“… stunning…”

“… Yes sir.”

“Take care… ask when they… can avoid killing…”

“Yes si…”

“Beat… have to… guess if you want… good luck…”

“Can… them… most engaging… ever seen.”

“No, they are not for… I’m sorry.”

“… Understand, wouldn’t want to lose such good fighters.”

A small groan escapes my mouth. My head feels as if somepony took a jackhammer to it. My entire body aches, and I can feel bruises throbbing just from the pressure of my weight pressing them against whatever I’m lying on.

Turning my attention to my surroundings, I focus on what I can feel and hear, not ready to be assaulted by whatever is on the other side of my eyelids. I’m laying on something cold and hard. There are separate slats that make it very uncomfortable. Chilly air embraces my damp coat, sending chills across my skin. Cold iron wraps around each of my legs. The air smells clammy. I can hear two sets of breathing. One is far closer to me, deep and constant; the other is louder but farther away. The pattern is harsh, short breaths, with low muttering every once in a while.

I crack one eye open to finally get a glimpse of my cell. Harsh white light blinds me momentarily, and I involuntarily jerk back in just the right direction to send me tumbling off the bench I was on. My back hits the floor and my head cracks painfully against the concrete, but my hooves are caught by the shackles and my legs feel like they have been yanked from their sockets.

A soft curse comes from where I heard the short breaths. “Twilight Sparkle, I know you are awake. I need to ask you some questions.”

I moan. I can’t handle this right now. “Dooo ooo ave offee…” I slur, my brain not prepared for the world today.

“I’m sorry, Miss Sparkle, but I’m afraid as a prisoner, you don’t have that luxury.”

Prisoner! Wait… that’s what the shackles are for! Oooohhh, okaaaaay. Apparently, I can’t even think right now. I thought I was in a hospital, for Celestia’s sake! How did I not figure that out!?

“Prisn’r of whooom, may I aasssk.” There must be a sedative in my system--there is no way I am this groggy from just being knocked out. My mysterious inquisitor answers that question with his next words.

“Don’t worry, Miss Sparkle, the morphine will wear off in a little while.”

Morphine! What the hay did they need that for? And who used it on me? “Whyyyy mooorfffinnnne? Suuuurrgerieee?”

“Yes, Miss Sparkle, you and Miss Dash were both very beat up after your fight; we had to give both of you stitches and repair some of your bones.. In fact, Miss Dash may not have been able to rematch if our doctors had not gotten to her when they did.

“Okay,” I replied, relieved my speech was beginning to smooth out and my head was starting to clear up. “What doo you need tooo ask me?”

“Will you kill Rainbow Dash if I release you? We unfortunately only had one holding cell available on short notice, so you are locked up together. For the shackles to be removed, you will have to show no ill intentions towards your cellmate.” The voice holds something other than a simple question.

“Noooo, but I’m seriously considering killing myself because of this awful headache.” I say it sarcastically, but I don’t think he takes it that way.

“Is that a true statement, Miss Twilight? If so, I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to take off your shackles.”

“No! No, no, no. have you never heard a joke before? Honest to Celestia, that was a joke.” The dragon continues to watch me.

I sigh, trying to get my thoughts under control. “No. I am not going to kill myself. You can take my shackles off. Please, take them off.”

“Okay Miss Twilight, I’m going to come into the cell and remove your restraints. If you attempt to attack me or escape, I will kill you.”

Metal grates against metal as a key enters the lock and creaking hinges tell me the door is opening. I still haven’t opened my eyes since I fell off the bench, but I figure now is as good a time as any. I crack them open, careful to not blind myself again. Once they have adjusted, I open them fully and gasp at what I see.

A green and purple scaled leg stands in front of me. I look up from my place on the floor, and a scarred face stares back at mine. Small wisps of steam curl from the dragon’s snout. I yelp and scoot backwards as fast as I can, but the shackles dig into my skin after a few short centimeters.

The dragon watches my panic with a bemused expression; when I stop squirming, he holds up one of his front feet. A bronze key dangles from the claw.

“You do realize I’m not going to hurt you. I’m only here to unlock you both, if you cooperate.” A grin filled with sharp teeth makes me shudder. At the tremor, his expression drops slightly. “Miss Twilight, please hold still as I remove your restraints.”

He steps forward and unlocks my hind legs first, then turns and unlocks my forelegs. I roll onto my belly and try to get my shaky legs underneath me until a clawed foot on my back makes me stop.

“Please do not stand until I have left and locked the door.” I stop, afraid of having my back sliced open by the sharp claws.

The door clangs shut, and I heave myself off the ground. Looking out through the thick iron bars, that likely have a magic resistant spell on them, I examine the dragon in front of me. Two large wings rest folded by his sides, and four claw-tipped feet are pointed towards me. Emerald eyes swivel in my direction, and our gazes lock.

“You’re a dragon,” I say, unable to think of anything else to say. “I’ve never seen a dragon before.” I lean forward unconsciously and widen my eyes slightly. “How old are you? How thick are your scales? How wide is your wingspan? How hot can your fire get? How far can you blast? How long can you hold a single flame going? Are your scales magic resistant? How long has your species existed?” My curiosity bubbles over, replacing my fear.

The creature in front of me laughs softly. It’s not an evil laugh; he sounds genuinely amused. The glow of orange flames waiting to be released from the back of his throat makes his fangs more menacing. I take a step back, curiosity dissolving into fear again.

“Yes, I am a dragon.” He grins softly and tips his head slightly, grin fading when he notices I backed away. “I know I’m intimidating, but…” His voice trails off, and all traces of happiness vanish from his features. “I need to go now. I will be back in an hour to release Miss Dash if she agrees to the terms.”

His tail whips around as he turns quickly and leaves. I don’t know what to think. He was nervous, then professional, then happy, then nervous and professional. This dragon has emotional issues and doesn’t know how to hide them.

A loud snore crashes through my -- wait -- our cell. I turn and stare at the pegasus across from me. All the blood and sweat is gone from her coat and mane. Her armor has been removed, and stitches arc across her chest and down her right side. Gashes cover her cyan body.

I lower my eyes to my own chest, unsurprised to see no armor there, yet surprised I didn’t notice the missing weight. My coat is also pristine and even smells freshly cleaned. My mane and tail, while clean, are still in the same ragged state the stylist put them in.

A dark spot in the corner of my eye catches my attention. I turn to my left flank and gasp at the charred skin. A dark burn twists across my flank, covering most of my cutie mark. Only a few pink and white points peek out from the edges of the burn.

I stare at my blackened flank until another snore rakes its claws against my train of thought. Glancing back over at the sleeping pony, I realize she isn’t going to wake up anytime soon. I turn around and heave myself onto the uncomfortable bench I woke up on. I lay down and rest my head in between my hooves. My eyes never close.

~ * ~

“Rrrrggghhh, my head hurts soooo much!”

I jump out of my skin, surprised by the sudden noise from my cellmate. I turn my head to meet her gaze only to find that her eyes haven’t opened yet.

“Why did I leave my window open last night? It’s probably not even noon yet.” Her eyes open a tiny crack, and she shoots into a sitting position faster than I can fire a spell.

Rainbow Dash’s head swings wildly as she takes in her surroundings. Her eyes land on me, and all I see is pure terror. Her eyes are wide, and her magenta pupils are pinpricks in the surrounding white.

Her face changes the instant she sees me. Her mouth dives into a frown, and her eyes narrow. Rainbow Dash’s ears fold back, and she nearly bares her teeth at me.

“Why are you here? Where is here? Why aren’t you cuffed too? Did you not kill me and get us both stuck in here? What the HAY IS GOING ON!?” The rapid-fire questions send me mentally reeling, I haven’t even gotten the chance to get up yet.

“I’m stuck here with you. Do you not remember the fight? We had a draw. I’m not going to hurt you. Calm down.” I try to answer back as swiftly as I can, but her breathing continues in uneven gasps.

“I’m not scared! I just wanna know what’s going on.” Her breathing starts to slow. “Are you gonna hurt me? And why don’t you have any…” She trails off while holding up one of her hooves.

“One of the workers came and unlocked them so long as I promised not to kill you.”

“Okay. Well, when will he be back?”

I sit up, not wanting to be laying down during a conversation. “He said he was going to come back in exactly an hour, and it’s probably been around thirty minutes since he left.”

She nods, and a solemn look crosses her face. “Look, even though we were just trying to kill each other, I don’t really want to be enemies, so, can we be friends?” The corners of her mouth lift a little.

I pull back, not ready for such a quick turnaround. “Um, I’ve never really had a friend before.”

“Oh! Well, then I can be your first friend! Alright, if we are gonna be friends then let’s start over and pretend that fighting thing never happened.” She extends her hoof. “Hi, I’m Rainbow Dash, but you can call me Dash.”

I look at Rainbow Dash, then her hoof, then her again. She watches me and just pushes her hoof closer to me. “Hello, I’m Twilight Sparkle but, um, you can just call me Twilight.” I take her hoof and we shake.

“Good. Now let’s not try to murder each other again. Ya know what? We should plan an escape!” Her smile morphs into a smirk, and her eyes narrow.

“Well, Rainbow Dash--”

“Just Dash.”

“Okay then, Dash. I am a unicorn, and while the bars probably have a magic resistant spell on them, I am really skilled in magic and could possibly melt something or even teleport us…” Plans for escape quickly fill my thoughts, complex algorithms checking each for possible problems.

“Twilight.” Dash’s voice is quiet. I look over to figure out what caused the eagerness she had a moment ago to fade. I’m confused when she gestures to my horn. I bring a hoof up to my horn and shout when burning pain lances through my skull.

I have to feel my horn due to a lack of a mirror in the cell. Starting at the top and probing gently downwards, I feel a large crack running from the top to the bottom of my horn. Braving the pain, I feel inside the fracture and, with tears running down my face from pain, touch the core of my horn.

“No. No, no, no. NO! This can’t be happening!” I’m crying, not from the pain, but from crushing despair.

A questioning look crosses Dash’s face. “It will heal won’t it? You’ll get better eventually.”

“No! No, I won’t! I don’t think you realize how bad this is! I have no control over my magic now. The core of my horn is exposed! I have never heard of a split this deep healing in under eight years! Even then, in all of the cases I read about, the unicorn was permanently scarred, and their magical ability was greatly reduced! I won’t be able to use magic for a decade, and even once it’s healed, my abilities will be horribly crippled!” Burning rage consumes my insides, and I want to kill the Announcer for forcing me into this.

Brushing away the salty drops of sadness, anger, and fear, I turn to Rainbow Dash “The only way we will manage to escape is if you and I can buck down those bars.”

“You won’t be escaping at all.” Claws click against cold concrete, and the dragon walks up to the cell door. Rainbow Dash pulls back in shock.

“You both are coming with me to talk with the Announcer. You will not attempt to escape or attack me, otherwise I will have to kill you.”

He slides a key into the lock and opens the door but steps in the way before I can get a single hoof in the direction of out. He steps in, revealing a guard behind him. The guard has an iron face plate on and full body armor. He points a spear menacingly at the door, daring me to move. The dragon unlocks Dash’s shackles and backs out the door.

Once fully out, he beckons Rainbow Dash and me to follow. We are directed in between the dragon and the guard and start moving down the hallway. The cell that presented itself as an impossible escape challenge now appears a refuge.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait guys, have been doing some serious editing on the earlier chapters. All previous chapters have been edited now so go back and read them if you like.