Shattered

Pendragon was standing at the edge of Maragost, staring out at the edge of the forest, which, being reminded by the villagers, didn't have a name.

That was the same place where Pendragon had found the egg. It was just nearing winter, and Pendragon was out, wandering, after having finished his chores for the day. He had went to the spot he normally went, a small lake somewhere in the middle of the forest. Some ponies thought the forest had an evil aura radiating from it, because of the many ponies who had gone in, and came back out with tales of horrifying monsters. Some did not return at all.

Pendragon didn't seem to be affected by what haunted the forest, let alone see what they had told. He was one of the ponies who could go into the forest and return without fear. Some, his uncle had told him, said it was because of him being a unicorn. That couldn't be true, however, because some who went in were also unicorns. When a pegasus flew over the forest, hoping to spot whatever was in, he returned without anything to tell.

That day, when he went to his favorite spot, he noticed something that wasn't there the other day; a white-purple egg surrounded in a strange blackened, Pendragon thought charred, pattern on the ground. When he picked the egg up with his magic, the pattern disappeared, and Pendragon had thought that he finally saw one of the mysteries of the forest. However, he had used his magic to check for anything in the egg, and found out it was a dragon.

Dragons were rare in this part of Equestria, and Pendragon couldn't just leave an egg in the forest, so he took it with him on his way back to his home.

Days later, the egg hatched into a dragon, Selondir, and Pendragon had been amazed at first. The weeks passed, and villagers started noticing the sudden quietness of the forest. The time came when he had to tell his uncle. He had been angry at him at first, but then his attitude changed, and he said that if he were in his place, he would have also taken it.

He shook his head, trying to forget the memories that reminded him of his dragon. He was about to turn when he heard a voice call him. It was not the voice of the same earth pony, but of his uncle.

"Pendragon!' He called. Pendragon turned and began to walk towards him. "Yes?" Pendragon asked once he was in earshot. "One of the Princess' messengers just arrived. He brings a message from the Princess, and he requests that you go and receive it from him yourself," Morningstar said, partially out of breath. Pendragon nodded, then started walking in the direction his uncle had came from.

Maragost wasn't a big village, like the descriptions of Ponyville he heard from travelers. It had only about thirty houses, an inn, and the hut of the village's healer. The town square was placed on the eastern side of Maragost, and Pendragon and his house were on the western side. It took him around five minutes to walk through the houses and ponies, but he soon managed to get to the square, where one of the Royal Guard stood, scanning the nearby ponies for somepony, which Pendragon guessed was him.

"Hail!" Pendragon shouted, catching the attention of the messenger. "Hail," the messenger replied, once Pendragon had come closer. "I assume you are Pendragon, watcher and protector of the Northern border?"

Pendragon stopped for a while. He had never been called 'watcher' or 'protector' by any of the villagers or guard. He was simply regarded as a friend or neighbor to them. He shrugged the thought off.

He nodded. He then noticed that he was carrying a saddlebag, and as soon as he thought that, he felt it was a stupid thought. Of course he would be bringing a saddlebag; where else would he put the letter? His mouth?

The guard used his magic and took the scroll out, holding it in front of Pendragon. He picked it up with his own magic and nodded at the guard, then opened the scroll and began to read.

It is as I feared, then. I am holding a conference with my counselors in a few days' time regarding the subject, and I would like to have you attend, but you have your duties, and that is what is more important.
The gryphons have enough space; vast lands surrounding them from everywhere. But why choose Equestria? What do we have that they want so badly?
That is your task now, Pendragon. Try to find out why they plan such a bold attempt at capturing our country.

It was signed by the Princess at the end. Having done everything, the guard nodded to Pendragon and set off towards Canterlot. Knowing that he needed to tell the villagers one way or another that he wouldn't be there to defend Maragost, he approached a few ponies with a question in mind.

"Hello," he called to a group. The ponies were all pegasi, and out of five, three of them turned. "Yes? What do you want?" One asked, with a rather unkind tone, Pendragon thought. He was one of the ponies the village depended on most, after having set up wards around the town to avoid any fights.

"If anyone asks where I am, can you tell them that I've been reassigned to a new duty?" He asked. One of the pegasus turned away, and another asked, "That being?"

"Princess Celestia now wants me to find out why the gryphons are planning to conquer Equestria," Pendragon replied, still unsure of whether he should be telling them this or not. "That means I'll be leaving in a few days, and I won't have enough time to tell everyone. If anyone asks, then tell them what I said."

"You're leaving us.." One of the pegasi muttered. He turned and shouted, "Without any way for us to defend ourselves!"

"I put protective spells over the town," Pendragon said immediately afterwards. "The wards draw power from the villagers. I don't want you to know that you don't have to do anything, that you can just stay inside and do nothing. You must still save your strength and work."

The pegasus moved in as if to strike him with a hoof, but he was frozen in place. "Furthermore, no attacks can be made in or out of Maragost. My spells prevent that from happening. Only another unicorn who knows the spells I used can disable the wards." Pendragon's horn glowed, and the pegasus who was frozen in place regained motion. Pendragon quickly stepped aside, making the pegasus strike the ground.

"I defend this village, and it is my home. I cannot allow anything to happen to it..." Pendragon stopped there. His words had made him remember Selondir, that he had failed. Without glancing at them, he turned and said, "Tell them, and tell them before I leave."

With that, he walked away, towards his home.

"So, you're leaving?" Morningstar asked, after seeing Pendragon preparing his bag. He nodded, not turning to him. "In three days or so. The Princess asked me to go find out the reason why the gryphons are planning to conquer Equestria," he said. His uncle looked at him. Pendragon spoke again before he could say anything. "I've placed spells of protection on Maragost, uncle. Also on our house."

Their house was farther away from the village, near the forest.

His uncle nodded. "Alright. Pendragon," he said, pausing for a while. Pendragon turned away from his bag and looked at him.

"Are you sure you can do this? Without Selondir?" He asked. Pendragon nodded. "Yes. I've been practicing and studying magic, and I'm sure I can fare well without Selondir's help."

"I can at least help you with provisions."

"I'll go in the forest tomorrow. There's bound to be some fruit trees somewhere in there."

"Won't you need any bits or something?"

"I'm going into gryphon territory, uncle. What good would bits do there?"

"Ah." His uncle now had nothing to say.

Pendragon paused for a while, looking away. He turned to him again and said, "Uncle, I'm grateful for what you did, you and if there was anything I could do to repay, I would."

"You don't need to do anything in return, Pendragon."

Silence, and Pendragon returned to packing.

The day came for Pendragon to leave, but as he was going, a pegasus saw him and started flying towards him, shouting his name.

Pendragon stopped, turning to look at the pegasus. He was one of the pegasi he had confronted after he got his new duty from the Princess.

"Yes? Is there anything I need to know?" Pendragon asked once the pegasus had landed. He seemed to be out of breath.

"Royal... Guard... Another unicorn... Sent by the Princess.." was all he could say. Without another thought, Pendragon turned and went towards the village square at a trot.

As Pendragon neared the square, where two of the Royal Guard stood, behind them a small chariot. Pendragon had no other words for the cart behind them, so he left it at that. He looked at the pony sitting in the chariot.

She was a unicorn, having a light purple coat and a darker, blueish mane and tail. A pink and lavender stripe ran through both mane and tail. She was carrying a saddlebag filled with several scrolls and books. Sitting on her back was a small purple dragon.

The Princess' student, Pendragon thought to himself. At least she didn't teleport here. That would have taken a day or two to regain the strength used, and it would have hindered him.

Breaking his trot to a quick pace, and that to a walk, he reached the guards and other unicorn. Though he had heard of her before, he couldn't remember her name. Curious purple eyes stared at him, and Pendragon suddenly realized he had stared for far too long at her. He looked a way, embarrassed.

The guards saw him and one called him. Grateful for the distraction, he looked at the guard.

"Out of request by the Princess, she has asked if you could bring-"

The purple unicorn interrupted him. "You don't have to talk about my like I'm not here, you know," she said. The guard paused, then nodded and stood back to attention.

Pendragon watched as the unicorn walked out of the chariot, taking a look at her cutie mark as she did. It was a pink six-pointed star surrounded by five stars.

"Hail and well met. I am Pendragon," Pendragon, unsure of what to say, blurted out. The unicorn nodded and hesitated for a while before saying, "Er, hail and well met, Pendragon. My name is Twilight Sparkle."

Pendragon wasn't sure if she had used the greeting 'hail and well met' before, but it seemed obvious that she was only trying to be polite.

"I take it you are to accompany me?" Pendragon asked, though it was a bit obvious for him. Twilight nodded. "Also so that you can keep in touch with announcements and any new messages from the Princess," she said, turning to the baby dragon sitting on her back. The dragon stood and jumped off, taking a quill and parchment.

"Spike, take a note and tell her this," she said. Spike, Pendragon assumed that that was the dragon's name, nodded.

Twilight began dictating.

"Dear Princess Celestia, I have safely arrived in the village of Maragost. Pendragon is standing beside me, ready to leave. I will send letters every morning, noon and evening, to keep you informed of what we have learned so far.
You need not worry about me, I am somewhat experienced in defending myself, as you can remember during my brother's wedding." Pendragon was surprised. He had not heard of any wedding in any of the days he had been in Maragost. "I have no other thoughts or anything I want to add, so here are the words of Pendragon," she ended, motioning Pendragon to speak. He nodded.

"Hail and well met, Princess Celestia. Rest assured that Twilight will be under my protection when she can't defend herself under certain circumstances. We will be traveling along the Forest That Has No Name, along the western side of Maragost. I have set up wards and protection spells around the village, so the villagers have nothing to worry about and can go about their normal lives." He looked at Twilight, and she nodded.

"And that's about all from us. Your loyal subjects, Twilight Sparkle and Pendragon...?" She turned to Pendragon. He shook her head.

Spike took a few more moments of writing, until he rolled the scroll and breathed fire on it. It disappeared in a wisp of green flames in the direction of Canterlot. "On it's way," he said.

Twilight nodded, then turned back to Pendragon. "Is that your entire name? Pendragon?"

Pendragon nodded, and turned away. "I have no idea who my father is, and my mother died when I was young. I don't know who names me, but it had to have been my mother," he said.

"I also.. heard about your dragon. I'm sorry," she said. "It's okay, I can live on," Pendragon said.

"We've wasted a few more minutes, should we go now?" Twilight asked. Pendragon nodded. "We'll have to pass by my house first. It's on the way to the forest, I just have to say a quick good-bye to my uncle," he said, starting to walk. Twilight followed, Spike already on her back.