"Allow me to tell you a story, one you've definitely heard of before!

When the Vault Hunters who've bested Handsome Jack had accomplished many things, you would think that they would settle down and enjoy the riches they've collected over the months on Pandora. But no, these idiots continued their adventure, attacking bandit camps, uncovering secrets. Anything to distract them from the boredom that grew in their hearts.

Enter Krieg, an odd Psycho that was tamed by the Vault Hunters, mostly because of Maya the Siren.

Krieg was clearly infatuated with the Siren and desired her attention. One day, he discovered a Vault during his nightly hunting. Choosing to just go on ahead and pilfer the hidden treasure within in the name of love, Krieg entered the Vault blindly with the thought of impressing the Siren. But that itself only led him to a path to another world.

He was never seen again, the Vault Hunters were crushed by his disappearance and for weeks they searched. And yet, there was no sign of him anywhere.

But do not lose hope my friends... For this was just the beginning of a story, one that takes place on a land called... Equestria."

"This sucks!" Gallus complained as he and his friends traveled through a land of ash and stone.

Ahead of the students was the Headmare of the Twilight's School of Friendship, Starlight Glimmer. And with her was the Dragon Lord Ember, who acted as their guide through the land of dragons. Today, the school was on a field trip through Ember's home, as a way to see into the daily lives of dragons so they could understand the fiery lizards more.

But what Gallus expected an adventure, was instead treated to Ember's best impression of a tour guide.

"And over there are the lava pits where we dragon's like to swim in. And just next to that are some crystals if any of you are hungry."

"This is boring..." Gallus said again.

"I don't know, I kinda like it!" Sandbar believed. "Plus, we get to keep any gems we find!"

Smolder chuckled from her side. "Yeah, good luck hiding those from me, Sandbar, they'll make a good snack when we get back."

"Are any of you guys even listening?" Ember asked them. "There's like, cool stuff you're missing here."

"Cool, I'm sorry Lord Ember, but I'm honestly bored." Gallus admitted.

This earned him a scolding from Starlight. "Don't say that, Gallus, Ember is doing her best to keep us entertained. I say she's doing great, I mean, there's so much to take in. The sights, the air, and best of all, these ruins!"

"Huh, what now?" The last part brought Gallus back from his boredom at the mention of a ruin.

And just like Starlight said, there was what looked to be the remains of some sort of fort. A couple of towers still stood, but the walls were nothing but piles of bricks. It would appear that there's a story here, and soon they'll find out what that is. This ruin was such a strange place, dragons were not much for their building prowess, and it was not said in any history book about them constructing forts.

This was an anomaly, the only answer was that someone from Equestria had set up on a random spot in the dragon lands.

"What exactly is this place?" Silverstream finally asked the two locals.

Ember simply shrugged. "We call this place Wicked Nest, not much is known about this place besides a few stories to scare hatchlings away. Heck, there used to be a few dragons that just sat around the ruins armed with weapons, no one knew why, they just acted more like statues."

"Wait, then where dragons go?" Yona questioned.

"And what exactly are these stories you said are used to scare children?" Starlight added.

"The dragons that sat around here just up and vanished, no one knew where they went. As for the stories, it was said that something lives in the ruins, deep below, and every night it scours the lands for any hatchlings that strayed too far from the nest, then they eat them."

Smolder huffed. "I didn't believe that story when I was younger, Spike is honestly lucky to be raised by ponies, bet that shorty would be super scared by the Wing Eater."

"So, how about we look around?" Ember suggested as she walked into the ruins nonchalantly. "I haven't been anywhere near here before, because the dragons kept everyone away."

"As if they're protecting something?" Starlight guessed. "I mean, that still doesn't make any sense why they'd disappear then."

"Oh, a mystery!" Silverstream beamed with excitement. "And just when I thought our field trip just couldn't get any better!"

Before Starlight could say anything, Silverstream flew off to do her own thing. She went straight over to one of the two towers that still stood and investigated. The rest decided to follow Silverstream's example and went around the open area.

Gallus approached with the same curiosity as the others, they've seen ruins like this fort before, but none had ever thought that such remains could be found in the dragon lands. Of course, there were some complications between ponies and dragons, but not enough to lead the ponies to build a structure here of all places. Though he had a nagging feeling that he'd been in this place before, it looked so familiar to him.

Now Gallus wasn't one for war history, but he had read a lot of books with his friend Ocellus. Some of them were related to the war between his kind and the ponies; it was said that their conflict ended when the ponies amassed an army so large that it trampled any settlements that were in their way. Though their history wasn't as great as it was right now, Gallus couldn't help but wonder why the books about the war were different from the griffons.

But that was not important, there was much to do in this ruined fort.

His friends were occupied with all the rusty weapons that scattered around, strangely though, the weapons were placed neatly in the ground as if they were a symbol. Or a graveyard.

Sandbar and Yona went to check on the weapons and were amazed by the sight. Yona had some interest with a hammer for obvious reasons. Ocellus, the smart changeling she is, had opted to inspect the structures for their design, eyes peeled for any flaw that somehow lived to this day. Smolder stayed by Ember's side, though she wore an uninterested look, there was a slight shiver from the younger dragon, the same could be said about Ember.

Perhaps, it was due to the story that was told to them when they were but hatchlings. If Gallus learned about a spooky house that was just down the street from a young age, then he too would feel the same if he was in the presence of the said house.

Gallus chose to enter the other tower, it had a far larger door than the other, and it would appear that the door itself was made of stronger materials. And by the fact that the tower itself was built at the center of the fort meant that it was important.

"Woah, this is far more stable than the other one!" Ocellus commented.

"How so?" Gallus inquired to his friend.

"Well, you see that the base of this tower is fortified, and judging by those iron rods that poke out of the metal layer, this tower has a series of frames to keep it from falling."

She tapped and caressed the exterior of the tower with a small smile on her face.

"I'm no rock farmer, but you could tell that these bricks were carved out from limestone." She believed. "Though the placement of this fort is quite interesting since it holds no strategic value."

"Ugh, enough with the dork talk," Gallus grumbled. "Any idea why ponies built this place?"

Ocellus stared at him oddly. "Uh, Gallus, I would imagine you'd recognize a griffon fort."

"That's weird, like you said, there's no point for a fort to be here, so I doubt griffons would be the ones behind this fort. Besides, Lord Ember said that dragon's occupied this place, so I'm sure they built it."

"Well, there's plenty of evidence that it was indeed the griffons, such as the roost on top of the tower, and the perches that were made for your talons. And the layout of this fort, despite the coincidence, reminds me of Fort Redwind, do you remember it?"

Gallus took a second to recall a memory. "Right, it's the one north of Griffonstone, it was the biggest fort we had before it was abandoned. Now that you said it..."

Now that it was pointed out, Gallus realized why everything looked familiar, in the past, he had been to Fort Redwind. And just like Wicked Nest, there were weapons littered everywhere, but it had armor sets as well. It was as if the soldiers of Fort Redwind had given up defending the fort and tossed their equipment away. Here the weapons were neatly placed, which the detail only sent a shiver down his spine.

"Leave...."

A ghastly voice echoed through the ruins.

Ember and Starlight immediately called out to the students. Fearful of the strange voice, they all gathered together as quickly as possible, except for Gallus and Ocellus.

Before the two could even take a step, the massive door flew off its hinges as a dragon gray as ash lumbered out of the tower. "You dare step into our domain!" He bellowed with the door stuck to his arm like a shield. "Interlopers shall be punished!"

Starlight was quick, her telekinesis pulled the rest of her students to her before the dragon could even harm them.

The dragon wore armor made of weapons that were melted together to form a piece for each vital part of his body, his helmet covered his face, a banner with a symbol they'd never seen before acted as his cloak. But something caught Gallus' eye; on this dragon's belt was a purple ring of sorts, too large for anyone to actually wear, but perhaps not to a dragon.

"This is just a misunderstanding!" Starlight said. "We thought the fort was empty and believed that it held no residence!"

"Deception!" The dragon slammed his shield onto the ground, the earth shook and nearly threw the smaller beings down. "I smell the stench of insanity! Bandits, you've returned once more acting as innocents to lure me into your trap! Foolish, I will not fall for such!"

Ember took a step forward, and with a prideful stance, she stared down the larger dragon and spoke with great courage. "I am Dragon Lord Ember, and we are not bandits, I order you to stand down!"

The old warrior paused for a minute, but then snarled at Ember. "It appears that you are not my enemy, for they would not claim to be Lord of the dragons, for they are too stupid! Even so, I only answer to the golden crown! I will spare you, so leave!"

"Y-you what!?" Ember was taken by surprise, she had expected that her name would calm the dragon, but instead, he outright told her that she had no power over him. "Now hear me, as your leader, I demand answers from you!"

"I said leave, if the stench is not coming from any of you, then it only means that they have not arrived!"

"Does he mean the bandits?" Sandbar questioned. "If so, why are the bandits after him?"

"Listen here, you are on my land, and I will go anywhere I please!" Ember said as she took a defiant step forward to show the dragon that she means business. "Now you explain yourself, or else I will do something I will not regret!"

The dragon laughed, his thundering voice alone could shatter glass if there were any. "I am Sir Ashborn of the Trinity of Equestria! This fort, ten meters away from it, is owned by Princess Celestia, as agreed by both Dragon Lord Smaug and King Grover!"

This new information was not received so simply, the students, Starlight, and Ember were all taken by surprise. None expected such a turn of events, to learn that this fort itself had such a history, something they have not heard of before.

"When was this decided?" Starlight couldn't help but ask.

Ashborn said nothing, his eyes focused on the horizon in the west. But he had heard the pony, and simply wanted more to stare at the distance. "I am not in place to explain, but know this, the beast cannot live, or else a new age of darkness befalls our homes."

He turned towards the younger creatures, his bones ached, and his mind was not clear.

"Excuse me..." Smolder stopped forward next to Ember. "Are you, the Wing Eater?"

It was a question that she had in mind ever since Ashborn made himself known.

Ashborn scoffed. "I am nothing like that beast!" He brought down his fist against the dirt in front of the smaller dragons. "Leave!"

"We actually should," Starlight told Ember. "I don't think we are welcome here."

"He can't do that, he's just making stuff up! I mean, did you know that there's a Trinity of Equestria?"

Starlight held a hoof to block Ember from going any further. "Well no, but we might end up in a fight if this goes on, and we have students here. We should really go back anyway, Sunburst and Garble could be waiting for us in the station with the others."

Before anyone else could say a word, they all heard some kind of roar in the air, and in the distance, the same direction Ashborn was so focused on, came several metal beasts.

"Curses," Ashborn unfurled his wings. "they've returned so soon, I do not have time to fight or the strength!"

"Wait, who are those?" Ember demanded to know for she was witnessing an illegal entry into her land.

"Bandits who desire what I hold, and I cannot let them have it!"

Without any explanation, the dragon flew into the sky to escape the bandits that approached. Out of instinct, Starlight brought up a magical dome for protection. Several of these metal beasts avoided them, one bounced against the dome when it did not see them in time, which resulted in a horrible accident.

"Ugh, what the heck was that!?" From the wreckage, a large black dragon crawled out. He wore a strange attire, a metal mask hid his face but they all could see the crimson red eyes filled with fury. In his hand was an anchor, something that really was out of place. The dragon was pointy too, he was covered with so much metal. "Did you idiots just drive into some kind of pink bubble!?"

"I'm sorry Captain Flynt," Another creature appeared. "I have the worst kind of color-blind, everything just looks gray to me!"

"Why in the hell are you even driving!?" Flynt screamed at the driver. "Someone call us a ride! We can't lose that damn artifact!"

"Who are you?" Silverstream caught the attention of the two bandits, to which her friends glared at her for doing so.

Flynt raised his anchor at them. "Huh, who the heck are you!?"

Ember stepped up. "I am Dragon Lord Ember, and as your leader, I demand answers from you!"

"Dragon Lord!? Uh, never heard of you..." He said. "Whatever! Baron is gonna have my ass if we can't get one measly dragon! And that stinking- artifact?"

They noticed him freeze like a statue as he stared into the bubble, their gaze landed where his focus was and found a purple ring in the center.

"You idiots, call back the others, the damn Vault artifact is here!"

It appears that the ring which had fallen off Ashborn's belt was important.

"Now, drop the damn dome and give up that ring!"

Seeing that they were being threatened, Starlight wanted nothing more than to pummel this Captain Flynt, Ember felt the same, to her, he was challenging her as a dragon. He didn't even wait for an answer, his anchor bounced off the dome several times. And as if they sensed it, a couple of these metal beasts came back from their chase and unloaded several more bandits into the scene.

"What are you doing!? There is no need to get violent!" Starlight said.

"Light them up boys and girls, get that damn MacGuffin!"

"Does no one listen to me anymore!?" Ember huffed, her fists clenched and were aching for a fight. "Drop the dome Starlight, I'll show these guys who's boss!"

Before Starlight could even argue with Ember, the bandits around them harnessed the power of thunder in their claws, talons, and hooves. The dome was put to the test. Already the weapons managed to put a crack on Starlight's dome. These bandits threatened their lives, and one wrong move could spell disaster for them.

Being the responsible and only choice in their situation, Starlight lit up her horn and teleported everyone out of danger.

"What was that!?" Smolder gasped as everyone popped into existence, now closer to the train station.

"Those guys were seriously trying to hurt us, for that ring..." Sandbar said.

Ocellus picked up said object with a curious eye. She inspected it closely, it glowed deeply in purple even if her aura was wrapped around it. Something ominous about it, yet she could not bring an answer.

Ember huffed with clear frustration. "Whatever, you all should go back to your school, I need to send a letter to Spike about this bandit problem."

Just as she said that, they rounded around the corner and came to a terrifying scene. There was a train, but it was not what they expected. It looked and was designed as if it was from an apocalyptic setting. And worse of all, bandits were everywhere. Yona was unlucky enough to shatter a small discarded crystal under her hoof. A moment after, every masked bandit in the train station turned towards them.

Worse of all, the ring started to quake in Ocellus' magic. Something angered it, and now trouble was about to start.

Caught in the middle of a hidden war, they unraveled a secret that was meant to be buried, the young six were unsure what to do.

Author's Note

This is a rewrite of The Pain Goes HERE, it was honestly a great idea in my opinion. Anyways, enjoy.