Ch 1
ThunderHawk glided along the forest tops as he quietly flew through the air with his unnatural grace. He soon passed over Ponyville and swirled around the new castle that was there. He easily swirled around it as he made his way up it. He rose into the air and watched as several ponies ran to their homes. ThunderHawk sighed as he watched them. They still feared him, though the Princesses acknowledged his being. At least Princess Twilight usually greeted him with a cheer. Or at least she did when she wasn't tied up with royal duties. He glanced down and saw her walking with her head draped in exhaustion.
He landed calmly on the top of her castle and watched her walk into the castle. He had seen AppleJack in the apple orchards. He had seen Fluttershy, who still trembled at the sight of him, in the fields with some animals. Pinkie had been hopping along through town as he flew over head and Rarity was showing some new lines of clothes she had made.
"Now where is Rainbow Dash?" He muttered as he stroked his chin with his clawed hands.
His draconic looking eyes scanned everything he could see. His eyes narrowed on a small cloud with a blue body sleeping on it.
"Too easy." He chuckled softly, as he spread his wings and fell off the castle backwards.
His wings caught the air and he silently soared through the air. High above her, ThunderHawk glided like a great bird of prey. Then he dove like a spear shooting out of the sky.
Rainbow squirmed a bit as a breeze suddenly rushed by her and her eyes snapped open.
"Hey, Ponyville isn't suppose to have that strong of winds." She said surprised and went to sit up.
That's when she realized the cloud she was sleeping on was split in two under her.
"WHA-?!" She yelped as she fell through.
She tried to right herself and felt a clawed hand grab her front hoof. She looked up and saw ThunderHawk looking down at her.
"I told you I would get you back for that thundercloud incident." He said grinning showing several of his sharp teeth.
"I should have never shown you how to manipulate clouds." Rainbow said chuckling as she got her wings working and ThunderHawk let her go. "Do your checking in with Twilight?'
"She looked exhausted so I came looking for you." ThunderHawk said as he lay on his back and glided around her.
"Anything exciting?" Rainbow asked as she rotated to keep him in sight.
"Everfree being quiet, mountains are quiet and no sights of a dragon either. Unless you count Spike." ThunderHawk said checking under his claws on his hand.
"You sound bored." Rainbow commented.
"Yeah a bit. Haven't had a calling from Canterlot." ThunderHawk as he flipped over and righted himself up.
"Why not get a bite at Sugar Cube Corner?" Rainbow asked as she began to circle down to the ground.
"It usually results in other ponies running in fear." ThunderHawk muttered as he followed her.
The elderly pony behind the corner, looked up and was smiling, but then her eyes widened at the sight of ThunderHawk.
He waved at her and slightly grinned.
"Hi Mrs. Cake. Can we get a couple of shakes and a couple of slices of your cake?" Rainbow asked as she walked up to a table.
Mrs. Cake nodded quickly and dashed into the back and ThunderHawk sighed, as he sat on the floor by the table.
"One of these days they might realize I'm not a threat." He muttered, as he drummed his claws on the table.
"You are kind of intimidating." Rainbow said with a smirk. "Of course chucking that timber wolf over the horizon of the Everfree probably didn't inspire too many warm fuzzy feelings among the other you know."
ThunderHawk rolled his eyes and watched as the door opened and Mrs. Cake came out carrying a tray. She carefully set the tray on the table and swallowed nervously as she looked at ThunderHawk. He reached in a pouch and pulled out a few coins.
"Is this enough? I'm still learning your currency." He said set the coins down.
"It's just right!" She squeaked, grabbed the coins and quickly dashed behind the counter.
He looked at Rainbow and raised an eyebrow.
"I'll cover the difference. Don't worry about it." She said smiling.
ThunderHawk sighed and took a drink of the shake. His eyes bugged out and he managed to keep from spitting out the shake. He swallowed firmly and coughed gently.
"I will never get use to vegetable based shakes." He sighed and his head slumped.
A bit later, Rainbow and ThunderHawk walked out.
"I swear ThunderHawk. I heard you made an impact with Princess Luna. She speaks highly of you and how you protect the ponies with your abilities." Rainbow said as they walked out.
Just then a scream ripped through the air.
"Never fails." ThunderHawk said and his wings snapped, launching him into the air like a bullet.
As soon as he cleared the roof, his eyes narrowed. He saw a large oily black scaled dragon approaching.
"Looks like another nightmare dragon." He said as Rainbow arrived. "You're on crowd control."
"Right!" Rainbow said and, flew down to get Pinkie and Rarity to help get the ponies out of the way.
ThunderHawk flew towards the creature, stopping in front of it before it entered Ponyville.
"I don't know where you guys are coming from, but you picked the wrong time to show up." ThunderHawk growled and cracked his knuckles
The dragon lunged forward, mouth open to swallow ThunderHawk, but a fist smashed into the front of the dragon's snout and it stopped surprised.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" ThunderHawk roared. "THIS IS MY TERRITORY!"
With that, he lunged forward claws extended. The tips were covered in flames.
Twilight Sparkle came running out of the castle at the loud roars and barely avoided a crowd of ponies running by. She turned her head and saw Rainbow and Pinkie looking towards the other side of the small village. Twilight ran up and looked ahead.
"What's going on?" She asked as she looked.
"Another one of those sludgy oily dragons appeared. ThunderHawk is engaging it." Rainbow said as she looked to Twilight. "We sent Rarity to warn Sweet Apple Acres already."
"How's he holding up?" Twilight asked and her head snapped around at the sound of a loud impact.
"Sounds painfully." Rainbow commented.
ThunderHawk shot past them, going backwards and left a trench in the ground as he skidded along.
Pinkie Pie ran over and got a bucket of water. She ran back and dumped it on his face. ThunderHawk shook his head and blinked a couple of times.
"Come on, come on. Jab and dodge, duck and weave! You can do this T-Hawk!" She cheered pulling him up to his feet.
A blood curdling roar ripped out of his throat and flames wrapped around his body, as he took off again.
"Oh great! Prepare for collateral damage!" Twilight ordered as she spread her wings and took off.
"Right away!" Rainbow and Pinkie replied in unison.
ThunderHawk came streaking back at the dragon slammed a flaming fist into its chest, knocking the creature back. With feral roars, they dove at each other, slashing and tear. The fight proceeded to move about the place as Twilight flew up to view it. IT always scared her at just how much power that ThunderHawk truly had.
"How did Chrysalis make him like that?" She pondered as she watched ThunderHawk lift the dragon and slam it into the ground.
Trees were blown flat at the power of the impact and some nearby cottages crashed to the ground from the shockwave.
IN a display of raw primal power, ThunderHawk grabbed the dragon by its neck and began to spin. Faster and faster he went and suddenly let go of the dragon. IT shot out over the Everfree forest, and in the distant, Twilight could hear a sickening impact into the ground. ThunderHawk threw his head back and a primal roar of victory ripped out of his lungs as flames shot upwards into the sky. Then suddenly it was gone and ThunderHawk was normal again, as he collapsed on his hands and knees, gasping for air.
Twilight landed by him and carefully walked up. She could see were sections of his hard scaled skin was torn open with gashed.
"Looks like it was able to get some claws in this time." She said as she walked up.
"It bit me." ThunderHawk growled. "I was sloppy this time."
"Let's see if Nurse Red Heart will wrap your wounds and you can fill me in while she does." Twilight said calmly.
"Ever pony get out of the way?" ThunderHawk asked as she weakly stood up.
He placed his clawed hand on Twilight's back for balance as they began to walk.
"Looks like it. I asked Rainbow and Pinkie to be ready for damages. So their checking right now." Twilight said as she calmly walked.
At the hospital, Nurse Red Heart was carefully wrapping the injuries, while ThunderHawk and Twilight spoke.
"So was it another one of those ones you call nightmare dragons?" Twilight asked as a quill wrote down notes.
"Yeah, larger than the last one and stronger. This one didn't seem to have problems with the flames either." ThunderHawk said as he winced as a wound was bound.
"Nurse, would you say his injuries are worse this time?" Twilight asked looking up from the notes.
"Yes, Princess. In fact I'm surprised he hasn't bled out this time. We did find traces of the black liquid in his wounds and removed it. Another nurse is currently checking what it is, but it was apparently acidic or necrotic in nature, since the flesh was beginning to melt around the spots it was on."
"Hmm, have to have some pony go check the area of the battle and make sure it's safe there. Let me know what it is in nature as soon as you know." Twilight said calmly.
"Yes Princess." Red Heart sad as she bound the last wound and carefully poked ThunderHawk. "These are going to take longer to heal. Be careful for a while, while you heal. We were able to avoid stitches, but if you tear them more, we will have to use stitches. Understand?"
"Yes, thank you. How much do I owe you?" ThunderHawk asked as he stood up.
"IT was in the line of duty. No charge, remember?" Twilight asked giggling slightly.
ThunderHawk nodded and headed out of the door. Nurse Red Heart stepped up by Twilight.
"He can't keep going like this. He is going to need help if the next one is stronger. He is only one… whatever he is." She said quietly. "We may not be able to heal him next time."
"I know, but there aren't any of us strong enough to stand with him except Alicorns, but even then he is too dangerous." Twilight said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Red Heart asked.
"He holds back all the animalistic nature that is tied to his body style. We see him handle things with the softest of touches, but in battle, he ends up not holding back and it becomes dangerous around him as he is suddenly several times stronger than what we see, plus the feral savageness that comes out." Twilight said quietly. "We need others like him, but he is one of a kind."
"Then we better figure something out, because after seeing these wounds, he will probably win the next fight, but won't survive after it." Red Heart said quietly.
Twilight sighed and her head drooped as she began to walk out the hospital. IT wasn't hard to guess where ThunderHawk was. Twilight headed right back to the fight scene and found him there with AppleJack and Rainbow. Off to the side was Fluttershy and Rarity stood watching.
"Figure anything out?" Twilight asked as she landed.
"The liquid is necrotic in nature." AppleJack said as ThunderHawk stood up. "From what we figured out, it's able to drain the life out of stuff. I figure it will take a good four months at least for this stuff to dissipate enough to be able to replant these fields here."
ThunderHawk stumbled slightly and regained his footing as he held his head.
"You ok?" Rainbow asked looking at him.
"Yeah, took a couple of hard hits to the head. Just scrambled me up a bit." ThunderHawk said as he turned to the group.
"Any idea where these are coming from or why here?" Rarity asked as he walked over, with Fluttershy trembling behind her.
"No clue." ThunderHawk said as he scanned the skies. "After the first battle I did a survey of at least three hundred miles in all directions and found nothing. I don't think their natural either."
"W-W-W-Why do you say that?" Fluttershy stammered, hiding behind Rarity.
"They don't resonate with the balance of Equestria." ThunderHawk said. "I can feel it."
"So why do they keep coming here?" Twilight asked worried.
"Sometimes some creatures look for stronger creatures to prove their capabilities or to destroy a greater threat." Fluttershy said meekly.
ThunderHawk looked at her and she literally crawled under Rarity's tail.
"I'm sure she didn't mean you were a threat." Rarity said smiling nervously.
"IT isn't that. I don't live in Ponyville, remember. I live in a cave up on the mountains, if it is what she says, why would they come here? Are you ponies a threat to them?" ThunderHawk asked quietly, as he took a subtle step back from Fluttershy. "I mean I can leave and see if that keeps them away. After all I can be here in seconds with slipstream."
Twilight noticed the step back and shook her head.
"We don't have a way to contact you. That cave is miles away." She said looking at him.
"Spike can contact me. WE figured out that it could work the same way as he sends messages to Celestia. He is a dragon and I am part dragon. I can send messages like he does and receive them like he does." ThunderHawk said with a shrug.
"I don't like it. You're only speaking in theories anyways." Twilight said.
"Do you have anything to prove otherwise?" ThunderHawk asked quietly and Twilight stopped. "It's ok Twilight. Besides the other ponies and some here will be able to relax without me around."
Without another word being able to be said, ThunderHawk jumped into the air and flew up. His body quickly turned in on itself and suddenly stretched out. With a loud crack he vanished. Every pony there turned and looked at Fluttershy and she backed up.
"I wasn't meaning for him to leave." She said quietly. "I just offered a thought of why they were coming here."
"I know." Twilight said quietly and headed towards the palace.
In Canterlot
Princess Luna woke from her sleep with a start and looked around. A few seconds later, her sister came in.
"Are you alright?" Princess Celestia asked.
"I had a terrible dream that a horrible dragon attacked Ponyville and it was destroyed." Princess Luna said as she stood up.
"I received a message from Twilight Sparkle. It was attacked by another of those oily dragons that ThunderHawk calls Nightmare Dragons. He was able to drive it away, but a couple of cottages were destroyed, but everyone is safe." Celestia said quietly.
"Another one?" Luna asked quietly and lowered her head. "We must do something to help him defend them from such creatures."
"I am looking into some possible ways." Celestia said quietly. "Let's hope they work."
Luna nodded and watched her sister leave. She hadn't told her sister that she had dreamt twice of these attacks and now the second one had happened.