Wings of Courage

Fluttershy woke to find herself being pressed in on from all sides. It was a comfortable sensation, like a warm hug that enveloped her whole body. It took her a few moments to realize what the green thing ringing her in was, but soon the memories came flooding back.

Vague memories of something holding her tight and a gentle melody hovered on the periphery of the evening's events.

Lessa was lying nearby, her long tail curled around Fluttershy and keeping her warm through the night as the two of them had slept soundly atop the window-seat. The girls had been up late, talking and laughing, but eventually Fluttershy's travels and the stress of meeting with so many dragons had taken its toll.

The rhythmic rise and fall of the leafy spines on Lessa's back was a clear indication that she was still sleeping. Smiling to herself and thinking the dragon looked oddly cute when asleep, Fluttershy thought it best to let her new friend sleep in. The pale pegasus wriggled around, trying to extract herself without waking her companion.

Just as Fluttershy was nearly out of the ring of scales, it loosened and then slowly tightened back around her. Gently, as if in an embrace and nothing more. Fluttershy looked back to see the amber eyes still closed, and so she giggled to herself. It was an automatic reaction, like that of a child sleeping with a favored toy. Lessa could subconsciously feel Fluttershy leaving, and her dreamlike state didn't much care for that notion. Fluttershy smiled gently as Lessa pulled her tail and its occupant closer.

Giggling to herself, Fluttershy realized that she would have to wake Lessa to get free; and the rumbling in her stomach made that notion just a little more urgent. "Lessa..." Fluttershy whispered quietly, gently poking the side of the dragon's head. "Lessa, wake up."

The green dragoness muttered something and inched her head away to stop whatever was poking her.

"Lessa, it's morning," Fluttershy continued, her voice straining with slight effort as she wiggled around to try and get back to prodding her awake. Her hoof wouldn't quite reach though, and so she simply had to resort to doing something she wasn't very good at.

Being loud.

She sucked in a deep breath, and yelled as loudly as she could. "Lessa, wake up!"

The result was startling. Lessa shot bolt upright, her tail tightening almost painfully around Fluttershy as she yanked the cream colored pony closer, wrapping her coiled tail and friend in her arms. Her head zipped this way and that, eyes wide with adrenaline and snakelike tongue flicking as she hunched protectively around her prized friend.

"Lessa, stop!" Fluttershy squeaked, her voice muffled by the wad of dragon pressing in around her.

Lessa gasped suddenly, her tail going loose as she sidled back a few steps. "Oh Maltirith, I am so sorry!" the dragon whined, looking Fluttershy up and down rapidly. "Are you hurt?" she asked with obvious worry, her amber eyes deep with concern.

Fluttershy shook her head. "Oh no, I'm fine. You just startled me..."

"I startled you?" Lessa growled, her worry shifting straight to playful anger once she realized Fluttershy was okay. "What were you yelling for? You could have just tapped on my tail, you know."

Fluttershy flushed deeply, embarrassed that she hadn't thought of that to begin with. "Um, well, you see, I tried to wake you up gently, but I-" she began, but Lessa cut her off laughing.

"I was just kidding. Now come on, let's go get something to eat," The dragon said, crawling over the edge of the window-seat to the floor below.

"Well, don't dragons eat gemstones?" Fluttershy asked, looking to the table littered with bowls of jewels.

Lessa smiled. "Most do, but I prefer to eat other things. Leaves and berries for the most part; don't let the fangs fool you, I'm a vegetarian," she teased, waving at her friend. "Now come on, hurry up! We can go raid the pantry before the older dragons are awake and kick us out."

"Raid the pantry?" Fluttershy asked quietly, not certain that stealing food was on her list of morning activities.

"Poor choice of words I guess," Lessa said with a nervous laugh. "Really we just need to go down to the kitchens and get some breakfast. The chefs won't mind at all, so don't worry, okay?"

"What about getting kicked out?" Her voice still showed trepidation.

"Just a joke," Lessa said with a sly smile. "When the older dragons wake up and decide it's breakfast time, it'd be nice to be long gone. They're grumpier than usual before they get their food. Now come on, stop being such a worrier," Lessa urged, waving her down.

With a sigh to herself, Fluttershy reluctantly followed. As much as she hoped Lessa really was just joking, she didn't want to risk being yelled at or kicked out by some dragon chef, but the grumbling in her stomach and Lessa's carefree spirit were enough to hide her worries for a while.

Malik sighed to himself as he watched the green dragon slither over the edge and down the wall, Fluttershy drifting over after her.

He had made it to the tower with little trouble, but it had been time consuming. A few drakes had recognized the form he wore, but he had simply brushed them off saying that the lord dragon had summoned him.

The reactions he had received didn't lessen his concern for Fluttershy. Anything that made a dragon cringe so badly was bad news. He hadn't arrived in time to catch sight of the great beast himself, but he had been close enough to pick out which room Vergoth had taken his charge to.

Malik had kept vigil over her all evening, hanging upside down from the top of her window frame, where even the most well-placed beam of light could not find him. It was a simple enough spell to form the stone of the tower through the holes in his legs, binding him firmly but comfortably in place; and just as simple to undo. He had long since dispelled the image of the dragon he had stolen, for in a structure as massive as this his own form was not large enough to be noticed.

He smiled gently to himself, allowing a modicum of calm to enter his thoughts. Letting her out of his sight for even those few short minutes during his trip to the tower had weighed heavily on him, for her meeting with the dragon lord was the most critical and potentially dangerous moment. Luckily the majority of it had been postponed, allowing Malik to better position himself.

Lessa was a stroke of luck, as far as the changeling was concerned. He hadn't been able to hear any of the exchange between her and Fluttershy the previous evening, but he had stayed up and watched their interactions with a careful eye, coming to the conclusion that Lessa and Fluttershy were kindred spirits, of a sort. Wherever the green dragon went, Fluttershy would be well taken care of.

Her reaction to being awakened was proof of that. The moment something had alarmed her, Lessa's first instinct had been to reach for and guard Fluttershy, even before spotting any threats. Malik had first thought that perhaps it was some sort of maternal instinct, but realized that the dragon was far too young for such things already.

More likely it was a reaction any dragon would have. To Lessa, Fluttershy was a treasure; her only friend in the world, and dragons protected their treasure, gold or not, to the very end.

Though it pained him to, he knew he couldn't afford to follow Fluttershy this time. His history of patient stalking and staking out had taught him much about when it was good to leave a hiding place, and for the time being the one he had was simply too useful, and too exposed in the middle of the day to vacate it. Fluttershy would return, and when Nethrezir summoned her at last, he would be ready to move with her.

He let the thoughts of business drop from his mind as she vanished from sight, simply taking in the inverted view as he hung upside down from the ledge. His thoughts turned back to his week in the north, and his reasons for this adventure. He hadn't mentioned to Aurus why it was he had really wanted to come. It was true that he wanted to protect Fluttershy, but there were more important reasons than simply alleviating Aurus' worries.

Malik was deeply worried for the shy pegasus of his own accord. She had always caught his eye, always intrigued him. In the recent years since his life changing meeting with Aurus, the six friends of Ponyville had become an intricate part of his life. His fate was tightly wound with that of Aurus and his friends, Malik knew, and so he had not been shy in his interactions with them.

Of them all, Fluttershy was the most important to him; the closest to his own spirit. He knew that it would sound strange to anyone else, and so he had never told anyone; not even her. Who would believe him if he said that he felt a sense of closeness to the shy pony? He was so outspoken, so bold in his decisions. Though he was skilled in silence, his was the quiet of anticipation, the calm before a storm. Fluttershy knew true peace of her spirit, making not a sound unless the world needed her to.

They were so different, and yet Malik felt so drawn to her. She embodied a kindness he had never known existed until he had met her and her friends. She was so delicate, and yet filled with a certain strength that nobody else could see or know. But Malik knew what it was; potential, a desire for strength. He knew that feeling all too well. He had been weak himself once, thinking that he was strong.

But being strong for your own sake would never amount to anything. Fluttershy was on this mission to try and prove that others could lean on her, to show the world that she could be strong for anyone who needed her. Those were much the same reasons that Malik had been training so fiercely, growing stronger every day. He knew that there were few who would willingly lean on him, but that wouldn't stop him from following in Aurus' hoofsteps and becoming a protector.

He sighed to himself gently; that's what he was to her, and how he would remain. She could never know how he felt about her, it would only confuse her and make her nervous. She would shy away from him, and then he could not guard her. Often he had watched over her in secret, staying late into the night and replacing the guards at her door himself whenever she would visit the castle back home. This was not the first evening he had kept a steadfast vigil over her rest.

He sent his gaze down the long central chute of the tower, unable to spot her or the green dot that was Lessa.

"Her protector, nothing more," he said quietly to himself, closing his eyes and allowing himself some rest until she returned.

"So be it."

The afternoon had passed swiftly, the girls playing about the room and taking a short afternoon nap. Evening now ate at the sky through the hole in Jagspire's roof, the rim of the volcano's mouth painted pinkish orange by the light of a sunset neither of them could see. Stars began to flicker into being in the purple expanse above, the brightest of them fighting for their place in the night sky despite the sun's lingering rays.

Their laughter was cut short as the room's door swung open slowly, drawing their attention. Lessa leapt to her clawed feet, hoping that it was Vergoth back from patrol, though she knew that he was often gone for days on end.

That was not to be, sadly for her. The guard standing in the doorway reminded her of him though, clad in the armor of a Guardian. He was much smaller than Vergoth however, likely a trainee or some other lower rank in the proud brigade.

"Mistress Fluttershy," the drake rumbled pleasantly. He had been told very precisely to drop the title of 'emissary', as it implied a sense of duty that wasn't necessary. So said his lord, at least. "My lord, Nethrezir, has cleared the evening and is ready to meet with you in private. If you would be so kind as to follow me?" the creature rumbled, dipping his head low and gesturing through the door behind him.

Lessa fixed Fluttershy with a worried look, but the pegasus did her best to smile it away. "Don't worry, I'm sure everything will be fine. I'll be back later, alright?" The pale pony lifted off, floating gently past the guard, who gently shut the door behind her.

"Be safe..." Lessa said quietly, her fear of Nethrezir filling her head with unwelcome thoughts and concerns for her dear, and only friend.

She never saw the black speck that dropped from the top of her window and into the night.

Fluttershy looked about the grand hall, the ceiling twice as high as that of her room. Everything here dwarfed her; the sconces on the walls were like bonfires, the cracks in the granite tile as wide as she was. This room was built for elder dragons, she instinctively knew, for even the guard next to her seemed small in comparison to everything around him.

Her escort paused at the end of a massive table, and bowed to her gently. "My lord awaits you above," he said quietly.

Puzzled but not wanting to ask questions, Fluttershy flew hard to reach the tabletop overhead.  She landed gently, her hooves clip-clopping on the polished obsidian.

"So good to see you, little friend," a deep voice chimed, sending ripples of vibration through the stone under her hooves. She recognized it immediately as the same creature that had so unnerved her earlier, and with great reluctance she sent her gaze down the length of the table.

He sat like a giant at the far end, everything proportionate to him as he smiled idly at her. His tone had been welcoming enough, yet she could not be calm in such a presence.

"Come, come! Sit here with me, Dragonspeaker. You would not be aptly named if you sat so far from me", he said with a slight laugh that seemed oddly warm to her. He tapped the table next to him, and there she saw a most curious thing. A smaller table and chair, different only in their extravagance from her own furniture back home; both pony sized.

"It would be strange for you to sit openly upon my table; strange also to have two table tops, though," he chuckled, turning his gaze from her momentarily. She was silently thankful that the eye patch was in place, blocking his ethereal, magical orb as his attention returned to her.

Something about him, perhaps the way he was laughing and not menacing, set her at ease slightly. Still, her instincts kept her guard up as she made her way to the table set for her. A wide array of fruits and vegetables adorned it, most of which would never have grown in such a mountainous climate. Where they had all come from was a mystery to her, but she didn't ask. She simply took her seat, doing her best to temper the wavering out of her voice before she even spoke.

"Thank you for inviting me to dinner, Lord Nethrezir," she said politely as she scooted in her chair, trying to inch it forward. She shuddered as a claw pressed against the back of it, pushing her closer to her meal gently.

"I've told you before, Razorwing will do. I've an entire mountain full of dragons who call me lord and master; it grows tiring now and then, but for them it is what tradition demands. It is pleasant to have a new spirit to entertain," he said, smiling at her in such a way that his fangs seemed almost normal.

"Oh... okay," Fluttershy said, flushing in embarrassment, since she had already forgotten that earlier exchange. "So, um, Razorwing... Have you decided what it is you want from the changelings?" she asked with a hopeful smile.

The dragon chuckled once to himself and looked at her slyly. "I have, but let us discuss that after we've eaten. The conversation will flow better from quenched throats and full stomachs," he said, reaching out to his right and grabbing a handful of what appeared to be sapphires.

Fluttershy watched what was surely a fortune being crushed in his ivory fangs. She had seen Spike eat gems before, but never so many. It was very clear to her why the dragons hadn't been interested in trade with T'rahk Enox; there was little in the ways of treasure that the changeling realm would be able to offer them.

It made her nervous, as she came to realize that whatever it was Nethrezir asked for, it was not likely to be something simple like money. Her heart pounded as she revisited her fears of failure; what if he asked for something she wasn't sure Aurus had? Or what if his demands were too great, and she had to refuse?

"Relax, little one," the great dragon hummed, plucking another few gems from a nearby bowl with one clawed hand, and lifting an enormous jug of wine in the other. "You stress the complex, but that is for later; food is simple, and so is talk. Come then, tell me of your home! You are no changeling, and I have seen their lands; wherever it is you hail from, I have never seen it."

"Oh, I'm from Equestria. It's the pony nation to the southeast; we haven't seen very many dragons ourselves," she admitted quietly. "It's very beautiful; my home is full of forests and rivers, but we only have a few mountains. Canterlot, our capital, is very beautiful and is built on the side of one of those mountains," she said quietly, finding it easy to describe her home, regardless of her conversation partner. The truth of his earlier words calmed her; talking was simple, and more importantly not frightening.

"A city on top of a mountain, instead of inside one?" he asked with a smile. "How intriguing. Tell me, does the rain bother you with your homes above the ground?"

The conversation went on like this for what felt like hours, pleasant and simple. Razorwing asked many things, his interest sincere, and Fluttershy answered them to the best of her ability. After only a few short minutes, she had actually begun to enjoy herself. If Nethrezir and Vergoth were anything to go by, perhaps big dragons weren't necessarily mean or evil.

She smiled to herself as she contemplated that. He looked terrifying, all torn up and half metal, but looks could be deceiving. Even the most ferocious animal had a friendly side, and perhaps that's all there was to it. Dragons weren't fearsome, they were just misunderstood. Like bears.

At last the meal came to a close, and servers came to collect the various platters from in front of him. One dragon even took Fluttershy's entire table, leaving her in the comfortable chair. Razorwing sat back and sighed pleasantly, rubbing a claw over his face. He removed the eye patch slowly, noting Fluttershy's suddenly darkening expression.

"I am sorry, little one. But ever since the loss of my eye, it sometimes pains me," he admitted, running a claw tenderly over the edge of the socket as his other hand fished for something strapped around one of his back legs on the floor. It resurfaced with a bottle of some fluid, from which the large dragon poured a small stream into his hollow eye, tilting his massive head back to contain the liquid. He continued to rub his missing eye with his other hand, sighing in relief as some pain she didn't know he had been feeling vanished.

"I understand that my appearance can be alarming; truly it pains me that I terrify you so," he admitted, his tone low with regret. "But you see, my past is not of my choosing. I may be coarse, and I may be angry at times, but there are none of us who can choose our lives. I hope that in time you find I am not so fearsome to look upon," he said with a sad smile.

Fluttershy felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach. So far he had only been nice to her, if a little unnerving with that magic of his in the beginning. But after she had asked him to stop, he had never used it again. She was afraid of his looks, and she was letting that dominate who he was trying to be.

"No, I'm sorry. I never meant to be so rude, and not because of what I was afraid would happen if I offended you. I really am sorry; you shouldn't judge a book by its cover," she admitted quietly, her sincerity clear.

The great beast smiled, replacing the eye patch. "I am glad for that. Now then, I have done nothing but assault you with questions all evening... Surely there are things you wish to know about my world, after so graciously telling me of yours?" he asked with a small laugh.

Fluttershy smiled, for she certainly had a thing or two she had been wondering. "My friend, Lessa... She's a green dragon, and you're a black. How many kinds are there?" she asked.

Razorwing grinned, clearly impressed. "An astute question, friend. There are hundreds of colors to our scales, but in the beginning there were only seven. The others are all combinations of these from generation to generation; a pale green dragon may have had a white mother and a green father, for example. Lessa is pure green, and I am pure black. Dragons with such a proud lineage are called the 'steadfast ones'."

"What are the seven colors?" Fluttershy asked quietly. "And how are they different?"

"My, you are a curious one!" Nethrezir laughed, slapping a hand gently on the table that vibrated her chair. "Full of wonderful questions! What an interesting mind you have; the seven primary colors of our kind are referred to by the gems that match their scales. There are the onyx drakes, who live here in these mountains, at home in the volcanoes," he said, reaching into a bowl and pulling out a cloudy black gem, setting it on the floor before her.

"And then there are the diamond dragons, our cousins even farther to the north. Their scales are pure white, and they bear the power of ice. None of their descendants will ever breathe a wisp of flame in all their days, for they breathe frost instead." A diamond as big as an apple joined the onyx in front of her, throwing the firelight around with its many rough facets.

"The rubies hail far to the east, well past your borders at the edge of the world. They make their homes in the clouds, resting in great castles made of thunderstorms. Of all the fire breathing dragons, they boast the greatest size and hottest flame.

The emeralds of the west reside in lush forests. Though they cannot fly, they create great temples of stone and gold to house themselves, bidding the trees to grow and flourish. They are the only dragons who have no killing breath; instead they sing in such a way that rouses the magic in the earth, causing things to grow.

The amber dragons live on the shores of the far south ocean. They reside in the caves on cliff sides high above the crashing waves, and though flightless they are the fastest of our kin, air or land. Their speed is unmatched, and their breath can turn anything it touches to stone.

And then there are our sapphire cousins; the dragons of the sea. They exist in harmony with the golds, feeding them the fare of the ocean in return for treasures that the depths of the waves don't hold. They trade food for wealth, and their existence has been tightly wound to the fate of their golden brothers since the dawn of history. They bear the breath of lightning, useful in the deep for immobilizing their prey. Though they have legs and wings, after a fashion, they prefer the water to the air and earth. Their wings are really great fins, like those of a fish.

Lastly, and most regrettably, are the amethyst dragons of old," Nethrezir said with a hushed tone. "They existed at the center of everything, the hub of the dragon world, uniting all the others. Though they could breathe fire, it could not kill. Their fire sent their words far and wide, allowing them fast communication amongst themselves, and so they quickly rose to be the pinnacle of dragon society. Every nation welcomed them warmly, for their talent was the most powerful of all; what they lacked in killing breath, broad wings, and brute strength, they made up for in magical power."

"Magical power?" Fluttershy asked, confused. "But wait, I've seen purple dragons before. I know one!" she said suddenly, thinking perhaps to break Nethrezir out of his brooding, melancholy mood.

His countenance shifted suddenly, for a brief instant, into something foul and fierce. The expression vanished so quickly that Fluttershy assumed she had imagined that horrifying look in his eyes, the sinister twist in his smile.

"I am certain you do; they are not gone, of course, but they are no longer pure. No steadfast ones remain from our amethyst brothers. All that remain are the descendants of their kind, scattered and homeless. The great city of the southern sands was destroyed long ago in a terrible magical catastrophe. The earth trembled when Ghindrav, the Royal City, fell into ruin," he said with a sad smile. "All that remain of their bloodline are wanderers. A terrible fate, to have nothing to call home."

"You mean the Great Dragon Migration?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"Yes, little one. Dragons that are pure live in their respective nations, but those who have descended from multiple lines must find homes of their own. It is in the interest of preserving our bloodlines, and our history; it is not forbidden for dragons of other hues to mate, but to do so they must both agree to leave their homes and make one of their own in the world outside. A sad tradition for our many cousins who lie under the stars, but one by which we all willingly abide."

Fluttershy felt her heart tightening. So the dragons she had seen were all outcasts. Hundreds of colorful creatures with no homes to return to. It was sad, yet joyful; cast out from their own nations, they had ignored their difference in color and created a nation of their own. One that was always moving, relying on only itself to create a home wherever it went. It was a bittersweet culture; noble and strong, yet sad, with a history of sacrifice.

"Do not feel sad for them; none are forced to leave, and only those born amongst the wanderers are without a choice. But for their part, they know it as the only family they have; they are not sorrowful, for they do not know what might have been," Razorwing said quietly, seeing the expression on her face clearly. His tone was oddly comforting, despite its depth.

Fluttershy nodded, taking solace in his words.

"Now then, it is a shame to let it settle on such unpleasant a topic as the wanderers... Perhaps it's time we discussed what I have brought you here for?" he asked, waiting for Fluttershy's nod to continue.

He smirked, an expression that sent a shiver up Fluttershy's spine as he looked at her sidelong. "I want only one thing from your lord, and he will have my full co-operation.

You."

Fluttershy's heart stopped beating, her lungs stopped pumping as her brain reeled to process what he had just said. "You want what?" she asked breathlessly, doing her best to overcome the feeling of sickness threatening to engulf her stomach. "Y-you must be mistaken..."

"I did not say it would be a simple request to grant; nor is it his to agree to. There is a reason that when we first spoke I had told you I had already made up my mind to offer him peace; but before your arrival, I never would have agreed. There is nothing your lord Aurus could have sent to me that would have garnered my favor... save for you," he said fondly, smiling as if his request were nothing.

"I don't understand," Fluttershy said, her voice trembling. "You want me? Why? For what?" she asked, her eyes wide with fright.

"You are beautiful, interesting, and unknown to me. I have never seen your like, never obtained it. You, my dear, are simply something I do not have, and something I greatly desire to possess," he explained, gesturing here and there as if explaining something obvious. "I have seen your mind and your soul; I have peered into your very being, and nothing exists in this world that is so pure. Not the finest sifted gold, not the clearest diamond. When compared to your essence, all things pale by comparison, and I must have it."

Fluttershy shook her head slowly, shock taking hold of her. To stay here, in a world full of dragons? "What about my home?" she asked quietly, her fears surfacing far enough through the numbing disbelief to whisper that question.

"You will not need it. Jagspire will be your new world, my family your new family. Everything you could ever desire will be here," Razorwing said confidently.

Tears began to form in her eyes. It was just like Lessa's story! Trapped here, in this place; far away from her home, and her loved ones. Fluttershy couldn't imagine that for herself, and the fear of losing everything she knew bit deep. "My friends, my home!" she whimpered weakly as she was assaulted by the mere feeling of what it would be like to stay here, and never leave.

"I understand, little one," the enormous dragon said, his voice now full of what she recognized as insincere sympathy. "But here you could be taken care of; free of all the troubles of the world, with even your smallest desire granted and simplest fear cleansed. If your friends wish, they can come to my home; your home," he said, his enormous head swinging low on his thick neck, and settling behind her.

She was still frozen in her chair as his hot breath washed over her, his silver tongue uttering even more of her inner thoughts. She could feel it, that dread eye peering into her. Reading her mind, seeking out her fears and desires, and giving him the words to use them.

"With but a single word, you could open the world of dragonkind to Aurus Marz. With my co-operation, the other steadfast ones will swiftly agree to his call for peace. What better gift could you give your friends than a world free from war, safe on all sides? But alas, you fear me so, and my heart breaks for that.

But can you face the alternative? To return to your friends, so powerful and wise, and tell them you failed? Can you bear the sight of their faces as their dreams for a world united crumble down? How will you withstand the shame when they cry out against you, because you are weak?

I can make you stronger. Stay here, with me, and I will give you all the strength you will ever need. The world will be made to know your purity and grace, far more valuable than power in the era of peace that you will usher in. All the stars of the sky and waves of the sea will hear the name, Fluttershy the Brave," he hissed, wearing a sly grin that she could not see as his red eye peered over her shoulder, and into her heart.

She trembled as his words struck chord after chord in her soul. Each syllable was an urging nudge to one of her fears or insecurities, bidding them to rise and overpower her.

"No!" she cried suddenly, leaping from her chair as it tumbled behind her. She whirled and faced him, his white fangs and eerie red eye showing him for what he really was; all the night he had been acting, playing kind because he wanted her. But she could see the monster lurking in his eye, the little bit of his soul revealed there black and twisted with greed and selfishness. "I'll never agree to that!" she shouted, tears streaming down her face.

"My friends love me, and even if I fail they'd never hate me! Aurus will find some other way for peace without you! He always finds a way! You can't have me!" she sobbed, collapsing from a combination of fear and nerves, her momentum spent.

Nethrezir's face twitched with ire, smoke puffing from his nostrils. "You are making a mistake. I can give you everything!" he growled.

"You'll never love me. My friends love me, and here I'd just be your... your doll!" she said, her eyes clenched shut as she curled up, trying her best to defend herself as a black claw reached slowly for her.

"Then perhaps I'll take the decision from you!" Nethrezir roared.

That roar turned to one of pain as one of his metal wings snapped in two, the steel bones swinging down and gashing the arm that reached for Fluttershy. He swiped at the black speck that flew past his head, but badly missed.

Malik landed in front of Fluttershy, hissing loudly and baring his fangs. "Don't you touch her!" he roared.

Fluttershy opened her eyes, recognizing that voice. "Malik?" she asked hopefully, her voice full of the desire to be saved. She realized that it really was him, and that she wasn't dreaming.

"Fluttershy, run," he whispered quietly. "Fly as fast as you can!" Without another word, he launched into the air, flying hard for Nethrezir.

She was stunned as she watched him rush fearlessly into the fight with the great dragon. Her heart trembled, because she knew that he couldn't win. Even Aurus would have little hope against such a mighty foe, she feared. "Malik, stop!" she cried, her only course of action to try and save him.

Now recovered, Nethrezir began to laugh. "Another guest? I did not know that Aurus was so fond of my company!" he chuckled, even as Malik bounced off his thick-skinned face. The great dragon grinned as Malik stared in disbelief at a scale that should have cracked like glass under that magic-fueled assault after what he had done to solid steel.

"A shame that you broke my wing; that will take some time to repair," the dragon chuckled, his voice thick with sarcasm as the broken wing leapt from the floor of its own accord, glowing a pulsing, reddish glow. The broken shards of metal and torn leather wound back together almost instantly.

"You son of a bitch!" Malik roared, rushing back in. He dashed about, blasting with magic and hammering on scaled hide. Every ounce of his fear for Fluttershy and adrenaline for his own life in this fight pushed him on, made him faster, stronger. He knew that he couldn't hope to beat the dragon on his own, but that was beside the point. All he needed was enough time for Fluttershy to get away, far away and be safe.

That thought distracted him a moment as he glanced back, hoping to find her long gone. His heart staggered as he saw her still standing there, looking up at him with tears in her eyes and frozen with worry.

A moment's delay was a moment too long.

Chuckling to himself, Razorwing reacted like lightning, slapping Malik out of the air suddenly with such force that Fluttershy felt the massive table tremble from his impact with its surface. "I would say you are amusing, but I cannot recall the last time a fly entertained me!" the dragon roared, clenching his fist and raising it high. Fluttershy could not see Malik lying in the crater his landing had created, but she could see that Razorwing meant to crush him.

"Fluttershy, run!" Malik groaned as loudly as he could, even as the fist above him came crashing down, his demise certain under such a powerful blow. The fist came swinging down, and time stood still for the pegasus as she prepared to watch her friend die terribly. Something broke inside her, something urging her to save his life any way she could.

"No!" Fluttershy cried, tears of desperation in her eyes. "Stop! I'll stay!"

The hammer blow stopped stark still, the clawed hand withdrawing slowly. "What was that?" Razorwing asked, his tone cruel, clear that he would accept only one answer.

"I'll stay... Just don't hurt him," she sobbed, collapsing to the table once more. "I'll stay..."

Malik bounced and rolled down the mountain path, crying out as pieces of his own broken shell sliced and pierced his exposed flesh. Even so badly injured and bleeding, he rose to his hooves and snarled at the dragon behind him, standing tall before the east gate of Ebonhome.

Razorwing smirked smugly. "Run along, little one. You served your purpose well for me, but you've a new task. Tell your master that he has my thanks for his gift, and that the co-operation of the black dragons is at his disposal."

"You devil," Malik hissed, his voice strained with pain and eyes squinted against the flow of blood. "You call this peace? You think you can get away with this?"

"Yes, to both," Razorwing chuckled. "By all rights I should have killed you. But as a token of my good will to your king, I will let you live, and if you are lucky, he will do to you what I did to Zemin. You attacked me in my home, and if not for Fluttershy, I would have torn you apart. Hope that you die swiftly by your master's will, and that you never have to face me again. Your end would not be so 'peaceful' then," the great black drake chuckled.

"Then you had better be ready," Malik hissed, stopping the behemoth as he turned to enter the gates.

"Oh?" he asked, not turning back to face his adversary.

"I'll come back for her. And it's you who will be torn apart," Malik said, his voice filled with icy determination.

"A strong declaration of war against someone you now have peace with," Razorwing said quietly. "Perhaps you should speak more wisely, lest you spoil everything dear, sweet Fluttershy has won for you."

"I'm not asking for a war. This is between you, and me," Malik said angrily. "I swore to protect her, and I won't give up on that promise until I've fulfilled it, or I'm not breathing!"

"Protect her? Have you not seen? She is mine now, and I protect what I own. You and all the forces of the world could not scratch me. She has never been safer, and so your promise is fulfilled," Nethrezir laughed darkly. "Do not hide behind the mask of some valiant knight. You do not wish to protect her; you only wish to keep her."

Malik choked on his next words, stunned. His pride wouldn't allow it, but he could feel the truth of that statement in his heart. Nothing could hurt her with Nethrezir, save Nethrezir, who valued her too greatly to damage her. He was right; she was safe, and Malik was just pretending. He could never protect her from something like him.

But whether he was the better protector or not, he had sworn to it, and even if a day came where he could no longer protect her, he would still want her, still need her. He stood on shaking legs, his face a mask of determined anger and hate.

"She's not just some thing you can control. Maybe you're right. Maybe I can't protect her; but I'll never know until I try. But I know one thing for certain, Razorwing," he stopped, panting against the pain for a moment. "I want her back, and you will die."

"A duel, then," Nethrezir said, looking over his shoulder. "Very well; whenever you think you can best me, I will be waiting. Come with numbers, come alone; it matters not. Fluttershy will remain in Ebonhome, and you will fail." Without another word, the Master of the North vanished through the massive gates, enormous stone doors slamming shut behind him.

Malik coughed blood and passed out in the cool mountain air, hoping against all hope that he would eventually wake up and not bleed to death.

He had a dragon to slay.