- >This was it.
- >Twilight stood near the entrance to a cave, a heavy blade strapped to her back.
- >She had appropriated it from a guard shack, the weapon used more for making threats than actual combat.
- >A wyvern, which had long been considered a foal's story, had attacked Ponyville.
- >Half the town had been destroyed, with a dozen dead and another two dozen injured.
- >The wyvern, red in color, was clad in magic-immune scale. Twilight herself had to drive it away with heavy wooden beams and other assorted objects, slamming them into its face and body.
- >The alicorn managed to drive it back after it threw several fireballs at her, her own shielding spells managing to deflect or otherwise absorb them.
- >Now the ascended princess was here to end it, before the wyvern decided to come back.
- >...as distasteful as the mare found it.
- >Twilight was, unfortunately, alone.
- >Fluttershy refused outright to come along, while Rainbow Dash and Applejack were amongst the injured.
- >Pinkie was more focused on keeping the injured in a good mood, while Rarity was stressing over the state the demolished Carousel Boutique. Spike was, naturally, roped into helping.
- >The hospital had also been hit, causing the denizens of Ponyville to use Twilight's library as a secondary staging point.
- >Golden Oaks managed to come through the attack without any damage at all, as miraculous as it seemed.
- >Twilight shook her head, bringing herself back to the now.
- >Just outside the cave was a dead dragon, chest bloody with several quills lodged deep inside.
- >An injury like that shouldn't have been enough to kill the dragon on its own.
- >The sound of breathing came from inside, deep and slow.
- >Twilight would have assumed it was asleep if she hadn't heard it walking around inside.
- >A peek inside, and the pony's heart stopped.
- >Two.
- >The red one, sleeping on the floor with a half-eaten goat nearby...and a green one, tending to what appeared to be a nest.
- >Complete with eggs.
- >A female?
- >Twilight could maybe take one of them, but...both at the same time?
- >Suicide, pure and simple.
- >Still...it had to be done.
- "Ugh. Alright, here goes nothing..."
- >Stepping into the cave, Twilight immediately attracted the attention of the green one.
- >She growled, warning the mare to not come any closer. The she-wyvern also nudged the male with her tail, who in turn grunted and stood.
- >A short yawn, and a quick loving head-rub with his mate, and he looked right at Twilight.
- >He growled too, a bit of flame leaping into his mouth at the mare's transgression of HIS territory.
- >Twilight continued her slow walk forward, her every instinct *demanding* that she flee.
- >Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath.
- >The female wyvern bellowed at her, the rock walls reverberating with the sheer strength.
- >Twilight winced, pinning her ears to the side of her head.
- >The red one followed, roaring in kind.
- >He was even louder, and Twilight was certain she'd have temporary hearing damage after this.
- >The she-wyvern charged Twilight, closing the gap quickly.
- >Twilight pulled the blade off of her back, then teleported.
- >The bright flash blinded the green scaled fire drake, causing her to recoil and trip mid-stride.
- >Twilight reappeared in the air, angling herself like a falcon with the blade ahead of her.
- >The red wyvern watched the mare as she dove...
- >...then leapt back with a beat of his mighty wings and spat out a fireball, one Twilight slammed right into.
- >The mare quickly cast a defense spell before impact, dropping the sword in favor of saving her own hide.
- >The momentum of the blast still threw her into the wall, however, the impact dazing her.
- >She fell to the floor, shaking the stars out of her eyes.
- >The she-wyvern recovered, turning to face the lavender pony with rage etched in her every feature.
- >The green-scaled drake screamed in anger, the flame-scaled wyvern following seconds later.
- >He rose into the air while the she-wyvern charged at Twilight. The mare dove to the side, only to gasp as hate given form rained down from above.
- >The first fireball missed its mark, the second caused Twilight to recoil...and the third caught her right in the back, finally shattering her magical ward.
- >The flames licked at her coat, Twilight shouting in pain as she dropped and rolled.
- >Shakily standing, Twilight rolled for the sword on the ground and brought it in a wide horizontal arc.
- >The momentum pulled the mare onto a single back hoof, and there was a satisfying sound of metal embedding in flesh.
- >The charging she-wyvern suddenly slumped over, colliding with Twilight and sliding them both into the far wall.
- >Twilight felt a rib break, as white hot agony blinded her.
- >The multi-ton drake on top of her...wasn't moving.
- >The sword had embedded itself through the roof of the wyvern's mouth, piercing its braincase if the heavy bleeding was any indication.
- >Total silence took over for a moment.
- >Wing beats could be heard coming nearer, quickly followed by the sound of a heavy wyvern landing.
- >A short, distressed whine.
- >The male pressed against the wyvern on top of Twilight, and Twilight felt yet another rib snap as more weight was shifted on top of her.
- >Twilight screamed.
- >A devastated moan came from the male, as he looked straight at Twilight.
- >Pure hatred was in his eyes.
- >Twilight had to leave, she was in no condition to continue the fight.
- >She teleported outside, limping off before the male could attack.
- >Twilight heard the male scream in outrage from outside the cave as she limped away.
- >They may have been mythical creatures come to life...
- >...but they weren't invincible, that much she knew.
- >The mare spat blood out of her mouth, limping back to the Everfree.
- >She occasionally teleported, in the event the male was tracking her.
- >Twilight came to rest in the Castle of the Two Sisters, knowing for a fact that, despite the damage time had wrought on the place, the place was nigh immune to flame attacks.
- >It was made of stone, after all.
- >She would take some time off, cast a few healing spells for her ribs, then go back and finish the job.
- ===

