Starry wished the red in her cheeks would go away, the persistent blushing remained on her face despite the fact it had been 30 minutes since Stone had chased off Hoverstep. They continued walking around the market, eyes of town ponies on the odd duo, and Starry couldn't help but feel even more embarrassed. 

The bat pony stallion walked next to her, his wing brushing her side when she wasn't careful to keep her space with him, and with the brushing of his wing, her face grew warmer.

"Are you alright?" Stone River asked with a chuckle ", The color in your cheeks is quite... Striking-"

Starry could feel herself flushing more at his words. Why was her face still burning? Was Stone the cause of it? Or was it because what she felt toward him was becoming something else entirely? She took a deep breath, trying to steady the fast beating of her head. She had to stay focused. There was no time for romantic thoughts when she still had so much to figure out.

"Charming-" Starry responded as cooly as she could manage ", But there is no need to continue flirting when no one is around. Do you happen to have a public library in this town?"

"Flirting?" The stallion replied with a playful grin, a slight laugh at the edges of his voice ", Yes. there is a library in town. Why do you ask? Avid reader?"

Starry couldn't help but notice the shift in conversation, too sudden for her liking. Had she done something wrong? Should she not have mentioned the flirts? Was she reading too much into it? She wasn't quite sure.

"I have some research I need to do-" She placated ", I want to look into the politics of the Dragonlands and then write a letter to my cousin."

Stone's face changed within a second, paling at the mention of dragons, and that's when Starry remembered exactly why she wanted to look into the Dragonlands. Starry felt her heart drop to her hooves, why didn't she remember such simple things?

"Why dragons?" Stone asked in a voice that was almost fearful, and she knew exactly why.

"Why not?" Starry replied, trying to keep her tone light and playful. She knew how dangerous dragons could be, how he had lost his wing to the dragons that killed his squad, but she wanted to assure him there was no reason to be afraid.

"They are just another species, like ponies," She continued ", Many of them are friendly and peaceful. Nothing to really worry about."

Her words, meant to reassure Stone, only made her even more curious. Sure he knew how dangerous dragons could be, how deadly they could be, but did the attack shake him so bad that he couldn't even think of dragons?

"They're dangerous, Starry-" Stone River grumbled loudly, his tone growing in agitation. He had never spoken so loudly before, but dragons seemed to bring out a different side to him ", Their fire can burn down forests! Their claws and teeth are like knives. And don't get me started on their breath-"

"Stone-" Starry interrupted him, turning to put her body in front of his and stop him ", I just want to look at the politics and send my cousin a letter. I'm not going to the Dragonlands or anything like that-"

"You're not hearing me," Stone's voice was still loud, but had quieted when Starry's eyes met his ", Even if you don't want to visit their lands, you could encounter them here, in Ponyville, anywhere in Equestria."

It was more than clear that his fear of dragons extended to his home, the idea of them being present in Ponyville made him uncomfortable. Starry tipped her head to him, it wasn't fair for him to take this fear out on her, but she could understand why.

Starry placed a hoof on his shoulder, hoping to ground the stallion with the firmness of her words ", I'll be fine, Stone. Why don't you head back to the apartments? I can handle a little research on my own."

"Fine-" Stone River said softly, offering a slight nod to Starry, but she could tell he was still uncertain. She smiled and lowered her hoof from his shoulder. "The library should be about three blocks down. And if you need anything, come find me."

"I will-" Starry assured him ", I promise."

"You better-" He snorted, playing off the nerves that had him so worried before ", I'm at your disposal, Starry Specter."

With that, Stone River turned away from the mare. She could tell that he was worried about her, but she knew that arguing with him further would only make things worse with him. Better to let him worry than upset him more. Starry waited until the bat-pony stallion was out of sight before turning in the direction of the library, and when she reached it, she did not hesitate to step inside.

Starry made her way toward the librarian's desk, asking if there was a politics section, al; while trying to sift through the thoughts in her head. Stone's words, his playful flirting, the fear of dragons, and his worry about her, all swirled in her mind like a tornado.

She tried to focus as the old stallion at the desk lead her deep into the library, pointing to a wall of books with old leather bindings. Starry thanked him and turned her attention to the books, lifting a few with her magic and piling them on a table. But no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts kept returning to Stone.

The mare took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure, it would be impossible to study while her mind was so distracted. So Starry forced herself to focus, reading into the history of the Dragonlands' political standing.

"In the Dragonlands, the strongest individual or team of individuals is viewed as the ultimate ruler of the entire region. Other dragons that are not as powerful or in the same league must respect that individual's decisions and those decisions are not questioned. There is no political structure in the traditional sense, with any sort of organized government or voting system. Instead, the Dragons in the region rule or are ruled by whichever individual happens to be the strongest."

Starry's brow raised in confusion. How did they decide who the strongest dragon was? It was questions like this that she asked herself as she continued reading. But she couldn't help but admire how different things were in the Dragonlands, trying to understand the details that were complicated. The idea of being ruled by whoever was the most powerful was foreign to her.

Starry was almost grateful for the structure she had grown up with.

"In a moment of boldness and courage, a dragoness stood up to the previous rule of the Dragonlands and challenged him for power. Through a combination of with and skill, she managed to come out on top and seized control of the kingdom. Once secure in her position as Dragon Lord, Victory created a political structure that helped reform the Dragonlands, creating a prosperous kingdom with order and structure. She was able to bring together various clans under a single banner, creating a unified monarchy that was recognized across all lands, and still is to this day."

As she finished the passage, Starry couldn't help but think how different things were. How structured Equestria had been for thousands of years. The political structure in Canterlot was so formal and rigid, with no room for boldness or challenge, only tradition and ceremony.

Suddenly, Starry thought of her cousin in the guard, Rolling Thunder. She hadn't spoken with him since she left the city. While the Dragonlands were so different from her homeland, the two were far more alike than she previously thought. In both cases, there were those who wanted to see change.

And if Victory was still Dragonlord, as the book implied, there was no way that she would don the first attack on Equestria. No good leader risked the well-being of her kingdom.

So who were the dragons that attacked first?