Tales of a One Eyed, Scaled Half Breed

Chapters

Childhood, and Lessons of Dragon and Pony
Of Clans, Rivalry, and Loss
The Train to the Coast (Prologue)

Childhood, and Lessons of Dragon and Pony

I was conceived in a highly scandalous mix up, consisting of a badly placed love potion, a highly confused dragon, and a drunk off his arse god. Not the combination that most would think of even being possible, but, hey, magic can do unique things, and does them fairly often. Nonetheless, I rested, in the belly of a golden dragon, for eight months, bouncing off of my siblings shells. We were laid in a volcano home, relaxing in a nest of lava and fire, landslides and earthquakes. There were five of us, all lying next to one another, sharing the same dream… The dream of breaking out of our shells, smelling the world outside.

Amazingly, my memories of the time inside my warm shell remain strong… You’d think that time inside of an egg would be non-existent, just being made, such as in a womb, but… It was a time of creation, and growth. Our mother would whisper us questions as we expanded, tell us stories, and keep us company. Though we could not speak back, we answered the questions, reveled in the stories, and felt love, at our caretaker. We grew far more than one would realize, being alone in our little ceramic rooms…

Our minds had a unique link that allowed us, through pictures, to communicate with one another, even locked away as we were. Words were still a mystery to us all, something that we could hear, and understand, but not yet share. We each had images from the stories that Mother Glimmer told us all… Fire spewing dragons, roaring and flying, the most amazing and beautiful creatures in the land. And of course, the stories of all those who feared us, the ponies, the buffalo, the timberwolves and manticores. Those poor creatures, never to delight in the beauty of what dragons were, only to be considered our prey, our victims.

One year after being laid in that pool of lava, one year of stories, pictures, poems and ideas, we were all just too big to fit inside of our rooms anymore. We simply HAD to stretch out, and as we did, the fragments of our shells broke off, and soon, we wobbily rose, on our hooved feet. We were, obviously, quite confused. Were we not told stories of dragons, great and mighty, and of their prey, the small and meek ponies? Why, we appeared to be more akin to the ponies than to dragons… Two of us even had the ‘horns’ Mother Glimmer spoke of, something not possible with dragons. Unable to even yet speak, we merely waited for Mother Glimmer to explain, knowing that she would let us know.

Allow me to slip into a dream…….

He rose to his feet, looking at his brothers and sisters. Two brothers, it seemed, and two sisters! Amazing! They looked so fierce and mighty, just as the stories that Mother Glimmer had told us! Why look at our fierce fangs, out strong wings, our sparkly horns, our hooved feet…

Hooved feet? Sparkly horns? These were not part of what Mother Glimmer told us we’d have… Why, my siblings with the horns were cursed without wings! What type of cruel trick could this be? He opened his mouth to question, but could let loose nothing more than a small squeak. He looked around for Mother Glimmer, seeing nothing but the pool of lava we had risen from, and a great golden tree trunk in the middle of the cavern.

How would a tree even be growing in such darkness? He followed the tree trunk upwards with his eyes, to meet with a gently smiling face, towering over us. The trunk moved, showing four others. Could this be the Mother Glimmer who spoke to us all these months? He squeaked once more, drawing her attention, trying to hear that melodious voice once more. The great maw opened, and, like a song, it spoke to us all.

“My children… you have found your freedom from the egg prison, and breathe fresh air at long last… But there seems to be… Why do you so resemble those that we hunt? I do not understand this… Please, come forth from the lava nursery, so that I may see you all in full.”

That voice swirled through his mind like a hypnotizing lullaby, and he felt compelled to obey, trotting onto the shore with his brethren. Mother Glimmer investigated each of them, her face growing into sadness as she examined each of them. When she reached him, however, she recoiled slightly.

“You… All the others at least appear mostly of dragon blood, but you… When I inhale your scent, I do not smell the strength of Dragon as with the others… Your skin is of draconic flesh, but… Your eyes are not of draconic shape… your scales appear to be made of not bone, but of hardened fur… What could have caused my children to be so… unusual?”

He cried at her words, openly, with no shame. He disappointed Mother Glimmer, and did not deserve her stories, her love. His brethren looked no better, all as disappointed in their failures as Mother Glimmers offspring. Our surprise was complete when, instead of casting us out as one should do with failures, she instead drew us in, holding us gently with her wing.

“I should not have been so surprised, to be honest. That… being, I met, long ago, yet what also appears to be a mere seconds ago, as I drank from the lake, he… There was something about him, that I was drawn to. It was not of our prey, but something beyond. It seems that each of you has something of him, and something of me… Come, my children. We have many lessons to learn, and I will not allow fur or horns to dissuade me from teaching…”

A long lost dream ends…

Mother Glimmer did indeed teach us many things. The world of words, of math, music, and art. She taught us all that we would need to name each other, all while hiding us from the other dragons, who would have taken us, destroyed us. Mother Glimmer truly did care for us, but as we grew, she neared her eighth millennia upon the planet. As she neared the end, she told us tales of life and death, and that all creatures eventually have to experience both. We understood what she was saying, though we could not apply it to her. She was, after all, Mother Glimmer, eternal in her love and kindness, and we knew that she would never die.

Of course, in this we were wrong. However, she was still centuries from her death, and we would still have time to grow, time to learn, and most importantly, time to name ourselves. Mother Glimmer always said that one names oneself through actions, not through a word plastered on early in life, and as such, merely referred to each of us in reference to our scale color. Red and Blue, my brothers. White and Purple, my sisters. And I, Green, the odd one out.

There were lessons that each of us were given in private, of course. Mother Glimmer was able to recognize each of our abilities, and worked to increase our abilities to their full. I never found out what Red and Purple were taught, as they were separated from us much earlier than we would have liked, but those two shall be a story for another page. There was one special day, fifteen years into our lives, when Mother Glimmer drew Blue, White and I aside…

Allow me to slip into a dream…

“My children of blue, of white, of green, we have a lesson today. Children of red, of purple, your lesson shall be tomorrow. Please, go forth and learn on your own.”

Green watched Purple and Red scamper off, laughing as Purple once again tripped over her hooves. She stuck her forked tongue out at Green, and then chased after Red, calling out for him to wait. Green turned back to Blue and White, already en route to reach Mother Glimmer first, and to receive the gift of the lesson earliest. Green grinned, and quickly outpaced both of them, sticking his OWN tongue out as he passed.

“My child of green, once again, you show excellence in the lessons of exercise, and of athletics.” Mother Glimmer graced me with a stroke of her wing, sending a happy chill through my body.

“Thank ye, Mother Glimmer. I’ve been practicin’ all o’ me exercises, an’ keepin’ meself in shape.” Green positively yelled at Mother Glimmer, then secretly slapped himself. He had been trying to work on his voice, and thought that he’d been making progress. Hoping that Mother Glimmer didn’t notice his slip of the tongue, Green quickly became quiet, waiting for the days lesson to begin.

Mother Glimmer noticed his… speech impediment forcing itself out, but instead of gently correcting him, she instead laughed softly, and shook her head as Blue and White, exhausted, finally arrived at Mother Glimmers claws.

“Exercise is indeed good, child of green, but todays lesson is of utmost importance, and one of both body, and of mind.” White groaned, while Blue sat up with a grin on his face, and Green waited, a confused expression upon his face. He wanted more lessons of the body, while White always preferred lessons of the arts. Blue, of course, relished the lessons of the mind.

Glimmer lay down on the ground, flattening herself for the three of her children. “Come, my children. Today, we meet those that I have once called prey…” The three of us looked at one another with shock as we climbed on board. We had never had anything other than gems before, and had never seen a creature other than ourselves before. Blue and I grew excited about what we were doing. It was White who noticed the sadness in Mother Glimmers eyes, who knew something was going to happen.

“We go to meet, and to introduce… My children of red and purple have yet to complete lessons, as they have stronger blood, but the three of you have learned all that I can teach… There would have been many more lessons, had you all been pure blood, but now… You have new teachers.” Her wings stroked, carrying us to our destination. Now all three of us looked shocked, and scared. We didn’t need a new teacher, Mother Glimmer was all we needed.

“But… Mother Glimmer?” Blue spoke his mind, as he always did, while White and Green hugged each other, her from fear of heights, Green from fear of his sister being scared. “ Why do you always say we are not of pure blood? We are your children, we must be of equal blood of you! Why do we need new teachers? You’ve always taught us what we need to know!” Blue was in tears by this point, as were White and Green, scared of being left by Mother Glimmer.

“I have taught you many things, all three of you, but as much as I truly wish you could be of equal blood as I, it cannot be true… Your father was of another species. Not of dragon blood. I have taught all of you how to live as a dragon would, but now you must learn to live as a pony would. Do not consider this a good bye, my dear children… This is merely a short trip away from home, so that you can all learn more lessons. Do not fear, I will find you all again one day. Know that I love you, and that all that I do is for you.”

Her words bolstered Green, and looking at his tearful siblings, he straightened myself, puffing out his scrawny, yet slowly building chest as full as it would go. Mother Glimmer cared for us, and he would show that care for siblings as well, as Mother Glimmer had always taught.

Soon enough, far too soon for all of us, Mother Glimmer landed, allowing each of us to leave. She pointed to a strange grey structure in the distance, than leaned in close to Green, whispering into his ear with a wink. “In that structure, you shall find many who look far more similar to you than you do to me… And in your case, child of green, they also SOUND far more similar… Now get to walking. If the three of you leave now, you shall arrive by nightfall.”

Mother Glimmer drew us each into one last hug, a tear dropping from her eye, and splashing into the ground. Without a backward glance, Mother Glimmer left us, returning to the volcano nursery that we grew in. We each watched until she had disappeared, then turned to one another in fear, and in camaraderie.

“What do we do, Green?” White rarely spoke, but when she did, it was with a soft, and yet strong voice. This time, it broke with the crack of fear. “Mother Glimmer spoke to you… What do we do now?”

Green looked at his sickly and weak brother, at his scared and confused sister, and felt like he… was somehow where he belonged, as a leader. “Well, isnae it obvious, lass? We’ve got ta get ta walkin’, o’er there.” Green pointed with my wing to the grey structure. With that simple point, the three of us began our march. Green grinned at Blue and White, feeding them courage through his own fear. Green swore to protect his family with all that he had, as his mother would.

A long lost dream ends…

That would be the last that we saw of our mother, or of Purple and Red, for many decades… With a nervous heart, but a false grin on my face, the three of us left the first half of our childhood, stepping towards an uncertain future. Soon, I would be meeting those that I consider, to this day, to be my other family, and to the greatest fifty years of my life.

It truly was a full day march, from the early hours of the morning, until late in the evening, as the sun began to drop below the horizon. The three of us arrived, bedraggled and tired, to the foot of that strange structure, made of carved stone, towering and hollow. A massive wooden door stood in our path, and, not knowing what a door was at the time, we merely waited by it, not understanding. It was not until the next morning that we were discovered…

Allow me to slip into a dream…

“Och, would ye all take a look at this? We seem ta have some wee little intruders huddled at our gate!” Green looked up at the leering voice, lifting his head from the huddle he had made with his brother and sister to protect them each from the cold. “Och, an’ look, one o’ tha wee intruders understands me! Hullo there, wee intruder! Have ye come ta take our castle, or merely ta burn our grain?” Laughter from multiple beings, so high up they appeared as merely shadows, echoed down upon us. Green pulled White and Blue in close, then mustered the courage to speak.

“Nae, my good… um… lad? We have come ta learn lessons, as Mother Glimmer taught us… Are ye ta be our new teacher?” As Green finished his reply, laughter again rained down upon the three. He was thoroughly confused by this point, not understanding these creatures far above him. Why would they laugh, when no joke had been told? What caused them to be so joyful?

“Ach, well, lessons is what yer here for? Well, let’s jus’ let tha wee students in, shall we? We’ll let Bargahrain decide wha’ should happen ta them…” The massive wooden device lifted showing the inside of the strange structure, and multiple creatures, all of which wore what appeared to be false heads, looking down upon them. One of the creature recoiled back when he saw us.

“Wha’ devilry… These creatures are nae o’ pony blood! What are ye bein’s called? Are ye o’ dragoon blood?” The way that the… pony… said dragon seemed drawn out to us. As though he was adding an extra o in his sentence. “Answer me, creature! Are ye o’ dragoon blood?” His wings held some strange looking pole, with a chunk of iron upon the end.

Green, protecting his siblings from what appeared to be a weapon of some sort, stepped in between the strange creature, and his brother and sister. “Aye, we are… Dragoons… Green Dragoon, at yer service.” Mother Glimmer had always taught her children to be respectful, even though they had never met any other beings than themselves to this very day. Green bowed as Mother Glimmer had taught her, hoping that the encounter would not come to blows.

There was a moment of silence, then the creature laughed, reaching up and pulling his false head off. “Ye ken… I dinnae care if yer o’ dragoon blood, somepony brought ye up righ’… Green, aye? An’ I’m guessin’ that tha two with ye are named Blue an’ White?” When I looked shocked at his knowledge, he merely laughed once again. “Ach, we’d heard tha’ the glimmer had some children, tha’ seemed different, an’ we havenae been raided fer fifteen years… Seems tha’ ye were those very creatures tha’ rumor spoke of… Tell me, why shouldnae we kill ye now, fer all o’ tha years o’ grief yer mother has caused fer us?” Once again, the strange metal pole was lifted, high into the air above his head.

Green looked to the creatures, fearful not for himself, but for his siblings. “We have only come ta learn… We… We dinnae come ta die, my good sir… Please.” Green looked into the ponies eyes, looking for a spark of anger, of hatred, but saw nothing but… cheer? A creature threatening to kill him, and it seemed happy to be doing so.

The pole slowly lowered, as another voice rang out through the air. “HOLD YER WINGS, GLAIOCH! These three have been offered ta us as a peace offerin’… The glimmer wishes fer us ta teach them, an’ she shall cease in her attacks…” White perked up at the new, female voice, and the three siblings looked to the newcomer, descending a set of stairs rapidly to stop the creature before us.

The newcomer stopped, panting heavily, then turned to Green apologetically. “Yer mother caused our clan many years o’ misery, wee one… Ye mus’ understand, we arenae fans o’ dragon blood here. Howe’er, yer appearance means a possibility o’ peace, an’ we mus’ take it… Come within tha’ fort, wee ones… I am Bargahrain, bard, an’ clan leader o’ this fine land… An’ yer new teacher.”

Green looked to Bargahrain, confusion evident. “Mother Glimmer, causin’ misery? Tha’ canne be… She has been naught but tha kindest, an’ mos’ lovin ta us… Surely, ye mus’ be tellin’ a tale ta us now…” Green stopped speaking, as Bargahrain shook her head no. She said no more as she brought the children within the fortress, huddled together and shivering, taking the harsh glares from all that they passed.

Soon, the siblings had reached a large, empty room, with none but Bargahrain, and Glaioch at the front of the room. Bargahrain sighed sadly, then faced us. “Yer firs’ lesson shall be the hardest, wee ones… Ye already ken what we are, but we can tell ye history later… Before ye even settle in our fort, ye MUS’ ken tha reason yer all here, what yer mother has done ta us… Before yer allowed within the actual courtyard, ye mus’ ken tha true history between tha dragons, an’ tha ponies o’ Scoltland… Please, be seated. We’ll bring food an’ water as tha lesson goes on. It shall be quite long…”

A long lost dream ends…

Bargahrain and Glaioch would teach us long into the night, and into the early morning, of the history of the Kraoich clan, and of what the dragons had done to them. With each tale of fire, of death and devastation, we lost parts of ourselves… White attempted to flee halfway through, in tears, and Blue had passed out at one point. I as well had felt weak kneed, and weak willed. This could not be the truth, could not be what our mother and her kin were capable of… But with each story, Bargahrain would show us proof, so that we could not disagree.

Glimmer was an enemy of all of her clan, as she had long hunted their clan. They had a detailed history of each that had been lost to her fire, to her claws and her maw. Full graveyards of farmers, warriors and workers killed. Tapestries of the battles against her adorned the halls of that great room that would become our classroom.

Finally, after what seemed like days of nightmares, of horror uncomprehend able, the lesson ended, and we were finally allowed within the fort itself, to a quiet arrival. Bargahrain told us that Glimmer had not been sighted in fifteen years, but in that time they had attempted to regain control of lost territories, resulting in clan warfare, and most of the clan being away. Glaioch told us that he was to be at the lead of the warfare, but had been forced to stay behind to guard us, in case we were hostile. He clearly regretted this decision, and glared at us angrily, threatening us each chance he could get.

We would live the first year of our life within the fort, only seeing two ponies… Glaioch, our cruel guardian, and Bargahrain, our emotionless teacher. We learned of the history of the clan, of the land, of maps and tales that we had never seen or heard. We learned of many lands, those outside of Scoltland, and of the goddesses that controlled the heavens, in another land far away. Slowly, and luckily to us, Bargahrain began to realize that we were not the cruel monsters she believed we were, and warmed up to us as we learned, beginning to teach us lessons of art.

Glaioch, however… He would never give us freedom, always taunting us, trying to make us break so that he would be allowed to destroy us. Many times, I nearly rose to his insults, only being calmed at the last second by White, or Blue… Sadly, though, Glaioch noticed my rage, and began endeavoring to separate me from my siblings…

Allow me to slip into a dream…

Green left the lesson of music. He’d begun to enjoy the fiddle that Bargahrain had been teaching him, and of all instruments. His wing gently gripped the handle of his instrument, almost skipping along. Blue and White had not shown his abilities with music, and had been given separate lessons on the arts. He trotted through the great hall, shuddering as he once again looked up at the tapestries decorated with his mothers conquests.

“Yer feelin’ tha bloodlust, arenae ye, ye wee scunner…” A familiar voice echoed from behind Green, and he slowly turned to see his cruel task-master. “Each time ye walk through here, I see ye shudderin’ from tha delight o’ tha blood yer demon o’ a mother caused… And why nae? Yer a monster, jus’ as she is…”

“Ach, Glaioch… Take tha’ back! Ye’ve ne’er met her, how would ye ken what she’s like? She’s nae a monster, and neither am I!” His voice was able to quickly rip into Green’s nerves, his anger already rising. Even with those tapestries above him, Green still loved his mother. “Why are ye always insulti-“ Green suddenly found himself rammed into a pillar, held off the ground by a strong pair of wings.

“I dinnae her? I DINNAE HER? How dare ye… All this time, ye ne’er ONCE thought about how this was fer me… I had a child once, an’ a wife… such as tha’ monster ye call a mother...” Glaioch eyes burned with fury, as he applied more and more pressure into Greens throat. “Aye, I ne’er met her, but I felt her fire. She destroyed what was closest ta Bargahrain an’ I… An’ she let Bargahrain live with her shame… Tha’ she couldnae save her own daughter. An’ she left me with nae but my anger, an’ rage. The ONLY reason yer nae dead is because Bargahrain told me nae ta…” The wings released Greens throat, dropping him to the stone floor as he gasped for air.
Glaioch kicked Greens prone form as he trotted by, then cursed loudly. “Ach, an’ would ye look at tha’… Bargahrain is gin’ ta have my hide… Or yers, if I play me cards right…” Lying next to Green was a broken fiddle, its strings splayed out, and bent inwards from the pressure of being snapped. Green looked at the violin, then up at the gloating Glaioch, and felt the red washing in to his eyes. He shakily rose, and trotted towards the one he hated so much…

A long lost dream ends…

I truly wish that I could say that my fury gave me strength, my anger led me to victory. I wish to say that I destroyed Glaioch in a fair fight, teaching him to never mess with me again. I truly wish these things, but, as they say, a dream can quickly transform…

Into a nightmare…

Green coughed violently, spitting his blood on to the floor. Twenty minutes, this beating had gone on… Fifteen minutes since he had surrendered to Glaioch. Not even one of his blows had landed on the towering Pegasi, who merely mocked him now, as he lay there, unable to even move.

“Ye’ve got nae idea, ye son o’ scum… The SECOND tha’ ye decided ta attack me, was tha SECOND tha’ I was allowed ta do anythin’ I wished ta ye…” Glaioch slammed his hoof on to Green’s spine, ramming him into the ground with a weak whimper, “Honestly, I’m surprised tha’ ye were able ta last five minutes.” Glaioch laughed, then stomped his fore-hooves on to the back of Greens head, sending pain and stars ripping through his mind. “C’mon, ye scum. Stand up. I dinnae care if ye live or die, but I’d prefer fer one tha’ I kill ta have tha honor ta stand first.”

Green continued to lie on the ground, desperately attempting to get breath in to his lungs. He wanted to stand, wanted to show Glaioch that he wasn’t scum, but lying in a pool of his own blood, scales and teeth, he just couldn’t. The pain ripping through his body was unlike anything he had ever felt before. He just laid there, on the warm stone floor, tears dripping from his eyes, unable to make them stop.

“So… Ye dinnae even have tha honor ta stand an’ face yer killer, aye? Well, let it be said tha’ I offered…” Glaioch casually trotted away, returning moments later with his axe. He leaned in close to Greens newly torn ear, whispering. “An’ ta think tha’ I ALMOS’ let Bargahrain talk me inta given ye a chance… I see tha’ ye didnae need one ta show yer true colors…” Glaioch casually lifted the axe into the air as he spoke. He looked at Green’s bloodied form for several seconds, before chuckling. “Well… Cannae say tha’ I willnae enjoy this, son o’ tha demon dragon…” The axe swung, and Green closed his eyes.

“GREEN!!!” A soft, yet hard female voice rang out, and the axe froze, caught in an aura of white. Glaioch glared at the axe, tugging desperately to move it, then watched in horror as the aura captured his wing, spreading down to his full body, holding him in place.

“Wha’ manner o sorcery is th-“ His attempts to struggle proved to be in vain, as he was lifted into the air, still as a statue, then slammed in to the ground, silencing his attempts to scream or curse. His form was thrown around the room, screaming, until he looked as badly off as Green did. As he was beaten, the aura holding him weakened, until, after what seemed like hours, but was merely a minute, the aura flickered out, dropping Glaioch from the top of the room, groaning, to the floor with a sickening crunch.

Green opened his eyes, looking into the horrified silvery eyes of his sister, along with those of Bargahrain. She looked at Glaioch, crying, and gasping to breath. “I… He was… How… I… I’m so…” White was unable to complete her stammered comments, and instead ran from the room, sobbing. Bargahrain frowned at the crumpled form of Glaioch, the galloped to Green.

“Wee one, please… Stay still… We only caught a wee bit o’ tha… fight… If tha’ could have been considered a fight, instead o’ a pony going forth an’ torturin’ a child… We’ll get a healer here as soon as possible… Jus’ stay still, an’ we’ll help ye…” Bargahrain ceased her speech, as Green’s wing weakly grabbed her hoof

Green looked to Bargahrain through eyes he could barely hold open, crying. Through his swelling lips, he managed two last sentences before he lost consciousness, “M-M-Make sure White is alrigh’… An’ please… I’m sorry about yer violin.” *Green’s view changed to blackness, his last sight that of a stunned Bargahrain, drawing him into a gentle hug in her earth pony arms.

A nightmare has concluded…

White had not run away, she had just locked herself in her room, scared of what she had just done to another living being. I was honestly lucky… During the fight, right at the end, Glaioch had accidentally knocked over a pot, smashing it, and drawing Blue in to the Great Hall. He ran away, fearful of being concluded in the beating, but also to find somepony who could help. Luckily, he had found Bargahrain, teaching White how to sing a ballad, and they quickly came to my aid, quite literally at the last second.

The worst part of this is that, even facing my own death, and being saved, I only felt shame. I had promised to protect my siblings, and instead, they were the ones who had to protect me. Blue brought me help, and White saved me, yet all I had done was allow my rage to overtake me, putting me in to a fight with a much more experienced fighter, nearly to my death.
Somehow, that last comment that I had made began to break the wall of sadness around Bargahrains heart. The fact that I, broken, beaten and bloody, was more concerned for her, and my sister, somehow touched her. She began to care for us as she would her own children, and, a month after I nearly died, she laughed for the first time since we had met her.
Through all of this, my bond with my brother and sister only had room to grow, and it took that room. The guards who had been left behind during the conquests began to refer to us as ‘the Technicolor triplets’ and would join in on our games, our lessons. Some of the guards began to teach us little things outside of our average lessons. The first time that I played one of the songs that I was taught to Bargahrain… Well, when I realized what those words meant, I understood that full week of punishment.

Glaioch, however… After his defeat at the hooves of my sisters magical prowess, only began to hate us more. We feared him trying to exact his revenge on us at any moment, and it was only Bargahrains insistence that we always travelled together, or with a guard, is what probably kept us safe. Even then, we would always seemingly find him, around that next corner, waiting, and watching…

Even with Glaioch, however, we were finally feeling like we belonged. We were able to play, and laugh again. We each began to realize that there were things that we had never learned in the volcano nursery. My love of music led to me learning multiple instruments, as well as beginning to write my own poetry. Blue, always curiously poking around, discovered that his ‘scientific discoveries’ were easier to remember if he drew, began to make tapestries, and paintings of his discoveries, that looked as though he had the actual item in front of him, instead of a sheet of paper. And White spent more time with Bargahrain than Blue and I, learning the tales and myths of the land, and even began to write her own stories, her own worlds and heroes.

Of course, even with all of this, we knew that one day, this lazy, quiet lifestyle would end. We had heard the word of successful campaigns at the edge of the Kraoich lands… And soon, the rest of the family would arrive. And they would arrive several years later, as we grew out of being teenagers, and finally achieved our adulthood…

Of Clans, Rivalry, and Loss

Bargahrain was quite nervous, as the clan approached. She knew that many of them did not know of us as she, and the guards of the castle had. Yes, the armies had been receiving letters and tales of what we were, who we were, and why we were there. Yet we all knew that she was not the only one sending letters out, and we all knew that Glaioch wished for us to be hated as much as he hated us.

Though clearly nervous, Bargahrain continued our lessons, and we began to excel in our own art of choice. I could practically dance as I played the violin, though my torn ear had given me slight troubles soon after the fight. Blue had created art of quality with those in the great hall, and had even been given the honor of a place amongst those tapestries. And White… Well, we wouldn’t know how well White was doing, until the clans had returned.

Even with all the fear, the nerves and confusion, the moment that we all woke, early in the morning, to the sounds of the pipes playing in the distance… That was not a dream.

That was one of the clearest memories I have…

Green awoke with a start, trying to figure out where he was. He had once again been having a dream of forests, of caves and mountains, yet had been interrupted by a clear tone ringing out. He was shocked to find that, even while awake, the note continued playing. Green looked to his brother and sister, to find that they, too, had a look of confusion strapped to their faces.

“Um… Are the two of you hearing that as well, or is it only I?” Blue looked to me with confusion as he spoke, watching my ear twitch. “Hm… Seems likely that you are. Come on, guys! Lets go see what is going on!” Blue leapt to his feet, and slowly and cautiously opened the door to our room, White and Green standing behind him. Blue found himself looking into the fiery red eyes of Bargahrain.

“Ach, my wee ones, tha clans have returned! Quickly, quickly, ye mus’ get ready!” Bargahrain quickly ushered the three of them away from the door, down to the bath-house. “Ach, they werenae ta be returnin’ fer almos’ a week… All three o’ ye are in fer a treat… Ye’ll get tha cold shoulder from a few o’ ‘em, sure, but when tha ale starts flowin’, well… They’ll open up ta ye, nae problem. But ye need ta be clean first! Now get, get!” She shoved us into the bath-house, and galloped off, busy preparing a fort that was not supposed to begin getting ready for several days.

Blue and Green quickly scrubbed themselves down, excitedly chattering about all of the ponies they were about to meet. White also scrubbed quickly, but was busy talking with… herself, apparently. Green wanted to listen in, but had been taught that eavesdropping was rude from Bargahrain, and he honored her wishes. The group finally had cleaned themselves, and as they began to leave the room, they were once again interrupted by Bargahrain.

“Clean? Good, good. Now, White, are ye ready ta do tha readin’?” White nodded nervously, as Green and Blue watched on in confusion. “Now… Tha three o’ ye are all right at twenty years o’ age, so… None o’ ye are children any longer. There will be anger at my choice here, but I believe tha’ the three o’ ye are ta sit at tha head table… With Glaioch an’ I, as my own daughter once had…” Sadness momentarily dropped into her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a new expression, that of pride. “Ye ken… I may have lost me daughter, but ye three…” Tears poured down her eyes, as he drew us into a tight hug. “Tha three o’ ye have done nae but make me proud. I’ve started lookin’ at ye as though ye were my own children… Do me proud, wee… Nae, yer nae wee any longer… Do me proud, my sons, an’ my daughter.” She released us, and then smiled gently, gesturing to the great hall.

Green trotted to the hall in a daze, smiling one moment, frowning the next. He looked to his siblings, seeing the same expressions running through them. They were adults, at long last, and… They had another one who called herself their mother, not Mother Glimmer, but Bargahrain, the fiery orange earth pony. As they reached the great hall, they paused, looking once again to her. Tears poured down her eyes as she remembered those that she lost, but the smile on her face told a different tale… one of compassion, and of pride.
…………

Several hours had passed, the sound of the horns gradually growing in strength. Green stretched out his legs and wings, sighing, and then flopped to the ground, growing bored at long last. They had been standing at the front of the room for far longer than they had expected to, without a word from Glaioch or Bargahrain. Indeed, the two ponies stood stoically, staring to the entrance of the hall, as guards, servants, and cooks scrambled about, trying to prepare the room for the return of the army. Glaioch was clearly disgusted to find himself at the table with the hybrids, but knew better than to go against his wife’s wishes.

Bargahrain stiffened as the horns stopped, tapping her hooves urgently on the floor, causing Green to leap to his feet, and Blue and White to stop in their contest of jokes. Moments later, the great doors creaked open, as the last servant galloped from the room, having only moments before placed the last great plate of food on the tables. Green looked to the return anxiously. He had been unsure of how this return would go, as it was a return from war. Would they be blood covered, depressed and lost? Would they be bloodthirsty barbarians, having only begun to satiate their fill of conquest?

Greens answer came swiftly, as the hall with filled with jovial voices, arguing, fighting, joking and laughing, simply happy to be home. Bargahrain smiled, gazing at the crowd, waving at familiar faces, and Glaioch even allowed himself a shadow of a smile as he, too, recognized family. Green looked on in wonder, at the banner-bearer of the Kraoich, as well as three other banners he did not recognize, trotted into the room, causing an instant to those who they passed. Bargahrain looked to the banner bearers, and nodded once, to which each immediately left, placing the banners behind the head table.

Bargahrain leaned in to Green’s side, whispering, “Each territory that we conquered keeps their banner, but must place it here to show who has conquered them. That way, they retain free will, but also knowledge of the shame of loss, and the eagerness to regain honor.” She winked at Green, then leaned in to White and whispered something as well. White nodded, then Bargahrain gestured to a guard next to a great horn, who began to bellow a call to silence throughout the room.

Bargahrain stood straight and tall, and looked to the clans, noting the wounded, the lost, then began her speech. Green tried to concentrate on what she was saying, words of honor, of courage and loyalty, but had much difficulty. He was too busy trying to hide from those who were openly staring at him, and his siblings. However, it was extremely hard for you to hide when you were unable to move, and when you were standing directly next to the one who was speaking.

Green noticed that the crowds had shifted their gazes to White, and he began to listen to what Bargahrain was saying at long last. “ And now, dear clans of Kraoich, of Wolfkin, of Dannsair, of Greatail…” As she said each clan name, a great cheer rang out, causing her to pauses as the clans attempted to outdo one another, “I wish to introduce three new faces to us all… These three are members of the… Dragoon family.” Blue shied away from the stares, while White blushed, and Green stood tall, though nervously. “Most importantly, I wish to introduce… Our new bard, White Dragoon.”

Outrage. Anger. Shock, surprise, and glee. The reactions were mixed, ranging from sheer hatred, to pure joy at a new face. Glaioch looked to his wife with disgust, while Blue fainted away behind the chair, and Green held back a cheer for his sister. Bargahrain angrily gestured once more at the guard, causing the horn to bellow loudly again, silencing the crowd of voices. As they quieted, Green, for half a second, could have sworn he saw a tall, yellow being in the back of the room, laughing; he blinked, and the vaguely familiar figure disappeared.

Bargahrain looked to the crowd of confused faces, “My clan… Clans o me enemies, an’ those o’ me friends… I am coming upon my fiftieth summer upon these lands, an’ as much as I dinnae wish ta admit such a thing ta be, I… Am nae able ta remember tha ballads as I once did. This one, however, has showed an excellence tha’ none o’ ye have shown, an’ I truly mean what I say… White, if ye’d kndly, share what ye’ve written…”

White stepped forward, facing down the glares directed her way in a manner that Green couldn’t understand, showing bravery beyond anything he had ever seen, and opened her mouth. The words that flowed forth were beautiful, and of such devotion, that Green could do naught but listen with rapt attention; words that Green would never forget.

“To the ballad of the highlands,
The horns of conflict ringing out,
To those of blood and of blood lost
The strong rise, the weak shall grow
Honor to be regained, heroes to be born
Journeys that shall never be forgotten
And those of kindred blood, stay strong
For there are those much alike to you
Willing and able to aid one in dire need.
All honor to the highlands of green.”

True, the poem was short, but… For a first attempt, to Green’s ears, it was easily on par with some of the writing that he had read in the great library of the fort. He gaped open mouth at his lightly blushing sister, blown away by what he had just heard. He rapidly shook his head, looking out to the crowds, unable to read the faces of those who watched. He nervously flapped his wings, awaiting the reaction.

From the front of the room, a dark purple earth pony under the banner of Wolfkin spoke up, “Well, I like her. Let’s keep her.” Immediately following this comment, the hall erupted into cheers for the new bard. Green, White, and Bargahrain breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief, and Bargahrain gestured to the horn bearer, one last time.

“And now, dear clans of Kraioch, and of our newfound allies, now that tha readin’ o’ our newfound bard is out o’ tha way, let tha feast o’ champions begin!”

A memory stays, but the one remembering it leaves…

We wouldn’t realize it until later, but when the feast completed, White had a mark upon her flank, of a quill and paper… A destiny of being a great writer. Blue and I were amazed by what she had done, that she had achieved a goal that we had believed would only be gained by pureblood ponies. Of course, I would eventually gain my mark of musical notes. The occasion was not so great as Whites, however, and never really stuck in my mind. But, back to the great feast…

This was the first opportunity that we had to meet all those who had been away, to compete in tests of strength, of wisdom and music. During this feast, we had our first pints of ale, and in my case, my second, third and fourth… The feast continued late into the night, and into the early morning. I remember waking up, on top of a pile of snoring warriors, almost eighteen hours later, with White and Bargahrain laughing at the disaster before them.

Sadly, the arrival of the clans meant that our lessons with Bargahrain had ended, but we had begun a new series of lessons… For White, she had many tales to learn, and lands to explore… Her adventures kept her away from us, as she travelled from clan to clan, learning more tales, but each time that she returned, we would stay together, late into the nights, enraptured by the stories that she had learned, and those that she had written herself.

Blue, of course, began to converse with the alchemist, and the teachers, and soon had a knowledge base that far exceeded White’s, and my own. He eventually gained a mark of scribbled words within a canvas, his goal of becoming a scientific artist quickly becoming achieved. Blue was a true genius, but still far too weak to be much of an explorer, or a warrior. Even then, he and I were inseparable, exploring, discovering, and cheering one another on.

And as for I… Well, when I wasn’t with Blue, I had the luck of the draw… The only of my family with the strength and speed to be trained in weapons… And my teacher? I shouldn’t even have to say it…

I’ll simply slip away…

Green woke once again with a yawn, being shook slightly. “Green, ye scunner, ye need ta wake up… Todays tha day ye begin yer trainin’…” Green batted off the hoof shaking him, then frowned, and opened his eyes to see his mother looking down, a small smile on her face. “Ye were tha one tha’ wanted ta protect yer family, an’ I us’ made it possible fer ye… Now get! Ta tha courtyard!” Green slowly rose, stretching his limbs, then slowly trotted away, still tired.

Before long, his exhausted form arrived at the courtyard, to come face to face with one he had managed to avoid for months… “Hm… So I’m supposed ta be teachin ye scum, am I… She REALLY wants me ta teach a half-blood monster like ye, and another pure-blood scum jus’ like ye…” Glaioch glared at Green, and the upright yellow dragon beside him. Green ignored Glaioch, instead studying this unknown figure beside him. He recognized her vaguely, as though from a distant memory. Glaioch droned on in the background, as she took note of his stare, and winked at him.

“GREEN!” Green snapped to attention, looking at Glaioch’s glowering face, inches from his own. “As I was sayin’… I dinnae wish ta treat scum like ye with tha honor tha’ a teacher will, but…” He pats a large bruise under his eyes instictivelly, “My wife… convinced me otherwise… Anyway, Today we willnae be sparrin’… Ye will each be experimentin’ with our weapons, til ye find one right fer ye… I’ll be watchin’, an’ makin sure ye dinnae injure yerselves… too badly…” Glaioch pulls a large tarp off of a pile of weaponry, before trotting several yards away, to down a large tankard of ale.

Green trotted forward, digging through the pile, as the dragon beside him did the same. “Hey, half-n-half, what’s your name?” The dragon nudged Green as she said this, pulling out a large double bladed spear, and frowning. “Too heavy… Anyway, you can just call me Ash. Full name is Ashelyn Cindermane, but no one wants to be called something like that…” Ash did not give Green a moment to speak, instead just blathering away into his ear about who she was.

Green eventually begin to ignore the talkative dragon, instead focusing on the weaponry. Everything he pulled out just seemed… wrong. Too heavy, too light, too big and too small… Eventually, Ash pulled out a small bladed hook attached to a chain, and began to swing it about, grinning. “Now THIS, I like…” She padded away, swinging the weapon about with a goofy grin on her face, as Green grew frustrated.

Glaioch eventually grew weary of watching Green suffer, and trotted forward, forcibly grabbing Green’s wing, and examining it roughly. “Ach, nae… Too strong fer anythin’ too small, but still a wee bit too weak fer tha halberds an’ hammers… I wonder…” He jabbed his head into the weaponry, pulling out a long, rusted blade, and placing it into Green’s wings. Green swung it a couple of times, then shook his head. Glaioch frowned, then once again dove in, pulling out another of similar shape and size, placing it into one of Green’s wings, while placing the other sword into the spare wing.

Green cautiously swung both blades, feeling them slide through the air, and grinned. Somehow, with a blade in each wing, it just felt like it belonged. Glaioch nodded, a frown on his face. “Now, tha both o’ ye will practice with yer weapons… We’ll get ye ta learnin’ proper techniques tomorrow, when we find somepony willin’ ta teach ye tha weapon they excel at… When yer done learnin’ about yer weaponry, I’ll bring ye back, ta teach ye tha finer points o’ Scoltish Wrestlin’…” Glaioch left without another word, and Green and Ash grinned at one another.

“So, lass… What do ye think yer thing is called? I think tha’ mine are called… Claymores.” Green grinned down at the rusted blades, lying on the floor in front of him, examining them in detail. Suddenly, a hook jabbed onto the ground, dragging the swords away from him.

“Honestly… I don’t know what this thing is called. I just like it. Feels… right.” She seemingly spun the hook with expertise, barely avoiding her own limbs as it swung around. “So? You should pick up your ‘claymores’ and lets see who’s better!” She grinned happily, holding the hook loosely in one of her claws. Green grinned back, scooping up his swords, and prepared for his first sparring match…

A long lost dream ends…

Ash… Ashelyn Cindrmane. A figure that would follow me throughout my life, my first true rival. That first sparring match… Two beings, with no understanding of battle, flailing about randomly. It was a tie… because neither of us even were able to hit one another, and instead spent twenty minutes smashing seats, pots and art in an attempt to figure out how to swing. Bargahrain was the reason that first battle ended, running in and stopping us around oour hundredth ‘oops, my bad’ slipped out.

The two of us were lucky, and it turned out that the expert to teach us our weapons would not be Glaioch, and turned out to be two warriors of the armies. The one teaching me was a massive Pegasi, who never mentioned his name to me in all of our teaching, and spoke rarely at all. I eventually came to refer to him as ‘Meatslab’, as he looked like a barrel, and could hit like a mountain. Even then, he was able to teach me flawlessly, preferring a show over speech method of teaching. He would teach me for a year, always increasing my abilities. At the end of the year, we had an official sparring match, one with no holds barred. I won that match, barely, and he finally laughed, a single, short bark. That laugh designated the end of our training.

I know not who taught Ash, only that she became a veritable dancer of a fighter, swerving, ducking, dodging and weaving in each of our sparring matches. We were allowed to go into combat once a month, each battle closer than the last. At the end of the year, immediately following us each finally beating our teachers, we met for one last battle, wearing one another into a draw. Ash swore that she would beat me, and I swore the same of her… And then our weapons were taken from us, for a six month course with our hated enemy…

Slipping into a nightmare…

Green shakily rose from the floor, looking about as well off as he had in his last battle with Glaioch, five years previous. He looked over to Ash, lying unconscious on the floor, then back to his tutor, glaring angrily. He stepped forward, bolstered by Glaiochs apparent lack of attention, but swiftly found himself smashed into the ground once again.

“Lad… I wish I could say I’m surprised by yer failure ta fight once more, but I cannae. Yer still as useless as tha day I met ye… But as fer YE…” Glaioch kicked a bucket of water, dousing Ash back into a painful awareness with a desperate, stuttering gasp, “Fer FOURTY years, ye’ve evaded police, bounty hunters, an’ thieves tha’ ye made tha mistake o’ challengin’… An if it werenae fer my… wife… arguin’ fer ye, I would have turned ye in… Tha’ bounty on yer head is still quite massive. I honestly dinnae get it, though… Fer FOURTY years? An’ ye cannae fight worth squat… What did ye do, jus’ run away, like a wee scunner?” Glaioch sneers in disgust, and trots away, shaking his head angrily. The door slams, letting the two injured know the days ‘lessons’ had ended.

Green scraped his bruised and bloodied body over to Ash, and he weakly uses his own body to support hers. “Ach, lass… He really went all out today, didnae he? C’mon, lets get ta tha healers…” Green’s attempt to help was cut off, as Ash cursed loudly, and shoved off of him, stumbling several yards before collapsing once again. Green sighed, and slowly and carefully limped to her. “Lass… He’s done this fer two weeks now… I ken tha’ it’s hard, but we’ve jus’ got ta persevere, aye?” Green grinned a shattered grin at her, desperately trying to cheer his rival up.

“No, Green… We DON’T have to take this… What he’s doing, it’s nothing short of cruelty. We have to go to Bargahrain, to SOMEONE who can help!” Ash lay in a pool of her own sweat and blood while cursing, yelling, and glaring at Green, too weak to stand up.

Green once again helped Ash up, this time with a stronger grip to stop her from running. “Nae, lass… Because if we truly want ta beat him, we cannae let him break us… We have ta prove tha’ we are stronger then him… Tha’s what Bargahrain told me, when we began these lessons… She said tha’ he’d try his hardest, an tha’… Lass? What’s wrong?” Ash had broken down once again, dropping to her knees, and shuddering from sobs wracking her body.

“Did… did you hear what he said about me? Why aren’t you asking? Everyone else who does always asks…” Ash immediately quieted, forcing herself back to a standing position, and leaning against Green.

Green frowned upon these remarks. Glaioch had indeed said many things, cruel and insulting to the both of them, but the words that he’d whispered to Ash today seemed… different than usual. As if what he was saying had been true. Green grinned weakly once more, causing the bruises around his eyes to twitch in pain, but held it for his rival, and friend. “Lass… Tha way tha’ I look at it, things like tha’ will be told when tha time comes… Now, c’mere… Let’s get ye ta a healer…”

A nightmare’s grasp is broken…

Those six months… Of my times in the clans, I remember those with the most hatred. Daily ‘sparring matches’ with Glaioch, who would, on a daily basis, beat us to near unconsciousness, then send us away to the healers. Every day, we’d try a bit harder, many times nearly breaking. Each day, we’d manage to land one more blow, one more grapple, then the last. Ash broke her arm, I my wing, and yet the training would continue, as brutal and merciless as ever. Bargahrain, every day, would wait just outside of the halls to help us to our destination, a full hour under healing magic.

Blue grew ever more disgusted with what Glaioch was doing to us, and began to lay small devices, wherever he went. Blue truly was a genius, able to create traps and tricks, using nothing but what he had found within the castle, to sometimes devastatingly brutal results. However, not all of his traps were successful, and one led to only more suffering, on what should have been amongst my happiest days…

Slipping into the worst of nightmares…

Blue chuckled at Green, late at night. “Okay, so the mousetraps, fire-crackers, and the like have been successful, but I’ve got something BIG planned for the end of lessons tomorrow…” Blue winked at Green. For several days now, Green had been easily capable of finally defeating Glaioch at long last, but had held off, planning on taking him down alongside Ash. Tomorrow would be the day that they finally defeated him, in two separate one on one combats. “When that sack of dirt goes to take his seat at the head table, I’ll have a sort of… jet, attached to the underside of his chair! When his flank meets the chair, the jet’ll turn on, and BLAMMO! He’ll be rocketed to the ceiling in a huge crash! I just gotta sneak into the alchemists hut tomorrow, to finish up the compound…”

Green laughs, his mind filled with the delightful sound of Glaioch, roaring and screaming, as he flew head-first into a stone ceiling, “Ach, lad, that’ll be FANTASTIC! An’ ye think ye can do it?”

Blue nods eagerly. “Oh, easily… There will only be one bit that’s risky, but I’ve practiced it before, it’ll be ready to go, easy as pie… Well, as much as I know you want to hear more of my brilliant plans, we really should be going to sleep now… You’ll see the results tomorrow afternoon…” Blue winked once again, then flopped over, falling asleep instantly. Green grinned, then quickly followed suit.
………………

Green grinned ecstatically as he pinned Glaioch to a pillar, not twenty minutes from Ash also completing the task. Glaioch grunted, squirmed, and attempted to fight back, but to no avail. With an angry hesitance, Glaioch finally tapped out. Green yanked his now well-developed, and quite strong fore-hooves once more, causing a yelp of pain from Glaioch, and then finally released him.

Green subtly high-winged Ash, then turned back to Glaioch as he struggled to his feet. “An’ ta think… Tha two o’ ye whelps would finally be a match fer me… I’m disappointed in meself, fer lettin’ tha both o’ ye beat me…” Glaioch sighed angrily, then reluctantly opened his mouth once more. “It kills me ta say this, but… ta both o’ ye… congratu-“

Glaiochs words were cut short by a massive explosion. He whipped his head about, trying to locate the source, then turned to Green and Ash. “Ye two, quick, with me.” The trio quickly galloped off towards the sounds of screaming, and of fire crackling. Glaioch looked highly worried. Rumor had reached Greens ear that the Greatail clan was thinking of breaking from the clan… Was this the first strike?

They soon found themselves in front of a shattered doorframe, and a burned and charred room. “Blast it all… What was tha’ alchemist doin’ this time? Tryin’ ta bring about tha destruction o’ tha castle?” Glaioch was interrupted by a unicorn hurriedly carrying a charred pony, groaning and screaming in agony, from the room. From several yards away, Green noticed his brother, looking on in horror.

“I… It was supposed to be simple… There wasn’t supposed to be…” Before Blue could explain further, he turned from the gaze of Green, and galloped away, towards the front gate. A few moments of silence passed, then Glaioch turned to Green angrily.

“Ye… What did yer brother do?!? Ye saw his face, tha guilt within his eyes… What was he doin’ here?!?” Glaioch reached toward Green angrily, but was cut off by a call from behind him. Smokepot, the clan alchemist galloped up, nursing a burnt fore-leg.

“Blue, tha wee lad… He tried ta make a propeller bomb, didnae notice his surroundin’s as he did so… As he was finishin’ up, my student, Firebug, bumped inta him from behind… He overdid one o’ tha ingredients, an’… Well, the fireball engulfed them both, but earth ponies arenae immune ta fire, like tha dragon-bloods are…”

Greens mind ran back, noting things like the slight scarring on Blues scales, and to the mutilated pony that had been levitated past him only moments before, and he covered his mouth in shock. He turned away, and galloped wildly, ignoring the calls of both Glaioch and Ash behind him. He ran blindly, until he found himself slamming into a familiar, old pony. “Green, me child… what was tha couse o’ tha explosion I jus’ heard?” Bargahrain grabbed the panicking half-breed, listening closely to his ramblings, “Ach… Blue? An ye saw him runnin’ towards tha gate? C’mon than, child… Let’s see if we cannae find him…”

Green and Bargahrain arrived at the gate, only to confirm that Blue had, in fact, ran through, and had not been stopped. Bargahrain turned back to Green, holding his head gently. “Stay here, my child, an’ let White ken what has happened… I’ll go an’ find Blue, he cannae have gotten too far…” Green nodded, and ran to find his sister. She had only arrived back in the castle two nights previous, and it took him some time to find her, sleeping in one of the towers.

Green quickly informed the drowsy hybrid of what had happened, and the two ran back to the great hall, where Ash and Glaioch also waited. However, knowing nothing of where Bargahrain could have gone, the group was forced to simply wait…
…………………

Green woke with a start. Hours had passed, and he had found himself atop a pile, White and Ash curled around him tightly. Glaioch stood nearby, still awake, but clearly exhausted. Green looked to the doors with a start, as they had begun opening. Moments later, Bargahrain trotted through, looking weary, and… filled with regret. Slumped over her back was the body of Blue, limp and coated with water.

Green trotted forward in shock, eyes widening as his mother spoke, “He… I found him, over tha edge of a cliff… I heard another explosion, an’ when I went ta it, I found nothin’… I looked over tha cliff, and saw him, lapping against tha Cliffside… I’m so sorry… I’m so, so sorry… This shouldnae happen ta ye… I’m… I’m so sorry…”

White woke up, looking at Blue with fear in her eyes. Ash, barely awake, shed tears for the one that she barely knew, but was still close to her, from the stories and tales of another she knew as a rival, and a friend. Even Glaioch looked upset, gingerly taking the corpse from Bargahrain, his eyes truly sorry for what had happened. But Green… Green couldn’t even manage an expression. His mind, his soul, everything about him felt destroyed. How many times had he promised protection? And how many times would he fail?

The first of the great nightmares ends…

The funeral was surprisingly long… Blue had become well known by many in the fort, and many had quite liked his quirky, energetic self. I had… shrank away from the others during it, unable to accept the fact that I had lost one so close to me. I could still hear him in my head, bragging about his discoveries, showing off another painting as I laughed. White had written a truly beautiful ballad for him, one that bounced off of me, as I sat there, for hours, in shock. Nothing that was said, the condolences, the sorrowful farewells, the hugs and well meant words, had registered. I just sat there unblinking, for five hours, looking at him on that pyre.

This was the first true moment of my life. One that I loved had been taken from me, perhaps not permanently, but most definitely at this moment. No tears were able to pour from my eyes. I was only able to refuse to accept this moment. Blue was so smart, so bright… How could he have been taken from us? I argued with White, with Glaioch, even as they tried to make me understand. A full month of nothing but depression, and feeling lost…

The saddest part is that I lost more than a brother that day… Ash had run away, at some point during the preceding’s. I didn’t know why, I didn’t even notice that she had left for several days. Bargahrain grew more distant as well. She still cared for White and I, but she had effectively lost another child, something that hit her hard, and almost brought her to nothingness. And Glaioch… From Glaioch, I found a surprising amount of understanding and aid. As though now that I felt what he had once felt, he was able to speak to me with less hatred than before…

The Train to the Coast (Prologue)

The train rattled along, carrying a full crowd towards the coast. The crowds within bustled and yelled, celebrated and argued, save for one compartment, in the front of the train. Within this compartment were three siblings, each looking forward to the coast, as it would give them the means to arrive at their TRUE destination. The largest sibling, a red scaled dragon-like being, grunted at his other two siblings, then gestured towards a large chest filled with journals, some filled, some empty, before returning his gaze to the window.

His nearly identical green scaled brother sighed, and gripped one of the journals. Within, there were many pieces of his life. Scales of lost kin, a feather from a god, the tattered remains of a coat… He looked to the other occupant, and sighed once more.

“Are ye ready, sis? Ye already ken tha’ I’m nae any good with writin’… Yer horn will keep this steady.”

The white draconic hybrid nodded, and prepared a journal, quill, and a pot of ink. However, before any of the sibling could do anything further, an ethereal blue maned head popped into the cabin.

“Art thou all comfortable? I wish for the ride to be as enjoyable as possible for all of you.” The new face looked about the extravagantly decorated cabin, concern evident in her eyes.

The three siblings looked at one another for a moment, then the white and green one’s burst into laughter, while the red allowed himself a single loud snort of amusement. The new entry blushed, and the green being, waved her in.

“Luna, me lass… Yer always too concerned with everythin’ tha’ happens ta us… Heck, if ye’d given us one o’ tha regular cars, we’d have been fine… First class is BEYOND what we were expectin’, yer highness… Tell me, how’s Korin doin’?”

The new face, Luna, smiled at Green’s evident concern for Korin, “Oh, the young one is doing quite well in the storage compartment… last that I hath checked, he was snoring ever so elegantly, sprawled unto the floor. My concern remains with you, though, Green… It is not to Korin’s… death… that we now ride.” The princess entered the car, placing herself next to Green, draping her shoulder over him in a tight hug.

Green smiled weakly, returning the hug with his own wing. “Lass… Ye ken tha’ I dinnae have a choice in this… I dinnae want ta pass either, but… It’s me time. I can feel my heart, slowin’ e’er so much… I jus’ want ta die in my home.”

The cabin once again silenced, before the red scaled individual finally blurted out, “Brother, if you do not write, the story will not be completed,” In a thick accent. Green nodded again, and turned back to his sister. He opened his mouth, still holding the princess of the night ever so gently, and his story began to finally spill forth….

The story of his explorations and discoveries. The story of those that he loved, loathed, and lost. The story of gods, immortals, and dragons. A story four thousand years in the making. The story…
…Of a true name.