Ode of Silver

Chapters

Prelude: Fall of the Guardian
Chapter 1: The Storm Begins
Chapter 2: Ponies in the Rain

Prelude: Fall of the Guardian

He could sense it, the fading power of chaos as it was overwhelmed by a surge of harmonic energy. Order had been restored to the world, but it was too little too late. Lazily his eye opened and he directed his slit pupil towards the sky. A swirling dark cloud formed against the bright flash that sealed the defeat of chaotic forces. The clouds would go unnoticed by most, vanishing as quickly as they had appeared. He knew even more dangerous beings had just escaped into this world, drawn by the dark powers that had attempted to seize control over it in the past many months. Hopefully he would be able to find them all before they caused any havoc. He couldn't allow his past failure to repeat itself.

"I best get to work then," he yawned as he lifted himself off the ground. He stretched his back, small spines peeling up to reveal their razor edges, as his long, sleek tail rolled and curled at various angles to relax the muscles. He started to focus his magic, channelling it outward into the world like a giant radar. Each pulse pushed the reach of the one before it, seeking out energy signatures that were not of this dimension. It wasn't long before he started getting readings. He closed his grey eyes to further clear his mind as he attempted to determine how many signals he was picking up. "Five? No six, seven... Damn, nine of them got through? It must have taken a great amount of power to push through that many in such a short opening. But where could they-"

CRACK!

The sound of branches snapping underfoot jolted his attention back to his surroundings. He spun around quickly, his tail brushing rocks and leaves off the cliff edge. There was no way any of the equine creatures could have climbed up the steep mountainside to his secluded ledge. Not even a pegasus could reach it due to the harsh winds that blew around it. Not that any of the ponies that populated this world would even dare tread this deep into the Everfree Forest. That left few options and he hoped it was just another dragon seeking an empty cave.

"Well now, you're getting pretty lax aren't you?" The statement mockingly lingered in the air, its source unknown.. He growled, baring his fangs, as he watched a strange looking creature step out from the shadow of a boulder. It walked upon its hind legs with ease, making visual gestures as it spoke with it's hands and fingers. It stood at least seven feet tall, yet it was lacking any form of stabilisation, such as a tail. Its pale skin was clearly visible in areas beneath a fine layer of hair, yet most of its body was clad in what appeared to be armour constructed out of a strange metal. Its head was flat, featuring raised cheek bows and a narrow jaw line. Dark antler like horns sprouting from a thick mess of black hair which adorned the top of his scalp.

"Who are you? Are you one of the ones that came in through the portal? Tell me now!"

"So demanding, but yes I did come through that portal just now. As to who I am, well I'm just hurt that you haven't heard of me! I've heard all about you skyborn, your comrades seem to hold you in high esteem."

"My comrades? Just who are you?"

"Oh you really shouldn't care, you won't be around long enough for it to matter anyway."

The creatures crimson eyes flickered with wicked knowledge. The Skyborn's ears twitched as he felt a sudden surge of magical energy converge on a local point as a glyph flashed into life beneath him. An explosion rocked the mountain, blasting part of the ledge into oblivion, sending pieces of debris crumbling down the cliff.

"I see, so it will take more than a few underhanded tricks to get rid of you. I'm so glad that you other guardians spoke the truth about you. However, you must die," the creature laughed with genuine amusement at his quarry. The Skyborn lay crumpled in the devastation left by the blast. He growled as he dragged himself back onto all fours, cursing himself for allowing the creature to strike a dirty blow.

"You dare threaten me? You will soon learn your mistake!" the Skyborn barked as he lunged at his attacker, claws extended and ready to rip flesh from bone. Sadly the creature was lithe, arming itself with a sword in an instant, bring the broadside up to meet his adversary. There was the sound of metal scratching against scales as the blade hit it's mark, batting the Skyborn aside. A loud thump resonated as the Skyborn's body slammed into a nearby boulder, the force of the impact splitting the large rock.

"My, my, my, you ARE a persistent bastard aren't you? But enough playing around foolish creature. This ends now!" the Skyborn didn't have time to react before the creature plunged his sword deep into his side, "and with your death none shall challenge me and my rule. This world will learn to fear my name. For I am Jarknal. The Dark Lord of Nethermere!"

"Guess again," the Skyborn spat weakly, rearing his head so as to stare Jarknal in the eye. He smiled slightly at the invaders expression as he focused as much power as he could muster. Jarknal roared in anger as an emerald green glyph glowed brightly on his foes forehead. The Skyborn opened his jaws, unleashing a swath of emerald flames. Jarknal screamed in pain, stumbling back as he relinquished his grip on the sword. His flesh burned and his armour grew red from the intense heat of the flames that wrapped around him. He glared at the Skyborn, immense hatred in his eyes.

"If I cannot kill you, then I can at least reduce you to nothing! Then when others come this world will crumble!" Jarknal cackled over the roar of the flames. As he spoke red glyphs began to illuminate the sword that was still lodged in the Skyborn's side. The Skyborn cursed as his tail snapped around the enchanted weapon, yanking it out. Unfortunately he wasn't fast enough. The glyphs slowly began to encase his body as though it were living glass. He bellowed in protest, throwing himself into the now withering Jarknal. The pair sailed over the edge, as Jarknal continued to cackle like a madman. The Skyborn's flames consumed the vile fiends' body, turning it to naught but ashes.

"I do hope you'll enjoy your new life Skyborn. That is, assuming you survive the fall!"

The Skyborn snapped his jaws in anger and slashed at his enemies face, leaving deep grooves in the ashes as it faded away. He struggled to move as he felt the glyph encase him, spreading faster and faster. He cried out in defiance one last time before plummeting into the trees below.

Chapter 1: The Storm Begins

“What do you mean we can't divert the storm?”

“I mean we can't stop it. We've tried pushing it off course, kicking out the clouds, even creating a tornado to try and break it apart. Nothing works, it just keeps on growing. At this rate it will hit Ponyville in just a few hours!”

"This can't be happening. No storm, not even one from the Everfree Forest, can defy pegasus weather control. Yet this one does. What gives?”

The blue pegasus sighed in frustration as her subordinate sped off to rejoin the other pegasi. Nearby the sound of thunder rolled out from a great mass of storm clouds that were as dark as the night sky. The storm was larger and fiercer than any other that the young pegasus had ever seen. If it continued going like this then she was going to have to warn everyone, and fast! A storm like this could easily wreck Ponyville if nothing was done to protect the town. She looked off into the distance. There was some distance between her, just beyond the border of the Everfree Forest, and the town but still. It was growing fast, and gaining ground quicker than she had believed possible.

“Cloudkicker!”

“Yes, Rainbow Dash?”

“I need you to alert Miss Mare. When this storm hits, it's gonna hit hard. Everypony needs to be prepared. Do whatever she asks of you got it? Take the rest of the weather crew with you, there's nothing more we can do here.”

“What about you Rainbow Dash?”

“I'm off to talk with Twilight.”

The two pegasi saluted before speeding towards the Town Hall. Rainbow, on the other hand, set her sights on a large oak tree that rest on the side of Ponyville, housing the towns library. Ever since the Summer Sun Celebration a year ago, it has been the home of one Miss Twilight Sparkle, a unicorn from Canterlot and the elder ruling Princess's own personal student. Twilight is both smart and magically gifted, if otherwise a tad oblivious. Regardless, Rainbow Dash was sure her dear friend would know what to do.

“Are you sure it's ok for me to stay here Twilight?”

“Yes, I'm absolutely sure, Junebug. After all I couldn't just let you walk home through this nasty storm. Even with the protection spell in place the winds are still strong enough to tire you out before you even got half way home!”

“Thank you, Twilight,” the yellow-green earth pony smiled sincerely. She had never really spoken to the purple unicorn on more than a handful of occasions, yet she treated Junebug like she would anypony, with kindness and friendship. Junebug couldn't help but feel respect for the young mare. Especially since it was through Twilight's efforts and researching that the unicorns in Ponyville were about to conjure up a new spell to protect the town from the horrible storm which had recently laid siege to the humble village. Junebug sighed as she looked out the window, attempting to see through the heavy rain. At least her flowers wouldn't need a good watering for at least a week after this.

“Hey, Twilight, just got a message from the Princess!” a familiar voice called out from the kitchen, attracting the attention of both ponies in the room. Soon a small purple scaled creature with green spines came rushing out from a side door, clutching a roll of parchment in his hand. Junebug had heart that Twilight's assistant, a baby dragon named Spike, could send and receive letters from Princess Celestia due to his magical fire-breath, but had never seen it actually happen. Perhaps tonight she'd finally get to witness it, her curiosity starting to rise as the purple unicorn gripped the scroll in her magic and levitated it before her, quickly reading and re-reading it. If it was from the Princess it must have been quite important, and it's contents only made Junebug even more curious.

“So, uh, what does it say Twi? Oh huh, ah hi Junebug. Sorry I didn't see you there, how are you?”

“Oh hi Spike. I'm doing well, yourself?”

Before Spike could respond Twilight gasped and began to rush about the room in a hurry. Spike had to jump out of the way to avoid getting trampled as various objects started flying across the room towards the now flustered unicorn. Twilight settled her saddlebags on her back, packing several books into them while she searched the shelves for ones she couldn't recall the placing of.

“Whoa, calm down there Twilight. What's the matter all of a sudden?” Spike asked, trying to calm his friend. Junebug backed up against a wall, partly stunned by the sudden change in the unicorns behaviour, partly frightened by it. There was no mistaking it now, whatever was in that letter from the Princess must have been incredibly important to bother the usually calm purple pony like this.

“Oh Spike, the Princess has sent me a summons! A SUMMONS! Do you know what that even means? It means she wants to see me to discuss something of the utmost importance! I cannot simply make her wait, I need to get going now.”

“But what about the storm? You said yourself it would be too difficult to even cross town without becoming exhausted. How do you plan on getting to Canterlot in this weather?”

“I know I said that Junebug, that's why I'm going to have to use my magic to teleport myself out of here.”

“Teleport? Out of Ponyville? ALL THE WAY TO CANTERLOT?! Are you crazy Twilight?”

“Spike please, don't be over dramatic. Of course I'm not crazy, and I'm not going to try teleporting my way straight to Canterlot. I'm going to get as close to the edge of the storm as I can. From there I can walk to the next town and get a train back to Canterlot. True it would be faster if I could teleport all the way to the Princess, but I'm not going to risk it.”

“Wait, but, if you're leaving now... then what about me? Are you sure I can stay here while you're gone?”

“Don't worry Junebug, I'm sure it will be fine. It's not like you're going to wreck the place, and Spike will be here with you. Just ask him if you need anything, I'll be back as soon as I can. In the meantime just sit tight, I'm sure the storm will be over soon.”

“Yeah sure, because it's just weakening by the minute,” Spike muttered under his breath in a sarcastic tone. Junebug giggled a little at his comment that Twilight seemed too busy to hear. Saying one last goodbye the purple unicorn's horn flashed brightly and in a pop the magic using pony was gone. Spike sighed as he began to walk around the room, picking up books Twilight had discarded in her hasty search. Junebug looked around, trying to spot any clues as to what was so important that the Princess had to speak to Twilight in person. Unfortunately none of the discarded books appeared to have any relation to each other, and Twilight had taken the letter she received with her.

“So~ what do you usually do around here for fun?” Junebug asked casually, kicking a hoof at the ground nervously. Considering how rare it was for anypony aside from Twilight and Cherrilee to borrow books from the library, Junebug couldn't help but wonder if she was the first pony to be stuck in the library alone in a long while. Well almost alone, Spike was still with her after all.

“Well Twilight just studies all the time, and I run errands. I think we have some boardgames somewhere though. Care for some chess?” Spike answered, pausing for a moment to think about the question carefully. Junebug smiled half-heartedly, this was not how she had expected her day to go.

“Ugh, where... where am I?” it felt like the very thought of it made him weaker. He stumbled as he stepped into a muddy puddle that was deeper than expected. He tried to right himself but toppled under the weight of the pouring rain. Mud splatted over his body with a splash, clinging to his hair despite the mighty cold shower he was still receiving. He groaned with effort as he pushed himself back onto his hooves. He blinked slowly, trying to focus his blurred sight on what was ahead of him. He could tell he was nearing the edge of the forest now, the trees and undergrowth were far less dense here, and it appeared as if he had wandered onto an old path. It looked like it had not seen a traveller's hoof in many years, being overgrown with weeds, grass, tree roots, and other such foresty things. Still it seemed strange that he had not spotted any wild animals yet, even though he had been walking for what felt like a day and a half. For all he knew, he had been walking that long. Until now the forest just looked the same under the fierce grip of the storm. No sun or stars to guide his way, just dark clouds and bright lightning occupied the skies.

“That looks like the way out,” he mused, trudging forth once more. His emerald green eyes blood shot and stressed from exhaustion and the bitter cold winds. Other than the weight of it in his mane the rain had yet to really bother him, but damn these winds were a hindrance and a half. They pushed against him, stung his eyes, blew dirt and loose leaves into his face, almost as if they didn't want him to leave. Too bad for them he didn't like the idea of anypony, or even any natural occurrence, telling him where he could and could not go. He clenched his teeth as he summoned more strength into his legs, pressing on with an almost grim determination.

It wasn't before long that he emerged from the shadows of the trees and into a vast open field. He blinked again, trying to keep focus as he looked about. The field went on for as far as he could see, well at least as far as he could see through the thick sheets of rain plummeting from the sky. In the distance he could make out something that look odd against the rest of the scenery. A cluster of darker coloured blocks, probably the outer lying buildings of a small town.

“It's better than nothing,” he muttered, deciding that it was his best shot for shelter that wasn't the forest. It was dank and smelly before the storm had set in, now it was more so. On the plus side, if it was a town then perhaps its residents could help him, assuming there were any. He frowned at the idea of stumbling into a run down ghost town, bringing back memories of a ruined castle he had passed on his way through the forest. That place felt like it had been touched by evil, and the possibility for running head first into another such location didn't sit well with him.

“Like I have a choice,” he snorted in mock annoyance, feeling more apprehensive about his choice to leave the cave at the base of the mountain now than ever before. As if on cue the wind picked up in strength, trying to force him back into the forest. He reared up and whinnied in defiance, a flash of lightning lighting up the sky in an explosion of blue light. The wind died down again quickly, though seemingly with reluctance. He cocked an eyebrow, not quite sure what had just happened, but chose to not question it. Quite frankly he was getting tired of making choices as quickly as he was getting tired of the storm.

“There is definitely something not natural about this weather. But it's not going to get the best of me,” he shouted as he lowered his head and pressed on. He began to pick up speed until he was in a full gallop towards the town. Whatever was waiting for him, it wasn't going to be waiting for long.

Junebug sighed as she stared out the library window at the cold, hard rain. It had been quite some time since the storm had hit Ponyville and yet it still raged on without falter. As if some greater force wanted to try and flood the harmless town. Behind her Spike was busy rearranging the shelves according to Twilight's latest layout plan. Neither of them could think of anything to talk about, and they had long since become bored of 'Monopoly: Manehattan Edition'.

“Spike, do you think Twilight will be back any soon?” She asked, trying to break the increasingly uncomfortable silence. Spike sighed and placed the pile of books he was holding onto a desk. With a scratch of his head he turned to face Junebug and took a moment to think about his response. Junebug wasn't sure whether or not it was a good thing that he had to consider his answer, though she doubted it would make Twilight return any sooner, or stop the storm for that matter.

“I honestly don't know, sorry Junebug. If I knew how far the storm extended and how far out Twilight teleported I might be able to make an educated guess, but even if I did it would take hours to walk to the next town regardless. I just hope she's ok out there,” Spike slumped a little, obviously uneasy about the idea of Twilight going out in these conditions on her own. It was times like these that really showed how much he cared for her. Unfortunately it was obvious that there was no way to tell how long Twilight would be gone for. Spike grunted a bit as he returned to reorganising the shelves, the conversation having seemingly ended prematurely.

Junebug kicked at the ground again, realising that she had started to leave an imprint of her hoof on the ground but not really caring too much. The book crazed Twilight was very unlikely to notice or care about such a thing. That is, unless the Princess decided to pay her a visit.

“Oh you stupid storm, why won't you ju... SPIKE!”

“Huh? What? Junebug are you ok? Did something happen?” Spike asked quickly, startled by Junebug's cry. He dropped the books he had just picked up and rushed over to the window. Junebug just stood staring out into the storm, her hoof pointing at something beyond the glass barrier that kept them safe. Spike raised an eyebrow, realising that Junebug was fine, before following her upheld hoof.

“Huh? Is that a pony? What is he doing out there?” He questioned, utterly baffled by the silhouette that was hobbling along, barely visible through the rain. Junebug shook her head, as confused as Spike was, and obviously concerned for the strangers well-fair. If they had to take a guess the unknown pony was hurt, or drunk, judging by the tired stumbling way he walked. Spike turned to Junebug, about to ask if she could recognise him, to find her rushing to the door.

“Junebug, what are you doing?”

“I'm going out there Spike. He's obviously tired, maybe even hurt. I can't just let him wander around out there on the off chance that he makes it into town.”

“But what about you? You could get hurt! Twilight wouldn't forgive me if I let you go out there on your own.”

“Then come with me, either way I'm going,” Junebug steeled her nerves. She thought she must have gone crazy from being cooped up all day, she would never normally dare to do something like this. However part of her was screaming at her to go, as if it was vitally important. As important as a summons from the Princess even. She gave one last look at Spike, who nodded grimly as he dashed over to her side, before flinging the door open and charged towards the mystery stallion, shouting for his attention.

He blinked warily as he slowed his pace, not entirely sure if he regretted using the energy to arrive at his destination faster. It was entirely possible that had he walked he would have been worn down by the weather long ago and still far from the town. Still, he had barely reached the edge of the cluster of buildings, which were now in better focus than before. The rain did make it difficult to make out most details but it did appear as if the place of inhabited. Brightly coloured homes and shops could be seen deeper into the village, and carefully groomed gardens littered the sides of streets. Sadly the rain had done it's best to flood everything, while anything lighter than a chair was tossed about by the wind.

“Ok, now just to find somewhere to take shelter. Surely no-pony would sentence a fellow to wander the streets at a time like this,” he barely managed to crack a faint smile as he stumbled in yet another mud puddle. By now he was almost entirely plastered with mud, twigs, leaves, and other such small debris. The most notable thing was the entire small bush that his tail had gotten tangled in and, for lack of a better solution, uprooted. Oh well, it would have to have wait until he found shelter, it would only prove to be more and more difficult to remove the bush out here.

“Dammit, no energy left,” he muttered with a groan, stumbling more and more as he forced himself to move closer to town. He could see a large oak tree off to one side. He could have sworn that a door at the base of the trunk had just swung open. Faint shouts floated towards him, muffled and dragged away by the wind. He turned towards the tree, trying to shout back at whoever he had heard. A pony and another smaller creature were rushing towards him, though still a distance away. His voice was hoarse, causing him to have a mild coughing fit. He blink again, suddenly feeling the strain his body had endured.

“Oh shi-” he collapsed to the ground mid-thought. Struggling to keep himself conscious he noticed the yellow-green colouring of the pony who was shouting at him. Her voice had suddenly become more alarmed, though he couldn't make out what she was saying. Before his would-be rescuers came into focus entirely he passed out.

Chapter 2: Ponies in the Rain

“OH NO HE'S PASSING OUT!” Junebug shouted above the wind, hoping Spike could still hear her. He seemed to be having some trouble staying on the ground, grasping at the roots of bushes and weeds in order to prevent himself from being blown across Ponyville.

“Spike!” Junebug span around in time to grab hold of the small dragon by the tail as he finally lost his grip. The wind roared as it was denied it's victim and started to pick up in speed, growing stronger by the moment.

“Thanks Junebug, I thought I was a goner. Now, LET'S SAVE THAT STALLION!” Spike announced, curling up on his tail in order to climb onto Junebug's back. Once he was safely holding onto her mane the chartreuse mare turned back to her original target. He wasn't too far away from them now, but he was clearly unconscious. Panic and worry started to well up inside Junebug as the idea that this stallion had just died due to her decision to save Spike.

“What's wrong Junebug? He's right there!” Spike urged, clearly more concerned about getting them all back inside as soon as possible. Junebug grit her teeth and took a step forward, shaking the problematic thoughts from her mind. There would be time for guilt later. Pressing on she felt the wind's strength grow and wane, like waves at the beach. It was like it was trying to stop her from helping the stranger, but afraid to really do it. Lightning flashed overhead as she finally reached the mud covered pony.

“Spike, help me carry him back to the library.”

“But what if I start to get blown away again?”

“With his extra weight, you should be ok. I think.”

“If you say so.”

Spike slid off of Junebug's back, spluttering a bit as he pushed strands of orange hair out of his face. With a bit of effort they managed to get the stranger upright, and flung over Junebug's back. After finally making sure that he was safely balanced on Junebug's back so he wouldn't fall off Spike went to remove the bush that was attached to him.

“Um, Junebug?”

“Yes Spike?”

“I don't think this guy is a normal stallion.”

“What do you mean Spike?”

“Oh” Junebug exclaimed in calm surprise as she looked over her shoulder to see Spike holding up the now bush-free tail. In his claws was a long tail like a dragon's, but covered in the same hair as the rest of his body. It was then that Junebug noticed something even more concerning.

“Oh my Celestia. Spike, this guy is bleeding!” she cried out, eyes going wide as she quickly wiped a patch of mud off her passenger's side. Beneath the dirt and hair was a large gash in the stallion's side. Blood slowly oozed out of it, staining his coat despite the rain.

“Yikes, that wound looks pretty bad. What do you think happened to him?”

“I don't know Spike, but I'm sure when he wakes up he can tell us, but first we really should get back inside.”

Spike nodded in agreement as thunder rolled over the village, making him jump a little. Holding the strangers tail in his arms the little dragon ran alongside the mare back towards the library.

“Come on Two-P, we're going to be late.”

“Oh, but Shockie! Can't we just take a little break? It's exhausting to keep this weather shield up and push through all this wind and rain at the same time.”

“Really P? You want to take a break now? Ponyville is right there, we can't stop now that we're so close.”

“Fine,” sighed the khaki coloured unicorn, her mane's lava red curls bouncing around her face. Plot Point had been looking forward to spending time in Ponyville, but this storm had put a damper on her enthusiasm quite thoroughly. Her best friend, Shocking Twist, however seemed to not be affected in even the slightest. The dark brown pegasus flapped her wings excitedly, no doubt starting to feel a little stiff from being grounded for the last few hours, standing right up against the protective bubble Plot Point was maintaining about them. In the distance they could see Ponyville. The small town seemed to stand strong against the storms brutal assault. The buildings leaned with the wind slightly, but showed no signs of having been damaged. Lightning flashed in the sky far above the quiet town, a brilliant mix of blue and silver against the dark greys and black of the clouds.

“Then again, it's not THAT close, but there isn't any shelter out here. Even if we did stop to rest, we'd just get soaked,” Shocking Twist said, casually trotting over to her friends side. Plot Point puffed up her cheeks and pouted angrily. Shockie couldn't help but giggle at her friends adorable attempt at looking upset. Point's bright blue eyes, framed by her red curls, though glinted with moisture. Shockie knew that if her best friend started the water works then she would feel bad for the rest of the day, and maybe the week.

“Fine, fine. Give me some room to fly up and look about. There might be something nearby, but I can't really see too far from here on the ground,” Shockie sighed, brushing the bangs of her short orange mane out of her soft lavender eyes. The two friends smiled at each other for a moment before Plot Point focused her magic, raising the top of her barrier as high into the air as she could. Shockie wasted no time in flying up and scouting around as best she could. There wasn't too much around them this far from town. It was mostly just small patches of flowers and the occasional bush and tree.

“I think I see a cottage just over to your right, Two-P. It's still a bit of a distance but it's definitely closer to us than Ponyville is.”

“Well I guess that's where we're going then Shockie,” Plot Point called up as the pegasus quickly made her way back down to the ground. The duo gave each other a high-hoof before proceeding on their way.

“So, what do you think he is?” Junebug asked as she heard Spike rummaging through a pile of books. Beside her the mystery pony lay on a pile of pillows and towels. Between his weight and the wound on his side it had been deemed too dangerous and difficult to carry him up the two flights of stairs to put him into Twilight's bed. At least they had managed to dry him off and clean him up without any issues. They had ended up using most of the bandages in the libraries medical kit though in an attempt to dress all of his injuries.

“I have no idea Junebug. He looks like a pony... well mostly anyway, but for some reason he smells like a dragon. On top of that I can't find a book that mentions any creature that even remotely resembles him,” Spike replied, angrily tossing aside another book. Looking up he saw Junebug giving him a strange quizzical look.

“What?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“He smells like a dragon?” Junebug returned his facial expression.

“What? Us dragons have a great sense of smell, and most creatures have their own unique scent to them. Heck, I've spent so much time around Twilight that I could pick her out of a crowd blind-folded just with my nose to guide me,” Spike boasted as he approached the sleeping stallion, ignoring the continued expression he was receiving from the pony, “and this guy definitely smells like a dragon to me.”

“Well, regardless of what he smells like, he certainly doesn't LOOK like a dragon,” Junebug said, deciding to just accept Spike's supposed olfactory sensitivity rather than argue about it. After all, he was the dragon here, not her, and she definitely didn't know enough about the giant reptiles to make or dispute any claims about them. Though she felt confident enough about this pony-like creature. With the exception of the unusually long and narrow ears, and the long, thick tail, the rest of him looked enough like a regular pony. There was also the issue of his size. Although not quite as striking as his other features, Junebug couldn't help but notice it now that she was looking at him carefully. At first she had just thought he had just slipped forward when his hooves started to dragged along the ground when she had carried him into the library, but now it was clear that he was actually quite tall and lean. Her best guess was that he stood at least as tall as Big Mac, if not taller.

“He doesn't seem to have a cutiemark either,” Junebug pointed out after realising what else had been bugging her about the strangers appearance.

“You think that's weird then check this out!” Spike seemed to boast about his recent discovery. Looking over to the small dragon, Junebug noticed Spike had pulled apart the creatures lips to reveal a set of large fangs.

“Believe me when I say he's some kind of dragon now?” Spike asked smugly as he let the slips fall back into place, “His breath also reeks of smoke. My guess is that he either was in a fire recently or breaths it. Considering the weather I'm betting the latter.”

“If you say so Spike. Are you sure you couldn't find anything in one of these books?” Junebug asked, pulling a few spare pillows over for herself to lay on. Spike sighed as he looked at the few piles of books he had gone through already. Compared to the sheer amount of books the library contained he had gone through a mere fraction of them. Unfortunately there wasn't any books that stood out to him, unlike that one time with the Poison Joke flower.

“Well I've gone through both the most obscure and the thickest books on animals, monsters, and wild beasts that we have. Nothing about a dragon that looks like a pony in them. There might be a book in the library Twilight and I used to live in, or in the Canterlot library, but even then we would need Twilight to find it otherwise we would be searching for days,” Spike scratched his chin as he contemplated the idea. There was always the option of sending a message to Princess Celestia to ask for help but that would mean interrupting whatever urgent thing it was that the Princess had called Twilight away for. Before he could bring up the idea for discussion with Junebug his attention was caught by the sound of coughing and spluttering. He span around, noticing that Junebug had jumped up in alarm also, to see the pony dragon spitting up blood and growling. His eyes were partly open, blindly glaring at the far wall. Junebug backed away a little, taking her pillows with her, but relaxed a little as the creatures fit quickly ended. It fell back onto the pile of pillows, appearing to slip back into unconsciousness.

“Ugh,” it groaned with a twitch of his tail. Sluggishly he attempted to stand, lazily looking around the room as his eyes tried to focus.

“Where am I?” he spoke, his gaze settling on Junebug, “and who are you?”

BANG BANG BANG.

Shocking Twist knocked on the cottage door as she threw a worried glance over her shoulder at Plot Point. Plot was visibly tired now, with sweat beading her face and her eyes struggling to remain open. Somehow the storm winds had picked up force during their travel over to the cottage. Plot's shield had to be doubled in strength in order to withstand them, thus draining her of energy at an accelerated rate.

“Come on, come on. We're gonna die out here,” Shockie growled under her breath.

“Um... Hello?” a small voice piped up from behind the door. The owner of the voice opened the door just enough to peak out from behind it. Shockie could make out her teal eyes, yellow coat, and long pink mane. For some reason Shockie felt like she should know who this mare was, but couldn't put a name to a face.

“Um... Is there something I can help you with? Maybe? No?” the mare asked sheepishly, giving the impression that she hoped the duo didn't need her help.

“Oh yeah, sorry. My name's Shocking Twist, this is my friend Plot Point. We were heading for ponyville but the storm has hindered our efforts. My friend hasn't been able to rest in quite a while and we were hoping you could offer us shelter for a while, if not until the storm ends,” Shockie blurted out rather bluntly, concern for her friend's condition clear upon her face. The yellow mare nervously looked past Shocking Twist and gasped in shock at the state of Plot Point.

“Oh my, you look terrible. Yes, yes, please come in. Quickly now,” she threw the door open and ushered the two travellers inside, “oh, and please forgive me for not giving my name. I am Fluttershy. Please do mind the animals.”

Shockie stepped inside and looked around in awe. The cottage wasn't terribly big, giving off a feeling of quaintness, yet still managed to easily house a flurry of creatures. Birds, bunnies, and even a bear, made up the other residences of the home. Plot Point wasted no time in pushing past Shockie and making a beeline for the couch, collapsing onto it and falling asleep in an instant.

“Wow... Wait, hold the phone. Did you say your name was Fluttershy? THE Fluttershy? Element of Kindness?” Shockie suddenly realised the reason behind her earlier feeling of recognition. Heck, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony were part of the reason she and Plot had travelled to Ponyville to begin with.

“Yes, that's me. I guess. Is, is your friend going to be okay?” Fluttershy shrank away from the brown pegasus, who's wings had begun to flap in excitement. She moved around the room, keeping up a fair distance from Shockie, to take a closer look at Plot Point. The unicorn was fast asleep and the weariness had already begun to drain from her face. Still she was covered in sweat.

“Oh, Two-P? She should be fine. She might not be the strongest of magic users but she isn't a push over either. I'm sure she will be fine after she naps for a couple hours,” Shockie brushed off Fluttershy's question. Although Shockie had been concerned for her friend moments ago, having being granted shelter had relieved her of the majority of the sensation. Fluttershy did not appear to be entirely convinced and had begun to instruct her animal companions to help her in looking after the sleeping Plot Point.

“Though, I guess, we can make sure she is completely okay,” Shockie rolled her eyes a little as a small grin spread across her muzzle.

“Not just her, but you too. This storm has been terrible, you must be tired also,” Fluttershy said as she patted a moist towel against Plot's forehead. Shockie giggled a little, feeling more or less fine having been protected from the storm by Plot's magic.

“I'm fine, but thank you. Now, what can I do to help. It's only right since you're giving us shelter,” Shockie grinned, causing Fluttershy to smile kindly in response. The two pegasi began to combine their efforts to look after the slumbering unicorn.

Twilight sighed heavily as she slumped down onto her seat as a whistle sounded. With a jerk the train started to pull out of the station. It had taken quite some time to reach the next town over, but at least the storm didn't make it all the way out to it. Sadly Twilight had not been able to teleport out beyond the reach of the storm when she originally left the library in Ponyville. As a result she had gotten somewhat wet in the brief moment between the teleportation spell ending and her being able to throw up a small weather shield bubble.

“Thankfully my books didn't get damaged. Saddlebags are a little wet but oh well, can't win them all,” she spoke to herself as she levitated said books out of her saddlebags and settled each one on the chair opposite her after giving them a quick examination for any water damage. Thankfully they were just fine, as she had thought, and after the few hours of travel through the warm sunlight between the edge of the storm and the station the saddlebags had also dried out nicely.

As Twilight started to replace her books into the bags the sound of approaching hoof-steps caught her attention. She had caught a rather empty train with only a few carriages for passengers, so there wasn't really any reason for anypony to come all the way to the back carriage to find a seat. She hurried her task and gently dropped her luggage in the overhead trays before standing to see who was in the carriage with her. Her jaw dropped when she say her.

“Hello Twilight Sparkle,” a soft voice greeted the purple unicorn. Before Twilight stood the last pony she had expected to see. Tall and lean, with the grace and air only royalty could put out. She had a pure white coat and an ethereal multicoloured mane and tail and seemed to wave in a wind that didn't exist.

“Princess Celestia?! But, why are you here? I don't understand?” Twilight exclaimed, her surprise blatantly splashed across her face.

“Calm down Twilight. I will explain every in time, but first you must tell me everything you know about this storm that has engulfed Ponyville,” Celestia smiled as she sat on the seat across to Twilight as her young student followed suit, nodding in agreement to the Princess's terms. During her trip to the station Twilight had begun to wonder if she had over-reacted to the summons back in the library. Now she believed she had under-reacted and wished she had brought more books.