“I’m telling you, Static, I swear I heard music from up here, and saw dragon tracks!” The mercifully muffled engine of a small, two-third-tracked vehicle rumbled away as it propelled the tiny cider-guzzling tractor up the mountain paths, along with it’s two occupants. Night Strike watched the snowy path ahead swell and shrink to be either more or less perilous for them as if on a whim, while the earth pony up front driving it only could respond with a cloudy sigh and shake of his head.
 
“Yeah, is this gonna be like the time you swore you saw a big glowing alien spaceship land over in Bangline Valley, only for it to turn out to be that one watermelon changeling after getting caught by Linework again? Because I’m still having trouble scrubbing that image from my head.” Static shifted the small motor-tractor down another gear, slowing them as the path grew a little steeper, the recent snowfall being of little comfort… especially considering Night Strike might be just a little too focused on the dragon to think to pull Static free.
 
The pegasus siting behind him returned a small huff, crossing her forelegs over her chest. “That time was an honest mistake, it looked like a giant glowy spaceship! Or, something like that, I guess. Anyways, no, I’m serious, there’s a dragon living up here, and it sounds like it sings, or brought a really weird accordion along with them, or something. I don’t know, you just gotta hear it.”
 
The small half-track trundled to a stop at the mouth of the cave the pegasus had spotted earlier, Static shutting off the engine as Night Strike had already hopped off and was making way over to it. Credit where due, it looked a lot smaller from the air… Static soon disembarked, catching up with Night Strike inside the echoing cavern. “Fine, fine. I’m gonna be annoyed if this is just another one of your jokes, Strikey, or if you’re doing this just to try and get me with your Thumper.”
 
“Static, I’m insulted. You know that if I wanted to hit you with Thumper, I could do it from much further away than just in a cave.” The earth pony gave his eyes a roll at the pegasus’ response, Night Strike following it with the mature option of sticking her tongue out at Static for a moment. She was soon back to looking at the cave interior however, any playfulness gone from her face. “But, I am serious, I definitely saw some dragon tracks in the snow outside. Probably were blown over by the wind before we got here, though…”
 
As if to emphasize her point, there was a sudden gust at the cave entrance, causing the whole room to whistle unnervingly. Static gave off a little shiver as the gust passed, biting at his lip. “Eugh, dragon or no dragon, this place is pretty creepy either way. Sooner we get out of here, the better~~”
 
A short, strange, but eerily familiar noise stopped them both dead in their tracks, a looming sensation of something ~~ or someone - very, very, very much so bigger than they were being behind them overtaking both of them. Oddly, a slight shuffling of fabric followed the next noise - well, a parp would probably be a better way to describe it - the creature causing them letting off a soft chuckle. “Heh, well, that’s a first for me, a motorized carriage. What might you lad and lassie be looking for? Hopefully not trouble, eheh…”
 
Night Strike and Static both turned simultaneously to look up at the source of the voice, their dread increasing with each moment they had to crane up their neck to look the dragon in his eyes. He was big - he was scary - and he was plaid. Well, technically tartan, but close enough. The large dragon let off another parp as he leaned back on his tail, bringing a hand to his head. “Oh, where’re my manners gone? Hylund, Royal Scot Dragoon, nice to see another face around. Sorry the place is a bit o’ mess, only just moved here a short while ago. Who might you two be?”
 
Deafened by terror, unfortunately all that Night Strike and Static could bring themselves to do was look towards each other for just a moment, before splitting and charging clean past the dragon to the cave exit beyond. I’d like to say that they held onto some shred of dignity as they made their escape - they didn’t. They screamed all the way down the mountain. Hylund was just left confused.