ToE Chapter 2-X

>The flames dissipate.
>You lower your shield, which somehow hasn't been burned away. Could it be, that the beast's initial massive blast has drained its flaming breath of its potency?
>Your clothes are charred in places, but as far as you can tell, you're not hurt.
>"...A-Anon..."
>Applejack sounds hurt, and shaken, but she's alive.
>A short distance in front of you, stands the demonic creature which, moments ago, tried to incinerate Applejack and yourself.
>It takes one slow step forward.
>You hear someone's voice from across the square.
>"ANON!"
>It's Twilight, and she's levitating one of the guard's swords next to her.
>"TAKE THIS!"
>She flings the sword in your direction, and it flies through the air before sticking in the ground next to you.
>You grab the hilt, and pull it out of the ground.
>The wyvern glares at you, and hisses. It adjusts its footing. One of the large talons shifts in place, and grips into the ground beneath.
>Now armed, you approach the beast. Again, it inhales.
>Your heartbeat quickly doubles in frequency. You can feel your heart thumping inside your chest.
>Its head shoots forward and it begins breathing a narrow stream of fire. You block most of the flames with your shield, but some small flames manage to get past and leave singe marks on your clothes.
>You keep pushing forward against the flames, until you're about a foot away from the wyvern's open mouth.
>Then, you smash your shield into its face, causing it to flinch, cutting off its attack.
>Wasting no time, you slash at the wyvern's head with your sword. Once, twice, then a third time. With each strike, it screeches in pain and the creature roughly twitches from the sting of your weapon.

>You back up, and the creature snaps at you, but misses by just a few inches. You knock it back with your shield once more, then attack with a jump strike, evoking another screech when the blade slashes its hide and leaves a deep cut below its eye.
>By now, the wyvern is furious. It roars, then lunges at you, blindly.
>This allows you to slip past its head, and quickly thrust your sword into its neck, twisting the blade as you pull it back out.
>"AAAAAAAAAAAGGH!"
>The wyvern stumbles back, blood pouring from its wound. The creature's talons tear at the earth as it pushes itself away from you, nearly slumping over as it retreats.
>It tries to flap its wings, but can't quite manage to. It rears back and raises its head skyward, and begins drawing breath, then angles its face at you as bright orange wisps escape the creature's blood-drenched nostrils.
>...But in doing this, it exposes its chest.
>Here's your chance!
>Suddenly... You feel some kind of energy flowing through you. A faint, light purple aura surrounds your body.
>It also surrounds your shield and sword, and seems to become brighter towards the tip of the blade. The energy itself appears not entirely unlike fire, but seems softer, more focused...
>You ready your sword, and prepare to strike. The aura flares up, becoming much more prominent, and there's a sudden rushing sensation in your chest.
>A fraction of a second later, your sword pierces the wyvern's heart.
>A deafening shriek fills the air.
>You roughly remove your sword, and step back from the dying monster. You hear a sharp hiss from the creature as it draws a strained breath and vocalizes subtle sounds like those of an injured animal calling for another.
>It stumbles back, then weakly lifts its wings, emitting a mournful cry, and collapses, dead.
>You take a deep breath, then stick the sword into the ground. When your hand leaves the hilt of the weapon, you notice it's shaking.

>You walk back over to Applejack, who is still half buried under the broken stall, and begin to move the wooden planks off of her.
"Miss Applejack... Ah... Are you, alright?"
>"Ahh... My neck's a little sore, but Ah'm fine..."
>You lift the last piece of wood and toss it aside, and help Applejack to sit up.
>"Ah... Um... thank yah, Anon. If yah hadn't... uh, yah know, Ah... might not have..."
>Rather than finishing her sentence, Applejack rests her head on your shoulder, and hugs you firmly.
>You raise an arm, and gently place it around her. She isn't trembling at all, and you're surprised by how firm, yet soft, she feels to the touch.
>"...Thanks, Anon."
>A few moments later, the embrace ends, and you both rise.
>Twilight hurries over to you both, looking both relieved and worried.
>"Are you two okay? ...Anon?"
>"Mhm, we're good. What about Rainbow?"
>"I'll live."
>You all turn to see Rainbow Dash, who is limping towards you. Her left foreleg is injured, and she seems to be feeling some amount of pain every time she takes a step.
>Applejack trots over to her, and hugs her, causing Dash some discomfort.
>"Ah! Careful, AJ, I'm hurting all over."
>Applejack loosens her hold.
>"Oh, Ah'm sorry, sugarcube. Ah'm just happy yer okay."
>Once Applejack releases Rainbow Dash, the pegasus approaches you. She looks intrigued, and there's a subtle smile on her face.
>"Rainbow, this here's Anon."
>"...Hey."
>She's quite a small mare. Her form looks more compact and aerodynamic than Applejack's, and the height disparity between the two is quite obvious, but she certainly doesn't look like a weak pony. Even with her injuries, there's a certain grace and confidence in her bearing.

"Oh, hey... Miss Rainbow Dash. How are you feeling? You hit that wall very hard, is your leg broken?"
>"Ehh... It doesn't feel broken. Don't worry, I'll be back in action in a couple of days... Now, how about you?"
"Hm?"
>"I saw you, fighting that... thing. You were... Pretty awesome, haha!"
"Hmhm, thank you."
>Rarity, Fluttershy, and Spike walk over to you. Fluttershy's tears have stopped, though she's still quite shaken.
>"Is everyp0ny alright?"
>"We're all okay, Spike. Dash is a little banged up, but she'll survive."
>By now, most of the ponies have come out from their hiding places. Some are still peeking out from inside their houses and shops.
>Behind you, you hear rapid hoofsteps.
>You turn around, to see a light tan p0ny with gray hair hurrying over to you. She's wearing glasses and some kind of collar with a green ruffle.
>"Mayor!"
>"Oh, Thank Celestia! You're all okay!"
>She looks and sounds somewhat older than the other ponies you've met so far. She looks a little confused about what, exactly, has happened, but Applejack fills her in.
>"Mhm, yeah. Uh huh, we are. Thanks tah Anon, here."
>"Right you are, Applejack. Mister Anon, Sir. On behalf of everyp0ny in P0nyville, I thank you. If you hadn't been around to slay that beast, I dread to think what might have happened..."
"You're most welcome, Miss Mayor. It's... It's an honour to be of service to your wonderful village."
>As you look around the town square, you see gratitude in everyp0ny's eyes. You're no longer some kind of strange, mysterious, potentially harmful creature to them.
>P0nyville is bathed in a gorgeous, orange glow from the evening sun, which is slowly moving west across the sky.
>Today, was a good day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VowMkxGTmLs