This is just something I wanted to try out. It's kinda like Flare Brimstone, but without the constant change of locations. Maybe y'all like it. I think this chapter is alright.

"Awaken!"

The mare heard a voice from the ether; the dark recess within her mind is muddled... but even so, shards of faint light glimmer through; its paltry existence guiding her through the black. Slowly, she gains her senses: she smells wet dirt, she could feel the damp earth beneath her, and distinct sounds of water shattering on the earth.

The mare's sight returns; the fuzziness began to dissipate, and she starts to properly discern her surroundings. She finds herself in Earth's shelter; a cave, lolling near the entrance. Her body had indeed been correct.

"You've finally awoken, it's about time," the vexed voice announced. "How long were you going to keep us waiting?!"

"Simmer your rage, my friend," another voice said, but this one was calm and sweet. "She hasn't been awake in quite some time, so perhaps we should be grateful that she has."

"Bah," the irritated voice grumbled as it huffed. "After what happened, I guess I could possibly... maybe... probably cut the mare some slack, but it doesn't excuse the fact she could've woken up much sooner. She had already recovered years ago, so what's your excuse for the mare, huh?!"

The other voice sighed, saying, "Despite what happened, and even when she recovered from the ordeal, her mind is different from her body," the soothing voice argued. "She needed more time to regain her mind, Calabus. You shouldn't be so hard on her," the voice lightly chastised.

"Hmph," Calabus uttered. "Dalia, you make a point. You understand, don't you? We've been awake since she slept! So, forgive me for being grumpy already!"

"You don't have to be so rude, Calabus," Dalia murmured before letting out a tired sigh. "Sweetheart," she addressed the mare who was listening to the conversation, "do you remember anything before you went to sleep?"

The mare tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Her throat pulsed, and she could feel the words being suppressed.

"Oh great," Calabus complained, "her speech has been restricted; she can't talk! Gah, what a pain!"

Suddenly, a blue aura enveloped the mare. It was warm and comforting, like a mother's delicate embrace to her child.

"Hmm," Dalia contemplated. "It's only suppressed. Eventually, my sweetheart will be able to utter some words, but that will take some time. Sweetheart, try to think and speak in your mind."

The mare did what Dalia asked. She closed her eyes and began to think, wanting to speak with the voices inside her head, and her body gave her what she wished.

Dalia... Calabus... what happened?

Calabus grumbled, "What do ya think happened, huh?! After the fight, we had to carry you to this cave so you could recover! Are your memories muddled or something?!"

"Calabus, that's enough," Dalia snapped harshly. "Sweetheart here can't possibly remember everything that happened. She's been sleeping for a long while."

Reveal yourselves... please.

"Now that you're finally awake, we can," Calabus hissed.

Before the mare, a burning, festering, red orb appeared, shifting and forming into a little cute red imp with a massive scowl on its face. The whites of its eyes were black, and its irises were blood red. It fluttered with its teeny wings and glared at the mare coldly.

Next was a wavy, centered blue orb. It shifted and formed into a small blue imp with white eyes, and its irises were black. A lovely smile appeared on its visage. It was calm and composed. It flew next to Calabus with a cane and poked him before crossing her arms.

The scene was somewhat amusing; one would think the angry one would have the weapon, not the other way around.

Where are we exactly?

"We are in Equestria, your homeland, sweetheart," Dalia graciously answered. "For our exact location, we are in the Everfree Forest, most specifically the very middle."

Calabus growled and pointed his finger to the entrance and demanded, "Let's go and get our bearings."

Dalia rolls her eyes, saying, "Cally, my sweetheart hasn't even taken a hoof forward. No need to rush her."

Calabus groaned and stretched out his face before returning to his signature scowl. "Why do you insist on calling her that anyway? What are you, her mommy?!"

Dalia squinted at the rude imp. "We looked and protected her since she was a foal, Calabus. So excuse me if I wish to act motherly towards my sweetheart."

"Fine, whatever," he spat out, his head smoking slightly. "Hey!" Calabus called out to the mare hardly. "Get your flank up and start moving around to get a sense of your body; you haven't used it in years. Once you manage simple bodily functions, meet us at the cave's entrance; don't mull about and waste time! Just get it done! Ugh... I sound like I'm giving out a tutorial!"

Calabus fluttered over to the entrance of the cave followed by Dalia who shook her head in disappointment.

Calabus, despite his cruel treatment, is right. The mare had to figure this out if she wants to reliably leave the cave. So, the mare gets up but only to fall painfully. She could hear Calabus chastise her and Dalia reprimanding him.

Another try ended in another failure, but the mare began again. Persistence is key; stubbornness is a valuable ally when displayed correctly. Erred was another attempt, however, the mare was able to hold herself on her hooves. That was progress, and with anything, progress had to be completed, and the mare strived to complete it. Twenty minutes was how it took, but twenty minutes were well worth the struggle; the mare had achieved her goal: her hooves lay opposed to the ground and her legs did not wobble, wiggle, or buckle, but stood still and strong. She walked around and no resistance met her; she was in full control of her body!

Feeling a slight tinge of pride in her completed endeavor, the mare approaches Calabus and Dalia. The red imp was tapping his tiny foot in the air while Dalia gave the mare a precious smile and applauded her for reigning control.

"Good job, Dawn," Dalia joyfully said, clapping at her sweetheart's control of her body. "I'm so proud of you!"

"You coddle the mare too much," Calabus said coldly before turning his ire towards the mare. "About time. Instead of putting all that misplaced pride over something so trivial, use that energy to hull your flank out of the cave. Hurry up already!"

Although Dalia wanted to scold Calabus over his treatment of the mare, she decided to forgo it and turn her lovely gaze at her sweetheart instead.

"Are you ready to go, Dawn?" Dalia asked softly, cupping the mare's face with her little hands. "If you need some more time, then do not hesitate to ask. You know Cally and I will stand by you always."

Calabus groaned and banged his head against a wall. "If we don't leave, Dawn Erebus will be one imp short."

We can leave. I feel... capable of walking.

Calabus breathed out a sigh of relief. "Finally, we'll be out of this stuffy old cave. Dawn, get moving already!" Calabus yelled before zooming out of the cave.

Like before, Dalia merely shook her head. "That imp... Calabus may be demanding, but he holds your best interests at heart, he just does it in his way." Dalia hugged the mare lovingly. "I'll be right beside you, Dawn. Always."

Dalia fluttered above Dawn's black and white mane and perched herself upon it. She gently patted the soft mane as Dawn began exiting the cave. As the mare enters the lush forest, a myriad of noises assaulted her ears; there was so much movement hidden behind bushes and trees that she nearly found herself overwhelmed. The light from the blaring sun beamed lightly through the forest canopy, irradiating the moss-covered earth with its golden luminescence.

Dawn felt her hooves tread lightly on the smooth earth. The air smelled fresh and clean, Dawn could breathe deep and feel relief. Further her eyes wandered until they settled on an impatient imp looking annoyed. Quickly, Dawn trotted up to the imp.

"Geez, are you finally done wasting your time sightseeing, Dawn?" Calabus berated. He scanned around the area cautiously. "Dangers are lurking within these woods and I would think it be smart if you didn't muck about with your mindless lolling!"

Dalia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Calabus, it's the afternoon. Are you seriously going to continue this tirade? Honestly, stop harrying Dawn."

The red imp snorted, blowing out a small plume of fire before looking away. "Whatever," he muttered. "Dawn, I took the liberty of scanning our surroundings and I deduced we are next to a town not too far from our position." Calabus flew to the mare and plopped his behind on her withers. "There is another location on the edge of the forest, but we shouldn't waste time investigating. Get your rear in gear, we're burning daylight!"

Dalia turned to face Calabus with a smile. "See? That wasn't so hard."

The red imp scoffed and closed his eyes, adopting a lazy posture. "Yeah, well... I didn't want you nagging on about my attitude, so be grateful that I am so gracious as to grant your request." Calabus poked Dawn with his finger. "Hey, you waiting on something or what? Let's get a move on already! Just go straight and we'll be out of this forest!"

"Well, it was nice while it lasted," Dalia uttered under her breath. She then hugs a tuft of Dawn's wonderful mane. "Alright, sweetheart, one step at a time."

Dawn nodded. Right. Let's go.

Dear old Fluttershy was seen trekking in the Everfree Forest looking for a few ingredients for a special stew for her animals. Initially, the timid mare wanted to go into Ponyville but Angel, her bunny, demanded she wastes no time and ordered her to find the ingredients within the forest.

"Oh... ferrets and honeybees, I knew I shouldn't have come out here," she meekly said, her body shaking as she slowly trudge forward. "A-all t-th-the dangerous animals must be prowling about. Oh... what if I come across a menacing manticore or a bloodthirsty hydra looking for ponies to snack on...!"

Suddenly, a snap from a dismembered tree branch alerts Fluttershy as she squeals in panic. Slowly turning her eyes where she heard the noise, Fluttershy laid her eyes upon a pack of ravenous timberwolves looking for a meaty meal to sink their sharp wooden teeth into. Unfortunately, she was the meal.

Unable to open her wings due to fear, Fluttershy was effectively grounded, and she didn't have to courage to flee from her wooden predators. Each shaken hoof that stepped back, a clawed paw marched forward. The mare's eyes watered as she did the only thing she could do.

She began screaming out for help.

Dawn, accompanied by her companions, has been walking in the forest for a few hours. Oddly enough, neither Dalia nor Calabus were arguing. Though a welcome change, Dawn missed the bickering.

"Stop," Calabus told Dawn and she did.

Dalia arched her brow. "What's the matter, Calabus?" she asked warily. "Did you pick up on something?"

He nodded. "It's distress layered with fear and a tinge of sadness," he answered seriously. "I also heard a scream, although it was faint. It came from the direction of the other location I mentioned before."

Dalia put her tiny hands over her mouth. "A pony could be in trouble, we have to help them."

Calabus shook his head. "It ain't my call whether we do so or not. That decision lies solely on Dawn." Calabus flew in front of the mare's face as Dalia joined him. "So, what's it gonna be? Think we should help or leave the pony to defend themselves?"

Dawn squinted her eyes. We help. We fight.

Calabus sighed. "At least you got some shred of your former self. Let's see if you can fight."

Dalia embraced Dawn's face. "We'll assist when you need it, sweetheart. Now don't strain yourself."

In an instant, Calabus and Dalia transformed into red and blue earrings and latched themselves on Dawn's ears gently. The objects pulsed with arcane energy, empowering Dawn with increased physical capabilities and enhancing her mystical prowess.

Dawn's ears, now empowered, could hear the screams of a pony. It was a mare and her distressed tone indicated she was crying. Dawn discerned the mare has no way of defending herself and is unable to outrun whatever beast has her cornered. Quickly, Dawn uses her mystical powers to change her form into a shadow, leaping on the earth with staggering speed.

I'll help you. I'll protect you.

Fluttershy was cowering like a filly who was told terrible Nightmare Night stories. Her wonderful blue eyes locked on the snarling timberwolves; they showed their chipped fangs as a thick coat of green saliva dripped from their slathering mouths. The smell was awful, it permeated the air with a foul stench; Fluttershy had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from puking.

The mare desperately tried to move or open her wings, but no matter how hard the little pegasus struggled, she just couldn't move to save herself. As the wooden predators closed in, Fluttershy's head kneeled to face the earth, effectively succumbing to her fate. She had ventured too far into the forest, procrastinating her situation rather than fully focusing on her task. If she never lagged her hoofsteps along with the mossy soil, she might have been able to escape her fate.

What would her animals do without her? They relied on her. What about her friends? They'll never know what happened. The more Fluttershy thought about it, the more distraught she became. There was no way out of this situation, not this time. It was time to resign hope.

A timberwolf crouched to the ground before leaping into the air, bearing its terrifying fangs. Fluttershy closed her eyes and braced for the suffering to come, but instead, she heard a large crash and a pained yelp escaping the timberwolf. Although she was as frightened as she could be, Fluttershy's curiosity got the better of her and the mare opened her tear-stained eyes. What she beheld was a wonderful miracle standing between her and the hungry timberwolves.

The mysterious mare turned around and gave Fluttershy a reassuring smile. The timid pegasus deftly studied the odd mare: a deep crimson coat caught her eyes, the middle of her legs was black and white, then they slowly trailed up to her tall frame; she stood taller than the average mare. Her mane was black on the left and white on the right, and they intertwined down to the back of her neck; her tail emulated her gorgeous mane. On the top of her head were antlers colored black and white. Her eyes were dust-colored, she bore large wings, beautiful red and blue earrings, and had a cute little black mole on her left cheek.

Looking forward, Fluttershy saw the shattered remains of the timberwolf that tried to assault her. The other timberwolves back away slightly, giving the mysterious mare ire-filled gazes.

The mare's antlers illuminated a black glow with a white outline and the ground in front of the two mares suddenly died: the grass, the roots, the bushes, the flowers, everything lost its color, leaving only a depressing gray behind.

The power of darkness in ruptured light; tremble, rise, and destroy!

Pools of darkness manifested, and black appendages shot forth, tearing through three timberwolves with ease; the beasts' bodies were ripped apart and engulfed inside the appendages, crushed and purged without a single trace.

There were two timberwolves left, and despite what happened to their companions, they steeled themselves and attacked the mare from the left and right. Without hesitation, the mare uttered a spell, and her antlers once again began to shine.

Umbral Triad, heed my call and serve my will. Third ring: bind and suppress my foes!

In an instant, a black cage trapped both of the wolves. Then spikes erupted out of the black bars and impaled them as they halted in suspense; they were frozen in time.

Celestial Triad, serve me and purge my foes! First ring: scatter these dregs and banish them to the ether!

The timberwolves began to tremble and break. They contorted, twisted, and wrung; their bodies violently collapsed on themselves, shrinking until they were nothing but little spheres. Then they snapped and imploded into nothingness.

Fluttershy was horrified by the violence the mare elicited in, but then she saw the mare kneel to the ground and lightly rake her antlers across the earth. The pegasus witnessed the mysterious mare's antlers glow brightly. The way her body took a lowly posture as if giving a sincere apology for the rightful vindication she enacted, and how she slowly muttered her spell under her breath in such a somber tone.

Forgive me. Let what life was stripped by my acts be returned a thousandfold.

Fluttershy gradually made her way around the mare and saw her wearing an expression of regret. As Fluttershy watched on, the mare's antlers released a wave, kind of like a lucid mist that encroached and covered the gray area. Then, to Fluttershy's surprise, the grass that withered, along with the dead roots, began to grow and flourish; they were stronger than before, lusher and healthier.

Fluttershy couldn't help but smile at the scene; never before has a patch of earth looked so radiant. Though initially terrified of what the mare had done, the timid pegasus knew what the mare had done affected her greatly in the heart. She turns her lovely gaze to her savior.

"T-thank you for saving my life," Fluttershy said, bowing her head in appreciation. "If you hadn't come along, then... I wouldn't be here. Thank you again." Fluttershy gasped. "Oh my, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Fluttershy, and I live on the edge of the Everfree Forest. What's your name?"

The mysterious mare slightly towered over the pegasus, then she tilted her head before another smile found itself on her face.

"Do... do you talk by any chance?" Fluttershy asked. The mare tilted her head to the other side. "Are you mute?" The mare shook her head. "Well... you can understand me, so that's wonderful. My cottage isn't too far from here, would you like to rest and have some tea? I insist."

"Is this short stack serious?!" Calabus blurted out. He and Dalia were once again speaking in Dawn's mind. "Wittle yellow pegasus offering refuge to a stranger? The mare is just asking for trouble!"

"Calabus, she's just showing gratitude, there is no need to get stuffy," Dalia said tiredly. "I think we should take young Fluttershy up on her kind offer."

If Calabus wasn't an earring right now, his head would be on fire.

Although he hated the notion, there wasn't much harm. "Fine," he spat. "But if this mare is some evil vixen tricking us into saving her so she can hurt Dawn, then I give our mare the satisfaction of splitting the very light from the pegasus and have the darkness consume her whole!"

Dalia let out another exasperated sigh. "You are so dramatic, and Dawn will do no such thing. There isn't a mean bone in Fluttershy's body, now hush."

I would like to go, to keep her safe on the path home.

Calabus sighed loudly and said, "Whatever. Do what you will, just be careful."

I won't disappoint you.

"Well, you haven't so far, so keep it up and maybe I won't tell you off for being incompetent."

Dalia chuckled. "With all of us in agreement, let us follow our new friend."

"Umm, miss?" Fluttershy said, waving her hoof in front of the mare lightly. "Are you okay? You've been staring off into the forest for a few seconds. Is there something wrong?"

The mare locked eyes with Fluttershy and shook her head and ushered the pegasus to lead her to the cottage. A smile appeared on Fluttershy as she guided the mysterious mare to her home.

I think this chapter came out better than I expected. Perhaps you will think so as well. Also, I like the dichotomy between Dalia and Calabus. I think it's pretty neat.

Dawn was sitting in the warmest home she had ever known; Fluttershy's cottage was the epidemy of perfection: flowers showered her lovely home, vibrant warm colors decorated the abode, the woodland creatures cavorted without fear layered within their souls. This is an area of safety; a haven of assured protection, but also a place of calm and fun.

The couch was very comfy, and the tea Fluttershy was about to serve entranced Dawn to a point of fascination. Though the mare and even Dalia were relaxing, Calabus was wary of anything Fluttershy did; he didn't trust her a single bit despite the assurances from Dalia who tried to ensure nothing wrong was going to happen.

Fluttershy set a warm cup of tea in front of Dawn as the pegasus sat next to her, fanning her tea before taking a tiny sip to savor the taste. Dawn was about to do the same, but Calabus, in his paranoia, ardently advised against it.

"What is it now, Cally?" Dalia said. "It's just tea."

"That's chamomile that yellow dingbat served!" he shouted angrily. "Drinking that drivel has a calming effect, which can make you sleepy; what if the mare served that beverage to entice Dawn back into her slumber and did something horrible?! Am I the only one who thinks about these potential dangers?!"

"Cally, calm down," Dalia soothingly said, trying to deescalate Calabus's rage. "Trust issues I understand, but this is going a little far even for you."

Calabus, you are truly worried.

"Of course I am, you idiot!" he vehemently hissed. "Call me a paranoid lout, but I'm just looking out for you, Dawn."

If it will settle your nerves, I will decline the tea.

Calabus tried to simmer his ever-increasing anger. "Good," he uttered lowly. "I... I am sorry, but you haven't been awake in years, and I am scared for your safety. I don't like this at all, Dawn... however, I will try... not to overstep my bounds. Just know I do it for you alright?"

Of course. Reveal yourselves.

"Wait... what?" Calabus said, clearly confused.

"Dawn, are you sure you want to?" Dalia asked. "Fluttershy could freak out."

I want her to understand why I declined the tea; I prefer to not tell an untruth to Fluttershy. She's too sweet; too innocent.

Though happy and enjoying her own tea, Fluttershy took glanced at the mysterious mare now and again and found she hasn't touched hers. That worried the pegasus. Did Fluttershy do something wrong? Does her savior not like the tea she served? A myriad of things shot through Fluttershy's mind, but as she was currently overthinking things, the mare grabs her attention with a slight tug on her wing by using her beautiful tail.

"Y-yes, is there something wrong?" the timid pegasus asked. "If this tea isn't to your liking, I'll be more than happy to brew another for you, I don't mind."

The mare shook her head and used her hoof to direct Fluttershy's attention to her earrings. They pulsed lightly with a bright white hue and suddenly they began to glow, overtaking Fluttershy's sight. As the light began to subside and the pegasus regains her vision, she beholds two floating creatures of red and blue: one looked gracious while the other looked peeved.

Fluttershy couldn't help but drop her mouth at the sight.

"Greetings, young Fluttershy," the blue creature sweetly said. "I am Dalia, an imp in service to Dawn. "That one," Dalia pointed to the angry imp, "is Calabus, another imp that serves my little sweetheart, and please mind him, he gets quite... passionate."

"W-what... how... wha?" As expected, Fluttershy couldn't believe what she was seeing. Without a second thought, she rushes to Calabus and embraces him like a foal in her arms. "Oooh, he's so cute! Such a lovely shade of red! Look at his cute little wings, and that frown is simply adorable!"

Dawn and Dalia went wide-eyed, daring to not utter a single word. Calabus, in the arms of Fluttershy, had his head giving off smoke as his cheeks turned a shade of pink.

"Get this crazy pegasus off of me!" he shouted with such powerful force. "Let me go you dingbat or I'll scorch your wings off! Do you understand?!"

Fluttershy wasn't listening; she was in her little world. She nuzzled the fuming imp lovingly and spun around. Dalia mustered all her strength to not laugh at the hilarious scene. The way Cally was so flustered was most definitely satisfying.

Unfortunately, Calabus didn't share in Dalia or Fluttershy's merriment. He clenched his teeth and furrowed his brows, snorting out flames. He tried so hard to keep his anger under control, but the more Fluttershy cooed at him, the less control he had. He looked to Dawn for help, but the mystified mare was completely gone; her mouth agape and she had this looked of disbelief.

"Dawn," he pleaded, "I need assistance!" Fluttershy began to tickle the little imp, but Calabus was having none of it, desperately trying to ease out of the mare's iron-like grip. "Don't just sit there you idiot, hel- oof!"

Fluttershy began squeezing the rage-filled imp. Finally, Dawn snaps out of her stupor and quickly gained the yellow mare's attention by waving her hooves.

"Hmm? What's the matter?" the cute pegasus entreated.

Dawn still couldn't speak, so Dalia spoke for her. "Dawn wants you to gently release Cally from your grip. He is not... particularly fond about your affection towards him."

Fluttershy gasped and set the withering imp on the couch as he inhaled the delectable taste of fresh air.

He turned his ire to the pegasus. "You crazy, doting, infuriating, agitating, inflaming, annoying dingbat!" Calabus insulted. His head was burning hot. "When I catch my breath, I'm GONNA... I'm GONNA..."

Suddenly, a wave of mystical power washed over Calabus and he fell asleep. Fluttershy saw Dalia casting some sort of spell with her hands as she shook her head in disappointment.

"Alright, let's start that again," Dalia chirped. "I am Dalia, that is Calabus, and we are imps, guardians who serve Dawn."

Fluttershy's eyes went wide. "Oh, her name is Dawn? That sounds lovely! And I like your name as well, Ms. Dalia."

Dalia waved a hand and blushed. "No need for that, just Dalia is fine."

Fluttershy nodded. "I understand. Dawn," she addressed the mare, "do you still want another flavor of tea? I didn't know you disliked chamomile."

Dalia perched herself on Dawn's head. "Dawn doesn't even know if she likes tea or not."

Fluttershy rubbed her mane in confusion. "Oh... but why did she refuse, if you don't mind me asking?"

Dalia pointed to the knocked-out imp. "Calabus is the reason; he doesn't trust you and thought you were going to poison Dawn or something."

The tender pegasus gasped and put her hoof over her mouth in disbelief. "I would never do something so horrible! Why would he think that?"

Dalia sighed and smoothed her arm with her teeny hand. "Calabus has trust issues, and he can be quite paranoid," she answered with a whisper as if not trying to let the imp hear. "Regardless of how he acts, Cally is very protective of Dawn, so he was just worried about her is all. Please understand, young Fluttershy, Calabus has a good heart... it's just that his past experiences made him this way. I apologize for his behavior," the blue imp bowed.

Flustered, Fluttershy meekly waves her hooves in front of her face. "No, no, that's fine, I understand," she said. "I should be the one apologizing. It wasn't very smart of me to embrace him like that."

Dalia chuckled. "You are more than forgiven, you little bundle of kindness. Give Calabus some time to see you mean no harm and he'll... tolerate you. Also, I have seen animals just about everywhere. You like them?"

Fluttershy perked up and smiled. "I love animals more than anything else; it's my passion and my cutie mark. I'm an animal caretaker, and I can speak to animals."

Dalia had an awestruck expression strewn across her face. "That's an impressive skill, young Fluttershy!" Dalia flew over to the pegasus and cuddled her face as the mare nuzzled the blue Imp. "Dawn, despite not having your skill, has an affinity for animals as well."

Fluttershy let out a cute squeal and turned herself to the aforementioned mare and hugged her. Initially, Dawn was put-off by this sudden behavior, but then she slowly leans in and accepts the embrace, hugging the pegasus back.

As the afternoon rolls by with conversation, the group eases into the evening. Dawn and Dalia met the bunny, Angel, who was to blame for Fluttershy's solo departure into the Everfree Forest and got a massive scolding from a very angry blue imp to which the remorseful bunny promptly and profusely apologizes to his caretaker and Dawn who risked her life to save Fluttershy's.

Though unwilling to give punishment without the proper motivation from Dalia, Fluttershy declares, very timidly, that Angel the bunny will not have a single carrot or any carrot-themed dishes concocted by Fluttershy or any creature for at least a full week. He wasn't even allowed to leave the area to scavenge for naturally grown carrots.

Devastated upon hearing the poor news, Angel sought a compromise but the bunny was refused any salvage of his punishment and had to accept it until the sentence is over. The little devil should be glad that was all for his punishment; if Calabus was still awake, the bunny might've been left with a few burn marks.

With that out of the way, Fluttershy brought Dawn to her animal refuge; Sweet Feather Sanctuary, where the mare explored the lush environment while being constantly, and rather cutely, assaulted by its residents.

The pegasus was quite surprised; Dalia had told the mare that Dawn has a way with animals, but the way Fluttershy saw it, the animals just flocked over to the mare without her doing anything. It was like they were drawn to her presence. Animals do work in strange and mysterious ways. Perhaps what the pegasus saw earlier in the Everfree Forest explains the near infatuation the animals have for Dawn.

Whilst pondering her thoughts, Fluttershy was pulled away by Dalia who politely pleaded if the pegasus could help Dawn. Confused, Fluttershy looked in Dawn's direction and saw a myriad of animals cuddled up to her in a large pile. Though happy to witness such a cute spectacle, the pegasus saw Dawn struggling to breathe and lightly ordered the animals to give the mare some space.

Sad, they complied and went off into the sanctuary to do whatever while the group headed back to Fluttershy's cottage to see a still-sleeping Calabus sucking on his thumb like a baby.

Dalia wanted to laugh. Oh, how she wanted to laugh, but she decided against it. Both she and Dawn hardly ever see Calabus sleeping; he was always sharp and vigilant. If it wasn't for the rare instances they saw Calabus rest his eyes, the girls would have thought he had insomnia.

Dalia explains to Fluttershy that Calabus never liked staying in one place for too long, he had to be constantly moving; checking whatever location Dawn found herself in; surveying the area for any potential dangers: anything that could hurt Dawn he made note of in his head and acted accordingly. No matter how hard Dalia tried to reason with the paranoid imp, all attempts to ensure nothing could go wrong always failed.

Although Fluttershy admired Calabus's dedication to keeping Dawn informed and protected, she asked why he was so angry all the time and why he didn't trust anypony outside of Dalia and Dawn. Dalia told the pegasus that it isn't her right to divulge Calabus's past experiences. That would have to come from the imp himself whenever he decides to trust Fluttershy.

Fluttershy was sad she wasn't able to fully understand Calabus's actions, but she thought it would be prudent to let things run their course; there was no point in rushing into things by force.

After some time passes, as the sun started to set red, Calabus began to stir from his slumber. He wakes up and yawns, scratching the back of his head before groggily surveying his surroundings. A lazy scowl appeared on his little face.

"Still... argh," he rubbed his eyes as another yawn escaped his lips, "still in that dingbat's hovel..." He felt the softness of the couch and rolled his eyes. "Hmph. At least the couch was adequate." He looks around Fluttershy's home and cringes. The environment was too cute and cuddly.

Leering at the home with a spiteful gaze, Calabus heard a clanging noise in another room a few feet away. He listened and heard the humming of a delightful tune. "Dalia?" he lightly called out. "Is that you?"

No response. Curious, he gets up, stretches, and began fluttering his wings towards the sound. He exits the living area and found himself in a small clean kitchen. He looked toward the source of the humming and saw that yellow dingbat of a pegasus washing dishes.

Then it clicked in his head. Dawn and Dalia aren't in the house!

"Where are they?!" he bellowed at the mare, his rage beginning to build.

Fluttershy yelped at the volume, losing her grip on her dishes as they fell into the sink. Luckily none of them broke. Sighing, the pegasus met Calabus's ire-filled eyes with a small smile and a polite reserved wave.

"G-good evening, Mr. Calabus... sir," the mare whispered. "Did you have a nice nap?"

Calabus snorted fire from his nose, frightening Fluttershy, sending the pegasus falling to the floor on her flank. "What did you do to them?!" he demanded. "Tell me or I'll roast you where you stand!"

Fluttershy, who was trembling from Calabus's rage, answered, "T-they are outs-s-side the c-co-cottage playing with t-the animals..."

Calabus's rage was nearly boiling, but it simmered slightly from Fluttershy's answer. He scanned over the pegasus like a hate-filled beast multiple times, trying to find any indication she was lying. He looked and looked for a reason to incinerate Fluttershy, but he found nothing and huffed loudly. He only saw her cowering in fear, shaking from his hostility.

He grumbled and went to a nearby window to confirm Fluttershy's response, and she was fortunately right. Calabus saw Dawn being harried by a small group of cute white mice playing with her tail while Dalia watched fondly. She was happy, laughing at the tiny animals. Even Dawn was smiling, wagging her tail like a dog for the mice to catch.

Suddenly, all the pent-up rage began to flow away; a sigh of relief blew from Calabus as his half-lidded eyes watched the duo from inside the house. Eventually, he broke away and turned to Fluttershy recovering off the ground from his rage.

"Stars Above..." he muttered, looking guilty. "I almost let my temper consume me."

"Mr. Calabus," Fluttershy called out, gaining the red imp's attention, "would you like some tea? It always makes me feel better when I'm down."

Calabus's eyes narrowed, staring deep into Fluttershy's eyes. What he heard was genuine... there was no trick waiting to be sprung.

Maybe... maybe I should, for Dawn's sake at least.

"Fine!" he blurted out. His sudden outburst made Fluttershy flinch.

The imp flew to the kitchen table and landed, crossing his arms. To Fluttershy, Calabus was like a stuffed animal; he looked so cute and cuddly. Sadly, she had to refrain from snatching Calabus up and giving him nuzzles to avoid any retribution.

Slowly and carefully, Fluttershy made some tea and presented it to Calabus. The pegasus sat near the imp, hoping he would at least drink the tea. Calabus inspected the warm beverage with a deft eye, attempting to deduce the flavor, and then he furrowed his brows and shoved it away.

Fluttershy was disheartened. "I'm sorry, Mr. Calabus," she softly said. "You don't like chamomile?"

The imp's frown intensified. "I can handle some freaking tea, alright?!" he snapped, prompting another flinch from the pegasus. "I... just don't trust it!"

Fluttershy let out a dreadful sigh. "I promise I didn't put anything bad in it. Let me show you." Fluttershy gently took the cup of tea and sipped it. Calabus glared at the pegasus, but nothing happened. "See? It's safe. I would never hurt Dawn, Mr. Calabus, you have my word. Please, just a tiny sip?"

Calabus studied Fluttershy's face for anything suspicious, but he just couldn't find anything. The pegasus was being honest and kind, to a fault. He looked at the cup and sighed.

"Whatever," he muttered, taking the cup and bringing it to his lips.

He hesitated multiple times, too many times, but Fluttershy was being genuine. He forced himself to drink from the cup, gulping the entire beverage all in one go. He set the cup down as an airy burp released from his mouth.

"Oh my..." Fluttershy whispered. She was completely stunned to see Calabus wolf down that warm tea like it was nothing.

He crossed his arms again. "What?" he said, annoyed by Fluttershy's shocked expression. "I was thirsty... it was good."

Fluttershy saw Calabus's cute cheeks puff up; he was pouting! Fluttershy was trying to stay composed but the more cute things Calabus unwittingly did in front of her were making that extremely difficult.

"I... I'm sorry," he spoke out.

Fluttershy was taken aback by the imp's sudden apology. "What do you mean, Mr. Calabus?"

He groaned, saying, "I'm sorry for snapping at you, alright?! I'm sorry for frightening you! I'm sorry for threatening you and calling you names! I'm sorry for making you feel sad when you were trying to be a good host! I'm sorry, okay?! I just... I fear for Dawn... for her safety. And for Dalia. I'm sorry for being a jerk!

"I'm constantly worried and angry, alright?! I don't want anything bad to happen to them, alright?! I just want them to be safe! I stay up night after night, after night, after night, just to make sure no harm came to them, so they can sleep! Dawn and Dalia are all I have! I get so anxious and scared that I just lash out at times, alright?! I don't mean to, it's just how I am, alright?! Now there's danger around every corner of this dreadful forest that I just can't settle my nerves correctly, alright?! I'm sorry!"

Calabus took in small rapid breaths; he was beginning to hyperventilate. He balled his fists, his body shook, and sweat formed on his face. Suddenly, the panting imp felt something warm and soft from all around him. He began hearing the soothing sound of humming from Fluttershy. Gradually, his body stopped shaking, he stopped sweating, and his breathing went to normal.

"Hush," Fluttershy cooed, stroking Calabus's head gently. Her touch was soft and comforting. "It's okay, calm down. Breathe in and out. They are safe here, I promise."

A tinge of pink appeared on the red imp's cheeks as he sunk further into Fluttershy's comfy coat. He instinctively held onto her hooves with his tiny hands and embraced them. In an instant, all of his worry and fears were swept away like a tide receding from the sandy strand of a beach. He indeed felt calm, continuing to Fluttershy hum a soothing tune in his ears.

Fluttershy smiled. "I want to start over," she said quietly. "My name is Fluttershy. What's your name?"

I'm in too deep now.

The imp blushed and said, "I- I am Calabus. You... you can... call me Cally if you want..."

"I think I will, Cally," Fluttershy murmured.

Dawn and Dalia entered Fluttershy's cottage after spending the last few hours of the day outside. When they entered and looked at the couch, they couldn't believe their eyes.

Fluttershy was cuddling a red imp. Who's name is Calabus. That was awake. That has anger problems. That can breathe fire from his mouth and nose.

The red imp noticed the girls and scowled, saying, "If any of you utter a single word about this to any creature, you will burn. Understand?"

Fluttershy giggled. "He's just saying that," she said, nuzzling the imp as it blushed. "I'll be going into Ponyville tomorrow. Would you all like to come?"

"Yes," Calabus answered, almost too quickly.

Dalia still couldn't believe what she was looking at. "I... I would to go as well. We were going there anyway."

"I can't wait to show the girls my new friends!" the pegasus shouted, but it was a whisper. "They'll love you!"

Dalia merrily clapped her hands. "I'm sure we will as well, but for now, it's time to rest."

Fluttershy fluttered with Calabus cradled in her forelegs to the stairs. "You and Dawn can use my bed tonight. I'll sleep down here with Cally."

Dalia gave Calabus a smirk. "That okay with you, Cally?"

He growled. "Remember what I said. And I'm fine here. Hurry up and get to sleep!"

"Alright, alright," Dalia replied, sitting on Dawn's head. "We'll see you in the morning. Goodnight!"

Dawn waved at the red imp. Goodnight, Calabus.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "Night."

With that, everyone went to sleep.

Meanwhile in Canterlot Castle...

Princess Luna enters her sister's bedroom and presents herself.

"Sister," she announced, "I have something to inform you."

Her sister, Princess Celestia, was laying in her bed reading old letters from her faithful student.

"What is it, Luna?" she asked with her pleasant voice. "We still have red velvet in the-"

"This isn't about the cake," she interrupted. "The other half is mine by the way. I came here to tell you that I felt an unnatural surge of magic, or what I think to be magic coming from the Everfree Forest. Something has transpired there, I know it. It's bothering me. What should we do?"

Princess Celestia contemplated this new information. "I'll send a letter to Twilight informing her of your concerns and have her and the Elements investigate. Sound good?"

"That will do," she said. "It wasn't malicious or evil, but it felt... forboding."

Princess Celestia rose from her bed and trotted over to her little sister. "Stow your worry, dear sister. For now, the night is young. Take a flight before you help our little ponies' dreams."

"I'll take my leave, good night, sister," Princess Luna said, exiting her sister's bedroom.

"We'll figure it out," Princess Celestia whispered to herself, returning to her bed, and began to drift to sleep.

It was only supposed to be a little over 3000 words, but when you got the motivation to write, you get to writing.

Believe it or not, I rarely write anything about the Mane Six. Also, I changed the rating to teen since there was going to be a good dose of violence in this chapter and possibly in future ones as well.

The dawn of a new day graces the homely cottage; the brimming light bleeds through windows, awakening its residents with low moans and brief yawns. Dawn and Dalia rose from Fluttershy's bed with stretched limbs and cracked bones, eliciting pleased groans escaping their lips.

Dawn hops out of bed and trots towards a window, looking out to the Everfree Forest. She scans and scans until her eyes met a bridge near the cottage just a few mere feet away. Following the bridge, her eyes squinted to see a town in the near distance; the town Calabus mentioned, and their current destination.

How odd... it was there the whole time, yet none of us noticed it until now.

Dalia fluttered out of bed and landed softly on Dawn's mane, happily hugging a few strands. "Shall we get Calabus and Fluttershy, sweetheart?"

Dawn nodded. Yes. Let's go.

The duo headed out of the bedroom and made their way downstairs to find Calabus and Fluttershy in the kitchen eating oatmeal and sipping tea. On the table were two bowls and cups: one for Dawn and one for Dalia. Stomachs rumbling, the duo joined the imp and the pegasus as they began to eat their breakfast.

Twenty minutes later, the group was nice and fed, heading out the front door and slowly making their way to Ponyville. Dalia stayed on Dawn's head while Calabus perched on Fluttershy's with a lovely shade of pink looming over his cheeks.

"Once we get into Ponyville, I'll introduce you to my friends as fast as possible," the feeble pegasus said merrily. "They'll be so happy to see such a unique pony." Fluttershy rubbed her chin as a brow raised. "Now that I have a good look at you, Dawn, what exactly are you if you don't mind me asking?"

Unfortunately, Dawn still couldn't speak, she only tilted her head to the side cutely.

"Let's herd all your friends first and then we'll tell you," Dalia said sweetly. "Hopefully Dawn will be able to talk soon."

"Bah, what's the point?" Calabus announced, rudely butting into the conversation. "It's not like she says much anyway."

Dalia smoothed her face with her hand. "Cally, let's not do this right now. How about later?" she suggested. "You'll be able to complain all you want then."

The imp gave Dalia a rude glare before turning away, burying his face in Fluttershy's mane. The pegasus giggled.

"Wow," Dalia said, sounding surprised. "I still can't believe he's warmed up to you so quickly. He doesn't usually do that with any creatures other than Dawn and me."

Fluttershy blushed. "Well... he's a real sweetheart and he doesn't always mean what he says." Fluttershy grabbed the imp and cuddled him close to her chest. "When we head into town, we'll-" Fluttershy stopped speaking and stood in place abruptly. Her eyes widened as her body began to shake.

Curious, Dawn, Dalia, and Calabus looked forward and almost mirrored Fluttershy's shock. There was an enormous foreboding cloud of smoke overshadowing Ponyville, followed by a deafening screech that shattered the wind, and rumbled the very earth. Orbiting over Ponyville was a menacingly large blue dragon blowing fire into the town below.

It roared, bellowed, and screeched like mad, its eyes glowing a bloody red as it continues its terrifying assault on Ponyville. Desperate, Fluttershy galloped faster than the trio had ever seen the mare go; Calabus had to clutch his tiny hands around tufts of the mare's coat just to keep from falling off.

As the pegasus ran toward the town, Dawn and Dalia continued to stare at the alarming scene.

Dalia, did you see the beast's eyes?

Dalia bobbed her head. "I did," she answered. "Its rampage is not of its own volition. Those eyes... are unsettling. What should we do?"

We go. We protect.

"As you wish," Dalia said happily. "Should I bring Cally back here?"

Dawn shook her head. No. He'll protect Fluttershy. I'll only need you for this.

Dalia's smile grew. "Then are you ready, sweetheart?"

I am. Let's go.

With a snap of her finger, Dalia transformed into a beautiful blue chain that hung around Dawn's neck, pulsating with power. It enhanced Dawn's defensive strength. Without a second thought, Dawn turns into a shadow and began leaping toward the harried town.

"Fluttershy," Calabus pleaded, desperately hanging on the mare's coat, "slow down! You can't just rush into danger like this! What's wrong with you?!"

Gasping for air, Fluttershy responded, "I know Cally, and I'm very sorry but I have to go and see if Twilight is okay!"

Calabus squinted his eyes. "Twilight?! Who's that?!"

"You'll see soon, Cally, we're almost there!"

Fluttershy was right. In the middle of town, just slightly off to the side, a large crystal castle was in view. Narrowed eyes revealed fire and smoke arising from the castle, and Fluttershy flapped her wings forwards, gaining a burst of speed before skidding to a halt at the castle's front door.

"Twilight," Fluttershy announced desperately, "are you in there?! Ponyville is in danger; your castle is on fire! Are you in there?! Twilight!"

Frantic, Fluttershy banged on the door as sweat dripped down her face. She looked right and left and saw three groups of timberwolves running amuck in Ponyville, relentlessly chasing after the terrified townsfolk. She noticed their eyes were glowing red like the dragon.

Suddenly, a horrid flock of bugbears invaded the town's airspace, snarling and roaring with the same glowing red eyes. They crashed and destroyed houses with reckless abandon, then they started working with the timberwolves in tandem to hunt down the townsfolk.

After banging on the crystal door for a few seconds, Fluttershy heard a large shattering noise and looked toward one of the windows, and saw her purple alicorn friend blasting the bugbears with violent magic. The beasts started to fall like lemmings until Twilight glanced downwards and saw a pack of timberwolves about to pounce on an unsuspecting Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy," she called out, "behind you!!! No!!!"

The pegasus turned around and fell on her flank from seeing such a large pack of bloodthirsty wooden wolves leaping to her in unison. Quickly, the purple alicorn blitzed to the ground, sending a large shock wave of magic that repelled the timberwolves.

After saving Fluttershy, Twilight conjured a magic spell with her horn, evoking, "Rainbow Dash! Pinkie Pie! Applejack! Rarity! To me! Ingress!"

Four bright pillars of light beamed from the heavens, descending to the earth. Then, the bodies of Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity appeared before the two mares.

"Twilight, I saw everything from Cloudsdale," Rainbow Dash said, looking out to the havoc. "What should we do?"

"Rainbow, sonic rainboom on the dragon, stat! Applejack and Pinkie Pie, take care of the timberwolves! Rarity, round up the townsfolk and protect them from the bugbears with your magic! Fluttershy and I will handle things from here! Let's go, girls!" she ordered, and the girls went in an instant.

"Fluttershy, are you alright?" the purple mare said, constantly scanning over the pegasus. "Are you hurt?!"

Fluttershy shook her head quickly. "I'm fine, Twilight, thank you," she said, trying to de-stress the alicorn. Upon further inspection, Twilight had a few cuts and bruises from fighting the bugbears. "We need to get those injuries looked at!"

Twilight merely shook her head, saying, "There's no time. Ponyville is being assaulted; my wounds will be taken care of later. For now, we-" Twilight stopped at looked at a peculiar creature cradled in Fluttershy's hooves. "Fluttershy, what animal is that? I've never seen it before."

Calabus scowled at the mare. "Alicorn, huh? Hmph..."

Twilight gasped. "It can talk!"

Calabus growled at the vexatious mare. "First off, I'm a guy! Second, what's going on here?!"

Twilight cautiously stepped away from the sheer ferocity of the imp. "Well," she started, "I'm not too sure myself. They suddenly began attacking us for no apparent reason! I think it has to do with them having glowing red eyes, but I haven't seen anything like this before!"

Calabus broke from Fluttershy's grasp and fluttered next to her head. "They aren't in their right minds; this frenzy has affected them greatly, sending them on a rampage," he explained. "Those maddening eyes are the symbol of their insanity. It's been... a long time since I saw it. Not long enough..."

"How do we stop them?" Twilight asked frantically.

Calabus grumbled and glared at the dragon. "You knock the daylights out of 'em. If you don't, they'll keep getting up... no matter how much suffering they feel. We shouldn't have anything to worry about since Dawn is here. She'll fix everything."

Twilight was bewildered. "Who's that? And how is she able to-" Twilight suddenly staggered to the ground, alerting Fluttershy and Calabus. The mare held her horn as a long, pained groan escaped her lips.

"Twilight, what's wrong?" Fluttershy cried out.

"It's... a wave of magic, or I think it was magic, just hit me hard," she answered, rubbing her head. "I've never felt something so... unnatural before."

Calabus huffed, saying, "That was Dawn. The pain will subside for you magically sensitive types shortly."

Twilight was shocked. "She did that?! That magic is on a whole different level!"

The red imp chuckled. "Yeah, magic. We'll call it that." Calabus sat on Fluttershy's head. "What should we do?"

Twilight rose from the ground with Fluttershy's assistance. "We'll keep these creatures back until the fighting is over. Right now, Rainbow Dash should be coming down soon..."

Twilight, Fluttershy, and Calabus searched the sky for the rainbow mare to mare from the clouds. Then they saw a bullet of colors descend; it was Rainbow Dash. A trail of rainbows flew behind her, then, in an instant, the sky looked as if it shattered with vibrant colors.

The mare, who once was a mere bullet, is now a speedy missile that collides with the dragon. A terrible screech broke through the air as everypony tried desperately to cover their ears from the horrible sounds. The dragon crashes near the crystal castle; the deafening impact sent Fluttershy, Calabus, and Twilight barreling across the ground before skidding to a stop. Although the dragon was down, more timberwolves entered the village, setting their sights on the pegasus and alicorn with hungry eyes.

After Rainbow Dash recovered from the sonic rainboom, she was told to help Rarity, so the pegasus gave a brisk salute and blitzed off. Alone with Fluttershy and this new creature, Twilight charged up her horn as the timberwolves filed in. She fought them the best she could, but fatigue was starting to wear into the alicorn's mind, and it didn't help from her earlier injuries fighting off the bugbears.

Twilight started to become dizzy, falling to the ground in exhaustion. She tried to catch her breath and charge up her horn, but the horn was barely flowing with magic.

"No!" she shouted, repeatedly trying to conjure magic. The seemingly endless onslaught of wooden wolves kept piling in. "No time to rest. Where are all these timberwolves keep coming from?! They aren't stopping!"

Dawn was taking out bugbears and timberwolves left and right in quick succession. She purged them, split the light within, and had the darkness consume them whole over and over again. However, it seems that no matter how many fell before her, there were always more taking their places.

They keep coming. There must be a way to stop these reinforcements.

"How about the dragon?" Dalia suggested in Dawn's head. "If this is like before, then the bigger, more dangerous creature may be behind their summoning."

Summoning...? That sounds familiar...

"Don't think about that right now," Dalia said. "We should focus on taking down the dragon. It recently fell in the middle of town by some giant shockwave in the sky. I think Fluttershy and Calabus are there."

Right. Let's go.

Back at the still-burning crystal castle, Twilight was somehow able to continue fighting off the invasion of timberwolves with what little magic she could spare, but as each wooden adversary fell before her magical might, so to her strength waned to keep them at bay; the alicorn found it hard to focus or to even stand; she was overwrought with fatigue.

Calabus tried to help, but no matter how many wolves his fire incinerated, more would just show up. They were hopelessly overwhelmed, and the damning predators inched nearer and closer. To add insult to their ever-growing injuries, especially Twilight's, the blue dragon began to stir and raise from the ground with a giant roar.

Fresh out of magic and options, a timberwolf pounced on Twilight, knocking her to the ground as she struggled to force the abhorrent creature off her, but more started to surround the mare, and she was, unfortunately, overwhelmed. Fluttershy suffered the same fate, the timberwolves pounced on her and attempted to gnaw and rend her flesh. Calabus tried to assist, but he couldn't run the risk of harming Fluttershy with his flames, and he found himself swatted away.

A timberwolf manages to clamp its sharp teeth on Fluttershy's left hind leg, bringing about a terror-filled scream. It shook its head, trying to rip it off, but then a large dark emanation tore through the timberwolf completely, and then the rest of the pack that surrounded the pegasus with ease. Another black appendage shot through another pack that was overwhelming Twilight Sparkle, shattering them to pieces.

Though dazed at the attack, Fluttershy was able to make out a figure trotting up to her with a beautiful blue chain wrapped firmly around their neck. The figure helped the mare off the ground and Fluttershy was able to get her senses back under control and saw that it was Dawn who saved her and Twilight from being lunch.

The pegasus cried and embraced Dawn tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she said rapidly, burying her face into Dawn's chest. "Thank you for saving me and my friend, Dawn. Thank you..."

Dawn hugged Fluttershy back before breaking away and trotting over to Twilight, who's looking a bit worse for wear at the moment: she had large bruises and even larger gashes around her face, chest, neck, and legs.

The ailing alicorn groaned, opening her eyes to see a mare with antlers and large wings standing over her like an angel. "Am... am I dead?" the alicorn whispered, desperately trying to catch her breath. "Please... help us."

The angelic figure smiled, placing her antlers against Twilight's forehead, uttering what seemed to be a spell. In some archaic dialect she could not distinguish, Twilight saw a bright golden light and suddenly felt warm. From Fluttershy's perspective, the golden light enraptured her purple friend, witnessing her injuries slowly fade away; Dawn was healing her.

After a few seconds, Twilight's vision was able to properly behold her savior. It was indeed a pony with antlers and large wings. She had thought she was hallucinating, but she was in her right mind after all. The alicorn rose from the ground and saw that her savior was just as tall as Big Mac if not slightly taller.

"Who... what are you?" she asked the mare. Her response only got a cute head tilt. "Are you Dawn?" The mare nodded silently. "How did you heal me? I can even feel my magic being restored." The mare only smiled. "Well, whatever you did, thank you!"

Dawn tapped her blue chain as a blue light overcame Fluttershy and Twilight's sight. Once it subsided, Twilight beheld another creature, a blue one, she had never seen before, fluttering over to the red one.

"Oh Cally," Dalia let out sadly, looking at the knocked-out imp and hugging him. "There's only so much we tiny imps can do by ourselves..."

Dawn marched up to Calabus and picked the imp up gently, muttering something under her breath, changing the imp into a necklace that latched firmly around her neck.

Rest, my friend. Forgive me, I wasn't here to help you.

Fluttershy hung her head, delicately touching Dawn's coat to get her attention. "Will Cally be okay?"

Though silent, Dawn gave Fluttershy a reassuring smile. Quickly, the mare instantly healed Fluttershy's leg wound.

"He needs rest," Dalia said. "Calabus may be... explosive, but our bodies aren't very strong. He's lucky he hasn't any broken bones."

Twilight stepped forward. "I don't know who or what any of you are, but that red creature said that Dawn could fix all of this."

Dalia flew over to Twilight and said, "The dragon catalyzes the wooden wolves and the bugbears' summoning, and if Dawn can take the beast down, everything should return to normal."

Twilight narrowed her eyes. "What would you have us do? My other friends are too busy helping other ponies."

This one has potent magical strength. She can distract the dragon. I'll go in after.

Dalia smiled. "Dawn wants you to get the dragon's attention. From there, she'll take care of the rest."

"Alright," Twilight agreed before turning to Fluttershy. "Stay close to the castle." The pegasus nodded. "Good. Let's put an end to this!"

Twilight shot into the air, gaining the dragon's ire with intense magical blasts from her horn. The beast screeched in irritation, constantly attempting to swat the alicorn from the sky. She weaved, dodged, and rolled from the monstrous strikes, harrying the large abomination with an onslaught of magical blows. The beast bellowed angrily; Twilight has successfully gained the monstrosity's enmity.

With the dragon distracted, Dalia shifts back into the chain and hung around Dawn's neck as the mare began to mutter something under her breath, prompting her antlers to shimmer with an eerie glow. Fluttershy felt a coldness emanating from Dawn; a terror-filled spell was about to come into fruition.

The embroil of darkness laying deep within the earth, heed me, and rise to bind my adversary!

Underneath Fluttershy's hooves, the earth was beginning to crack and split open, sprouting purple tentacles that shoot forward and latch around the arms and legs of the unsuspecting dragon. The belligerent beast bellowed, struggling against the dark binds whilst being pelted by Twilight's magic.

The enraged beast screeched, rearing its head back and blowing forth a crimson blaze at Twilight. With the flames too close to evade, the purple alicorn erected a barrier around her body and took the torrent of flame head-on. The heat and the sheer ferocity of the flames gradually whittled the shield, wearing Twilight down. It proved to be too much and the alicorn couldn't hold back the flames any longer and gave in; she was forced back, barreling into the top of the crystal castle with a heavy crash.

Fluttershy shrieked as her eyes widened with despair as tears began to roll down her face. "Twilight!" the yellow pegasus screamed, the rumbling impact sent her to the ground.

Shards of sharp crystal fell from the ruined castle, descending quickly towards Fluttershy. The distraught mare was too shocked by what she witnessed to escape the fallen debris.

"Dawn!" she wailed.

"Dawn," Dalia hastily exclaimed in the mare's mind, "Fluttershy is in trouble!"

Immediately Dawn shattered the restraints she held on to the dragon and blitzed toward Fluttershy. The mare saw the near-demolished castle's debris about to violently crush the frozen pegasus. Hurriedly, Dawn leaped into the air and descended onto the frightened pegasus, knocking her down before chanting a barrier.

The fallen pieces of the castle clamored on top of the barrier; the reverberation of the clangor elicited a cacophony of noises that loudly racked the two mares' ears. The high-pitch whang of the crystals produced an ear-piercing resonance that rung in Fluttershy's head, arousing the mare to scream out in distress. Dawn, who was experiencing some degree of discomfort, is able to shrug off most of the crystals' harrowing discordance.

Though the terrible pandemonium of the cacophonous clangor has now been somewhat abated, Fluttershy was still screaming, holding her head as the harried noise ricocheted heavily inside her fragile skull. She squirmed and shouted, desperately beseeching the suffering to cease.

Seeing her new friend in such anguish, Dawn strived to expunge it. Sudden energy flowed through her, like a calming wave flowing through her body. She then felt something that was tightened up loosen ever so slightly, allowing the small freedom of that something which was once firmly locked away.

She leaned down to Fluttershy with a gracious smile. "Fluttershy," she soothingly said, her sweet voice elegantly rolled smoothly off her tongue. "Fluttershy."

Her blood-curdling screams devolved into a meek whimper and near, almost non-existent sobs. The pained pegasus struggled to open her once-clamped eyes and gazed at the beautiful visage of Dawn; that adorable smile and those extraordinary gray eyes began to soothe the despondent pegasus into nothing more but the quiet, occasional sniffle.

"Fluttershy," Dawn repeated slowly. "You... are... o-okay." Though having her speech return, it seemed to Dawn she could seldom say a few words before feeling her throat starting to restrict her.

Fluttershy ogled at the mare with her tear-stained face in disbelief. "Dawn?" she uttered quietly. "You... you're talking."

Dawn nodded. "Yes," she responded before turning her head towards the roaring dragon. She turns back and says, "Trust. Trust in me."

Fluttershy, still awestruck at seeing Dawn talk barely processed what she said. "T-trust?" she sputtered, her still-beating heart quaking in mild fear. "W-what do... d-do you mean?"

Dawn gave Fluttershy another smile. "Letting go," she uttered slowly, trying to enunciate her words carefully. "Fluttershy. Trust in me. I... will protect."

Fluttershy slowly directed her shaking hoof on Dawn's chest, feeling her soft, smooth coat. "I... trust you," she whispered in near silence. "I trust you, Dawn."

That was all Dawn needed to hear. She raises her head and steps away from Fluttershy before leaving the barrier. She stood tall and faced the dragon with a hard glare.

The blue, red-eyed dragon glowered at the mare. "Erebus..." it said slowly to a crawl. "Erebus..."

At this point, Dalia was understandably shaken. "How does it know your last name?" she wondered. "None alive could know your name..."

It's hard for me to remember.

"Do not stress yourself, sweetheart," Dalia said. "We'll ponder this sudden revelation at a later date. For now, we must take this dragon down to stop the timberwolves from being summoned."

Dawn nodded in agreement. Right. Let's get this done.

"Erebus..." the dragon eerily let out in its haunting voice. "Naught but ash..."

The dragon inhaled a large amount of air and blew out a frighteningly powerful breath of fire at Dawn. The mare stomped her hooves on the ground as her antlers shined once again before evoking sacred words in her mind.

Divine light shadowed by the blight of darkness! Voidless Shadowlight: Dread Reverse!

A black and white powerful ray of concentrated power blasted forth from Dawn's antlers; the mare dug her hooves into the ground to stabilize the blast. The dragon's scorching flames clashed with Dawn's beam. The very earth rumbled and shook, the manifestation of light from the clash blared so brightly that it drowned Ponyville in a coat of blinding light.

The dragon was struggling to hold back the pure power Dawn was dishing out, and in a near-instant, her ray overpowered the dragon's flames and struck the horrid beast in the chest piercing through its body as it shrieked in pain. The body of the dragon was starting to physically crack as the potent beam tore through it. The cracks forming its body began to glow white, engulfing the entire dragon before exploding in a magnificent explosion.

The air flittered with small amber embers flowing around Ponyville. The timberwolves stopped attacking, writhing on the ground before suspiciously vanishing into thin puffs of blackened smoke. The bugbears followed suit, vanishing out of the air. The terror was over; the town of Ponyville and its residents still stood, albeit with some injuries, and a few houses, including the crystal castle, looked worse for wear.

"Good show, Dawn," Dalia congratulated. "Head back to Fluttershy."

I will.

Dawn trotted towards the barrier shielding Fluttershy. She taps the barrier with her hoof, and it promptly dissipates, releasing Fluttershy from its protective grasp. Dawn marched up to the timid pegasus and gently helped her off the ground to which the mare gave Dawn a heartfelt hug.

"You did it!" Fluttershy exclaimed happily. "You saved the town! Thank you so much, Dawn!"

In light of Fluttershy's joy, the terrified townsfolk were able to catch a breather. The Elements of Harmony: Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, who all looked a little beat, if not a little dirty to Rarity's dismay, gathered and studied their supposed savior.

They stared at a luscious crimson coat that flowed slowly in the wind. The middle of her four legs bore black and white stripes aplenty, and her gorgeous mane and tail intertwined with the mysterious colors of black and white. Her dusty eyes were as gray as the dullest clouds swimming in the shady sky and gave off an air of equanimity; phlegm and tranquility deftly swam amongst them, as if forever.

Her lofty wings presented themselves as a sign of strength and bravery, but they hid the imprint that shows her special talent, her cutie mark. The most notifying of her graceful figure was her antlers that mirrored her mane and tail in color and pattern. Everything was topped off by a cute little mole on one of her cheeks.

"Fluttershy," Pinkie Pie said merrily, "who's your new, mysterious friend?"

"I was thinkin' of the same thing," Applejack added.

"Indeed darling, I simply have to study that beautiful mane," Rarity chimed in.

Rainbow groaned, saying, "Before we do anything if any of you hadn't noticed, we are short one pony! Where's Twilight?!"

Fluttershy instantly lost her lustrous smile as a sad frown appeared. "She's... Twilight is over there." Fluttershy sadly pointed towards the top of the damaged crystal castle. "She was fighting the dragon and it... overwhelmed her."

The Elements were almost speechless.

Rainbow was the first to speak up. "That's... Twilight could be..."

"Hold up there, Dash," Applejack interjected. "We don't know if Twi kicked the bucket, and I don't want to think about it."

Rarity agreed. "Let us hurry and get our friend out of there."

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie chirped, bouncing in place. "Twilight's fine, I know it!"

Fluttershy was on the verge of crying, but she was comforted by Dawn. "Thanks," she whispered. "How will all of us reach the roof?"

Dawn tapped her chin as an idea sprang in her head. She gestured to Fluttershy and her friends to come near her, and they did. A silent mutter was seen from Dawn as her antlers shimmered faintly and a platform of light appeared under the hooves of the group. They exclaimed at first, but they gradually settled their nerves as the platform rose in the air until the group was at the top of the crystal castle.

Able to survey the damages, the group, except for Dawn, gasped in horror. The top of the crystal castle was nearly demolished: crystals lay amongst the castle's dirty rooftop. The flames from the dragon persisted as small embers scattered across the roof randomly with smoke plaguing every corner. The eyes followed a horrendous skid mark that trailer to the other end of the castle's rooftop where a small pile of crystal rumble lay still.

All hooves, except for Dawn's, lifted to the mouths of the Elements in pure disbelief. Everything was on the brink of ruin, held by some will to prevail. Ordering the platform forward, Dawn and the Elements were as silent as a dead wind, daring to not speak a single word as if any sound could be enough to bring about the downfall of the crystal castle's rooftop.

As they got closer to the wreckage, a faint purple light pulsed occasionally from the crystal rubble. As they watched on, the purple glow began to fade, only to be started again with another pulse, but it would be weaker than the last.

"Twilight's alive!" Rainbow shouted vehemently. "Her horn says it all!"

A breath of relief escaped Applejack and Rarity while Pinkie Pie hugged Fluttershy, who was crying tears of joy. Even Dawn smiled at the news and had the platform lower next to the rubble. Quickly, all of Twilight's friends, and Dawn, galloped towards the rubble and began to hastily, with caution, fish out their friend. It took five whole meticulous minutes to clear the wreckage.

There they lay their eyes on a still-conscious purple alicorn with looks of concern and happiness. The poor alicorn was bleeding all over: her horn was split right down the middle, her wings were torn and shredded, and her coat, mane, and tail had a layer of blue dust. Deep gashes riddled her body, her right eye was black, and she could barely move.

"What should we do?!" Pinkie said worryingly.

"I ain't got a single clue," Applejack muttered sorrowfully. "Never have I seen a pony that messed up before."

Rainbow flew next to Twilight with Fluttershy in tow. "Hey, Twi," pegasus uttered quietly. "You'll be okay, I promise. We can take you to the hospital and fix you up."

Dawn trotted slowly to Twilight and skillfully scanned over her unnerving wounds. She waved at Fluttershy with her hooves, gaining the mare's attention.

"Can you save her, Dawn?" the pegasus asked hopefully. "Please help her."

Dawn grinned and said, "I help. I heal. Step away."

Rainbow Dash wasn't sure if she should trust Dawn, but with the convincing from Fluttershy and the rest of her friends, the cyan mare allowed Dawn to help. The Elements stepped back and let Dawn work.

Dawn narrowed her eyes and concentrated, her mysterious antlers glowing luminously as the light enveloped Twilight slowly. A whirring sound, sort of like a low continuous drone, filled the ears of Twilight's friends as they look on in awe. When the light diminished and faded, Twilight's wounds were gone as if they had never existed. The alicorn was able to breathe normally. Aside from some small aches, Twilight was completely healed from all injuries. With help from Dawn, Twilight rose from the floor. She looked at her friends and then at Dawn with a small smile.

"Dawn, thank you," Twilight said, bowing to Dawn in appreciation. All of her friends did the same. "Did everything return to normal?"

Dawn nodded. "Dragon gone, wooden wolves gone."

"And the bugbears?"

"Gone," Dawn replied. "Home saved."

A sigh flew out from Twilight's mouth as she plopped her flank on the floor. "Hadn't had an attack like since Tirek. Whew... glad that's over." Twilight looked at Dawn's face with a curious gaze. "Why are you smiling like that?"

The smirk on Dawn's was quite peculiar to Twilight but as the mysterious mare stepped to the side, Twilight saw the happy faces of all her friends, and the alicorn wasn't prepared!

Twilight began to sweat. "Now girls, we talked about this," she said, but her friends inched themselves closer. "W-wait, I'm not ready-"

All of her friends, including Fluttershy, leaped at Twilight, cuddling the mare as happy noises escaped their merry lips. Dawn chuckled at the cute scene as Dalia, in her mind, joined her.

Whilst celebrating, a scroll suddenly appears above the cuddle pile and dropped on Twilight's head. Rubbing her mane from the assaulting scroll, Twilight began reading its contents, and her eyes grew.

"Hang on, girls, give me some space," the purple alicorn pleaded. Fortunately, she got her wish. "Good. Now, this is a letter from Princess Celestia detailing that powerful unknown magic was coming from the Everfree Forest and asked us to go and check it out. Buuuut, I think I know where that magic is coming from, or what I think to be magic is coming from." The purple alicorn pointed at Dawn.

"Uhh," Rainbow Dash muttered, scratching her head. "It's her?"

Twilight bobbed her head. "Yep," she said gaily. "I felt her magic, and it was unlike anything I've ever felt before. Now that we know who that magic was coming from, I proclaim we get an understanding of our savior."

"Yay!" Pinkie Pie shouted. "New friend!" The rest of the group, excerpt for Dawn and Fluttershy, celebrated.

"Alright, everypony, let's settle down," Twilight said, turning to Dawn. "I am Twilight Sparkle. These are my friends: Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. I'm going to assume you already knew Fluttershy from the fact that the red creature was with her."

Dawn tilted her head to the side as usual. Although she could speak, her speech was highly limited, and it seemed that she had to wait longer until she was able to fully speak without any hindrance.

Fluttershy spoke for her. "Her name is Dawn, a friend that I met yesterday evening. She saved me from a pack of timberwolves. She's very kind and friendly, she even likes animals!"

Twilight clapped her front hooves together. "That's amazing! And I am very curious as to what exactly you are and what type of magic you used. But before we go any further, parts of Ponyville need to be rebuilt. It should only take a few hours. Everypony ready?"

All of her friends, including Dawn, were ready and amped to get Ponyville back in shape. With that said, the mystery surrounding Dawn will be brought closer to the light. However, as the light grows, so does its shadow.

Meanwhile at midnight in Canterlot Castle...

Princess Celestia was just about to call in for the night. After getting a scroll from Twilight almost immediately after she sent her's, Princess Celestia was quite shocked at what had transpired in Ponyville. The onslaught of rage-induced creatures did indeed worry the majestic alicorn, but most of her concerns about the event had been deftly abated by the visitor named Dawn.

This remarkable mare's magic was indeed the one Princess Luna felt, but it was so unusual and foreign; could this supernatural power even be called magic? The letter detailed by Twilight had attempted to properly explain what type of power Dawn has, but all she could read were minor theories and speculations.

Although Princess Celestia would love nothing more than to unravel this mystery surrounding this peculiar mare, she thought it is prudent to let things run their course. Also, she was quite tired from the monotony of Day Court. As she reached her bedroom to resign for the night, Princess Luna was there, presumably waiting for her.

With a darling smile, Princess Celestia approached her little sister. "Luna," she said, nuzzling the alicorn, "how are you this fine night?"

"Better than yesterday," she replied, nuzzling her sister back. "I went to Seaward Shoals to find Discord and tried to convince him to investigate the magic I had felt, but he ardently refused." Princess Luna's ears drooped. "He wanted nothing to do with what's been happening."

"Really?" Princess Celestia said in disbelief. "That's unusual. I would have thought that it might entice him. Why did he reject you?"

Princess Luna merely shook her head. "He said that he didn't like none of it. He almost sounded... unsettled talking about it. Anyway... what's going on?"

Princess Celestia explained what had happened during her departure. The Moonlight Mistress had a look of intense curiosity, but Princess Celestia warned against her sister doing anything drastic.

"Worry not, dear sister, I will not act out and confront this Dawn," she said. "However, I would like for her to visit Canterlot Castle so we can be formally introduced. Sound sensible enough for you?"

"Fine, fine," Princess Celestia said waving her hoof in the air. "Let us wait a few days before we present the idea to Twilight. I put her in charge of watching over Dawn. For now, let us carry on as normal."

Princess Luna nodded. "Have a good night, sister."

"To you as well, Luna. Goodnight."

Princess Luna left her sister to her devices. The celestial alicorn entered her room and fell onto her bed as a pleased sigh blew from her tired lips.

"We'll see who this Dawn is very soon," she muttered before drifting off to sleep.

There is a lot of mystery surrounding Dawn Erebus and her past, and not all of it may be unveiled.

We take an interesting look at something completely different, and I know a lot has happened in the last chapter and that I should really get into the whole slice of life aspect of the story, but all things come in time.

If any of you are enjoying the story so far, then kudos to ya.

The perishing stars hold many stories and secrets unknown to most that live under them, of times when life had begun, ended, and began again. Many of their secrets are forgotten, but only one of their eldest secrets has been strived to remain in their minds. New stars would be told the harrowing secret, and it would be so that they never forget; it would be etched deeply within their psyche.

No matter how ancient they became, how troubling it was, they perpetually retained it within their minds above all else. It's a secret that once shook their very hearts and souls, and instilled fear and dread; a horrible living nightmare. A secret neglected but never truly forgotten. A secret that can doom an entire planet.

After being brought down by the star-favored youth, the ancient secret was chained and locked away in a domain that the waning stars created many ages ago, effectively ending the epochal event of that secret's entire existence. However, as all chains are made to confound and constraint, so too can the forsaken fetters weaken and wither to set what once was restrained loose and unhindered.

Beyond the verge of the star-fading frontier, and even further still, there's a melancholic place that exists alone, persisting in a realm of emptiness; where the void of darkness was none, not even the faint of light, travels. The black space swirls and churns unending; there is only despair, unhappiness, despondency, the cold, and sorrow.

Love does not exist, nor does hope or dreams. Where one's esprit is drained; a forsaken prison; a pitiful place of solitude and silence. Unpretentious; light does not exist, voices acutely shallow, the sound faded, and the heart and mind hollow.

Through the dark corridor lay a hallway where the floor mimics the cosmos, the black walls twist and turn without end, each vacant step dull and quiet. Eventually, a black-stained door appears in the near distance covered in dark purple pulsating veins. Something terrible resides in that forlorn space; a persisting thing that withers endlessly, like the waning stars, but death has no authority.

To stand before the withering frame is to stand in front of frost and ice. Beyond the door lay a large, reflective space vacant of any possessions; it only housed an immense amount of emotion that could choke the heart and stymie the influx of air to the lungs.

At the end of the depressing room laying atop the cosmic nadir is a slumped figure feigning the rigor mortis of a corpse that should have long been extinguished.

The black figure had sections of its hairy chest, arms, and face missing, revealing behind the vacant flesh a void of swirling darkness, its lifeless apertures were black and hollow, and its two heavy hairy legs and cloven hooves were severed from its body, and its once-strong horns are split and smashed. Its dirty, bedraggled, shaggy mane hung loosely across its shattered visage as one of the cavities in its chest, where the heart should be, began to gradually illuminate with a foreboding red glow.

Not a speck of blood was seen seeping from the figure; none leaked from its hollow orifices, nor was any amongst the cosmic floor with its crimson taint. Instead, the floor underneath the figure was inundated with a murky black pool of festering darkness.

The lower jaw of the figure was loose and dislocated, showing off rows of chipped teeth and a withering tongue, but with a deft eye, one could seldom discern faint movement; the figure still had some life, however paltry it presented. And how desperately did it cling to whatever life it breathed; it was persisting on pure emotion alone. There was so much turmoil and rage that pervaded the still air around the room; immense resentment and wrath brought an extra layer that coated the atmosphere, and, strangely enough, there was a faint hint of ruefulness and grief littering about; naught but paltry strands.

There is no true life there. No strength can breach its walls, no mind powerful to invade the prison. It is located at the end... the end of all things, where the ancient secret is trapped for all eternity. This phantom husk yearns to be free. The holy binds that constrain the ancient secret were beginning to wither away; it was only a matter of waiting. All things die, and all things fade into nothingness no matter how powerful they are. The shackles begin to crack, and a fracture in the restraints emerged, eliciting a small noise that echoed throughout the room.

Suddenly, the figure feigning death very slowly turned its stiff head towards its broken arms and saw the crack within the golden shackles. It watched and waited as another crack began to form. The binds weaken; it can feel their strength waning; it was so close to tasting its long-awaited absolution.

Soon, the ancient secret will be free.

It forced its lower jaw to snap back in place and said, "Erebus... Erebus... Erebus..." it slowly repeated over and over again to a crawl, its hauntingly deep and broken voice filling the room. "Never... forget. Remember... what's left. Remember me. What you left behind. I... know where you are. I won't stop. Never. Starless... youth; the other one... naught but a dreg. I will never stop. Erebus... Erebus..."