"Oh! I think I chipped a hoof!" Rarity complained.

"Cool it," Rainbow Dash said dryly, "You can get it fixed when we get back!"

I rolled my eyes, but continued to concentrate on my footing. We were almost at our first destination; Battlefield of the Lost Souls. The battle that had taken place there was ancient by my standards. It had taken place when Celestia's parents had started their rule over Equestria. Some civilizations had not taken a liking to being ruled over one person, and had tried to gain back their old governments.

At the climax of the war, the two sides had fought dangerously close to Gallopville. We were only a few kilometres away from Dragon's Keep, and that was only two kilometres away from the city gate.

We were currently trying to make our way down a very steep, rocky hill. I could see the treeline that marked where the monument was, but Rarity was being as dainty as ever. Applejack was already at the bottom with Fluttershy and Spike, waiting for us. I was ahead, and Rainbow Dash and Twilight were helping Rarity down the most treacherous parts.

I rolled my eyes and carefully turned into my pony form, and flew over to where Rarity was having problems, "Quit whining, we need to keep moving, we're almost there."

"Easy for you to say, you can fly," Rarity said, stepping over a rock.

I rolled my eyes, "There are three ways we can do this. First, you hurry up and get down the hill. Two, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash carry you down, or three," I paused for dramatic effect, "I use magic to get you down. I would not recommend the third option."

"I'm not carrying her down," Rainbow Dash complained, "I'm too tired."

"And Fluttershy can't carry Rarity on her own," Twilight reasoned.

"I'm not hurrying up. I might get dirty."

I sighed, "Fine."

I flew down the hill, and when I made it to the bottom, transformed into my human body. I growled under my breath at all the time we were wasting, but got to work.

Using a stick, I carved several runes into the soft earth, and hoped I was doing everything right. After a moment, I gathered my inner strength and began to chant the words on the ground. I placed a hand on either side of the small line of runes, and watched in satisfaction as the words started to glow. I heard all of the ponies gasp in shock as Rarity suddenly vanished, and reappeared at the bottom of the hill.

I almost fell forward, but caught myself. I heard Rarity start to throw up as the effects of the teleportation began to take effect. I swallowed dryly, and dug around in one of my bags to pull out my canteen of water.

I swallowed several large mouthfuls before making myself stop. I watched as Fluttershy comforted her friend.

"Wow, I've never seen anything like that!" Spike exclaimed, "I didn't know ponies could do that!"

"Most can't, not without passing out from the strain," I told him, slowly standing up. I kicked dirt over the runes, "Let's go. It's just over there."

I felt listless, and slightly achy. I knew that was only because of the massive amount of magical energy I had had to expend to transport Rarity, but the knowledge did not make feeling bad any less easier to bear.

We entered through the overgrown mass of trees, bushes, and undergrowth to finally get into the slightly overgrown clearing. After so long, I had thought the place would be in shambles but it seemed relatively intact.

Rarity shrieked suddenly, making everyone jump. I made my way over, "What is it now?"

"I-it's a skeleton!" Rarity whimpered, pointing to a patch of ground with her hoof.

I looked over to find a part of one of the massive mass graves had been uncovered by time and the elements. More than one pony skeleton was clearly visible. I sighed, but said nothing. I could understand why Rarity was upset, although I doubted it was the same reason why I was slightly upset.

"What is this place?" Twilight asked, looking around; before her eyes landed on the almost fully covered monument that Celestia's parents had erected.

"Battlefield of Lost Souls. It was old when I was around your age," I began, "Tensions had been rising between the nations, and many of them wanted their old governments back. They attacked here because of it's closeness of the capital, and because it was easy to get here."

"Easy to get here?" Rarity gasped.

"Yes. They approached from the opposite way we did. This used to be a huge clearing with some trees and bushes."

"What's that?" Pinkie Pie bounced over to the monument.

"It was a monument Celestia's parents built, to honour the dead on both sides."

"Dead? You mean, ponies died?" Applejack asked, blinking slowly as if she were trying to solve a hard math problem.

"Yes, it was a battle, why do you think Rarity stumbled across a mass grave here?" I asked, trying to keep my patience.

"How can you kill other ponies with pie?-"

"PIE? YOU PEOPLE USE PIE TO FIGHT YOUR BATTLES?" I shrieked.

"Well, yeah. We don't want to hurt anyone," replied as if the knowledge was a common one.

I shook my head, "Besides, there are plenty of ways to kill people with pie."

"How?" Pinkie asked, bouncing on the edges of her hooves.

"Well, hold someone's head in there and they can't breathe. You can break a pie tin in half and use it to cut someone, or stab someone in the eye. Pies could be a good distraction while you use something else to kill whoever you wanted to die," I said truthfully.

Twilight blinked and opened her mouth to say something, before closing her mouth and walking over to the vine covered monument.

"I might be able to uncover it," I said, desperately wanting to break the suddenly awkward silence.

"Can you? I'd like to make some notes on this," Twilight's eyes sparkled in the dim light of the small clearing.

I swallowed, and centred myself. I thought about my options. The spell I needed to cast would probably expend the rest of my energy, but I could bypass that using the energy of the forest around me.

Did I want to use that black magic for something so trivial? Did I want to risk that again? I shook myself, I hadn't cast anything darker than a darkness spell to extinguish candles in thousands of years. I would be fine.

I swallowed, and gently drew my dagger from its sheath, I would need some blood on the forest floor for me to connect to the land around me. I drew the dagger across my palm, digging into the soft flesh at the base of my thumb. Blood welled into the cut, and slowly made deep red lines across my pale skin.

I had forgotten what blood on skin looked like. Several drops fell onto the soft soil, and I readied myself. Using my blood as an anchor, I cast my consciousness out, looking for plants and small animals to drain. I avoided the vibrant colours that reflected the consciousnesses of the Elements and Spike. As much as I would like to drain Rarity, the others would hurt because she died.

I murmured the words that would draw the energy to all my consciousness touched, and then the words that would clear off the monument. I opened my eyes to see the undergrowth around me wither and die, just before several loud animal shrieks were heard. My heart started to race as I felt the connections die one by one.

I looked at the monument to see the vines and growth were little more than ashes. I swayed when the connections I had made finally died and the excess energy left as the last few animals died.

"What did you do, did you lose control of the spell?" Twilight asked me quickly, looking at the dead plants all around me in a wide, perfectly even circle.

"I didn't cast one spell, I cast two. One that drained the energy from the surrounding forest, and the spell to clear the monument," I explained, and gazed at the crumbling stone.

It was massive, the base was a huge pedestal with names carved into neat rows all over the sides. On top was a male pony, the commander of the city guard if I recalled the history correctly. He had died trying to defend the city he adored. I was happy with the knowledge he had died before knowing what had happened to his people. Only five years after the battle had taken place, Celestia's parents had died, and she began her reign of terror.

Maybe if he had survived, we could have had a fighting chance.

I shook my head, the rebellion movement had been dying since it started. The fact I had been captured when I had, ensured our loss. The guard captain would have died before I was born, and I was one of the 'greatest generals' the resistance movement had had, and I was captured after my fifth battle.

Our cause had been a lost one then, now I have a chance.

"What are all these?" Twilight asked, pointing at the names.

"Names of the dead. After the battle was won by the city, the resistance died. In an effort of peace, Celestia's parents built this monument to honour the dead on both sides."

"What happened?" Twilight asked.

"What do you mean? Celestia's parents were good ponies, it was after they died she went insane." I told her.

"No, I mean-"

"Different regions had different governments. Why do you think Zakora is the only zebra you've ever met? The zebra's islands are not considered to be part of Equestria, " Twilight blinked, confused. I sighed, and rubbed my forehead.

"The whole of Equestria wasn't always ruled by the same pony. Different regions were ruled by their own governments. Of course, this was a very, very long time before my parents were born, but we did have some books about the past."

"How do you know all this?" Twilight asked, "If Princess Celestia is so bad, why hasn't she hurt you?"

I shrugged, "I have no idea. My magic is very powerful, and I have access to much of the forgotten magic that she has no access too."

"How can you do magic, anyhow?" Applejack asked, "You're a pegasus, not a unicorn."

"Race has nothing to do with it. If you wanted, you could probably cast spells-"

"That's impossible!" Twilight exclaimed, "They have nothing to channel the energy through!"

I shrugged again, "I doubt you could do it, seeing your background, but it is possible with the right training."

Applejack shook her head, "Thanks, but no thanks."

"Anyway, I think we should get going. The next place we go is somewhere we can rest for the night."

"Where are we going?" Pinkie Pie asked, bouncing excitedly.

"Dragon's Keep. Gallopville's first line of defence."

"Why is it called Dragon's Keep?" Fluttershy squeaked.

I smirked, "That's where the Dragons bred and were housed when not in use. Don't worry, it should be abandoned."

Fluttershy's eyes widened, and she stuck right next to Rarity as we continued up the overgrown path, "A-are you sure?"

I nodded, and looked back, "Yeah. The dragon's hated it. I wouldn't be surprised if dragons stay as far away from here as they possibly can."

"Oh, okay," Fluttershy didn't look convinced.

We continued through the overgrown forest, I had a general sense of where I was going, but it wouldn't surprise me if I had to get Rainbow Dash to fly up and look around for the ruins. A few cobblestones could be seen peeking out of the grass, plants and trees, but it was barely there. I noticed because I was looking, but a normal pony wouldn't have.

After a little while we took a break. I asked Rainbow Dash to fly above the trees and look around. She nodded, and flew off.

"Why don't you fly?" Twilight asked, checking Rarity's hoofs for cracks and chips.

I stretched my arms over my head and rubbed the length of the scar twisting up my leg, "Flying takes a lot of energy. If I want to do large amounts of magic, I can't waste energy."

"How do you do magic, anyway?" Applejack asked, eating an apple.

"What do you mean?' I asked, slightly confused.

"You're a Pegasus, how do you connect to the magic? Unicorns only can through their horns, and it was thought only they can do magic."

I blinked, stunned, "Where did you get that?"

"It's common knowledge," Twilight said smartly.

"All ponies can do magic. It takes time and training until most can access it, but it's possible. I'm honestly not sure what connects me to the magic. I've always had it, but never really had formal training. I have a strong connection to magic, and one day, I got angry and the magic lashed out."

"What happened?" Rarity asked, "It seems awfully hard to train for something as trivial as magic."

Anger skittered down my spine, but I bit my tongue, "I broke his leg. It was an accident, but no one really believed it. My parents understood, they had had some training, but couldn't afford for me to go to any of the schools."

"How did you learn?" Twilight asked curiously, taking one last look at Rarity's hoof, she set it down.

"Any way I could. I stole books, talked to my parents, made deals with unsavoury ponies. That's also part of the reason why I joined the rebellion. I learned lots of combat magic, and realized I could access the magic around us more easily than some unicorns."

Rainbow Dash crashed through the trees at breakneck speed. She landed with ease, and boldly said: "It's over there!" She pointed with one hoof to her right.

I sighed, and rose to my feet, "Let's go. We'll stay there tonight."

Twilight and Spike shared a look, but Twilight let Spike hop onto her back, and we continued on.

Seeing the ruined building in front of me made me feel extremely old. The Keep was still standing, but the area around it was in ruins. Overgrown barricades surrounded the Keep.

"Rioting happened here after the Fall. It was just before Celestia destroyed the public records, and closed the city gates. People were angry at how she had handled things, and they tried to fight for freedom. It.. didn't end well. Celestia cast a huge spell that warded people off of the city and surrounding forest. Anyone who didn't leave quickly enough died."

"How did you leave?"

I searched my memory, but it was blurred, and fragments of other times mixed into the scary time, "I'm not sure. It's all a blur. The spell made sure ponies stay away from the Everfree forest, and stories warned away future generations from getting this far."

"Why aren't we being affected?"

"Well, a spell of that magnitude would take a lot of energy. I assume she had to let it go, or it's dissipated over the years. Or some odd mixture of both, long lasting spells can have odd effects on the land. Which is why many of the fierce creatures that exist now live in the forest. Wolves were caught in the long lasting effects, and timber-wolves evolved."

"What's a wolf?" Pinkie asked, bouncing in place.

"A bit like a timber-wolf, but with fur, flesh and blood; not magic and wood."

"Oh, okay!" Pinkie said brightly.

"Are-are you sure this is safe?" Fluttershy whispered.

"We'll be fine. Let's go investigate the building, then we'll go visit the nesting areas for the dragons."

The door had long rotted away, but the closed portcullis was still closed.

"Do you know any opening spells?" I asked, looking at Twilight.

"Yes," Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, and her horn started to glow a light purple. After a moment, the portcullis glowed the same colour and started to move up. After a moment, it grind to a halt, and Twilight grunted.

The portcullis suddenly ripped off of the wall, and blasted into the Keep. I blinked at the large hole that now extended the height of the door at least another foot.

"What was that?" I asked.

"I don't know, it's worked before."

I sighed and shook my head, "Let's go, we might as well find the barracks, I think it's on the second floor."

"What's a barracks?"

"Where the soldiers slept and kept their personal belongings," I replied, stepping carefully past the now very tall door. I summoned a few balls of light, and sent them zooming through the darkness ahead.

As we traversed the old ruins, I noticed that some of the walls had crumbled, and everything seemed to be in disarray, but otherwise looked alright.

As we neared the stairs, I was assaulted by memories of my capture, looking around, I found the staircase that led into the cells that the dragons had access to.

"Let me go!" I screeched, twisting away from the ponies in human form.

They glanced at each other, and dropped me. I landed heavily on my side, pain lancing up my leg. I cried out, but bit my lip.

One of the guards sneered, "This one'll be a fighter. I don't know why her Majesty wants her, but I'll be glad when she leaves." He pulled a device from his pocket, and pushed a button. Four walls of clear glass sprung up around me. When they settled, a glass roof extended from the ceiling, and was placed on top of the walls, completing the cell.

"What do you want!" I yelled, trying not to jostle my leg that was still bleeding profusely.

"Shut up!" The guard yelled, before sweeping out of the room and shutting the door.

"Eternity, Sugar-cube, are you alright?" Applejack asked.

I shook myself, "I'll be okay. Let's go upstairs."

After two flights of stairs, my leg felt as if it were on fire, but I bit my tongue, and kept silent. Going through the empty doorway, I directed the ball of light to the ceiling.

The light revealed most of the room to be intact. The metal bed frames and artificial mattresses looked untouched and ready to use. A corner of the ceiling had collapsed, letting in the light of the moon and stars.

"What is that?" Twilight asked.

I spun around, and my eyes widened. How is that even running?

LINE BREAK

Author's Note: HA! Finished another chapter. Sorry if you notice any missing 'I's. My keyboard is being a little bit of a pain, and sometimes doesn't register if I pressed it. Just let me know, and I'll see if I can get around to fixing it.

Thanks to my Dad for giving me the idea on how to end this chapter, and before I forget: anything you recognize probably isn't mine, and anything you don't probably is. Happy reading!