Gem stood with both her foals staring at the tombstone that sat in a small clearing a short distance from the cabin. Pearl trotted up and placed a small flower in front of the stone, as Gem started talking, “Sorry mom and dad, I know it’s been a while since I last came to see you… but things have been very troubling lately. I don’t know when the next time will be… but I hope I'll have good news by then. The Celestial Crusaders have been getting into small conflicts with the Nightmare Legion. The last one had five ponies killed on each side but both sides have been keeping to the treaty set by the dragon elder, so the clan hasn’t had to do anything about it. But… I'm worried about Star Bolt. He has had to stop controlling the weather all together so he can both keep us safe and keep the dragon council updated on both armies’ actions in the area. That’s all I have to say though. Pearl, Sable? Is there anything you want to say to grandma and grandpa before we go back to the house?”

Pearl stepped forward, “Today the rose bush I planted came out of the dirt. Soon me mommy and daddy will have to go plant it...”

Sable interrupted his sister, “Nopony wants to hear about a flower, Grandma, Granddad, today I beat my last record of running around the house three times before one minute was up. I wish you could have seen it. I was amazing, that mean Nightmare Legion won’t be able to slow me down any time soon, right mom?”

Gem shook her head, “Sable, let your sister finish. Go ahead sweetie.”

Pearl smile, “That’s ok mommy, I was done anyway… oh I forgot to mention I got a little better at flying but I think I'll keep gliding till I get a lot more practice. Ok mommy, now I'm done.”

Back at the mountain the Dragon Elder and Star Bolt were leaving the center cavern and on their way out to the outside of the main cave entrance. As they continued, Star Bolt was irritated at the last meeting with the council, so the elder tried to get him to blow off some steam, “You feeling ok Star?

“This is pointless and stupid.”

“I take it you enjoyed the last meeting.”

“Why do the rest of the council have to be such morons?”

“That’s a good question, maybe we should bring that up in the next meeting. I’ve been asking myself that for almost two hundred years now.”

“Don’t they see that this war won’t be ending anytime soon.”

“Tragic.”

“Don’t they realize they won’t get anything done if they continue sitting on their butts?”

“I never would have guessed.”

“They continue ignoring the problem at hoof, and all that does is increase the severity of it.”

“You don’t say?”

“Meanwhile they look at me and call me lazy, the stubborn bunch of gem eating lizards.”

“I hear ya.”

Star Bolt looked at the elder with an unamused expression, “You’re not paying attention to a word I'm saying… are you.”

The Elder smiled “Nope… not a one.”

Star Bolt sighed, “I know you can keep your cool in almost any situation elder, but can you at least once pretend you care. I'm starting to feel like I'm the crazy one here.”

“You are… but that’s not important right now. You need to understand that the council doesn’t want to increase conflict on this mountain. However, the battles are getting worse; at no time have either side made a threat to harm you, your family, or any of the dragons on this mountain so we continue to stay uninvolved. And that little stunt you pulled last week didn’t help either.”

Star Bolt replied, “Commander Snow and his lackeys threatened me in my own home… what did you expect me to do, roll over and play dead? Look, he rolled the dice himself, it’s not my fault he got snake eyes.”

The dragon elder continued, “That doesn’t matter, you did endanger your family by doing that. And I'm surprised he didn’t do anything in retaliation for it either.”

The two exited the cave and stood at the edge of the cliff looking in the distance as Star Bolt replied, “I know I should have handled that a different way but… well… Look out there and tell me what you see.”

The dragon elder sighed and replied, “Uh… nothing.”

Realizing who he was talking to Star Bolt replied, “Oh… right… you’re blind… sorry bout that. Nevertheless, do you know what I see? I see a forest that has been ravaged by countless battles, and two armies who refuse to choose another battleground free of civilians. I mean what will happen to the mountain in the next month? Soon all the plant life will die only to be trampled into the dirt.”

The elder replied, “So you’re continuing to leave the weather as it is?”

Star Bolt replied, “Cloudsdale can bite me, my family and the clan come first. Besides, I haven’t heard any complaints about clear skies every day, so what’s there to worry about?”

“Speaking of family, do you know where yours is right now?”

“Gem said she was going to see her parent’s grave today. So that’s where they are.”

The elder smiled, “That’s good, and maybe it will take her mind off of this war… though I don’t think it will pit it on anything happier.”

Star Bolt looked at the elder, “You never told me how it happened, why that dragon killed them.”

The elder lowered his head in shame and replied, “There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t blame myself.”

Star Bolt was confused, “Huh?”

“A long time ago, I met a young dragon that I knew would someday bring a bad omen. He grew up cocky, arrogant, and self-centered, but he also had a silver tongue. I knew of his dishonesty, but the rest of the council bought into his charade. So when time came for him to be voted into the council, my vote was overruled by the rest of the council. Almost immediately, he became power hungry, trying to suggest we go to war with the ponies and take Equestria from them by force. Nevertheless, each time I denied it, saying that so long as there is peace between ponies and dragon, there was no need for war. However, one day I made the mistake by adding, and as long as we have Black Stone and his family that piece would always remain… That night, he attacked Black’s cabin and chased him his wife and is daughter into the forest. I don’t know how, but little Gem got away from him, but her parents weren’t so lucky. He cornered them in a thickened area, and burned them to death…”

Star Bolt lowered his head, “That’s… horrible.”

The Eder continued, “When we found them the next morning… it was difficult to even identify them… they were so badly burned that we assumed that Little Gem was reduced to ash. I was so infuriated, that before days end… I killed that dragon myself. My friend and his wife… such a terrible way to go. That’s why as soon as I heard you were married to little Gem that I could only assume she made it out alive.”

Star Bolt smiled, “So the only reason I was accepted into your clan is because I was married to Gem?”

The elder replied, “At the start… but what really sold me were the Lightning Orb, and your honesty when you told me that you wanted to live here to make her happy. Of any stallion who could have married her, I'm glad it was a pony like you.”

Star Bolt replied, “Thanks elder, it means a lot to both me, and Gem.”

The elder all of a sudden looked into the distance, “I hear something… it sounds like flapping, a large group of pegasi… right?”

Star Bolt looked into the distance, “It sure looks that way, a large group of pegasi just left the Celestial camp.”

The Elder continued, “How many? Are they violating the treaty?”

“No there’s nineteen total. There following the treaty but just barely.”

The Elder smiled, “Barely still wins a race, do you know what they are doing?”

“They are moving towards a sector of the forest, they are moving directly so it looks like they may have found a group of enemy soldiers hiding in the tree… oh… no…”

The elder could hear the fear in Star Bolt’s voice, “What is it Star? What’s the matter?”

Without replying Star Bolt dove off the cliff and flew towards the area the pegasi were approaching.

The Dragon elder didn’t know what was going on, all he did know was that something had terrified Star Bolt enough for him to leave without even replying to his question. Shortly after, the elder could hear sword on sword noises in the distance, then the elder realized what had scared Star Bolt so much, the noises of the starting battle… was coming from the area where Black Stone and his wife were buried.

Down in the forest Gem and her foals hid in bushes listening to the Nightmare Soldiers who were in the area, “Where are they?”

“Colonel Drib said they were spotted in this area.”

“Split up and find them, remember Commander Snow wants them… Alive.”

As they stayed hidden in the brush, a Celestial archer, approached them from behind and whispered, “Psst… Mrs. Bolt, over here.”

When the family looked back, Sable Jumped between his family and the archer, then he replied as quietly as he could “You get away from here. I don’t want to have to hurt you so you better go and leave my mommy and sister alone.”

The archer tried to calm Sable down, “Whoa, whoa, calm down little colt, I'm not here to hurt you or your family. I'm here to escort you to safety.”

Gem spoke next, “Safety? All we have to do is stay hidden and we will be fine. They are only here to fight your soldiers so why should we…”

“No, you don’t understand, they are here for you.”

“Us? What are you talking about?”

The archer tried to explain, “This morning we got an anonymous tip that the Nightmare Legion was sending troops this way to capture… you Mrs. Bolt, I don’t know why, but this was a direct order from Commander Snow himself.”

Gem became skeptic, “Who sent that tip?”

“We don’t know, but the last anonymous tip we received was just as true, so we trusted it. We need to go now; I'll escort you and your foals safely to the camp.”

As much as Gem hated to admit it, she needed his help to get out of the area so she and the foals started following the archer. After traveling a good distance from the gravesite the archer looked around, “I think we are safe for now.”

A familiar voice came from behind the group, “Just like a Celestial Crusader, always trying to think, too bad that’s what will get you killed out here. Isn’t that right, Messy Mane?”

As the group turned back the the Sergeant major, the Celestial Archer jumped between his objective and their enemy, “Mrs. Bolt quickly, run for cover, I'll hold him off.”

The archer tried to pull an arrow from his quiver and lay it across his bow but before he could draw it, The Sergeant Major threw his spear and imbedded it in the archers chest, “Not so fast crusader, I'm not done playing just yet.”

The archer fell to the ground, injured but not dead. Slowly Gem and the foals backed up from their enemy as he drew a sword and started trotting closer, “It’s been a long time Messy Mane, it looks like a reject like you and a freak like your husband are doing pretty well for yourselves that is, until you got on Commander Snow’s bad side.”

As the Sergeant Major approached the fallen archer, the archer called to Gem, “Mrs. Bolt get out of here!... you have to run!... you have to…”

Before the archer could finish his sentence, the Sergeant Major imbedded his sword in the archers head and killed him on the spot, “That’s enough out of you, Crusader. Can’t you see were catching up on some… unfinished business.”

Knowing that they were in terrible danger, Sable stepped in front of his mother and sister, “You… you better get back… I'm… I'm warning you.”

The Sergeant Major laughed as he continued getting closer to them, “You’re very brave colt, I’ll commend you on that. But you’re also very stupid. The commander said he needed only one of you alive, so as for the other two, I can kill if I want, so which will it be? Messy Mane, Noname Jr. or little Messy Mane? Things have changed, I have no problem with killing fillies… no matter what their age.”

The terrified colt stood his ground but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop shivering in fear from his father’s old rival. As the Sergeant Major approached the colt, he smiled and raised his sword, “Looks like you’re first, say goodbye littl…”

All of a sudden, Star Bolt dove out of the sky and kicked the pegasus in the face, sending him flying through the air away from the terrified colt and on the other side of the fallen archer. Then Star Bolt pulled the spear from the archer’s chest, held it at the ready, and sarcastically replied to the Sergeant Majors words, “Goodbye!”

The Sergeant Major shuffled to his hooves and sneered at Star Bolt, “Well, looks like the gang is all here, what a wonderful reunion this is, too bad I'm going to have to cut it short by cutting your throat. Funny you have a knack for showing up when you’re not needed Noname, what’s your secret? Another one of your freakish powers, or do you just like annoying me?”

Star Bolt smiled, “You tormented me as a foal, you threaten my wife, and you raised your sword to my son… you’re going to die today, I'll see to that myself.”

The Sergeant Major raised his sword and pointed it at Star Bolt, “THEN DRAW FREAK!”

Immediately the stallion flew through the air and swung his sword. Star Bolt managed to block it, but he was amazed at both the speed and the force that the sword had when it hit the spear, this was the first time he had ever fought against anypony who is armed, so he wasn’t sure as to how it would end. However, with his wife and foals just feet away, he wasn’t going to risk anything on this fight. The Sergeant Major swung the sword again and again, each time having the blade blocked by Star Bolt’s spear. However no matter how hard he tried, Star Bolt couldn’t get the chance to counter the skilled stallion, his training on the Lightning Orb didn’t help if he couldn’t get the time to focus. While the Sergeant Major was attacking, he started to taunt Star Bolt, “C’mon freak, do you plan on blocking me all day or do you plan to fight back anytime soon.”

Star Bolt didn’t reply, with all his focus on guarding himself from the continuous attacks he couldn’t, he could only back up with each blocked swing. Unfortunately while backing up he failed to notice a tree root that curved out of the ground behind him. While blocking an attack from below, he raised himself up on his hind hooves, but when he tried to get his footing, he tripped over the root and fall on his back. Now that his back was on the ground, the Sergeant Major saw this as an opportunity. He focused on a continuous attack at the same place over and over. Like the rest, Star Bolt was able to block it, but the continuous impact on the same place of the spear wore it away until finally it broke in two. When the spear shattered, Star Bolt held both ends of the spear in each hoof, with an expression of shock and worry. The pegasus smiled, “Well Noname, it looks like this is going to end now. It’s too bad Commander Snow wanted to recruit you, but I’ve been chewed out by him before so it doesn’t bother me one bit to give him the bad news… Good-bye… Freak!”

The Sergeant Major held his sword up with the intent to make this a killing blow, but before he could bring it down and end his rivals life, an arrow whistled through the air and hit the pegasus in his forearm piercing it completely and causing him to drop the sword. Slowly the Sergeant Major lowered his hoof and looked at the arrowhead that was on one side of his forearm then he looked at the flight that was on the other side. With a shocked and speechless expression on his face, he slowly turned his head in the direction the arrow came from. Standing over the body of the fallen archer, on her hind hooves using her wings to keep her balance was Mrs. Noname herself. Gem stood with the bow still raised and an expression of rage filled hatred, as the Sergeant Major spoke, “Y-you… did?... did you just… Shoot me?... did you actually shoot me with an arrow?... DID YOU JUST HIT ME WITH AN ARROW!?!...”

Suddenly Gem realized what she just did. She dropped the bow and took a few steps back in fear, “Did… did I?...”

“YOU JUST SHOT ME DIDN’T YOU!!! I CANT BELIEVE YOU JUST SHOT ME!!! … I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU CRAZY BITC…”

Before the pegasus could finish the sentence, Star Bolt took the half of the spear that had the blade and jammed it into the pegasus’ chest. When the Sergeant major fell to the ground, Star Bolt griped the spear as hard as he could and continued vigorously stabbing the old rival over and over making one hundred percent sure that he would never get up again. After a short time of continuous stabbing, Star Bolt let go of the spear and stared at his dead foe, “He… he’s dead. I actually killed him…”

Star Bolt looked at the blood that had gotten on his hooves while he was stabbing the old rival. This was the first time he had ever taken a life. It was the first time he permanently removed a pony from existence, and if he wanted to continue protecting his family, it wouldn’t be the last. Star Bolt wiped the enemy’s blood from his face, and slowly trotted away from the fallen foe, leaving the spear stuck in his corpse.

Gem stood in a state of shock, not only at the violent way Star Bolt killed their old rival, but she still couldn’t believe that she actually took the dead archers bow, drew one of his arrows, and hit their old nemesis from their foalhood days without any concern for her own life. As Star Bolt approached Gem, she was still speechlessly staring at the bow that lay on the ground in front of her. Star Bolt could see the fear in her eyes so he hugged her and spoke softly, “It’s ok Gem, it’s over. He won’t bother us again… it’s finally over.”

Gem broke out in tears and as she replied, “I… I don’t know what came over me… I… I can’t believe I did that, I can’t believe I could do that… why… why must we live like this… why can’t we ever escape from that horrible place… why…”

Gem continued crying on his shoulder as Star Bolt tried to comfort her, “Its finally over Gem, we don’t ever have to see, or even hear about that place ever again, I promise.”

As Star Bolt stood trying to calm Gem down, Sable slowly approached them, “Um… mommy… daddy… are… are you ok?”

Gem wiped the tears from her face and smiled at Sable, “I'm fine, mommy is just so happy we are all ok.”

Star Bolt smiled and spoke, “I'm proud of you Sab, you did what you could to protect you mother and sister, thank you son, you made me proud.”

Sable smiled and run up and hugged the two. Star Bolt looked over at Pearl who was holding her ground in fear of what had just happened, “Pearl? Are you ok sweetie?”

Star Bolt took a step towards her, but when he did, Pearl took a step back. He lowered his head, “I know you have always been afraid of many things, and I don’t expect you to trust me after seeing what just happened, but please… don’t be afraid of me. I… everything I did was to protect you, your brother, and your mother, so please… please don’t be afraid of me.”

Pearl didn’t reply, she only held her distance from her father. Star Bolt wiped a tear from his eye as he spoke, “Ok… I understand… this isn’t easy for you to forget.”

Finally, she looked at the ground then replied, “My rose bush… my rose bush sprouted out of the dirt today, do… do you want to go see it daddy? It isn’t pretty yet but… mommy said that it needs more time before a flower grows from it.”

Star Bolt looked up at her and smiled in relief, “Then… then let’s go see it. In fact we will all go see it, together.”

Pearl galloped as fast as she could to her father and hugged him, “I was so scared, I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t even run away.”

“It’s ok Pearl, you’re safe now and that’s all that matters…”

Sable ran up to his sister, “Don’t worry sis, daddy will protect us from any mean old soldiers. Remember he is the best.”

While Sable was bragging about how brave his father was, Star Bolt looked over at Gem and smiled when he noticed something different, “Nice flank hun…”

Gem gave him an unamused look, “Really Star? Of all times, and all the moments, this is the one that you choose to…”

Star Bolt started to laugh, “Just look Gem.”

Gem looked at her flank and noticed that her cutie mark had appeared, “What? My cutie mark? Its… an arrow sticking out of a diamond? But what does that mean?”

Star Bolt replied, it means that your talent is the bow, you did hit him in the forearm from that distance, I’d say it was a pretty good shot for your first time. that would also explain why you have such good eyes.”

The foals started cheering for their mother, “YAY MOMMY GOT HER CUTIE MARK!!! YAY, YAY!!!”

Gem looked at the mark in disappointment, “This means my talent… is to be in this war?”

Star Bolt replied, “No. this means your talent is to protect those you love with a bow, so I’d suggest, you take this one with you.”

Star Bolt picked up the bow, trotted over to the archer’s body, and gathered his arrow and quiver, “Rest in peace soldier, and thank you for trying to protect my family.”

As Star Bolt handed the quiver and bow to Gem, Thorn flew up and called to Star Bolt, “Star! Are you and your family ok? The elder was worried when you flew off without so much as an explanation.”

Star Bolt replied, “We’re fine Thorn, but we need help getting back to the house in one…”

Just then an arrow flew out of nowhere and hit Thorn in his left eye. Thorn covered his eye and roared in a feat of pain and anger. While thorn was holding his eye, Star Bolt got a good look at the flight of the arrow, it was blue, “The Nightmare Legion deliberately attacked a dragon?” Thorn took off into the sky and circled around; Star Bolt immediately recognized this tactic. It was a strategy tough to assault dragons when they needed to attack ground forces… A tactic that involved burning them alive.

Star Bolt quickly picked up Sable and Yelled to Pearl and Gem. “WE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE! FOLLOW ME!!!”

Star Bolt took off into the sky with Sable in his arms, as Gem and Pearl followed closely behind. Moments after they got out of the forest and into the sky, Thorn dove down and blew fire onto the forest as he flew over the fighting soldiers, torching everything in a fiery blasé that engulfed every living thing below him, to include plants, animals, and ponies. Star Bolt flew strait towards Dragon Mountain as he tried as hard as he could to ignore the screams of the soldiers in the forest and the fierce roars of the enraged Thorn. As soon as Star Bolt landed on the mountain, the elder stood facing the burning forest, “Star Bolt!!! The air is filled with the smell of blood and death! What has happened to thorn?”

Star Bolt looked into the distance and watched as thorn was still unleashing his fury on the now defeated soldiers, “Elder I need to call an emergency meeting of the council. I believe the Nightmare Legion just declared war on Dragon Mountain.”

Back at the Celestial Camp Commander Mist stood next to Colonel Storm watching the chaos in the forest, Colonel Storm spoke, “It looks like the Nightmare legion has gone and made some new enemies.”

Commander Mist only shook his head, “No, the dragon will be angry at all soldiers, not just the Nightmare Legion, and I hear that Hooviet forces have linked with the legion too, now we are outnumbered. Is there any word from Colonel Silas and his troops?”

Storm replied, “They should be here in the morning, but even the secondary forces are only a fraction to the Nightmare Legions troops…”

“This is why you will need my help.”

Both Colonel Storm and Commander Mist turned around. Standing behind them was a mare carrying a large scythe and wearing a black cloak. The mare smiled and spoke again, “Good evening Commander Mist, I’ve heard a lot about you though I can’t say I like what I’ve heard.”

Commander Mist replied, “This is a restricted area, who are you, and how did you get past my guards!”

The mare shook her head, “Your guards were easier to get past than a sleeping sloth. Besides my reputation wouldn’t allow me to be seen entering your camp now would it. I mean, what would they say if The Reaper was spotted by two bit Celestial guards, I wouldn’t be able to show my face around the underground ever again… that is if I ever decide to go back to them.”

Both Commander Mist and Colonel Storm raised their weapons and held them at the ready as Commander Mist replied, “Did you say The Reaper? You mean The Reaper, of The Cutters?”

The mare smiled, “Don’t worry commander as a mercenary I don’t make it my business to start a fight without being paid up front… however I want to offer my assistance to you.”

Colonel Storm replied, “Forget it! we had enough of The Cutters during the Griffon Civil War, besides we don’t have any funds or resources to trade for any mercenary support.”

The reaper replied, “Don’t worry I'll give you a special discount, how does… free sound.”

“Free?”

“Is that too much?”

Commander Mist Replied, “And why is it that you are performing such an act of charity? What exactly is in it for you?”

The Mare lowered her head, “I'm just repaying a long and forgotten debt to that stallion out there. So do we have a deal?”

Commander Mist sighed, “I suppose we do, however I don’t want you doing anything to threated the life of my soldiers or the dragons… is that clear?”

The Mare smiled, “Then my Scythe is under your command.”

Next Chapter: Ch7 Alies and Enamies Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 37 Minutes