“Some say to get out fast, looks like it’s gonna last,
just grab your things and fly...
Some say it’ll be okay, just go ahead and stay,
be sure to drink your iodine...”

How Xephyr finds the time to calmly play his lute despite the threat of a frost dragon tearing him and the rest of Everfree to shreds, Tohro has absolutely no clue.

The soldiers are gathered in perfectly aligned groups, rounding up civilians and ushering them to Everfree Fortress. For the most part, the they keep calm (And carry on) but a fair few attempt to break free of the line, deciding their homes are safer.

“If we’re all gathered in one place, the dragon will wipe us out in a single cut, it will!” says a homely unicorn as he takes his wife and child aside. A pegasus soldier intercepts them, flying in from seemingly out of nowhere.

“Back in line, sir,” the soldier commands.

“Not on your life, I won’t! I ain’t dying in your ruddy guard barracks, I ain’t!” The stallion shoves the soldier aside.

The soldier clears his throat and resumes his position, seizing the unicorn by the collar, still keeping a straight face. “By law of the queen, I am required to subdue you. My apologies.” He strikes the unicorn across the small of his back, knocking him out instantaneously.

His wife shrieks and confronts the guard. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“Nothing to report, ma’am.” The guard effortlessly carries the stallion’s sleeping body to one of the many carriages. Ponies too elderly to move quickly, sickly ones who’ve lost the stamina to walk and crippled refugees with broken or lost limbs are being transferred to the fortress on these carriages. Xephyr sits upon one, strumming his lute in a mostly ineffective effort to keep everypony’s spirits alive.

The unruly unicorn’s wife cocks her hoof, ready to give the soldier a taste of his own medicine, but the distant roar of the frost dragon and the haunting groan of crumbling buildings makes her hold back and return to the evacuation line.

Unbeknownst to the soldier, Tohro has taken advantage of the distraction, ducking into the alleyway behind the pegasus soldier, carrying little Treesap upon his back.

Treesap looks back at the controlled chaos and taps Tohro on the shoulder. “Where are you going, Mister Tohro? We’re supposed to go to the fortress.”

Tohro refuses with a shake of his head. “No, we’re not. I’m going to get you outside the city walls where you’ll be safer.” He swerves left into an empty street to avoid another patrolling soldier without slowing down. “But we have to be quiet. If a soldier spots us, we might get in trouble for not making their jobs any easier.”

Tohro leaps a picket fence into the next alleyway, lightly steps over shards of a fallen vase and dodges several puddles of... “Um, ew. I guess even the most luxurious city in Equestria has its filth.”

He takes flight, kicking off the walls to quickly change direction. He feels Treesap squeeze tighter around his leather armor as they soar, increasing speed through the labyrinth of buildings, up until the point when they break free of the claustrophobic, run down alleys, landing at the gold plated gates leading out of the city and into the highlands.

The dragon has already passed over this district, with everything coated in fresh sheets of ice and frost. There are some soldiers and civilians frozen over from an encounter with the dragon, but the beast in question is not in sight. Tohro lets himself relax, sheathing his wings.

The frost dragon cries out again, causing him to reel around.

“I think the beast is close,” says Tohro. “Constant vigilance, kiddo.”

What the hell am I doing? he thinks, checking around corners to ensure the dragon doesn’t get the drop on them. I hardly know this kid. He only told me a little sob story, I cheered him up, and now I feel the need to save his life... This is just like what happened with Shae. Is Caro going to invite Treesap to join Dragonrein too? He smooths out his mane, trying to keep his composure, like an Imperial soldier would. Of course, a selfless act like this is just what Caro would do. That big bugger is rubbing off on me...

“Mum and Dad are probably worried about me,” says the little colt as another roar sounds out. Tohro finds himself beaming at how upbeat the kid is despite the chaos.

I have more charisma than I thought I did. “You’re alive, aren’t you?” Tohro asks. Treesap responds with a nod. “There. They’ve nothing to worry about.”

The dragon’s calling has stopped. The white pegasus relaxes, snickering as he approaches the gates. “Flying beast that breathes icy fire can’t handle me.”

“Oh!” gasps the soft voice of a mare.

“Did you hear that?" Tohro glances to an abandoned shop adjacent to the gates. Tampered bouquets riddle the ground. This was a flower shop. “Whoever works here up and left in a hurry.” Tohro peeks over the counter.

Toppled racks and broken flower vases riddle the shop, all glazed over with ice.

“Somepony back here?” he calls out.

“Don’t worry, we’re not dragons!” shouts Treesap, warranting a laugh from his blonde steed.

“O-o-ver-r h-h-e-e-ere...”

The mare’s voice is faint, coming from the far end of the shop. Tohro vaults the counter and gets a closer look, Treesap dismounting to stretch his legs.

A unicorn is laying beneath a large mound of frost, shaking from the sheer cold. She wears ornate white robes over her white coat, and her pink mane obscures her eyes. Tohro pauses a moment, ears and heart perking up at the sight of this mare. She has an otherworldly beauty to her, untarnished by her condition.

“C-c-can you he-h-help m-m-me?” She looks to her hooves, which are melded to the floor by thick sheets of ice. “P-please... I c-can’t feel my legs...”

Tohro stops admiring the mare’s slender figure long enough to slap himself across the muzzle. “Of course, sweetheart. What’s your name?”

“C-Celina...”

Tohro surveys the situation. A unicorn frozen to the ground in the middle of a flower shop. There’s a first time for everything, he thinks. “If Shae were here, this would be so much easier, uh, Treesap!”

The little orange colt stands to attention, saluting like a pint-sized soldier.

“Gather up a few torches. We’re going to melt the ice and get Celina here to safety.”

“Yes, Mister Tohro.” Treesap goes to work, swiping as many wooden beacons as he can. His excitement to assist in this endeavour falters as he notices something. “None of these are lit. How will we melt the ice?”

Celina’s eyes begin to quiver. Tohro brushes her silky mane aside in effort to comfort her, though the ice eating away at her coat renders that impossible.

“I kn-know a l-l-little f-fire magic...” Celina mutters. “I-I c-can try to...” She reaches out for one of the torches. Tohro hoofs one to her, holding it steady as she summons up what little magical potential she has in her shivering body. A light spark snaps at the tip of her horn, just enough to inflame the torch. She draws exhausted breaths. Even a feat that small was too much for her to handle. Tohro catches her head with his free hoof.

“Excellent, sweetheart. Well done." He’s not sure if she can hear him. Her eyes are still open, though barely. He rests her head gently on the floor. “Now, Treesap, I need you to light every torch we have and place them around her hooves. That’ll melt the ice, and she can go free.” He picks up another torch and passes on the flame of the lit one, then passes it onto his little helper.

Treesap nods, never losing his cheer as he repeats Tohro’s demonstration. All the torches are soon alit, spread out evenly along the blanket of ice. Tohro pumps his forehooves back and forth, silently praying to Epona that this works. The retired Blackwing won’t let an innocent mare die on his watch, much less from something like hypothermia. Nopony deserves to go out in such a pathetic way, he thinks.

“Is she going to come with us?” asks Treesap as the ice begins to thaw.

Tohro can tell the kid is concerned for Celina as well, and not just following orders for the sake of following orders. The pegasus finds himself admiring the kid. Already, Treesap’s doing far better than he ever did when it comes to knowing who one should work for. “We’ll take her to safety, yes. As soon as the dragon is taken care of, I’ll return you and her home.”

Treesap begins to frown. He looks to the remaining ice and frost riddling the shop, all of which showing no signs of melting on its own time.

Celina’s eyes flutter back open as what little strength she can muster returns. She sits back up, noticing her legs are much more movable than they were before. The ice is beginning to melt into one large puddle.

Tohro adjusts the torches’ positions so they don’t get soaked by the water. He shoots Celina a confident smirk with an eyebrow raised. She returns the smile as he says, “See? Nothing to worry about.”

“I think I can...” Celina inhales and struggles to pull her hooves free from what little ice remains. Her forelegs break free at the same time. She stands up as much as she can and attempts to do the same with her hindquarters.

“Come on, sweetheart. I’ve got you.” Tohro takes her hooves, causing her to gasp. “You okay?”

She nods quickly. “You’re really warm, and my legs are numb.” She breaths on her hooves in an attempt to warm them, but her breath is frigid too. She only blows steam.

Tohro brushes her shoulder, sliding down to grab hold of her again. “I’ll get you some warm towels as soon as I can. Now, hold on tight.”

Celina wraps her forelegs around his. Tohro slowly yanks on her, the ice showing no sign of letting up its grip on her hindquarters. He meets that resistance with rebellion. He pulls harder. “Come on, come on...” he groans.

He yelps as he feels Treesap clamp down on his blonde mane with his teeth. His shouting escalates as the little colt pulls in unison with the pegasus. The ice begins to crack, letting up its grasp as it continues to melt.

“Come on...” says Tohro through his teeth. He finally feels the ice give. “Yes!”

Tohro’s head collides with the wall, landing on Treesap and getting a face full of pink mane.

“I’m so sorry...” says Celina, bowing repeatedly as she steps away. Every movement she makes with her hind legs causes her to limp, and Tohro can see why. Patches of her skin have been ripped away by the ice. Blood is beginning to swell to the exposed muscle.

“Oh dear.” Tohro quickly shuffles through his bags. “I think I have a potion for that in here somewhere...”

“Huh?” Celina looks about with an innocent expression, catching a glimpse of her patchy legs. She grimaces, pursing her lips as the shock wears off and she becomes aware of the pain. Tohro gets his hooves on a minor healing potion and offers the vial to Celina. She turns it down, gently pushing the pegasus’ hoof away. “I’ve never needed such things. It will pass.”

“How do you mean?”

“Watch.”

Tohro’s mouth slowly falls open as a golden aura envelopes Celina’s damaged legs. “Is that the Fae?” he asks. Celina merely shrugs, wearing a look of innocent pride in this uncanny occurance. It only takes a few seconds for the light to fade, leaving perfectly smooth, unscathed legs in its wake. Tohro has to keep his wings from spreading at the sight of them.

Treesap claps his hooves together as he cheers. “That was amazing! You’re a healer!”

Celina covers the red on her face. “Of sorts. I’ve always been able to do that, I’ve just... never shown anypony.”

I like this one, Tohro thinks. I’m gonna ask Caro if I can keep her. “Come on, Celina. We’re high-tailing it out of this city until help arrives.” The pegasus beckons to the unicorn as he vaults the counter and steps back onto the frozen street. He nearly buckles with Treesap hopping onto his back.

“But, what about all the people? And the dragon?” asks Celina, teleporting to their side. Tohro hops backward in shock.

“Could you not do that? Scare the hell out of me, why don’t you?”

“Sorry...”

Treesap applauds again. “I thought it was cool. What else can you do, miss?”

Tohro holds up his hoof and makes a scrrh sound to silence the kid. “I have a feeling both of those problems will take care of themselves, but I want you and Treesap under my surveillance, because you are both so,” he nods to the foal upon his back, “very,” then back to Celina, “pretty. I just can’t let two gorgeous things such as yourselves get injured under my watch.” He points to the gates. “Now, Treesap, only soldiers are able to unlock those gates, so I’m going to try and force it open. In the meantime, you find me anything that will serve as bobby pins, because this could be tricky.”

“Yes, sir!” Treesap waddles off and begins rummaging through dustbins and fruit stalls. Tohro smiles, finding a child taking orders from him rather adorable.

“Can I do anything to help?” Celina asks.

Tohro politely shakes his head as he kneels down to the gate’s lock. He takes out one of his lockpicks, adjusting it to fit in the large keyhole. “Just stand there and look beautiful.”

Celina giggles and fluffs her mane. “You’re such a charmer.”

As Tohro fiddles with the lock, Treesap comes running back, tripping over his own hooves, brushing it off quickly, and tossing a screwdriver. Tohro catches it, gives it a look over, nods and inserts it in the keyhole. “It’s really simple. You just slowly work it in, feeling every inner working until you find the exact position that makes it squeak...”

“You’re probably wondering what happened to me,” says Celina.

Tohro raises his head, moving his hooves off track just enough to break the pick. He coughs and tosses the broken piece of metal aside. “To be honest, no, but I’d like to hear it. Entertain me.”

Celina chuckles, though it’s through a frown. “It’s anything but entertaining, I’m afraid. It’s my mother’s birthday in a week. I wanted to make her a bouquet, and that place, back there...” She points to the flower shop. “They sell the best flora in the city... well, they used to. The dragon attacked this district while I was shopping. It cast some sort of blue fire that glazed everything in frost. I remember seeing some ponies get completely frozen over, and then the dragon snatched them up...” She shivers, as if the ice has her again.

Tohro takes another pick from Treesap’s inventory and works the lock in conjunction with the screwdriver. Under normal circumstances, this would be a job fit for a unicorn with sufficient levitation magic. Even an earthwalker would have more finesse with their hooves. Tohro, however, had picked up a few pointers while working stealth missions for the Blackwings. There was always an Imperial Legion’s battle plan that needed stealing, or an old Precursor artifact for the unicorn mages locked in a rusty chest, or Jade’s underwear hidden away in her dresser... Oop, there go my cheeks again. Focus, Tohro...

The pegasus slaps himself across the face again, this time making contact with his bad eye. He winces and ends up breaking the pick again. “Dammit!”

“Perhaps I could try?” Celina offers, stepping forward cautiously. She levitates the last two picks from Treesap’s pockets and the screwdriver.

“Good girl like yourself trying your hoof at thievery? That doesn’t seem much like noblemare behavior.”

Celina gives a hearty laugh, much like a baroness, only far less obnoxious. “I assure you, sir, I am no noblemare,” she says proudly. She smoothly inserts the pick and screwdriver. “Could any noblemare do... this?” With a single squeeze of the utensils, the clear and heavenly click of the lock emits a wave of joy that overcomes Tohro and Treesap. It may just be one lock, but it’s an accomplishment nonetheless.

“Well done, miss!” shouts Treesap. His expression then turns curious. “Wait, why couldn’t we have just flown over?”

Tohro sighs. He has been asked such a question many times by rookie rebels who think Queen Platinum is even more of a dullard than she appears to be. “Because there’s a transparent regenerating force field, simple as that. Do you even live here, kid?”

Treesap nods. “Yes, but I guess you learn something new every day!”

Yes, like never expect a child to pull his own weight. Tohro shakes such thoughts away, remembering that said child has been dead useful, despite occasional hiccups. He’s a young one, it’s to be expected.

“Well, come on, then!” shouts Celina with unbeforeseen enthusiasm. She gallops for the exit. “Just a hop skip and a jump across the bridge to safety.”

The Rainbow Cross. Tohro has heard of it, but to walk upon it only makes him understand Shokenda’s hatred for Everfree’s overt beauty further. As he, Treesap and Celina gallop across it, he involuntarily finds himself slowing down to look at his reflection in the crystal clear water below the diamond encrusted bridge. Fillydelphia hardly has anything like this worth bragging about. All they have are a few fountains and a crucifix.

The dragon’s roars are becoming distant. Looking back at Everfree, the group sees small pillars of smoke and debris clouds rising from the buildings.

Celina’s happiness to be away from danger gives way to concern. “I know Mother will be okay, she always is... I just can’t imagine a way to defeat that dragon. Is it even possible?”

Tohro smirks, thinking back to the unbelievable feats Caro performed on his way to giving Nahkriin a face full of sword. “Trust me, my friend is a dragon slayer. He makes the impossible happen on a regular basis.”

Celina lets out a scream, prompting Tohro to jump to her side and help Treesap onto his back. They all see the dragon rise from the city, heading their way. The sky itself seems to bend as it cuts through the wind.

“Tohro, something just occurred to me,” says Treesap, “If there’s a force field around the city, how did the dragon get in?”

Tohro’s mouth droops down the length of his muzzle. He and Celina share a look that simply states, Bollocks. They brace themselves for a lengthy and very lethal battle, the robed unicorn’s horn alighting and the pegasus equipping his crossbow.

Their battle-ready stances falter as they see a sight that makes them tilt their heads. The dragon begins to thrash and twist its body in midair, cursing in Draconic. “Kruus pak! Neeka lopaax tral un! Ka geal!” Its yelling descends into unintelligible roaring as the telltale sound of a sword piercing flesh rings through the air.

Another voice rings out in the distance, coming from behind the dragon. “Siis yuln ahrk dii, sivaas!”

Tohro narrows his gaze. As the dragon does an aileron roll, an earthwalker comes into view, gripping onto the the beast’s back and hacking away whenever he gets the chance.

“Speak of Tartarus! There’s our dragon slayer right now!” Tohro ushers Celina and Treesap off of the cobblestone path into the brush as the dragon makes a crash landing on its back, causing a tremor much like an earthquake. Everypony is swept off their feet, getting facefulls of grass and mud.

The dragon has left a crater and then some, tearing up patches of earth from its impact. It groans, rubbing the many lesions and bruises left by the Dragonborn.

“Ahahaha!” The colt of name leaps onto the dragon’s stomach, whinnying and swinging his forelegs in a triumphant romp. With his bloodstained scimitar clutched between the hairs of his tail, he dismounts and unflinchingly trots Tohro’s way. He points his hoof towards the pegasus, who steps back in mild shock.

“Talk about a rough reception for the beast, eh?” he asks, nodding towards the injured dragon.

Caro shrugs, feeling mildly offended. “My friend’s got sympathy for the devil.”

“Goodness, no! I’m but a bit surprised. That was all sorts of amazing.” Tohro bumps his hoof up against Caro’s.

“Just doing what’s right. Speaking of which...” The turquoise earthwalker swaggers over to the white unicorn, giving her an intense stare. She looks about, discomforted by a stranger looking at her so oddly, especially when the stranger has draconic slits for pupils.

“C-Can I help you?” she asks, brushing her pink mane over her eye.

“Are you Princess Celina?” Caro asks.

Celina nods, expecting a chastising for stepping outside the palace walls beyond permission. Her pale face flushes.

“I was sent by your mother to see to your safety,” Caro says. He glances at Tohro, “Though it seems my job has been done for me. Thanks,” he says sarcastically. Tohro nonchalantly flips his blonde mane, giving his best I have no idea what you’re talking about look.

“Fel Saviikaan praak mey...” The dragon’s moaning ends as it rolls over, standing on its hands and feet. “I would appreciate it if you did not make a mockery of me by not acknowledging my existence.”

Caro sighs, motioning to the dragon. “Everypony, this is Hedovine-”

“Hevnodiin.”

“His interests include hunting elk, long walks on the beach, and sending dozens of innocent ponies to a frozen grave.” Caro tosses his sword into the air and catches it in his teeth, turning back to the dragon. “I’d hate to ask, but, could you keep Celina out of harm’s way for just a little longer? I’m putting this bastard down for good.”

Tohro clasps his hooves together. “Can do, Dragonborn.” His white wings flare outward. He takes Celina under one and Treesap under the other, motioning them off the battlefield.

~Caro~

As I dodge and duck Hevnodiin’s swipes with his razor sharp claws, I reflect on my fight with Nahkriin. In retrospect, it never occurred to me how easy it was to kill her. As soon as I had her scales in my grasp, plunging my new sword into her head was a cinch. A feat of bravery, nevertheless, but after all the hell she put me through, it was a quick felling.

Hevnodiin isn’t quite as simple. His scales are rougher, and weak spots are few and far between. Even his underbelly is layered, as if he wears a skin-tight suit of glass armor. I’ve been able to cut him, and occasionally I’ve pierced flesh, but I can’t puncture him deep enough to make him bleed. He has no idea how much I need his blood right now, but that will make it all the more satisfying when I plunge my sword into that one sensitive area, his muscle squeezing the metal, sweet liquid spraying from his...

I receive a blast of blue flame for such thoughts, sending me through the air and freezing my hind legs to a tree.

Pulling away proves useless, so I improvise. I face the layers of ice and say, “Yol.” A small gust of flames passes my lips and melts the ice, though the unfrozen parts of my hind legs feel the burn. I walk off the sting as much as I can, before having to do a diving roll from another blast of the dragon’s freezing fire.

While my reflexes do allow me to avoid any more direct hits, the frost is beginning to grate on my nerves. My legs sting from burns and the rest of my body is glazed over in residue. I’m going to fry on a sheet of ice at this rate.

Hevnodiin catches me between two blasts of ice, pinning me in one spot while he snaps down with his teeth. The chompers graze my chest and foreleg while I get an eyeful of glistening saliva and a forked tongue. I can see the bones of the ponies of Everfree in there.

As the dragon continues to lunge at me with its mouth, I step back, brandishing my sword. I leap forward and land an uppercut upside his lips, followed by a cut across his teeth. I then buck his face away from me. I’m sick of staring at it.

He shakes off the light cuts and rubs his jaw. How stupid he is. He’s wide open, ready to take a sword to the stomach... That is, if I were able to even puncture his stomach.

Shae insisted fire works well against him, but Yol can hardly pass embers, not enough for this monstrosity.

The draconic word Yol had appeared to me shortly after I awakened, or reawakened... either term works. The word formed in my head, along with a few others, such as the ill-fated soap shout.

Staring down the dragon, surrounded by torn up grassland, I keep having flashbacks to Nahkriin. She used a shout of her own, if I recall correctly. Yes, that’s right... She cast a maelstrom of flame from her mouth, more powerful than a normal fire blast. She used three words, one of them was Yol, what were the other two... Tu? Tul? No, no, that’s not right!

Tohro’s panicked shriek cuts through my train of thought. “Caro, what are you doing?!”

I realize I’ve been staring at the ground, ignorant of the dragon losing interest in me. By the time I look up, Hevnodiin has set his sights on new prey. His forked tongue wets his lips as he hungrily gazes at Tohro and his rescued companions; Celina and... what was the orange earthwalker’s name?

Hevnodiin’s wings spread, flattening the grass that hasn’t been frozen over and catching my mane in a gust. He bounds over me.

“No you don’t!” I hiss, leaping straight upwards and swinging at his belly. I hear a slurping, squishing noise that fills my heart with joy and my cheeks with red. My scimitar has struck gold, or, in this case, muscle.

The dragon doesn’t pay it any mind, causing my ears to droop in disappointment. I wanted to hear him scream. Instead, he glances at me, and then turns to pounce on Tohro... Oh, shit, Tohro!

After obsessing over blood for most of that encounter, my mind snaps back to keeping Celina, as well as everypony else, safe. I jump, wrapping my forelegs around the dragon’s tail. It doesn’t even care, and I can’t leave so much as a dent, no matter how much I escalate the strength I put behind my sword swings. The tail tosses me into the tree. Thankfully, I’m without an impalement this time, though my head suffers most of the impact. I stumble in place, the world around me leaving trails in my vision.

I catch a glimpse of Tohro firing crossbow bolts at the dragon’s face to little avail. He’s urging Celina and the little one to stand back, but they’re running out of room, soon to be pinned against stone with nowhere to run.

Tohro loads his last remaining bolt into the crossbow, aiming carefully down the sights, despite the quake caused by the dragon’s advance. He fires, landing the bolt into Hevnodiin’s left eye. I assume my pegasus friend takes satisfaction in damaging someone else’s face for a change.

Hevnodiin rips the crossbow bolt from his eye, white fluid running down the length of his muzzle and staining the dirt. “You insult me with such treacherous tactics, mey! I shall repay the favor in kind.” He raises his right hand to the sky, letting the sunlight glisten off his claws. He swats Tohro aside like a mosquito. I call out to my friend as he tumbles into the brush, his wings falling over his body haphazardly.

The little earthwalker looks just about ready to buckle from terror, while Celina’s quivering eyes betray her broad stance. She stands between Hevnodiin and the little one, her horn aglow. “Y-you will take no more lives today!” she yells, her voice cracking despite her bravery.

Hevnodiin looks ready to prove her wrong, prepping another swing of his arm, but he pauses, using his good eye to examine and ponder Celina. The unicorn shivers and leans away as the dragon kneels down, inhaling her scent. He then nods. “Ah, so you are the one the Reclaimer spoke of. How it will please Him to have you at His mercy. Perhaps... yes...” He rubs his chin in deep thought, trailing off into incomplete sentences.

“Who is this Reclaimer?!” Celina asks, emulating my state of mind. Nahkriin and now Hevnodiin have spoken of the Reclaimer as if it were some sort of god.

“You will find out for yourself, soon enough.” The dragon brings his hand down, much more gently, grabbing ahold of Celina. He pays no mind to her screams, nor does he respond when she fires projectiles from her horn into his arm. He swipes the earthwalker child with his free hand.

“Treesap!” I hear Tohro call.

“And as for you,” Hevnodiin gloats, stroking Treesap’s short mane with a claw, “You will be food for the Dovah, and nothing more.”

Treesap shakes his head furiously and spits at the dragon’s face. “Kiss my ass!” The little one has spunk, I’ll give him that much. It doesn’t matter to Hevnodiin. In a single wing beat, he’s airborne, flying back to Everfree over the bridge.

Tohro crawls from the brush, covered in splinters and gashes. He pays little mind to it as he follows the dragon’s path. “No! Kid!”

I’m resisting the urge to cry out in rage as well, at the dragon for taking away Celina, and at myself for not being able to defend her. Sure, I scarcely know her, but I hardly want the queen’s daughter to be lost on my time. “Stay low!” I say to Tohro, passing underneath him on hoof. He nods and lessens his altitude. This is one of the few times where his cocky attitude has given way to genuine concern. I’d even call it panic, if I hadn’t seen how he conveys the emotion in the dark.

I need him to remain calm if we’re to take this dragon and live. I strike up a conversation as we gallop across the bridge. Well, I’m galloping, he’s flapping his wings like nopony’s business. “So, you’ve taken a liking to assisting strangers too, have you now?”

“It seems your idealism has rubbed off on me, mate,” he says. “It’s like when we met Shae. I couldn’t very well let Treesap look all miserable without knowing why.”

“For what reason was it, then? Why was he sad?”

“His brother was arrested for no apparent reason, but I won’t be able to help further if we don’t save his little flank!”

“I concur! We both have somepony to rescue in this battle.”

The bridge is far longer than convenient, for every step I take seems to make it extend in length. Celina’s desperate cries for help grow quieter as the dragon puts himself further between me and him.

“Epona damned coward!” I growl. “If the Reclaimer wants me dead, then why do the Dovah insist on playing me for a toy?”

Still flying away, Hevnodiin responds. “We can do far worse than kill you, Dovahkiin. We can hurt you.” Celina’s calling descends into cries of pain. Hevnodiin’s grip is beginning to crush her. “We can also hurt those you care for, nay, feel any emotion for whatsoever. Those you love, admire, or hate, we will take all of them to their graves so you are left with nothing.”

I find such a threat more pathetic than genuinely threatening. If the Dovah truly mean to kill those I hate, they’ll be doing me, and the rest of Equestria, a favor. They’ll be doing more good than harm, a first for their kind. But if such ponies are to die, it will be by my hoof.

I hardly lose momentum as I barrel through the gate, with Tohro starting to fall behind. Only now do I realize how uncannily fast I’m galloping, with shops and houses passing me by in a blur. I bound over frozen corpses of Hevnodiin’s recent victims (I send a silent prayer to Epona for each one), still keeping the dragon in sight, and never tearing my eyes away from him, or the ponies in his grasp.

“Why not make your job easier, then?!” I shout. “I’ll be nothing just the same if you kill me now!” If I can goad him into giving me another duel, Tohro and I may be able to make off with Celina and Treesap. I still want this bastard’s head on a pike, though. Time to get to higher ground.

I strafe into a split-level house completely glazed over with ice. I catch a glimpse of three young frozen colts on my way to the stairs. Looks like they were in the middle of a game of tag. I wonder who was it? Well, they’re never going to pass it on now.

Nothing I can do for them anymore. I shrug it off and ascend the stairs to the second floor, taking care not to slip and break something important. I lose my balance partway up, but I steady myself and continue.

Peeking out the shattered window, I see Tohro is choosing to follow me from the outside. I had expected him to follow Hevnodiin in pursuit of Treesap, but this actually works in my favor. I could use a pair of wings right now, and his are the only ones I trust. “Oi, Tohro!” I crouch down as a signal that I’m about to jump. Tohro spots me and nods, holding out his forelegs. I hope he has strong legs. Earthwalkers like me aren’t known for their light bodies.

I gallop to the window and leap, clipping my hindquarters on small shards of broken glass. I grit my teeth through the sudden sting and focus on landing in Tohro’s embrace.

“Gotcha!”

As I collide with my pegasus friend, he loses altitude and rolls over backwards, trying to secure his grip on me. He wraps his forelegs around my midsection before regaining his balance, leaving me with a eyeful of limestone. I’m so close, I can smell the lemon finish.

“That was close, eh?”

I sneer at Tohro. His leather armor and barding is less than comfortable against my rough coat, but then again, so is any armor on me, unless it’s entirely necessary for my survival. In this case, I think I can ignore the chafing. For now.

“So, what’s the plan?” he asks.

I nod in Hevnodiin’s direction. The frost dragon has halted his flight, hovering above the Everfree Fortress. I think he’s grown curious as to why we’ve given up the chase. A mistake like that makes me grin. “Just get me up that bastard so I can cut him in half.”

“Okay, but...” Tohro pauses in mid-sentence, grunting he tries to pick up speed. “Piss, you’re pretty heavy. Let’s not do this often, okay?”

I snort as a response. The lemon scent is still dormant in my nostrils. I realize that the scent isn’t coming from the limestone, but from... “Tohro, are you wearing cologne?”

“No.” The way his face scrunches up and his eyes dart around betrays his answer. I cock my eyebrow to show my disbelief. He shakes his head and refocuses on the task at hoof. “Right... Time to fly!”

I hear Tohro’s wings flap faster at first as we climb higher above the flat rooftops, slowing into gradual swings as we continue to gain momentum. Hevnodiin is still waiting for us, blowing mist as he does what I think is the draconic equivalent to laughter.

“That is truly a pathetic sight, Dovahkiin. Shouldn’t you, the legendary one, have the power to soar through the air without being groped by another colt?”

“But that’s not nearly as fun!” Tohro jests. I vow to leave hoofprints on his face for that later. Now I’m focused on the cold wind coursing through my mane, my muzzle quickly becoming numb. This is definitely a more pleasant cold than Hevnodiin’s freezing flames. Is this how Tohro feels all the time? I can understand why he takes so much pride in his heritage. If I were him... Well, no, I don’t want to be him. Forget that. I don’t want to be anypony but the Dragonborn.

I don’t want to be anypony but the one who taps Tohro’s hoof, signalling for the throw. I don’t want to be anypony but the one being hoisted above his head. The pony who, just for a moment, is flying free in the wind, experiencing the weightlessness of freefall before latching onto the spikes on Hevnodiin’s chin.

Hell yes, that is who I am.

I’m also in a very vulnerable position. Hevnodiin throws me airborne once again with a flick of his head and snatches me up in the tip of his beak. I feel his forked tongue prodding my legs as he makes a taste test. I kick the slimy muscle away with one hind leg, then use the other to kick at the beak. This throws me back into freefall for a split second. I grab onto the dragon’s clenched hand and try to pull myself up, but the numbness from the high altitude and these naturally frost-gripped scales is spreading to the rest of my body.

A warm hoof dabbled with sweat touches mine. I look up to see little Treesap saluting me. He had managed to get one foreleg loose, the little rebel. He never gives up. “Come on, dragon slayer! Tohro promised me a show and we’ve got front row seats!”

I see Celina is straining to work as much magic as she can, despite her compromised state. “Thanks, both of you,” I say. My body becomes enveloped in golden light, and the numbness begins to fade. I feel less heavy too. Must be a mix of healing and levitation magic.

I let go of Hevodiin’s hand as Celina pushes me upwards, till I’m looking the beast dead in his one working eye.

“Your perseverance knows no bounds, does it?” he asks. He doesn’t sound angry, more pleasantly surprised than anything. “‘Tis not good enough, though. Try as you might, my many hundred years of existence have granted me a near impenetrable hide. You can’t mortally wound me. Just forfeit, and trade suffering for an honorable death.”

Oh, this is just rich. I unbuckle my pouch and shove both my forelegs inside, slipping on Tangerine’s bladed gauntlets. A near perfect fit, albeit a little snug.

“R...Ready...?” I hear Celina gasp beneath me. I nod, savoring the hot spark the blades make when I grind them together.

The aura disappears after throwing me back onto Hevnodiin’s snout. Not to fall victim to his thrashing again, I bring the blades of the gauntlets into his scales. It doesn’t pierce flesh but it still serves as a hold, keeping me grounded as he shakes his head to and fro. I remain firmly in his eyesight.

“I cannot mortally wound you?!” I yell at him in rhetoric. When he stops shaking, blinking from slight dizziness, I see my opening. I charge for his one good eye, scimitar in hoof. “You forget something, Hevnodiin. I can hurt you too.”

“No. No. Stop this immediately! STO-”

I relish the mixture of dragon’s blood and eye mucus drenching from my one true sword swing, as well as his cries of agony. I make sure to dig in again as his head involuntarily lurches from the pain.

“DENN VOS DOVAHKIIN!! SAVIIKAAN FEN LOST HIN KLOV!!”

My fluster at the sensation of sweet crimson upon my skin falters. That name, Saviikaan... Otar mentioned him as a ‘kind and generous dragon’, but it seems he’s just as hellbent on destruction as the rest of the Dovah. “No matter,” I say. I gallop to back of Hevnodiin’s head.

“When you see Nahkriin, tell her she’s still a bitch, and save some space for Saviikaan’s severed corpse. FUS... RO DAH!!”

With that, I am airborne again with Celina and Treesap at my side, with a blinded dragon toppling to the city below.

My sadistic grin fades when I realize something...

~Vision End~

~Tohro~

Here’s another touching story: If you’re the only pegasus in the immediate vicinity, and there’s any sort of danger going on, odds are you’re going to have to catch somepony from the air.

And, if you’re me, odds are you’ll have the honor of picking between three ponies who are simultaneously falling to their deaths while a damn dragon is plummeting into a condemned church of Dragos (Oh, the irony).

It’s never a dull moment with the Dragonborn around.

I’m straining my wings to carry me as fast as they can, but on top of chasing the dragon across the bridge and playing catapult with Caro, my feathers are beginning to grow sore, to the point where I have to grind my teeth with every flap.

Somehow, the adrenaline of the moment pushes me down past Caro, Treesap and Celina. I swing back around, intent on nabbing them all in one go.

I miss.

I manage to graze Celina and Caro’s hooves, and I’m only able to catch Treesap because he lands upon my back, knocking me off balance. I take him into my forelegs as I tumble through the cold air, unable to get my aching wings to obey me. They only slow our descent so we land safely, albeit with my back taking most of the impact.

Treesap worms his way out of my grasp, hopping happily about around the empty street. I can sympathize with him, what with finally being able to move his hooves freely, but I’m unable to enjoy the adorable sight as I struggle to sit up, dreading what has happened, or will happen, to Celina and Caro.

“SU MAH LAAN!”

I jolt upright, suddenly unable to feel the ground. I look around and see chairs, tables, market stalls and even stray rocks slowly levitating into the air, all coated in a purple radiance.

Treesap and I share a look of bewilderment. The little earthwalker tries to kick his way back to solid ground as if he were swimming, but to no avail. I instead look to where that shout came from, somewhere up above.

It’s like I’m taking a bath in relief itself. Caro has Celina in a hero’s embrace as their rapid descent slows to a crawl, until they land without a single lick of damage on their coats. Caro is enveloped in that golden aura again. I assume that’s the dragon’s soul being absorbed into his body. The sight is still incredibly uncanny, and I gape alongside the other two ponies.

“How did you do that?” Treesap asks, still afloat with his legs above his torso.

“I... don’t know, honestly.” Caro seems just as confounded as the rest of us. He blinks the golden aura away from his eyes and rubs them vigorously. “That’s a new one for me. It wasn’t written within the prophetic crystal.”

“The what?” Celina pushes herself away from Caro, backing off as she crouches. “You’re not making any sense. I thank you for everything, but... I want to know what’s going on, please.” After all of her perpetual softness, Celina demanding things is offsetting, on top of the fact that I’m still involuntarily flying.

Caro sighs. I can guess that he’s grown ill of explaining himself to other ponies. He lazily looks over his shoulder and mutters, “Oblaan.”

The purple light fades away and I’m rewarded with a taste of gem encrusted limestone.

~Vision End~

A dramatic fanfare echoes off the magically reinforced walls of Everfree Fortress, just slightly drowned out by the droning voices of the gathered civilians. Palace servants roll out a violet carpet along the length of the courtyard.

“Make way, make way, citizens,” announces Gauntlet. He pushes through the crowd, then waves the servants forward. He then whistles to the soldiers positioned at the entrance. “All show reverence for the high queen of Equestria.”

The steel gates to the fortress gradually swing open, presenting Queen Platinum and Princess Celina. The queen has her muzzle pointed to the sky, like one would expect from royalty, but the princess gives friendly waves to her subjects, at the same time hiding her face behind her mane and white cloak. She blows a kiss to a small child who tosses a dethorned rose in response. Celina mouths, ‘Thank you’ and tucks the rose behind her ear.

Unfortunately, not all of the reception is quite as warm on Platinum’s side.

“You sicked that dragon on us, you wench!”

“You did nothing to save us!”

“My children have hypothermia, damned witch! It’s your fault!”

Celina’s ears twitch with every word, while Platinum keeps her royal stoicism, focused only on the stage ahead. “Mother, why do they insult you so? You had nothing to do with the dragon.”

Platinum snorts. “Just ignore them, Celina. They know not what they do. I hold moral responsibility for them, as such it is common knowledge that I should take the blame for any unfortunate events that transpire here.”

“That’s just foolish, don’t you think?”

The queen looks upon her daughter, wrapping her underneath a foreleg without slowing her walk. “Yes, but allowing them to kick and scream is what separates us from others that would rule this land.”

The queen and her daughter ascend the steps to the stage, where Tohro, Caro and Shae await. While the pegasus is showing off his freshly combed mane and bowing to the finer looking servants, the earthwalker and unicorn are shuffling about awkwardly, avoiding judgmental eyes.

“I don’t do so well in front of an audience,” says Shae to Caro. “That’s one education I do not excel in.” Memories of making introductory speeches in her first year of classes come flashing back to her. “I hope the queen doesn't expect us to talk.”

“If it’s any consolation,” says Caro, “I don’t do well with ponies in general, so how do you think I feel?”

“Honored? Enthralled?” Shae suggests. She snickers as she recalls the blush upon Caro’s face when he looked upon the impaled corpse of Hevnodiin. “Aroused?”

Caro gives a hearty yet nervous laugh, tapping Shae on the horn. The unicorn backs away and returns with a shove that doesn’t budge the earthwalker in the slightest. "Nah, Tohro's got that part covered," Caro replies, nodding to the pegasus trying to flirt with a burly servant stallion.

The two continue their shoving match until the sound of somepony clearing their throat snaps their attention to Queen Platinum. She's smiling at them as she shakes her head. She glances over to Tohro who is busying himself with the stallion by making idle chit chat.

“Ya know, I have a two handed sword that I’m just itching to—”

“Back on stage, Tohro,” Platinum commands with the motherly air of addressing her own children, pointing to the pegasus’ place in line. The pegasus taps the flustered servant on the flank and flutters back to his group.

The queen walks to the edge of the stage, clearing her throat again. Her horn alights as she casts an amplifier spell upon herself.

“You may want to cover your ears,” says Celina as she stands alongside Shae. “She calls it the Royal Voice.”

“Everypony, please!” Platinum yells over the roar of the crowd, silencing them and drawing their attention. Dragonrein buckles at the reverberation of her voice. “Regardless of what you believe, I had nothing to do with the dragon. The only thing I did, was send these ponies...” She turns to Dragonrein and smiles. “These... heroes to stop the threat.”

Platinum turns back to the crowd and points to the group behind her. “It is because of these brave ponies you all are safe. I myself could never hope to accomplish what they have done today! Blame me if you must, but do not deny this guild the respect they deserve!”

“Wait, your highness,” Caro speaks up, raising a hoof. “You recognize us as a guild?”

The queen turns to them and nods. “Yes, yes I do. You are now the Dragonrein Guild, and have my full permission to operate within Equestria's borders.”

Tohro’s eyes widen. He leans over to Caro and whispers into his ear. “We’re sanctioned now! We’d be stupid to turn this down!”

Caro raises his hoof again to silence Tohro. “And what of our travels?”

“Any town or city that is an ally of the Empire, I shall make sure they give you the appropriations you need. I think my citizens will benefit greatly from heroes of your caliber.” She addresses the audience one last time. “Servants from the Rainbow Palace will be sending care packages to those who lost their homes, and I’ll grant a great boon to any carpenters willing to assist in the rebuilding our lost homes and shops.”

“Eat your heart out, taxpayers...” mutters Tohro into Caro’s ear, promptly getting shoved away. Caro holds up a hoof to stop another shoving match from ruining the moment, and the pegasus slumps to his haunches.

“In the meantime, any pony who has no home to return to shall be housed in the palace’s extra rooms. It’s the least I can do to make up this tragedy.”

“She truly is a spirit of generosity,” Celina says to Shae. "It's wonderful to meet you, by the way."

"To you as well, Princess," Shae replies.

Platinum bows before descending the stage and stepping lightly across the carpet. “That will be all. You are dismissed.”

The crowd begins to disperse, and as they were when gathered, they are mixed in feelings.

“Don’t you think she’s being a little liberal with guildship? First the Carrier Clan, and now this?”

“Care packages? Awfully nice of her, but...”

“...what difference will it make if another dragon shows up?”

Tohro smirks as he hears little Treesap’s victorious cheer over the rest of the muddled voices. “Come at us, dragons! Dragonrein will protect us!”