Living in Equestria

In the early morning after Nightleaf had visited Cloudsdale, as Mason and Twilight slept before venturing out into the Badlands and Rarity shifted around uncomfortably in her bed back in Ponyville with conflicting emotions about Spike and Wilson, life went on as normal in the floating city for almost everypony. The weather factory was running all hours of the day at this time of year and shift workers passed each other in the pre-dawn gloom as one group left, tired and beat with their tails hanging low and the other was just starting, tired and beat in a different way from waking up long before Celestia would do her thing.

The pegasus who worked the early shift assembling snowflakes had been slow to get going that morning, it was hard to get motivated when you were going someplace you hated and knew you didn't belong. His house was way out on a satellite cloud with a few sparse nearby dwellings adjacent to the city's main foundation. When he finally did step onto the stoop of his house, the dark had a quality that only existed while the two royal sisters in Canterlot were engrossed in conversation between their setting and rising spells.

He was about to stretch his wings when something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Two ponies, shadowy and furtive, were moving quickly through the gloom with another limp form carried between them. The habits of his former life kicked in before he even realized he was flying towards them.

"Stop!" he commanded with a booming, authoritative voice that echoed from the wall of the house they had almost reached.

The two pegasi froze, but only for a split second. As if communicating via unseen, unheard channels, they dropped the limp form and whirled, rushing at him from two different angles with sudden violence.

But Kaiden was already tensed, his training and instincts from both the war and his more recent service of the mayor's head of security could not be dulled by a simple few weeks of being off the job.

The one coming from his right reached him first with a skilful leg sweep that would have broken his knees had it connected. But Kaiden shot up vertically, spinning his body around and landing a rear hoof to the attacker's snout with a painful crack! that sent him reeling away with fewer teeth. Now the second one was on him, coming up from underneath with teeth barred, aiming to remove a chunk of flesh that Kaiden barely dodged, the jaws snapping closed on thin air less than an inch away from his flank.

Both of the large red stallion's hooves clopped on either side of this one's head with a massive impact, pealing the cloth hood he wore off in the process. The mysterious would-be biter fell in a stunned crumple below on the cloud's surface and as Kaiden paused, noticing the hood in his hooves while he hung vertically in the air, a painful blow landed on the side of his midsection that knocked the wind out of him. Given how hard this was to do for a pony, it only affirmed to him that these two were skilled fighters.

A shot of his wings gave him enough distance to recover before the bloodied mouth of the first combatant snapped at him in an attempt to remove his nostrils. A fast, right hoof from Kaiden to the underside of this one's muzzle and then a powerful left just behind his right eye took the remaining fight out of him quickly with a painful grunt, the only sound other than the impacts from their blows that was made.

They both retreated, the dazed one had already begun to fly off and the dark form of his counterpart soon followed, leaving him alone with the unconscious body they had been carrying. He dropped to where it lay and quickly noted it was a mare, stinking with the sour odor of Sarin root. She was alive and visibly unhurt with the exception of a lump on the back of her head where Kaiden could only assume she had been hit to render her like this in the first place. It was hard to make out her coloring in the darkness but something about her seemed familiar. Leaving her for a moment, he moved to where the hood lay discarded on the lumpy cloud's surface, picking up the object and examining it for clues as to his attacker's identities.

His blood ran cold when his sharp eyes made out the white pegasus with the outstretched wings. It was the ancient and sinister insignia of The Flock. Kaiden's looked at the mare's limp body, "Now what would they want with you?" he mused aloud.

____________________________________________

"Why of all the stupid, waste of time things we could have done!" Twilight fumed as another mile or so of empty landscape passed by us. We'd seen nothing since the large green dragon earlier. Not even a rat.

"Twilight... I don't think we're going to find anything here. This place is a war zone. No dragoness around here is going to help us." I said, "We... we should probably head back. We're gonna have to go fast if we wanna make the train."

The look in her eyes as she flew by my side said she knew I was right. We'd been out here all day with nothing to show for it and even if we found a dragon in the next thirty seconds... we probably wouldn't have enough time to explain everything without missing our ride back to Ponyville.

Twilight slumped in mid-air, defeated. "You're right." she said quietly, her ears laying flat on her head, "Let's go back..."

We made the train with just seconds to spare that afternoon. The attendant was just closing the doors as Twilight and I came in like a bat out of hell from the south, both of us landing awkwardly and Twilight caught the edge of the door just before it latched shut.

"Well, hello folks!" the attendant said with mild surprise as we piled in, "You just made it!"

"No shit..." I grumbled, walking past him as I rubbed my elbow at the sore spot where I'd landed on it.

"Ten... Eleven... Twelve!" Twilight counted out the rooms as we walked by them. We both gave a start whe the train's horn sounded just as her hoof grasped the door handle.

"Ha!" Twilight laughed and pointed at me, "I'm not the only one scared of the horn now, am I?!"

She'd actually been in a good mood the whole flight back. Something about resigning herself to getting Celestia's help seemed to take whatever weight had been on her mind about the whole thing and we'd talked chummily most of the way back to Dodge City. We both weren't happy about failing in our quest to help Spike, but at least we tried.

Room twelve was a bit bigger than the one we had gotten on the train ride here. The beds were in a separate nook around a corner and away from the small living area with a table and two low stools for chairs. We each took one one of these seats, leaning tiredly on the table and watched in silence for a while as the busy surrounding of Dodge City slid by with ever increasing speed.

"Thanks... for coming Mason." my purple companion said after a long silence, "I- I know I asked a lot of you on this trip. You fit in with us so well that sometimes I forget you aren't from here and maybe talking to a grown dragon wasn't something you were used to. It wasn't until that moment at the Badlands that I realized I probably should have not been so... bookish about you." she turned, giving me an apologetic smile.

The way the afternoon sunlight struck her face, illuminating her big purple eyes and making the little hairs on her cheeks glow with a preternatural light showed just how beautiful she could be sometimes. The flecks in her horn even sparkled with the slightest movement as we rocked with the train's motion. I probably looked into her eyes longer than just a friend should.

"It's alright, Twilight. I guess I should be happy I fit in so well that someone as smart as you can forget it so quickly."

She blushed and looked away, knocking a hoof gently against the wooden surface of the table and giving a sigh. We'd left the city by now and in the lowering light, the barren landscape that would go unchanged until Appleloosa stretched out as far as we could see.

"Oh! Our stuff!" she perked up, ears swelling forward and remembering our belongings were supposed to be here waiting for us.

"I'll check the beds." I offered.

Getting up and moving around the small corner into the adjoining room where the two beds were located, I saw Twilight's pack on the bottom bunk and mine laying on the top with the flap facing me. I stopped and cocked my head in confusion in a manner that I'd unconsciously picked up from Scootaloo. It was the bag I'd borrowed from the little orange pegasus... but it looked filled to capacity.

I didn't even own enough things in this world to fill the gigantic bag to that extent and I wondered with apprehension at just what the hell was in there. Did they screw up and give me somepony else's bag that looked exactly the same? Reaching the bed with a stride, I pulled the flap down, lifting the edge to peer inside.

Two glittering red eyes blinked out at me and I heard a small girlish voice say "Aww buck..." just before a wall of orange flames hit my face.

"Gahhh!" I screamed in shock, my brain registering the hot sensation over my face. It ended as quickly as it began, leaving my skin sensitive and a few wisps of hair burned near my temples, scenting the air with an acrid odor. When my hands flew to my face and felt un-melted skin and no pain, I looked at the bag with annoyance and confusion at being startled like that.

"Mason?! What's wrong!" Twilight called out a split second before she was beside me, looking at me with concern. "Why do I smell burning fur?"

"There's something in my bag!" I squawked, still not quite sure why I wasn't a puddle of charred flesh.

"What?! Whats in there?!" Twilight's horn flared with the dangerous red glow of magic as she took a step back, preparing to blast whatever it might be.

"I don't fucking know! I saw two red eyes then bam! Face full of fire and I dropped the flap."

We watched as the bag began to move and then the flap was pushed up by the small head of a familiar young dragon. It was Ashley, the little street urchin who'd tried to steal Twilight's bits.

"What the hell!?" I shouted at her, "What the fuck are you doing in my bag, you little thief?"

"Trying to get some sleep, no thanks to you!" she shot back, slithering out of the bag like a snake and then sitting on the edge of the bed with an unapologetic frown, her stumpy legs hanging.

"But why were you napping here, Ashley?" Twilight's horn winked out and she stepped forward, "Sleeping in a pony's luggage isn't normal..."

"What does it matter to you, princess, I can do whatever I want!" she sneered back. But Ashley's eyes lacked any real malice... in fact, she looked scared to death.

"I'm not so sure the train conductor will agree with you, besides... you tried to fry Mason! That's not very nice, you know!" Twilight said angrily and turned her back, making a move towards the door presumably to summon the ticket taker.

"Wait... Don't leave... please?" her voice came again, this time with a pleading desperation, "Don't... don't kick me out. I don't have anywhere to go!"

"Yeah... right." I said, trying to ignore the sad little girl act I'd seen before on the streets of Dodge City, "We're just a couple of suckers, remember?! I want my bit back you liar!"

Ashley began to cry silently, the glittering red eyes shimmering with moisture, "I'm sorry about that, OK? Brock won't share unless we bring him bits every day and... and..." she searched for words that wouldn't come before she sagged in defeat, tears now falling from her red cheeks that she wiped away quickly, "He took the bit... I don't have it anymore."

"Who's Brock?" Twilight hesitated, turning back to her with the question.

The small red girl sniffed and wiped her snout with the back of her scaly hand absently, "He's the leader of The Underground... the orphan camp under the city." she said miserably, not looking up at us, "He's.... he not really nice. Not like Shepard was."

"So... You're an orphan?" Twilight glanced at me.

"Duh..." Ashley sniffed again and gave Twilight and I a condescending look, "You think I wanna live in old sewer tunnels? I wanna go to Ponyville... I wanna see your castle."

"Why Ponyville? Why my castle?" Twilight asked with confusion.

She gave the type of noncommittal shrug that only a young female could, looking down at her hands. "I dunno... It's better than staying in Dodge City."

"What were you going to do when you got there?" the alicorn pressed.

"I dunno..."

"Do you even know where Ponyville is?"

"I dunno..."

Silence fell on the three of us, broken by the occasional sniff from Ashley. Twilight looked at me, shrugging as if to say she was out of ideas and even though I didn't trust the little shit, it was obvious she wasn't faking this time. The young dragon really had nowhere to go and the desperation of it showed on her face clearly. When I returned her shrug, Twilight looked back at Ashley.

"Mason and I are going to go talk in the hallway. I've put a spell on this room... if you do anything bad, you'll get zapped with magic, understood?" she intoned dramatically to the small red girl.

Ashley's eyes widened a bit before she gave and incredulous reply. "Y- you can't do that... can you?"

"You wanna find out?" her purple muzzle twisted in an evil grin.

Ashley's hands slid under her bottom and she sat on them, shaking her head at the alicorn with big, scared eyes.

Twilight gave a satisfied nod and ticked her head to the side, indicating I should follow her. We left the room and stood outside in the train car's hallway with the door closed.

"Mason... I don't think I can bring myself to turn her in..." Twilight shook her head.

"What? Wait... you're not thinking about bringing her with us back to Ponyville, are you?!" I said with quiet intensity.

"Well..." Twilight's eyes looked up and to the left, her hoof waving around to gesture with her words, "She is a dragon... and we did come here to find one!"

"She's like... barely older than Spike! You can't seriously be thinking she could help him!"

Twilight shook her head, looking conflicted, "Not like... well... I don't think so, I mean..." she looked down in confusion.

"Are you even gonna tell her about Spike?"

"I... I'm not sure yet. It feels kind of weird... I was expecting to come back with an older dragoness to help him. Not one his age. I'm not sure she even knows what Feracity is!"

I wasn't sold on the idea, however. "She's a thief, and don't forget she's already tried to fry both of us without even thinking about it! She'd chew Spike up in a second! I mean.. I like the little guy and all, but he's a softie"

"That's just it, Mason... I don't think Ashley can fire properly. As far as I know, dragons can't just choose to breathe fire that doesn't burn. Spike's weakest flames still vaporize a scroll instantly. The first time on the street I thought it was just a freak incident... but now after she tried it on you? Nuh uh. Something's not right." she shook her head and looked at the closed door with concern.

"A dragon that can't breathe hot fire?" I said with an incredulous smirk.

"I think so. And she's an orphan, Mason. She wouldn't survive alone with out her fire... Young dragons are rare and ponies pay big money for them. I should know! Do you know how many times I've been offered a crazy amount of bits for Spike by the caravans that come through Ponyville?! Somepony will grab her Mason..."

I looked at my companion for a moment, realizing that she saw more truth in this situation than I ever could. She may be a nerdy book worm, but she had a good heart that couldn't be denied.

"So... what. Are we just gonna go in there and say Hey! We'll take you back to Ponyville, Ashley! Forget all that stealing and frying stuff! And by the way... here's our boy dragon friend who happens to have a hormonal problem and wants to screw anything that moves! Can ya take a look and see if you can give him a hand? Does that sound about right or did you have something else in mind?" I couldn't stop the strong tone of sarcasm from seeping into my voice.

"Well.. not exactly." Twilight was completely unphased by it, "But I think we should take her to Ponyville. I... I don't think I could sleep if I knew I had a chance to help her and didn't try. Maybe she just needs to be around some caring ponies for a while and she won't be so... so mean?"

"Where's she gonna stay?"

"Applejack's guest room is open again, right?" Twilight suggested.

"Seriously?! What, is the farm like Ponyville's orphan boarding house?!"

She gave a resigned sigh, "You're right... Applejack has taken on you and Scootaloo already. I'll still ask her, she's always fine with it as long as whoever stays there is helping out around the farm. If she doesn't agree then.... then I guess I'll take her."

We met each other's eyes, her purple rimmed gaze told me her mind was made up. "This is all you, Twilight. I don't think it's a good idea, but... you're right. We can't just turn her away if you really think she needs the help."

My mention of this being her responsibility caused a split second of doubt to creep over her face before she covered it up with forced determination.

"You gonna be nice to her?" she asked me with a small smile.

"As long as she doesn't try to steal anything... I guess." I shrugged back.

Twilight's face softened and her hoof came up to touch my arm lightly, "Thanks." she smiled and then slid the door open to the cabin.

"Twilight?" I stopped her, putting my hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah?" her happy eyes met mine.

"Did you really cast a spell on the room?"

She only gave me a peculiar smile before walking into cabin twelve where the little red dragon sat waiting for us.

_______________________________________

Ashley sat on her hands and waited.

She really didn't believe the purple one about the spell but she wasn't in the mood be be zapped just in case she was wrong. Besides, Ashley had nowhere to go anyways. She'd run out of places to hide from the world around her and the fact she was alone in it. Maybe she could just lie to them for a little while until the train stopped and then she could try her luck wherever that was? Alone. In a strange place. With no bits.

Her eyes welled up with tears again and that only served to frustrate Ashley even more. She's cried more times in the last day or so than she'd ever remembered. That fact didn't sit well with her checklist of being a dragon that didn't take shit from nopony.

When she'd climbed into the human's stupidly large bag inside the station while the attendant wasn't looking, she only intended to take a short nap while the day passed and the train arrived. She was supposed to slip out and hide in the bathroom or something after the bag was loaded and stay there until she got to Ponyville but somehow had fallen into a deep, exhausted sleep. Not even the bag being thrown onto the the bed had woken her up. Never once did her plan involve actually meeting these two and now that she'd been caught and the train was moving, she was stuck.

No matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise, Ashley knew her only hope was that these strangers didn't get her thrown off the train. Maybe she could still sneak into the castle if she got there... it was supposed to be huge, right? But she didn't think that was going to happen. They didn't know her and she didn't know them. Nopony just helps strangers out like that unless they want something in return and Ashley had nothing... they knew it.

When she heard the door open, her head came up and her sparkling red eyes focused on the corner where the purple one and the human appeared. The human looked mad... but then again, she had just tried to flame his face, she couldn't blame him.

"Ashley, My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is Mason." the purple one said easily enough.

"Kay... hello..." Ashley said cautiously.

"We were..." Twilight stopped and gave the human a glare before stomping lightly on his foot, "Say hello, Mason!" she whispered forcefully.

Mason shot Twilight a look before his blue eyes turned to her with a blank look. "Hello, Ashley." he said flatly. In spite of the situation, Ashley let a small chuckle escape at the pair's antics.

"Anyways..." Twilight continued, rolling her eyes, "We.. we're not going to tell the ticket taker you're here Ashley. We want to talk to you about something."

Ashley frowned with mistrust, trying to guess at what these two wanted with her. "Why?" she asked apprehensively, dragging the small word out and ending it on an uptone.

"We want to help you. Running around Equestria as a young dragon isn't very safe... especially one with fire problems." Twilight added and Ashley bristled at the fact she'd been figured out so easily.

"Oh yeah? What makes you think I got fire problems, horn head?!" Ashley growled and hopped angrily down from the bed to stump to the alicorn who didn't budge.

"If you don't... then why don't you cook me right now and prove it!" Twilight challenged, lowering her head so she was eye to eye with her.

Ashley's pulse quickened. Her bluff had been called but she wasn't willing to admit it.

"What if I don't wanna, huh? What if I don't wanna watch a stupid princess rolling around in pain on the floor while her fur burns and stinks the whole train up?!" she leaned in and pressed her snout against Twilight's for added effect.

"That's my problem, not yours! I've never met a dragon who wasn't willing to prove how hot their flame is! So go ahead, my magic will protect me from your big bad flames, Ashley!" Twilight mocked.

Ashley was out of cards to play. Twilight stepped back and she watched her horn flare with a pink light, causing a bubble to appear around her purple body just out of arms length.

"Go ahead!" Twilight's voice sounded a bit muffled from behind the protective barrier and she looked impatiently at her, waiting for Ashley to do something.

She looked from Twilight to Mason who stood there with his big ol dumb arms crossed and then back to Twilight. Frustration and self loathing at her own stupidity for getting into this mess in the first place welled up and she couldn't maintain her facade any longer. They had her.

She felt her shoulders sag and she looked at the floor. "Y- you don't need that spell, Twilight. I can't even light a candle..." she said in a small, miserable voice, hating the admission and the way it sounded coming from her.

She didn't see Twilight move close, but she felt the hoof that gently wrapped around her shoulder in a hug and she looked up into a caring and warm purple face with friendly eyes.

"Now can we talk?" Twilight smiled at her.