up?”

“...I don’t suppose it matters anymore.” Her eyes turned cold and narrowed slightly. “Midnight Blossom was a very loyal soldier, Navarone. She was very loyal, very resourceful, very experienced, and unfortunately, very jaded and strongly considering retiring. So I sent her up against an eternal that wanted to be left alone, knowing that he would turn her if he had the chance.” Oh my god. “He did.” My hands balled into fists. “She became utterly reliant upon both me and the night for protection. I planned to turn her into my eternally loyal right hoof mare.”

“You. Utter. Bitch! How could you fucking do that?!”

“I have no excuse for you, Navarone. It was wrong and it was evil. The reason I told you that is because a conversation I had with her was my tipping point. Celestia allowed me to speak with Captain Midnight using a magic mirror. Celestia, of course, gave her a script that I immediately saw through. I asked my eternally loyal right hoof mare a few pointed questions and got a few direct answers. When I learned that you talked her into coming out as a vampony to Celestia, I realized she would never support me again. Then I asked a few more questions and was told by one of the most morally upstanding ponies I have ever met that my very presence is disgusting and a blight upon all of Equestria and that if she could go back in time, she would spit in my eye before asking for my help in hiding as a vampony.” Hell yeah. You fucking go, Blossom. “That is when I realized that my reputation was eternally ruined. That is when I realized that my place in Equestria was gone. That is when I realized… many things. I was given one chance to make up for my past and I blew it. All I can do is cause pain and suffering wherever I go. At least now, the pain and suffering I cause can be deserved.”

“You ponies are so dramatic,” Blaze said, waving a hand. “So what if you’re evil? The world is always in balance. As long as your sister is there to counter you, why does it matter?”

“That is how it was for a very long time,” Luna replied. “My sister held my leash and directed me at our enemies. It was a glorious and simple existence, one at which I excelled. But eventually… I snapped back at her. The mad dog she spent so long training used all of its tricks to attack its owner… And its owner won. When I returned to Equestria after a thousand years of exile, Celestia was too wary to try wielding me again. I looked to her for guidance, for orders, for ways I could use my talents to help her yet again. She gave me… nothing. Nothing but answers to questions I did not ask. Nothing but love I could not reciprocate. She was no longer my compass and because of that, I fell astray.”

Is that sad, disturbing, or a lie? “When Celestia told me you abdicated, she cried,” I said. “She wanted you to find your own way in life. She wanted you to make a place at her side. She didn’t think she had the right to order you around anymore, not when she led you down such a dark and lonely path. Celestia wants you to be… Luna. She doesn’t want you to be Equestria’s sword, her junkyard dog. She wants you to discover who you really are, Luna. She’s horrified that you abdicated. Absolutely horrified and she doesn’t know what to do.”

“I suppose I showed her who I truly am. It is my misfortune that who I am is something of which to be ashamed.”

“...I don’t believe that,” I slowly said. Her ears twitched and Blaze flinched. “Right now, you are what Celestia made you. But I don’t think you want to be. I know there’s good in you, Luna. You hurt me a lot. Sometimes, it felt like you enjoyed doing it. But I don’t think that’s who you really are.”

“Even if there is something in me that is not wretched and depraved, I still believe that my place is no longer in Equestria. I have done too much damage to too many souls, yourself included. My exile to Tartarus is punishment. Surely you can agree that is fair, at the very least.”

“I can’t and don’t agree, actually,” I slowly replied.

“...That is your prerogative,” she uncertainly replied. “But this conversation has dipped way off course. I have told you where I am and why I abdicated. Will you tell me what you need from Tartarus so I can get it for you?”

I crossed my arms and thought. If she could bring me Nestorats, that would save me a lot of trouble. That said, I legitimately didn’t think she could do it by herself. Celestia was able to beat Blaze in a sparring contest, but Blaze was several million years out of practice. Nestorats had been constantly at war in all that time and her skill was likely increased because of it. The shoddy circle Ariel drew to summon her didn’t even give her a quarter of her full strength, according to what Celestia told me later. She also would presumably have an army of lesser demons at her beck and call.

There was no way Luna could do it alone. I didn’t really want her help at all, but I finally came to a decision. It was a painful decision and I felt that it might be a decision I’d regret later, but it was one I decided to stick to.

“When you asked for my forgiveness before, you gave up everything. I respect that you were willing to do that to yourself. What you did to me hurts, Luna. It hurts and it might always hurt. I don’t think you’re capable of doing what I need done in Tartarus. Not alone. I’m willing to accept your help if you’ll swear to me that you’ll give up your evil ways.” Her ears fell. “If we both survive and you can show me that you’ve changed, you’ll… you’ll earn my forgiveness.” Her eyebrows lifted. “And if you’re interested after that… I might offer to help you keep changing.”

“I… I don’t…”

“No one deserves to hate themselves, Luna,” I quietly said. “You have done many awful things. But you can make up for them. You can move past them. You can choose to become better. But it’s something you have to decide. And it’s not something that will be easy. Earning my forgiveness does not mean earning the forgiveness of the world. I want you to think about my offer. Don’t say anything now. Just think about it. Everyone should have true happiness. Some people just need help finding what does the trick. Staying in Tartarus and fighting demons for the rest of time might make you happy, but I don’t think so. I think there’s something in you that wants more. I’m willing to help you find it. But in the end, it’s up to you to decide. I can’t make you do something you don’t want and I won’t make you do something that doesn’t really make you happy.”

She was silent for far too long. Finally, she practically fell to the ground. “I don’t… deserve happiness, Nav.”

I walked over, knelt down, and put one of my hands on her head. “Happiness isn’t something anyone ever deserves, Luna. It’s something you find. It takes some people longer to find than others, and that’s okay. It’s worth it in the end. I’m… not who I once was. I’ve changed in ways I don’t even fully understand anymore. I’m not certain it was all even willingly. But right now, I know I don’t like looking at someone who thinks happiness is something they aren’t allowed to have. You hurt me. I hurt you. I can agree to move beyond that if you can. I can let the past stay in the past if you can agree to move forward and become a better person.”

Or at least, I say that I can. Actually doing so might be an entirely different story. Words are easy, but actions and thoughts…

Speaking of actions, she decided to make one. Instead of replying with any kind of words, she just melted into nothing. I looked around for a moment to be sure she was gone before looking up at one of the defenders. “List online users.”

“Navarone, admin.”

“...I guess she woke up.” I looked over to Blaze. “I imagine you have an opinion about what I just did.”

“...I do not have the full story of your history with Luna. I know that she greatly hurt you.”

“That’s the story in a nutshell, yeah.”

He flared for a moment before shaking his head slightly. “Vengeance is a very powerful thing, Navarone. It… soothes the mind. It cools the heart. It strengthens the body. Fire elementals usually advocate vengeance. I am no different.

“I already got my vengeance. That’s why she’s in Tartarus right now.”

“Hmph. Forgiveness is a very difficult thing. It’s also a very powerful thing, when used sparingly. I do not know if she is worth it and I do not know if you will be capable of it.”

“...I’m capable of trying.”

“I suppose you are. Trying is the first step toward succeeding.”

It’s also the first step toward failure. “Well, it’ll be an interesting experience. I was planning on taking some time before going to Tartarus anyway. It’ll give me time to reflect and talk with my crew about Luna. I don’t want to order them to work with her, but I will if I can’t talk them into it.”

“I have found that trying to order someone to do what they do not want to do tends to end poorly,” he uselessly replied.

“Yeah. Now, let’s see if anyone’s fallen asleep yet.” I kinda doubted it, though; it hadn’t been dark for too long before we landed, and we were probably at least two hours ahead of Equestria. Sure enough, after thinking about Twilight and Celestia, my head didn’t move. “Nope. Take my hand or enter my mind.” He disappeared and I looked at one of the defenders. “Take me to the nearest nightmare.” It stretched out a hand and grabbed my arm, then we appeared in front of a huge dream surrounded by other huge dreams. “You are dismissed.” The defender disappeared and Blaze reappeared.

“This bubble looks larger than the other dots I saw,” he said.

“It is larger than the other dots you saw. I’m very curious as to why.” I reached a hand in and carefully moved the fog aside to see. Turns out, the dreamer in question was a dragon. “Oh. I guess large dragons have large dreams. I wonder why.”

“Perhaps it is because they are large?” Blaze sarcastically replied.

“Fuck yourself with a rake.”

He snorted. “I am beginning to understand why your previous elemental abused you. Such a thing is abhorrent, but you are very disrespectful.”

“Yeah, well, you know. Want to enter a dream?”

“Yes.” Just like that, he disappeared again and I took another look into the dream to scout it out.

About fifteen or so dragon nightmares later (ten of which involved the dragons losing all of their wealth), I looked around for Celestia and Twilight again. Celestia was finally asleep, but Twilight was not.

I didn’t need to talk to Celestia too urgently, so I decided to write her a message in her dream’s golden fog. “I’d like to talk, if you don’t mind. - Nav.”

She responded less than a minute later with, “By all means.”

Before I entered, I said, “Celestia plays games in her dreams sometimes, Blaze. At the moment, she doesn’t think I have an elemental in me, so keep it cool.”

“Of course,” he replied in my head. “Though there is nothing about me that is cool.” Don’t I fucking know it. “And just what is that supposed to… Oh. Fuck you.”

“You’re learning quick, huh?”

He snarled in reply and I decided to enter Celestia’s dream. Somewhat unsurprisingly, I ended up in a sparring room. “Have you come to continue your training?” she sweetly asked.

“Nope. I’m here for two reasons. Well, technically three. Do you know when Twilight is going to fall asleep?”

“I’m afraid not. She’s usually very busy with experiments when she’s in Canterlot. Judging by what the maids told me about the smell emanating from her chambers earlier today, I imagine she’s… working on necromancy. Knowing her, she could be up for a while. Why? Is there something I can help you with?”

“Not unless you got a water elemental in you without telling me. We haven’t gotten to Iceland yet, but when we do, I’m going to need to meet with them at some point. We left without discussing how we’d do that, so I need to talk to Twilight about it.”

“Is she the only pony on your ship with a water elemental?” Celestia asked.

“...No, actually. But I don’t want to go near the dreams of Kat or Smiles.”

“That is understandable. Well, I understand why you don’t want to go into Kat’s dreams, but I do not know Smiles.”

“Lucky you. I guess I’ll just keep waiting for Twilight. Anyway, that was one of the reasons I needed to speak to you. Luna came to me in the dream anteroom and spoke to me.”

Celestia’s ears dropped. “And what did she tell you?”

“She told me where she was and why she abdicated.”

And that made her hang her head. “I see. What… precisely did she tell you?”

“That she was on Mount Oberon in Tartarus and she abdicated because she was evil and you refused to use her evil for good anymore. Apparently she wanted everything to go back to the way it was before, with you giving her orders. Instead, you left her to her own devices. Without you to guide her, she just did evil stuff because that’s all she knew. Apparently the final straw was Blossom telling Luna that she was a piece of shit. Luna finally told me she got Blossom turned into a vampire on purpose so she would be her eternal right hand soldier. Now that Blossom has completely lost her faith in Luna, Luna realized she created a problem that will never go away. So she decided to say fuck it and stay in Tartarus, where she can be evil all she wants since everyone there deserves to get their shit kicked in anyway.”

“That is… similar to what she told me,” Celestia very quietly said. “Though she did not mention that she had been relying on me to guide her.”

“Yeah, I fucking bet.”

Celestia’s eyes quickly turned angry and her ears and head jerked right back up. “Is this funny to you, Navarone?”

“No, actually.”

She snorted softly. “Then what do you think about it?” Blaze started chuckling in my head for some reason.

“I think it’s incredibly sad. What happened to Luna is a fucking tragedy. You used her and used her until you used her up, then when she had the nerve to fight back, you locked her ass up on the moon for a thousand fucking years. And now she’s back and you tried to pretend that five thousand years of psychological torture and a thousand years of loneliness didn’t happen. It’s not even a little bit funny and you should be nothing but ashamed. You did this to her and then you bundled her off to Tartarus when it all exploded in your face again. I think it’s well past time you had a fucking talk with her about all of this and tried to set things right. Be a fucking grownup and admit to her that you fucked up and either try to talk it out with her or sever yourself from her completely. Either way, stop acting like the victim here and start taking responsibility for what you did to your little sister.”

I said before that her eyes turned angry. What I just said turned her straight up apoplectic. I’m honestly surprised she didn’t immediately start screaming at me or demanding I get out of her dream. I’m also a little surprised she let me finish talking.

Since I was already on a roll and she was already pissed, I decided to keep going. As soon as I opened my mouth again, she started grinding her teeth. “The reason she came to speak to me to begin with is because she wanted to get whatever I needed in Tartarus for me so that I didn’t have to go. I told her that I would let her go with me on the condition that she drops her evil ways and that I would help her change after we got Nestorats if she wanted me to. What she did to me still hurts even now, but I think I’m finally able to move past it. I think I’m finally able to forgive her. But if you ever want your little sister back in your life, you need to sit down with her and have a talk. In person. I don’t think I can change her alone. Hell, I don’t even think she’ll attempt to change unless you ask her to. The ball’s in your court now, Celestia. If you want Luna back, or if you want her to ever be anything more than the rabid animal she is right now, it’s time to step up and fix your mistake.”

“I never asked for the responsibility of a little sister, Navarone. Or a nation. I handled them the best I could.”

“And you fucked up. What’s in the past is in the past. How are you going to move forward, Celestia? Are you going to help her get past your mistake or are you going to let her continue suffering? Are you going to let her rot in hell or are you going to welcome her back to the world? Are you going to let her continue fighting in Tartarus until she becomes a demon herself? Because I think we both realize that if she continues on this path, that’s exactly what will happen to her. She will happily become a demon and then the only time you’ll ever see your little baby sister again is when she’s being summoned to attack another fucking changeling hive. You’ll have your evil little sister back on your leash, at least. I bet she wouldn’t be so happy to serve you anymore, though.”

“ENOUGH!” Her horn started burning with power and her eyes picked up a very black hue. “You will be silent, Navarone. You have said far more than is enough!” I crossed my arms and stared at her. After a few seconds of silence, her horn lost its light, though she still looked more than a little angry. “I have made many mistakes in my life, Navarone. But every single thing I have done has been for the good of my kingdom. Somepony had to do what Luna did! Do you know how many times she has saved this nation? I could not count the number! She has been a savior to millions. There was a time when she was more beloved than I! More feared, yes, but more beloved at the same time. She was the sword of Equestria. Who else could I have relied on, Navarone? Who else could have done what she did?”

“...Do you really need me to answer that, Celestia? I don’t think you’ll like what I have to say.”

“I haven’t liked a lot of what you have had to say tonight, Navarone. When has that ever stopped you?”

Then I shrugged and said, “You.” She flinched back. “You wanted to be loved, Celestia. You didn’t want to get your hooves dirty. You decided you were going to be the good leader and make Luna do your dirty work for you. Everything she did, you could have done. Or you could have shared the burden. But you chose to make someone else carry that weight while you did your best to pretend your coat was clean. While she killed monstrosities, you played games in the capital. While she fought wars, you headed parades. While she assassinated, you gave speeches. Every little thing she did, she did for you. And you loved it. Luna made you the most powerful tyrant on Earth. Now she’s broken and you cast her aside. You get to keep living the good life in the capital of the world when your soul is just as black as hers, if not more so. All she’s guilty of is loving you enough to do what you refused to do yourself.”

She was silent for about fifteen seconds before she very coldly said, “I suggest you get out of my dream, Navarone.”

I decided it would be a very good idea to get out of her dream.

As soon as I stepped back into the anteroom, her dream disappeared. That’s when I remembered that I didn’t get the chance to ask her about the dragon treaty. I somehow had a feeling that wasn’t going to be happening for a while.

“That might not have been a wise decision,” Blaze commented.

“So I take it that you don’t consider it your job to advise me before I make mistakes.”

“It is difficult to do that when you ask me to keep out of your mind. But in general, you are correct. Fire elementals direct their hosts in combat. We believe their personal life is theirs to control. Making mistakes is part of growing as a person. You will never truly learn your lesson until you have seen the result for yourself. Water elementals hold the opposite belief. As it is, I will say I was incorrect. There is no might. That was a very unwise decision.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because Celestia just teleported to me and demanded I spar with her until neither of us could stand. She is extremely irate and I don’t think I will be able to refuse her. It is going to take time for me to heal all the damage she is about to inflict on me.”

“Tell her to calm down. She’s very reasonable. I bet it’ll work.”

He was silent for five seconds. “It did not work. It absolutely did not work.”

“Oh. Good luck.” For the record, I knew it wouldn’t work.

He didn’t reply.

When I looked back around the dream realm, I saw that Twilight was finally asleep. I jumped over to her dream and wrote another message on it. “Would you mind some company?”

In response, her dream disappeared and she showed up where it had been. “Miss me already, Nav?” she asked with a smile.

“Oh, of course. But I also needed to ask where we were supposed to meet the waters.”

“There’s a small island chain just to the south of Iceland. They’ll be waiting there. They know what all three of you look like, so they’ll be watching out for you.”

“Cool beans. I tried asking Celestia about this, but we got off topic and I pissed her off royally. Do you know—”

“What did you do?” I rolled my eyes and explained some of what happened with Luna and some of what I told Celestia. Twilight sighed and face-hoofed. “Nav, that might not have been a wise decision.”

“Preachin’ to the choir here, Twiley. But it needed to be said, wise or not.”

“No, Nav. It didn’t need to be said. But it has been. I believe the water elementals will offer an advisor to Celestia when they get back from Iceland. She might need one, if she keeps going down these dark paths. It’s apparently doing wonders for Chrysalis. Er, Moonbeam.”

“Interesting. Anyway, what can you tell me about the treaty between ponies and dragons?”

She lifted a hoof to her chin in thought. “I believe I may have heard of something like that. Can you jog my memory?”

“I spoke to Reginald before we left. He told me that Celestia blackmailed him into supporting a treaty that favored the ponies after an altercation between the races.” She tilted her head slightly. “Said treaty meant the ponies get one dragon egg every ten years as a hostage.” Her eyes widened. “I think Spike was one of said eggs and Celestia used that egg as a magic guinea pig.” Her mouth dropped. “I was wondering if you knew why the treaty was signed or what blackmail info Celestia has on Reginald. He wouldn’t tell me any more.”

It took her a moment to regain her composure. When she did, she seemed icily cold. “I was wrong, Navarone. It did need to be said. And I’m afraid I don’t know anything about that treaty. Perhaps it’s time I ask Celestia.”

“Yeah, have fun with that. I don’t think she’s in the mood for a conversation right now, though.” Blaze growled. “I’m going to do some digging when I get to Iceland. Hopefully, the dragons can give me an unbiased version of what happened.”

“I doubt it. How did Spike take the news?”

“He doesn’t know yet. Or at least, I don’t think he does. Hell, I don’t even know if Celestia realized he went with us. At the moment, he’s a hostage who managed to escape to his homeland. I’m not going to spread that information too far, but once he learns the truth, he might not want to come back.”

She sighed and hung her head. “We all knew it could happen some day. Just… not like this.”

“It’ll be his choice. I’m really hoping we can find his parents, but I don’t know if that’ll be possible.”

Her head pulled back up. “Good luck, Nav. I really wish I could be there with the two of you. It would be nice if I could… I guess make up for my part in what happened to him.”

“That wasn’t your fault, Twilight. Celestia was the one who was using those eggs. You were just doing what you were told.” Which is really, really fucked up, but definitely not her fault. “Experimenting on prisoners goes beyond evil. She better have a very, very good explanation when I get a chance to ask her.”

“Hm… I know she has records of everything. I just don’t know where. Did you happen to leave your key and ring outside of the box?”

“I did. Kat should have them both. I think she’s staying with Fleur at the moment. If you’re planning on stealing records, ask for Kat’s help. I’ve had her do it for me before.”

Her eye widened. “You did?”

“Well, I had her steal back all the books I wrote that Celestia said I couldn’t have published. Then I had them all published. I bet she wasn’t too happy about that one. She might have increased her defenses, in fact. You should definitely speak to Kat.”

“...I believe I might. Why is she staying with Fleur?”

“Because she’s gonna be the cat contestant in the Miss Universe contest Fleur is holding. Also because Fleur might need the skills of an assassin soon.”

“Uh huh. Should I be worried?”

“I dunno, maybe? I try not to think about it.”

“You are so bad at being a noble, Nav.”

“Thank you,” I replied with a boop to her nose. “Anyway, that’s all I needed. Unless you need to ask me anything, I’m gonna go back to regular sleep. We still aren’t quite there, so I need my rest to make the rest of the flight in the morning.”

“Of course. Keep me and Aqua updated about your progress, if possible. If you are able to find where the next fire elemental is and show me in a dream, it could be possible to avoid you having to find the waters entirely.”

“Silly Twilight, it’ll never be that easy. You just know he’s gonna be in the home of the biggest, meanest son of a bitch dragon there. Or in their most well-protected treasury. It’s not gonna be any kind of easy.”

“True.” She smirked and floated up to my face to kiss me. “For luck!”

“It worked out pretty well last time, so I’ll take it,” I replied with a grin. “I’ll try to see you tomorrow night, Twiley.”

“Until then!” She disappeared and her bubble reappeared. I really did need some actual sleep, so I also vacated the dream realm and descended straight into darkness.

Thankfully, I don’t remember any of my dreams.

Spike woke up feeling refreshed, I woke up feeling okay, and I don’t think Reginald slept at all, because he looked like shit. Then again, I guess he did kinda sleep for a few hundred years at some point, so maybe one night’s rest just felt like five minutes for him.

Either way, we took off with no breakfast, though a rumbling in my tummy made me ask what I forgot to ask before we left. “So what are we gonna do for food while we’re there?” I called over to Reginald while we were in the air.

“I am about to tell you one of the reasons that Iceland is our homeland,” he called back. “The gem mines there never run out. The dragons hire out dog miners and pay them in gems and gold. The entire island is covered in never ending gem mines. Food will be the least of our problems. And do not spread that knowledge.”

“You got it.” Though I guess now the fire elementals know. And so will anyone reading my journal, not that it’ll matter when I stick you like a fucking pig.

I got all the playfulness out of my system the day before, so we shot straight to Iceland. From where we were in Greenland, it didn’t take very long for us to finally arrive in the land of the dragons.

Our first view of the large island was a very foreboding cliffside. As soon as we crested it, I realized it was covered in grass. That actually surprised me; I was expecting the entire place to be a blackened and burnt wasteland.

Not even a minute after we got over land, a dragon slightly smaller than me and covered in steel armor dove down from some clouds and flew next to Reginald. “Land,” he immediately ordered.

Thankfully, Reginald didn’t talk back and we all started landing. The purifier angled back toward the coast, so we followed him and all ended up on the cliffside. Once we touched down, Spike hopped down with a sigh of happiness; I imagine riding for that long didn’t feel too great.

“I don’t recognize any of you,” the guy said. “What are your names and what is your business here?”

“My name is Reginald,” the great green wyrm replied with pride. “I am here to visit old friends.”

“...Reginald. The Reginald?”

“Yes.”

The purifier’s mouth tightened. “There were many that hoped you were dead.”

“I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint them.”

“Perhaps not. There would be many that would jump to kill you. Our code does not protect traitors.”

“I don’t need a code to protect me.”

The purifier snarled and turned to me. “And who are you? And do you know with whom you travel?”

“I am Tiamat. This is Spike. I ran into Reginald in mainland Equestria. He offered to guide me to the homeland. We’ve never been before. And no, I’m afraid I don’t know his history.”

“I suggest doing yourself a favor and leaving this old dragon behind. Your life will be at risk if you stay with him.”

Jesus. “What is his crime?” I asked.

“I committed no crime,” Reginald replied. “I just made an unpopular decision to end a war before it could finish brewing. I saved our kind. Unfortunately, there are many that found the means by which I did so… distasteful.”

“All you did was shame our entire race and consign hundreds of innocent unborn hatchlings to a fate worse than death!”

“Can you maybe be more specific?” I asked.

Reginald snorted. “I have no interest in listening to purifier propaganda. Tiamat, when you get tired of their lies, join me at Pyrite’s home. He would be happy to put an old friend up for some time, disgraced or otherwise.”

“Do not think you can hide behind that senile old bat forever,” the purifier hotly replied. “Perhaps when his mood shifts, he’ll do our race a favor and finally remove you from it!” Reginald rolled his eyes and then jumped back into the air to fly north. Once he was gone, the purifier turned back to me with something closer to a smile. “Pardon the rude welcome, Tiamat. Most guests I receive do not have his… infamy. My name is Purifier Claw. It is not often we get guests that have never been to Iceland. If there is any way I can assist you, let me know.”

“What’s a purifier?” Spike asked before I could say anything.

“We are the enforcers of the dragon codes and laws,” Claw replied. “It is interesting that you came back with Reginald. In a way, he is the one that began the tradition of purifiers. The very first member of our order is the dragon who forced that traitor into exile. He’ll be very interested to hear that Reginald is back. If the two of you would like to join me, we can report the news to him. He’d be grateful and would likely offer you a place to stay in one of our strongholds while you are here.”

“I mean no ill-will toward Reginald,” I replied. “At least, not yet. He has done nothing to me personally.”

“But he has done plenty to our race. I know you currently do not understand, but should you join me, we can tell you the whole story. I’m sure you’d understand when you know the truth.”

I looked down at Spike. He met my gaze and shrugged. I looked back to the purifier, who was finally smiling at me. “Very well. Having friends and a place to stay while we are visiting will be nice.”

“Excellent! I’m sure you are weary from your journey, but it is not a long flight. I will be happy to stick to your pace.”

Spike sighed and hopped back onto my back. “Then please, lead the way,” I said with a nod. We both jumped into the air and started flying further inland.

“So what brings the two of you here?” Claw asked.

“We’re just here to visit,” I immediately replied. “We have never been. I thought it prudent to visit our homeland. While we are here, I would like to learn more about our past. I would also like to explore, if possible.”

“The outside world can be a very dangerous place. It can also be very difficult for us. Once the two of you get older, finding enough food might become problematic. I guarantee that you would not have issues here. Have you considered settling down in Iceland?”

“I have. It would be a… tough sell. But I am going to keep an open mind while we explore.” What little of it I’d seen so far had been beautiful. The cliff was brutal, but very pretty. And now that we were flying over more of the island, I could see plenty of rivers and a few open magma pools.

“If you would like a guide to see some of our nicer locations, I’m sure that can be arranged,” he said. “As I said, it is rare that we get visitors who have never been here. I’m sure all you would have to do is ask and dozens of purifiers would be all too happy to assist.”

One of the benefits of being sexy, I guess. “Perhaps that would be wise. I do not know where I am allowed and where I am not. I have no interest in angering any locals with my ignorance.”

“Many of your local brethren are territorial. If I am capable of being relieved, I would be delighted to join you.” I’m sure you would. “One of the things we learn quickly as purifiers is who lives where and what services are available in which locations. I’ve spent more than my fair share of time watching the empty border.” If the entire place is patrolled, I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t try to bring the boat in.

“Are there any cities here?” Spike asked.

“Not as you would find in pony lands,” Claw replied. “We have very few buildings and most dragons stay in small groups. We are actually on the way to one of the largest gatherings now, on the largest mountain in Iceland. It is the closest thing to a city we have.”

“Reginald talked about a dragon named Pyrite,” I said. “He seemed to imply he was a leader. Where does Pyrite live?”

“In the badlands far to the north, in the most inhospitable volcano on the island. He may be the oldest dragon and many may look to him for guidance, but he is no leader. His mind is addled and broken. It has been ever since he lost a fight against a legendary demon.”

“Sounds interesting.”

“And unfortunately, little is known about it,” he said. “All I know is that he challenged a great demon of chaos and was cast down into the volcano he now makes his home. He rarely leaves, rarely talks, and his moods shift erratically. You would do well to avoid him. He has sent many young drakes our age on mysterious missions to Tartarus. None ever return.”

Huh. “Maybe he wants revenge on that demon.” Not that he’ll find him in Tartarus.

“Perhaps. These days, most of us look to Bahamut for guidance. After he cast Reginald out, he created the order of purifiers to keep our race strong. While you are here, you should learn our code. Perhaps you would be interested in joining.”

“What others choose to do is of no concern to me,” I said. “I have my own life to live. If they choose to make mistakes, that is not my problem.”

“That is unfortunate, but you may change your mind. You should see the mountain now.”

I did. It was pretty puny, as far as mountains go. But I didn’t want to insult their shitty little mountain, so I just said, “I do.”

“It’s not very large,” Spike dubiously said. I shifted hard, throwing him off balance.

“To traveled eyes, perhaps,” Claw said. “But to one who has never left the island, it is a huge and humbling home. If you would be interested in telling us of your travels, you would find many friends.”

“I have told my story more times than I care to remember,” I said. “I have little interest in speaking more about myself.”

“Speak for yourself!” Spike said, patting my back. “I’d love to talk about everything we’ve seen and done!”

“I advise loosening your tongue slightly, Tiamat,” Claw said. “There are many who find it difficult to trust a silent traveler. Outsiders always bring new tales and news. Silence is suspicious.”

Now that we were getting closer, I started to see several more dragons flying to and fro. Some were fighting. Most were just travelling. Some flew in close to get a better look at us before moving on, having lost interest. A few purifiers roamed the skies, watching the fights and I guess making sure they didn’t get out of… claw.

“Silence has served me well in the past, but I will try to play nice. I have had many male dragons feign interest in my words in an attempt to get close to my body.” He didn’t reply. After a moment, I looked his way and noticed he was blushing very slightly. I grinned and continued, “Honesty would get them much closer, much faster. Pleasures of the flesh can be enjoyable for all and hiding your desires behind words just wastes time. I have little use for those who cannot say what they want.”

“You are… surprisingly forward, Tiamat.”

“I find that bandying words is a waste of time. If you want something, say it. If you are told no, move on with your life. If you are told yes, then you have saved time.”

“...I imagine the elders of your home do not like you.”

“I travel for a reason.”

We were finally close enough for the mountain to be more than a speck on the horizon. With my special dragon eyes, I could see several caves dotting the mountainside. Dragons of all sizes and colors lazed about in the openings. Hundreds more flew above the mountain, circling the place for various reasons. I saw that many of them were covered in steel armor. A few had fancier metals, presumably signs of different ranks.

“You’d find your mindset respected in the ranks of the purifiers. I believe you could make a nice home here.”

“Perhaps. I enjoy traveling. I rarely settle down for longer than a year.”

He finally started angling toward the base of the mountain. We followed, of course. “I imagine you’ve seen many wonderful things.”

“And many horrible things. The balance of the world seems to be broken. Chaos wracks the land in many areas. The beauty of nature and civilization is greatly diminished by violence among the mortal races. Especially those who like to use our kind to further their goals. I’ve seen more than one dragon acting as paid muscle for criminals.”

“I hope you taught them the error of their way, Tiamat. Such dragons bring shame to our entire race. We fight for honor and glory, not for gold.”

“I have left several graves in my wake. Many of those who sought to challenge me did not have the chance to regret their mistake.”

“Oh, you’re a warrior?”

“The mortal races may consider me such. However, I have found that fighting them has done little to prepare me for fighting other dragons. My time spent traveling has left me ill-equipped to fight others of our kind. I would prefer to stay pacifistic while I am here.”

“Then I suggest you swallow your pride. There are many female dragons who might feel… ah… strongly about your presence. Especially if their chosen male dragons begin giving you attention.”

“In my travels, I have found that pride is a weakness.”

“And that is an opinion you will keep to yourself,” he immediately replied. I snorted. “Pride is our greatest strength. It keeps us alive when nothing else should.” It can also get you killed when running would keep you alive. Or when submission is wiser. “You have definitely led an interesting life, to turn your back on our most powerful weapon.”

“I suppose I have.”

We were finally coming to a stop at the very bottom of the mountain. In front of us was a massive cave opening flanked by two dragon teenagers in steel armor. They both stared at me as Claw led the way into the cave.

Once we got past the opening, we entered a hall lit by huge braziers that filled the air with smoke. For some reason, it didn’t bother me at all. Hundreds of sentences were carved into the walls and ceiling. Claw saw me looking at them and said, “The dragon’s code of honor is inscribed here for all to read. Every purifier knows each word by heart. We strive to live by the tenets set forth by Bahamut and the other purifier elders. If you plan on staying for longer than a week, I suggest familiarizing yourself with them.” I noticed that several younger dragons were doing so, standing on each others shoulders to read higher up since they didn’t have wings yet.

“Most dragons I have met can’t read.”

“Some can. Many can’t. All those who seek to become purifiers learn. Some of them learn here, in fact. The younger members of my order are happy to teach any who seek to learn. If you’re interested, I can spend time teaching either of you.”

“We both already know,” I said. “It can be difficult making your way through mortal cities if you are unable to read signs.”

“Are we gonna pass through here on the way out?” Spike asked.

“We will,” Claw said.

Spike hopped off my back. “I’ll catch up, N—Uh, Tiamat. I’m gonna do some light reading.”

“Very well.” He hobbled off to check out the walls while Claw and I continued in.

“What is your relationship to him?” he asked me when we were far enough away.

“He travels with me for protection. He knows even less about our kind. I do not believe he knows his parents. There are times I think he considers me a mother. When I leave Iceland, it might be without him. There is safety in independence.”

He didn’t reply. After a few more minutes of walking, we came to a huge throne room centered by an enormous brown dragon. He was probably a thousand or two years younger than Pyrite, but he didn’t have an addled look in his eyes. I realized the reason the hallway was so large is because he needed all that room just to get in and out. Several small clusters of purifiers of all ranks and sizes stood around us, talking quietly about who knows what. Some of them stared at me as we passed, but none of them challenged us.

“That is Bahamut,” Claw very quietly and pointlessly told me. “He is almost as old as Pyrite and much older than Reginald.”

“I can tell.” Jesus, just the size of him. Imagine a hundred tons of pissed off dragon coming right at you. No wonder Celestia wanted hostages. Just Bahamut alone could probably destroy Canterlot in an afternoon.

At the moment, he wasn’t paying the two of us any attention. He was currently speaking to a group of three purifiers that were all about as large as Reginald. I could barely hear what he was saying with all the echoes of everything else going on around us, but I picked up the occasional word about stealing, honor, and teaching lessons. I decided it was none of my business and did my best to tune it out.

When we got to a reasonable distance, Claw stopped and put a claw on my shoulder, telling me to wait as well. We sat in silence for another five minutes before the three large dragons pressed claws into their chests and walked out. As soon as they started moving, Bahamut turned his eyes on us.

“Claw. You weren’t scheduled to return for another… three hours, I believe. I hope this pretty lass hasn’t seduced you from your duty.”

“She has not, Lord Bahamut,” Claw replied with a bow. “She is a newcomer to our lands, here just to visit. But she is not why I have returned to the mountainhome. Her travel companion is who concerned me.”

“You are learning how to build drama very well, Claw. Get to the point.”

Claw dropped the bow and looked Bahamut in the eyes. “Reginald has returned.” The hall immediately went silent and Bahamut’s mouth tightened. Now feels like a very bad time to be Reginald’s friend. “He immediately went to Pyrite’s volcano for protection.”

Bahamut turned his gaze on me. Holy shit, his eyes… “And you traveled with him.” It felt like I got hit by a truck.

I knew how I handled the next few minutes meant the difference in life or death. I didn’t feel very secure in my scales anymore.

But I had to look confident. Any signs of weakness and they would tear me apart in a heartbeat and then do who knows what to Spike. “He offered to guide me to Iceland. I do not know his past. I just saw an older dragon willing to help a younger one get home.”

“Hm. I imagine if you did know the truth, you would have elected to go to Pyrite for protection as well. Coming here shows courage in the face of the unknown. What is your name?”

“Tiamat.”

“...Tiamat. It seems your parents were expecting dark things from you, young one. That is a name not many know. Do you know its history?” I’m starting to think I made a mistake in coming here.

“I do not.”

He smiled. “Perhaps ignorance is best. To reward your courage, I will give you three things. First, you may have a spare room in our stronghold. Second, I give you an open offer to join our order. We need more female dragons.” When he said that, I realized that I actually hadn’t seen any female purifiers. For some reason, that seemed ominous. “Third, I will tell you the crimes of Reginald, so you may permanently distance yourself from that filthy traitor.”

“Thank you for the gifts, Lord Bahamut.”

“About… oh, ten thousand or so years ago, right before I was born, a demon of chaos attacked Iceland. Hundreds of powerful dragons faced him. Most were easily killed or driven insane. Pyrite was one of those dragons. The demon fought him in claw to claw combat. At the time, Pyrite was one of the most skilled warriors we had. He was the only one that lasted longer than a minute against the demon. Their battle raged across the entire island until finally, the demon struck Pyrite down into a mountain with enough force to make it erupt, coating the entire north in ash and creating the badlands. The duel with the demon changed Pyrite. The once great warrior seemed to withdraw into himself. He rapidly became eccentric, talking to himself and acting strangely. There were many times he refused to leave the volcano at all. About… four thousand or so years later, or six thousand years ago, the demon struck again, attacking the alicorns of old. At this point, Pyrite had come to terms with his addled mind and gained new respect for being wise. When he saw what was happening, he dispatched one of his trusted warriors to assist. That warrior was Reginald. He was warned not to battle the demon directly, for that path led to ruin. Instead, he attacked many of the creations of the demon, helping the mortal races defend against monsters of all kinds. In his travels, he became particularly attached to a group of naga. Through them, he met the pony rulers, the last living alicorns. Celestia had no use for him, but he grew close to Luna. Over the years, the two of them defended the newly created pony race from all manner of villains. In time, they grew… closer than was appropriate. Eventually, Luna attacked and destroyed a ship that was carrying dragon eggs. It was in neutral waters and the crew was not responding to her hails, so she decided destroying it would be wiser than risking a trap. It is likely that she did not know what was on it, but it did not matter. In the end, it almost caused a war that would have likely driven both races close to extinction. Cooler heads, namely Pyrite and Celestia, drafted treaties on both sides that could end the war before it started. The treaty Pyrite created would have had both sides ending all hostilities and leaving it at that. The treaty Celestia created ended all hostilities and gave the ponies one dragon egg every ten years to use as a hostage in case we ever thought to initiate war again. It was an outrage and even hearing about it almost renewed interest in fighting on our side. However, Pyrite talked down the heat in our hearts and urged us to seek peace. Most of us hated the very idea of Celestia’s treaty, but she wasn’t interested in backing down. Finally, she revealed to Reginald that she knew the truth of his relationship with Luna and threatened to tell the world if he didn’t support her treaty. He agreed and talked Pyrite and enough of their supporters into agreeing with it just to end the war, reasoning that as long as we kept our end of the treaty, there would be no trouble.”

He finally stopped and just stared at me, waiting for a reaction. It wasn’t hard to come up with one. “That was dishonorable of him.”

“You are a fan of understatements, I take it. The ink on the treaty wasn’t even dry before I confronted that bastard wyrm and beat the truth out of him. Out of respect for Pyrite, I forced him out of Iceland instead of killing him. It seems that he did not learn his lesson. More’s the pity; I am not looking forward to cleaning his dirty blood from my claws. I will send a messenger to Pyrite’s volcano informing him that he has one week to leave before I lead every single purifier in Iceland there to finish what I started three thousand years ago. If Pyrite chooses to defend him, I will become the new dragon king.”

Looks like we got a week to find the fire elemental before we cause a fucking revolution. This is absolutely not what the world needs right now. Volunteers immediately started jumping forward from the crowd of purifiers, people who apparently wanted to earn Bahamut’s favor by being the messenger sent to Reginald.

He lifted a massive claw to silence them. “In a moment, brothers. Tiamat, wait in the hall. Claw will join you shortly to escort you to a spare room. It will be bare, but it will keep the elements off your back while you rest.”

“As you command. Though I do have one request. I would like a guide. Iceland is a new land for me and I would not want to offend any of its residents with my ignorance. If not, I will find my own way.”

“There will be no shortage of volunteers, I’m sure,” he sarcastically replied. A few dragons in the crowd snickered. “Now leave us.” I lightly bowed and departed, shaking my tail just a teensy bit more than necessary. I ignored all the hungry gazes watching me leave.

Once I finally got back into the hall, my brain started turning. I had pretty much already figured out what Reginald had done, but that filled in a few of the missing pieces of the puzzle. I had a feeling it wasn’t the entire story, but I knew I wouldn’t be getting that from the purifiers. I also knew that I couldn’t tell them about Spike, which meant finding his parents would be very difficult. I’d probably have to find less fanatical dragons to talk to. And perhaps most pressing of all, I had a timeline of a week to find Char before the entire island was embroiled in a civil war. And given what I was just told about the treaty with the ponies and what I know about nationalism in general, a civil war ending with Bahamut as a victor meant the ponies would be almost immediately annihilated out of revenge.

But in the meantime, I’d have a place to stay and presumably food to eat. I’d also have a decent source of information, as long as Spike and I were careful about telling them more than we should. That meant I’d have to tell Spike the truth about the treaty, but I was planning on doing that anyway. I was just hoping I’d have more of the full story before doing so.

I wasn’t looking forward to that conversation.

I didn’t walk for too long before finding him again. He was standing in front of one of the walls, tracing the words with a claw. He didn’t look up when I stopped next to him. After a moment of silence, I read the line he was staring at.

‘Rescue the unborn hostages.’

Oh boy...

After a few more seconds of silence, he quietly asked, “Nav, why did Celestia have my egg?”

“Spike, you have my word that I will tell you everything I know when we’re alone. It shouldn’t take long for us to get a room. Alright?”

He just continued staring at the words.

We didn’t have to wait too long for Claw to rejoin us. “Are you two ready?” he asked.

“Yes. Spike?” He silently mounted my back again.

Claw eyed him for a moment before looking at me. “There are not many dragons that would consent to being ridden.”

“I am not many dragons.”

For some reason, that made him smile. “I suppose not.” He started walking back down the hall. “Lord Bahamut has allowed me to be your guide, starting tomorrow. After I take you to your room, I am to deliver the ultimatum to Pyrite. I believe there is a vein of sapphires in the room you will receive. I hope they are to your liking.”

“They’ll be fine. Are we allowed to leave the mountain?”

“Of course. You are not prisoners. I wouldn’t advise leaving, at least without a guide, but you are free to come and go as you please.” Why do I have a feeling I’ll be followed wherever I go?

“Bahamut mentioned something about female purifiers. I haven’t seen any of them. Is your order segregated?”

“Ah… No. Females act as standard purifiers for about half the year. But when their heat begins, they become… Well, they become free to use by any male purifier to ensure their eggs are fertilized. After their eggs are laid, they seclude themselves in special hatching chambers, where all of their needs are met until the eggs are hatched. After that, they return to active duty and their hatchlings are raised by the community.”

“I see.” I had a feeling my tone was colder than it should have been.

He sighed and said, “There are not many female dragons who would choose such a life, I’m afraid.”

“I am not interested.”

“Hm. The way you spoke before, I thought… Well, you seem interested in things of a carnal nature. I assumed you might be—”

“I am not.”

“Very well.” After that, silence reigned until we got back outside. “Your room will be fairly high up the mountain. We’ll be flying over a few hot springs, if you are interested in washing the dust off from your journey. But I must get to my new task, so I will just point them out as we fly over.”

“Alright.” He seemed a little disheartened by my reply and took off without another word. Spike and I joined him in the air.

We soared up the side of the mountain. Sure enough, he pointed out a few outcroppings with bubbling hot springs where a few dragons were relaxing. He also pointed out some gem veins that were poking out of the mountain, in case we wanted something other than sapphires.

As I said before, the mountain was kinda puny, so it didn’t take us too long to get to what was apparently our cave. We landed at the opening and Spike hopped off my back again. “If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask a purifier,” Claw said. “We are absolutely not servants, but we’re always happy to assist any dragon with anything. And if you find yourself in any disputes, feel free to demand that one of us mediate. It would likely be your best chance of getting out of anything without a fight.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for the help, Claw. Having a friendly face in a new land is more valuable than you know, and I really do appreciate it. Once I get some food and rest, I’ll be in a much better mood, I’m sure.”

“Then I’ll leave you to that, Tiamat. Rest well and easy.” He bowed and took off, heading north.

I sighed and finally eased up. I forgot how stressful this shit can be. When I couldn’t see him anymore, I went further into the cave. Spike was already chewing on some sapphires he broke off. “I can’t believe you guys really eat that shit.”

“You’re gonna be eating it too, Nav,” he replied around chews. “It’s a lot better than you think.”

My grumbling stomach wasn’t quite sure about that, but I knew I didn’t really have too much of a choice. It was this or nothing, and without my super cool tree powers, nothing meant dying. So I sighed and broke a chunk of sapphire off, then watched in wonder as it immediately started growing back. “Whoa.”

“You’ve never seen a gem mine before, have you?” he asked.

“I mean, I kinda sorta have, but I’ve never seen one actually grow back.”

“As long as you don’t take the roots out, they do. I don’t really know much about the magic involved, but the deeper the roots, the faster it grows.”

“Huh.” Since I couldn’t really stall anymore, I tossed the sapphire into my mouth and bit down with a flinch. I immediately tasted… Hell, I can’t describe it all that well. The texture was absolutely the worst thing I have ever put in my mouth, but the taste was like a blueberry fucked a cherry and had some kind of weird berry baby.

Spike watched me eat it with a smirk and asked, “What do you think?”

“Well… The taste is alright. But it’s like eating glass!” At least it isn’t fucking up my gums. I kinda wonder what will happen to my body if I turn back with this stuff still in my system.

“Nah, that stuff is tasteless. Not very filling, either. Twilight tried making me go on a diet once and that was part of it. Just a bunch of disgusting empty calories. Sapphires are great, but they’re more a dessert gem. I really like rubies. They have a zesty, spicy meat taste. Diamonds are good palate cleansers. I’m sure we can find more and let you try all of them later, though.”

“Yeah, probably. Let’s look around the cave a bit more and then we’ll talk, alright?”

“...Yeah.”

I ripped off some more sapphire and munched on it as I walked around the place. Honestly, there wasn’t much to it. There were two more veins of sapphire, a small spring of ice-cold water, and a large bed of moss. The place wasn’t that deep, but it definitely kept us out of the elements and it gave us something like privacy.

Once we had given the place a good look, I settled down on the moss and thought of how to start the ensuing conversation. For better or worse, Spike started it for me. “So why did Celestia have my egg, Nav?”

I sighed and ran a claw down my face before looking him in the eyes. “I’m going to tell you what I know, Spike. Before I do, I want you to understand that I only have the dragon’s side of the story. I just learned all of this today and I haven’t spoken to Celestia about it. This might not be the truth. Okay?”

“...Okay.”

“Six thousand years ago, there was almost a war between the ponies and the dragons. I don’t know all the details of what caused it. One of the leaders of the dragons, a huge gold dragon named Pyrite, wrote out a peace treaty that would end the hostilities before things got out of hand. Celestia wrote a counter treaty. Pyrite’s treaty would have ended it then and there. Celestia’s treaty… demanded a little bit more.” I sighed and said, “Are you sure you want me to continue this, Spike? You’re not gonna like what I’m about to say.”

“I want to know, Nav. I need to know!”

“...Yeah. I guess you do. Celestia’s treaty said that the ponies got one dragon egg every ten years to use as a hostage in case hostilities ever erupted again.” His mouth dropped. “I don’t know for sure, but… I think you were one of those eggs, Spike. I think you were a hostage that Celestia experimented on. When Twilight accidentally hatched you, Celestia raised you herself and kept you ignorant about other dragons. She raised you in the palace so you could never leave her sight. You were a prisoner.”

“H… how… B-but…”

“The dragons hated Celestia’s treaty. Almost none of them wanted it. But there was a dragon who was close to the ponies. That dragon was Reginald. He was secretly in love with Luna. Celestia found out and used that to blackmail him into supporting her treaty. He tipped the balance in favor of her treaty and the dragons signed it. He was exiled for his actions, but the damage was done.”

“I don’t… I don’t believe you!”

I reached over there and put a large claw on his shoulder. “Spike, I will never lie to you. You know that. As far as I know, this is absolutely the truth.” His entire body sagged and he started crying, so I pulled him in and hugged him. It took him a few minutes to calm down, which I considered totally understandable. He just learned his entire life was a lie, after all. When he wasn’t bawling as hard, I quietly said, “I don’t know Celestia’s side of the story yet, Spike. When we get back, I’m going to confront her. If you choose to go back with me, you’re going to be right there next to me. We’re going to make her tell us the truth.” It would involve both my ring and key, but she wasn’t going to weasel out of it.

He didn’t reply, though. I honestly don’t think he could at the moment. After another few minutes, he finally pushed me away and backed up, though he didn’t look at me. “I… I need to… I need to go for a walk…”

He turned and started to leave, but I grabbed his tail. “I know you’re in a lot of pain right now, Spike,” I quietly said. “There are no words I can say to make it feel better. I know that. But please, please, please don’t do or say anything you might regret. And remember that I will always be there for you.”

“I’ll… I’ll be back later.”

“Take your time, Spike. This is a lot to take in at once.” If you know what I mean. “I’m gonna go for a flight and check out the lay of the land. I’ll try to be back before night.” When I let him go, he walked out without another word.

Speaking of Celestia, how are you feeling after that beating?

Blaze growled. “That beating is still happening, Navarone. This mare’s stamina is unreal! And her anger! Sweet kindling, her anger could melt rock! She would make a perfect fire host.”

Wow. Sounds like you have the hots for her.

“I understand Flo’s frustration more and more every minute.”

You don’t need to get so fired up, man.

“I think the better question is why she never did the world a favor and killed you.”

I… lav-a good brain teaser!

“I want you to know that legitimately made me weaker.”

I decided to stop teasing the thing that could turn my brain off. Instead, I drank some of the cold water and then left the cave to fly south. Twilight wasn’t exactly very specific about where the islands were, so I was pretty much relying on luck to get me there.

The mountain was really close to the coast, but I didn’t see any islands from there. I decided to fly west and hope for the best, since I figured they’d stage closer to where we would be arriving.

After flying for about half an hour, I finally spotted an island not too far from the coast. I landed on Iceland’s beach to stretch my wings and wait. Sure enough, about five minutes after I landed, two purifiers that were about about a hundred years younger than me landed in front of me. Why am I not surprised?

“We’re surprised to see you leaving so soon,” one of them said. “Was your cave not to your liking?”

“I came here to see Iceland,” I replied with a smile. “It’s hard to see much of it when I’m stuck in a cave. I didn’t think too many dragons would lay claim on the coast, so I decided to explore it. There’s no crime in that, is there?”

“You didn’t explore for very long,” the other one said.

“Well, I’ve been flying for a while. My wings are sore. I decided to land and rest them for a moment.”

They didn’t look very convinced. “Would you like us to fly you back to your cave, then?” one asked. “We’ll make sure you get back even with sore wings.”

Alright, time to end this game. “My oh my… You’re quite eager to get back to my cave, aren’t you? Hm. Why might that be, I wonder…?” I began walking closer, wagging my tail back and forth. “I think you two might want something from me.”

“N-no, it’s not—”

“Now, now,” I said over his stammered excuses. “You don’t have to deny it. In fact…” I spun around and lifted my tail out of the way. “I’m quite open to it!” I looked back and saw both of them gaping. “Don’t make me beg…”

The one that wasn’t trying to stammer anything elbowed the other one and stepped forward, a large grin on his face. “I’m not gonna say no to an open invitation!”

About an hour later, I was waving the two of them off, a big grin on my face. I honestly wasn’t really interested in either of them, but I needed to make them leave and I couldn’t think of any other way to do it. As soon as I couldn’t see them anymore, I unsteadily hopped into the air and skimmed across the ocean, shivering slightly at the feeling of my body leaking.

Three water elementals were waiting for me on the coast of that island. It looked like Brook, Ice, and Aqua. I landed in front of them, doing my best to send as much sand as possible into Aqua. She turned slightly red, but didn’t comment on it.

“It is good to see you well, Nav,” Brook said with pink eyes. “Though I am surprised to see you alone.”

“Yeah, shit got kinda weird. Apparently Reginald is this place’s Vidkun Quisling and Spike just learned that his entire life was a lie, so they’re both a little busy right now.”

“...Those merit explanations,” Aqua slowly said.

I rolled my eyes and explained them, not that it was really any of their business.

When I was done, all three of them were very blue. Ice quietly said, “I think it’s time we had a talk with Celestia.”

“I think it’s well past time for that,” Brook replied. “But that will be a matter for later. Navarone, we believe the fire elemental is somewhere to the north. Can you begin scouting it out tomorrow?”

“I can try. At the moment, Spike and I are pretending to be travelers. We have a guide, but I get the feeling he’ll try to keep us south. I’ll do my best to get us to move north, though. Do you have an exact location?

“If we were all with you, we could lead you directly to it. But I’m afraid we can’t just point at a map and show you. All I know for sure, without getting closer, is that he is somewhere in the north. We’ve scouted around the entire island, so we know he isn’t visible from the coast. I know that barely narrows it down, but hopefully it will help.”

“Hm. I know of a volcano to the north. Apparently Pyrite lives in one. But I’m sure he would have mentioned something to someone if he had a fire elemental as a roommate.”

“Then it is probable that you can rule that volcano out. It’s a shame that Blaze couldn’t be trusted to help us. He could lead you right to his brother.”

Aqua smirked and said, “He’s earning his keep as Celestia’s punching bag anyway. Apparently Nav upset her and she’s been beating him up and down the palace all night and day. So much for being masters of war.” My head started getting uncomfortably warm.

“What did you say to Celestia?” Brook asked.

“This and that. Personal stuff. She didn’t take it well.” I shrugged. “She’s just being dramatic.”

“Lying is unhealthy, Navarone,” Aqua said. “You told Twilight the truth. There is no harm in telling us.”

“Aqua, don’t make me drink you,” I said. “Besides, she’s probably gonna get a lot angrier when Twilight tells her the news. Then she can be mad for a good reason.”

“And what news is that?” Aqua asked, rolling her eyes.

“So you remember how I mentioned that Reginald is the biggest race traitor on the planet?” She nodded, but was obviously getting impatient. “So it turns out there are a lot of people here that aren’t very interested in having him back. One of them was a dragon named Bahamut, who owns a good chunk of the island and a huge army of fanatical brainwashed dragons, hates Celestia and the ponies, and will stop at nothing to get revenge. Reginald knew this was coming and decided to go to the king of dragons for refuge. Bahamut is giving him seven days to get off the island before he leads a coup. He has enough power behind him to easily win. And judging by what I’ve seen of his code, he’ll turn around and destroy Equestria entirely before the dust even settles here.”

All three of them stared at me blankly for a few very uncomfortable moments before Aqua surged forward and slapped me right across the face. “WE SENT YOU TO ICELAND TO GET A FIRE ELEMENTAL AND YOU STARTED A WAR!”

“That’s a huge overstatement,” I said, rubbing my face.

Aqua turned bright red and she lifted her hand to slap me again, but Ice grabbed it. She formed another hand from her body and slapped me with that instead. “IT’S LIKE SENDING YOU TO THE STORE TO PICK UP MILK AND YOU COME BACK WITH A BOMB!”

“Hey, I had no idea what I was getting into!” I don’t know how she could inflict so much pain through my scales, but god damn.

Her body started quivering and she moved her new hand to slap me again, but Brook stopped it. Aqua’s entire body turned into a hand and slapped me into the ocean, then dragged me back out of the water and thrust me onto the sand. Her body reformed and she grabbed me around the throat with her hands. “HOW COULD YOU BE SO IRRESPONSIBLE?!”

Thankfully, Ice and Brook finally stepped in and dragged her away from me. “This isn’t Nav’s fault, Aqua,” Brook said, trying to sound as soothing as possible. As soon as Aqua started losing some of her red, Ice slid back to me and forced some of his body through my scales, healing the damage Aqua had done. “She was ignorant and merely used the tools at her disposal.”

The two of them started talking a lot more quietly, presumably so I couldn’t hear. “Do you feel better, Nav?” Ice asked as he withdrew his water.

“Yeah. You fucking waters have a weird way of showing how much you love all life. Where’s Flo?”

“It was her turn to watch Mist. Well, that and Naiad doesn’t want her to see you until we’re back in Canterlot.”

“Yeah, I figured that was it. How’s Flo taking it?”

“...Not well.”

“Really?”

“Yes. How are you doing, Nav?”

“I’m absolutely horrified. Aqua is right. You guys sent me to Iceland to pick up a fire elemental and I pretty much signed the death warrant of an entire race. I am so far out of my league here that I don’t know if I should cry or laugh.”

He turned several shades more blue and then slowly said, “I meant about Flo.”

“Oh. Then I’m absolutely horrified. I think she might have been brainwashing me. I’m not the same person I was when I found her. I think she may have destroyed who I was and I’m not sure I’ll ever be myself again.”

And that made him turn even more blue. “Ah.”

I was spared his attempts at comfort by the approach of a slightly red Aqua and a completely blue Brook. “Is there any way you can stop what is about to happen?” Brook asked.

“Navarone might be able to,” I replied. “But Tiamat cannot. Reginald knows what’s coming. With luck, he’ll leave and that’ll be the end of it. But sooner or later, something is gonna set this powder keg off. There’s a whole lotta hate on this island. Unfortunately, that hate is very well deserved. Celestia has a lot of dragon eggs as hostages. If this doesn’t get handled soon, we might not be around long enough for Discord to finish us off. A clash between Celestia and Bahamut might literally crack the world in half.” At the very least, I imagine it would have the impact of an actual nuke. I hope if it came to it, I died in the initial blast, because I really wouldn’t wanna be around for what was next. “Even if Reginald chooses to leave, I get the feeling there might be enough hate and anger here right now that him even coming back will be enough of a catalyst to set it off.”

“...I very much hope you have a suggestion for how to fix this,” Aqua quietly replied.

“Why the fuck do you think I came to you guys?” I asked. She turned bright red and started surging at me again, but Ice bodyslammed her. “Unwad your fucking panties, Jesus. I was joking. Yes, I do have a suggestion. We need to let Celestia know as soon as possible so she can find every egg she hasn’t hatched and give them back. That’s just a drop in a very large bucket, but at least it’s a start.”

Aqua disentangled herself from Ice and calmed down before saying, “You will tell Celestia. Twilight prefers her blood on the inside of her body.”

“...I don’t know if Celestia would be willing to talk to me right now. You might have to tell Cascade and get Kat to do it. I don’t think Smiles is famous enough to get a face to face with Celestia, but Kat should be well-known enough. And if not, she can just sneak past the guards anyway.”

Aqua’s head tilted for a moment before she grinned and turned an uncomfortably dark shade of red. “Twilight is going to tell Celestia that you want to apologize. You will meet her in her dreams tonight.”

My eyes widened. “What? Fuck that!”

“You may either choose that avenue or let me continue beating you around this beach,” Aqua coldly replied.

I looked at Brook, who was watching me impassively. “How much of her needs to be left to help free Char?”

“Navarone, you aren’t going to evaporate my sister. And Aqua, you aren’t going to hit Navarone anymore.”

“...Tell Celestia I want to talk about Spike. At least that wouldn’t be a lie.”

“Very well,” Aqua said. “However, Twilight will make sure to be asleep before Celestia. She’s been doing some digging since last night. I have been too busy to pay attention to her efforts, but they’ve proven fruitful. Kat is surprisingly useful.”

“It pays to have friends in the highest of the high and the lowest of the low. What kind of dirt did she find?”

“Locations. Several of them. None of the eggs are stored in the same place and they’ve moved around a lot. She’s only found a dozen so far and there are bound to be hundreds. Do you know how long it’s been?”

“About three thousand years, the way Bahamut was talking. That’s… shit, three hundred or so eggs. And she’s only found a dozen?”

“So far. It’s a start and she’s going to keep looking. Speak to her before you speak to Celestia.”

“You got it, babycakes.” She reached over and slapped me again. Her siblings didn’t even make an attempt to stop it. “I’ll admit that I deserved that one. But I’m waiting for an apology for the others.”

“Then I hope you are very patient,” Aqua petulantly replied. “Now, if you have no more horrible portents to deliver, I believe I am going to retire to the waves. Or did you want to let us know that you went to the kitchen, got lost, and started a crusade?”

“...Fuck you, Aqua.” She slid into the waves, shooting me double birds until she was fully submerged.

“Jesus, she is such a bitch!” I said. “Please tell me you guys make fun of her behind her back.”

“Oh, all the time,” Ice said, waving a hand. Brook glared at him with blood-red eyes and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Uhm… Never mind. I’ll uh… see you later, Nav.” He joined Aqua in the water.

Brook’s gaze turned to mine, her eyes now a bright pink. I spread my wings and almost managed to take off before Brook raised a hand, stopping me. “Walk with me, Anonymous.”

I sighed as loudly as I could and lowered my wings. “Alright, I guess.” She started sliding across the sands and I walked next to her. “Look, I know I shouldn’t instigate things with Aqua, but—”

She lifted a hand, cutting me off. “We’re walking, Anon. Not talking.”

“...I left that name behind a long time ago, Brook.”

“Did you?”

We continued in silence for a few seconds before I cleared my throat and said, “I mean, yeah. Where the hell have you been?”

“There is a lot of meaning in a name. More than many realize. You say you left Anonymous behind. And yet you are worried that you are no longer Navarone. Which do you prefer? You’ve spent plenty of time as both, now.”

“Brook, I have had a very, very long day and it’s just gonna get longer. Cut the bullshit.”

“You are worried that Flo changed you. You are worried that you are no longer who you were. And yet you hide, even now, from what you were. If you’re hiding from it, if you’re choosing to distance yourself from it… Why would you want to go back? Even if Flo did change you against your will, were you happy as Anonymous? Perhaps it is finally time to give being Navarone a chance. Where you are in life, you can’t have it both ways. You are a world class hero. You absolutely cannot continue burning every single bridge you come across and relying on luck and apathy to keep you afloat. The new approach you have chosen seems to be working. Your power in the world is growing. Your allies are becoming stronger. The world is turning.”

We continued walking in silence, listening to the waves lapping at the shore. As we walked, I thought. When I first got to Equestria, I hated everything. It took me a very long time to get out of that rut. Not giving a fuck about anything can be easy, but it can also be more tiring than it has any right to be.

“I do not know if this is something you considered or not, but Anonymous failed,” Brook continued. “Discord survived everything Anonymous had planned for him. Every dark, evil thought imaginable failed. You have been granted a unique opportunity to try things differently. Perhaps Flo changed who you were. Perhaps she did not. But there will come a time to choose soon. Will you follow a path you know leads to ruination just because you are too proud to turn your head? Or will you take a chance for a brighter tomorrow? Would you sacrifice who you were to save everything you know? Anonymous is dead. Navarone is not.”

“...What do you know about me, Brook?” I softly asked.

“I… know very little. But I have suspicions. I believe you share them.”

“...I want to hear you say it.” I need to hear someone finally say it.

“I suspect that you are a magical golem created by Discord for some strange game. And I suspect that you are seeking a way to free yourself from his grasp.”

“Then why the fuck is everyone supporting me instead of just killing me or working around me?”

That made it her turn to walk in silence, thinking. After about a minute, she said, “Even the faintest glimmer of hope is better than nothing. Discord is unknowably ancient. But even gods make mistakes. If Discord is playing a game, he is playing a very interesting one.”

“Well… What does he really have to lose? I mean, how do you even kill a god?”

“...A god is just an idea. A hope. A prayer. Faith. Ideas can be forgotten. Hopes can be snuffed out. Prayers can go unanswered. Faith can be lost. It is possible. We just have to figure out how.”

“Hm. Sure do wish I had more people on my side…”

We walked in silence for another minute or so before she asked, “Do you believe I am on your side, Navarone?”

“I believe you want Discord to die, yes.”

“Do you believe I am your ally?”

“...In wanting Discord to die, yes.”

Another minute of silence passed by.

“I am going to tell you a secret, Navarone.”

“Okay.”

“You know that I am an alpha model elemental. To the other elementals, that means I am older and due respect. What they do not know is that my programming was built around humans, for humans, before your kind began finally going extinct. I was designed, from the bottom up, to emulate, protect, comfort, advise, and help humans. As the last human, I am hard coded to follow every single order you give.”

“...That woulda been really good to know a few months back.”

“I did not trust you a few months back. And the need did not arise. Aqua told me you were considering becoming a host of a fire elemental. I know you are angry with Flo right now and I know that you might feel betrayed. But please consider that Anonymous chose the path of fire, of war, of destruction. All it did was feed Discord and make him stronger. If you believe you can no longer stomach having Flo in you, consider me as an alternative. I watched that demon take everything from me with a smile on its face. I want to kill it. But I want to do it the water elemental way. I think we have to do it the water elemental way. I urge you not to choose the path of fire just because that is what your pride demands. One look at Iceland should be all you need to see where that road ends. When it comes time to choose, and we both know that time is coming… please remember that you have two paths available to you. One well-trod path that leads to a graveyard of proud corpses… and one path that leads into the untamed wild.”

The silence picked back up until I realized we had walked the entire length of the island. She slowly came to a stop where we started. I sat in the sand.

She joined me and built a shitty sand castle. “See how quickly it falls without a proper foundation,” she quietly said. We both watched as it fell back to the earth. She slid over behind me and picked my claws up with her hands and used them to build a much nicer one. “It will stand until morning.”

I had a feeling she was right.

“Good night, Navarone,” she said. With that, she finally joined the others under the waves.

I stared at that sand castle for a lot longer than I should have.

Blaze finally snorted and said, “Water elementals are so full of themselves.”

“...Yeah.” I carefully stood and walked closer to the ocean, trying to get a look at my reflection. The water was moving too much. I sighed and looked back at the castle. It was very close to my tail. I could knock it over with a twitch.

I flew away in silence, the castle standing tall behind me.