Chapters Karma ran through the forest. The gems tightly clutched in her claws. This time, she was not going to starve. Karma kept running, her heart thundering in her chest. The flames erupted behind her.
"Karma~! How dare you steal from your father~!" the deep voice roared.
"Your not my father!" Karma screeched back as she rushed through the Everfree. The hunger in her stomach clawed at her, but she had to keep running. Her lungs burned from every movement. The large dragon was on her tail and she kept running, her wings suddenly spread out and she took off.
The night sky held her in it's cold embrace. The gems she held in her arms had reduced but it was enough so she could go to her secret cave. The dragon behind her couldn't lift off the ground, for he spent too much time eating the jewels Karma mined day and night.
"You will pay!" his voice rang out as he spewed flames into the peaceful night sky.
Karma was weak, but didn't give up on the thought of that cave. It was filled to the brim with gems. She was the only one who knew of it. Karma's stomach growled but she continued to fly.
"I'm not going to let my hunger, or Spark, douse my spirit." she muttered to herself.
A flash of rainbow colors confused Karma.
All she could focus on though was the gems falling to ground.
Karma plummeted towards the falling gems, letting gravity do it's work. She finally grabbed the gems, curling into a tight ball as she fell through the tree line. No gems escaped her tight grip, even if she died, Karma would at least feel fresh air.
She tightened her grip on the gems and the world faded around her, letting the night and the forest around her engulf everything.
Karma slowly opened her eyes, her wings had gone, that was good. Light fluttered into her vision, it her a while to have her eyes adjust, being in the mines for so long. Her spines quivered as she sat up in the star-decorated bed. Ponies and another dragon stood around her. Karma shrunk back and let her claws slide out. The panic sunk into her brain, her eyes widened at the memory.
"Now remember, don't look him in the eyes."
Karma shook away the thoughts jumbled about in her head. Takasu is probably having a nice life in a big city with lots of friendly faces and delicious foods. The thought comforted Karma. The comfort didn't last long when a purple hand was held out to her.
She jumped away from the group of ponies. Wait, where's the dragon? Karma thought before she felt a claw touch her arm. She leaped into the air and dug her claws into the ceiling.
"I don't see any wings Rainbow Dash." the purple one said.
Karma looked down, a docile drake stood on the ground. He looked up into her wild and confused eyes. He seemed to see a flash of heart-ache in her eyes.
Karma glanced around the room, assessing her surroundings.
She let go of the ceiling and landed on her feet. Karma calmed her nerves, the docile drake was just as big a threat as the ponies, which she knew were too kind for their own good. Karma looked around once more. It was a large library compared to the ones Karma had seen.
"I think we should leave and let her talk with one of her own kind." the purple one said and everyone shuffled out of the room, well except the pink one who bounced out the door.
"So, you lived in the wild then?" the drake asked Karma.
She ran into the door, knocking it down, and flew down the steps. Soon, she'd be able to reach her secret cave, and find Takasu and Marble.
Maybe Marble finally found her brother. Karma thought as she flew into the vast sky.
Then she realized, her gems weren't with her. It still felt nice to look into the blue sky with out worrying of being caught by Spark, Muddy, or Ursa. Things could be worse, she could still be in the mines working under Ursa and her goons.
The serpents by the lake that the dragons traded with talked about a beautiful place down south. Perhaps that's where her friends went. Soon she felt a searing pain in her wing and rib cage. She fell to the ground in a heap and tried to take off again. She was so lose to being free again. The air in the pony town smelled vulgar with the train station so near. Her lungs burned and the pain in her wing and ribcage made moving all the more hard to accomplish.
Her body shuddered and a coughing fit started up. The mines weren't good to her. She had had coughing fits before, but not this strong. A few drops of blood fell onto the floor. The drake ran out of the house and looked at her. The way Karma was now, made her look weak and sick. She wiped her face with her arm and stood up taller, tucking in her wings so they wouldn't be damaged any more.
The pain could have killed any one of the soft ponies who had never been in the harsh mines. Her spines quivered and she couldn't take much more of the eyes boring into her. She darted forwards, and climbed up the large tree that made up the library.
The drake of course looked concerned. Karma wasn't in the mood to give a fuck. She looked down, the eyes so used to the darkness, turned into slits. Karma couldn't help but notice the throbbing in her head. Each breath brought another hack and each movement brought another wave of pure pain.
Karma stretched her legs. Today she was going to explore again.
She ran along the well-trodden trail, the trail to the river she had always followed. She loved to go down to the river and watch the serpents trade with the other, adult dragons.
She climbed down the cliff side. After landing on the soft sand, she took off towards the sea-shell stand. It always had a different stash of shells. Some were very shiny and colorful on that day.
Solaris and Artemis were the gods of the sun and the moon. Dragons admired the sun because it gave them fire, and serpents admired Artemis because it gave them the tides. The two gods lived in harmony and many say that they could have been reborn. Karma always thought that , even if they hadn't been reborn, the sun and moon would move. The many stars in the sky were the dead souls of all the dragons, every time they die, a new star appears.
Then the war horns sounded off. She was dragged away and Tidal slipped into the water. Pulled. Pushed. Pulled. Pushed. Until the nightmare got worse. They let her go, she had to get to Mama. Running up the cliff she knew so well, she got to her mother's nest.
Karma shook out of her trance. A crowd of ponies looked up at her, their young faces wide and innocent. Three fillies saw she was now gazing at them and rushed off. Karma slowly climbed down the tree, knowing with her wounds, it was not safe to travel. The drake suddenly darted in front of her.
"Let's go inside now." the drake said before holding out his hand...And Karma took it.
Meanwhile the six ponies from earlier talked about how to deal with the dragoness. Twilight Sparkle suddenly came up with a devious (but brilliant) plan.
Author's Note
This story will eventually collide with my other story , Once Upon a Time... (the dots are in the title...so yeah.)
Longest chapter I've ever written in my life!
Just a Side Note of My Thankfulness
Author's Note
I am so thankful for all the attention given to my story
Karma awoke to the sound of birds singing. It was a pleasant sound that echoed around her ears. She stretched her wings out; they were still wounded. Karma sighed. Saving the gems wasn't worth it. She had been injured and that drake had eaten every one of them! The little pig...
Karma darted forward and plucked the old book from the shelf. Behind it stood her beautiful treasure. The gems that were left sparkled in the early morning sunlight. Karma licked her lips and looked around her. No one else was awake. Good. She began to stuff her face.
The purple one walked in. Karma ate one last gem (technically the last one there) and put everything back in it's place.Oh great, she saw me... Karma thought to herself.
"Umm, if you're not going to have a conversation with me ,could you at least tell me your name?" the purple one said.
Karma let out the breath she was holding.
"M-my name is Karma." she replied.
The only words that were needed to be said. She didn't want to give away too much. The purple one was hiding something behind her back. Karma tilted to the right to get a good look at it. All she could make out was a red thing that looked like rope.
A leash...how creative... Karma thought as she was tackled.
At this point in time I must intercept!
---MidnightBloom
Karma walked with her head down and spines flattened against her back as she was led throughout the town. The drake had been woken up and he tagged along. Her facial expression was one filled with shame. Out of the claws of one master into the hands of another. Was she ever going to gain freedom.
"It sure is a nice day. Celestia was kind today." the drake blabbered.Jeez, does he ever shut up? Seriously it's like his voice is a river that won't be dried up. Karma reminisced about turning the drake into water with a curse when her thoughts were interrupted.
"Hiya!" a bubble-gum pink pony sprang up out of nowhere.
Karma fell back and lay on the ground, dazed for a moment.
"What's wrong aren't cha' gonna talk?" the pink one asked.
"Pinkie, we need to go now, okay?" the purple one said to the pink one.
Karma stood up, wrenching away from the hand given to her by the drake. A fellow slave is not supposed to show kindness in front of the master. Karma just hoped that the purple one wouldn't brand the sign. The marking Gathal gave her was still on her inner thigh.
"Okie dokie lokie! Be at Sugarcube Corner for the party, okay!" the pink one replied.
Oh great, they're going to have a party to daunt the new slave. Karma took the leash into her claws and ripped it off. She should've done that earlier but hell, when your a dragon in captivity and absolutely injured, you really don't have time to think now do you?
Karma nearly barfed at the sight of the shop. It looked like an actual gingerbread house, topped with chocolate and other assortments of sweets. She hated chocolate. Karma sighed inwardly. This 'party' was going to be the death of her.
"Surprise!" an amount of ponies ,which can only be rounded to every-pony in town, jumped out and scared Karma enough for her to hide behind the annoying drake.
A baby cried in the background. Karma looked up from her small hiding space to see two ponies trying their best to quiet the young pony. The pink one dropped flour on herself, but that didn't seem to help at all.
"She was asleep just a moment ago." the mother fretted.
The mother rocked her back and forth in her arms. The rocking motion made the baby wail louder. Karma smiled at the young one. She walked over towards it. The young one looked at her with wide, unhappy eyes.
"Wakai mono o neru." Karma spoke in her native tongue.
The young one looked up at her with big eyes. It had stopped wailing, but tears still fell down it's face. All eyes were on the dragoness, yet she never noticed as she took the young pony into her warm arms.
"Tsuki ga akaruidesu, Hoshi Hazurete iru. (the moon is out, the stars are bright.)
Maybe living here won't be so bad. Look at how innocent and young this pony is. She weighs not over a rock, yet the weight of the world seems to elude her mind. If only dragons could be like this peaceful race. Karma thought tiredly.
The red dragon spotted her almost instantly, due to her purple scales. She could not run very fast, due to her hatching only being two days earlier. It reached out with it's long arm and pulled her back. She let go of the eggs, letting them drop into the river. She hoped with all her heart that the eggs would float.
The rough chains were put on her arms almost immediately. Her limp body was thrown into a cage already cramped with other hatchlings. Her head bled onto the cold metal. A different red arm reached out and pulled her closer. A younger green claw reached out as well. She couldn't see anything after that, for she had passed out from the blood loss.Please let them be safe...
Author's Note
Yeah I speak Japanese, Italian and English, what cha' gonna do about it!
Karma left the shop, leaving the sleeping filly with her mother. She had something she needed to do. The memories stitched together were so painful. One day after another in the mines fluttered around Karma's adolescent mind.
~Flashback~
"Hello. I'm glad you finally woke up." the red dragon smiled as Karma's emerald green eyes fluttered open.
Marble sighed and stood up, "I'm going to go get Garble, he's probably stirring up trouble again."
Karma looked around the small cave. It was cold, damp, and dark, but she felt warmth surround her. It must be the many dragons around here. She rubbed her head and sat up. The younger drake gave her a bowl of clear water. She gratefully drank the cool liquid. It slid down her throat and she remembered the days of playing down by the river. Salty, light green tears slid down her face. She hoped with all her heart that the eggs were safe.
"Hey, you okay?" Hawk asked as he wiped away her tears, "There! That's much better!"
Karma stood up and and held her head. Her vision was blurred, but she soon could think straightly again. Karma heard claw scrapes and a stifled scream. The dragons around her drew back sharply, into the shadows. Hawk looked horrified and Karma turned around, wondering what was wrong.
"Hello, young dragoness. Why do you stand before me without fear?" the dragon bellowed.
"I wish to buy these dragons for my mines. I have a feeling that they will be of great use to me." the dragoness said to the red dragon next to her. He nodded and she handed him three large crates.
They were led out of the cave and into sunlight. Karma shielded her eyes as she adjusted to the sudden light.
"My name is Ursa, and I will be your owner from now on. You will be living in the mines, and I intend you learn your full potential of power." 'Ursa' said in her regal and sophisticated tone.
Karma, Hawk, and Marble nodded in usion. Ursa smiled. If she could control the Dragon of Space, she'd be set for life. Of course, the young flame dragon could be the best at forming the tough metals into armor. Now, the other one she wasn't so sure of. He was the only type she had never seen or heard of. His blue frills, yellow belly,, green scales, and lack of ears befuddled her, but she never showed any of that of course.
~End of Flashback~
Karma now stood before a large cave. The large mouth gaped open, inside was pitch black. Karma walked into the cave and kept walking, sticking to the path she created every time she visited it. Her mind set on one point. Little did she know, a certain drake and unicorn were following her down.
She became engulfed in darkness, but instinctively began to glow a lime green. This trait was passed down through generation and generation of the Dragons of Space. They were able to bend the world around them. Yet, there were so few of them. And even fewer females, that almost all had come to believe that they had died out. It was said in dragon lore that a lone Dragon of Space will rise to power and bring the dragons to glory. Not even Ursa could tear that from her claws now. Karma hesitated when the metal door was in her reach. She shook away all the pain and scars and opened it, she no longer needed to glow, the lights inside beamed down on her. Dragons used to be intelligent creatures, with a form of society that rivaled Equestria's greatly. Now, only faint traces of the vast empire were left. This little pocket of a lab, was one of them.
Twilight's POV
Twilight saw the dragon open the metal door and once it was closed, she followed. Spike tagged behind, amazed that his kind could glow in the dark. Wow, what a waste of nightlights. Twilight tugged open the metal door once it was quiet again. She was amazed at the white and clean lab that laid before her. Tubes filled with a green liquid held mutant dragons alive, checking their heartbeats, a machine kept track of their growth and development.
Glass shattered on the floor as Karma looked at them, anger and surprise mixed in her gaze.
"What are you doing here?!!"
Author's Note
Sorry for not updating as much.
Karma stared blankly at the drake and the unicorn. Her tail thrashed back and forth in a futile attempt to keep calm. Karma was fuming, green puffs of smoke billowing from her nostrils. How could these selfish beings, follow her to the only place she could be safe? How could they? How DARE they?!
"Look, I know you're mad bu-" purple started.
"No! Do you realize what you've done! I can make people forget I exist, but I can't make them forget you!" Karma screeched and shut the door to the lab just a burst of blue flames burst forth.
Twilight's face went from surprise to terror as the metal started to bend under the heat. Karma instantly started to drag the both of them towards a black door at the end of the hall. Spike watched the door finally give out under the blue flame. A defeated looking golden dragon stood in front of it as it was pushed inside by a larger black dragon.
Spike's eyes widened as the black door shut, blocking his view of her piercing amethyst eyes. He had a feeling she was the reason Karma had shown up at his door.
~~~~~~~~~~
Karma had been working underneath Ursa for quite a while. Being taught things her mother could never have given her. The idea that dragons like her could be controlled and contained amused her, but she still acted like a scared little hatchling around Ursa, just to be safe. Marble had been kept underground smelting gold and other metals for Ursa to trade with. Hawk had disappeared a while ago. Everyone was searching for the little brown drake, but he had yet to be found.
Along with his disappearance, food was being stolen from Ursa's hoard. New tunnels were being found, and collapsing on top of the explorers. Karma knew Hawk was behind the tunnels, but gave away nothing about it. Ursa was getting increasingly irritated, being much more harsh to her slaves and nearly biting off the heads of her underlings. Karma could feel the tension rising as her precious gems disappeared.
Nothing new came up about Marble, except the fact that Karma never saw her anymore. The red dragon was never there, and no one told her anything, so Karma just assumed that she was moved deeper into the mines. It wasn't until she woke up to Hawk's wide eyes and steaming blood on the floor that she understood. Marble was executed, and Hawk took her body so she wouldn't rot away in the magma they threw all the corpses into.
Pale green tears welled up in her eyes at the sight of her friend. Marble's blank amber eyes stared up at her, empty and cold. Hawk nodded at her, before going back the way he came, taking Marble with him. Karma was glad she got to at least see her before never being able to look her way again.
A bitter-sweet feeling flooded Karma's chest, as the green tears made little indentations on the floor. Marble was dead, it was too dangerous for Hawk to visit her again, and Karma wasn't even sure if her home was still standing. The only thing she had left now, was to survive, and escape.
Author's Note
HAHA I am still trying here!
