3 years earlier

I inhaled the cold, yet not fresh air as I walked across the street. I was on my way home from school and I was getting pretty tired after a long day. I was very unhappy and a bit scarred after my recent accident that occurred not a month or two ago. Don't really remember exactly when. My amnesia hadn't vanished completely, but I knew by now what had happened.

My chest was still numb, and my headache was still bothering me.

But I somehow felt like everything that happened to my family was my fault, despite the fact that nobody could have seen it coming. I tried moving on but it was just too bloody difficult. I even sometimes broke down in the middle of my class. Awkward silence always followed but I didn't care at all.

It was snowy outside but the weather was calm. Nothing quite like walking home from school with my heavy bag on my back in the snow. I didn't have a car despite of having my license, so I had to do with the walking. Fortunately, I didn't live very far away.

I inherited everything my parents owned when they died and they were very rich. That's why I didn't have any difficulties with money. But I planned on moving away from that big and fancy house anyway; perhaps into a small apartment. It was just too hard living there without my family like I was used to. I also planned on getting a job like an average person. I wanted to earn the money.

My bag was filled with all kinds of books, as well as drawings I made when I got extremely bored in class. Most of those drawings were of ponies. I'd been a brony for two and a half months now. I got hooked after the first 3-4 episodes. Since then I'd been trying to draw a perfect picture of a pony in an epic battle against impossible odds. Yes, I did like to play with my imagination a bit. Especially in class. It made the whole course seem faster to pass.

I wasn't a bad drawer either and I did pretty good to be honest. But despite of my love to the show, I was still a bit scared of other people finding out about my secret interest. After all, I only just “recently” found out about it. At least in comparison to other bronies I met online.

I always walked the same way from school and took a shortcut through a long and a dirty alley. I couldn't help but to jog through it. Walking through it always gave me a bad feeling and the creeps, since I always expected something to attack me out of nowhere. But I still always walked through it anyways.

I got a bad feeling as I walked through it. A feeling like somebody was watching me. My heart started beating faster, my lungs automatically started inhaling more oxygen than usual and I started pacing myself forward. I was convinced that it was just the dirty and depressing environment, but then I found out the real reason...

All of a sudden appeared three guys on the other end of the alley. They wore black gangster outfits and had black caps on their heads. I knew those guys, for we shared the same high school once, but they dropped out. I heard some news of them becoming drug addicts and having pretty fucked up lives, but they were just rumors.

But even though I knew them, they weren't my friends... far from it. In fact, those guys loved to make my life even more miserable than it already was. They even made fun of my dead family, and myself. Attacking them was tempting, but I always managed to keep calm. Peace was in my nature. I only used violence when necessary and that didn't happen very often, fortunately.

I thought about turning around and run but then I figured that I wasn't a coward. I didn't run away from trouble; I preferred facing it. That was who I was. It was in my blood to stand up for myself.

I quietly, yet determinedly, walked up to the grinning...thugs... but didn't dare looking at them in the eyes. I just had to hope that they weren't in the mood for “kicking my ass” as they always referred it as.

“Well, well, well! Look at what have we here!” one of them said amusingly. He was petite, but looked physically strong. “It's Drake.” he hissed and laughed. “How's your mom? Oh! Clumsy me, I forgot about the fact that she's dead!” he spat out, laughed again and shoved me. His friends joined him in the laughter.

I tried muttering something in return, but couldn't. I didn't know how to respond to this. I had no idea how a person could be that cold hearted. “I-I...”

“I-I what?” Another one added. He was tall and skinny and didn't look nearly as tough as the other two in appearance, but in fact he was the strongest of them three. “Take off your bag.” he then insisted and shoved me again. But this time, I fell to the ground and into the cold snow.

“No.” I responded calmly. But as I was about to stand up, the leader kicked me directly in my face. It hurt as hell and it made me cover my face in my palms. I was pretty sure he broke my nose. The stream of blood gushed and coated my hands in red liquid. I grunted, but tried to minimize the sounds I made. I didn't want them to be satisfied by it. I had to stay strong.

While I was lying helplessly on the ground, I felt for one of them harshly grasping my bag off my back. But I didn't bother resisting even though I wanted to. I just focused on minimizing the bleeding.

After a little while I slowly opened my bloodied and possibly swollen eyes again to see them opening my bag and searching for valuables. They knew I was rich and they seemed positive to find something worthy in there. I smiled to the thought of them being disappointed when they'd realize that I don't take anything other than necessary with me to school.

“There's nothing in here! Just some... wait. What's this shit?” One of them said and picked up my book that was filled with my drawings of pony related stuff.

“Oh, shit man!” the tall guy said. “He's a brony!” he added with disgust and a mock in his voice as they turned the pages.

“What's with those ponies? And what the fuck is a brony?” the small guy asked, and seemed to be interested by my secretive passion. A new material to harass me with.

I simply lay there in the snow very weak. I covered my swollen and bloodied face in the snow to cool it off. It was a good feeling; a relieving, yet a painful feeling at the same time.

“A brony is a guy that likes My Little Pony. Those little faggots are all over the internet.” he explained as he looked at me full of hate and spat on me. I didn't know what I did to earn that, but I certainly wasn't popular among them. Not that I wanted to be, anyways.

“You mean, that this little faggot in the snow over there...” the petite fiend said before he kicked me in my stomach as hard as he could. “...faps to ponies?”

I grunted again as I tried to gasp for air. I started shuddering and very slowly tried to crawl my way out of there. But the tall guy harshly held me down with his foot.

“Yes. He's a sick bastard. I knew he was faggot to start with, but this is something else!” the amused leader said and knelt next to me. “You pathetic piece of shit.”

I didn't bother explaining to them that I didn't personally masturbate to ponies but I figured that they wouldn't believe me. I didn't seek their approval anyways, so I just let them say whatever they wished to say to me.

“I... I just want to go home.” I muttered and tried to stand up, but the tall guy kept crushing me with his foot. I could barely breathe. “Let...go of me.” I added painfully.

The three guys just stood there with their merciless smirks on their faces and looked down on me like I was a bug. A bug about to be squished.

“You hear that guys? Drake wants to go home!” the leader said in a mock and offered his hand. “Common. It's alright. We're cool. You can go home now.” he added and put on a subtle fake smile. I knew he was bluffing, but I decided to take his hand anyway. Maybe I could evade them and quickly and smoothly get the hell out of there before they could do their will against me.

I was right. After I was back on my feet he stabbed me in my stomach with his hidden sharp blade he kept in his left hand, followed with a laugh. I immediately fell to the ground due to the sharp and sudden pain and started groaning and grunting once again. I pressured on my wound to keep the blood out and pushed out “S-stop. P-Please... help... me. H-hospital.”

“Y-you don't deserve anything, orphan. Y-you sad fuck!” the small guy said, a little hesitant this time, and kicked me again. Maybe because he didn't approve of the leader stabbing me. But he still wanted to keep his reputation among them, so he played along.

They were seriously damaging my body with their attacks, and I could just sense my body failing me. Like my organs were slowly giving up, especially my wounded stomach. I felt like death.

“People like you disgust me. It's for the best that we teach you a lesson before you start molesting children.” the leader told me as he knelt next to me with a fake pity.

“F-Fuck... you.” I managed to growl at him and spat some of my blood at his white, shiny shoes. It was satisfying, even though I knew that this would only get the situation worse. I knew that I would have to stay at a hospital bed that night, or even weeks. That is if I'd live through it. Speaking of killing me, I never thought they'd have it in them to actually risk taking a life away no matter who it was. I always just considered them as obnoxious, bored bullies and nothing more. But I guess they were more than met the eyes.

He harshly rubbed his shoes up to my face and looked at me with fire in his eyes. Deadly, hateful fire. “You disrespect me?!” he yelled before punching me in my face again. “You're into animals; hell, you even jerk off to cartoon ponies! You don't deserve to fucking live!” he yelled and ordered his gang to beat me up.

I tried covering and defending myself as they punt kicked me and stomped on my limbs. One knelt next to me and started strangling me. It was getting bloodier than ever; I even lost more blood than in the car crash.

The vicious attacks on me lasted for minutes, but at last they let me recover and waited for me to stand up. Idiots. Did they really think I could stand up after being stabbed and beat up like that?

I think they had waited for something about ten minutes when the leader made a blow to my skull before I lost all my little strengths I had left in me; a punt kick to my face as I decided to get on my knees and possibly try to stand up and get away despite my wounds..

I immediately collapsed to the bloodied snow again and just lay there as if I was dead. I didn't even try to move. In fact, I was just an inch from being dead for good this time. My vision, as well as my hearing, had gotten significantly worse. I started hearing buzzes and uncomfortable, unnatural noises. I also felt for my heart beating irregularly.

Out of  nowhere, the leader pulled a pistol from his pocket and pointed it at my head.

“Shit, man! What the hell are you doing?!” the smaller guy asked in a panic and disapproval, but he didn't take an action towards it. The tall guy was neutral regarding the leader's action. He didn't care if I'd live or die. He just watched without an emotion and without sympathies.

“Don't worry. Nobody will miss this piece of shit. He's of no use to this world, and he'll never achieve anything in his life other than being a sick pervert. It's for the best to end his life right now. I've always hated that fucker anyways.” The leader responded and loaded the gun. The loud click that indicated that the gun had been loaded echoed through the alley.

I simply gazed into the barrel of the gun and waited for the bang. I was too weak to move and I hadn't enough willpower to force myself to do anything about that situation. I simply had to wait for my undeserved and unfair death. But there is one thing I managed to do... a final attempt for convincing them to change their minds and let me live.

“P-Please. J-Just h-help me get to the hospital...” I whispered, but it failed. They didn't feel for the slightest sympathy, which was kind of expected.

When all hopes was lost for me, a guy walked past the alley and happened to notice the assault. That was pure luck because hardly anyone walked through the street anymore as the street was on the edge of being deserted. But I had to walk through it for my shortcut to my house.

“Wha-- fu-- you doing?!” I heard him yell through the buzzes over to my attackers. I wanted to raise my hand to let the man know that I was still alive, but my body wouldn't obey me. I was all out of energy.

“Get the f-- out –  here!” the man shouted with anger and furiously ran towards them to scare them off. It was a bold move by the man, but it payed off. The three “thugs” squealed and ran off at once. It was a good thing the leader didn't shoot the man.

“I'll call the cops if I see any of you again!” he yelled at their direction, but they kept running terrifyingly away. I just lay there on the snow completely powerless. But I regretted nothing. I was proud of myself for not showing fear or weaknesses and for never losing my temper.

“Hang on, kid! Just, hang on!” the fellow said shocked as he knelt next to me and quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket to call 911. I took a glance at him to see that he was perhaps mid thirties. He wore an expensive leather jacket and had a black baseball cap on his head. He obviously spent a lot of time in the gym, judging by his enormous muscles. But what got my attention was his scar on his right cheek. It was scary, but made him look more badass. Especially with those sunglasses on.

But at last I rested my head on the snow as my headache was getting immense. My body was still shaking in panic, fear and pain. My hearing slowly began to deafen even more, and my sight was starting to worsen. For a second I thought I wouldn't make it. Getting killed by an attack from those sad little guys that didn't have a proper life. I also found it pretty embarrassing to be beaten up by them. I knew I could handle them in a fight but I really didn't want to. I wasn't that kind of guy. I liked the peace so I always tried to solve problems with diplomacy. However, not everyone shared the same opinion...

“It's going to be alright. They're coming. Just hang on tight!” my defender said to me and put his hands on my wound to create a pressure and to stop the bleeding. “You're strong. It's not your time yet! Just, stay with me!” he shouted reassuringly at me.

“Th..thank..s” I managed to push out before I closed my eyes and slowly lost my consciousness...

“Drake? You there?” some seconds passed before the voice asked again “Drake? Hello?” but this time I woke up from my daydream.

I shook my head to wake myself up completely. “Huh? Sorry. There's been a lot on my mind lately.” I said and sighed. And it wasn't just a lazy response. I was still haunted by the memories of the attack in the alley, the mysterious man that saved my life and the car crash. Those memories would probably never go away even though I wanted them to.

“Would you like to get something off your chest? Stop your movement!” she ordered me and struggled in keeping me still.

“No, I don't think so. But what the hell are you doing? You still haven't explained to me what this is all about...”

“Stay still, Drake! I must measure your width, your height... everything. It may take a while, but your uniform is not going to make itself!”

“But I didn't ask for a uniform!” I cried out and sighed in boredom. “Can you tell me what this is all about?”

“What do you think?!” Rarity shouted out in surprise and stared at me with her big eyes. “We must be prepared.”

“Prepared for wha-- oh, I see. Is it because of me and Rainbow Dash?” I asked and rolled my eyes.

“Yes...” she whispered through her busyness while biting needles. She quickly measured my body, and everything related to making a costume.

“You know, we're not getting, uh, married... anytime soon. We're just engaged. We aren't doing anything about it at the moment. Equestria is at stake and the dragons are coming. We must all prepare ourselves for that.”

Rarity sighed. “Do you ever stop worrying? Live your life for once!” she said and facehooved.

“But there won't be a life if we don't stop Alduin. Everything depends on me killing the worm. That's my priority. Everything else is expendable.”

“What about Rainbow Dash? Is she perhaps not as important to you as this stinking dragon of yours? Is she perhaps expendable too?” she asked relaxed but still a bit unsecured. I could just see on her face how disappointed she would be if I'd answer with a yes.

I paused for a bit and looked at her before looking down into the ground again. “That's different. She means everything to me.” I spat out both angry and determined and sighed again in annoyance. “So.. are you done?”

“That's good to hear... but yes... yes I think I am done.” she said with a defeated tone in her voice. She really wasn't done at all, but I guess she didn't want to force me into anything. “Just...”

“Yes?”

“Just stay safe. But what are you going to do now?”

“I promised Applejack to help her with the apple buckin'.” I replied and walked towards the door of her carousel boutique. “Anyways, I'm sorry if I'd been rude or anything.”

Rarity simply smirked and shook her head slowly. “You know, you remind me of her.”

“Oh?”

“Well... considering that she's just as stubborn as you are. You wouldn't believe how frustrated she gets sometimes when I want her to try on a dress.” she said and chuckled.

“I can only imagine.” I said chuckling as well. “I gotta go. Take care!”

“Bye, darling!” she shouted out and waved her hooves while grinning widely at me before I closed the door behind me.

“FUS... RO!” I shouted at the apple tree to collect its apples. There must've been around thirty apples from that single apple tree and I got them all in a single Shout.

“Thank ya kindly for takin' yer time to help me out!” shouted Applejack at me through her sweat as she kept bucking the apple trees around us just a few meters away from me. “Ah wish ah had those powers of yours. It would be so handy for the Apple Family.” she added and bucked the tree again; with more power this time. The rest of the apples fell straight into the baskets.

“No problem! I'm always here for my friends.” I said and got myself ready to shout again at the next apple tree. But using my powers always drained away my energy, so I had to wait for a bit to charge it up. I carefully placed myself in front of the next tree and shouted at it as soon as I felt like I was ready for using it again. It usually took less than a minute to recharge my energy for a Shout, but it pretty much depended on the levels of Words I used for my Shouts. All three Words in a single Shout would require more energy.

“Ya know... Ah think we'll win this war.” she said all of a sudden just to start a new topic.

“What makes you think so?”

“Well... based on the fact that even death can't keep ya down, and that you've fought dragons with ease. Ah think ya'll send Alduin straight to hell.”

“Remember that he has loyal friends as well, and lots of them. This isn't going to be a simple “swing the ax and chop his head off” thing. We have to stand together. We have to defeat them all. I'm not sure how we're going to do that though.” I said and that made Applejack stop bucking.

“Even though we fall... Ah'd like ya to know that we'll follow ya into death itself if that's what it takes.”

“I appreciate your loyalty. But you shouldn't throw your lives away because of my job. It is my destiny to stop the chaos. And if that means that sacrifices will have to be made, then so be it. I'd gladly die for you all.”

“What ah mean is that we'll never betray ya. We'll never flee the battle. We'll fight by your side no matter the odds.”

I didn't respond to that but simply gave her an approved smile instead. “FUS...RO!” I then shouted at the next tree.

Some time passed before she pointed out that there were only a few trees left, much to my relief. I didn't want to seem like I was weak since Applejack was doing all the hard work, but using my Shout so consecutively was getting pretty tiring.

“Maybe the Princesses have plans for ya. Plans on how to stop the dragons or somethin'.”

“The Princesses!” I yelled out as I remembered the letter I received before I started the journey to the revival of Rainbow Spurt. “I was supposed to meet them as soon as possible. I hope they won't get angry for taking my sweet time.”

“Ah can take it from here. Go have your meet-up.”

“Thank you. I think I should. Sorry that I have to leave without finishing the job.”

“No problem. No problem at all.” she replied and smiled in appreciation. “You've helped me a great deal. Ah'll definitely get more sleep tonight, thanks to your help!”

“Before I go... do you know where Rainbow Dash went? She didn't really tell me.”

“Hmm, yes. Ah bumped into her earlier today. She mentioned somethin' about headin' to Pinkie Pie's to help her bakin' some cupcakes.”

“Uh...cupcakes?” I asked with a blank stare.

“Yeah. Is that a problem?” she asked me and glanced at me like I had something important on my mind.

I didn't respond her yet as I was lost in the thoughts of...cupcakes.

“No. Nothing. I just thought –  doesn't matter. I think I'll pay them a visit before heading to Canterlot. You know. To check if everything's okay. If there hasn't been any accidents... or worse.” I muttered that last sentence more to myself, but she heard it anyways.

She chuckled a bit before saying: “Ya know, you gotta stop bein' so worried all the time. Ya should loosen up a bit! What could possibly go wrong? Ah mean, they're only bakin' cupcakes! Not like there's any harm in that.”

“Yeah... right.” I muttered again and inhaled the fresh air and the smell of the trees. “Right” I repeated “Anyways, see ya later!” I added before I snapped my wings open and prepared myself to take off.

“See ya later, and thank ye for everythin'!” she shouted right back at me and waved her hooves.

I kinda felt bad for leaving her without finishing the job with her like I promised. It sounded like an excuse to leave earlier, but that was not what I intended. Screw the princesses. They shouldn't be more important than my friends. The princesses could wait.

“One second thought. I'd rather help you finish off.” I said and shut my wings close again.

“That's alright, Drake. But ah'm almost done. There are only like... three or four trees left. I can handle 'em.”

“No. I promised to help you finish up. I'm not leaving till every single one of those apple trees are bucked.” I demanded, not taking a refusal for an answer. I wouldn't budge anyways, no matter her response.

“Well... alright then. Thank you.” she said and nodded to me. “Ya take these ones on your right flank.”

I nodded and took position in front of an apple tree; not too close and not too far away. I had previously measured the distance I had to be from the apple trees so my voice would be perfectly effective. I couldn't be too close because that would destroy the apples; making them ugly and send them flying all over the place, and I couldn't be too far away either since my voice wouldn't be effective at all.

“No problem. I'd rather help you than talk to the princesses. With no disrespect towards them, of course.”

Applejack giggled and kicked an apple tree. “Do ya have any plans for this evenin'?” she asked me and moved to the next apple tree.

“Well... FUS RO!” I shouted at the tree. “I'm booked for the whole day. Fluttershy wants my help on something, a friend of mine in Cloudsdale wants my help, and I've yet to check on Pinkie Pie and maybe Twilight Sparkle. Did you have anything in mind?”

“Oh. Ah see. Well, ah just wanted to thank ya for helpin' me out with the buckin', so ah figured ah'd offer ya some apple goodies this evenin'. But ah guess it's going to have to wait for another day.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate that. And believe me, I'd love to come. But the boring truth is that I'm busy all day and even all evening. I hope you keep your word on another day though! I'll get very disappointed if that day never comes.” I said and chuckled.

Applejack paused the apple bucking for a bit and took a glance over the trees to be sure we hadn't missed anything.

“Don't worry about it. Ah promise. Anyways, we're done! Thank ya for everything. Ya sure you can't stay for a bit longer?”

“I'm sorry. But duty calls. Take care!” I said and could now leave without guilt. I noticed how happy Applejack was; if I hadn't helped her, she'd be working all day long.

'Hmm... What’s next?' I thought to myself. I'd yet to help Daring Do and Fluttershy. But I decided to come by at Pinkie Pie's first. Check their progress and to make sure that...

I sighed again, rolled my eyes and shook my head as I took off.

As I flew past everypony in Ponyville, I started thinking about the situation I was in. I started thinking about how this all happened and how and why this was all happening. Yeah, I still couldn't believe I was really in Equestria, and I don't think that surprise will ever go away, despite the fact that this is my new home which was originally supposed to be my original home in the first place. But I was grateful that I was born on Earth despite the difficulties I had. I got to experience something nopony else would and I got to experience the thrill of the sudden turn my life took. But what surprised me the most was how much my life had changed in only a month or so.

I changed from being an anti-social depressed human being into the most famous stallion in Equestria. It even sounded surreal to me. My life completely took an 180° turn; I made some friends, got super powers, was given an important task by the gods themselves, cheated death, got help in maintaining my powers and most importantly, met the love of my life. And to be honest, she was probably one of the main reasons why I wanted to stay in Equestria. But of course, Rainbow or not, I'd still want to live here forever.

I slowed down a bit and prepared myself on landing as I wasn't in a hurry. I felt like walking at that moment and look around for a bit. I knew that it would lead to an unwanted attention and possibly giving autographs or something, but I didn't really care. In a matter of fact, I kind of wanted to talk to the civilians. Getting to know them better and get them to trust me. I didn't want to be that mysterious hero that everybody knew everything about, yet nothing about at the same time. I wanted to be more than their hero and leader, I mostly wanted to be their friend. A friend that was ready to die for them. A friend that was ready to do whatever it takes to keep them safe and happy. But of course I couldn't befriend everybody.

Everyone gasped around me as I landed in the middle of the town's square. I heard some whispers around me and the title “Dragonborn” being mentioned frequently. It saddened me how terrified everyone looked. All I wanted was for them to consider me as an equal to them; to see me as their friend. More than just the guy that had been given the task to protect them against his own will...

But I didn't see my unexpected quest as a bad thing. The sudden task I was given had changed so many things I'm so, so proud of; such as my lovable friends, all the support everyone's providing me, and Rainbow Dash who'd always been there for me. I could tell my friends anything I had on my mind without being considered an outsider; a freak. That's why I had the guts to show Rainbow Dash my human body despite the fact that her views on me might had changed which I kind of expected. But she took it pretty well, and that was just another reason why I loved being here. Why I loved everyone. Why I regained my ability to love again. And I who thought those feelings had completely vanished after my family's death.

“It's the Dragonborn!” I heard someone whisper around me. “It's really him!”

I took a turn and tried to figure out where that voice came from. The whispering pony tried to hide it, but I could see right through her. It was Bonbon. I slowly, but quietly walked towards her, sitting on a bench next to Lyra. I decided to start a conversation with them. Get to know them better and gain their trust. I just hoped it would go well.

“Hi.” I said with a smile. “Mind if I take a seat?”

“Here. Take the whole bench. Everything for you, my lord.” Bonbon said and quickly stood up. As did Lyra. But Lyra couldn't believe I was actually here, judging by her reaction to my arrival.

“No, please. Don't go. I'd like to talk to you two, in fact.” Now that got their attention, even though they seemed eager to leave me alone. They also seemed as if they didn't deserve to take a seat next to such an important pony.

“S-Sir?” Bonbon asked as she knelt down to me. When she noticed that Lyra just stood there still as terrified as before, she gave her a small nudge to give her the hint. “Oh!” she squeaked and quickly dropped down to her knees.

“Please, stand up. I'm getting tired of this. Can't we just communicate like equals? I'm sick of being treated like some kind of an altar.”

“Certainly, my lo-- I mean, Dragonbo--.” Bonbon said before facehoofing. “I mean, Mr..?”

“Drake. Call me Drake.” I said and offered my hoof. Bonbon hesitantly shook it but Lyra just stood there and stared at me with her small pupils. It seemed like she was emotionally offline.

“Hmm...” I murmured as I looked back at Lyra. “Anyways, what are your names?”

Bonbon took a seat next to me and surprisingly seemed to be pretty calm. “This is Lyra.” she announced and pointed at her who seemed to be fighting to mutter something to me. Her eyes were both full of fear and honor. “And I'm Bonbon.”

“Nice to meet ya.” I replied and gave them both a small nod. “Anyways, is there something wrong with her?” I asked a bit worried.

“Dragonborn... you're hu-- hu--” she stuttered, never taking her eyes off mine.

“Well, it happened to be that you were on our topic before you made your entrance. Lyra was explaining something about you being.. what did she call it again... human? I don't really know what tha--”

My heart stopped beating for a second when I heard her say that word. Did she just say human or was I hearing things? “Wait, did you say human?” I squeaked in startle.

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Hu—hu-- hum—m--” Lyra kept stuttering.

I stared back at Lyra in fear and tried to solve the puzzle how she could possibly had known about me being a former human. I didn't know what to do, and started thinking about if someone else might had known about my secret identity as well. But there was no way they'd know about it, except...

“Lyra.” I said as I stood up. Lyra simply held her ground and looked at me with amazed eyes as a wide grin on her face started forming. I grabbed her arm and led her away from Bonbon. “Lyra.”

“D-Dragonborn. I-is it true that you're a h-human?”

I looked around in all directions, including up, to be absolutely sure no one was spying on us. I noticed Bonbon sitting on the bench curiously but she had the decency to respect my wish to speak to her in private.

“Was. How could you possibly know? Did Twilight Sparkle or Rainbow Dash tell you about it?” I asked sharply, not pleased by the fact that she knew my little secret.

“My gods! You are human! I knew it!”

“Was!” I whispered loudly at her. “Now, how did you know about this? Where did you get the info?”

“Believe me, Dragonborn--”

“Call me Drake, please.” I interrupted impatiently.

“Drake... I've been studying on your race all my life. It's a shame no one knows about our creators. I think it must be shared with the world.”

“I disagree. I want to keep it a secret.” I spat out. “No one knows I was a human. No one. Got it? And tell me, how did you find out?”

“Like I said... I've been studying humans all my life with the little information available. I knew Twilight had something about the humans, so I decided to pay her a little visit earlier today. She happened to tell me more about them because I insisted. She agreed to tell me the info I needed with a condition; I couldn't tell anyone about it. And I accepted. It's funny though, she had this huge list of facts about humans. I had no idea how she got them at first, but now I'm pretty sure they're from you. You are human, aren't you? But how does that explain the pony form?”

This was really getting on my nerves now. She couldn't stop talking about me as a human. I'm not a human. I'm just as much of a pony as she, and everypony else is. “WAS! And you broke your promise by telling Bonbon about it!”

“Alright, alright. I'll never speak of it again. I promise. Just, please. Don't be mad at Twilight. It's all my fault...” she said disappointed, and even a little startled. She was getting a bit scared of me, exactly the opposite of what I had previously planned. I wanted to make some new friends but instead I yelled at her and told her to shut it. I felt a bit bad for that.

She had finally encountered someone who had experienced being a human, and I responded harshly. She had been studying the humans all her life; it was her interest. She must've been very disappointed.

“I'm sorry, Lyra. You just got to understand that I'm not a human anymore, and I don't look at myself as a better pony than you are. I... I just want to make some friends.” I explained sadly and gazed down to the ground. “I hate being treated like a god. I want to live among ponies. I want to be able to walk around the market in peace without being watched all the time.”

Lyra turned around to face me again and looked relieved into my face. She jumped into my arms and hugged me. “I'll always be your friend, and don't worry. I'll make sure that that won't be a problem anymore.”

I let go of her and thanked her for accepting my apology and for her offer to help me in becoming a “citizen”. I then told them that being a Dragonborn required a lot of work, so I had to keep going. But I thanked them again for showing kindness and understanding before I left them both.

“You big silly, Rainbow Dash; that's not how to make cupcakes.” laughed Pinkie Pie as I knocked on the door. “The bakery is closed at the moment!” she yelled towards door.

“Ugh... why did you want my help in baking those stinking cupcakes of yours? I'm not good at this!” complained Rainbow Dash with a sigh.

“Open up, Pinkie. It's me, Drake.” I said impatiently and a bit uncomfortable. I entered the room with a pace as soon as she opened up for me in excitement.

I was still disturbed by the thought of... those damn cupcakes. But I exhaled the air in relief when I found out that everything was in order.

“Drake! Thank the gods! I've been waiting for you.” Rainbow said excitedly. I noticed how her eyes and pupils widened, and how her grin got bigger by the sight of me.

“If it isn't my favorite...uh...dragonpony! Welcome! Are you here to help us out, Mr. Dragonborn? We can always use another hoof!” Pinkie Pie yelled as she jumped around the place.

“Uh...”

“I knew it! You can start off by-- wait... where's the flour? We need more flour!” she added as she ran around the kitchen to gather the necessary ingredients for another dosage of cupcakes. “WE NEED MORE FLOUR!” she repeated in a shout and panicked as she started searching high and low for a sack of flour. But she calmed down a bit when there were none to be found and changed her attitude from being happy to being angry.

“I can't believe we're out of flour! Grr!” she growled and gnawed her teeth in anger. “I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, but no more cupcakes for today. Humph!” she added and crossed her arms in annoyance.

“Yeah!” shouted Rainbow Dash in relief. “Finally...”

“What's that supposed to mean?!” Pinkie Pie shouted and I could swear that her eyes were starting to melt in rage.

“Pinkie Pie, I suggest you relax. We can make some more later. OK?” I said to calm her down. I did not intend to find out what damage she could make if she'd continue the rage at that rate.

Pinkie Pie sighed and sat down against a wall. “Fine.”

“Hey, I promise.” I added to make her happier. I also rolled my eyes due to the fact how pissed off she became just because she was out of flour. She really needed to book an appointment with the Greybeards...

“Thanks Pinkie! I'll pay you a visit later. See ya later.” said Rainbow Dash and pulled me out of the bakery.

“No. Thank you, Rainbow! The bakery is back in business because of you!” Pinkie Pie shouted in joy. “Here. Take this one on the house!” she added and tossed a cupcake at Rainbow Dash. “You too, Drake! Have a cupcake!” Then she tossed a warm cupcake towards me. We thanked her for the cupcakes and gently closed the door behind us.

We decided to take a small walk outside in the beautiful weather and talked about how our day went and what we'd been doing. She also mentioned that she wanted to listen to my iPod again in the evening before we'd go to sleep. I was happy she liked it. She'd been listening to it every evenings for a week now, before we went to sleep.

She also asked me about other strange technologies back on Earth and I provided her some answers. Among the things I told her about, I mentioned the telephones, the internet and more. It was funny to see her reactions.

She even asked me how I could possibly leave those for Equestria. I gave her a very detailed speech why Equestria was a thousand times more important to me than anything Earth or humanity had to offer, and I seemed to have touched her heart by that speech, since I mostly included her and our friends in it.

We walked together slowly for about fifteen minutes through Ponyville before she got an idea. “Hey! I got an awesome idea!” she shouted out and heaved herself off the ground, flapping her wings in mid air.

“Oh yeah? What do you have in mind?”

“How about we take on each other? You know... fight each other?” she asked excitedly and punched the air a couple of times. “To show our strengths and endurance!”

“You mean something like a wrestle?”

“Yeah! Something like that. What do you say?”

“You really want to fight me?” I asked surprised, but couldn't help but to grin in amazement. I admit that I liked her plan. I knew she was tough and that she could take it.

“Of course! I hear it's a good way of relieving stress.” she pointed out and landed again next to me.

“You know... I know of another way of relieving stress. A less violent way.” I half joked and smirked subtly.

Dashie responded to that with a laugh and approached me. “I've no idea what you're talking about. Please enlighten me.” she ordered and wrapped her arms around my neck. I knew she knew what I had in mind, but she decided to tease me a bit.

“Isn't it obvious?” I asked as I nuzzled her snout with mine.

“Well... at the moment I like my idea a bit better. Don't worry... we can try out your way later.” she replied and gently nibbled on my right ear a bit. That felt incredibly satisfying and unlike anything I'd ever felt before. I was curious about why she did that. I had noticed that she recently and suddenly started nipping either on my right, or my left ear and I wondered why...

“Why-- What's up with the nipping?” I asked with my upper eyelids half closed and a small smirk on my face due to the comfortableness.

“You don't like it?” she squeaked in fear and looked terrifyingly into my face.

“I do like it. I really do. It seems so... simple. Yet it brings those little feelings, you know? I feel safe; like nothing's going to harm me. It's so magical, if you want to add a little drama to it. It's also super comfortable. It gives me the chills.”

Rainbow seemed very relieved for some reason. She sighed deeply and smiled softly. “I'm glad that you like it. You know, there are reasons for why I'm doing that; why I'm... nipping on your ear.” she pointed out and blushed a bit with an awkward smile. Now that got me interested. Not only was it comfortable, but it also had a meaning. I didn't know what it was all about, but I got a strong feeling that I'd like it; something I'd hold dear to my heart.

“And those reasons are?” I asked interested and waited patiently for her answer.

“Well... it's something that is built into us all, into everypony. I don't know about you since you aren't... a complete pony, but the nipping does have a meaning. The nipping is mostly used by the mares, but is also sometimes used by stallions. They don't use it as much as we mares do, but it is a sign a pony does to another pony and it represents trust. It means that we trust the person we're nibbling on, and that we're requesting the same trust from them.”

“Why did you only just recently start doing it then? We've been together for some time now.”

“Well... it's not just about trust. There's more to it than that; it can't be used among just friends. I'd never nip on Fluttershy's ear for example. It's just used among mates. But the nipping is just the start; it means that I want to “mark” you. Being marked means that you'll be mine forever, but in a good way of course. We ponies never use it unless we're certain that the relationship will never die. But it's not for the purpose of everyone knowing about it. The purpose of it is more personal. More like a commitment to each other.” she said and paused for a bit. “But marking, or being marked is a once in a lifetime thing. One cannot mark another pony or be marked by another one if they'd done it before. But among trust and marking, it also represents love, loyalty and honor.” she explained and blushed even more than before. I didn't know if she blushed in awkwardness, shame or something else, but I knew it wasn't a negative sign.

“Wow... why didn't you tell me about it earlier in the first place?” I asked amazed and incredibly touched. I didn't know that a simple nip would have such a strong meaning.

“I- I don't know. I guess I was just too afraid because once you're marked, everyone will know. You may not notice it, but everyone around us will. I'm sorry... I should had told you about it earlier.” she said and looked ashamed down to the ground.

“That's more than fine to me.” I reassured her. “But how does one mark another? And are the mares the only one to mark their mate, or is it also used by stallions?”

“Well... it may sound weird to you, but one -either a mare or a stallion- has to pierce the right ear of the mate with their teeth.” she said again and started chuckling awkwardly as she didn't know what to expect of my reactions. But I personally loved the idea. It sounded a bit weird to me like she predicted, but I still liked the idea.

“You said something earlier about it being a once in a lifetime thing? Why?”

“If a pair breaks up or if one of the mates dies, it would bring shame and disrespect to the marked pony, as well to the pony that marked him or her. Like I said before... marking another pony represents loyalty, trust and uttermost love to the individual being marked.”

“And what happens if someone marks another pony anyway?”

“It hasn't happened for centuries since there have only been few cases nowadays about marked couples. And love is really hard to find these days and mostly everyone do it the other way. That's why we use the Amulet of Mara if we're looking for a partner. Anyways, it is said that if someone marks another pony despite having marked someone else, it would bode very bad luck for both the marker and the marked ones. And since it's being done under the sight of Mara herself, she'll curse you for the rest of your life. I know it seems pretty harsh but it's necessary so one wouldn't make the bond in such a haste. Breaking the bond is like breaking a holy promise to the goddess herself.” she explained and rubbed her nape.

“Please, tell me more about this. How does one realize when he or she is ready to mark someone else?”

“You know... I'm not an expert regarding that subject, but it just comes from within when someone feels like the time had come. It usually starts with light nibbling on the ear, indicating that he or she is interested in marking that individual. We never do it without his or her permission though.”

“So that's why you've been nibbling on my ear lately? Because you want to... mark me?” I asked with all kinds of touching feelings such as excitement, honor, and burning passion. I didn't have a clue that her respect towards me was actually so enormous.

Dashie didn't answer me but simply gazed down at the floor and blushed like never before. I noticed how nervous she was getting, how scared she was and how overwhelming this was for her. I walked over to her, pushed her chin up to see her eyes, and said:

“I'm very touched. I'm honored and thrilled by the fact that you want me to be your marked person. I-I simply don't know what to say.”

“So... You do want me to mark you?” she asked and lightened all up like the sun in a sunrise.

“I'd be honored. But I hope that doesn't mean that it'll be the last time you'll be nibbling gently on my ear, because it's such an amazing feeling.”

Dashie exhaled and looked at me relieved with a small appreciative smile on her face. I gently grabbed her arms and put them around me for a hug. I just rested my body in her arms and inhaled the oxygen. I started thinking about the recent misfortune we got ourselves into not a week ago. The dark, dirty place. How he raped her in front of me... how he made me watch as he made her feel miserable and how she almost lost her wings that day. If Spurt hadn't interfered... I didn't even want to think about the outcome. The image of the boss in my head still brought the furious feelings forward. Torturing and killing him didn't seem to do a damn thing. It didn't matter how much I thought about the misery we put him through, I always got a murderous and a dark feeling telling me to hunt down everyone related to him and slaughter them all without a hesitation or mercy.

It was a dark and a twisted thought but I didn't plan on killing his relatives since they didn't do anything personal to me. I wasn't proud of these thoughts, but it was still how I felt.

“Thank you, Drake. Oh, gods. I don't know what I'd do without you.” she said and squeezed me even harder. I said something similar and nuzzled her nose.

“Do it.” I whispered in her ear and that made her shudder in my arms. She looked at my face still with her wide smirk before she slowly moved up to my right thick ear and bit me as hard as she could. It physically hurt, but spiritually “healed” me at the same time. I felt like I had been given a boost.

I expected the wound to be rather big, but to my surprise it wasn't. It was just a tiny uneven hole, but a cut nevertheless and big enough to show. I felt for a burn, but it only made my passion grow and grow stronger.

We hugged and kissed again after she marked me. This was an official way she used to prove her love and loyalty to me, and that made me the happiest person in the world.

“Let me do the same to you.” I said but watched out to make it sound like a question so it wouldn't feel like an order.

“Whoa, Drake. I only just told you about this. You need to carefully think this over. It may not seem a big deal to you, but it is to me and the rest of us ponies. You remember about Mara and her punishments? It's more serious than you think.”

“But... I do take this seriously, and I love you. I want to be with you forever and no one else. I know I'm ready, so please just let me mark you.” I pleaded in a disappointing tone.

“No. You must feel it from within that you're ready to bond. You cannot just force that time to come.”

“But..”

“No buts. As much as I want to be your marked person, I'm only preventing you from doing it because I care for you. I don't want you to make such an immediate and unexpected action.”

“But it doesn't make any sense! Why would you mark me and prohibit me from doing the same to you? Isn't this what it's all about? Couples showing each other their loyalty? How can we do that if I'm the only marked one, and you're not?”

“The bond and the promise to Mara won't take an effect if only one of the couples is marked. The bond can be postponed for maximum of two weeks but the marking won't count after that time. After that time, the marked pony usually seeks the magic of the Unicorns to heal the wound to get rid of a scar. But please, just trust me. I want you to think this over.”

“Fine...” I muttered again in disappointment. But if she said I wasn't ready for bonding... wait... bonding. “Bonding? Is this some kind of a-a marriage?” I asked surprised but very interested. The thought of this being another version of a marriage was abrupt. I didn't originally look at it that way, but the more I thought about it, the more I began to see that it all fit together. Like two puzzle pieces. It somewhat made more sense to me now.

“Well.... yeah. It's not the original way, but as long as we mark each other as Mara of our witness it's as legit as the other original way.”

“Wait. Does that mean you're married to me but I'm not married to you yet?” I asked quizzically. I didn't even try to hide the confusion in my voice. I didn't know what to feel about this, if I should be thrilled, scared or maybe both. But I wasn't disapproved. Quite the opposite, in fact.

I was happy she mentioned it. I knew we'd have no time for a formal marriage, but the fact that we could do it in a quick, alternate way that was as legit as the other way, meant that we could undergo it without the loss of time it would otherwise require. It wasn't just something in our "to-do list after we've stopped the dragon threat" anymore.

“Like I said: The commitment, marriage or whatever you want to call it, won't take an effect until you've marked me. Don't worry, Drake. Your time will come. Just think about it for a while. Take a week to consider it, and then we'll talk.”

“But it isn't fair...”

“Don't...worry. I only played my part. You just have to play yours, which you will next week if you're still interested.”

“You know, we could get this over with right now if you only just let me play my part.”

“No. End of discussion!” she hissed and crossed her arms. I decided to let it go, because I knew how stubborn she could be sometimes. I just sighed and gave up... for now.

“Anyways. You were talking about a wrestle earlier? How about a last pony standing match?”

“Last pony standing? Now we're talkin'.” she said and smirked. “Meet me in front of Twilight's house in two hours. But right now I've got a thing to do with the Wonderbolts.”

“Oh? What are you guys up to?”

“It's classified. But before I go, may I ask you what happened to your helmet?” she asked as she quickly brushed over my mane.

“I left it at your apartment.”

“It's not my apartment.” she pointed out. She walked closer to me with a small smile and put a hoof on my right shoulder. “It's ours now.”

“It would be completely legit if you'd only just let me--”

“No!” she spat out in annoyance and quickly turned around from me. “See you in two hours by Twilight's house, Dragonborn. Remember, it's a last pony standing match with no referees and no countdowns. The first to be knocked out loses.” she pointed out before spreading her wings and got herself ready to take off. “This is going to get bloody. Don't disappoint me.” she added before she flew away in an incredible speed without giving me the chance to give her an answer. The suddenness left me stunned.

She wanted to fight me but I didn't know if I had it in me to hit her, let alone knock her out since most human males didn't have it in them to hit girls. It just wasn't considered manly. I may not be human anymore, but I still have their ways and I still have their nature imprinted in me whether I liked it or not.

But I agreed to fight her since she was different from other girls. She could take it. She was tough and she was raised to be both physically and spiritually strong by her fearless and determined parents. Her father was courageous enough to face the dangers for the sole purpose of defending his family, while her mother was perhaps the toughest, the most bad-ass pony in all of Equestria.

And to add to that, she was later on trained by a police detective to stand up against bad habits and crime. She knew how to handle just about anyone, perhaps even the Dragonborn himself. If anyone could take me out, it would be her. No doubt.

I knew she wasn't going to play fair but I didn't care. I wouldn't hesitate using my Shouts if she tried anything suspicious.

I decided to pay Fluttershy a visit to kill time. After all, it had been a long time since I spent any time with her.

The quietness had overtaken the cozy and warm house of Fluttershy's. But it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. In fact, it was that kind of a silence that made everything so much better. We still spoke to one another but I mostly took care of the talking since she wasn't really the social type. I couldn't blame her though. I was just like her as a human.

I had been helping her out feeding her little animal friends since she couldn't do it all by herself. There were a lot of critters to be fed, and strangely enough they all seemed welcomed into her apartment. That mob of animals just invaded her home and Fluttershy accepted it. I couldn't see the reason for it, but she had free will. If she wanted her little furry friends inside her home then so be it.

“Come over here you little...” I muttered in annoyance as I started losing my temper. I never liked furry little animals and there I was, feeding them. I only fed them because of Fluttershy's request. Otherwise I'd let them take care of their own skin.

I personally thought of the perspective of feeding the critters all the time a bad idea. It would only enhance their laziness and would in time completely take their ability to take care of themselves if there would be no Fluttershy around to feed them.

“I once again want to thank you kindly for coming, Drake.” Fluttershy suddenly said as she struggled with feeding the little rabbit of hers called Angel. She gave up eventually when her patience had ran out and sighed in defeat.

“No problem. It's always nice to help a friend.”

“May I ask you... no forget it. Doesn't matter. Sorry.”

“No, please. Tell me what you have on your mind.”

“Well.. I'd noticed you got a wound on you ear. I was too afraid to interfere but do you want me to patch it up?” she asked kind of ashamed in an awkward way.

“Thanks, but no thanks. I want it to show.” I stated with my closed eyes, full of pride.

“W-Why? What happened?” she asked before she realized the unbelievable truth. “Is that a-a mark?!” she squeaked. She fearfully gazed at the wound and seemed as if she didn't know what to think of it.

“Rainbow Dash marked me earlier today.” I explained with a weak smile. "I'm proud of it.”

Fluttershy started pacing around the room and she seemed like it was a bad sign. But I wasn't quite sure how she felt about it. Was she jealous? Was she afraid of the feelings Rainbow and I shared? Or was she perhaps afraid that we'd break “Mara's promise” and be cursed for eternity?

“Fluttershy?” I asked and put my hoof on her shoulder to calm her down. She simply looked me in the eyes and now I could see what she had on her mind all along. She was happy. In fact, she was extremely happy.

Rainbow Dash had been her friend since they were fillies and now that it was official that she had found the person she wanted to spend the rest of her days with, she actually felt for happiness on our behalf.

She suddenly jumped into my arms and hugged me with a surprising force. She was much stronger than she looked.

“I'm so happy for you!” she 'shouted'. “So... you're officially--”

“Not really. She prohibited me from marking her. She wants me to wait for a whole week to think about it. But that's bullshit. If she wanted me to wait, then why the hell did she mark me in the first place? That pretty much confirms that she wants me and no one else. And I really want to do it to her, but she won't let me yet.”

“Oh. I see. Well, I'm proud of her. Can't you see? That means she really takes this seriously. You should stop being naïve and start looking at the big picture.” she said but regretted it immediately. She couldn't believe that she actually spoke up to the Dragonborn himself. She gasped and covered her mouth with her forehooves as she quickly let go of me and squeaked again. “I-I'm sorry. I s-shouldn't have said that.” she whimpered and reacted like I was about to hit her despite the fact that I'd never hit anyone I cared about.

I sighed when I realized that she spoke the truth. Rainbow Dash had done something remarkable... something that was very important to her, something she wouldn't be able to do again. She chose me, and I couldn't seem to see the big picture. She wanted me everything for the best and that's why she wanted me to wait for a week before taking the action despite the fact that she probably didn't want anything else more at that moment than her own marking.

“You... you're right. I'm sorry.” I muttered and walked slowly away from her up to her kitchen window and looked outside. “I'm too focused on my personal feelings. Today is no time to get too emotionally attached. Alduin is coming and he won't be alone.” I pointed out and looked despaired down to the ground. “I-I don't even know if I can do it.”

“I know exactly how you feel. But you mustn't lose hope in yourself. If you do, you won't succeed. So please. Win. Win for us all. The last thing we want is another Dragon age.” she said and slowly approached me.

“I'll try... I'll do everything in my power to stop them. But I can't do it alone. Don't worry, I won't ask you to come with me into the battle when the time comes. I know about your phobia.”

Fluttershy wanted to say something but couldn't due to the overwhelming shame. She was ashamed that I offered her to stay out of the war against the dragons. She knew the war concerned all of us, but we all knew that she wouldn't be of any use in the battle, that is if she wouldn't do anything about overcoming her fears.

“I-I'm sorry.” she whispered.

“It's alright. Just promise me to leave Equestria if they...win. Get the hell out of there.” I said and turned around to face her. “I want you to be the one to tell everyone outside of Equestria about what happened if we don't make it.” I added and put both of my front hooves on her shoulders. “Would you do that for me?”

Fluttershy felt like a coward. The shame didn't even hide itself. I could see it in her eyes that she truly wanted to do everything she could to help us win this war, but she just lacked the courage.

She lowered her head and didn't dare looking at me in my eyes. “Y-Yes, Drake. I-I can do that.”

“Good.” I said and walked towards the front door. “I have to go. Rainbow wants to fight me. Wanna come with?”

“Fight?!” she asked surprised and by the way she said it she wasn't very fond of that idea. “Why would you fight each other?”

“It's a way of relieving stress. That's what Rainbow said anyways. And besides, I believe she's the only one capable of knocking me out in a fist fight... Uh, I mean in a hoof fight.”

“A-Alright. I'm coming with you.” she said hesitantly and probably because she was too afraid to reject me. Especially after I pretty much told her that I knew about her phobia and that she wouldn't be of any use in the battle itself.

“That's good. Don't expect this fight to end without the shed of blood. It's going to get pretty nasty. If you don't feel comfortable about it, you may leave at any time. We'll still be appreciated that you showed up. But don't worry about us. We'll be fine.”

Fluttershy didn't respond but instead nervously opened the front door. “After you.” she said still a bit hesitant. She had a bad feeling about this, but she trusted us. That's why she decided to come with me to witness the probably unforgettable fight.

The sun was still shining high above us as we arrived at Twilight's place. Rainbow Dash was standing there impatiently with Twilight Sparkle by her side. She was leaning on Twilight's house and had her arms crossed as her angry and determined eyes were fixed upon me. She wanted blood. I could see it in her eyes. It wasn't a hateful look, but more of a determined look. A look that indicated that she was ready to tear me apart if that would mean victory for her.

But they weren't alone. Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were there by their side. It also seemed like they were all trying to convince her to prevent the fight from happening, except Pinkie Pie who was already seated on the grass with a popcorn. Maybe they didn't like it because I was the Dragonborn, or maybe because they simply hated the idea of us beating every inch of our lives out of each other.

I didn't care. I lusted for her blood just as much as she lusted for mine. It was a new emotion for me. Me wanting someone's blood but without hate. It felt more like proving myself to her and everybody else that I was not to be fucked with.

Fluttershy subtly galloped over to her best friends and sat down next to Pinkie Pie; leaving me all alone in front of them all. Now it felt like I was about to get attacked by them, until Rainbow Dash finally spoke.

“I see you kept your promise.”

“Wouldn't want to miss this.” I responded and didn't show any kind of emotion. Only minor anger and a determined look on my face.

“Good.”

“How was the...thing... you had to do with the Wonderbolts?” I asked and once again showed no emotion. No happiness, no interest. Nothing but determination.

“Went well.. anyways, should we begin?” she asked and walked up to me without a second thought.

I thought about it for a little while and looked thoughtfully to the ground before I looked at her again with my determined and brutal looking face and said “Fuck yes.”

Rainbow Dash got herself into fighting stance and waited for me to make the first move. It seemed like she wanted me to make the first move, but that's exactly what I was trying to avoid. I wanted her to make the first move since I didn't feel very comfortable starting a fight. I'd never started a fight in my life and tended to keep it that way.

“Come on. Hit me!” she shouted at me when I didn't show any kind of reactions. “What are you waiting for?”

“I just simply think you should make the first move. I may not have told you before, but human males never make the first move against females. It's just wrong.”

That made her get off her fighting stance. “Oh come on, Dragonborn! You know me better than this! Where is the Drake I know and love?”

“I can assure you that I'm still me. But I'm not starting that fight. And stop calling me Dragonborn! I want you to use my name. It's more personal that way.” I spat at her and looked angrily into her furious and blood lusty eyes.

“You aren't human anymore, so stop being a bucking pussy and hit me... Dragonborn!” she yelled right back at me and made sure to make the Dragonborn title as clear as possible.

“Stop...calling me Dragonborn! I'm fucking serious!” I furiously yelled back at her. I'd be clenching my fist if I still got my hands.

“Are you supposed to be our savior? Are you supposed to lead us into battle and slay the god of all dragons? You couldn't even harm a butterfly! Equestria is already doomed, and it's all because we got a weak protector. The gods chose poorly.” she mocked me and I noticed how she tried everything in her power to break me down. I knew she didn't mean those things, but she truly knew how to break one's temper. Maybe she learned a thing or two from the boss that held us captive. “Dragonborn.” she added.

“Dashie...” I said with my closed eyes and tried everything in my power to keep calm.

“We would all be better off if you'd never appeared.” she whispered to me.

That made me lose control of myself and I did something I'd never even think about doing. I suddenly smacked her in the face as hard as I could and that made her fall straight into the ground. I groaned in pain as I hit her and held my hoof tightly. I also noticed the unpleasant sounds the rest of the mane 6 produced and heard their conversation about interfering and put a stop to the fight. “That was too far!” shouted Rarity and started heading over to us. But Applejack stopped her. “Don't. Ah wanna see what happens!” she said.

“Sorry! I'm so, so sorry! Are you alright?” I said and knelt down next to her to check if she was alright. Rainbow lay on her stomach and didn't move for a little while. I thought she was out until she finally made a signal that she was still in the game. At last she spat some of her blood on the grass before she laughed in approval.

“That's what I'm talking about...Drake. That's the spirit!” she said and grunted. The thing that got me worried was that she seemed pretty weak by that brutal punch of mine. I offered my hoof to help her get her back on her feet, but then I realized one thing... I wasn't fighting just an ordinary pony. I was fighting Rainbow Dash. She wouldn't go down that easily. I came to realize that I had fallen straight into a trap... twice. The first time when she succeeded in breaking my temper and the second time when she acted like she was hurt. But she wasn't hurt. Far from it.

She quickly got up and struck my stomach with a vicious punch. That made me lose my balance and made me fall down to one knee. She decided to use that opportunity to recover instead of continuing her assault. She snap opened her wings and floated in the air while she rubbed her jaw and tried to figure out a tactic to knock me out.

After I had recovered from her punch I decided to go fetch her. I spread my wings and attempted to fly up to her, only to be greeted with an impact from her. She had launched herself at me in mid-air and that made us both crash into the ground, but she was fortunate enough to land on a soft body. I, however, wasn't as lucky.

We both groaned in pain by the impact and completely forgot one another for a second. The only thing on our minds was to get up and continue the fight.

But there was something I noticed. The crowd, originally a crowd of 5 ponies, had increased. There were at least 20 other ponies watching the fight. Some cheered for me, but most of them cheered for Rainbow Dash. That was understandable. They had known her for longer.

She was the first one to get on her hooves but I remained still on the ground since I had a trick up my sleeve.

Dashie limped over to me and got herself ready to kneel beside me to punch the shit out of me and hopefully knock me out. But as she approached me I shouted “FUS... RO DAH!” at her.

It was unexpected for her and sent her flying with great force well away from me. But fortunately she was able to save herself from crashing at the ground by using her wings.

“Breaking the rules--” she shouted over to me and paused to catch her breath. “I see.”

“I didn't think you were the "rule type”. I thought this... I thought there were no rules.” I pushed out and tried to get back on my feet.

“Fair enough.” she responded and flew up to me in great speed in the purpose of landing another punch at my face. She succeeded and that busted me wide open. I got a huge crack beside my right eye and blood was starting to enter the picture for me. She knocked me down on the ground again by bucking straight into my face and that took away a great deal of energy from me. Now it was my turn to spit my own blood at the grass. This situation really reminded me of the attack I received from the thugs three years ago.

She once again knelt next to me as she was about to hit me again, but this time I blocked it. Subtle as a snake, I successfully and quickly rolled away from her and stood up. I prepared myself and got into a fighting stance. Rainbow Dash ran towards me but suddenly stopped in front of me instead of charging at me like I originally thought. She tried to hit me a multiple times, but I managed to block all of her attacks. The sides turned and I tried to hit her this time when I saw an opportunity. It failed though. She grabbed my arms and delivered a headbutt into my already bloodied face. That stunned me, and she used the opportunity to buck me down to the ground. The impact was painful.

I felt extremely dizzy; like I was about to vomit. But despite my dizziness, I noticed that Rainbow was stumbling on her way over to me. Her hooves and some parts of her body were covered in my blood and her face was a bit bloodied by her own blood. She got a murderous and a merciless facial expression and didn't seem hesitant.

I quickly stood up, still a bit dizzied and waited for her to approach me. But Rainbow Dash seemed to be panting. She was getting tired, but she was far from being restless. As soon as she closed up on me, I shouted “Wuld...Nah Kest!” to spurt past her. But it only made my dizziness worse. I was starting to get a double vision. I turned around to face her and decided to run up to her and hopefully manage to pin her down to the ground. Rainbow Dash turned around confused and seemed surprised by my Shout.

She didn't have the time to realize what was going on and got hit by my powerful punch. But she didn't fall down. She didn't even budge. I simply stared surprised at her. How could she possibly still stand after that strike?

Rainbow Dash used that opportunity while I was confused, to buck my tibia. The sudden and extreme pain dropped me down to the ground. She didn't buck very hard because she knew that it could easily break my fragile bone. She didn't want that. So, instead she bucked hard enough so I'd fall to the ground. After that she walked away from me to show off to the crowd. She was flexing and posing in threatening positions, making the crowd go wildly entertained.

I forced myself to get back on my hooves. Rainbow still thought I was down though, and she was stupid enough to have her back turned against me while she continued pleasing the crowd. I managed to run up to her and took her down to the ground and into a submission. The crowd went “Ouch”, and “Ah!” once in a while and that made the fight so much more epic. I also noticed the rest of the mane 6 completely frozen and biting their lips in nervousness.

“You give up?” I asked as I noticed her agonized face. She tried everything to break the hold, but I held her in a submission that was almost impossible to break from.

“Not an option. Only... knockout!” she shouted but much to my surprise she was able to break it off. It had to happen eventually anyways but I thought she didn't have enough strength left to break it off so early.

She stood up but I didn't let go. She tried to shake me off, but when she realized that didn't work; she let herself fall to the ground. That made me loosen my grip on her.

I grunted and groaned again as our bodies hit the ground again. But our fight wasn't over. I still had some fight in me.

This time, I was able to shake off the dizziness before she could. I slowly and painfully crawled over her wounded body and landed powerful and merciless punches into her face a couple of times. Rainbow Dash couldn't defend herself. She simply lay there all bloodied on the ground and didn't move. The only noticeable movement was her own breathing. My heart stopped for a second when I noticed that. When I was about to call the game off, she grabbed my hoof and looked at me with determination in her eyes.

“Is that all you got... Dragonborn?” she mocked me and smirked.

“No... no it isn't.” I responded before I bent over her right ear and bit her as hard as I could. I felt for her hooves wrapping tightly around my waist, but she didn't try to stop me. When I felt for her skin giving in and busting open, I let myself collapse on her body and managed to whisper “You're mine now...” into her ear before I closed my eyes and exhaled the air in exhaustion. Her reaction was not how I'd imagined. Maybe she was just too weak to protest. I expected her to be mad, but instead she used the rest of her energy and strengths into a small passionate hug. We looked into each other’s eyes and nodded. Agreeing that this fight would end in a draw.

Everyone went wild after I marked her. The crowd, which had been somewhere around 25 ponies, had increased into maybe 50 ponies while we were busy fighting each other. 50 ponies witnessed the fight and the confession.

“I didn't mean anything I said to you earlier. But... I'm still going to keep calling you Dragonborn.” she whispered right back into my right ear with her very weak and powerless voice and chuckled feebly. Her once blood hungry eyes were now full of passion and satisfaction. In her eyes the fight was totally worth it. And I agreed completely. Otherwise I'd have to wait for a week before officially confirming to her and the goddess herself that I wanted her to be my special somepony for the rest of my life.

Another good thing about this fight was that I saw for myself how tough she really was, and she didn't disappoint. Even I couldn't beat her, and I was supposed to be the toughest living thing that has ever been in existence.

She slowly and without a warning started to nip on my left ear lightly again because she knew how much I liked it. We both just lay there in the pool of our blood and sweat before we both blacked out in each other’s arms.

I woke up in the hospital and strangely enough, my savior was right beside me. The tall muscular man with the black cap and the leather jacket.

He just sat there on a chair by the right side of my bed and didn't seem to notice that I had woken up yet. He didn't seem very worried nor was he scared. He just had this secured look on his face and waited patiently for me to wake up.

I coughed weakly and inhaled the air. That got the man's attention and made him stand up quickly.

The man didn't say anything though. He just stood there by my bed and waited for me to say something. I also noticed that he had a small smile on his face; a proud smile. He actually saved a life.

“Thank you.” I murmured to him and bowed my head in appreciation. “If you hadn't come..”

“No problem. It wasn't your time yet.”

“Eh... why do you say that?”

“Believe me, kid. One day the world is going to need you and you're going to be there for it when it needs you the most.” he responded and smiled again subtly.

“What do you mean? I'm just a normal guy. And who are you?” I asked puzzled and tried to contemplate about his strange response.

“You'll see for yourself when the time comes. Just remember; You'll never be alone.” he said reassuringly and gently shook my right shoulder. “Believe in yourself. Stay strong and never lose hope. You're going to need it.” he added with a wink before he let go off me.

“What do you mean? What are you talking about? Who are you?” I asked again more rapidly. But he simply gave me another subtle smile. Something strange happened after that. He disappeared from my very eyes as I blinked them. He was just there in front of me not a half second ago. He just... vanished.

Was he imagined? Or was I perhaps losing it? No... he couldn't be imaginary since he helped me get to the hospital. That ruled the imaginary theory out of the picture and left only one option left I could think of at that moment.

But I didn't really care about it at that moment due to my massive headache and my incredible exhaustion. I decided to get some sleep and speculate about it the next time I'd wake up...

I woke up the next morning in a bed with absolutely no bad effects of any kind from the fight. No pain, no bruises, no swollen body parts, no sprains in my muscles, no broken bones and the ugly cuts I got on my face was gone. I didn't see it, since I had my eyes closed, but I could feel it.

In fact, I felt more than fine. But if there was no sign of any harm on my body, would that mean that my marking had magically vanished as well? I hoped not.

I quickly touched my ear and to my surprise, I felt for the little malformed piercing in the right place, making me sigh in relief. I wanted it to become a scar. Dash hadn't told me if it was supposed to turn into a scar or not. But whether it should or not, I decided that I wanted it to show anyways.

I slowly opened my eyes and the first thing I could make out of the environment was Daring Do's angry face. She stood in front of my bed with her crossed arms and didn't look very happy. But she didn't need to tell me the reason for being mad since I already knew it. She was pissed because I'd been delaying her quest for too long. It had almost been a week since we revived Rainbow's mom, but I happened to postpone her request for far too long. The deal was to help her with her quest as soon as we had completed Ghost's personal quest.

“Dragonborn.” she said, waiting patiently for my response. Her disappointed pink eyes gazed into my red and terrifying eyes, making the situation so much more difficult. I always intended to help her out, but other things came in the way. And since I had to leave Ponyville, I figured I'd finish everypony's requests in Ponyville before heading out. But one thing more important than taking down Ahuizotl was to meet the Princesses. They urgently needed to speak to me about something important and I had been delaying that as well. The more I delayed the meeting with the princesses, the more time the dragons got to prepare themselves. Alduin would get even more time to revive the fallen dragons from the old times, and I doubted they'd return with smiles on their faces.

The situation I was in was killing me and was starting to give me headaches. Even though I was the most reliable pony in perhaps all of Equestria, I was still a mortal like they were. I wasn't a super hero, but the ponies wanted me to be the bad-ass they'd been imagining in their wild tales about me.

But before I replied to Daring Do, I looked around the room to realize that I was in Twilight's home. No surprise there. The fight took place in front of her big tree house of hers, and the fact that I was completely healed must've meant that Twilight had used her magic to heal me all up. She had the decency to leave the mark untouched. Why would she take that away anyways?

“Daring Do? Nice to see you again.” I asked and sat up while still in bed and under the covers.

“What the hell are you doing? I'm starting to wonder if you'll ever help me out like you promised.” she said in disappointment, and I completely understood that.

“Look. I haven't forgotten about you or our deal and I can assure you that I'm not breaking my promise. You'll get your things back. That, I guarantee.”

“That's good to hear. I'm ready to go now. And since Twilight used her magic to heal you back to 110%, we can leave at once.”

“Wait. I'm sorry, but I have one more thing I must attend to before we leave. Can you meet me at Rainbow's apartment in two hours?”

“Ugh. Fine.” she said before leaving the room without a good bye. But as soon as Daring left, entered Twilight. She sat down on my bed and looked at me with a small smile.

“Twilight! Good to see you again.” I said and offered her a hug which she accepted in a heartbeat. “I'm sorry I'm always making you go through these troubles because of me all the time. I really should stop putting my body on the line unnecessarily. But thank you for healing me once again.”

“Just be more careful next time and please promise me never to fight her again. It really hurt my heart to see you guys beating your life force out of each other. You're supposed to look out for each other. Stand together. Not fight each other.”

“I understand that. And I really appreciate that you care for us, but it was simply for fun and for practice. We didn't, nor do we have any bad blood against each other. You may have noticed that I marked her after the match.” I said with both pride and a small embarrassment.

“Yeah! That's exactly what I wanted to congratulate you on. I gotta admit that when I said that you guys would get along fine, I'd never thought it would go this far. I meant only as friends. I still can't believe my best friend is...married... to a random pony I encountered dying at the entrance of Ponyville. The pony I nursed back to health. The pony who turned out to be the prophecy from the Elder Scrolls themselves. And to think about the fact that my best friend is married to that guy; that legend, is just too... surrealistic.” she said, but whispered the last word. I didn't know if that sudden volume decrease in her voice was a good or a bad sign. Either way, I knew that she was either just too surprise or saddened by the fact that Rainbow's life had changed so much. Maybe she wasn't the same Rainbow in her eyes anymore.

“I-I had no idea that I was stealing her from you. I... to be fair, I didn't even plan on having a special somepony at all. It just... happened. I don't know anymore. Maybe...maybe she was happier when I wasn't in the picture. Maybe she...I just...I don't know anymore.” I repeated and rested my face on my hooves. I somehow felt like I had weakened their friendship, and I felt terrible about it. At least Twilight seemed like she was giving me a hint about it or something.

“Why would you say that she's not as happy as before? As far as I know, she's never been happier; you reunited her family, brought her mother back to life, inducted her into the Wonderbolts, and you've always been there for her. And don't ever say you stole her from us. I'm actually happy you found each other. She's been through a lot and the fact that you're there for her only strengthens all of us, not only Rainbow. Nobody could do it but you. So please. Never let her down. Because if you do, we'll become enemies and I wouldn't give a flying buck about your powers.” she said with determination, yet without doubting me.

I was impressed she had the guts to speak to me like that since I could easily tear her apart with my voice right there, right at that moment. I highly respected her honesty. I guess nothing's more powerful than the power of friendship. But part of me also doubted I could take her on. I had seen her magic, and knew of the time she took on an Ursa Minor.

“But I trust you, Drake. You're my friend and one of the nicest, most loyal ponies I've ever met. I know you wouldn't hurt her in any way. Well, except when you guys fought but that doesn't count. I'm very positive that you two will live a happy life.”

“Hurting her should be the least of your concerns. I don't even think I could hurt her even if I wanted to. Well, not physically anyways.” I said with a giggle. “But where is she?”

“She went home. You were still asleep when she woke up and she didn't want to wake you up from your rest, so she asked me if I could deliver you a message. She said she wanted to visit her parents again in Cloudsdale, but by the time you'd wake up she'd probably be back in her apartment waiting for you.”

“Thanks.” I said and paused. That made Twilight nod and stand up. “I guess I should leave. You know... meet the princesses, help Daring Do and do the average thing as a Dragonborn.”

Twilight nodded again with a weak smile. “Sure. Just be careful, and don't do anything stupid.”

“I'll keep that in mind.” I said as I jumped on my feet. I stretched my limbs and my wings. Stretching those wings felt good. It felt refreshing and somehow made me feel more energetic.

My next destination was Cloudsdale to have that little meet-up with the princesses. I just hoped they wouldn't bring any bad news...

“Drake. We've been awaiting your arrival.” said Princess Celestia with her soothing and mild voice, yet powerful as I entered the columned great hall.

“Your grace.” I responded as I walked along the red carpet leading me to the princesses in their iron thrones. The princesses waited for me to get up to them before saying anything else.

“Where have you been? We've been waiting for you. We said it was urgent to meet you at instance!” said Luna with her loud and powerful voice.

“Calm down, Luna.” Celestia said with her calm voice. “Drake. There are matters we need to discuss with you.”

“Yeah. I'm sorry, but I was delayed. You have no idea how much--”

“Wait... is that a marking I see?” Luna asked and stood up from her royal throne of hers. She approached me and carefully examined my wounded ear. “You have my congratulations. This hasn't happened for at least a century. Normally, we'd be throwing a great feast in your honor, but this is no time for celebrations.”

“And I wonder why...” I said as I rolled my eyes.

“Of course you know why! Your purpose is to--”

“Relax. I was just being sarcastic.” I muttered. I didn't really like being there in front of them. I hated that big, empty place and itched to get outside into the vast skies and fly as fast as I could against the wind.

But I had to take them seriously. Everything depended on me on killing the mighty World-Eater, like the ponies around Equestria used to call him. World-Eater sounded appropriate, since Alduin would kill every living thing and turn Equestria to ashes if we'd lose this war, then he would spend the next few centuries eating our souls. That's why I had to take everything seriously, even though I wasn't that kind of guy. I just liked to do things. I'd rather want to follow orders instead of giving them. But, this mighty task was appointed to me so who am I to brag about it?

“But thank you, my lady.” I added with my head lowered. “Now, why have you summoned me here?”

“We have new information about the movement of the Dragons.” Celestia took over and stood up from her throne. “Reports are coming in from other major cities. So far, the Dragons have been very coordinated and merciless. We're even getting reports of smaller towns being burnt down to the ground. Thousands of innocent ponies have already died.” she said with sorrow in her voice.

“And how does that help me?” I asked in sympathy.

“It means the Dragons are growing stronger with each day. So far, they've almost completely ignored Canterlot and the towns around that area. I don't like it, Dragonborn. I have a feeling they're going to target Canterlot soon enough. At this rate, we'll never be able to defeat them. Odds aren't exactly in our favor this time.”

“But you have something up your sleeves?”

“This is a... crazy idea. But it's the only option we have left. We want you to get out of Equestria and seek support. We cannot defeat them alone. That, you know. You must gather a strong army.”

“How the hell am I going to do that? I don't know anything about Equestria, let alone outside of it.”

“Hmm... yes. About that matter. We've been getting rather unbelievable rumors about you.” Luna pointed out as she walked up to me, and stared deep into my eyes with her sharp ones.

“R-Rumors?” I asked. I have to admit that I was a bit terrified of her.

“My sister's student has been sending us information about you. And the latest one she sent us is just beyond ridiculous. We just want you to confirm that it's rubbish.”

“You don't trust your student, my grace?” I asked Celestia and noticed how she reacted to that.

“Well... it's just very hard to believe that you're a human. Doesn't it sound a bit ridiculous to you? I mean, surely you are the Dragonborn, but the chance of you being a human as well are slim to none.”

“Let me ask you. Do you believe your student?” I asked, but this time I wasn't actually afraid of confessing my true identity.

“Of course I do. But this time... I don't know.”

“Well, you should.” I said with a small frown.

“A-Are you confirming it to be true?” Luna hesitantly asked with awe.

“Was!” I responded and tried to calm myself down. It was just so annoying to be called a human.

The princesses exchanged stares at each other and eventually stared at me in silence. Then they fell to the knees before me and didn't dare looking into my eyes. It was weird to witness the princesses kneel before me.

“D-Dragonborn. W-we didn't know.” said Luna, still without looking into my eyes. “We shall dedicate this day to your honor, Dragonborn.”

“Please, don't. I'd rather prefer to be an unknown. I want to be a normal citizen. Is that to much to ask?” I asked in slight anger. I was getting very tired of all the “We're so honored, please, have my kids!” attention. I just wanted to be considered normal. Not like some kind of an altar.

The princesses looked at each other again and nodded as they stood up again. “I-I'm sorry. But it's just so unbelievable...” Celestia said but then immediately shook her head. “Anyways. The Northlings are the residents of the land directly in North of Equestria. Seek their assistance. They don't speak Equestrian, so maybe you'll have to hire a translator or something. That's it for now. We'll give you more info in the future. You are dismissed.” Celestia explained and sat down again on her throne. “Don't disappoint us.” Luna added with a respectful nod and sat down on her own throne as well.

“There's something I have to attend to first... but I'll get it done sooner or later.” I simply said and lowered my head again to them.

“Just don't delay for too long. We don't have much time left.” Celestia pointed out with her smooth, yet cautious voice.

“I won't.” I responded, turned around and ran as fast as I could out of that boring and lifeless castle.

Trees. Trees surrounding us as we walked a path across a forest. The environment was simply breathtaking. I could never get used to it; it was simply magnificent. The birds singing, the sound of the leaves from the smooth, warm wind and the sun shining like never before. Before we set out, we looked out to have enough water and food, such as apples and bread, for this trip. I also made a stop by Rainbow's... I mean... by our apartment to retrieve my helmet again. I couldn't bear leaving without it.

Daring Do almost galloped the whole way due to excitement. There was nothing else she desired more than to take Ahuizotl down and obtaining her possessions again. Her well deserving treasures she obtained all by herself. But that Ahuizotl seemed to be a bitch to her. Always throwing her into life threatening situations. But she always managed to escape. I seriously hoped she would stick around for a bit longer after taking him down though. She seemed to be a valuable asset to my little team, and surely would be of great use if we happened to search for something inside a cave or something.

She was like Indiana Jones; loved adventures, adored treasures and had a passion for dangers and life endangering puzzles. I liked that, and she was exactly a pony I needed. But I didn't bother asking her to stick around just yet. I decided to wait with it after she got her artifacts back. She'd without a doubt be in an even better mood then than now.

We spoke the whole way, and this time we decided to actually walk instead of flying. I kind of suggested it, since I wanted to explore the beautiful nature around us. And we didn't walk in the mud. We walked on a stone made path which made this experience even better for me. I could stay there for the rest of the day and just enjoy life but we had to keep moving. I couldn't afford to delay anymore.

Rainbow Dash couldn't seem to keep her eyes off of me the whole time. It didn't bother me, but it sure was disturbing in a way. She simply just gazed at me with her eyes half closed and with a small smirk on her face. I was successful in being subtle enough for her not noticing me looking from time to time at her to check if she was still staring at me. Daring Do seemed to notice it as well. She decided to tease her a bit.

“Rainbow?” she asked barely audibly and fought to prevent laughter.

Dashie didn't answer, but I was pretty sure she didn't hear her. “Rainbow?” she asked again a little louder. But still, nothing. All of Rainbow's attention seemed to be fixed upon me. Maybe she was still stunned about the fact that we were officially and legally married. I don't know... but I surely didn't mind her attention. It actually made me feel proud of myself. It made me feel like I'd accomplished something.

“Rainbow?” Daring Do shouted in the end, making her finally wake her up from her little daydream.

“Huh?” she asked in a startle and looked around in every directions. “Yes?”

“Actually... never mind.” Daring Do responded and chuckled very lightly to herself.

“Huh?” Rainbow asked me and had her eyes wide open as if surprised.

I chuckled and slowly shook my head. “Nothing, my dear.” Rainbow Dash simply shook her head quickly again and blushed a bit as she realized what was going on. “Daring. You know where we're heading?”

“Yes. And surprisingly enough, it's not far ahead. You see this big mountain over there?” she asked and pointed at a big pointy mountain in front of us. It seemed to be pretty close to us. “He's hiding with my things in one of the caves.”

“Then let's not waste time. Come on.” I said and started to speed up a bit. I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. “You coming, Rainbow?” I shouted without looking at her.

“Of course I am!” she answered. But she got tired of walking so she used her wings instead. She flied at our speed. “Another thing I want to talk to you about.” she added.

“Oh?”

“Regarding your action in the fight...”

“Look, I'm really, really sorry I hit you like that without a warning. I--”

Dashie facehooved and landed again next to me. “I'm not talking about that.” she said and looked at me with a warm smile. Then I realized what she was talking about. She was talking about the marking.

“Rainbow. I don't care what you say. I'm absolutely two hundred percent certain that I did the right thing. I don't need to think about it. I want to be with you. I don't want anyone else. Deal with it.” I said determinedly but not angry. I was actually glad she mentioned it.

“Gods damn it, Drake!” she said and grinned with a small squee. She kissed me lightly on my cheekbone. That made me grin with her. “This is exactly why I love you.” she added with a chuckle.

“Hey, love birds. We're here.” Daring Do said and determinedly smiled as the big gracious mountain covered the view. We were at the root of the mountain.

“So, are we supposed to climb it?” I asked with a gulp.

“Nope, the entrance of his cave is on ground floor, fortunately. It's just on the other side of that mountain. Let's go!” she responded and started galloping away around the mountain.

“Wait, wait. How do you know these things?”

“Please. Remember who you're talking to.” she said and let that answer alone satisfy. “C’mon. We're almost there.”

It took little more time than I'd imagined, but we finally reached our destination. It looked like someone had built a small shelter of some kind around the entrance to the cave. A door was also built to block the path. All we had to do was to open the door and go get her things.

We took our position before we opened it. Dashie positioned herself at the right side of the door, while Daring Do went to the left. I took a big breath before kicking the door down. We all stormed inside, but surprisingly enough, there was no baddies to greet us. But Daring Do's possessions were there. All of them. All from tiny golden rings to a goblets and other relics.

Daring Do was tempted to take them all, but wasn't quite convinced. She was a professional when it came down to traps and dangers, so she decided to examine the things at first without touching them. “I-I don't like this, Drake. He would never leave without someone guarding the artifacts. I have a strong feeling that we've walked into a trap.” she explained slowly and in a small panic.

“Well, what the hell are we waiting for?” I shouted at her. “Go get your things, and let's get the hell out of there!”

Daring Do stared at me and nodded a couple of times quickly before she put her things into a bag. After the very small cave had been emptied, we rushed outside. But we were too late..

Ahuizotl stood there before us with three of his personal body guards. He was much bigger than he appeared in the show. He was purple, with cyan colored strokes from his belly up to his chin. The shape of his body was like it was mixed with an ape and a lizard. He had a tail and on the end of his tail was another hand with four fingers, so he had three pairs of hands. His arms were strong and could easily crush a human with one punch.

His extremely sharp teeth and his pointy canine teeth showed very clearly as well.

“Daring Do.” he simply said with his dim voice. “Good to see you again. Got any more valuables for me?”

“Ahuizotl,” Daring Do said with an angry frown. “I'm here to retrieve my things back.” she answered coldly. “They're mine! I found them! I went through a lot of trouble to obtain them and you did nothing. You don't deserve to have them.”

“I don't play fair.” he responded and giggled evilly with an hideous grin.

“I'm warning you. Let us pass with Daring's artifacts, and I might let you live.” I said and took a step forward. “I won't warn you again.”

“And who the hell are you to threaten me?” shouted Ahuizotl and approached me with fury. But I stood my ground as he roared at me. “You got yourself a tough one this time, Daring Do. But that's not going to save you.” he added as he stared at my face only inches away from me.

“Phew... your breath stinks!” I said to mock him, and waved my hooves around. “Don't you brush your teeth?” I continued with an amused smirk.

The body guards chuckled, making Ahuizotl look bad. He didn't take it very lightly, so he smacked me in my face and almost knocked me out. I grunted as I fell hard to the ground. Ahuizotl unsheathed his big blade and got himself prepared to slice me in pieces but Rainbow Dash interfered. “Get away from him, you bucker!” she shouted and flew up to him to punch him in the face. But he caught her before she could land the blow. He captured and made her a hostage. He put the tip of his blade to her back instead of the traditional hostage take, which was usually done by putting the blade against the neck of the victim.

“One step closer, and she dies!” he yelled. I simply lay there both stunned and panicked. My pupils shrunk down to dots in fear. I didn't dare move in the fear of provoking him. I didn't know what to do, but I was ready to do whatever he had to offer just to see her out of danger.

“Let me go, you bucker!” she shouted but groaned a bit as he pulled her mane. “Shut up!” he yelled at her and pushed his pointy end of his blade more against her skin. That made her groan again in small pain. I even noticed blood dripping down.

“Wait!” I shouted. “I'll do everything. Everything you want. The artifacts of hers, you can have 'em all.” I begged on my knees.

“I want my things back. Now!” he shouted at Daring Do, but she wouldn't object.

“No! They're mine!” she shouted back at him without a second thought. I couldn't believe my ears. I snapped my head towards Daring Do and stared at her with my jaw wide open in disbelief.

“Sorry, Drake. But I've earned for--”

“Fair enough. She dies.” he answered. But before he could do anything else, I interfered him.

“Wait! Just think about it. Let it go. I promise to repay you. I promise!” I begged, feeling for tears running down my cheeks. “Just...no. Please. Don't.”

“Tell her to bring me back my artifacts, or she will die!”

“Drake. Shout them to death!” Rainbow Dash groaned angrily.

“It's true! I am the Dragonborn. If you kill her, you'll die. I guarantee that.” I added with a glimpse of hope. Surely he wouldn't dear messing with the Dragonborn himself.

“I don't believe you.” he said with a curious look on his face.

“Let me show you.” I shouted FUS into the air. The body guards bought it, but Ahuizotl wouldn't object.

“Anyone can learn that with constant practice! This is getting me nowhere. You asked for it! She dies!” he growled before he gutted her with the big blade of his. The sharp, rusty blade was thrust into her back, causing her to bleed. She looked into my eyes, tears beginning to fall down her cheek. The look she gave me was of pain and fear. She gasped once in agony as her eyes began to dull. Ahuizotl kicked her down, producing a wet, sickening swoosh as the sword of his exited her body.

“NO!” I screamed. Instead of killing Ahuizotl I ran up and knelt next to her. My eyes started to fill with wetness in shock and disbelief, and this time I knew that she wouldn't make it. “No, no, no, no, no...” I cried as I looked into the sky. “Please! Help her!” I shouted, hoping that the gods would do me yet another favor. “Please, don't leave me! Please don't! That's an order!” I added, still in a sad shout, as I held her firmly in my arms. “You can't leave me now. Please... don't die. I don't know what to do without you! Please!”

“I-it's alright.” she whispered before coughing up some of her blood. She started panting for air and gagging lightly in pain. She pressed on the wound on her stomach with her hoof to minimize the bleeding and had her other one around my neck. "D-d-drake?"

“I'm here, Silvermoon. I'm here.” I answered as I covered my wet face on her neck.

“S-Silvermoon? Heh... I-I think I-I like... it.” she responded and chuckled feebly before grunting again, her coughing becoming worse with each one. She looked at me as if she was only just half alive, drooling blood at the same time. “P-pl-lease. N-never give up. S-Stay strong for our friends.” she pushed out. I noticed how the colors from her body started to fade to gray. “For Equestria... f-for us...” she groaned and pulled me near so I could give her a one final kiss.

While all this was happening, Daring Do fought her enemy and it seemed like she managed to kill Ahuizotl and his body guards all by herself. She came up to me and dying Dashie with her bag and knelt next to us with a shocked expression on her face after he'd been taken care of.

We kissed again and I knew this was going to be our last moment together. I hugged her tightly and held her shaking body close to me, but she couldn't return that hug. She was too weak.

“I-I promise.” I whimpered as I sobbed. She just simply nodded a couple of times and asked me to come near. I obeyed. As soon as I got closer to her, she started nibbling gently on my right ear around my marking and licked the small wounded area lightly. “Oh god!” I cried out again as soon as I felt for her nibble. “Please... d-don't die...”

“Drake... it's... b-been an h-honor.” she whispered, never taking her eyes off mine. But I comforted and held her firmly in my arms, shushed and hugged her again. I felt for her heart slowly failing her, my grip on her tightening with each weak heartbeat, until it completely stopped beating. She exhaled softly, her small smile faded, and everything began to dull. That is how she died, with my arms wrapped around her. Next Chapter: Chapter 9: Rainbow in the Dark Estimated time remaining: 9 Hours, 5 Minutes