Her wings beat great gusts of wind behind her as Azura flew towards the village, her teeth bared, and her temper ignited into a righteous fury at the audacity the newcomers had for treating her friend in such a way. The listening scale had gone quiet some moments after her hastened return to the village, indicating the stallions and Curio had moved outside of the earth pony’s shop, making Azura worry for the little mare as her wings beat harder against the ocean humidity to get to Riverdale faster.

The town came into view shortly after, thanks to her enhanced vision in her alter form, and Azura spotted several specks of glittering gold among the many ponies gathered at the river’s edge. All eyes were turned towards the water, most likely because that was where she had appeared before when she helped the village in its time of need. Her already burning anger rose even higher when she spotted one of the newcomers, a young guard in freshly polished gold armor, kick Curio to her knees and place a sword against the side of her neck. Her roar of fury drew all eyes upward as she came into land, the villagers backing away in haste and fear when her murderous expression came into view. Curio, still knelt beside the stallion holding her hostage, had tears running down her face and a large bruise on one cheek, although her lips curled into a small smile upon seeing Azura landing on the riverbank.

The guards numbered ten in total, with a collection of pegasi, earth ponies and unicorns among their ranks. The idiot holding a sword against Curio’s neck was a unicorn, with a smug expression and a haughty attitude that was obvious to Azura at a moment’s glance.

Must be a noble’s son. She mused to herself, “Release the filly immediately,” her voice rang clear and loud, despite her anger, “or you shall not walk away from this village alive.”

“I don’t think so.” The stallion was either stupendously brave, or just plain stupid, because his grin only grew in confidence at her declaration. “You see, I’ve got you all figured out, you monster. You’ve tricked these simple villagers into believing that you are some kind of guardian, protecting them from other dragons and keeping them safe. But I understand the truth. You aren’t protecting them, you’re enslaving them. Weaving clever lies and tricks, so they follow your orders and bend a knee to you without so much as lifting a claw against them. It would be almost genius if it wasn’t so obvious.”

Azura growled, low and deep as the unicorn lifted Curio’s chin with his magic, “And as for this one, this poor little mare has been convinced that you are not dangerous, not a monster like the rest of your kind. She even had a scale she claimed was from your hide on her mantle, saying it was a gift from a fellow pony!” A sarcastic laugh escaped his muzzle, echoed by some of his comrades, “What a farce! At least have the decency not to force these ponies to lie on your behalf when you claim their lives like gems in your hoard!”

“You’re wrong!” Curio cried, even as she struggled feebly against the stallion’s magic, “Azura would never hurt us! She’s been protecting our village from other dragons! My friend Morning Dew gave me that scale! The runes were carved by her as a sign of our friendship!”

The guard rolled his eyes, “And even now, under charges of treason, she still defends you.” The stallion’s gaze traveled up to meet Azura’s eyes as his blade hovered closer to Curio’s neck, making the smaller mare squeak in fear, “so sad that you killed her in your fury before we had the chance to cut you down.”

Azura’s fury rose to unfathomable heights at the callous mention of murder that had just escaped the stallion’s lips, “You would threaten your own kind, even kill them, all in the name of some twisted ideal that dragons are monsters? I know my kind are your enemy, but to kill your own and place the blame on another? That is a low that no dragon has ever reached. I see you for what you are, monster, and I will be happy to cut you down to size for threatening my friends.”

The stallion’s grin curled into a twisted sneer, “Friends? Who would ever want to be friends with common trash like this?” Curio yelped as she was hoisted into the air by the unicorn’s aura, her legs uselessly flailing in the air as her eyes widened in terror, “She’s nothing but a common dirt pony, not pure like the great noble families of Canterlot! She is nothing more than a nopony who will die amongst obscurity, her life is meaningless unless put to a greater purpose serving those who are her betters. If I say that you killed her, then it must be so, because who would ever believe that a dragon could truly be friends with a pony?!”

Two things happened in rapid succession following his crazed declaration, the stallion’s sword rapidly swung to impale Curio’s stomach, while the other guards closed ranks and readied their weapons to strike. Neither action could have taken more than a second, but ultimately both were too slow when compared to a dragon’s reflexes.

Azura was already moving before the stallion had even begun to swing his blade, her claws gleaming in the afternoon sun as her hand reached over the gathering soldiers and clasped around Curio’s body. The unicorn’s aura sputtered out as her magic-resistant scales encountered his grip on the mare, and his blade screeched in protest as it skittered along the curvature of her wrist. Nicks and small cuts were the furthest thing from her mind as Azura pulled her hand back, lifting her hand far above the reach of the ponies as she opened her fingers to inspect the mare within.

Curio was shaking, her eyes wide in terror and her breathing rapid, but otherwise appeared to be unharmed. She didn’t seem to realize where she was now, but that was okay so long as she was safe. Azura breathed a sigh of relief before closing her fingers around the mare again, her scales providing the most effective defense available against the soldier’s weapons. She made sure to keep her grip gentle and held her hand close to her chest so she could focus on the matter at hand without worrying about her charge.

Azura’s eyes narrowed, and her teeth bared threateningly as a deep and murderous growl echoed through the air, “Last chance, little ponies. Leave now and never return, or I’m going to send you home in pieces.”

The stallions smirked to themselves as the leader lifted his sword high in the air, “For Equestria!!”

The melee that followed was about as one-sided as one might expect. Azura had no combat training while the guards had been instructed by the best of pony kind on how to combat dragons. She was protecting Curio and thus unable to use her full strength for fear of harming the little mare, along with having to keep her attacks from damaging the nearby settlement or its inhabitants. There were ten guards against one of her, with no qualms about causing collateral damage in their pursuit of her head.

She handed them their plots on a collective platter in under five minutes.

While Azura had no experience fighting a trained opponent, let alone ten, that didn’t really matter much when one strike from her claws or tail could break bones like twigs. Sure, they might have the numbers, but when the swords and spears they wielded couldn’t penetrate her scales it didn’t matter how many times they got a strike to land. The earth ponies alone took a single swipe of her tail to lay flat with the unicorns following soon after. The only ones that had given her even slight trouble were the pegasi, and that was primarily because they were hard to pin down when they were flying around her head and body like a trio of gnats. Unfortunately, all three made the mistake of trying to attack her belly with their spears in a coordinated strike meant to gut her like a fish, but when their blades failed to penetrate, she was able to swat all three at the same time like mosquitoes that had dared to try and bite her.

Groans and pained wheezing were the only sounds from the battlefield as Azura lowered her hand to the ground, allowing a dazed and slightly green Curio to stumble out of her grip and onto the grass. While she had tried to keep the mare in her grip as still as possible, it appeared that she had still jostled the earth pony a bit more than intended, even protecting her life as she had been.

While Curio was dragged out of harm’s way by another of the villagers, Azura turned her attention back to the guards who were still conscious, the leader first among them to fall under her scrutiny. The stallion was forcing himself back to his hooves, his sword glowing with his magic but failing to rise to his command as his hateful gaze burned into her own. Pathetic as the actual fight had been, it still hurt the dragoness to harm other ponies, but in this case, she was more than happy to make an exception. Her steps shook the ground as she stepped up to the downed soldiers, her hand reaching out and picking up the unicorn before lifting him into the air before her. He struggled but against her iron grip it did absolutely nothing to free him, leaving him at her mercy as her other hand lifted to hover above his head.

His lips parted in a bloody grin, “Go ahead, monster, show these ponies what you truly are inside. Kill me, and they will never trust you again. Let me go, and I will never stop hunting you until the end of my days. Either way, I win.”

Her lips formed a hard line as she gripped his horn between the tips of two claws, “While I would love nothing more than to prove you right, I’m not that kind of dragon. You will live this day, but you will never threaten my friends again. You said that you are among the noble elite of Canterlot, and that the lives of your fellow ponies do not matter unless they serve one better than themselves? Well, now you will see what life is like for those you have trod upon for so long.”

A quick application of pressure and a cry of absolute agony later, and the newly minted earth pony in her grip stared up at her in horror as his horn was tossed into the river like so much trash, leaving a perfectly smooth stump as the only reminder of his former pride.

Azura lowered the stallion to the ground, having tossed the other ponies’ weapons into the river moments prior, and stood to her full height on all fours as she spread her wings over the cowering stallions, “Hear me and listen, you worthless scum! I am Azura, Guardian of Riverdale, sworn protector of this valley and the one who defeated you this day! Leave this place and tell your masters that if they wish to take my head they shall come and take it for themselves. I will defend this valley from any threat, be it dragon or pony in nature, and next time I won’t be so merciful. Go, and never return here again.”

The group gathered what little remained of their strength and ran for the hills, their armor clanking as bent plates rang against each other. The former leader stared balefully back at her from the back of one of his comrades, the hatred and pain the last thing she saw before they disappeared into the woods. A great gust of air escaped her lips as the excitement finally left her system, the dragoness turning to face the gathered villagers as several cowered in fright. Seeing the fear her imposing stature was causing, Azura lay down on the riverbank and lowered her head to be even with the ponies before her, her eyes finding a woozy but unharmed Curio among them.

“Are you alright?” Her voice was soft and soothing, a sharp contrast to the fury and rage she had felt moments before.

Curio nodded, her cheeks no longer having the green tint from before as she looked up at Azura in awe, “Thank you, for saving my life.”

A toothless smile was Azura’s reply, “You are welcome, but you need not thank me. I only did what was right. No creature should ever have to go through that kind of terror, the fear for one’s life being in the control of another.”

Multiple nods followed her statement as one of the village elders stepped forward, “What will you do now, after driving off those soldiers?”

Azura lifted her head as she stood once more, “For now, I will leave you to your lives. Should you ever need my protection again, the scale that young Curio possesses is magically tied to me. Call for me in the presence of that scale, and I shall hear your words as if you were standing right beside me.”

Curio’s eyes widened, “You mean those runes, they aren’t unicorn magic?! But why would Morning lie to me?”

“She did so at my request.” Azura stated, a slight twinge of guilt pulling at her heart for yet another lie to one she cared for, “I wished to have a more direct means of protecting your village and so I sought out the unicorn in hopes that she might help me. I gave her the scale and told her not to share its true purpose unless it became necessary.” Her gaze turned to the tree line where the guards had disappeared, “Evidently it was more of a problem than I had imagined. For causing you such trouble, and for deceiving you through your friend, you have my utmost apologies.” A slight bow of her head followed her words, the ponies around her muttering amongst themselves for a moment or two in shock and awe.

“Then, you really meant it?” Curio was looking up at her with innocent hope in her gaze, “You really are here to protect us?”

A smile found its way to Azura’s lips, “Yes, little one, I did. And I stand by the words I told the stallion before. I will defend this valley from any threat, be it dragon, pony, or wild beasts. All who live here are my friends, and I will protect those I care for until my final breath. This, I swear to you.”

A cheer rang through the village as she turned around, spreading her wings once more as she spoke over her shoulder, “Until we meet again, little ponies. Farewell, and good evening.”

With that, she pumped her wings and flew into the air, following the road towards the sea and then turning towards the mountains once the village was no longer in view. She landed amongst the rocks above the tree line and changed back into her pony form, taking several moments to calm her racing heart as she held a hoof against her chest.

“Did I just beat up and threaten some of Princess Celestia’s guards?! What kind of stupid idea was that?!” Her hooves paced around in a circle as she muttered to herself, “Now they’re going to go back to the capital and raise a huge fuss over the horn-breaking dragon that has taken over the valley and laid claim to Equestrian soil!” Her hoof impacted her face several times in rapid succession, “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Might as well paint a huge sign and spell it out for everypony, ‘Here is the big bad dragon, come and kill it!’”

A shaking sigh escaped her mouth as her nerves faded slowly, “I guess there wasn’t really anything I could do about it at the time. That plothole was going to kill Curio! What exactly was I supposed to do in that situation?!” Another sigh, “I guess now I can head back and face the music for my lie, which was exposed by making another lie.” A hoof found its way to her forehead in frustration, “Why does it always have to be so complicated?”

A grumbling unicorn wound her way back through the forest and towards the village, muttering to herself about the absurdities her own lies had created, hoping against hope that her friendship hadn’t been damaged by the deceptions she had created. She only hoped that Curio forgave her in time, even if their friendship might not survive the process.

Author's Note

Oh, the tangled web we weave... I'm sure Curio will forgive Morning, I think, but what about the rest of the village? And what about the guards once they return to Canterlot? Well, you'll just have to stick around and find out next time!!

Thank you all for ready my story and providing such wonderful feedback in the comments. I love hearing from my readers. It makes me fell all warm and fuzzy inside to see you like my work.

Hope you all have a wonderful day, and I'll see you next time,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.