3 years earlier:

“...that’s why I’m leaving this world in small hope to reunite with my family in a better place.” I wrote on a piece of paper with tears streaming down my face. I had given up. I couldn’t go on anymore. There was nothing in this world I enjoyed anymore, so why live in pain? Why not just end it all now?

A month ago I got beat up in the alleyway. The thugs that attacked me opened my eyes. I understood that they were correct. I had nothing to live for. I would achieve nothing in the future. I had no reason to keep on going.

I pinned the note on my shirt and looked at the noose above me without stopping the sobbing. I was still scared about doing it, but I knew it would only take a short while. A short while and my pain would end for good. I just hope my neck will break so I don’t have to suffocate.

I stood up on the chair and hesitantly wrapped the noose around my neck and narrowed it until I felt for the rope pushing firmly against my laryngeal prominence. It hurt, but I didn’t care.

I swallowed once as I nervously looked around me for the last time before I frowned in anger and kicked the chair away from me.

My neck didn’t break, making me start gagging and drooling. Only then did I realize that I didn’t actually have it in me to kill myself. In all my fear, I grabbed the rope and tried to loosen it up as I wriggled my feet around to search for something to stand on. I was so panicked that I didn’t know what to do. I tried everything in my power to gasp for air but the loop was so firm against my neck that it blocked my windpipe.

When everything started to fade to black, the impossible happened. The rope broke, making me collapse to the ground. As soon as I hit the floor I hugged and covered my face with my knees. I started shaking and trembling, crying loudly in shock and fear. I hesitantly loosened up the loop around my neck and tossed it away from me.

“I-I’m s-so sorry.” I whimpered with my almost gone voice. “I-I failed you, mom and dad.”

I crawled up to the sofa and grabbed a blanket to cover myself with. I wrapped it around me and eventually fell asleep on the ground.

“I still don’t get it. Why me? Why was I chosen for this role? I was just a normal guy. There wasn’t anything special about me or my background. Well, except me being half pony. But I was no hero. Am I only gifted with the blood of the Dragons because I’m not a full human?” I asked confusedly. I had no idea why fate chose me to be the Dragonborn, but whatever the reason, I knew there was something the Gods saw in me they approved of.

It was all confusing to me. Did they know how I’d turn out to be before I was even a fetus?

“It was the joint decision of the Gods, the angels and mostly destiny. We knew you would have something nobody else would ever have. You are, and always will be, the only one who has a brain of a human and a heart of a pony. Nobody would’ve been able to accomplish what you’ve done. Everyone else would’ve slowly lost their sanity. Humanity’s natural hunger for power would blind them from the real goal and they’d use their gift for their own needs. And we could not use a pure pony because they’re not ready for such a power yet. The dragon blood would corrupt and enslave them to the will of the dragons. You, however, are neither complete human nor pony. You are part of both; Making you so much stronger than everybody else. Not solely physically, but more importantly: spiritually. You have the strength to resist the corruption in your blood and you have the willpower to use it for the aid of the civilians and against their enemies. You have a passion to use it for the greater good. We sensed this from the beginning. Ever since you were born we’ve been guarding you. Blessing you. Making sure you stayed alive until your time came.”

I was located in a white void of some kind. My eyes were a bit blinded by the brightness but I still managed to fix my attention on the heavenly creature before me. He wasn’t a god, but an angel sent to speak for them. That’s why the angel spoke as if I was speaking to the Gods directly. It seemed like they wanted our conversation to be more personal. However, they couldn’t speak to me face to face because their appearance isn’t meant for mortals. The sight of them alone would kill me in a heartbeat. So, instead, they sent an angel. He wasn’t in a human form like I’d been imagining angels to be throughout my years on earth, but more of in a pony form. He had big gracious wings, a big pointy horn and looked pretty physically strong. His body and eyes were graced with holy light that weakened my already feeble eyes. However, he wasn’t as big as Celestia or Luna. He was about my size.

“Blessed? You call my former shitty life a blessing? “Life” didn’t even want me to be happy! The only one to make me happy temporarily excluding my sister was my ex-girlfriend, and even she stopped liking me! No... there was nothing about my so-called life a blessing. I didn’t get blessed until I was sent to Equestria.”

“Dragonborn, Think about it. Do you honestly believe your willpower would be as strong today if you’d be living comfortably as a human? Do you really think you’d have what it will take to slay Alduin if you hadn’t learnt to stand up after falling? Your eyes define a blessing as an easy way of life. We see it as the hard path of life. Only then can you truly be powerful.”

“So... are you saying killing my family was deliberate only to make me stronger?” I asked angrily, “Am I some kind of an experiment to you?”

“Oh, no, not at all, my dear Dragonborn. We did not kill your family. We had nothing to do with that. However, we did make sure you stayed alive throughout your years as a human, including that devastating car crash.”

“The man that saved me when I got beat up in the alley... did you perhaps send him too?”

“Yes, we sent him. He’s an angel who took up a body of a human temporarily. We normally don’t do this kind of thing, considering that we are not the Gods of your former world, but we believed it was necessary that one time. Your death would cause doom upon our world.” he explained.

That explains everything, I thought to myself. Ever since he disappeared from my very eyes, I’d been bothered and puzzled about whether I was partly insane or not. But apparently he was an angel all along. But it didn’t surprise me. Actually, it made all sense now. How else would I be so lucky to be saved at the last moment, just in the nick of time before the bullet pierced my brain?

“I... I see. But what now? What am I supposed to do? Alduin is getting stronger with each day and I feel like I’m at a dead end here. Give me a sign. Please, anything!” I begged on my knees.

“But, my dear Dragonborn, you already know what must be done. You just need to seek it out.”

With a sigh I responded: “But what’s the point of all the struggle? Why not just show up and kill the beast? Why complicate things? I know I’ll die either way.”

“Unfortunately, Alduin’s death will mean your own, yes. But you must keep on going until then. Not for your sake, but for everyone’s sake. You want everyone you love to live, right? Only you have the power to make that happen. Do not fight for yourself. Fight for your loved ones. Fight for every form of life upon this planet, for all shall die if you fail.”

“I’m still sad about it. I-... I’m not ready to die. I want to enjoy life, even if it’s just for a short time. I don’t want my life to end just when everything’s improving. But I suppose this has never been about me.” I whimpered sadly with my head bowed towards the ground. “Will it... will it hurt?” I swallowed. “You know... when Alduin’s soul eats mine from within?”

The angel took a deep breath, pressed his lips together and nodded regretfully but otherwise ignored my question. “Before we wake you up, there is one other thing we wish to show you.” he added without looking into my eyes. “Close your eyes... calm your mind.”

I hesitantly obeyed, but as soon as I closed my eyes I felt for the air getting a bit thinner. A bit cooler too. But at the same time I felt for something soft touching my face. Something I haven’t felt for a long time. I felt for lovely touch of fingers. I slowly opened my eyes and looked up, only to be shocked by the being before me.

“Sarah?” I stuttered in complete unexpectedness. Was this just an image like so many times before? Or was she really there before my eyes, ruffling my shaggy mane by the back of my ears? I wanted to believe it but it was too forthright to be true. It was too... sudden to be true. But then, why did I feel her soft hands running over my mane; her smooth skin touching mine under my fur? The touch of her fingers smoothly caressing my head and ears? Or even her beautiful green eyes, warming my heart like she did so many times before back when she was alive?

Her brother wasn't the same anymore and she knew it. But that didn't stop her from quickly wrapping her arms around me. The firm grip she had on my soft body. My fur touching her skin. My front right hoof being firmly grasped in her left palm and my left arm around the back of her neck; running my left hoof over her silky smooth coal black hair. But despite my new body, she didn't feel like she was hugging an animal.

This was all too sudden. The angel before me had vanished and was replaced with my dead, but alive, sister. I was still in the mysterious white void, though. I didn't even try to convince myself that she wasn't really there. Instead I felt wetness forming in my own eyes. Light tears clouding my sight; blinding me for a short while. But as long as I felt for her cheek against mine I was satisfied and happy.

“Brother!” she answered in delight, still running over my thick mane with her right handed fingers.

“S-Sarah? I've missed you.” I stuttered again solemnly. I tried to stay professional since I was supposed to be such an important person. But this was my long lost sister I was talking to. My only true friend as a human. I allowed the rest of my tears run to along my cheeks. Tears that I'd been holding from within.

The grip she had on me tightened as soon as she felt for my tears touching her tan colored skin.

“I've missed you too, big brother.”

“A-are you really here? Or am I imagining things again?”

“Not really. I'm only in your imagination.”

“Oh....” I whispered.

“But don't take me wrong. I’m not… completely fake. I’m contacting you with magic.” she explained as she looked deep into my eyes. “I am, in fact, closer than you think.”

I took a sharp breath at that and kept the air in my lungs for some time. “What do you mean?” I exhaled. “A-are you perhaps here, in Equestria?”

She scoffed, smiled a soft smile and answered. “There is a dirty city in the southeastern corner of the Rift called “Riften”. A city full of lies, deception and unfairness. ‘Tis a city ruled by thieves and criminals. Go there. At the inn you will meet a stallion dressed in a black robe of some kind with the name “Reaper”. And he is not called that without a reason. He is ruthless and friendless... and very strong too. He is...special. He uses a magical scythe as a weapon. A very dangerous scythe, undoubtedly the most powerful weapon in Equestria. Do not underestimate him. And do not provoke or anger him. Just go to him and be civil. He will introduce you to a mare--”

“But why? What am I searching for?” I interrupted her. “And how do you know these things?”

“You'll see soon enough. But for now, go to Riften as soon as possible.”

“I will... and hey; Can you believe it? I actually befriended the mane 6!” I boasted full of pride. I knew she had always wanted to meet them. Hell, I even married one of them. I couldn't wait to tell her about that part.

She opened her eyes and mouth in disbelief and put both of her hands on my cheeks. “No you didn't!”

I let out a big laughter. “I totally did!”

“S-So you actually met Applejack?” she asked in her obvious jealousy. I let out another laugh since I remembered that AJ was her favorite pony.

“I even helped her gather the apples from her trees. Heh... she's even traveled with me. We've been through many adventures together.” I pointed out and bowed my head upwards with a proud smile as I closed my eyes.

I noticed in her jealous eyes how much she wanted to attack me. She bit her lips in small anger and clenched her fists. “So they are real...” she half whispered to herself. “You... lucky bastard. But I can't contact you for much longer. The connection is getting fuzzy.”

“But you're dead and you're in my imagination. You're not really talking to me so why does it matter anyway? Why should I trust a dead person?”

“Oh really? Go to Riften and see for yourself.”

“Wait.. are you confirming that--” before I could finish that sentence she vanished before my very eyes. Her fingers once caressing my mane were gone. Her smooth skin of a human's no longer petting me. “N-No...” I whispered into the whiteness in disappointment. I reached my front right hoof forward, as if I was still expecting her to be there. As if she had only turned invisible. But I knew from the bottom of my heart that she was there no more. However, she told me to go to Riften. She had hinted that there was a possibility of her being in Equestria. Perhaps it was all my imagination. Or maybe, as an old excuse of mine went, I was just going crazy. But this information I got from her was too good of an opportunity to pass up. She told me of a stallion who possessed the most powerful weapon in Equestria. And she told me that he would introduce me to some mare... I couldn't help but to think that that mare was my sister. I could only hope.

I intended to go to Riften, but only after my little visit to the Dark Brotherhood's sanctuary in the west. I had to go pick up my new friend; a powerful ally with experience in killing. He had killed men. He had killed ponies. He could without a doubt kill dragons too. And I needed someone like him; someone with a background similar to mine. Well, excluding the killings and the adventurous life he had as a human. But he was a human once. He was perhaps the only one in this gods' blessed world that could truly understand me, and that was one of the main reasons for why I accepted his assistance.

Unlike most times, I suddenly got snapped back to reality. I closed my eyes once and opened them again, only to find out that I was in my bed back at home. I dizzily looked around the familiar environment as I breathed heavily. I pressed my eyelids together once, as if I was checking whether I was really back or not. But everything matched. My desk was untouched, the pictures on the walls were undisturbed and my Rainbow was sitting on the bed next to me. But she had my headset on and her eyes were closed. She was biting her lower lip a bit in enjoyment. It seemed like she was listening to something in my iPod that apparently affected her feelings. In most cases, the only kind of music that was able to do that was her favorite band. She was even mumbling the lyrics of the song she was listening to, to herself.

Hearing her soft voice muttering those familiar lyrics made me chuckle lightly within myself and it made my mouth move upwards into a smile. I nodded to myself a numerous times in approval as I thought about what she sang about. Reminded me of us and the dragon threat.

I started thinking yet again how lucky I actually was. I pretty much got everything I ever wanted; I got the inborn power of the dragons, I'm in the same league as heroes, I technically met my sister again, I got trustworthy and reliable friends and my wife is none other than Rainbow Dash herself which was the weirdest but best part in my opinion. Who would've thought I'd bond with her? The thought of it made me scoff. But I regularly reminded myself of those things. I liked to think of it as karma. It's like everything bad that had happened to me as a human had been repaid.

I just watched her for a bit and allowed her to finish up the rest of the song. She was listening to it so loudly I could hear it almost as clearly as if I was listening to it on a radio. That way I could enjoy it too, hence why I didn't interrupt her moment.

But at last she opened her eyes with a wide smirk. She looked to the left, undoubtedly to check whether I was awake or not. But the sudden sight of me chuckling startled her a bit. She quickly removed the headset and put it on the table next to our bed. She just stared back at me with an awkward grin. Her cheeks covering most of her eyes because of her awkward smile.

“Listening to my iPod again, I see?”

“Huh? Me? No-- I mean... yeah. After discovering the music from your world I don't wanna listen to anything other than what your iPod has to offer. But seriously though.. I can't get enough of your device.”

“And I don't blame you.” I laughed and nuzzled her snout with mine. And she reciprocated by doing the same. “You can listen to it all you want. It's just so cute when you start singing with the lyrics.”

With that she giggled awkwardly. She blushed a bit but tried her best not to show it. “What did I tell you about cutesy? I'm not cute!”

“You can deny it all you want but I'm still sticking to it. You are, in fact, the cutest mare I've ever seen. How is that a bad thing?” I continued with an amused grin, still chuckling a bit since earlier. Her denials always amused me. And they always will.

“It just is, okay? And don't you have a job to do as the Dragonborn or something? Like, dragons to slay? Allies to recruit? People to meet? Haven’t you delayed it for long enough?” she added to change the topic.

I sighed sharply at the thought of it. She was right. I had a lot to do. I had to go meet Shadowmere again, as was I commanded to go to Riften by my dead sister. Also the fact that I had to go South-East out of Equestria to enter Black Marsh, the land of the Argonians. I just hoped they would be more generous than our previous hosts.

I was still a bit scarred after the “Elyntis incident” that took place not two weeks ago. I don't think my soul will ever recover from the time the torturer almost snapped my leg off. Not only did it leave a mark on my leg even Twilight’s magic couldn’t get rid of, but it also scarred my soul. Fortunately, it wasn't anything severe. I was still sane and it didn't affect my family and friends, which was the most important part.

But the only thing I really ever wanted was to spend less time on duty and more time with Dash in privacy. I wanted to move away from this apartment and into a house with a little more personality. Perhaps into a cottage in the middle of the forest with a nice view of the beautiful green scenery, where the night was kept alive by shooting stars and northern lights. Where we could get into a hot spring and enjoy existing. Enjoy the bright, plentiful stars above and inhale the completely pure, cool air.

But as long as Alduin drew breath I knew that that would not be possible. In order for me to restore Equestria to balance, I simply had to take care of the dragon problem. And time was fading away. I could feel it. I didn't have much time left and that's why I kind of regretted taking a two week pause from duty ever since after the “Elyntis incident”, as we called it. But at the same time I realized that it was the right thing to do. I couldn't even leave our apartment the first few days. I got a bad fever; I was mentally ruined. But Rainbow Dash was there for me. She was still disturbed, of course, but wasn't as greatly affected by what had happened than I was. After all, she underwent the best of it. She got almost raped again though, but fortunately I got there in time. And for that I was utterly grateful. I wish I could say the same for poor Daring Do. As for her, she took the worst hit. Not solely physically, but also spiritually. But, surprisingly, she put what happened aside pretty quickly. I bet she was still scarred but she definitely didn't show it. Just like she stated she would.

“Yeah...” I answered. “I must get to the Dark Brotherhood's sanctuary. Then I'll be going to Riften. I have an unfinished business there I must attend to. Should be home in perhaps two weeks at minimum. That is, if everything goes according to plan.”

“So, when should we leave?”

“Well... I figured you’d stay at home this time. Y’know. Take a small rest an--”

She put her hoof on my snout to shut me up before I could continue. “Excuse me? Do I look like the kind of mare who would let you get into trouble without the most awesome Pegasus in all of Equestria to back you up?”

I sighed with myself, completely aware of Dashie’s imprinted stubbornness in her heart. I knew she wouldn’t back off and I knew she wouldn’t take a “no” for an answer. But I still had the feeling she was exhausted. I felt like she needed to stay at home for a while: Go back at being one of the mane 6; spend her time with her friends. She hadn’t done that in a long time. But at the same time I knew she had great passion for travelling dangerous roads, beat up baddies and get into adventures. I had nothing against taking her with me but her mental state was more important to me than her company.

I snuggled up to her and rested my left hoof on her right shoulder as I rested the right side of my head on her left one. She started stroking my hoof with hers very lightly and used her other one to play with my mane at the back of my head, which made me close my eyes in comfortableness. It also somehow drained my energy. “Fine... but are you sure you don’t want to take two weeks off? I mean, it’s no harm. I can take care of myself.”

“Yeah, yeah... I’m sure. Let’s just go out and save the world. Come to think of it, that part of my life hasn’t really changed much since you came.”

“We’ll go in a bit, I’m comfortable right now.” I said.

Dashie smiled and said simply “I’m in no rush. After all, you’re the Dragonborn and I’m your follower.”

“You’re more than just my follower and you know that. Remember what Odahviing said? He told us that you’d serve a big part of taking Alduin down. He also said that he feared, not only me, but also you. That has to count for something.”

“Heh, relax, guy. I was just sayin’.” she said and laughed a little louder. “You’re too serious sometimes.”

“Yeah, so I’ve been told before.” I replied in small embarrassment. “Enough about that. I've been wondering... have you ever thought about where you might be today if we hadn’t met? Like... if your life would be a lot different?”

“It’s funny, I was just thinking about it the other day. So yeah, I have. Sure, I would have had more time to spend with my friends, but you’re the best mate I could ever hope for. We regularly go out and adventure. And there are…other things...” she pointed out and punched me lightly on my shoulder.

With that I cuddled more up against her warm body. “Oh, you...” I said to her and tried to hide my blush, but she noticed it. And that somewhat sweetened her chuckle. “I constantly think about how my life here in Equestria would be if not for you. Where would I be sleeping? Would I be living in Ponyville? Would I get the job done? I don’t know. It’s just fun to think about those things once in awhile. But I know for certainty that my life is perfect the way it is. Heh... I couldn’t ask for a better person than you to keep me company. In fact... you’re the most exquisite mare I’ve ever seen, and you already know that.” I added and gave her a warm smile. And she smiled back at me with her heart molten and her eyes sunk into mine with a deep sigh.

I regularly reminded her of my thoughts towards her and she never seemed to get bored of it. Every time I told her about how exquisite she was she always gave me that passionate look. A look that never grew old on me.

“Oh yeah?” she murmured warmly and bent over to nibble on my right ear. It had been a while since she did that to me and only now did I remember how comfortable it was. I moaned very lightly and closed my eyes as I bit my lower lip. But then she suddenly stopped and slapped me softly once across my face. “Get up. We’ve got a lot to do.”

I moaned again reluctantly and rolled my eyes. “Fine... let’s just get this over with.” I muttered and stood up tiredly. I was still a bit dizzy after the unexplainable mini blackout I had but I recovered pretty quickly. At least quicker than the other times.

But the very first thing I did after I stood up and stretched my limbs as usual, I picked up my helmet from the table next to me and put it on. As soon as I got it on I closed my eyes and sighed. Rainbow Dash, donning her Wonderbolts outfit, nodded towards me to show she was ready.

I really liked her goggles. They were dark gray with yellow glasses. But the glasses were so clean, so pure, that they could’ve been used as a mirror. She looked ready to take down anything.

“Heh... eager to get to work? Relax, we’re not going just yet. I’ve gotta look over my papers first.”

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, shrugged and sat down on the sofa. But soon enough she stood up again and started pacing around the room in impatience. In the meantime I was seated by my desk which was covered in papers and whatnot. I read through my notes and noticed that we still had to recruit the Argonians and the rebellious dragons. However, I didn’t know where their little group was located nor did I know where the leader was. So I figured I could ask either Odahviing or Paarthurnax about it. Surely they must know something. And in the meantime I could ask Paarthurnax if he’s contemplated about the alternative way to kill Alduin without turning me into an ugly monster like him temporarily.

Rainbow was still roaming around. She seemed eager to get outside. There wasn’t anything in the face of this earth that satisfied her more than the open sky and speed. There was no Rainbow Dash without that love. And I think imprisonment is the only torture she couldn’t bear. It was her worst fear and her worst enemy. I agreed that it would be horrible, but what I feared more than being imprisoned was death itself. I don’t want to die. Not after the blessings I’ve received. I didn’t much care about death as a human, but now that I’ve tasted happiness, I’ve changed my mind. And death wouldn’t only be bad for me but also for the people who care about me. In fact, that was the main reason why I didn’t want to be death’s victim. The painful misery I was put through at Dashie’s death was beyond comprehension. Her death killed off all of my positive emotions and replaced them with pure sorrow, hate and pain. It made me vow to myself to search for a way to resurrect her even if it would take my whole life. I needed her with me. And the fact that I couldn’t have her around anymore was too painful to cope with. That’s why I don’t want to die. I don’t want her to go through the pain I had to withstand.

“Please, can’t we just get going? I need to spread my wings. I want to fly!”

I opened my mouth but before I could answer her I heard Daring Do leaving her room. She was smiling and apparently in a good mood. She gave us a look and widened her smile as soon as she saw both of us. “Drake, Dash.” she said and bowed her head slightly.

“Oh, hey Daring. We were just about to leave.”

“Leave? Oh, sorry! I didn’t know we were leaving. Let me go get my things and we can be on our way.”

I smiled to her and replied: “Not this time, Daring Do. I won’t be taking you with me on my next journey. It’s your time off! Enjoy it. You’re in charge of this apartment while we’re gone. We should be back in two weeks. Go visit Twilight and bring her out for a dance in the inn or something. You both could get use of it. In other words, have fun!”

Daring Do twitched as a reaction but it wasn’t a disappointed one. Rather in a surprised matter. “Are you sure? You won’t need my help?”

I smiled, stood up and approached her. “We’re just going to pick up some new... recruits. No danger, adventures or mind boggling puzzles this time.” I pointed out and closed my eyes but never broke my grin. “Just enjoy yourself and relax! After all, you offered me your service free of charge. The least you deserve is a small rest.”

Daring Do put on a determined, but serious facial expression. “As you wish, Drake. Thank you.”

“And Daring, listen to Drake’s iPod while we’re gone. Seriously, you’ll love it!” added Rainbow Dash in excitement. She always mentioned my iPod whenever she got the chance. She was so passionate about it that getting her to part from it was harder than my life back on Earth.

“Ehm...” was the only thing Daring murmured in return.

I gently pushed Rainbow Dash ahead of me towards the exit of our apartment and changed my happy grin into an awkward one. “Heh, we gotta get going now!” I changed the subject. I felt for Rainbow pushing her body against my hooves.

“Listen to it, Daring! I swear you won’t want to listen to anything else!” she shouted towards the confused Daring Do.

Daring Do simply scratched her head with her hoof and looked confusedly towards the eager Rainbow Dash. Before I pushed her out of our apartment I noticed Daring Do hesitantly looking at my audio device by my bed.

“So, where are we heading?” Rainbow asked me curiously as we walked across the old stone made road. We’d been flying for quite some time, but we both decided to rest our wings for a bit. I also personally wanted to use this opportunity to take a good look around the scenery. I didn’t need a map to guide me anymore. I’ve been here long enough to recognize most of the environment. Of course there were always areas I’d never explored before, but I never got tired of the sight of animals eating grass from afar, the mockingbirds singing a beautiful melody to keep things alive, the green of the herbs, the colors of the flowers and the smell of leaves and honey.

The clopping sound of our hooves hitting the stone made path was something I could listen to all day. The sound of it reminded me that I’m not a human anymore. It reminded me of Earth, humanity, Equestrians and the sudden turn my life took.

“You know of The Dark Brotherhood, right?”

“Of course. Everyone knows them. They used to be the most fearful and the most respected organization in Equestria once.”

“Yeah, well, remember that coal black stallion that payed me a visit before we started our journey to Elyntis?

“The earth-pony who could stand in our apartment? The guy with the shadowy mane and the literally red eyes? Yeah, of course. Wait... is he a member of the Brotherhood?”

I nodded without looking at her. “Yes. And he is more connected to me than I’d imagined. He wants to help us deal with the dragon problem. I see no reason why I should refuse his assistance. We could use the extra hoof.”

Rainbow Dash squinted at me. “Can he be trusted?”

I looked at Dash and smiled feebly. “Even if he couldn’t be trusted, I’m pretty sure he’s no threat to us. We’ve faced worse than assassins.”

“Yeah, you’re right. He seemed civil enough.” she answered. “I trust you, Drake. I do not doubt your decisions.”

“I know, Dash. Thank you.” I answered with a smile. “Let’s pick up the pace. The sooner we get this done, the better. Say, wanna test our wingpower? A little race?” I asked her with a small challenging frown.

Rainbow lightened up by my suggestion and took off without saying a word. I grinned and followed her.

After a long but enjoyable trip we finally reached the entrance of the sanctuary which was guarded by a mysterious, ominous door displaying the carving of a skull. The eyes of the skull were lit with red light. As Astrid had told me, the door was hidden out of view so we had to search for it for quite some time. But we found it in the end. And when we did a part of me regretted that we were even here.

I gingerly knocked on the door and placed my hoof on my blade by my belt to be ready for unexpected attacks. Rainbow nodded once to me with a frown and started caressing her own bow very carefully; also in the purpose of being ready if they tried anything funny.

Our trip to Elyntis taught us a valuable lesson: Never trust anyone we haven’t named friends yet.

We both jumped when the door took to speak and asked us in a dark whisper: “What is the music of life?” The voice was as sharp as a well-crafted blade and I swear I could almost feel it in a physical form.

I nervously cleared my throat and spoke after the voice of Astrid in my head: “Silence, my brother.”

The door suddenly opened and the voice replied: “Welcome home.”, still with its extremely cold whisper.

I stared into the darkness of the entrance and was a bit hesitant about going inside. But it had to be done and I knew that clearly. I gave Dashie a small insecure gaze and nodded once to indicate that we were going in there. Rainbow just smiled with her well known confidence, put on her goggles and walked inside without the hesitance that came from me. I blushed a bit when I realized a mare was more courageous than the dragonborn but comforted myself in the thought that this was Rainbow Dash we were talking about. She was more courageous than anyone else, including me. Seeing her so calm and so eager to get this done shot my confidence up like it normally did. With a small frown I walked into the darkness and hoped for the best.

By the entrance was a steep, slippery stairway that led downwards. The walls were made of stone and the temperature was very chilly. I looked around the dark environment and realized the sanctuary was built inside a cave. It was a big cave that was perfect for their little hideout. The narrow hallway we had to walk through led us into a small room. The temperature got a bit warmer, but in that first room was a big table by another passage that led to a vast space where most of the Brotherhood’s members was resided. The table was graced and covered with papers, contracts sealed with the Dark Brotherhood’s logo; some of which were bloodied, gold pouches and other shiny things.

My frown extended even further the deeper I went down into the sanctuary. I could smell the same foul smell that filled my nose back in Elyntis: The smell of blood. The smell of death. I didn’t feel safe at all. Rainbow, however, didn’t seem to care about the environment at all. She just led me across the hallway without hesitation.

Astrid, the mare that abducted me, was the one to greet us. She was still wearing that typical Dark Brotherhood garb consisting of shrouded armor, gloves, boots, and a cowl. She gave me an unsurprised look as if she’d been expecting my arrival. But at the same time I noticed the approval in her eyes.

“This is not how it looks like...” I muttered to her before she could say anything. “I’m just here to fetch my friend. That’s it.”

Rainbow Dash hastily gave me a nudge and turned me away from Astrid to tell me something she apparently mustn’t know about. “Drake. What are you doing? Act like you want to join them. They’ll give you a uniform of their own that you may wear.” she whispered to me.

“And why would I want to dress up like an assassin?” I asked her confusedly.

Rainbow gave me a long stare of uncertainty before adding: “I don’t know if magic exists in your former world or not, but keep in mind that it does here. That shrouded uniform of theirs will only make you stronger. Why do you think they’re such good assassins? Their key element is in their suit. It’s their uniform that gives them the ability of being so sneaky; as swift as shadow and as subtle as a snake. Imagine if you’d join them. You’d get your hooves on those abilities. You don’t have to do their dirty work, just join them solely to get the uniform.”

Astrid gave us both a suspectful gaze but was civil enough to let us finish our private conversation.

“How do you know this?” I asked her both interestingly and confusedly at the same time. But the more she told me about the uniform’s magical enhancements, the more I wanted it.

“Because I grew up in this world. I know how the system works. Every single organization or a group has a special uniform enchanted with magic to improve the abilities that are required for the specific type of work. Take my Wonderbolt’s suit as an example. Not only am I quicker and swifter with it on, but also is it enchanted with lightning. You see? Passing up your own suit would be unwise. And it’s a Dark Brotherhood’s nonetheless! Their suit is perhaps the most appropriate for the Pegasi.”

I didn’t answer her but nodded once to her in agreement to evade suspicion. “But I’m not gonna assassinate anyone.” I added in a whisper before I turned around to face Astrid again. “I... I’m also here to join the Dark Brotherhood.”

“I had a feeling you knew your place. I knew you couldn’t pass up my invitation. It felt too good didn’t it? When you shot that arrow deep into the stallion’s head? You tried to bury what happened under the bridge but the more you thought about it, the more you realized that you actually enjoyed taking someone’s life away that was placed in your hooves. You wanted more, am I correct? Don’t be shy... that feeling is mutual. We’re a family now.”

Both Dashie and I stared deep into the mare’s eyes a bit disturbed. Rainbow gave me a questionable glance that asked me what the hell she was talking about. I just shrugged at her and stuttered to Astrid: “Eh... that’s one way to put it.” Although I didn’t mean it. I hated the fact that I had to execute someone. In fact, I didn’t even tell Rainbow about it. And I usually never keep things away from her.

Judging by Astrid’s cheeks she was grinning behind her cowl. “Let’s get to work, shall we? Follow me.” she said and wandered off. I tried to mutter something after her but sighed instead and gingerly followed her. She led me into a room by our left. I quickly analyzed it and immediately realized that it was her room. It wasn’t quite how I’d imagined it. It was actually pretty cozy. Small, but warm and comfortable.

She bent over, grabbed a big black chest that was under the bed and handed it over to me. “Open it.”

I frowned and gave the black lid of the chest a long stare before I finally opened it. As expected, my suit was in that chest. It was in the same color and style as the one Shadowmere and the rest of the Brotherhood was wearing. And the fabric was strong. A bit tight for my tastes, but that was just a minor complaint. As soon as I put it on I could sense the shadow by my side. As if I’d gained a new subtle ally. And to be honest, it felt surprisingly good. I passed on the cowl though, since it got in the way of my helmet.

Rainbow Dash pouted and nodded a couple of times thoughtfully. “Not bad.”

I gave her an awkward smile and thanked her. But then I turned around to face Astrid again who looked at me with her dead facial expression. “C’mon. Follow me and let’s get straight to business. The contracts can’t fulfill themselves.” the assassin meekly pointed out.

“Wait... aren’t you going to introduce yourself or something? I barely even know who you are.”

“Hmm... I guess you deserve to know a little more about me. Fair enough.” she answered but I could sense slight annoyance in her voice. “This Sanctuary has been my entire life since I was a young mare. That's when I first discovered my, shall we call it "aptitude", for elimination. I had an uncle, you see. He made certain... unwanted advances. So I killed him. And liked it. Then I killed again. And liked it even more. Later I was recruited by the Dark Brotherhood, and have been here ever since. I met my husband Arnbjorn, who rose to leadership. And now here we are."

I gave her a blank stare and nodded very slowly. “Interesting... but if you don’t mind, we’re just gonna go fetch my friend and be on our way.”

I was kind of creeped out of this place and a part of me even regretted that I was wearing their costume. But the abilities it granted me and the fabric itself actually felt quite comfortable so I kept it on nonetheless.

“I’m ready to leave whenever you are.” a familiar voice suddenly interrupted. I turned around to be greeted by the person I was searching for. That scary looking pitch black half-pony with shadowy mane and red as fire eyes. He had a small determined frown on his face. A facial expression that told me that he was ready to get on with it. And I couldn’t agree more. This place was horrid and made me feel sick.

“Good to see ya again, Shadowmere.” Rainbow Dash added and saluted him with a small honorable frown. “I’ve been told you are to be our newest recruit? Can’t wait to hunt with you. You seem like a decent killer.”

“Better than decent, actually.” he responded and returned the salute with his own. “I would be honored to slay dragons with you two.”

“Good. Now that you’re here, we can get the hell out of here.” I muttered solemnly and without showing much interest in him. I half-rushed towards the exit without a word. I could hear my companions following me. It seemed like they were already having a conversation and that made me glad, considering that they were getting to know each other. I needed them to get to know each other better; form a friendship. I wanted them to trust each other so they could rely on each other whenever we get into a fight. I knew that I was no exception. I had to get to know him better as well. But at the moment I didn’t feel like talking.

Somehow I had a feeling Astrid would stop me but, to my surprise, she didn’t. She just let us pass without a word. But before we vanished into the light again I could hear her subtle chuckle echoing along the narrow hall.

We had been walking for hours under the northern stars. It was pitch dark outside, summoning the dancing colorful northern lights for us to admire. But our next destination was Riften. I had no idea what waited for us there but I was willing to trust my instincts. So far most of my dreams have come true... well, partly true. I had a feeling the one featuring my sister was no exception. Rainbow and Shadowmere had been talking for quite some time, but he never mentioned being originated from Earth. They shared tales about their adventures and they argued about who was the better fighter. But it was all in light joke. I, however, didn’t speak to them for a long time. I was too focused on my thoughts. I allowed myself to hope my sister was really here in Equestria, although a big part of me knew she wasn’t.

“...what about you, Drake? Do you have anything interesting to say?” Rainbow amusingly asked me in a small shout. “Join in on the conversation! Stop being so boring.”

I quickly turned around and opened my mouth as if I was gonna object, but sighed instead in defeat. “What about me?”

“We were talking about interesting activities in our lives. Do you have anything to share? Can you perhaps tell us more about your life as a human?”

“Yeah, Drake! Tell us about your exotic planet known as Earth. Tell us about yourself!” Shadowmere added with a subtle smile Rainbow didn’t notice. “I’m dying to know.”

I gave Shadowmere a sharp look, indicating that I hadn’t forgotten that he was from Earth as well. But I decided to keep quiet about it. I understood that he wasn’t ready to expel his true identity to her yet and I respected that.

“Well... there’s really not much to say. I’m going to spare you the lonely and depressing part of my life and focus on a more brighter note. For example, I’ve many great memories of--”

“Tell us, Drake. Was there a girl in your life?” Shadowmere asked, but I wasn’t quite sure whether he was interested or just pretending to be.

That question made Rainbow very curious. She had never wondered about it before and now that he had planted that thought into her head she gave me a look indicating that she demanded an answer. But she didn’t look at me in seriousness. She actually had an amused look on her face: smiling widely and chuckling bit.

“Ehm... you don’t want to hear about that. It’s depressing and embarrassing.” I came up with an excuse since I didn’t want to talk about her in a millennium. She broke my heart and spat on our memories of us together. She was lucky I didn’t break her fucking face. But I wouldn’t do that anyways.

“C’mon, Drakie! Tell us about her!” Rainbow urged me on; creating a pressure I couldn’t get rid of until I told them the miserable truth.

I gave them both an unsecured, nervous look before squinting at the ground. “Yes... there was a girl in my life. Her name was Natalie, but I just called her Nat. She had long brown hair and blue eyes. She was without a doubt one of the most beautiful girls I’d ever seen. Too bad she wasn’t as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. One day she completely changed. Went from being the most lovable person into the cruelest one. After everything started to go downhill in my life she dumped me. Wouldn’t bother being around me anymore. She got into another relationship with a, pardon my language, douchebag and started hating me. I’ve no idea why but I have a feeling it’s because she wanted to blend in with the others, or maybe because of the same unknown reason everyone else hated me for. Either way, she crushed me. I felt like she was only using me all along.”

Rainbow gasped a bit and hesitantly put her hoof on my mane. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not. Not at all.” I answered as I looked into her eyes with a small smile. “I’m with you now. You’re a thousand times better than she’ll ever be.”

“Aww... thank you.” Rainbow said with a sigh. She slightly nibbled on her lower lip before delivering a small kiss on my left cheek, just below the steel of my helmet. “I can’t believe she’d do such a thing. How could anyone dump you?”

“Quite easy, in fact. I was a whole another person before I got my pony body.”

Shadowmere looked at me with a rather amused smirk on his face. “Sorry, but, your former life sounds extremely boring and depressing.”

“Tell me about it.” I answered in agreement. I put my left forehoof around my Dashie and added: “At least I was lucky enough to be given a second chance.”

Rainbow looked back at me with a big proud smile before nuzzling my neck with hers.

Shadowmere’s facial expression changed a bit when he noticed how strong our feelings were to one another. But unlike last time he didn’t look at it with disgust. His amused smirk changed into a rather sad one. I bet it had something to do with his wife back on Earth but I wasn’t sure. He thoughtfully gazed at the ground before he quickly shook his head and changed his expression back into a serious one. “Rainbow, may I steal your husband for a second?”

Rainbow looked at me with a slight confusion. I nodded back at her and gave her a small kiss before I walked over to Shadowmere. He sighed before asking me in low toned voice: “I’ve been here for about eight years now. I’ve tried moving on, damn it! I’ve tried everything in my power to accept the fact that I’m here to stay. But I just... can’t. How could you fall in love with another pony? Why is it so easy for you and so hard for me to adapt to this world?”

“The difference between you and I, my friend, is that you had a wife and a child back on Earth. It’s only understandable that you want to go back to them. And believe me... I had just the same point of view towards the ponies before. But, I don’t know... it just happened. Just take a good look at her and tell me she doesn’t at least seem appealing to you.”

“I’m happy for your sake. Unfortunately, I’m stuck here forever. I had a vision last night. The gods told me they couldn’t send me back to earth after I’d complete my mission. Simply because it’d be too risky. I’ve been here too long and sending me back through dimension and time could destroy my sanity and/or personality. Apparently I’ve adapted too much to this world, but that’s bullshit. I’ll never see my son again.” he added with a deep sigh.

I hesitantly put my hoof on his back. “I’m sorry to hear that. Truly, I am. I know exactly what you’re going through. Human doctors snapped me out of this world once. I had to wait for three months to get back. I missed my Dashie so much I could barely tolerate the absence.”

“Look... can we talk about this over a beer once we get to Riften, okay? I don’t feel like talking any longer. But thanks for an attempt to cheer me up.”

“No problem. Just let me know if--”

Before I could finish that sentence we could hear laughter coming from the dark mist ahead. A small fainted light caused by what I assumed a fire emerged from afar and I immediately knew that they weren’t from the friendly kind. “Get down!” I ordered my comrades. But both of them gave me a confused look.

“I’m pretty sure we’re more than capable of taking them down.” pointed Rainbow Dash out. Shadowmere nodded in agreement.

I rolled my eyes. “I know. But I got a new suit.” I pointed out. “I want to see what it’s capable of. You guys stay hidden in the bushes. I’ll take them out.”

They both shrugged and obeyed my order without objecting. They hid in the bushes by our right and curiously watched my progress as I snuck to the other side of the road. As quiet as the shadow, I moved closer to the light undetected.

Apparently we had stumbled on a small thug camp. There were tents, crates and stuff that didn’t belong to them all around the place. I got as close as I dared but there was one thing I noticed when I got into the shade. My uniform summoned small dark shadowy mist around me, making me harder to spot. But it only happened whenever I was in the dark. I pouted and nodded a couple of times but then fixed my attention at the thieves by the campfire. I could count 6 enemies.

“...was hilarious! The way he looked at me as I gutted him with my blade; absolutely priceless!”

“Hah! Know what you mean.” the second thug laughed in approval and took a sip of his beer. “But I’ve been thinking about that dragonborn guy. Y’know... the guy who tortured and feasted on our deceased former boss?”

“Yeah, what the buck is that all about? I know that I’m not the most honorable stallion, but at least I don’t feast on the flesh of the dead. Ponies nowadays make me sick...” added the third thug. “And he’s supposed to be our “savior”. You know what? Buck him. If I see him anywhere on sight I’ll slowly gouge his eyes out.”

I frowned and opened my mouth in disbelief. I never “feasted” on anyone! Such lies and slander! My sudden rage almost blew my cover but I managed to keep a low profile.

“Stop being retarded! He’s no ordinary pony and you know that. And he’s not alone. If you want to eliminate him you must focus on his weaknesses first.” the fourth thug explained before poking at his chest. “His heart.”

“His heart? Easy enough. A blade should take care of that problem. One thrust to his chest and we’ll be famous!”

“Infamous, you mean. The Dragonborn is loved by mostly everyone. We would be even more hated for it. But we’d be feared. And fear equals power.”

“You idiots! I’m not talking about his physical heart. I’ve heard that if you really want to beat him, you got to take out what matters the most to him. Make sure he watches as we skin his little mare and cut out her still beating heart. That should crack him. As long as he has his little dove by his side he’s unstoppable.”

I completely lost track of time and my surroundings for I was too focused on what they had to say. I found myself nearing closer and closer without even realizing it.

“Tell me genius. How the buck are we supposed to capture them? By asking them? Stop daydreaming. He could be anywhere for all I know. He could be murdering, screwing or soothing his hunger with pony meat. Just thinking about it makes me shudder in disgust. It’s only a matter of time before everyone realizes that there is more to him than meets the eye.” he responded in anger. “And stop being so bucking naive. His wife is none other than Rainbow Dash, who is already pretty famous for “saving Equestria from total chaos”. She’s the one they call the fastest flier in the whole country and she’s tougher than any stallion I’ve ever met. I’d even bet on her if I were to fight her one on one. And how are you supposed to capture a mare as strong, as loyal as she is? And with her dragonborn by her side they’re unstoppable. Face it. We’ve to be lucky to even get a glimpse on them.”

I had had enough of their lies so I silently called Rainbow and Shadowmere over. “Come over here.” I waved and whispered loudly to them but silently enough to remain undetected. As soon as they came up to me I added: “Rainbow, take position at the other end of the camp. Load your bow and take a shot on my signal.” Dashie smiled with a frown and saluted me like a general. I turned around to face Shadowmere. “Shadowmere, as soon as Rainbow Dash fires the bow, make sure no one escapes. Become a part of the shadow and herd them into one group. If anyone tries anything funny, kill them.” Shadowmere nodded and punched his other hoof. “Now, I’m gonna get up to the guy on the far end of the camp. As soon as I slit his throat you, Dashie, attack them with your bow; that’s your signal. Shadowmere will make sure they can’t go anywhere. But do not kill them all! I want at least one alive to interrogate. You got it?” I ordered them, feeling like a commando. I’ve never been much into the leading role but I gotta admit that commanding people around felt surprisingly good. They both nodded before taking their positions.

I slowly unsheathed my ebony blade and gnawed my teeth on the handle as I silently slunk around the camp in the grassy jungle. I appeared as black as shadow because of my suit. It almost made me invisible.

“You guys go ahead and try taking them down, let alone tracking them down. I’m staying out of it. I don’t want to get on his bad terms.”

“Hah! You a pussy, Bloodlust? You’re clearly not living up to your name.” his pal amusingly exclaimed with a loud sickening laughter before taking a bite on his red apple.

“It was given to me! I’ve never really liked it in the first place! But I’m sticking to it. I’m staying the hell out of it. I don’t want him to melt my body into liquid with his powerful firebreath and I certainly don’t want to be his next meal. So, I don’t give a buck about what you think of me.”

I rolled my eyes and slowly approached my victim-to-be. It was the strong looking stallion who called that Bloodlust guy a pussy. He was sitting on a tree stump, facing his back towards the darkness and his face towards the campfire and his friends.

“You’re too soft, Bloodlust! If you don’t want the honor of killing the dragonborn then so be it. We’ll just use you to dispose of the bodies. But first, before we kill them, we’re going to torture him spiritually. Oh, yes. Slice the throats of his comrades and--”

Before he could go any further I harshly wrapped my left forehoof around his snout in utmost anger, making him create muffled fearful sounds. I roughly pressed my sharp, cold blade against his thick neck and slit it wide open, making his blood spray towards his companions in the same rhythm as his heartbeat.

As soon as I killed him an arrow out of nowhere headshot the second thug, making the rest stand up in utmost panic and fear.

“We’re being ambushed!” someone yelled in fear. “Where in Sithis’ name are they?!”

Two of them tried to search for their weapons while the other two tried to escape. But the ones trying to escape were found to be pushed back into the center. Shadowmere’s red-led eyes made sure they didn’t go anywhere. And soon enough we got them all rounded up in a small group by the campfire. They had their backs turned against each other’s, holding their weapons high in the air to be ready for another attack. But they still didn’t spot us. We were as silent, as invisible as the shadows.

“Where the hell are you?!” One of them yelled loudly in great panic. “Show yourselves!”

I pointed my hoof upwards for Rainbow to see and let it fall down, indicating that she should take another shot. As soon as my hoof fell down, another arrow took out the third thug, making the rest of them squeak in fear.

“What do you want! Please, don’t kill us!” Bloodlust begged on his knees. “We promise to leave! Just don’t hurt us!”

I picked up my second dagger and flew up to them, revealing my appearance to them in all my might and glory. The three thugs before me gasped loudly at the same time when they noticed my red blood lusty eyes scanning their faces malevolently. “You wanted me?!” I yelled in both anger and in the purpose of intimidating them. “Well, here I am!”

“P-please don’t eat me!” Bloodlust squeaked in fear. I stared deep into his eyes and I knew they noticed my angry frown behind my helmet. Without taking my eyes off him, I stabbed two of his friends in their necks; pressing their bodies together with my blades for more force, they gagged and spouted blood all over the place but as soon as I removed it from their flesh they fell down completely dead.

Bloodlust let himself fall down on his knees before me. “Please! I-I’m not like them! I was forced to join their group! Please, don’t stab me or... or turn me into soup with your firebreath!” he begged with all his might and power. “I swear I’ll--”

I got a harsh grip on him and shouted only inches away from his face: “Who’s been spreading lies about me? Who said I was a cannibal?!”

“W-wait... you aren’t?” he asked in a half scream with his fearful gaze. “B-but I thought--”

I punched him once in his stomach, making him grunt in pain. “Why can’t you leave me alone?! Who’s your new boss?! What do you want?!”

“L-look... there’s a bounty on your head. H-he wants you dead or alive!”

I headbutted him this time, making his snout bleed a bit. “Who the buck wants me dead or alive?! Who’s your boss?!” I repeated myself in a shout.

He stared deep into my eyes, breathing very heavily as if he was about to have a heart attack. I started gnawing my teeth but before he could answer me his eyes dulled and he passed out due to his utmost fear. I sighed and harshly let go of his body, making him collapse to the ground.

“Heh... I gotta agree with the one whose throat you slit. That guy IS a pussy.” Rainbow Dash appeared by my side with an amused laugh.

“Well, that was easy,” added Shadowmere. “Too easy.”

“They called me a cannibal! They said I feasted on the boss after we tortured him, Dashie!” I said in a slight shock. “Who the hell has been spouting lies about me? And who is after us? Why can’t they just leave us alone, damn it!”

“What? You ate him? Ew! How does a pony taste like?” Dashie joked as she let out a big laugh. I snapped my eyes and squinted at her in slight annoyance. She answered by closing her eyes and smirk widely in amusement.

“Let’s just get out of here.” I muttered with a sigh. “It’s still a long way to go and we have no time to lose.”

“What about that Bloodlust guy?” asked Rainbow. “We can’t just leave him here.”

“And why not?” asked Shadowmere. “He’s a criminal. I know it seems kind of odd but at least I don’t kill for my own personal benefit.”

Rainbow flew up to him with a small frown on her face. "You don't know that for sure. Maybe he was held captive like my father. You heard him. He clearly didn’t have the same attitude as the rest of them."

“Or maybe he’s a cold blooded killer who happens to be too scared of the dragonborn.” Shadowmere added with slight anger in his voice. “We might be doing the world a favor if we--”

“Cold bloodedly kill him while he’s unconscious? We’d be no better than them!” Rainbow snapped back. She turned to me and powerfully put both of her hooves on my shoulders. “Drake, tell me we’re not seriously considering killing him.”

“Who said anything about killing him?” asked Shadowmere with an angry frown. His frown mixed with his red eyes made him look more evil than ever before. I was actually starting to wonder whether he was good or not. But I couldn’t judge him by his appearance alone. “I think we should tie him down and leave him here. And since he’s a unicorn, we’ll write a letter about his whereabouts and make him send it to the guards in the nearest town.”

“I doubt his magic is good enough for sending messages. Even Twilight Sparkle can’t do that yet.” I pointed out thoughtfully. “I don’t want to leave him here though. He might tell his boss about us and I’ve no interest in being bothered by another criminal gang. So, if we’re gonna have to send the guards a letter we need a dragon to send it. And the only dragon I know of who has that ability is Spike, who is miles away.”

“So what shall we do?”

At last we arrived to Riften. The city was, as I’d been told, dirty and ugly. It wasn’t nearly as colorful as Ponyville. In fact, the whole city was graced in a grayish scale. Everything looked dead and parity in a bad way. The city smelled of wet dogs, fish and other things an average person would not consider attractive. But my sister in my vision told me to go there so there I was.

“Odahviing didn’t seem very happy about the fact that you summoned him solely in the purpose of sending a letter.” Rainbow pointed out in a laugh.

“Well, he did say I didn’t have to hesitate calling him whenever I needed his help.” I replied in amusement. “Besides, he had nothing better to do.”

Shadowmere followed us a couple of feet back as quietly as a mouse. It would seem like he was my bodyguard by the way he walked and acted. He had in infinite frown and never even hinted at a smile the whole time. “What are we even doing here?”

“We’re searching for a stallion called “Reaper”. Or, well, that’s his code name anyway.” I answered as I opened the door to the dirty little inn in the middle of the city. The inn was called “The Bee and Barb” and was perhaps the ugliest inn, let alone house, I’d ever seen. It had two entrances: one positioned near the marketplace in the middle and the other north of that door. It looked out of shape as the upstairs area was bigger than the tavern area, and thus it had wooden supports holding the second floor up. Fortunately, the interior was better looking, but not by far. It consisted of three tables, each with chairs where the visitors would sit to drink and eat. And on the upper floor were rooms you could rent to stay for the night. But what immediately got my attention was the person behind the counter, which was by a fireplace in a small corner of the tavern. It was actually an Argonian; the reptile like race. I just knew it, based on the descriptions I’ve had on them.

I walked up to the Argonian and cleared my throat. “Hi there.”

“Hey, what can I get you?” the female reptile answered with the rawest voice I’d ever heard. She sounded like a male.

“Nothing, I just want to ask you a question. Where can I find Reaper?” I asked but before I could let go of the last word a deep voice interrupted: “I’m over here.”

I slowly turned around and noticed a black hooded person sitting by a table with a beer by his hoof and a long pipe in his mouth. He was dressed in all black and I immediately knew that he was the one I was looking for. Especially when I noticed that big terrifying, yet beautifully crafted scythe strapped to his back. I walked closer to him but I couldn’t see his face because of his cowl. “What do you want, whelp?”

“We’re assuming you’re Reaper?” asked Shadowmere with as cold voice as his.

“That’s what they call me. Now, get straight to business or buck off. Tell me what the hell you want.”

I gave him an unsecured, somewhat offended glare. “A common friend of ours told me I should speak to you if I wanted to see her. So--.”

He quickly stood up and revealed his face by removing his cowl. His face, as well as the rest of his body, was dark gray. But he had red natural stripes on his face which was just a part of how he was born. He had fainted blue-ish eyes which seemed more like a fainted light. But he had no horn so he must’ve been either a Pegasus or an Earth Pony. I couldn’t tell since he was still wearing that robe of his.

“And why should I trust a pretty boy scum like you?”

“Look, pal. You don’t have to trust me.” I answered harshly. “But my sister told me in my vision to meet someone here so I could get my questions answered. Now, can you take me to her or not?”

“At ease, Reaper. I’ve been expecting them.” the soft voice of a mare came into the picture. My eyes immediately snapped at the stairways towards its source, making me gasp a bit at the appearance of the unicorn before me. I admit she was one of the most gorgeous, most beautiful living beings I’d ever seen. She had yellow colored fur, same color scheme as Spitfire’s; red-orange, sparkly eyes and dark gray mane with dark orange highlights. Her mane was brushed in a style very much like Rainbow’s, making her look so much more attractive than she already was. Her colors, mane, eyes and her soothing voice mixed so well together she seemed like the female version of the angel I spoke to in my dream. Even Shadowmere couldn’t stop gazing at her. “So, you must be the dragonborn? The one they call... Drake?” she added as she came up to us, but whispered my name as if she didn’t really believe I was here.

Rainbow gave me a small glare and rolled her eyes when she noticed how fond I seemed of her. “Yes, he’s Drake. His friend is Shadowmere and I am Rainbow Dash, his spouse.” she answered on my behalf since I seemed completely out of this world. It appears the mare didn’t notice Rainbow at first because as soon as Rainbow spoke, she turned her head towards her hastily in a slight startle. “We’re here because of Drake’s vision. He was told we should meet you, so here we are.”

The mare’s eyes got filled with fear and awe. Her facial expression was as if her face was melting. She backed away in slight shock and pointed at Rainbow in all her awe. “R-Rainbow Dash?!”

Rainbow’s frown changed into a proud smirk. “Well, well, well! Looks like I got another fan.” she said to herself in pride. “I’d give you an autograph or something but I don’t have a paper. Sorry.”

“Y-y-you’re Drake’s spouse? His wife?!”

“Yeah, she’s my wife. And Shadowmere is my companion. Please to meet you miss...?”

“Holy mother of f-- you can’t really be that stupid, can you?” she asked with her startled orange colored eyes locked into mine as she approached me. “Come on, cut the crap. You know who I am.”

I didn’t want to jump to conclusion but I had a strong feeling she was the one I’d been strongly longing to meet again. I slowly asked in a doubtful whisper: “S-Sarah?”

She put on a small, weak smile and hugged me tightly. “Brother...” she replied with a whisper of her own, but everyone around us heard her, making Rainbow Dash and Shadowmere gasp with their eyes and mouths wide open. As soon as she said that my eyes widened, my pupils shrunk and my body completely froze. I felt like I was being held captive by invisible chains. I also couldn’t help but blush at the fact that I was pretty attractive to her before. But that embarrassing feeling was nothing compared to the relief I felt for.

“I told you we'd meet again in another life.” she half jested, making me snort a bit in slight shock. I was overwhelmed; wasn’t completely aware of what was going on. I couldn’t believe my very eyes and ears.

“A-am I dreaming?”

She slapped me once across my face. “Was this real enough to you? It’s me, Drake!”

I hugged her back tightly and held her close to me. I let out a shocked chuckle and stared at the wall in front of me as I held her in my arms. “H-how can this be?! Y-you died!”

She looked into my eyes, still locked in my hug. “And so did you, Drake!”

Rainbow was as surprised as I was. She walked up to us in confusion and looked consecutively at us. “W-what the hell is going on?” she asked in a slight startle.

Sarah quickly turned me around for some privacy with me and asked in a whisper: “Don’t tell me this is true. You did not marry R-Rainbow--”

I looked back at her with a wide smile. “Your big brother is a married man now. Ehm... stallion if you’d prefer.”

She punched my shoulder once, making me groan lightly, and quickly hugged me again with a firm grip. “You fucking bastard.” she added with an amused laugh.

By that time I finally completely realized that my sister was here in a pony body. I had no idea why nor did I know the reason why the gods decided to send her to this world too, but what I did know was that there was a valid reason for it. If she was here solely to boost my moral or if she had a part to play in the dragon war; I simply didn’t give a fuck. My sister was here and that was all that mattered to me.

“Even though you didn’t change your name, I did. I am known as Citrine around these parts. I prefer it stays that way. Sarah is no more. Got it?”

I hesitantly nodded back without questioning her. I hadn’t thought of it before, but changing a name was a good idea. It’s too late for me though. Everyone knows me as Drake now.

Shadowmere hastily approached us and got a grip on my sister. “Wait, wait, wait... were you a human too?!”

“Wait... you were a human too?” she replied in disbelief. As soon as she noticed his happy and somewhat relieved nod, she let her jaw drop again. And soon enough we were found in a tight group hug which was quite unexpected, judging by how cold Shadowmere seemed earlier. But only now did I truly understand that he only needed a little something from home. He needed someone else to share his load with. Someone who could understand him. And now that he finally realised that he was not the only human in a pony body anymore; that he gained two friends who could fully understand him, put a very wide smile on his face.

Reaper didn’t give two shits about this whole situation though. He just sat back down and slowly downed his beer as he rocked back and forth in his wooden chair with his pipe, which left Rainbow alone in the confusion. “Drake! What’s going on? I don’t follow!”

In all my overjoy, I let go of them and flung myself into Rainbow’s arms. She hesitantly hugged me back. “It’s my sister! She’s here!”

Rainbow’s pupils shrunk to dots in slight fear. That meant she was a human too, which gave Rainbow a pessimistic idea that she might dislike of our marriage and therefore dislike her. “R-really?”

I let go of her and quickly cleared my throat. “Rainbow, this is Sar-- I mean, Citrine, my sister. And Citrine, this is Rainbow Dash, my wife.” I introduced them, but knew it wasn’t necessary. My sister knew everything about Rainbow while Rainbow knew her well enough based on my description of her.

They both seemed terrified in an awkward way of each other. Rainbow was mostly scared of her reputation and of how my sister would feel about our relationship while my sister was full of awe meeting her second favorite pony. It was like a dream coming true for her.

They both analyzed each other in small fear as silent as a crypt; mirroring each other’s movements. At last they just looked at each other’s faces without moving. But as I was about to break the awkward silence, my sister finally found enough courage to speak up.

“H-hey.” she whimpered and offered her hoof for a hoofshake.

Rainbow reacted the same way she did when we first met. She refused the hoofshake and flung herself at her into a hug instead. “I-I don’t do hoofshakes.” she said, just as she did when we first met.

Witnessing that was like a flashback. It was perhaps the biggest déja-vu I’d ever had. The thought of our first meeting, our first hug made me smile widely. I remember everything as it had happened yesterday. The same distrust I felt for as they felt. The same weird feeling when I hugged a pony for the first time. It was an experience I’ll never forget.

But of course, my sister didn’t expect that from Rainbow Dash. She hesitantly wrapped her forehooves around her and looked at me in all her confusion and fear. “I’m hugging Rainbow Dash!” she said inaudibly with a shocked gesture, followed by a small squee. As soon as I read her lips I let out an amused chuckle.

“Honored to meet you. Drake told me a lot about you. Sarah was it?” Rainbow asked, still locked in the hug.

My sister shivered a bit in disbelief. “Y-you know my former name? H-he even told you that?”

Rainbow let go and looked at her without that distrust she had formed with herself moments ago. “Of course. He really missed you. I can’t wait to get to know you better.”

“Are you really my brother’s wife?” she replied as surprised as ever.

That, however, made Rainbow’s confidence drop down again. She scratched her left front hoof with her right one and looked everywhere but into her eyes. “Y-yes--”

“In all honesty, what do you think of my brother?” she interrupted.

“Well--”

“Wait, you’re even marked?!” she interrupted again in a slight surprised shout when she finally noticed that malformed small piercing in her ear. “Drake!” she added and turned herself to me to take a good look at mine. “Is it really that serious?” she whispered into my face with her hooves on my cheeks and her new eyes desperately scanning my face.

I gently pulled her hooves down and answered in a calm, serious whisper. “It’s that serious. We’ve even talked about starting a family. I’ll tell you the whole story over a drink. Okay?”

Citrine nodded quickly, never taking her eyes off mine. She slowly shook her head and whispered: “I can’t believe--”

“So... what happens now?” interrupted Shadowmere with a rather confused look on his face. There was so much confusion, excitement and happiness it seemed to draw everybody’s focus towards us. Soon enough we began to notice everyone’s eyes fixed upon us and that only added to the awkwardness.

“Come with us to Ponyville, sis. I have lots of questions that needs answered and I’ve got things to take care of, so I can’t stay here for much longer.”

“Oh, I got a helluva lots of questions I need you to answer too. I’m not leaving you again. I’m with you.” she said with tears in her eyes. She hugged me again firmly and gave no hint at letting go. I reciprocated with a big happy smile on my face. “But I’m not going anywhere without Reaper. He’s teaching me how to fight. Has been teaching me ever since I got here. That was 2 years ago.”

“Alright, fine. Take him with you. But he’s your responsibility.”

“I know how to handle myself. Like I said, I’ve been here for approximately two years.”

I wanted to let out all of my questions, but decided to drop it for now. I looked at Dashie and nodded once. She nodded back with a warm smile on my behalf. Shadowmere had a smile and a very interested look on his face, for he seemed quite curious about my sister’s background. Reaper didn’t seem to care about any of it.

As dirty as this place was, my long journey payed off better than I’d expected.

We didn’t waste any time and immediately head out. Instead of speaking to my sister, I decided to let my friends get to know her a little better. Shadowmere and Citrine talked for a long time about Earth, humanity, their personal backgrounds and what they missed most from Earth. Shadowmere seemed absolutely delighted talking to her. Meanwhile, Rainbow and I chatted and laughed while Reaper quietly followed without muttering a single word. It was the way he preferred. He wouldn’t talk to anyone but my sister for a reason I’d yet to get an explanation of.

Then Rainbow and my sister talked for an even longer time. They were both excited and didn’t even pause for a second for a breather. They just asked each other endless questions they eagerly wanted answered. For example, Rainbow asked her about life on Earth, what kind of brother I was and how she liked it in Equestria. And for hours my sis asked Rainbow questions she’d been dying to get answered, such as: How we met; why she loved me; what she’d been through; how she became a Wonderbolt and what she thought of the fact that I was once a human.

I talked to Shadowmere in the meantime. I tried to start a conversation with my sister’s companion, but he harshly pointed out that he wanted to be left alone, so I decided to respect his wishes. “So, Shadowmere. How old are you, exactly?”

“You may, or may not believe it. But I’m 29 years old. I was 21 when I was summoned here.” he answered with a small smile.

“What? I thought you were a married father with a child? 35 would seem more likely.”

“Yeah, I got married very young, at the age of 18. We got our first child a year later. I also happened to be one of the best soldiers despite my young age. I was put as the squad leader on our assignment in Russia. And you know the rest.”

“Whoa. So you never really saw your wife or kid due to your service in the army?”

“I did see them from time to time. But not as much as I wanted. That’s one of the downsides of serving in the military. Serving in the army isn’t for everyone, and someone has to do it. I had the will, the body and the determination. That’s why I was one of the best; why I was chosen to lead my squad. There’s no room for a weakness.” he pointed out, still smiling widely. In fact, he hadn’t stopped smiling ever since we met Citrine, my sister.

“You know what makes me happy?” I asked him with a smile of my own. “The fact that you’ve been smiling ever since we left Riften.”

His smile quickly turned into an awkward grin. “Yeah, well, I just realized that you two are the closest thing I got from home. I mean, sure, we’re still strangers. But I have a feeling this is a beginning to a new chapter in my life. I have a feeling that we’ll become close in the future. Does that sound weird to you?”

“No, not at all.” I quickly answered. “To be honest, I’m still quite puzzled about the fact that you’re an assassin who kills without remorse. You seem like a decent guy to me.”

“I never said I killed without remorse.” he answered in a small disapproving manner. “Like I said, I was kind of “raised up” by the Brotherhood. I was lost and confused when I got here. But let’s not talk about that. Tell me, how old are you, Drake?”

“I’m 22--”

“22 years old? Hah! You’re barely an adult!” he interrupted with an amused laugh. “I thought you were a little older than that. Y’know, considering that you’re the dragonborn, married and all that. I expected perhaps around 30 years old.”

“You’ve no right to be surprised!” I objected with a giggle. “We’re both younger than we appear to be it seems.”

Before Shadowmere could answer, still with his wide smile on his face, my sister interrupted with her pure voice, asking Shadowmere: “Can I steal my brother for a sec?”

He answered by gesturing that I was all hers. He walked up to Rainbow and started talking to her again. It seemed like Shadowmere was starting to get more and more open. First time seeing Rainbow, he didn’t really like her that much. Mostly because she was married to me, and that somehow made him dislike her. But now they were actually getting along. They still argued, though. But in an amusing way, meaning I didn’t have to interfere.

“Drake, how were you on Earth? Rainbow told me you went through hell.”

“I... I don’t want to talk about it, if that’s okay with you.”

“Well... alright.” she responded. She paused for a bit with a rather sad facial expression. The fact that I had it rough made her sad. “Our parents didn’t make it, did they?” she added. I slowly shook my head without taking my eyes off her, making her drop her head again in sadness. “Damn.”

I put my hoof gently on her soft mane. “Look, let’s not live in the past. Tell me, how did you end up here? Why are you even here? Is there a purpose for why you were sent to Equestria?”

“I still remember it, Drake.” she responded as she gazed down to the stone made path beneath her. “As if I was really there. I still remember the pieces of our car scattered around us. The cool icy wind. All the blood around me...”

“Sarah--”

“...our unconscious parents in the front seats.” she added in slight anger. She firmly closed her eyes as she gnashed her teeth. “Your screams and cries from your agonizing pain. My agonizing pain. Death slowly taking me into a cold, dark eternal hug.” She looked back at me with tears in her eyes and a facial expression as if she was terrified. “The way you looked into my eyes before I fainted...”

“Sarah! Drop it!” I ordered her harshly. “It’s over! We’re here now. We have each other and that’s all that matters now, damn it!” I stopped, pulled her into a hug and closed my eyes as I tried to remain calm. I did not want an emotional outbreak.

She started sobbing lightly and got a firm grip on my body. She rested her chin on my trapezius with her wet eyes closed. “And please, call me Citrine.” she added in a whimper.

“No. Everyone else can call you that. I’m sticking with Sarah whether you like it or not.” I responded, still in her hold.

I finally opened my eyes and noticed everyone looking at us in dead silence. I could read sympathies all over Rainbow’s and Shadowmere’s faces for they knew what this was all about. Reaper seemed to be a little affected as well, but only because my sister was in tears. He had his forehoof bent forward with his mouth opened a bit, as if he was going to interfere, but decided to let it go. It seems like he really cared about her. He didn’t give a fuck about me though, which I didn’t mind so much anyway.

Rainbow walked up to us and put a hoof on my sister’s back. “I’m sorry.” she whispered to her.

My sister let go of me and inhaled the air without opening her eyes. She sighed it out and awkwardly wiped her tears off her face. She nodded once with a small smile to indicate that she was fine. “Sorry. It’s just that I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

“It’s alright, sis. Now, is there a reason for why you’re here?”

Sarah turned towards Rainbow and smiled. “Thank you, Rainbow.” Dashie returned that smile and gave her a friendly wink, indicating that she'd always be there if she wanted to talk. "And yes... there's a reason for me being here. The voice in my head, presumably some kind of god, told me that my purpose was to work beside the most important person Equestria would ever see. But he didn't tell me when he'd show up, so I had to wait." she explained. “I remember my first moment here, in Equestria. I gasped and breathed in as much oxygen as I could. It was a feeling like I’d been underwater for way too long. I was lying on the grass beneath the warm sun and the cyan sky. At first I thought I was in heaven, since I remembered everything about my death, but that changed after I discovered that I wasn’t even in a human like body anymore. It made me wonder if I was in an afterlife or if I was just dreaming in a hospital back on Earth.

“I noticed my hooves at first, putting me off guard, of course. But after I had accepted the fact that this was all real, I discovered that I had a horn, which meant I was a unicorn. I looked at my flank and noticed that my cutie mark was a red cross. At first thought I connected it with the ability to heal, but I don't have any healing abilities or spells beyond the basic healing ability all unicorns are born with, so, I have no idea what it means. Anyway, I had never felt more alone. I was terrified, lost and weak. I didn’t know what to do or where to go. I couldn’t walk either, since I wasn’t used to four legs. In other words; I felt like I was dying again. I was lucky Reaper stumbled across me, who offered to take care of me.”

“He just came across you?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I felt like a peasant comparing to that big, strong Pegasus. He was so menacing at first glance. Those bright blue eyes of his weren’t malevolent though. He just looked at me with pity as if he recognized me from somewhere. He offered his hoof and took me home to his place in a nice little wooden house in the middle of the forest. He offered me food, shelter and warm blankets. I didn’t know why he was doing this for me, but I happily accepted his assistance. I didn’t have much choice anyways. After I had been fed and rested, he knelt down by my feet and swore an oath of allegiance that he would protect me from any harm; that he would accompany me as a bodyguard if I wished. He also offered me training in combat. Since I didn’t know what the hell was going on, I accepted. Since then we’ve been inseparable. He’s ruthless and has always been alone, so don’t take it personally if he doesn’t like you. You’ll grow on him.”

“Interesting... have you any idea why he helped you?”

She shrugged. “No idea.”

“Sorry to interrupt...”, Shadowmere interfered. “But this is a good spot for camping tonight.”

I looked around to analyze the environment and nodded once to him when I realized he was right. The trees gave us shelter from the wind, there was a lake nearby, and it wasn’t too much in the open, meaning that it would be harder for wanderers to stumble across us. “We’ll stay here for the night. Reaper, Shadowmere, and I will inspect the area for any dangers, and gather wood for the fire while Rainbow and my sister will prepare the tents.”

Everyone had gone to sleep but Sarah and me. Reaper, Shadowmere and Sarah all had their own tents, while Dashie and I just slept in ours. They were all rounded and close to one another to minimize danger and to improve safety. It was best we stayed close. There were many creatures roaming around that could be poisonous, and if one, for example a snake, would enter someone’s tent and bite someone, we could react faster.

The comfortable fire was still burning in the night and kept us warm with its flaming tongues reaching out into the vast atmosphere. Sarah and I remained silent as we sat down on tree stumps and reached out our forehooves to warm us up. Neither of us dared to look at each other by an unknown reason. Maybe we were still a little afraid of each other. But thankfully, she decided to break the silence.

“Had a chat with your girlfriend--, I mean, your wife.” she said in a low voice and in respect for those who were asleep. She didn’t want to wake anyone up.

“I noticed...”

“She told me you had it rough. I want to know.” she added without looking at me.

I sighed deeply and looked at her with guilt. She has the rights to know. “Don’t tell anyone, but... I even tried to kill myself, Sarah.” I whimpered barely audibly. “I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

She slowly turned her head in disbelief towards me and opened her mouth a bit with a pitiful look on her face. “What?”

I nodded once before shaking my head in embarrassment. “It was a stupid thing to attempt. I tried to hang myself. The rope broke and I lived.”

She walked over to me with a disappointing facial expression before slapping me once across my face. I closed my eyes. I deserved that. Then she sat down next to me and hugged me in compassion. “Let’s not get into that. It’s all behind us now. I’m sorry I brought it up. If you don’t want to talk about what happened, that’s fine. Tell me, how did you meet Rainbow Dash?”

I gave her a small smile for understanding me. “I thought she already told you about how we met.”

“She did. I just want to hear your version of it.” she said with a small laugh.

“Twilight introduced us. I met Twilight after I fainted just outside of Ponyville the same hour I was drafted into Equestria. She took care and nursed me back to health. Then we found out I was the prophecy they’d been waiting for. I met Celestia who ordered me to stay in Ponyville and get some new friends. That’s why Twilight decided to introduce me to her friends; the rest of the mane 6.” I cockily explained. “Anyway, Rainbow and I immediately got along. She challenged me into a race I denied at first. But the very same evening I decided to race her because I wanted to enjoy my staying here.”

“Yeah, you mocked and gave her a piece of her own medicine, I heard.” Sarah added in amusement. “You won her because you crashed into your own death because you wouldn’t slow down? Seriously, you should stop liking death so much.” she added in laughter.

“Heh... precisely. Rainbow felt extremely bad for what had happened. She blamed herself and wept for my death day and night until I got revived. We had a very emotional driven conversation in Canterlot, in the royal room where I was put in. We hugged each other tightly, and from that moment Rainbow realized that she was more than a little interested in me. I, however, only saw her as a friend at the time. Before she left she kissed my cheekbone. The next days I went out for a journey with Twilight and Applejack. I barely ate anything when I started that trip and I barely ate anything on our way there. On our way home I fainted in a desert just outside of Canterlot. Rainbow saved my life by helping me get to the hospital. When I woke up I felt for Rainbow’s hoof on mine. As soon as I looked at her I realized that it was destined for us to be a little more than just friends. She had this beautiful smile, full of passion and loyalty. It told me that she was ready to give her life for me if it came down to that. And that very thought touched me deeply. It affected my heart, you know. The fact that she cared about me was so overwhelming, I couldn’t do anything but love her back. So that’s where we had our first kiss...” I explained in small embarrassment.

My sister sighed in adorableness and gave me a small warming smile. “D’aww...”

“So yeah... I bet Rainbow told you about the rest.”

“Yeah, she told me about the time you explained to her that you were once a human.” she added a small amused smile. “She even told me about your little moment afterwards...” she laughed.

My eyes widened and my pupils shrunk as I started to blush. “R-really? Goddamn-- that’s nobody’s business. Why would she do that?” She let out an even louder laugh, but watched out not to wake up anyone. “H-how about you and Reaper? Anything between you two? You must be, what, 20 years old now? How old is he?”

“I’m 21. And no, there’s nothing between me and Reaper and there never will be. He’s like a father to me.” she answered hastily. “Well, I’m going to sleep. You better get some rest too.” With that, she vanished into her tent, leaving me alone under the vast starry sky.

I decided to do the same thing. As I was about to leave, my sister poked her head out of her tent. “Drake, do you really have your iPod with you? I mean, back at your place?” she asked in small excitement. I nodded with a smile, making her squee before vanishing back into her tent.

I slowly entered my own tent and lay down next to my sleeping Dashie. I wrapped my hoof around her and closed my eyes.

“Thank you for waking me up.” murmured Rainbow in sarcasm, still half asleep.

I gave her mane a gentle kiss and shushed at her. “Go back to sleep.” I responded with an inaudible laugh.

In a not so far away distance we all saw it: Ponyville. My sister gasped a bit when she saw it. She’d never been there before, although she knew it existed. But the part she was most excited about was that she’d get to meet my friends; the mane 6.

The weather was as good as ever. However, I heard that the Pegasi were planning on setting up rainclouds over Ponyville so the plants wouldn’t dry out. I didn’t mind it, though. It was good getting away from the sun from time to time. A little variety didn’t hurt.

I was still a bit nervous about the thing that Bloodlust guy told me the other day. He said there was a bounty on my head; dead or alive. Was it the same criminal organization whose boss I killed? Was it another gang? I wasn’t afraid, but I was still a little worried what they had up their sleeves. What are they trying to do? Destroy my reputation?

“Hmm... we haven’t been into any dangers on our way to Ponyville.” I said to Rainbow in a thoughtful manner. “Don’t you think it’s too easy?”

As soon as I let go of the word, a roar of a big dragon could be heard from afar. Rainbow rolled her eyes and locked them into mine with small amusement. “You just had to jinx it.” she laughed.

The dragon was heading this way, but it wasn’t any ordinary dragon. This one was a blood dragon. In other words, he was supposed to be a tough son of a bitch.

Everyone unsheathed their weapons. The one who got my attention was Reaper though. That scythe of his was even bigger than him. About his scythe: its blade was made of a material unknown to Equestria. It didn’t even have a name. It was the sharpest thing I’d ever seen in my life. “Bucking dragon...” moaned Reaper. “If it tries to harm Citrine, I’ll tear its spine out with my bare hooves.”

“It’s alright, Reaper. I’ve been getting lessons from you. I think I could take on a worm!”

“A normal worm, perhaps. But this is a blood dragon, one of the toughest in their ranks. You can’t win this one.” he explained. “Everyone get back. I got this.” he added with a furious looking frown on his face. We didn’t obey him at first. He turned around to look at us with his evil stare and repeated with a hateful growl. “Get...the buck... back!” Nobody dared objecting, so we all backed off as the dragon approached with its menacing roars. “Come at me, you big ugly piece of meat!” he added to himself in a whisper. I noticed his scythe starting to glow red. Reaper had a firm hold on the handle and as soon as the dragon got up to him he unleashed dark magic I’d never witnessed before. Two voids of some kind appeared by the dragon’s sides. Out of those voids appeared big demon-like hands with huge claws. But it wasn’t in a physical form; more of in a spiritual form. They got a firm grip on the dragon, making the beast screech. Reaper angrily shouted as the two spirit like hands ripped the dragon apart, summoning gushes of blood and gore all around us. Fortunately, we escaped being bathed in that filth.

Everyone, including me, stood still as statues as we gasped in disbelief. At first I didn’t mind Reaper, but now that I’ve seen for myself how powerful his scythe was, I didn’t dare do anything but to admire him and his weapon. I was full of awe.

Reaper fell down on his knees and panted for breath as soon as the voids and the demon claws disappeared back from whence they came. My sister ran up to him and helped him on his feet again. Rainbow eagerly followed with a small angry frown on her face. “What the hell was that?” she asked. “This weapon of yours is certainly not made in a holy environment, nor is it from Equestria. Where did you get this scythe?”

“That is none of your damn business!” he spat out. “Now, get out of my way, you rainbow maned bitch, and be thankful that I saved your sorry flank.”

“Fuck you, foal! I could’ve made him eat his own stomach!” Rainbow objected in anger. “You think you have any power over us because you got a shiny toy?”

“Drake, can you shut your mare’s mouth? This ungrateful bastard is starting to annoy me.” Reaper answered, looking deep into my eyes with his eyes full of anger. “Really though, you should teach your mare some manners.”

“You don’t scare me! I’ve faced worse enemies than you. Come at me you bucking pussy and let’s see who really is the toughest--”

“Oh, both of you, shut the fuck up!” I answered in an anger of my own. “The last thing we need is a dispute! Rainbow...” I added and stormed up to her until I was only inches away from her face. “Keep your nose out of his things. It is none of your business what he owns.” Rainbow exhaled the air in annoyance with a big frown. I turned around and walked over to Reaper. “And you... don’t you ever talk down to my wife like that ever again. Or there won’t be anything on the face of this earth that can save you from me. Not even this scythe of yours.” I growled angrily at him. Reaper just nodded once without looking into my eyes.

“I think all they need is a dance!” added Shadowmere in a small laugh. “Nothing like blowing off steam at the dance floor.” We all snapped our eyes at him in anger, warning him that we were in no mood for jokes. He apologized with an awkward giggle.

Before we picked up our trail, I automatically absorbed the dragon’s soul, making me feel slightly more powerful than moments ago.

Rainbow caught up and walked beside me. “I’m sorry... I just lost control. I wasn’t thinking straight. But you can’t blame me! We just witnessed paranormal demon hands rip a fuckin’ dragon apart! It’s not everyday that--” she paused and sighed. “Anyways, I want to thank you for putting a stop to the madness.”

I tried to be as mild as I could despite the fact that I was still pissed off. “It’s alright, my dear. I don’t like his weapon either, but I assure you that he knows what he’s doing. I think he can be trusted for now.” I took a look at my sister who seemed to be upset about what happened. “Excuse me, Rainbow.” I added. Rainbow gave me a small smile before nodding once.

“I can explain.” my sister hesitantly said as I approached her with an angry frown. “Look, I was gonna tell you about that--”

“Tell me his powers aren’t limitless. Tell me he’s not a threat to me and my friends!”

“He’s not a threat! I’ve known him ever since I was reborn and I can with pure conscious say that he’s as kind as a lamb once you get to know him”. she objected.

“What about his scythe? What the hell was that?”

“That was just one of many things he can do with it. Don’t worry about it, the scythe needs to recharge which normally takes a full day. In the meantime he uses it like any other weapon.” she hastily explained. She got even more agitated when she noticed my facial expression, as if I was planning on something she wouldn’t approve of. “No. No, Drake! Don’t you dare steal it from him. You’ve no idea who he is and I recommend you leave him alone. In fact, I demand you to leave him be!”

“Hey, easy there. I wasn’t planning on robbing him.” I answered meekly. I shook my head once in annoyance. “Just make sure we don’t have to put him down.” I noticed that she was going to object but I left her without another word. I made my way up to Reaper, still as angry as ever. “You owe me an explanation!”

“Back off, pretty colt.” he answered, giving only a glimpse of his eyes as he gnawed his teeth in annoyance. “I don’t owe you shit.”

Instead of creating another pointless argument that would get us nowhere, I decided to do the smart thing and walk away. I trotted again to Rainbow for I wasn’t in the mood for talking to anyone else than her. “That guy’s an ass.” I muttered in my angriness.

“Tell me about it...” Rainbow added as she rolled her eyes. “Let’s just get to Ponyville, get rid of the mob behind us and go to our place. Just the two of us.”

“I like that plan.” I pointed out, a little calmer, but still as mad as before. “Just the two of us.”

We had arrived to Ponyville at last. My sister had her eyes and mouth wide open in amazement. She pointed at the ponies she recognized from the show and squeed a bit in awe. It amused me, since it reminded me how I felt back when I was new in Equestria.

Reaper’s scythe seemed to absorb all the attention from the ponies around us. Some even fled the scene to safety just because of its menacing appearance.

I stopped for a second when I realized one thing. Where would my companions sleep for the night? They couldn’t all stay at Twilight’s. But I was mostly worried about my sister. I would happily offer her a place at my home, but she wasn’t a Pegasus, so there was no way she could stay in Cloudsdale. But she had been here for two years under Reaper’s protection. So I bet she could take care of herself.

“Sarah, Shadowmere and Reaper. Where are you going to stay at?” I asked a little worriedly.

“Oh, yeah.. I haven’t thought about that.” admitted Shadowmere with a silly looking grin.

“Don’t worry about us, Drake. Reaper and I will rent our own rooms at the inn like we’ve always done.”

I nodded. “Good.” I turned to face Shadowmere. “Shadowmere, I bet my friend Twilight Sparkle can take you in for the night.”

“I appreciate that.” he answered with a smile. “Shouldn’t we have a talk with her first or something?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.” I agreed with a smile of my own. “You coming, sis?”

She regretfully shook her head. “As much as I want to meet them, not today. I’m feeling way too tired. I’m just going to rent a room at the inn and get some sleep. You go ahead though, I’ll just meet her tomorrow.” she answered with a yawn.

We all hugged each other before we parted, except that I hoofbumped Shadowmere and gave Reaper a quick nod. I wasn’t very fond of that guy, but I didn’t want to make any enemies so I decided to try my best to be reasonable with him.

Rainbow and my sister seemed to have the longest hug. Apparently they already seemed pretty fond of each other, which was a good thing. I really wanted them to get along. Friendship has been proved to be very crucial in Equestria. If it weren’t for my friends, I’ve been dead already. I owed them all my life.

I dropped Shadowmere off at Twilight’s who seemed more than happy to take him in for the night. She was quite startled at first, though, considering that both Shadowmere and I were wearing the Dark Brotherhood uniform, so I had to explain the whole story to her.

She was also quite interested in Shadowmere’s eyes. She let out a theory about why that might be, but I stopped her with a laugh before she could go any further.

Rainbow and I both gave Twilight a hug before we left. So many hugs, I could never get bored of it.

Rainbow and I didn’t stop by anywhere. We decided to immediately go home for a rest. After all, it was getting dark and the town was slowly going to sleep. Nothing was open during the nights but the bar and I had no urge for a drink.

The door to our apartment was stiff as usual, so I had to give it a gentle push. A part of me also expected the apartment to be a little messy since Daring Do had been using it. But to my surprise, it was as clean as ever. It was like she’d been expecting us because everything was as we left it and she wasn’t visible anywhere, which meant that she was in her room, presumably asleep. I did notice that my iPod wasn’t located at the same place I left it, though, which meant that she had been listening to it. I couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say about it.

With our hooves tracing along the ground, we headed straight for the bed.

“So... what do you think of my sister?” I asked, resting my head on my left hoof under the blanket as I looked at her face.

“She’s awesome. She really is. I think we’ll get along just fine.”

“That’s good.” I answered with a relieved smile. “How did she react to our marriage? What did she tell you?”

“It’s funny, I thought she’d disapprove of it. Seeing as you’re, well, not originated from Equestria.” she explained with a somewhat embarrassed laugh. “She took it well. In fact, she was thrilled. I have no idea why.”

“Let’s just go with that you’re famous throughout Equestria and that she’s a fan of yours.” I answered with a grin. “Now... there’s been an awfully long time since I had any privacy with you.” I added and winked.

“Ooh, I thought you were tired and wanted to go straight to sleep.” she pointed out, nearing me with her interested look.

“Exceptions can be made.” I whispered back and kissed her. She wrapped her hooves around me and answered by doing the same.

The door... someone’s at the door. They’re evil; malevolent. They want to hurt us. They want to kill us. Wake up, Drake! They’re breaking in. They want revenge. I know they’re there but I can’t wake up. They’re coming for both of us. The sound of steel; the sound of chainsaw. Visions of tests... visions of them crippling us... I can’t do anything about it... they’re coming. I can see it. In a matter of minutes they’ll break up the door... they’ll imprison us. Torture us. Make us their lab rats. It’s time to wake up, Drake! Wake...the...FUCK... UP!

“Wake up, Rainbow!” I shouted loudly in panic and quickly opened my eyes as soon as I was able to tear myself from the dreamworld.

Rainbow immediately woke up with a startled shout, gasping in panic of her own.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I noticed four evil looking stallions in our apartment, staring at us with their bloodlustful eyes. They were dressed in black and equipped with weapons and other equipment to imprison us with. In my fear, I Shouted: “FUS... RO D--” but before I could let it out, I was attacked and choked with a cloth by one of the stallions, cutting me off and interrupting my attempt to Shout them away.

“No!” Rainbow shouted in a small panic of her own. She tried knocking them off, but those guys had had special training in combat situations. They knew exactly what they were doing, and since neither of us expected that, they succeeded in imprisoning us.

From the other side of the room I noticed Daring Do with a shocked gesture on her face. It looks like the ones trying to abduct us hadn’t noticed her.

She quietly went to the kitchen and came back gnawing on a handle of a big, sharp kitchen knife. I subtly shook my head and signified her with my look that she should seek help instead. Daring Do fearfully nodded and quietly slipped past them and out the front door.

Rainbow and I looked at each other, telling one another with our eyes that everything was going to be fine. After they had tied our hooves they put bags over our heads. We tried to struggle some more, but that was a bad decision, because I was sent back straight to the dream world by a knock on my head.

Next Chapter: Chapter 14: An Unforgotten Past - Part 2 Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 57 Minutes