Holy Knights of Equestria

Chapters

First Mission
Dragon Slayer
The Return

First Mission

Twilight Sparkle ascended the stairs of the highest tower in the Canterlot Royal Palace with firm, purposeful steps.

She was a very pretty young girl, with her pale skin, soft facial features and slender frame. She had light violet eyes and long, straight darker hair with a brilliant rose streak going down the middle. Her bangs were perfectly leveled, trimmed above her upper eyelids and her sidelocks were trimmed at shoulder level. She wore an ordinary, clean white button-front shirt and a sleveless purple sweater on top with a perfectly tied tie. A black leather belt kept her short pleated skirt in place, preventing it from swaying too much and showing more of her smooth thighs. Her black leather boots were neatly polished. The final and most distinctive piece of her attire was a purple long coat, the hood of which swayed wildly, left and right, with every step she took.

It wasn’t until she reached the richly ornate wooden door at the end of the hallway on the upmost floor that Twilight stopped, took a small breath and knocked twice in succession. “Queen Celestia?”

A majestic voice echoed from the other side of the door, “Come in, Twilight.”

Twilight pushed the door open and stepped in, her head bowed respectfully. “Excuse me.”

Queen Celestia greeted Twilight with a warm smile. “You’re quite early today, my faithful apprentice. Have you perhaps devised a new strategy for today’s training session?”

She was tall and stunningly beautiful, with perfect, milky-white skin, a gorgeous face and soft magenta eyes. Her hair shone with the colors of the aurora; vibrant shades of blue, green and pink, and was so long it went down her waist, flowing softly behind her as if carried by a perpetual breeze. Her exceptionally well-toned arms and back only added to her appeal. She wore sandals and a long, pure white, shoulder less dress with golden trims. The vertical cuts at the sides of her skirt revealed her long, shapely legs. The fabric pressed tightly over her ample bosom and firm, bulging buttocks, highlighting her hourglass figure. On her right hand, she carried a golden halberd. A combination of a cross-shaped spear and two curved axe-blades of equal size mounted on a staff, with the other extreme ending on a round, dull tip.

Twilight took a deep breath and straightened herself. “I’m afraid I’m here to inform you that something terrible is about to happen, Your Majesty.”

Queen Celestia’s smile vanished and her brown furrowed slightly. “What is it?”

Twilight’s expression turned grim. “My continuing studies of the arcane arts have led me to discover we are on the verge of disaster!” She looked around, leaned closer to Queen Celestia and whispered hurriedly, “Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal.”

Queen Celestia blinked puzzled. “I’m afraid you lost me,” she said with all sincerity.

Twilight bit her lower lip. “The Maiden in the Moon! Nightmare Moon! The longest day of the thousandth year coincides with the Summer Sun Celebration!” she said exasperated. “The same Summer Sun Celebration you will preside the day after tomorrow!”

Queen Celestia sighed softly. “Your diligence is undoubtedly one of your greatest virtues, my faithful apprentice, but you have to stop reading those dusty old books.” She paused and then added chidingly, “Researching the past should not come at the expense of sacrificing your present.”

Twilight’s mouth opened and closed like that of a fish gasping for air. “B-But Duchess Cadance’s vision—!”

Queen Celestia swiftly placed her index finger over Twilight’s lips to silence her, making her cheeks turn a nice shade of red. “No buts, my faithful apprentice,” she said firmly. “The nature of Cadance’s vision has already been discerned. And while we’re on the subject of the Summer Sun Celebration, I have a mission for you.”

Twilight pouted, but said nothing.

“What’s the matter, my faithful apprentice?” Queen Celestia asked bemused. “I thought you would be more excited at the prospect of having an opportunity to prove yourself worthy of becoming a Holy Knight of the kingdom of Equestria.”

Twilight sighed. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, the last time you told me you had a mission for me I ended up cleaning all the windows in the Royal Palace by myself…”

Queen Celestia tilted her head. “It helped you hone your levitation skills, didn’t it?”

Twilight threw Queen Celestia an unamused look. “And the one before that you sent me to buy all of your groceries five minutes before the Grand Market’s closing time.”

Queen Celestia nodded sagely. “Yes, your teleportation skills greatly improved from the experience.”

Twilight’s right eye twitched. “And the time you sent me to clean the stables?”

Queen Celestia closed her eyes. “A magician must have a mind of steel…”

Twilight groaned, eliciting a giggle from Queen Celestia.

“Don’t worry, my faithful apprentice,” Queen Celestia said. “This time, I’m sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“Really…?” Twilight asked dismayed.

Once again, Queen Celestia giggled. “I’m just kidding, Twilight.” Her smile vanished and her expression became serious. “This is an official mission.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise.

“But first…” Queen Celestia casually waved her left hand. “There’s the matter of today’s training session.” In just an instant, the room furnished with rich wooden furniture around them vanished and they found themselves standing in the middle of a training arena, surrounded by high walls and with the sun shinning brightly above their heads.

Twilight nudged the hood of her coat and called, “Spike! Wake up!” A moment later, a short, chubby baby dragon with purple scales and bright green fins emerged with a groan. He let out a big yawn before looking at Twilight with half-closed eyes and asking, “Is lunch time yet?”

Twilight smiled. “No, Spike, it’s time for our training match with Queen Celestia.”

“Did you tell her about the whole Nightmare Moon thing?” Spike asked while rubbing his eyes.

Twilight shook her head. “We’ll talk about it later. For now, we’ll do as we practiced.”

Spike hopped down from inside Twilight’s hood. He stretched his limbs, made a few hip circle motions and slapped his cheeks. “Alright,” he declared enthusiastically. “I’m ready!”

Queen Celestia stood firm but relaxed. She held her halberd with the head pointing towards the ground, while her left arm hung lazily at her side. “Remember, my faithful apprentice, don’t hold anything back,” she said confidently.

Twilight frowned, lowered her stance and turned her torso slightly sideways. She extended both arms forward, elbows slightly bent, and pointed at Queen Celestia with her index and middle fingers. To her right, Spike bared his fangs and readied his claws, trying to appear as threatening as his baby frame would allow him.

Nobody made a move, and for a while, the only sound was that of the gravel dancing at the behest of the wind.

Just then, Queen Celestia tilted her head ever so slightly.

That was all it took.

Twilight threw her hands upwards, fingers intertwined, and called loudly, “Icicle Castle!” The wind howled, Queen Celestia’s breath became visible and, in the blink of an eye, her whole body became encased in a gigantic column of ice.

Twilight immediately turned her attention to Spike. Paying no heed to the sudden, thunderous sound of ice shattering into a million pieces and the burst of hot air on her face, she pointed at him with her index and middle fingers and called loudly, “Enchantment: Giant Growth!”

Spike grinned eagerly. His body began growing at an alarming rate. Short, stubby arms and legs became powerfully muscled limbs. A pitiful tail transformed into a mighty weapon. His neck elongated and his head became serpentine, with sword-like fangs. Huge leathery wings erupted from his back and, where a baby dragon once was, now stood an adult the size of a two-story house.

Letting out a deafening roar, Spike charged forward with his jaws open, heat and the smell of sulfur emanating from the inside of his mouth. He reared his head back and breathed a torrent of fire towards Queen Celestia. But far from being intimidated, she simply raised her halberd and the flames parted as if they had a mind of their own and were afraid of touching the tip of the weapon.

“Have you forgotten, you two?” Queen Celestia asked. “Fire holds no secrets for me.”

“No, we did not.”

Queen Celestia looked over her left shoulder to see Twilight was now standing behind her.

Twilight waved her hands in a circular motion and called loudly, “Endless Whirl!”

The flames began encircling Queen Celestia instead of avoiding her. Faster and faster, they grew in size and intensity, shooting upwards until they became a massive fiery tornado visible even from beyond the walls of the Royal Palace.

“COMBINED TECHNIQUE! DRAGON TWISTER!”

Suddenly, the wind died down and the flames disappeared as if they were never there, leaving a perfect circle of scorched earth behind. In the middle of said circle stood Queen Celestia, her figure immaculate. She did not have a single speck of dust on her dress or the slightest trace of ash on her hair.

Twilight’s jaw dropped.

Spike clawed the ground in front of him nervously as he looked between Twilight and Queen Celestia, completely at a loss at what to do next.

Queen Celestia chuckled softly. “Is there anything else you would like to try, my faithful apprentice?”

The words snapped Twilight out of her stupor. Tracing a zigzagging motion with her index and middle fingers, she called loudly, “Shock Stinger!”

A single lightning bolt erupted from the tip of Twilight’s fingers and mercilessly struck Queen Celestia. She winced as the lightning crackled and sizzled, binding her body like a snake constricting its prey.

Twilight shouted, “Go, Spike! Tail Crash!”

Spike roared and swiftly turned around, slamming his giant tail against Queen Celestia with the strength of a landslide, the intensity of the impact kicking up a cloud of dust.

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Did we do it?”

However, when the dust settled, Queen Celestia stood free, unfazed and holding Spike’s tail with just her left hand alone. She squeezed, making him wince in pain, and whispered two words, “Magic Cancel.” In the blink of an eye, the adult dragon turned into a baby once again, hanging upside down as Queen Celestia held him by his tail.

Spike grinned awkwardly. “Hi…?”

Queen Celestia smiled back and, without warning, hurled him away like a pebble. Spike screamed as he sailed through the air, desperately flailing his tiny arms. But just as he closed his eyes and braced himself for impact, Twilight materialized out of thin air and caught him in her arms. “Are you okay, Spike?”

“L-Look out!”

Twilight looked up to see a massive fireball heading towards her and swiftly teleported out of its way, reappearing back on the ground. Holding Spike firmly with her left arm, she threw her right hand out, ready to launch another spell at Queen Celestia.

Or so she would have, if Queen Celestia had not vanished from her sight.

Twilight suddenly felt the familiar cold of steel pressing against the back of her neck, and in that instant she knew it was all over.

“Touché.”

Twilight sighed. Holding Spike with both arms, she turned around to see Queen Celestia leaning casually against her halberd. “I was pretty sure our combined attack would have had some effect,” Twilight said with a defeated smile. “Guess I was wrong…”

“Don’t forget the purpose of our training sessions is to help you take your magic skills to the limit without the fear of hurting your opponent,” Queen Celestia said as she straightened herself. “Not to seek a victory." She extended her left hand towards Twilight and whispered softly, “Invigorate.”

Both, Twilight and Spike closed their eyes and basked in the warm light. As it faded, so did the exhaustion from the battle.

“Now, about the mission…”

Twilight straightened herself. “Yes!”

“…I believe I’ll let Captain Blueblood explain the details.”

Twilight followed Queen Celestia’s gaze towards the tall, pale and handsome man approaching them.

Captain Blueblood had long, flowing blond hair and deep blue eyes. His silver armor gleamed under the light of the sun and his light blue, golden-trimmed cape fluttered behind him, giving him an appearance befitting of a noble.

Twilight respectfully bowed her head to him. “Sir.”

"Perfect timing, Captain," Queen Celestia said. “Could you please brief Twilight on the incident you told me about before?”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Captain Blueblood smiled and turned to Twilight. “We have received an urgent request for help from the mayor of Ponyville.”

“Ponyville?” Twilight asked. “Isn’t that where the Summer Sun Celebration is going to take place?”

“That’s correct,” Blueblood said with a snap of his fingers. "It seems one of their wagons was attacked by a dragon while traveling down the valley of the Unicorn Range. Fortunately, the occupants managed to escape unharmed.”

“A dragon…” Twilight pursed her lower lip thoughtfully. “Was it a tyrant dragon or a clay dragon? They are both well-known for inhabiting mountainous terrains, but if we’re talking about the Unicorn Range, the area is home to a sizeable population of wyverns, althought they do not attack humans unless they are starving or their nests—"

Queen Celestia cleared her throat and Twilight quickly stopped talking.

“S-Sorry,” Twilight muttered embarrassed.

“I’m afraid the Mayor’s letter did not go into details,” Blueblood said, not bothered by the interruption. “But the valley of the Unicorn Range is one of the main paths leading to Vanhoover, the only city with access to the North Luna Ocean, and if there’s indeed a creature preying on the lives of our fellow Equestrians there, then we cannot stay idle.” His smile vanished, replaced with business-like frown, and he pointed at Twilight. “Therefore your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to investigate this incident and exterminate whatever creature was responsible for the attack, be it a tyrant dragon, clay dragon or wyvern.”

Twilight’s brown furrowed in determination and she declared firmly, “Leave it to me.”

Spike nodded, his expression mirroring Twilight’s.

“Excellent,” Captain Blueblood said satisfied. “You should go see Ponyville’s Mayor first. And make sure you outfit yourself properly before leaving.”

Twilight nodded firmly. “I’ll be back before noon with a full report.”

“There’s no need to hurry, my faithful apprentice.” Queen Celestia interjected. “Once you’ve fulfilled your mission, I want you to take the rest of the day and enjoy what Ponyville has to offer.”

Twilight tilted her head in confusion. “Your Majesty?”

“Then, after the Summer Sun Celebration concludes, we can return together to Canterlot and you can give me your report on the way back.” Queen Celestia smiled and asked, “What do you say?”

Twilight smiled brightly. “Yes, Your Majesty!”

With one last respectful bow, Twilight bid them farewell and headed to fulfill her mission.

Captain Blueblood watched Twilight leave and, as soon as she was out of sight, he turned to Queen Celestia and said, “Your Highness, with all due respect, do you think she’s ready to deal with something like this? A dragon is not something any Holy Knight can handle, much less an apprentice.” He paused before adding, “Even if she has her own dragon familiar.”

Queen Celestia chuckled. “You saw the display of magic from behind the castle walls, didn’t you, Captain? Twilight Sparkle possesses an outstanding potential, moreso if we consider the fact her magic power has not awakened yet. I have no doubt one day she will become one of the most powerful magicians in the history of Equestria.” Queen Celestia looked up wistfully. “Until then, she needs to refine her strength to stand against the darkness that is to come.”

Captain Blueblood nodded.

Twilight barely felt the wind as she stood on Spike’s back, even when the baby dragon, currently transformed into his adult form, flew above the clouds and across the sky at astonishing speeds. Her outfit remained the same, but now she sported metallic shin and forearm guards, as well as a metal breastplate. On her right hand, she carried an ornate metal staff, the upper tip of which held a small purple jewel.

“So we pulled an all-nighter for nothing?” Spike asked, his voice deep and gutural, befitting of his adult size.

“I’m sorry, Spike.” Twilight replied, looking down. “It’s just that, when I found that passage on that old copy of Predictions and Prophecies, I thought there could be more to Duchess Cadance’s vision, you know…” She sighed dejectedly. “Guess I got ahead of myself.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it!” Spike said enthusiastically. “We got ourselves an oficial mission, didn’t we?”

Twilight smiled. She lifted her gaze and set it on the horizon. “Yes.”

It didn’t take them long to reach the outskirts of Ponyville. “We’ll land here, Spike, just in case,” Twilight said. “I don’t want to risk scaring anybody.” Spike wordlessly complied. She levitated down his back and, with a whisper of Magic Cancel, turned him back into his baby form. He swiftly climbed on the back of her longcoat and took his place inside the hood, leaning over her right shoulder as she made her way into the town.

Ponyville was small and with a heavy rural feel. The roads were made of dirt; the majority of the houses were timber-framed with thatched roofs and overhanging upper floors. Still, it was a very pretty town. Nearly all of the houses had potted plants on their windows and sides of the front door, every single one of them filled with vibrant colored flowers. A small river flowed through the town, with multiple bridges strategically placed along its course.

Despite its size, Ponyville was a buzzing beehive of activity. The sound of music and the excited chatter of the crowd mixed with the rich smell of food filled the air to create a truly festive atmosphere. A small group of knights respectfully mingled with the civilians as they kept their eyes open for troublemakers.

Twilight finally reached a large open area in the middle of the town, at the center of which stood a three-story, wooden building fancily decorated with ribbons and banners of wonderful, sunny colors. “This must be the Town Hall.” She opened the doors and told the receptionist she had an appointment, after which she was escorted to the mayor’s office. As she raised her left hand to knock on the door, a voice suddenly echoed from the other side, making her jump on her toes.

“IF ONE OF THOSE CONSARNED HOLY KNIGHTS DOESN’T APPEAR FROM BEYOND THAT DOOR RIGHT NOW I’M GONNA GO THERE AND KICK THAT DRAGON’S ASS MYSELF!”

Dragon Slayer

“Looks like we arrived just in time, huh?” Spike said with an enthusiastic grin. “Just like heroes!”

“It would seem so,” Twilight said, far less amused. The voice behind the door sounded positively angry, if not downright furious. “Let’s hope we’re greeted like ones.” She took a breath, raised her left hand once more and knocked twice in succession.

There was a brief moment of silence before a different, much calmer voice answered from the other side, “Come in.”

Twilight pushed the door open and stepped in, coming face to face with two women, an older one and a younger one. The former sat behind a wooden desk while the latter leaned over it with both fists pressed against the surface. “Good morning,” Twilight said with a polite bow. “My name is Twilight Sparkle and this is my familiar Spike.” She gestured towards the baby dragon leaning over her right shoulder, who waved with a smile. “I am here to answer your request for help in the name of the Holy Knights.”

The older woman, a dignified-looking bespectacled lady, immediately stood up and approached Twilight, greeting her with a big smile, mixture of joy and relief. “Thank you for coming, Lady Twilight.” She daintily placed her right hand over her chest and introduced herself, “I am Mayor May. Welcome to Ponyville.”

Mayor May had darker blue eyes and short, light grey, wavy hair. Her outfit consisted of a pale amber skirt suit, a white-collar shirt all buttoned up and darker green high heels. Despite her formal attire and hair color, she was an attractive woman, with her slender, shapely legs being her most noticeable feature.

Twilight briefly wondered how old could she be.

“About darn time one of you guys appeared,” the younger woman suddenly interjected, her expression twisted into a deep scowl.

She was tall, easily a whole head taller than Twilight, and a knockout beauty, even with the glare on her emerald green eyes. Her pleasantly tanned skin highlighted her freckles and her long blonde hair, tied into a ponytail, fell down her back like a golden cascade. She wore brown work boots and gloves, a worn out long coat and a high-crowned, wide-brimmed brown hat. Her dark blue pants hugged her thighs and buttocks nicely, while her orange button shirt perfectly outlined her generous bosom.

“It’s been a whole day since we sent that letter to Canterlot,” she growled, stomping forward until she stood right in front of Twilight. “Did you came here hoppin’ on one leg or what?”

Spike flinched and swiftly took cover inside Twilight’s hood.

Twilight gulped, but otherwise held herself firm. “I apologize,” she said. “I was assigned this mission less than an hour ago.”

The younger woman opened her mouth to say something else, but Mayor May swiftly cut her off.

“This is Miss Applejack,” Mayor May said. “The wagon that was attacked belonged to her family.”

Applejack turned her gaze away. “Tch,” she muttered.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Twilight said sympathetically. “If isn’t too much to ask, can you tell me about the incident? I would like to—”

Applejack suddenly snapped. “I wasn’t there!” she shouted, still averting her gaze.

Twilight flinched. “R-Right…”

“Lady Twilight,” Mayor May interjected. “You probably know this, but this will be the first time Ponyville serves as the host for the Summer Sun Celebration.” Her expression turned grave. “If word comes out there is a man-eating dragon roaming at less than a walking day of distance from here, it could severely affect our chances of being selected in the future. In other words, the reputation of our town is at stake.” She paused for a second before asking, “Can we trust you will be able to deal with this issue swiftly and discretely?”

“Of course,” Twilight replied firmly.

Mayor May’s expression softened. “Thank you, Lady Twilight. I will wait for the good news.”

Twilight bid them farewell and left the Town Hall building, taking back to the dirt roads of Ponyville.

“That Applejack girl sure was angry,” Spike said as he emerged from inside Twilight’s hood. He looked back at the Town Hall building warily, almost as if he expected Applejack to come out and chew them out some more.

“I don’t think I can blame her,” Twilight said. “It must be quite upsetting to lose your property like that.” She sighed. “I only wish my first attempt at gathering information came out better. Either way, we’re going to need your nose for this one, Spike.”

“You got it!” Spike sniffed the air around him. He made a pause and then asked tentatively, “Do you think maybe we can get something to eat first?”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile. “We’ll have all the time in the world once—”

“Wait a minute!”

Twilight stopped and turned around to see Applejack coming towards her. She shared a brief look of bewilderment with Spike, who quickly took shelter inside the hood of her coat, but before she could say a word, Applejack spoke first,

“I’m goin’ with you.”

Twilight blinked twice. “Excuse me?”

“I’ve traveled down the valley of the Unicorn Range plenty of times,” Applejack said confidently. “I can show you the way.”

Twilight shook her head rapidly. “No, no, no—I appreciate your offer but, one, I can find the way myself and, two, I cannot risk the life of a non-combatant.”

Applejack frowned. “Non-combatant?” She jabbed her thumb against her chest and said, “I’ll let you know my family founded Ponyville more than a hundred years ago on the land Queen Celestia herself gifted my great grandparents and we have been protectin’ it since then, Holy Knights or not!”

Twilight responded to Applejack’s frown with one of her own. She put her left hand on her hip and said, “Your lineage doesn’t change the fact you’re a civilian and this is an official mission of the Holy Knights.”

Spike nervously peeked from behind Twilight’s shoulder between the two of them as they glared at each other, unable to say a word.

After a short but tense moment of silence, Applejack suddenly deflated and said, “I’m sorry…”

Twilight sighed. “Look, I understand you’re—”

“But I’m still goin’ with you.”

“What? No, listen to me—”

“No, you listen to me,” Applejack said firmly. “My little sister, my big brother and two of my cousins were on that wagon. And the only reason they got away alive is because that dragon was too busy eating our horses.”

Twilight suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

Applejack clenched her fists and swallowed spittle. “Please, Twilight,” she begged in a low voice. “I just can’t stay here and do nothing. Please take me with you.”

Twilight bit her lower lip. “Applejack, I…”

“What is the creed of the Holy Knights of Equestria?” Queen Celestia asked.

Twilight answered immediately, "Your eyes are to discern evil, your mouth is to speak the truth, your heart is to be filled with righteousness, and your sword is to purge evil."

Queen Celestia nodded approvingly. “And what do Holy Knights do?”

Twilight pondered her words briefly before answering, “Holy Knights fulfill several duties, included but not limited to—”

“Holy Knights protect, Twilight.” Queen Celestia interrupted. “They protect the people, the comrades, the promises, and the principles.” She paused and looked upwards, her gaze becoming mournful. “My sister and I were born stronger than anybody else, but even we could not be everywhere at once. There were far too many times in which we arrived too late.” Queen Celestia closed her eyes, taking a moment to compose herself, before looking at Twilight. “That’s why we founded the order of the Holy Knights. To serve as the protectors of harmony all over Equestria. Remember that, my faithful apprentice.”

“…I think I could use a guide.”

“You mean it?” Applejack asked hopefully.

Twilight nodded. “I do.” She raised her index finger and added firmly, “But, you leave the fighting to me, okay?”

Applejack’s expression brightened, as if a massive weight had dropped off her shoulders, and her lips curved into a smile. “Thanks, sugarcube.” She extended a hand, which Twilight accepted with a smile of her own.

“Don’t mention it.”

“Alright!” Applejack cracked her knuckles. “Where’s your horse? I’ve got a couple in my farm that can get us there in no time if you need one.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Twilight said. She waved her staff and their surroundings suddenly changed; the people, the houses and the decorations vanished, leaving only an empty road around them.

“This…is the main road to Ponyville,” Applejack muttered, astonished. “How did we…?”

“A teleportation spell,” Twilight said in a matter-of-fact tone. “It allows me to transport other living beings over variable distances instantaneously.”

“Uh…that’s a mighty fine trick you’ve got there, but…” Applejack smiled sheepishly and, pointing with her thumb over her shoulder, said, “The valley of the Unicorn Range is the other way ‘round…”

Twilight shook her head. “Teleportation requires that I either have visual contact with the destination point or that I’m familiarized enough with it. As it stands now, it’s impossible for me to teleport any of us there.”

Applejack blinked. “Oh.” She quirked an eyebrow and asked, “So…?”

“Spike will carry us,” Twilight answered plainly.

At the mention of his name, Spike hopped down from the inside of Twilight’s hood. He puffed his chest out and flexed his short, stubby arms.

Applejack looked at Spike, then at Twilight. “You’re kiddin’ me, right?”

Twilight calmly took a step back, pointed at Spike with her staff and whispered, “Enchantment: Giant Growth.”

Applejack stumbled backwards, her mouth agape, as she saw Spike change into his adult form right before her eyes. “A dragon,” she muttered in shock.

“Dragon Knight,” Spike corrected.

Applejack gasped. “It can talk!”

Spike rolled his eyes. “He can talk, thank you very much.”

With just a snap of her fingers, Twilight teleported both, Applejack and herself, on top of Spike’s back.

“Hold on,” Applejack said alarmed. “Are we goin’ to ride on its—his back just like that? Without saddles or even a rope?”

“There’s nothing to fear,” Twilight assured. She waved her left hand in a circular motion and called softly, “Reject Wind.” Nothing seemingly happened, yet Twilight looked satisfied. “Let’s go, Spike.”

Seeing Spike crouching and spreading his wings wide, Applejack quickly grabbed hold of one of his fins, closed her eyes and braced herself. She felt a bump, and then nothing. A few seconds passed before Applejack slowly opened her eyes and saw Twilight standing next to her with the wind barely rustling her clothes. Carefully peeking to the side, Applejack saw they were far above the ground, moving at greater speed than any horse she ever rode on. “We’re flying,” she muttered in awe. “But the wind…”

“I erected a small elemental barrier to shield us against the wind,” Twilight explained. Her lips curved into a bemused smile. “Makes traveling like this much more comfortable, don’t you think?”

Applejack chuckled softly. “Right.” She relaxed, but kept holding Spike’s fin tightly with her right hand. “You know, I heard Holy Knights had some fancy rides, but this is somethin’ else.”

“Spike is certainly a cut above sky mantas and wyverns, but the enchantment that keeps him in this form drains my magic for as long as it remains active,” Twilight explained. “As soon as my reserves run dry, he’ll revert to being a child.”

Applejack nodded, and for a while, the three of them traveled in silence.

Soon, the mountains of the Unicorn Range became visible in the distance.

“Applejack,” Twilight called, drawing the attention of her companion. She paused, hesitating for a second before continuing, “I know you said you weren’t there, but…it would really help if you could tell me about the incident.”

There was a moment of silence before Applejack began talking. “My big bro told me they were halfway down the valley when suddenly everythin’ got dark, as if somethin’ had blotted out the sun, and then the dragon fell right on top of them. It had wings, red scales and a big, long mouth filled with teeth…”

Twilight scratched her chin thoughtfully. “Definitely not a clay dragon, they don’t have wings, and the coloration pattern of wyverns’ scales oscillates between shades of blue. That leaves tyrant dragons as the only option, but even if they are known for inhabiting mountainous areas, there hasn’t been a sighting of one in the Unicorn Range for years…”

“They were supposed to be back by noon…”

Applejack’s words snapped Twilight out of her thoughts.

“I thought nothin’ of it at first, but when the sun began to set, I grabbed a cart and went lookin’ for them. Found ‘em two miles away from Ponyville…exhausted and terrified.” Applejack gritted her teeth hard. “I don’t want to see them like that again, Twilight. I don’t want to see any of my kin like that ever again!”

Twilight gulped. Taking a step forward, she placed a comforting hand on Applejack’s shoulder and said, “You won’t, Applejack. We’ll make sure of that.”

“Yeah!” Spike added enthusiastically. “We’re gonna kick that dragon’s ass so hard it’ll have to look up to look down!”

Applejack’s expression softened and her lips curved into a smile. “Thanks guys, I—” She paused as the realization suddenly hit her. “Wait a minute—aren’t you a dragon too, Spike?”

Spike turned his nose upwards. “I told you, I’m a Dragon Knight,” he declared proudly. “There’s a difference.”

Applejack turned to Twilight with a confused frown.

Twilight raised her index finger and said, “From a biological standpoint, Spike is practically indistinguishable from a dragon; however, taking into account his human-like intelligence and capacity for speech, it would be more accurate to classify him as a Magical Beast.”

Applejack chuckled. “Dragon Knight. Got it.”

Far below them, a lush, rich valley thick with grass and vegetation spread far and wide, flanked by upthrust mountains.

“Heads up, Spike,” Twilight said. “We’re most likely dealing with a tyrant dragon. Probably one that has come from afar and is trying to turn this whole area into its territory.”

“Roger!” Spike sniffed the air around him and said, “I smell wyverns. Lots and lots of wyverns.”

“Ignore them,” Twilight said. “They know better than trying to pick a fight with a dragon.” She turned to Applejack and asked, “Your brother said they were attacked halfway down the valley, right?”

“Yeah,” Applejack replied. “It’s this big area without grass or trees, just plain ol’ rocks; are we goin’ to land there?”

Twilight shook her head. “Doing so would leave us open for an attack from above. Now, tyrant dragons are vicious and territorial. If there’s one around here, it will attack us as soon as it smells us, but we’re flying at heights no dragon normally does, which means we will see it coming.”

It did not take them long to reach the middle of the valley. Just as Applejack said, it was a large barren section, contrasting noticeably with the verdant green of the rest of the valley, much like a scab.

“Slow down, Spike,” Twilight instructed. “Remember we want to get noticed.”

Spike did as told. He then sniffed the air once more and said, “Something smells really sweet.”

Twilight opened her mouth to ask about it, but before she could say a single word, everything got dark, as if something was blotting out the sun. She frowned—they were flying above the clouds. Her eyes then widened in shock. “No way…”

With her staff at the ready, Twilight swiftly looked upwards, but it was too late. A massive shadow struck Spike in mid-air and sent her tumbling down his back with a shriek. Her staff slipped out of her hands and fell down to the earth below as she desperately tried to grasp at anything to stop her fall.

Until Applejack caught her by the hood of her long coat. “Got you!”

Twilight looked up to see Applejack hanging from one of Spike’s fins by her right hand alone, but her relief quickly changed into horror when she saw the tyrant dragon holding Spike’s forearms with its own while clamping down at the base of his neck with its massive jaws.

If Spike in his adult form was a house, then the tyrant dragon was a castle. Brutal-looking red scales covered nearly every inch of its body like armor, and the horns protruding from its head resembled a twisted crown. But what sent a chill down Twilight’s spine were its eyes; they glowed with an eerie green light, its pupils contracting with bloodlust.

Spike howled in pain. He desperately tried to free himself, clawing with his hind legs, snapping with his tail and breathing fire in all directions. All of his efforts did nothing to deter the tyrant dragon, but threatened to loose Applejack’s grip on his fin and send Twilight and her plummeting down the valley.

Applejack gritted her teeth hard and Twilight could tell she would not be able to last much longer.

“I have to teleport the three of us away, but I need to get Spike out of the tyrant dragon’s grasp first or else it’s coming with us!”

Steeling herself, Twilight grabbed Applejack’s arm with her right hand and, swiftly tracing a circle on Spike’s body with her left, conjured two spells in succession, “Magic Cancel! Teleportation!”

In the blink of an eye, the adult Spike vanished from the tyrant dragon’s grasp and re-appeared right within Twilight’s in his child form. She swiftly embraced him and, picking a point in the distance, teleported away from their attacker.

When they reappeared, the first thing Twilight felt were Applejack’s hands squeezing her arm. “I’m using a levitation spell,” she said. “Don’t worry; we’re not going to fall.”

“R-Right,” Applejack muttered fearfully as she looked down at the valley below them, curling her legs beneath her.

The sudden disappearance of its prey caught the tyrant dragon by surprise, but a single beat of its wings was enough for the beast to recover its balance. It let out a growl of frustration and began flying in circles while sniffing the air.

Twilight glanced down at Spike. The baby dragon had his face buried on her chest, tiny claws holding her breastplate tightly and his whole body trembling like a dried leaf. “He’s in shock,” Twilight thought worriedly. She felt something wet and warm slipping through the fingers of her left hand, with which she gently held Spike from the back of his neck. “He’s wounded. If I were alone it would be one thing, but I cannot treat him, protect Applejack and face the tyrant dragon at the same time. I have no choice but to retreat.”

Twilight focused, but just as she was about to teleport the three of them back to Ponyville, Applejack spoke.

“Twilight, look!”

Twilight turned towards where Applejack was pointing and felt her heart skip a beat. Far below, a caravan of six wagons, no doubt in route towards Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration, was heading their way. To make things worse, a loud roar alerted her that the tyrant dragon had noticed their presence, most likely after smelling Spike’s blood.

“I need to retreat,” Twilight thought, lookingdesperately between the tyrant dragon flying at full speed and the caravan moving leisurely. She felt her heart pounding furiously against her chest and drowning every sound around her. “I need to take Applejack to a safe place, treat Spike and then come back. I need to retreat. I need to retreat. I need to—”

Twilight gritted her teeth, shook her head and said loudly, “Hold on tight, Applejack!”

With those words, Twilight began teleporting down in short bursts, each as far as her eyes could see, until they reached the bottom of the valley. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she staggered forward, but Applejack quickly caught her in her arms.

“Are you okay?” Applejack asked.

“Stay behind me!” Twilight replied, pushing Applejack back. She looked up to see the tyrant dragon diving towards them. The beast opened its jaws wide and Twilight could see the glow of the flames emerging from its innards. She swiftly threw her right hand upwards and called loudly, “Reject Fire!”

The tyrant dragon exhaled and the flames fell over the three of them like a waterfall, scorching the ground around them. But neither the fire nor the gust from the beast’s passing—that would have snapped a tree under normal circumstances—did any harm, feeling more like a hot humid breeze thanks to Twilight’s magical defenses.

Twilight quickly traced her hand in a squared motion and extinguished the remaining flames around them with a burst of freezing air. She turned around, making sure to keep Applejack behind her, and saw the tyrant dragon making a sharp turn to dive in their direction once again.

Her chest heaved and her knees wobbled. It was one thing to exert oneself in a controlled environment, knowing she could stop anytime she wanted and with no fear of getting permanently hurt, than to do it in battle with a foe hell-bent on killing her.

But this was no time to hesitate; this was no time to fear.

Twilight traced a zigzagging motion with her index and middle fingers, aimed at the incoming tyrant dragon and called loudly, “Shock Stinger!” The lightning bolt struck the beast right in the middle of its chest and it fell, grounded, screaming in pain.

Much to Twilight’s horror, however, that was not enough to stop the tyrant dragon. With a rage-filled roar, it stood up and charged at terrifying speeds, each stomp of its feet making the ground shake.

Twilight’s mind raced, searching for a spell that could stop the tyrant dragon, if only for a moment to allow her to retrieve her staff. But just as she readied herself, Applejack suddenly ran past her and towards the tyrant dragon. “A-Applejack!? Wait—!”

Applejack kept running towards the charging beast, regardless of Twilight’s words. She reared her right arm back, almost as if she was aiming to punch the tyrant dragon, and then threw it upwards in a mighty swing.

The ground shook and a massive rock pillar erupted from below, hitting the tyrant dragon in the lower jaw like an uppercutting fist. It stumbled backwards with a groan of pain, its long tongue hanging from the side of its jaw.

Twilight’s eyes widened in shock. “That was earth magic,” she muttered in awe. To her further amazement, Applejack did not stop there.

With her fingers intertwined, Applejack touched the ground and called loudly, “Sand Whirl!”

The tyrant dragon’s right foreleg suddenly sank halfway into the ground, and Twilight realized it was due to the very ground turning into sand. She shook her head rapidly, snapping herself out of her stupor, and immediately seized the opportunity. Tracing a square shape with her fingers, Twilight called loudly, “Freeze Coffin!” Ice erupted from the sand pit like a geyser and fully encased the tyrant dragon’s right foreleg.

Twilight rushed next to Applejack just as the tyrant dragon began thrashing furiously in an attempt to free itself; slamming its tail, flapping its wings and breathing fire in all directions. Even if it was an aimless effort, every gust of wind and burst of fire weakened Twilight’s magical defenses more and more. “I won’t be able to hold much longer like this,” she thought.

“Applejack, listen,” Twilight said between heavy breaths. “We need to combine our strength.”

“I’m all ears!”

“I want you to attack the dragon with everything you have!”

Applejack adjusted her hat and nodded. She spread her arms and Twilight could feel the magic flowing from the earth below them, coursing all over Applejack’s body.

For her part, Twilight held her right hand open and concentrated. She visualized her staff in her mind and, focusing her magic, called loudly, “Object Teleportation!” As soon as the staff materialized in her hand, she grasped it firmly, pointed it at Applejack and called loudly, “Power Amplify!”

Applejack threw her hands upwards and called with all of her strength, “Crushing Wave!”

It was as if the entire valley shook. With a gut-wrenching rumble, the ground below the tyrant dragon exploded upwards into countless shards of rock that pierced the beast’s body like swords, one after another. Its leathery wings were torn to rags, its scales shattered like porcelain plates and its whole body buried under a gigantic pile of rock, leaving only the tip of its massive jaw visible.

Applejack dropped her arms and Twilight fell on her knees. The two of them panted, exhausted.

At last, it was over.

Author's Note

I apologize for the long wait. Life has not given me too much free time these last months. Hopefully the next update will come earlier.

That aside, I've also rewritten the first chapter to add another character and a few more details. Here's hoping it will turn to your liking.

The Return

Rarity gave herself a final look in the mirror.

She was a gorgeous young woman. Her long, violet hair went down her shoulders, curling at the end of her back and bangs; a single strand hanging between her sapphire blue eyes, their colors heightened by her perfect, milky-white skin. She wore metal boots, knee protectors and gloves, a black pair of pants that heightened her curvaceous figure and a white silk shirt. On her waist, she carried a rapier.

Satisfied, Rarity set to leave her room in the barracks, but when she opened the door, she found a single white lily at her feet. Without a word or even a glance to the sides, Rarity picked up the flower and closed the door behind her.

As she walked down the hallways of the barracks, Rarity did her best to ignore the pointed looks of her fellow knights and their murmurs. She left the barracks and reached the stable, where she chose a mare with a brown coat and a darker mane as her mount.

With a gentle whip of the reins, Rarity began her trip to Ponyville.

As the city of Canterlot became smaller behind her, Rarity extended her hand and, in the blink of an eye, the flower in her grasp turned into a small cloud of ashes that disappeared into the wind. She let out an exhausted sigh and focused back on the road before her.

“Are you okay, Twilight?” Applejack asked between breaths.

Twilight nodded. She wordlessly pulled a small black sphere engraved with a rune from a slot on her belt and, holding it high for a second, threw it against the ground. The sphere shattered into a million pieces and unleashed a flash of white light that enveloped the three of them for an instant before fading away.

Applejack blinked perplexed. “What was that?”

“An incantation sphere,” Twilight answered. “They are artifacts created to assist Holy Knights in their missions. They contain different kinds of spells, most of them of a one-time use. The one I used right now was a healing sphere.” She gently patted Spike on the head, the wound on the back of his neck having healed completely and called him softly, “Spike? Are you okay?”

There was a moment of silence before Spike looked up at her. “I-It’s over…?” he asked timidly.

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Yes. We took down the tyrant dragon. You have nothing to fear.”

Spike sniffed and pressed his head against her chest. “I’m sorry, Twilight,” he said, with a sob in his voice. “I was so scared I couldn’t do a thing…”

“There, there,” Twilight said as she hugged him tightly. “The tyrant dragon caught us both by surprise, and it was all thanks to the experience I gained from sparring with you, Spike, that I managed to fight back.”

“You mean it?” Spike asked, looking at her with hopeful eyes.

Twilight nodded firmly. “I do.” She scratched Spike behind his right ear, eliciting a childish giggle from him, before picking him up and placing him inside the hood of her long coat.

Using her staff for support, Twilight stood up. She looked at Applejack and said, “I owe you thanks too, Applejack, as well as an apology. You could handle yourself in a fight and you saved our lives.”

Applejack tipped her hat and smiled. “Right back at ya, sugarcube. If I had tried to fight that dragon by myself I wouldn’t have lived to tell the tale.”

Once again, Applejack extended her hand with a smile and, once again, Twilight accepted it with a smile of her own.

“Say,” Applejack tilted her head towards the corpse of the tyrant dragon. “What are we goin’ to do with that?”

“We definitely can’t leave it there,” Twilight said. “For one, it will attract the wyverns.” She pulled two more incantation spheres from her belt, holding them between her thumb, index and middle fingers. “Good thing I came prepared.”

The three of them approached the corpse, when Applejack suddenly asked, “Mind if I take somethin’ first?”

Twilight blinked puzzled, but nodded. “Sure.”

“Thanks.”

Applejack stepped towards jaws of the tyrant dragon and began examining its teeth. A moment later, she set her eyes on one of the smaller fangs. Taking half a step backwards, Applejack breathed in and then snapped the fang in half with a well-placed roundhouse kick.

“Whoa,” Spike muttered in awe. Twilight could only nod in agreement.

Applejack picked up the fang piece the size of a cantaloupe with a satisfied smile. “Here’s hopin’ this will be enough to calm down Mayor May’s nerves,” she commented while pocketing it.

“Right,” Twilight said with a bemused smile. “Now it’s my turn.” Holding the incantation spheres in front of her, she began to chant.

The spheres began glowing with ethereal light and Applejack quickly moved behind Twilight, just in case.

Twilight finished her chanting with two words, “Microscopic! Containment Seal!” The two spheres floated out of her hands and over the corpse of the tyrant dragon, where they fused with a blinding flash of light.

Applejack shielded her eyes, and when she opened them a second later, she saw the corpse of the tyrant dragon had vanished, leaving a large pile of rocks behind. “Where did it go…?” she asked puzzled.

“Right here,” Twilight answered, holding a translucent sphere between her thumb and index fingers.

Applejack squinted, and then her eyes widened in surprise. Inside the sphere was the corpse of the tyrant dragon, reduced to the size of a bug. “Well, I’ll be…”

“For a magician, certain creature parts are a valuable resource,” Twilight said as she attached the sphere to her belt. “Now we need to clean the debris.”

“Leave it to me,” Applejack said confidently. She cracked her knuckles and, without warning, slammed her right palm against the ground. “Crushing Palm!” she called loudly, releasing a shockwave across the ground that turned the debris into dust in the blink of an eye.

Spike whistled impressed and Twilight made a mental note of asking Applejack about her magic.

“And that takes care of that,” Applejack said triumphantly. “What’s next?”

“We should go check on the caravan that was coming this way,” Twilight said. “I don’t think the Mayor would like it if our battle scared them away from the Summer Sun Celebration.”

Applejack nodded.

“This is bullshit!” Rainbow Dash shouted. Her voice was a mixture of anger and incredulity.

She was a short girl with fair skin, cerise eyes and long, messy rainbow colored hair sprawled over her shoulders and forehead. She wore brown leather boots and pants, a white short top and fingerless gloves. Her well-toned arms and abs contrasted noticeably with the soft features of her face, creating a beauty that would surely draw her fair share of looks if she went jogging down the road.

Standing straight in front of her, on the opposite side of a desk, Shining Armor glared with a frown.

He was a tall and handsome young man, of cerulean eyes and long, darker blue hair that fell over his shoulders. His armor was impeccably polished and the purple, golden-trimmed cape he wore gave him a look befitting of a prince.

“Language,” he said sternly.

Rainbow Dash felt her anger recede under the intensity of Shining Armor’s glare and he continued, his tone firm and commanding,

“I’ve already made my decision, Dash.”

Rainbow Dash gulped. “B-But—!”

Just then, the door to Shining Armor’s office opened and a lovely young woman stepped in. She was a sight of beauty with her flawless pale skin and violet eyes. Her long hair, of a rich violet hue with a single golden streak, reached down her waist, curling at the tips. She wore sandals and a pure white sundress which, when haloed by the light of the sun, revealed a dark, haze-edged impression of her voluptuous figure against the fabric.

It was as if the tension in the atmosphere vanished in her presence. Both, Rainbow Dash and Shining Armor’s expressions softened upon seeing her.

“Cady!”

“Duchess Cadance.”

Cadance smiled. “Oh my, I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Not at all,” Shining Armor said, raising a hand. “I’m simply informing Rainbow Dash here about—”

“Cady!” Rainbow Dash swiftly interjected. “I asked Shiny for the day off to spend the Summer Sun Celebration with my little sister and he said yes, but now he’s taking it back!”

Cadance turned to Shining Armor and quirked an eyebrow. “Shiny?”

“Last night, she got into a bar fight with a fellow Holy Knight and caused considerable damage to the establishment,” Shining Armor explained.

Cadance now looked at Rainbow and quirked both eyebrows. “Rainbow?”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “Lightning Dust started it.”

Shining Armor sighed. “Yes, I am well aware of the chain of events that lead to the altercation,” he elaborated. “And that’s precisely the reason she’s now stationed at Fort Macintosh and you are here, merely getting one month of extra duties starting from today.”

“But I promised my little sister,” Rainbow Dash pleaded.

“You should have thought about it before reacting the way you did,” Shining Armor said chidingly.

“Alright, alright,” Cadance said placatingly, stepping between the two of them. “Let’s try to find a way to solve this issue, shall we?”

Under the curious gaze of both, Rainbow Dash and Shining Armor, Cadance daintily folded her arms, a thoughtful expression across her face. There was a moment of silence before she snapped her fingers and said, “Why don’t you send her to bodyguard Queen Celestia at the Summer Sun Celebration, Shiny? That way she could see her little sister while working.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened. She nodded rapidly and said, “Yeah! I can do that!”

“I have already assigned a Sapphire ranked Holy Knight to the task,” Shining Armor said.

“But surely Her Majesty won’t mind having a second one assigned to protect her, will she?” Cadance leaned forward towards him, both hands behind her back and tilted her head with a pleading smile. “Just this once?”

Shining Armor’s cheeks turned a nice shade of red. He cleared his throat and composed himself before saying, “Very well.” He looked at Rainbow Dash pointedly and added, “But don’t forget you will be on duty, okay?”

“Yes!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, pumping her right fist triumphantly. “Leave it to me, Cap’n!”

Shining Armor nodded.

“Good luck,” Cadance said. “And send Scootaloo my regards.”

Rainbow Dash grinned appreciatively and saluted them both. “Captain, Duchess.”

As soon as she left, Shining Armor let out a breath of exhaustion. He massaged the bridge of his nose.

“Is something the matter, Shiny?” Cadance asked with concern. “I didn’t think this would stress you so much.”

Shining Armor shook his head. “No, it’s just…can you believe I had to restrain Lightning Dust with my magic? I imagined she wouldn’t take it well, but I didn’t think it would reach that point.”

Cadance wordlessly walked around the desk, approaching Shining Armor. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest.

Shining Armor swiftly returned the gesture, embracing her with his strong arms.

The two of them stood like that, hugging in silence, for a while.

“How are you doing, Cady?” Shining Armor asked.

“It’s going to take more than a couple of nightmares to bring me down, you know,” Cadance replied confidently. “Besides, what do I have to fear when I have you with me?”

Shining Armor tightened his embrace. “Always.”

A sudden knock at the door interrupted them, followed by a voice calling from the other side,

“Yo, Cap’n! Can I come in?”

Shining Armor and Cadance broke their embrace. He cleared his throat and said, “Come in, Zephyr Breeze.”

The door opened and a lanky, pale young man stepped in. He had darker cerise eyes, his blonde hair tied into a bun and a noticeable stubble covering the lower half of his face. Much like Rainbow Dash, he wore brown leather boots and pants, as well as a white tank top.

“Hey Cap’n! Sis!” Zephyr greeted them with a wide grin. “Sorry for interrupting—” he chuckled knowingly. “But the guys told me Rainbow Dash was here.”

Shining Armor exchanged a brief glance with Cadance. “I’m afraid you’re a bit late, Zephyr. She left a couple of minutes ago.”

Zephyr sighed dramatically. “It’s almost like fate itself does not want us to meet! And just when I wanted to show her my new flair...”

Shining Armor quirked an eyebrow. “Flair?”

“Yeah! Watch this!” Zephyr cleared his throat, narrowed his eyes and said with his best threatening tone, “As a friend I have my flaws, but as an enemy I’m perfect.”

Cadance closed her eyes and summoned all of her willpower to avoid cringing.

Shining Armor opened his mouth, closed it and then opened it again to say, “That’s…quite something…alright.”

“Thanks!” Zephyr said, oblivious. “I want to be ready for when I become a Holy Knight. You know, having the proper attitude and all.”

“Zephyr,” Cadance said with a noticeable blush across her cheeks. “Don’t you think Rainbow Dash would prefer a man who could fight at her side and protect her back, rather than one who would try to avenge her after she fell in battle?”

Zephyr blinked. He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Huh, I guess you have a point there, Sis.” He shrugged. “But I still want to show Dash! So, if you excuse me, see ya later!”

As soon as Zephyr left, Cadance let out a heavy sigh. “I swear if he spent all that time polishing his sword skills instead of daydreaming he would be a full-fledged Holy Knight apprentice by now,” she said while pinching the bridge of her nose.

Shining Armor smiled sympathetically.

As expected, the commotion from the battle with the tyrant dragon reached all the way to the caravan. Still, convincing the travelers that the problem had been taken care of and they could safely resume their trip to Ponyville turned out to be an easy task.

“Such is the trust people have in Holy Knights,” Twilight thought.

Spike was more than eager to carry Twilight and Applejack back to Ponyville and the trip felt considerably shorter.

Upon Applejack’s request, they approached Ponyville from the western side and a huge farm fully surrounded by a wooden fence soon came into view. Spike did as told and landed on the nearby dirt road, several feet away from the entrance.

Twilight teleported Applejack and herself off Spike’s back, and he suddenly transformed back into his child form without a prompt.

“Did you run out of magic?” Spike asked.

Twilight nodded. “Yeah.”

“Are you okay, sugarcube?” Applejack asked with a frown of concern.

“Don’t worry,” Twilight replied. “It’s just a matter of eating and resting to recover my reserves. And since we have instructions to remain in Ponyville until Queen Celestia arrives, we can take our time to find an inn.” She looked in the direction of the Town Hall and added, “Hopefully there’s still one out there with available rooms.”

“Say no more!” Applejack said with an enthusiastic grin. “You two are comin’ with me!”

Twilight blinked twice. “Huh?”

“If you need food and a room we’ve got to spare,” Applejack declared proudly.

Twilight shook her head rapidly. “Oh, no, no—you’ve already done enough, Applejack, and I wouldn’t want to impose…”

“Nonsense!” Applejack gently grabbed Spike and placed him inside the hood of Twilight’s coat before pushing her forwards and into the farm.

The first thing Twilight and Spike noticed was the large, red barn standing right in the middle, with a smaller farmhouse not too far away from it. There were plenty of pastures and several pens filled with sheep, pigs, cows and chickens, as well as a field of carrots and one of corn, all of them surrounded by a staggeringly vast apple orchard, going as far as the eye could see.

“Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!” Applejack declared with great fanfare.

Twilight followed her from behind, as she and Spike took on their surroundings with awe.

A sudden bark caught their attention and Twilight saw a brown and white dog rushing in their direction.

Applejack spread her arms with a smile and the dog leaped into her embrace. It licked her face all over while wagging its tail energetically. “Easy there, Winona!” Applejack laughed. Holding the dog in her arms, she turned to Twilight and Spike and said, “Guys, this is my girl, Winona.”

Winona barked as if greeting them.

Twilight couldn’t help but smile. “She’s so cute.”

“Applejack!” called a new voice. A trio of pretty teenage girls came running to meet them.

The first, running a few steps ahead of the other two, had pleasantly tanned skin and amber colored eyes. Her long, bright red hair was tied into a ponytail with a large pink ribbon. She wore brown shoes, blue jean shorts and a yellow shirt.

Twilight wondered if she could be Applejack’s sister.

The second, right behind the first, had lightly tanned skin and violet eyes. She wore black shoes, green shorts and a black shirt. Her clothes, in combination with her short, messy purple hair, gave her a certain boyish charm.

The third, doing her best to catch up to the other two, had fair skin, long, curly light purple hair and light green eyes. She wore sandals and a light purple sundress that went down to her knees, giving her a very feminine look.

“Applejack, are you okay?” worriedly asked the redheaded girl.

The other two watched in silence, with equally worried expressions.

“What happened? Why did you take so long? Did the Holy Knights answer the Mayor’s letter?”

Applejack gently patted the redheaded girl on the head. “Easy there, Applebloom. There’s nothin’ to worry ‘bout.” She tilted her head towards Twilight and added, “This is Twilight Sparkle, the Holy Knight that answered the call. And that’s her familiar, Spike, the Dragon Knight.”

The three girls looked at the two of them with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief.

“Are they really the ones who will slay that dragon?” Applebloom asked, looking at Applejack with a slight frown.

Applejack quirked an eyebrow and said, “Manners.”

“R-Right!” Applebloom swiftly turned to Twilight and introduced herself, “I’m Applebloom! Nice to meetcha!”

The second girl grinned confidently. “I’m Scootaloo!”

The third girl curtsied. “I’m Sweetie Belle.”

“It’s a pleasure, girls,” Twilight said with a smile. Leaning over her shoulder, Spike waved with a smile of his own.

Applejack nodded satisfied. “Now, as for your question…” She glanced at Twilight with a mischievous smile across her lips before taking out the fragment of dragon fang from inside her pocket for all to see. “I believe they’ve already taken care of it.”

The three girls gasped simultaneously, their eyes widening like plates as they leaned in closer to have a better look.

“To be fair, we couldn’t have done it without Applejack’s help,” Twilight said.

“R-Really!?” Applebloom asked, surprised.

Twilight nodded. “She was the one who dealt the final blow.”

Applejack tilted her hat, her cheeks reddening. “Aw, shucks. I told you it was only because you were with me.”

“My sister is a dragon slayer!” Applebloom declared triumphantly.

Scootaloo frowned and her cheeks puffed up; she folded her arms and turned her head away with a loud humph. “I bet Rainbow Dash could have taken care of that dragon all by herself!”

Sweetie Belle quickly protested, “Rarity could have done it too!”

“But not in ten seconds flat!”

Applebloom folded her arms. “Talk all you want! My sister was the one who slew a dragon!”

“But she still can’t beat my sis!”

“She wouldn’t win against mine either!”

The three girls glared intensely at each other and, for a moment, Twilight could swear she was about to witness a three-way brawl.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Applejack said sternly and the three of them quickly calmed down. “If you’ve got nothin’ better to do then take this fang piece to the Mayor and tell her our dragon troubles are over.”

She handed the fragment of dragon fang to Applebloom, who held it over her head and declared,

“Leave it to us! Let’s go girls!”

And with that, Applebloom ran away.

“I wanna hold it too!” Scootaloo shouted as she chased after her.

“Wait for me!” Sweetie Belle cried out before going after the two of them.

Winona swiftly followed the three girls while barking loudly.

“And you can give a hand to Big Mac when you’re done!” Applejack chuckled. “Those two, their older sisters are Holy Knights who spend most of their time away from Ponyville, so they hang a lot ‘round here.”

“I see,” Twilight said.

“Shall we get goin’? My Big Bro and the rest of my kin are all busy with our stand, but I’ll introduce you to our Granny Smith.”

They reached the farmhouse, where an elderly woman slept on a rocking chair on the porch. Her face was filled with wrinkles and her dull white hair neatly tied into a bun. She wore sandals with yellow socks up above her knees, a long, light green skirt and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

Applejack gently patted Granny Smith’s shoulder. “Granny, wake up. We got guests.”

Granny Smith blinked her eyes open and asked groggily, “Who did what…?”

“Guests, Granny,” Applejack repeated. “This is Twilight Sparkle, the Holy Knight, and her familiar Spike, the Dragon Knight—”

Granny Smith’s eyes widened. “Dragon!?” Her face twisted into a scowl and she performed a series of motions with her hands. “I’ll teach you to mess with my family! Twin Go—”

“Whoa there, Granny!” Applejack swiftly took Granny Smith’s hands in her own. “Easy now, the dragon is history, the Holy Knights took care of it and there’s nothin’ to fear anymore!”

There was a brief moment of silence before Granny Smith relaxed, her scowl replaced by a slight frown. She leaned back on her chair and muttered, “Hmph, ‘bout time they did somethin’…if I knew it would take ‘em so long enough…I would’ve done it…myself…” Her eyes closed and she began snoring loudly.

Applejack let out a breath of relief and her lips curved into an apologetic smile. “Sorry ‘bout that, guys,” she said. “Granny has been quite stressed after the whole incident.”

Twilight shook her head rapidly. “I-It’s okay,” she said. It wasn’t just Granny Smith’s sudden reaction, but the impressive surge of magic she felt coming from her wizened body what startled her. “At least she will now be able to sleep properly…”

Applejack smiled. “Yeah.”

The inside of the farmhouse was spacious, rustic and with a homely feel.

Applejack took out her gloves, putting them inside the pocket of her coat before taking it off and hanging it on a nearby coat rack. Her orange button shirt was a short sleeved one, which revealed how well-toned her arms were, and with her back uncovered one could appreciate the fullness of her figure.

Twilight followed her into the kitchen, where Applejack told them to take a seat on the nearby table. Twilight did as told, leaving her staff resting against her chair, and Spike hopped down from the inside of her hood to take the empty chair to her right.

Applejack immediately got to work and, before they knew it, she had served them a large meat pie, homemade bread, a big glass jar of apple juice and a plate filled to the brim with apple fritters.

“Sorry I can’t offer you more,” Applejack said apologetically. “But most of the food we prepared went to our stand for sellin'.”

“Are you kidding me?” Twilight thought bewildered. “This is enough food for six people!”

“Well, what are you waitin’ for?” Applejack asked with a smile. “Dig in!”

“Thanks for the food!” Spike said cheerfully. With those words, he grabbed a slice of meat pie and began wolfing on it.

Twilight followed his example, albeit in a demurely manner.

“Hmm! Delishoush!” Spike said with his mouth full.

“It’s really good!” Twilight added.

Applejack grinned. “The meat pie is one of the many specialties of the Apple family.” She took a seat, leaned back on the chair and asked casually, “Say, what’s your rank, Twilight? Sapphire? Platinum?”

Twilight swallowed a morsel and daintily wiped her mouth with a napkin before answering, “I’m only a Holy Knight apprentice. I haven’t even awakened my Power yet.”

Applejack’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait what—seriously? And with all kind of stuff you can do?”

“Well, to be fair, I’m the apprentice of Queen Celestia herself,” Twilight replied with a noticeable hint of pride in her voice.

Applejack whistled impressed. “I’ll be! That explains it. I heard Her Highness is the most powerful magician in all of Equestria.”

“Speaking about explaining things,” Twilight said. “Yours was an impressive display of earth magic, practically at the level of a full-fledged Holy Knight.” She leaned forward, rested both hands on the table and asked, “You have awakened a Power, haven’t you?”

Applejack nodded. “My Power is called Creation,” she said. “Bet you already guessed I can control the earth with it.”

“Oh?” Twilight tilted her head. “That’s the same name the members of the Giant tribe give to their Power.”

“Eeyup!” Applejack said with a grin. “You see, me and my kin, we’re all descendants of Rockhoof.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Rockhoof? As in Rockhoof the Mighty?”

Applejack nodded.

“Who’s that?” asked Spike.

Twilight threw him an unamused look. “Seriously, Spike? One third of the books in our library are history books, and every single one of them mentions Rockhoof in one way or another.”

Spike folded his tiny arms and turned his nose upwards. “I can’t help I’m a visual type learner, Twilight.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and muttered, “A fancy way of saying you only like looking at the pictures.” She shook her head. “Anyway, listen up. Far into the Equestrian Frozen North lives the Giant tribe. They are isolationists and extremely proud of both, their culture and their strength. But more impressive than their physical prowess is the Power that they all possess: Creation. It allows them to manipulate the earth as they see fit. The strongest and most skilled of them can bend mountains, twist steel like taffy and turn rocks into sand with merely a gesture.”

She raised her index finger and continued, “Rockhoof was a Giant warrior who once stood at the pinnacle of his kin. Some of his greatest feats include slaying a seven-headed hydra and stopping an erupting volcano, both with his bare hands.”

“Cool,” Spike said in awe.

“Later in life he fell in love with a human woman and had children with her. In fact, it was none other than Starswirl the Bearded himself who used his magic to shrink Rockhoof so he and his wife, White Bloom, could consummate their love.”

“Guess we can add history buff to your list of talents, eh?” Applejack said amused.

“The Six Pillars are my favorite subject of Equestrian history!” Twilight gushed. “I’ve read the lineage of Rockhoof survived up to this day, but I never imagined I would ever meet his descendants!”

“Well, it ain’t no secret, but we don’t go around tellin’ everybody ‘bout it either,” Applejack said. “I mean, it’s been far too long since Rockhoof passed away.”

“And that’s what it makes it all more fascinating!” Twilight said excitedly. “Because while we do not know the exact nature of Powers and the means they are invoked by, research suggests they are drawn from the individual’s will, beliefs and experiences, which is why finding two people with similar powers is rare. On the other hand, children inheriting their Powers from one of their parents are a common occurrence.”

She suddenly stood up. “You must be separated from Rockhoof by at least thirty generations, Applejack, yet your Power is undoubtedly the same as his! I need to know more! How and when did you awaken it? How many techniques do you know? I sensed some powerful magic from your grandmother, does she possess Creation too? How strong is she? Did her strength wane with her age? Did she teach you the techniques you know or are you self-taught? Does anybody else in your family have this Power? What about your little sister? Do you think she’s got the potential?” She held her head in her hands and screamed in frustration, “Why didn’t I bring some scrolls, ink and quills with me!?”

“Is she always like this?” Applejack whispered to Spike.

“Only when it comes to a topic of her interest,” Spike whispered back. “Which can be—uh, anything?”

Twilight sat down. “S-Sorry,” she said awkwardly.

“Don’t sweat it,” Applejack said casually. “And to answer your question, the only ones who can use Creation in my family right now are Granny Smith and I. From what she told me, it was quite the surprise when she awakened it; seems the last time for one of our kin was over a thousand years ago. I awakened mine five years ago while farmin’. Can’t speak ‘bout Applebloom when she gets older though, at her age I couldn’t lift a pebble.”

Twilight nodded attentively.

Applejack continued, “From what my aunts told me, Granny Smith used to be quite strong back in her young. Even now she’s got plenty of it left.” She scratched the back of her neck, a slight blush appearing across her cheeks. “And not to toot my own horn but, she said I’m on my way to be even stronger than her.”

“Fascinating.” Twilight scratched her chin thoughtfully. “To think the magic of Rockhoof would resurface after all these years…”

“As for techniques, my Auntie Applesauce has this really, really old book that supposedly got passed down my family for generations. Granny Smith learned from it and later taught me everythin’ I know.”

Twilight gasped. “A book?! I’ve read Giants disdain writing and prefer to pass down their wisdom and techniques via oral tradition, but if White Bloom taught Rockhoof to write and read, then that book may be some kind of diary of his! Maybe a transcription or a magically preserved original! Either way we’re talking about an extremely valuable piece of Equestrian history! Did you read it, Applejack? Or at least saw it? How thick it was? What was the cover made of?”

Applejack shared a brief look with Spike. He shrugged. “Sorry, never saw it myself,” she said with an apologetic smile. “Granny Smith was the one who read it. She said it was full of techniques and other stuff, but she only picked up what could help with the farm.”

Twilight disappointment was visible, but it was quickly replaced by a frown of determination. “I’ve decided,” she declared. “Once the Summer Sun Celebration is over, I’m going to ask Queen Celestia for permission to research the history of the Apple family and the fluctuations of magic in their bloodline over the years.”

“Well, shucks,” Applejack said. She tipped her hat and grinned. “You better get your ears ready then, ‘cause once Granny Smith gets to talk ‘bout the past she ain’t stoppin’ any time soon.”

“Don’t worry,” Twilight assured with a grin of her own. “I’m good when it comes to long lectures.”

As she walked down the hallways of the barracks, Rainbow Dash cheerfully returned the smiles and waves of her fellow knights, when one of them called her name from behind. She stopped in her tracks and turned around to see a lovely young woman clad in armor running towards her.

“Hey, Angel Wings!”

Angel Wings had fair skin, soft blue eyes and long brown hair neatly tied with a big red ribbon. A pair of bright bracelets hung on her left wrist, contrasting noticeably against the faded grey of her armor.

“How are you doing girl?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Angel Wings smiled. “Much better, thank you for asking.”

Rainbow Dash frowned slightly and looked closely at Angel Wings’ face, up and down, left and right. After a brief moment of silence, her expression softened and she smiled approvingly. “The healers did a great work; you don’t have a single scratch on your face.”

“Please don’t remind me,” Angel Wings said, her smile replaced by a fearful look. “Lady Red Heart was so angry just thinking about it gives me goosebumps…”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Yeah, I can imagine.”

“Oh!” Angel Wings’ eyes widened in realization. “But what about you? The guys told me what happened while I was in the hospital. And I heard you were called into Captain Shining Armor’s office.” She bit her lower lip with a concerned look. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, just a month of extra work starting from tomorrow,” Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. She winked and added, “But you won’t have to worry about Lightning Dust bothering you anymore.”

Angel Wings sighed. “You shouldn’t have done it Rainbow.” She then looked around them, leaned in and whispered, “But thank you.”

Rainbow Dash playfully punched Angel Wings in the right shoulder. “Don’t mention it,” she said with a grin.

Twilight let out a satisfied sigh. “I ate too much.”

From inside the hood of her coat, Spike snored loudly.

Applejack grinned. “Gotta say, you have a healthy appetite.”

Twilight’s cheeks turned a nice shade of red. “A-Ah, yes, Queen Celestia said my magic reserves are my greatest quality and I need to consume a certain amount of calories in order to replenish them.”

Applejack chuckled. She led them to a room on the second floor. It was small, with no windows and furnished with a bed, a single chair and a nightstand.

“This is our guest room,” she said. “It ain’t much, but you will sleep soundly here. The bathroom is at the end of the hallway. I’ll come back for you after the sun goes down, okay?”

Twilight nodded. “Thank you, Applejack.”

“You’re welcome,” Applejack said before closing the door behind her.

Twilight gently took out a curled up Spike from the inside of the hood of her coat and placed him on top of the bed. She removed her coat and armor, and left them along with her staff on the nearby chair before she lay on the bed herself.

There was a moment of silence before she spoke, “Spike?”

Spike half opened his eyes and said, “Hmm? What is it?”

“You said you smelled something sweet back then, right before the tyrant dragon struck us.”

“Yeah.”

“What was it?”

“Huh, I dunno. It wasn’t like anything I smelled before.”

Twilight paused, and then asked again, “What would you compare it with? Food? Flowers? Perfume maybe?”

“I’m not sure…perfume? It smelled nice. Nothing like a tyrant dragon. That was why I didn’t sense it coming.”

“I see.”

Twilight said nothing else and Spike closed his eyes. In less than ten seconds, he was snoring again.

The mission had taken more twists and turns than Twilight had expected, but she decided it would be better to leave the pondering for another time and rest.