I wake up with cold sweats screaming from a bad nightmare; still shaking and trembling. I cover my teary eyes with my hooves and pant. The nightmare was about that terrible race incident.

I wish I could take it all back. I wish I hadn't challenged him to a race in the first place. He'd still be alive if I hadn't been so damn arrogant and selfish. I feel like his death was all my fault and I was really starting to like that guy. Especially after I saw how determined he was to beat me. I hadn't known him for very long, but it still felt that way. I'd never met a pony as determined; as eager as him before, well...besides myself, but now he's dead.

His blood is on my hooves I think to myself as I shiver. I don't even know why I haven't been made an outlaw from both Cloudsdale and Ponyville. I killed Drake. I... I killed him.

“It's all my fault.” I sob. I hadn't stopped crying since I came home. “I'm so, so sorry.”

In the middle of my endless sorrow someone knocks on the door. At first I decide to ignore it. To just let that person go away for I am in no mood for a company. I want to dwell in my own misery alone.

“A message for Rainbow Dash.” a voice comes from the other side of the door. “Important.”

I sigh in relief. At least it isn't someone trying to comfort me. I guess I'll just take the letter and try to get some sleep or something.

I slowly fly up to the stiff door and open it.

“Here you go.” she hands me the letter. I give her some change as a tip.

“Thank you, Derpy.” I say, trying not to show my misery.

Derpy Hooves smiles at me and nods before flying away. I close the door and walk back inside my apartment, then sit down on my sofa and read the following:

“Dear Rainbow Dash.

I know you're blaming yourself for what happened yesterday and for that I don't judge you. It's only natural that you feel sad about what happened. But please; Don't let it control your life. You can't let this be your burden. You have to move on. I told you yesterday to go home and get some rest. Meanwhile when you were at home sleeping, the others and I moved Drake's body to Canterlot where there is still a slight hope for him to come back. We'll try our best to bring him back. But I repeat: This wasn't your fault and you can't dwell in the past. It was just an accident and there's nothing you could have done about it.

P.S: Expect more letters from me soon. In the meantime, try to stay calm at home. It'll make you feel better.

Your friend always,

Twilight Sparkle.”

I stare at the words; “Slight hope for him to come back.” Why would they try to bring him back? He's not the first pony to die. Why resurrect him, instead of anypony else? How was he different from them? Even though I want to believe that they are trying to bring him back, I don't buy it. Twilight's probably trying to cheer me up or something. I appreciate the thought, but I just killed a pony, and it's not something I can easily put aside.

I put the letter away and jump into the king sized bed. It took some time, but I finally manage to fall asleep.

________________________________________________________________________________

There has always been a debate on Earth about what happened after death. Many believed there was no life after death. Others believed that people who died with good deeds went to heaven whilst the criminals went to hell. Some believed in the resurrection. Either way, they're all wrong. Well, maybe they're right. But not here. Not here in Equestria. How do I know? Because I experienced death myself...

I woke up, lying on the ground in an unknown environment. The sky was dark blue and graced with beautiful and colorful Northern Lights. I was surrounded by tall mountains, trees and a lot of smoke. This wasn't Equestria, not at all. This was another place, and I didn't know how I got here. I didn't even remember what happened. Why did I wake up in this place? Where were my new friends? But then it hit me, and I remembered what happened. I was racing Rainbow Dash and I...I crashed into my brutal death because I wanted to win it. I died because I wanted to win a race! How lame was that? I didn't even know whether I won the race or not.

No... I can't be dead, I am the prophecy they'd been waiting for. I... I'm the Dragonborn and my destiny is to slay the evil dragon; Alduin. I can't be dead, I just can't, I thought to myself, and I hit the ground with my front hooves in disappointment.

In a faraway distance I saw him. I was certain that it was him. It was Alduin, flying there with his big and terrifying wings. He was as black as a shadow.

Even though he was very far away, I could still hear him roar. It was painful to listen to, much like the roars from the Nazguls in 'The Lord of the Rings'.

After what seemed like ten minutes, he disappeared from my sight. I stood up dizzily and tried to analyze the place a little better. I turned around to see a very tall palace. I used my wings to heave myself up from the ground. Why use legs when I have my wings?

I flew up to the entrance, but there was a pony guarding it. He was the largest and biggest pony I've ever seen. He could have been as big as Celestia. I walked up to him with hesitation. He looked at me like he was going to attack me. As I was about to ask him where I was, he spoke: “What brings you, wayfarer grim, to wander here, in Sovngarde, souls-end, Shor's gift to honor the dead?”

I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. Wander here in Sovngarde? Was I in a place called Sovngarde? What was he talking about? “Who are you? What is your name and where am I?”

“I'm Tsun. The guardian of the Hall of Valor. None shall pass without my approval.”

“I didn't say I wanted to enter, I just want to--”  It was of no use, so I decided it to be better to get into the palace and talk to someone with a little more sense. “Alright, can I enter the Hall of Valor?” I asked and hoped he would just let me pass without a trouble. He looked at me with a weird look, like I was fucking with him or something.

“By degree of Shor, none may pass this perilous bridge 'til I judge them worthy by the warrior's test.” he replied coldly. Then, without any warning, he drew his battleaxe out. I slowly backed away from him, but as I backed away, he started inhaling the air and shouted “Fus... Ro Dah!” at me. The force from that shout shoved me into the air and launched me far away from him. The impact from that force on me hurt, but I got wings, so I used them for my aid.

He was big, tall, merciless, and wielded a power I've never seen before. A powerful voice. But what surprised me more was how he could move despite wielding a two-hande...eh, I mean two-hooved weapon.

So the stallion, who told me about how Ulfric used the way of the voice to kill the king, didn't lie after all.

I didn't want to fight him. I panicked since I had no experience in fighting as a human, let alone a pony. But I had to. After all, I was the Dragonborn. And if my friends in Ponyville somehow managed to revive me and bring me back to them, I still had to kill Alduin sooner or later. So, Tsun was a good practice.

I carefully landed. I needed to use tactics against him. I needed to think of something!

I saw him running towards me, with his big rusty battleaxe. I found it pretty hilarious how he moved. That big battleaxe was in his way, yet he had no trouble moving. I didn't even know how that was possible. How could a pony wield two-hooved weapon?

I decided to wait until he was about to hit me with his battleaxe, but as soon as he went for the blow, I dodged it and flew straight up into the air. It looked like he was stunned by how quick and swift I was. That's it! I had to be quick and make him confused. When he'd be confused enough I would just hit him as hard as I could and knock him out.

I flew past him a couple of times. He tried to catch me, but to no avail. Then he tried to shout at me with his powerful voice, but I managed to dodge that too. At last I quickly flew past him again and up to his back without him even noticing. This was my chance. I tried to do what Applejack would do. Instead of punching, I kicked him as hard as I could.

I knocked him down to the ground, but he wasn't out yet. I flew up in the air and launched myself with great speed at him whilst he was still down.

I held him down with my body weight and started punching the shit out of his face. I must have punched him nonstop for something about 5 minutes or so. He finally managed to tell me to stop. “I yield! I yield.” he shouted.

Before I got off him, I punched him one more time. My hooves hurt like hell, but at least I was in better condition than he was in. He panted and wiped the blood off his face. But it wasn't swollen.

Did I really do that? His face looked like smashed tomatoes due to all the blood. It kind of surprised me that he still had blood. Wasn't he a ghost or something if this was the land of the dead? Why would he bleed? I thought about it for a while, but eventually let it be. After he had wiped all the blood off his face, he started laughing. Not at me, but it was a laugh of approval and respect. “You have shown that you're worthy enough to enter.” he stated and got out of my way. He completely ignored me after that. He just sat down and stared at the stars. I really wanted to apologize for being so harsh, but it would look bad. I needed to look tough to enter anyways; best I kept it that way.

I walked up to the bridge. It was made of dragon bones and was very dangerous, as it was quite a distance to fall if one would slip. Well, it wasn't dangerous for me, since I had wings.

I flew over the bridge, and landed on the other side. I walked up some stairs, before reaching two enormous doors. It surprised me how easy it was to open the door. I expected to waste all my energy in just opening that single door.

I was immediately greeted by a strange pony. He was very friendly, yet his appearance was somehow terrifying. “Welcome, Dragonborn! Our door has stood empty since Alduin first set his soul-snare here. By Shor's command we sheathed our blades and ventured not in the vale's dark mists.” He said with a strong Nordic accent.

Not him too... wasn't anypony in there who could speak proper English? I didn't understand what was going on.

I looked around to see that everybody was having a feast. Everypony was drinking mead and eating... vegetables? That feast would've been perfect with some meat. But they're ponies, and ponies are vegetarians, so it was already perfect for them.

“How did you know I am Dragonborn?” I started off by asking. I knew that this pony would give me some answers, but I needed to know where I was first. He didn't answer my question though. He just smiled at me.

“My name is Ysgramor. I welcome you to the Hall of Valor!” he shouted, making everypony cheer.

Wow, this was weird and a little awkward for me. I seriously hoped to get out of that place. I didn't want to spend an eternity in there. “Uhh... thanks, I guess.” I said confusedly.

“But three await your word...” before he could continue I cut him off.

“Just tell me their names.” I said straight out. I expected him to hesitate, or his smile to wipe off, but he just stood there, still smiling at me.

“At the end of the room. Three await you. Hakon One-Eye, Felldir the Old and Gormlaith Golden-Hilt. Go now, and seek them.” he answered and left me before I could ask another question.

I prayed that they weren't as difficult in understanding as Ysgramor and Tsun had been. I walked past everypony who were sitting next to the long table, eating like they hadn't eaten for months, and to the three mysterious ponies.

One of them came up to me and knelt like I was a royal. Then the other two came up to me and did the same. Before I could ask why they were kneeling, Gormlaith interrupted me. “It's an honor to have you with us.” she said. “Aye.” the other two agreed.

I didn't ask why, as I clearly got the clue. They knelt because they knew they were talking to the Dragonborn. That didn't feel right, though. What they probably expected in me was a mighty warrior. A leader. I was no warrior, and I certainly was no leader. Not yet anyways.

I raised my hoof to tell them to stand up. They all nodded and did as I commanded.

“Dragonborn,” Hakon suddenly said and looked at me. “We know your time hasn't come. Yet here you are, in Sovngarde?” he asked with his deep Viking voice.

I sighed and got a little embarrassed. I did not want to explain to them how I died. Not to them. They'd probably rage at me for being an idiot. It's what I deserved but it wasn't necessary, was it?

“It's a long story.” I said and hoped they would be satisfied by that answer.

“I sense no dragon soul in you. This clearly isn't your time if you hadn't killed a single dragon!” Felldir the Old said harshly.

“Look, we haven't got much time. Alduin has returned and you still need a lot of practice. We cannot delay any further.” Hakon added as he paced around.

“Your friends are going to get you out of here. You will return to the land of the living. But please, be more careful from now on.” Gormlaith said. “And one other thing. After you wake up, you must travel to the North-East of Canterlot. Bring no more than two companions with you, as this journey might be too dangerous for a big group.” she added.

“North-East? I need more details than that.”

“You'll know what I'm talking about. There's a mountain in that direction you can't miss. A mountain unlike any other. There's a treasure located at the peak of that mountain, and more...surprises. You can keep everything you find up there. Just put it in good use.” she explained and cracked up a smile at me.

“Well, thank you for your generosity, but what do you mean by more surprises?” I asked a little worried, yet curiously at the same time.

“You'll see.”

Then suddenly I dropped to my knees. It was happening again. The same feeling I felt for when I was pulled into Equestria. I started gagging and I had trouble breathing, like last time. Everything around me was starting to blur.

“Until next time, Dragonborn.” Hakon said and knelt once again. As did the others.

Everything was black. Pure darkness, as I gained my consciousness. I felt very weak and the first emotion I felt for was hunger. Extreme hunger. It was so strange to wake up so suddenly like that. I didn't know where I was, how I got here, what time it was, what date: nothing. I was completely clueless. But one thing I knew. I was back to Equestria. I just felt it.

I knew I wasn't the only one in the room. There were perhaps two or three here with me. But I didn't dare peeking to check whether I was right or not. It seemed like they didn't know that I was awake, since I didn't move and I kept my eyes shut.

“How long will he be out? Why hasn't he woken up already?” I knew that voice. That was definitely Twilight's.

“Only time will tell. We're just going to have to wait. You know, you don't have to be here. It may be that he won't wake up until after a month or so.” Another voice added. I was pretty sure that it belonged to Celestia, judging by the smoothness.

“I'm not going anywhere! I was there when he died, and I'll be there when he wakes up!” another voice said with more determination and power. “After all, it's my fault that he's in this condition! It's my fault that he died!” Yes, there was no doubt that it was Rainbow Dash.

I really should let them know that I had woken up, but I was curious to see where this conversation was heading.

“It wasn't your fault, Rainbow.” Twilight pointed out.

She flew up to Twilight and looked at her very coldly. “Of course it was my fault! Stop trying to tell me otherwise! I'm not stupid! I know that if I hadn't challenged him into a race, he'd still be alive!”

“But he is alive. And you couldn't have known that he would crash into his own death!” Twilight nearly shouted. I thought about interrupting that moment right there, but I was interrupted by Rainbow Dash.

“He was dead. I killed him. And nothing is going to change that fact. Even though he'll be fine and better than ever, I will always be haunted by guilt for the rest of my life.” Rainbow stated, still staring at her with her cold eyes.

Twilight was getting pretty pissed. “You didn't kill him, damn it! It was an accident, and there's nothing you could have done about it!”

“That's where you're wrong, Twilight! I could have done...something! If I hadn't been so...”

Now it was Celestia's turn to interrupt. It was getting pretty annoying listening to them arguing about whether she killed me or not anyways. In fact, it was my own damn fault. Rainbow didn't come near it.

“My little ponies! Please?” she asked, and by that she insisted that they stopped arguing. Twilight and Rainbow both nodded quickly.

This was my time to act. I started off by opening my eyes. Next, I inhaled the air and started coughing.

Everypony in the room jumped to their feet and ran towards the bed. They all stared at me in disbelief at first for a couple of seconds, but then Twilight snapped out of it and ordered Rainbow Dash to go tell the others. Rainbow Dash completely ignored her. She just stared at me with her mouth wide open.

Now that I knew that she had been blaming herself for what happened to me, I just had to tease her a little. I cracked up a very weak smirk. “Did I win?” I asked with my hoarse voice. That made Rainbow Dash both smile and chuckle very feebly. “Yes...” she admitted and closed her eyes. Maybe she was ashamed, or maybe she didn't want to hear me brag, like she was used to do. But I sensed the slight sadness in her voice, and that made me want to comfort her.

'So I really did win that race... worth it!' I thought to myself and giggled softly.

Rainbow didn't notice Twilight staring at her at first. After something about a whole minute she noticed it. She chuckled  awkwardly “Oh, yeah. Tell the others.” she muttered, and flew straight out as fast as she could. She even left a trail of rainbow.

“Anyways, how are you? How do you feel? Are you OK?” Twilight asked very excited.

I cleared my throat. “I'm fine thanks to you all. I cannot thank you enough, but how did you bring me back?” I asked very curiously. I bet Celestia had something to do with it.

The princess of the sun approached me. “Twilight, how about you tell him about what happened?”

Twilight nodded in a response. “Long story short. Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Spike and I moved your body to Canterlot--”

“Where was Rainbow Dash? What happened after the race?” I interrupted. It was unintended, but the curiosity got the better of me. Why wasn't Rainbow with them? Did something happen to her?

Twilight turned her head sideways three times to make sure she hadn't returned.

“Don't tell her anything, but... she kind of lost control after the incident. It took four strong guards to keep her down. She didn't come with us because we ordered her to go home and rest. She blamed herself for what happened and has been depressed ever since. But I think she'll be OK from now on, now that you're back. Please, even though I know it wasn't either your or her fault, please just accept her apology and apologize to her for taking a risk or whatever. Just say something; talk to her. It will make her feel a lot better.”

Wow... I didn't know what to say. I didn't know this would impact her this much. If I had known, I wouldn't have done what I did.

“Oh... I- I will.” I responded almost speechlessly.

“Now, where was I... Ah, yes. Celestia had ordered us to deliver your body to her. She had already heard about what happened and--”

“Why?” I interrupted again.

“Because we couldn't just let you die. You're the Dragonborn and we needed to try something to revive you.” Celestia answered. And the way she said it indicated that she wasn't very pleased. Judging by the look on her face, she wasn't very happy for what had happened. But I deserved that. I was selfish, and didn't think about the consequences that could have occurred.

“I'm sorry, princess. I'm sorry I risked my life in a...race.” I muttered the last word and bowed my head.

The princess cracked up a small smile. “You were just having fun with your new friends. I understand that. You couldn't have known...”

“Anyways, how did you bring me back?”

“It was much harder than I originally thought. Luna and I had to hit you with everything we had. It drained all our energy. But fortunately, we still had enough to raise the sun and moon. And be grateful. It took so much of our energy and powers that we had almost given up on you. At the very last second we found a pulse, but that wasn't enough. We still needed to fix your body. Twilight here had to do it, because Luna and I were too exhausted. It took her a couple of hours to fix your bones, wings, and everything else. As far as I can tell you'll be better than ever. You won't have a scar to slow you down, and your wings, which were in the worst condition, are also as good as new. You won't have any difficulty in using them.”

That made me feel bad, and it was clear that I underestimated how important I was to them. I wasn't only important to Ponyville, but to whole of Equestria. I was the hope and the prophecy they'd been waiting for. I was their guardian and protector.

“I... I'm sorry.” I said again, ashamed of my actions.

“Just try not to get yourself killed. I'm afraid that we won't be able to bring you back again if you die.” Celestia said, and looked at me with a serious expression.

“I'll be more careful from now on.” I vowed.

“After we fixed you up, we knew that we had to wait for you to snap out of the coma. It could have lasted forever, but fortunately you were only out for 28 days.”

28 days? That didn't make any sense. As far as I could tell, I was only for about an hour or so in Sovngarde.

“But...but....”

“But you were only in Sovngarde. Yes, I know. The time in the land of the dead is much slower to pass than here, in Equestria. Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have to leave. The sun can't raise itself.” she pointed out and nodded before leaving.

The silence took over again for some time. I waited patiently for Twilight to break that silence, but when she didn't, I decided to do it myself.

“I'm sorry...”

That got Twilight's attention. “Sorry for what?” she asked curiously.

“I'm sorry for being a fool, I'm sorry for making you go through all that after everything you had done for me, and I'm sorry that I hurt Rainbow Dash. I wish I could go back and just... prevent the race from ever happening.”

“Please, you're starting to sound like her. It wasn't your fault. It was an accident, they happen all the time.” she pointed out very calmly, yet with some power in her voice.

“Alright.” I muttered, even though I knew that it was indeed all my fault. “But can you tell me where I am right now?”

“You're inside the royal palace.” she answered. “Try to relax.”

“I've been asleep for 28 days. I don't feel like sleeping anymore.” I pointed out.

“No, you were in a coma for 28 days. Being in a coma isn't the same as sleeping; a coma doesn't replenish your strengths or energy. You need some sleep.” she explained, and I figured out that she was right. I felt very weak, like I hadn't slept for ages. But I wasn't tired at all.

“I guess you're right. But I'm starving, and I need to eat something before I go to sleep.” I said, and just after I said that we both heard my stomach growl, making Twilight chuckle.

“Yes, that's true. You haven't eaten anything for almost a month now. I'll go get your food. Wait here, I won't be gone for long.” she said and walked out of the room before I could even utter a single word.

After what seemed like an hour, Twilight finally returned with my food. It was a salad with plenty of vegetables mixed in. I appreciated that she had brought me some food, but I needed more than just a salad. I needed a steak, some meat. But I knew that wasn't an option, so the salad had to do for now.

I finished eating in a matter of seconds, but that salad didn't do much. I was still very hungry.

“Thank you.”

“No problem. Just go get your nap.” Twilight insisted.

“Can you wake me up when everypony arrives? Please, I want to meet them all.” I asked.

Twilight smirked. “Sure.”

________________________________________________________________________________

I fly against the wind towards Ponyville, but it doesn't slow me down. As always, it's comfortable to feel for the breeze against my face.

But I'm still worried. I don't know what to tell Drake when I return. Will he be mad at me? Maybe he won't ever want to see me again! I shake my head. No, he must understand. At least I hope he does...

I don't know how or why, but I'm starting to... I shake my head again. I'm an idiot. I barely even know this guy! I just met him and challenged him to a race. Nothing more.

But there's still this feeling that keeps bothering me. I don't even know what it is. Whatever it is, I just want to get rid of it. I... I want to go up to him and--

I shake my head once again, a little harsher than before. “Concentrate Rainbow, concentrate! I'm not myself! I just need to stay focused. He's back, and I don't have to be depressed anymore. After all, I'm sure I'm just nervous, that's all. Besides, I'm Rainbow friggin' Dash! The best flier in all of Equestria!”

I try hiding myself behind my pride but deep down inside I know something isn't right...

________________________________________________________________________________

I was woken up by a loud noise and it really got me startled. I opened my eyes, only to be greeted by faces of five friendly ponies. Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Twilight Sparkle. They were just inches away from my face and it was quite uncomfortable.

“Ever heard about personal space?” I asked and pushed them all away gently.

I looked out the big windows and noticed that it was already night time. The moon was as big as ever and gracing the skies alongside the stars. How long have I been out? I only just noticed now how big the room was. Paintings on the walls, vases and all kinds of expensive shit everywhere. That room was truly fitting for a king or a queen.

Pinkie Pie started laughing and jumped right at me. She hugged me, and not lightly. She was much stronger than she appeared to be. She practically crushed me.

“Welcome back to the living!” she shouted. "How does it feel being a zombie?" she added with a very loud laugh, but then she paused and gasped like she had realized something. “You know what this calls for?”

“Uhh...” I knew exactly what was coming. Another damn party. I didn't have any time for such a thing. I had to go to the North-East and up that mountain to claim whatever it was that was up there.

“A PARTY!” She shouted, as expected. But before she was able to run away, I stopped her.

“Pinkie. I'm sorry, but I can't attend your little party. I have things to do.” I said with a slight hope of being understood.

“Okey, dokey, lokey.” she simply replied, galloped away from me and sat against the wall in front of me.

That went better than expected. I thought she would be sad, angry or disappointed.

“It's mighty good to see ya alive again.” Applejack said with a soft smile.

“Thanks.”

Applejack stepped aside as Rarity walked up to me. “Darling, it's good to see that you're OK. You got us all so worried!”

“Yeah, I can imagine. I'm really sorry.”

Fluttershy slowly approached the exit; I guess she was still too shy of me. Rarity called for her. “Fluttershy. Come over here.”

Fluttershy squeaked and slowly approached me. “I- it's good to see you again.” she squeaked very awkwardly. I giggled, but made sure it didn't sound like I was appointing it to her.

“Thank you, Fluttershy. I appreciate it.”

I smiled. These were my friends. They came all the way from Ponyville to see me and I had them to thank for my life. They saved me from that boring Sovngarde place by bringing me back to life. I couldn't thank them enough. It was also a little weird. I'd never had friends before, except maybe when I was a kid.

At last came Rainbow Dash subtly through the door. She leaned against it and looked at me with a weak smile but I easily noticed the worries in her eyes; her doubts, her fears. Was she afraid of me?

“Listen, everypony.” Everybody stopped whatever they were doing and focused on me. “I want to thank everyone for coming. It really meant a lot to me. Now, could you please leave?”

They didn't know what was going on. They just stared at me with a doubtful look, as if they weren't sure if I was serious or not. “I mean it.” I added in a serious tone. “Can you all leave me at peace for now and come back tomorrow? Except you, Rainbow.” I added and looked at her. She seemed hesitant at first. She gulped and stood there nervously by the door.

“That's alright, sugar cube. We'll leave ya at peace for the night. See ya tomorrow!” Applejack said and quickly left the room to respect my wishes. The other ponies said something similar to me before leaving the room as well and followed Applejack. When everybody but Rainbow had left the room, she came near me and looked ashamedly to the floor.

“I... I'm so sorry." she whimpered. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't...” She tried everything she could to prevent the tears from flowing, but she failed. I noticed a tear running down her right cheek but I stretched out to gently wipe it off her. She was a bit surprised by my action, but she seemed to appreciate it. She shot a warm smile at me in return, but I could still sense her worries and her sadness; her disappointment.

“Hey. It's alright. Come here.” I whispered back with a very comforting voice. I hugged her tightly and she reciprocated by hugging me back. I felt her shiver and more of her tears on my nape. She was weeping over my shoulder, which made an impact to my emotions. It warmed my heart; made it pound faster. It also made me tighten my grip on her. It felt good hugging someone. Having someone's body pressed up to you. It signified trust and friendship, and once again I refer to my childhood when I say that I hadn't had one of those in a long time. “Shh. This isn't your fault, Rainbow.” I added in a very calm whisper, but that only made her squeeze me even more. I started feeling for her slight trust.

“It is, and I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have challenged you to a race. I should have known better. I... I shouldn't have been so selfish.”

“No, Rainbow. Whatever you say, you weren't responsible for my death." I replied and gently ran over her soft mane in an attempt to calm her down. Surprisingly, she did the same to me and it felt surprisingly good. "It was my own damn fault. I knew about the risk and I was foolish enough to take it. I... I deliberately crashed to the ground to beat you.” I admitted. I didn't plan on telling anyone about it being deliberate, but I decided to tell her only because she was in a desperate need for some cheering up.

Rainbow Dash quickly let go of me and stared at me in surprise. “So... you knew you were going to crash down into the floor and you knew its consequences? Just because you wanted to beat me?”

“Well... I didn't expect me to die... but I said I wanted to beat you, and I did. That's the point.” I pointed out, grinned and let out a small laugh.

“You crazy bastard!” Rainbow Dash yelled at me, but she wasn't angry. Far from it. I guess I just earned more of her respect. She even punched me in my right shoulder.

I was a little surprised at first to hear her use the word 'bastard', but I reminded myself that I wasn't in the show. I was only in the same universe and world.

“This is exactly why I like you. I've never seen a pony as determined as you before! And...I've never seen a better flier than you.” she admitted. “I noticed that you almost pulled off the Sonic Rainboom. Nopony has ever done that but me.” she added, both impressed and in approval. “You would have done it if the ground wasn't in the way.”

I smiled when I heard her compliment and answered her by giving her a wink. Rainbow Dash gasped a bit in surprise when she saw that. She walked up to me and hesitantly stroke my mane gently again. “You have red irides. That's very rare. You should be proud about that. Your eyes are very beautiful.” she complimented and stared deep into them in admiration. I laughed awkwardly and tried to avoid eye contact. But no matter how much I tried, I always automatically looked into her eyes again.

“Thanks. Yours are also very, uh, beautiful. The magenta color is simply... amazing. It fits you very well.” I added without thinking. What I said sounded way better in my head. I didn't like where this conversation was heading. I looked at her in the eyes again as she was already looking into mine. A minute passed without a word. I saw it in her eyes that she was thinking of something. There was something in her eyes that told me that she wanted to do something. That she needed to do something. But perhaps this was just my imagination.

Then, without a warning, she slowly kissed me on my right cheekbone with her eyes closed, still messing with my mane, and it wasn't just a short one. After she realized what she had just done, she quickly let go of me and gasped. But she didn't back away. “I-I'm sorry!” she quickly excused herself.

Yet again we stared at each others eyes as she was only inches away from my face. Normally, that would've been awkward, but it wasn't. Looking at her in the eyes made everything around me seem lighter. It made me feel good and it reminded me of peace. It wasn't intended this time but I was just so shocked from what had happened that I was practically stunned. We stayed like that for a short while before I came to my senses.

“O-oh! T-that's alright.” I stuttered and tried to smirk despite my startle.

“So-uh...I-I have to go. It's getting late you see and I have to wake up early tomorrow to clear the skies. I-I guess I'll see ya again tomorrow?” she tried asking with a serious tone, but was overtaken by awkwardness and shame for what she did.

“S-Sure... I'll see ya tomorrow.” I said. After that she quickly flew out of the room as fast as she could.

What the fuck just happened? First she apologized, then we hugged as I comforted her and told her about how that was all my fault. After that we had a very interesting conversation with our eyes followed by a kiss on my cheekbone. Oh no... that can't be good.

I covered my face with my hooves. I seriously hoped that that kiss was just a token of our friendship, nothing more. If it was more than just that, the time would come where I'd have to reject her before our friendship would evolve into something more and I wasn't planning on that. I knew rejecting her would crush her heart, and that thought saddened me. I also knew that I couldn't have a relationship. Even though I was a pony and would most likely never return back to Earth, I was still a human in my heart. I still had the human ways.

Sure, they weren't animals. They weren't ordinary ponies like the ponies on earth. Each had a personality and a character. They even behaved like humans, but that didn't change the fact that my conscience would never allow me to have a relationship with one of them.

Let's take an example and let's say that some time passes and we'd fall in love. My human conscience would always be in the way to prevent a relationship. Always, even though I'd want a more serious relationship with her. Even though I would love her with all my heart, I'm afraid I couldn't show it to her. And even though she had the character and the personality I liked in a girl, even though she was everything I could have hoped for, it's just that I'll always see her as a pony. That's that, and there probably wouldn't be anything to change that.

I sighed and closed my eyes. I decided to get on my feet tomorrow and start the journey to the mysterious mountain in the North-East.

But the problem was, who should I pick to go with me? I decided not to take Rainbow Dash with me, even though we had the strongest connection and had more in common than the other ponies. I was also more connected to Twilight than the rest of the mane six. I hadn't really had enough time with the others to consider them my best friends. They were my friends, no doubt. But not as good as Rainbow and Twilight.

There were two reasons why I didn't want to bring Rainbow with me on that journey.

One: because I was warned not to bring more than two friends with me and I had already decided to take Twilight with me because her studies could be very useful. Also, the fact that I was a Pegasus and she was a Unicorn meant that I needed to bring an Earth Pony.

Two: because I didn't want to let our friendship grow too fast because I was starting to get a feeling that she may have a crush on me. Nothing was confirmed though. It may well be that she only kissed me because she cared for me as a friend.

But my view of Rainbow Dash has significantly changed since the race. Before my death she was just one of the mane six. Now, she was more than just that. Now I felt for a connection. She was the only person I'd known my whole life that had made me feel so...special. I really cared for her, but only as a friend. I admit that a small part of my heart didn't agree with me. But it was big enough for me to notice. That small part of my heart actually wanted us to be more than just friends.

I had a good sleep. My energy had finally been replenished and I felt better than ever. I got out of bed and it was weird to use my legs again after so long, yet short time. I walked up to the window and opened it. The summer breeze flowing through my mane was comfortable. I inhaled the fresh air and closed my eyes with a smile.

Twilight knocked on the door. “Drake? You alright?”

I turned around to face Twilight, still with a wide smile on my face. “Better than ever.”

“That's good, that's good. Well, I just wanted to check on you. Guess I'll be on my way now--”

“Wait!” I stopped her. She walked inside my room and gestured with her facial expression that she was all ears. “I must set out on a small journey and I need someone to travel with me. If you have the time?” I asked and seriously hoped that she would accept. Her company would easy the trip by so much.

“A small journey? Where are you heading?”

“When I was in Sovngarde, I met a strong Nordic mare called Gormlaith and she--”

“Gormlaith?!” Twilight shouted in schoolfilly like awe.

“Yes, why?”

“She's one of Equestria's heroes! She fought in the Great War against the dragons! You actually met her?” Twilight gasped.

“I guess so. There was also this stallion called Hakon--”

“Hakon One-Eye and Felldir the Old?” Twilight interrupted.

“Yeah...” I answered and expected explanation about why she was all hyped out.

“I can't believe it! You actually met three of Equestria's oldest and bravest heroes!”

I couldn't believe it myself either. Were they the three heroes that Twilight read about in the big black Dovahkiin book? I actually felt pretty honored.

“Wow... I didn't even know that myself.” I said surprisingly.

“What did they say?” Twilight asked in her excitement.

“They told me about a treasure at the top of a mountain that belonged to me. It is located in the North-East of here. They said I couldn't miss it.”

“Ah! I know exactly where that is. I will travel with you.” she excitedly announced.

“Good. I'm glad you'll be traveling with me.”

“Are we only going just the two of us? Shouldn't we ask the others?”

“No, Gormlaith told me only to bring two companions with me. It would be too dangerous for a group.”

“Then who are you going to pick?”

I thought about it for a moment. Who did I really need for this quest? Who would be of good use?

“Twilight, can you go get Applejack for me?” I asked her. Twilight nodded without hesitating and ran as fast as she could out of the room.

It took some time, but Twilight finally returned with Applejack.

“Howdy thar, Drake. Good to see that ya'r alright. Twilight told me about a quest? Count me in. Ah've completed all the apple buckin' anyways.”

I smiled. “Good. I guess we shouldn't delay. Let's pack the things we need and get on our way.”

“Shouldn't we let our friends know that we'll be gone for some time before we leave?” Twilight suggested.

I hesitated. “Yes... we should do that.” I answered thoughtfully. “Yes. Let's do that. But we should get our things ready first. We'll meet up with them afterwa--”

“Well, well, well... if it isn't the stallion we revived. All healed up?” A soft, yet powerful voice came into the picture. I didn't really recognize that voice at first. My blood turned to ice from the suddenness. I slowly turned around to see Luna standing by the doorway in all her grace.

“Princess Luna!” we said simultaneously and knelt for her at the same second we noticed her.

“You” she pointed at me. “You kneel to no one.” she added and knelt herself for me.

“What? I don't even...” I said very surprisingly. Why was Luna kneeling to me? It must have been because I was the Dragonborn. That was the only logical explanation.

“You are the hero and protector of Equestria, or the hero to be. For me that's an even more respected title than a princess.”

“You honor me.” I responded and lowered my head. “I also wanted to thank you for reviving me. If it wasn't for you guys...”

Luna nodded respectfully. “That's not a problem. But to change the subject and to get to the point why I'm here. I've heard that you are setting out for a quest. Yes, we know all about it. You're going to climb the great mount in the North-East of here. We know that's a dangerous path to take and we want to support you, Dragonborn, and give you and your companions equipment before heading out.” she explained and showed us three chests.

“This one is for you, Dragonborn.” she handed me a big black chest covered in gold and diamonds. I carefully opened and stared inside it. Inside it was a helmet and two daggers. I picked up the helmet at first and examined it. It was the 'Dovahkiin Helmet'. I remember seeing a picture of it on the internet when I was a human. The helmet itself was big and covered the cheekbones, around the eyes and the head itself, but nothing more than that. Two horns were on each side. The horns didn't point up like the basic Viking helmets, but down. It was made of steel and was perfectly crafted. It fitted perfectly on my head and was surprisingly comfortable. It didn't look like it, but it was. It wasn't too tight nor too loose.

Next were the daggers. They were made of strong and fine glass and were extremely sharp. At first I thought that I would have a problem using them since I had hooves and wasn't used to them yet, but somehow I could easily pick them up and get a good grip. They were both enchanted; one was enchanted with fire, the other with ice. That would be very useful. I decided that the ice blade should be the 'right hoof'd' blade and the fire blade should be equipped on my left hoof. That way I could maybe freeze a certain area on someone and use the fire blade to finish him off.

A belt was included for my knives so I could sheathe them.

“Thank you, Luna. And please bring my thanks to Celestia from me.” I said with a respectful nod. She did the same.

“And this one is for you, Twilight Sparkle. A special gift from me and Celestia.” She passed the second chest to her and she eagerly opened it.

Inside it was an enchanted, magical robe. Twilight picked it up with admiration. The robe seemed very comfortable and had stars all over it, just like Twilight liked it. Astronomy was her favorite subject after all. With the robe included a ring of magic which had a small emerald stone at the center. The ring wasn't like the rings on Earth. The rings in Equestria were made to be worn around a leg, since ponies had no fingers.

“Wield them with care, for they're enchanted with great powers. The robe enhances your magic and gives you greater magicka while the ring gives you greater resistance against fire.”

Twilight almost cried of joy. “Thank you, my dear princesses!” she jumped around the room in happiness, making the rest of us chuckle a bit.

“Glad to see you like it. But this one is for you, Applejack.” Luna added and handed over the third chest.

Applejack slowly opened the golden chest and couldn't believe what was inside it.

It contained some kind of coal black heavy boots. They were made of some kind of unknown material, at least to me. Maybe it was only available in Equestria. But it looked very strong. A moon was carved on each side.

“I chose this gift especially for you, Applejack. You're a strong mare and such strength as in you must be put to good use. That's why I'm giving you these boots. Made from the strongest material in all of Equestria and comes straight from the moon itself. Although it may seem heavy, they're actually quite light. Use them to crush your opponents.”

“Thank ya kindly, Luna. This'll do! Please send mah regards to Celestia.” Applejack said very happily and quickly put on the boots. She seemed to like them very much, and not without  a reason.

“Now that that's been dealt with, I must get going. Good luck, my little ponies. May the gods smile upon you on your journey.” Luna added and once again with her head lowered for us. We did the same to pay our respect.

“Thank you again for those great gifts. We will use them with care.” I pointed out in appreciation and it seemed like Applejack and Twilight agreed with me since they both nodded a couple of times.

“I'm sure you will. But before I go...” Luna quickly walked up to the door. “You can come in now. My business here is over.” she said and walked out. As soon as she was gone, the rest of the mane 6 stormed in, not very happy as far as I could tell.

“Where do you think you're going?” asked Rarity and by the look on her face she demanded answers.

“Yeah! Wherever you go, I'm in!” said Pinkie Pie, who pushed her party cannon inside the room. I sighed and rolled my eyes when I noticed it.

“Wait... what?!” shouted Rainbow Dash. She flew up to me and looked coldly into my eyes. “Answer Rarity's question! And what's with that helmet anyways?”

Both Twilight and Applejack didn't know what to say, or didn't have the guts to say it. Maybe because they didn't know if I wanted her to know that I was the Dragonborn, or perhaps because they weren't sure whether she'd take it lightly or not.

“I...I think it's time for you to know about it. Rainbow, I am the Dragonborn. The prophecy Equestria has been waiting for since the beginning of time.” I explained as seriously as I could.

Rainbow Dash didn't know whether to believe me or not. But as soon as she saw Twilight and the rest of her friends nodding, her eyes turned wide open. She quickly landed because she knew she would fall down if she wouldn't.

“Oh my-- I-I challenged the One to a race?!” she yelled in surprise.

I grinned and chuckled a bit. “I guess so. At least you didn't lose to a normal pony. You should be proud. I only won you by centimeters.” I bragged and closed my eyes in pride.

“And you all knew about this... except me? Why didn't you tell me from the beginning?” she asked a little upset.

“I was gonna after the race, but things didn't exactly turn out as I planned.” I said and giggled.

“I wasn't talking specifically to you, but to them!” she said and pointed at her friends. Her friends looked ashamed to the floor.

“Well, we really couldn't while he was dead. The way you acted and blamed yourself for his death; telling you about him being the Dragonborn would surely make you think you killed Equestria's prophecy and that would most likely destroy you. Even kill you. We couldn't risk it.” Twilight spoke for everybody's behalf.

Rainbow Dash thought about it, and decided to do the smart thing. To let it all go and to just go on with life. She knew it now and that was enough for her. “Well, that explains that. But where are you going?” she asked again but not as coldly as before. Probably because she now realized that she was speaking to the Dragonborn.

“When I was in Sovngarde, I was told to go to a specific destination and that's exactly what I'm going to do. I've chosen Twilight and Applejack to accompany me, but don't worry. We'll be back before you even notice we're gone.” I said and hoped that would be enough. I sighed in relief when they all agreed. They wished us good luck and admired our fine gifts. All except Rainbow. She was not pleased at all, probably because I didn't pick her to go with me. That was the strongest reason I could think of.

“Wait just a second. You need a strong and a brave pony for wherever you're going! Not an egghead!” she protested.

I led Rainbow to the corner of the room so nobody could hear us. “I'm sorry Rainbow. But I didn't choose them because of my own likings. They're all my friends, don't get me wrong. I would surely be dead by now if not for Twilight. And no, I'm not talking about the race incident; I'm talking about when she nursed me back to health when I fainted by the entrance of Ponyville. If I'd choose someone to go with me because of my liking, I would have picked you. Because we're very much alike and we would make a heck of a team. But I need to use strategy on this one. Twilight's studies and magic could come of a great use and Applejack's strength would surely be of great assistance, especially if we encounter some enemies. And besides, I'm a Pegasus, Twilight's a Unicorn and Applejack is an Earth Pony. A good fit.” I explained. I was pretty confident that I had reasoned with her. But not quite it seemed.

“I...I understand. I see now that you made a wise choice but that doesn't change the fact that I still want to go with you. I want to help ya out! I want some action! Please, I could be of great use too. I could kick the enemy's teeth in! I could make them beg for mercy!” She begged and started punching the air; trying to impress me with how skilled she was in combat.

I laughed softly. “I'm sorry, but it could be dangerous to take anyone else. Not just for you or me but to the rest of us. If it makes you feel any better, I promise that I'll pick you for my next journey. Deal?”

Rainbow looked down at the floor in slight disappointment. “Fine.” she muttered.

I pitied her, but it didn't change my mind. “Hey.” I added and gave her a pat on her right shoulder. “I promise.”

She looked back at me with a small smirk on her face.

“I have no doubt that you will return. After all, you're the Dragonborn and you deliberately crashed into the ground to shut me up. That's something I won't ever forget. See ya later then. I hope to see you again soon-- and oh! Awesome helmet by the way. It really suits you.” she said and cracked up a small, awkward smile before flying over to Twilight. I noticed that she was asking for her forgiveness for saying that I didn't need her. Twilight also gave her a pat on the same shoulder before they hugged tightly.

I smirked to the thought of my persuasion being successful and that she had apologized to Twilight.

But that was enough. We had to move on. We couldn't delay any further.

“Everypony, can I please have your attention?” I asked loudly. Everybody stopped talking and turned their focus on me.

“I want to thank you all for coming and for supporting me and my fellow companions. I'm sorry, but we're going to have to leave now. The sooner the better.”

“But..but... the party hasn't even started yet!” Pinkie pointed out in disappointment.

“I'm sorry, Pinkie. But I don't have time for a party. But please, don't cancel it.”

“Of course not, silly! A party is still a party! Even with just 3 guests!”

“Yes, it is.” I replied and laughed.

“I simply refuse to let you go without a hug.” Rarity demanded and came up to me for a big hug. “Good bye, Drake. Please be careful.”

“I will, thanks.” I said as I gently pushed her away from me. “Well, if that's it, I guess we'll be on our way. Bye!” I added and rustled towards the exit. But I hesitated. There was something I forgot to do.

“Goodbye Fluttershy.” I said and hugged her very carefully.

Fluttershy stirred up but in the end loosened up and hugged me back. “Please be careful. There are many unknown creatures roaming around.” she said with her adorable voice.

“I will.” I reassured her.

I walked up to Rainbow. “And you.” I said and confidently shook her right shoulder. “Stay strong.” Rainbow Dash nodded and put on her badass look on. I didn't say anything more to her.

After all the hugs and goodbyes I walked up to Twilight and Applejack who seemed ready to leave. “You ready?”

“Ready.” Twilight confirmed.

“Let's get to it!” Applejack said with confidence.

I nodded to both of them, but before we set out, I had to check me out in the mirror. To see how I looked with the helmet on. To see how badass I looked. I noticed the big mirror near the exit. I flew next to it very quickly.

'Nice. I look like the friggin' Dragonborn... oh wait, who am I kidding? I am the friggin’ Dragonborn.' I thought to myself and chuckled. Twilight and Applejack giggled when they noticed me admiring myself in front of the mirror. They walked past me and out the exit. I quickly gazed through the room once more before heading out. I saw the friendly faces. I smiled to all of them and they did the same.

But the one pony that got my most attention was Rainbow Dash. She was leaning against the wall with her forehooves crossed and tilted her head a bit while staring at me. Her pupils were bigger than usual and she had a coy smile on her face. We both quickly looked away as our eyes met again. I wanted to be more careful but I've done a terrible job so far. I didn't know why I kept focusing on her. Maybe because she and I were more connected than I thought. Maybe because I liked her more than the others or maybe because she was the only one that really showed that she cared for me when I was dead. She was the only one to actually weep my death. I wasn't sure if it was because of guilt or not, but still she wept for me and that was enough to make me respect her more than the others. But like I said, I still liked the rest of the mane six. They were all my friends.

Three days. We had been walking for three days and had almost reached the mountain. We talked the whole time and I got to know Applejack a little better. Alright, maybe not a little. She started off by telling me more about herself and what she did for a living. After that she told me all about the apple family and its origin. It was all very interesting and fun to listen to. But I had to explain myself too. A lot of lies were involved but I was good at lying. Or maybe they were just so incredibly easy to fool. But I felt very bad about it and I knew that it would bite me in the ass later.

Twilight also told me about what she had been studying recently, but she mostly talked about astronomy; the stars and the suns. It was very educational. I've always been very interested in astronomy, but never got the chance to look into it.

I stopped when I heard a weak noise. “Did you hear that?” I asked and looked at the two mares who heard it too apparently.

“Yeah... there's someone following us.” Twilight said as she turned 360°.

“Well, well, well...” someone suddenly said. A group of savages or murderers showed up. Their wild appearance just gave that away. The group surrounded us and grinned malevolently. “We're just here to take your belongings. Hand them over. All of them. Or we'll kill you.” The leader ordered and walked up to me as he tried his best to be as intimidating as he could. He was big and looked very strong in appearance. His cutie mark was a rusty knife. Did he kill someone with a knife when he was a colt?

“Buck you.” I responded before spitting in his face. The leader closed his eyes and slowly wiped my saliva off as he laughed maniacally.

“You disrespect me?” He yelled. Truth to be told, I wasn't scared at all. In fact, I almost laughed at his face. “Worst mistake of your life. Do you know what I'm going to do?” he asked and walked in circles around me. “I'm going to peel your skin alive and I'm going to make you watch as we brutally rape the mares over and over again. We will make them squeal and make them scream for your name and your help. After that we will kill them slowly, but leave you to rot in your pain and sorrow. We will loot off your corpses and chop you down to pieces when you're finally dead. We will search for your family and friends and kill them slowly...one by one. So, who should I start with? Who's your girlfriend? The purple or the orange one?”  

Twilight and Applejack weren't intimidated at all. They smirked and lusted for their blood for being in our way. Their murderous smirk was disturbing and it was very surprising to me. I was used to the peace and the love around here. But like I said, I wasn't in the show: just the same world.

I stared at him with the same lust as Twilight and Applejack had to kill that bastard. Those words... he dared threatening and disrespecting my friends? He dared threatening and disrespecting me? I felt for the anger building up inside me, my blood screaming for some killing, the passion to stab that son of a bitch was great. I shivered of anger but mostly because of the way he spoke about my friends.

“No one disrespects the great...” he shouted at me but before he could finish that sentence I unsheathed my blades and shoved them as deep as I could into his throat. The leader gagged and dropped down to his knees. He gurgled loudly and slowly drowned in his own blood as I used my force to quickly pull the blades out of his flesh, resulting in his blood spitting all over my face in the same rhythm as his heartbeat. Fortunately, my helmet received the most of it.

The rest of the gang lost their focus as they watched their leader die in front of them. Twilight and Applejack used that opportunity.

Applejack used her strength to kick at some of them and kept breaking their jaws while Twilight used her magic to make their blood boil and explode within them. I turned around with the leader's blood blinding me a bit when I heard two stallions running towards me. I quickly launched myself into the air and landed behind them. While they tried to figure out where I went, I slit their throats at the same time with both of my daggers.

I didn't like this. I hated all that blood and all that gore around me. It made me sick. But it was necessary. Killing the leader didn't feel as good as I thought it would. It was disappointing and only made me sick. 'I thought Equestria should be peaceful!' I thought to myself and sighed.

I let Twilight and Applejack take care of the rest of them, and it seemed like they had no problem at all with handling them. I waited for them until they walked up to me and panted in exhaustion. They were also covered in their blood, and by the look of them, they eagerly wanted to clean it off.

I panted with them and swallowed. “Are you alright?”

They answered me with a hug. “Yeah, we're alright.” They both said simultaneously.

“That's good. That's good.” I added and tried to wipe the blood off my face and hooves. I gasped in delight when I noticed a small river a little ahead.

“Let's go clean us up by the river over there before continuing our journey.”

The two mares very much agreed with me.

After a while we got to the roots of the tall mountain. I now see why Gormlaith said that I couldn't miss it. At the peak of the mountain was a dragon. An adult, dangerous and certainly not a friendly one. We all stared at each other and gulped, but we didn't back down. We were all determined to get up that mountain and search for the chest that was up there.

“This is the time to back out if you want to.” I meekly pointed out and looked at them, but they stood their ground.

“No way. We've been walkin' for more than three days and we killed a bunch of murderers. Ah'm not backin' down now.” Applejack replied with confidence.

“I agree. Let's get up there as quietly as possible. Let's try to stay out of sight. I'm very educated about dragons and their weaknesses and that's why I have a plan. I will tell you about it once we're up there.” Twilight explained in a rush. Applejack and I nodded. I looked up the mountain and somehow got a feeling that the dragon already knew of our arrival and was just waiting there patiently for us to get to him. The dragon roared and flew in circles at the peak of the mountain.

“What in tarnation is that dragon doin' up there anyways?” Applejack asked as she rubbed her nape.

“It most likely is guarding something up there. If that's the case, we're definitely in the right place, since dragons are known for defending valuables.” Twilight responded.

“We have no time to lose. Let's get up there.” I said and tried to sound as brave and confident as I could. Even though I looked like it, I could still feel the madness driving me forward. I honestly didn't have a clue why I was doing this. A dragon waiting for us up there and we most likely had to kill it. I knew this was my first step in the role of being a Dragonborn. But was I really ready for it? I was about to find out...

It was a pain in the ass climbing that mountain, but we did it in the end. Only a tall boulder between us and the dragon who had landed. We moved like shadows and we were pretty confident that he didn't hear us on our way up.

“Now, what's the plan?” I asked very quietly.

“Drake, it's very easy. You should carefully slip past the dragon and get behind him. Once there, you must stab him in his spine. It could be tough and may require a lot of your strengths, but he will become paralyzed and from there we can finish him off.”

“Alright... but what if I fail? What if it doesn't work?”

“If that happens, Applejack and I will jump out of cover to distract him. We'll try to keep him busy as long as we can but you have to get up to his head and stab him with all your might into his skull.”

“Can't you just use your magic to keep him asleep or to restrain him?” I asked nervously.

“Sorry, but he's too big of a target. I cannot do it more than couple of seconds. You have to get up to him and stab him in the spine to paralyze him.” she explained.

Applejack and I nodded. “Alright, let's do this.”

I carefully got out of cover and tried to get as far as I could from the boulder. The dragon didn't notice me yet, but he was sleeping on the floor in front of a wall which was carved with all kinds of ancient symbols or whatever they were. Runes maybe? But I decided to focus myself on the primary objective; Killing the dragon and absorbing its soul.

I slowly and carefully flew closer to him and tried to fly towards his back. But as soon as I got near him, he opened his eyes and stared right into my soul. He wasn't sleeping. He was only bluffing.

I landed and bravely stood my ground. I signaled Twilight that I got this and that they didn't need to help me out at the moment.

The dragon roared fiercely at me as I unsheathed my daggers. I wasn't scared. I know I should be, but I haven't been scared of anything since I returned from Sovngarde. What did they do to me before I returned to Equestria? Did they increase my courage?

The dragon was about to attack me when it suddenly stopped and hesitated.

“Dovahkiin?” the dragon asked in a whisper. The voice fitted with the strong wind.

I waited patiently for the dragon to make his move. I flew up into the air and got near him. The dragon tried to bite me, but I evaded it. I got near the dragon and stabbed into his thick skin. That didn't do much and only made him angrier. But I decided to keep to the formula. To evade, fly up to him and stab him until he would collapse. But my plan didn't exactly go as I expected. It went better, in fact. Twilight and Applejack decided to help me taking him down and they were of much better use than I'd expected.

Twilight used her magic to call a blizzard. We all felt for its effects, but it really helped us out nonetheless.

Applejack tried to draw the dragon's attention and kicked his left front leg. The sound on that kick was sick. Those boots she wore were more than just regular boots made from the moon itself. It was also enchanted to do more damage on the enemy. And with Applejack wielding them, she was as strong as a bull. The impact broke the dragon's leg, making him roar in pain. He tried to rip Applejack to shreds but she got out of the way in just a nick of time.

That was it. I had a clear way to his head.

“Twilight! Now!” I yelled and flew as fast as I could towards the dragon's head.

Twilight bit her lower lip and fought to maintain her magic. She clearly tried everything she could to make the plan work. her magic prevented the dragon from flying away from us. I landed on the dragon's head but the dragon felt for my presence. He shook his head and tried to make me fall off of him. I let him go and floated only inches away from his head. When he stopped the shaking, I landed again and quickly shoved my daggers with all my might deep into his thick skull. The dragon roared in pain and died as soon as I pulled my daggers out of his head.

I landed next to his body and panted. “Good job...” I tiredly said but was interrupted with a sudden, strange feeling. I inhaled and looked at the dragon's body who was all lit up. I heard a small crackling sound as the dragon's soul left its body and went into me. I didn't feel for it but I saw the lights; the soul going straight through me. When that was over, I felt for... let's just say I felt like I had been 'upgraded'.

“Whoa. That feels good.” I said dizzily. Twilight and Applejack simply gasped and stared at me with their mouths wide open, making me chuckle.

“H-How do you feel?” Twilight asked me.

“I feel great!”

I remembered the wall that I noticed earlier. I decided to go take a look. I looked around and noticed the chest by the wall. But I wanted to check out those symbols first. Everything around me faded to black as I closed in on the wall, everything but two symbols that were glowing with a blue bright light and 'entering' me like the dragon's soul did. I suddenly felt for a sharp, short sting in my brain. I understood those symbols now. They meant 'FUS'.

“So it is true. You are the Dragonborn after all.” Twilight said in awe as she hesitantly walked up to me to examine me. “You... you just learned a word of power.” she added in excitement.

“Wait, what?"

“Try to shout 'FUS'.” She requested of me. “Now!”

“Alright, alright! Calm down.” I said and cleared my throat. I walked up to the edge of the mountain and shouted with all my might into the cool air: “FUS!”

The results were very surprising. The word summoned a shock-wave of force. I knew I could use it to push or stun my enemies.

“Whoa!” I yelled startle.

Applejack's face was one big question mark. She didn't understand a thing what was going on.

“Unrelenting force. It's called unrelenting force in our tongue. 'FUS' in the dragon language.” Twilight explained still as excited as before.

“I get it now!” I shouted. “When Gormlaith told me about this destination, she never intended me to find a treasure, but this power. That is the gift she wanted me to have.” I explained to them.

“But there is a chest over there.” Applejack pointed out.

“Yes, I know. But the real treasure they wanted me to have is this power.” I explained once again. “The chest is just a bonus.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let's open it!” Twilight suggested and ran towards it. She opened it and gasped.

“Lemme see.” I said and pushed her away.

Inside the chest were three amulets. Two of them were rare and beautiful while the third was just a common one. I've seen some ponies in Ponyville wearing it. Everybody called it the Amulet of Mara and I hadn't bothered asking why.

I decided to award my companions and take the Amulet of Mara for myself. “Since I couldn't have done it without you, I will take that amulet over there and you can have the rare and expensive ones.” I said without regret. I picked up my amulet and put it on.

They both giggled. “You really gonna put it on?” Applejack asked as she tried to hold her laughter.

“Yeah, why not?” I asked suspiciously.

“Oh... nothing.” Twilight said and chuckled again. I rolled my eyes and turned away from them.

“Let's head back to Ponyville.” I muttered a little tired and sighed to the thought of walking for three more days to get to Canterlot.

They thanked me for being so generous. Twilight chose an amulet with a bright purple gem in the middle and Applejack took the other amulet, which was graced with a bright, red ruby.

“Rarity is going to be so jealous.” Twilight said with a laugh. Applejack joined her. They were both having a good time, but I only thought about the return journey. I shook my head and decided to loosen up a little. After all, I had just completed the quest I set out to do. I didn't do it alone and that made me very happy. There were some negative sides to this quest, such as the killings and all the blood and gore. But the positive sides were stronger. I got to know Applejack better, I unlocked my first word of power and I got to enjoy life a little. I gladly inhaled the air as we set out for the return journey. Next Chapter: Chapter 5: The Inevitable Feelings Estimated time remaining: 14 Hours, 48 Minutes