Serpent's Embrace

"Where are they?"

Talon twiddled his claws nervously. A fully grown dragoon, he was armed with razor sharp talons, jagged teeth, leathery wings, the ability to breathe fire, and sheer size. Few things could harm him, much less scare him, but his master was more than deserving of his fear. Especially when he was displeased.

His master was a behemoth. A titan among dragons. Even while lying down, he towered over Talon. When standing up, he felt as if he were an ant.

His master loomed over him, the bizarre machinery lining the right side of his face and trailing to his throat intensifying his already terrifying scowl.

"I asked you a question, gnat."

Talon gulped. "A thousand apologies, your grace!" he bowed. "But a basilisk razed the village before my troops could capture its inhabitants.

His master's glare lessened slightly. "A basilisk eh?" he snorted a puff of smoke that could suffocate entire families. "Even I had trouble with those blasted worms in my youth." he dismissed Talon with a wave of his hand.

The dragoon sighed with relief. "Thank you, your grace."

His master sneered. "Fail me again, and I'll pluck off your wings."

There were two things Egghead the diamond dog was good at. Stabbing things and watching things. The short and stocky dog was a rugged looking creature. Practically bulging with muscles, and covered in dozens of scars beneath his piebald fur, he was a living testament to the terrible realities of war. He had once been an officer in a notorious diamond dog horde. A frontline fighter in the grueling shield wall, he and his spear, Gut Splitter, had slain more kobolds and gnolls than any other dog in his pack. He'd probably still be involved in those bloody conflicts, if that rampaging wyvern hadn't slaughtered his entire warren. Throughout the entirety of his violent life, Egghead had never seen such carnage. Corpses had been splayed everywhere, their entrails spilling from their eviscerated bellies. Diamond dogs, kobolds, gnolls, the wyvern had torn apart anything it could get its wretched talons on. Worst part was that the foul creature had done it for little reason other than to amuse itself. Like a cat, playing with a mouse. Its maniacal cackling plagued his nightmares to this day.

Homeless and alone, Egghead wandered aimlessly, eventually stumbling towards a traveling pony caravan. It was there he found his second calling in life. Staring at things. Or as they liked to call it, guarding things. When Egghead had made it clear to the ponies that he had no intention of viciously mauling them, they instantly hired the intimidating canine as an armed escort. Apparently they were frequent targets of brigands and goblin packs. They hadn't seen or smelt either party while Egghead was around.

Just as Egghead had thought he would get his bearings again, a basilisk had jump them out of nowhere, several months later.

"He is dying!" she had hissed over his employer's screams of terror.

"What?" Egghead asked, remarkably calm considering the situation.

The basilisk shoved a shivering ball of pink and yellow into his nose. "He is dying!" she repeated. She had stared at him intently, her distress nearly invoking her eye's power. "Fix him!" she demanded.

As it turned out; the foal had been suffering from a high fever. By happenstance, the caravan had been carrying a crate of medicine. Relived, the basilisk left the caravan alone, but only after she had dragged the crate and Egghead with her.

Unlike the basilisk, Egghead could actually purchase goods her child might need in the near future, something she had quickly realized. In addition, he could watch over him while she hunted. Egghead had balked at the prospect at first, but upon witnessing the demise of a chimera at her metaphorical hands, he had quickly accepted his new position in life.

In less than a year, Egghead went from renowned warrior, to protector of a shabby pony wagon, to a foal sitter. Not that he minded, in fact he was fairly content as of now. Foal sitting did not demand he trek across the country every day, nor did it entail the dangers of an axe blade cleaving through his skull. He was being payed a generous amount as well. The basilisk was in the possession of more than a few gems after she had killed a young dragoon. Sure he had to clean up after the foal's mess, but he had fought besides dogs that soiled themselves in the midst of battle, so he was already use to the smell.

"Daddy?" the small colt sitting on his head called.

Egghead barked in annoyance. "Egghead has told tiny pony many times, too many times, that Egghead is not tiny pony's papa dog."

"But you're a boy, and moms a girl, and you're both taking caring of me." the colt pointed out.

"Means nothing!" Egghead spat derisively."Egghead and tiny pony's mamma snake have not done stick-in-hole-dance. That means Egghead is not your papa dog."

"Then why don't you?"

Egghead laughed. "If Egghead tried stick-in-hole-dance with tiny pony's mamma snake he probably get swallowed by mamma snake's giant hole. Or melt. Either way Egghead die. And Egghead will not die just so he can pretend to be tiny pony's papa dog."

"I have a name you know."

Egghead grunted. "No you don't. Only one here with name is Egghead."

"Nuh uh! I named myself yesterday."

"Is new name better than "Pink Peach"?"

"Yeah!" the colt boasted proudly.

"What is it?"

"Marmalade!"

Egghead snickered. "Is good name."

The colt's eyes practically sparkled with joy. "Really?"

"Yes," Egghead said sincerely. "Egghead thinks tiny pony should keep name forever, so that Egghead can laugh at tiny pony any day and everyday." the diamond dog sniggered cruelly.

The colt pouted, angrily he stormed off. Minutes later he felt lonely, so he came back and climbed back up Egghead's head.

"What do you think mommy is doing?" he asked, idly clopping his hooves together.

"Killing things."

The colt frowned. "I'm bored."

"Egghead does not care."

"Tell me a story!" he insisted, pulling Egghead's ears for emphasis.

"Fine, Egghead tell tiny pony story. Story about how Egghead got his name," the colt beamed. "When Egghead was a puppy, his head looked funny. Papa and mamma dog thought his head looked like egg, so they call him Egghead. The end."

The colt glared at him. "That was a bad story."

Egghead grinned toothily. "All of Egghead's stories are bad."

The colt tugged on Egghead's ears until he finally relented.

"Fine!" he snarled, irritably. "Egghead tell tiny pony another story. Story about how Egghead got his second name, Egghead." Egghead coughed to clear his throat. "One day Egghead meets dumb dog named Bucketface. Bucketface was dumb cause he tried to make fun of Egghead who was much, much bigger than him. Bucketface says, "Hah! You named Egghead because parents too dumb to think of better name." Egghead was annoyed, cause Egghead knew that was true. But Egghead doesn't want to admit that so he says, "No, that is not why Egghead is called Egghead." Bucketface looks at Egghead funny. "Why are you called Egghead then?" he asks, thinking Egghead was lying. So Egghead grabbed Bucketface by the ear and said, "I call Egghead, because I break other dog's heads like egg." And then I smashed Bucketface's head against a wall. Papa and mamma dog were proud of Egghead, so they gave him second name, Egghead. And Bucketface's papa and mamma dog were mad at Bucketface, so they gave him second name too, Bucketface. The end."

The colt stared at Egghead for a few long seconds. "Diamond Dogs are bad at naming things."

Egghead nodded in agreement. "Yes we are. And your mamma snake is here."

The colt looked at him quizzically. "How do you know?"

"Egghead smells her."

"What's she smell like?"

"Dead babies. Lotsa dead babies."

As Egghead predicted, the basilisk slithered into into the den, a twitching goat in her coils.

"Milk it," she said, addressing Egghead. "Then thou may eat it."

Egghead bowed slightly. "Yes, mighty basilisk." he scampered off, dragging the goat with him.

The colt rushed to embrace her, clinging onto one of her scales. The basilisk tapped him on the head with the tip of her tail, the most contact she afforded to give, lest she splatter him.

While the colt had grown rapidly throughout the years, she was growing faster. While she was several centuries old, she was only beginning to hit adulthood. She had become several tons heavier and a dozen feet longer. Her scales had darkened slightly, and two small sail-like protrusions had sprouted from either side of her head. In time, she would become twice her current size, almost black in color, and develop a thick vast hood. But that wouldn't be until at least another millennium.

Her son looked up at her excitedly. "Did you get another dragoon on your hunt?"

The basilisk shook her head. The colt frowned in disappointment, but instantly perked back up. "What was the toughest thing you fought?"

"A kelpie."

The colt didn't know what a kelpie was, but gaped anyway. "Wow! What happened?"

"I stared at it. It died."

The colt frowned. "Your stories are as bad as Eggheads."

The basilisk peered down at her son. "Does thou wish to hear a story?"

The colt gasped happily. "Would I?"

She smiled at his enthusiasm. "Then I shall recount the origins of the world itself."

For several long minutes she stared at the setting sun for inspiration. Once she had gathered her thoughts, her words flowed like a river.

"Before there was land, before there was sea , before there was life, before there was time, there was Erebus. Erebus was everything, yet nothing. A tendril of darkness that never stopped and always grew. Erebus was all powerful, all knowing, eternal, and alone. Bu-"

A sudden ruckus cut into the middle of her story. "Bad goat! Goat doesn't bite dog, dog bites goat!" a horrible bray ensued, accompanied by the sounds of tearing flesh.

She sighed. "What did thou say?"

"Sorry mighty basilisk, but you brought Egghead a boy goat. There is nothing to milk, except nasty sticky stuff.

The basilisk scrunched her snout distastefully. She always found it difficult to discern genders.

"Can I have some?" the colt asked.

"No! Tiny pony cannot have nasty sticky stuff!"

"I meant the meat!"

"No!" Egghead refused again. "Is not natural for ponies to eat meat. When tiny pony eat it, his poo turns wet and nasty, and Egghead has to clean it up!"

"But I like it!" he whined, stomping his hooves.

"And Egghead doesn't like cleaning up after tiny pony! Go eat clovers!"

The basilisk rolled her eyes at the exchange. "May I continue?"

"Yes please."

"But then Ra was born, and his spawning brought upon light, time, and existence. The birth of the great phoenix stripped much of Erebus's power. No longer able maintain his ethereal form, he became imprisoned in a physical body, and was reborn as the primordial serpent, Apophis. The first of the basilisks, and the lord of death. Though Ra had taken his divinity away from him, Apophis bore him no ill will. Omnipotence and omniscient came at a high price, and Apophis was more than happy to cast them aside. Ra however, hated and feared Apophis. Ra believed that Apophis wished to regain his former strength and would consume Ra to do so. Convinced conflict between the two was inevitable, Ra struck first.

In an instant, Apophis lost an eye to Ra's talon, and so, the first, and greatest battle had been waged. While crippled, Apophis was was an even match for the upstart. Ra was speed itself, faster than the light he emitted, he was utterly untouchable. Apophis was slower, but unstoppable. He weathered his enemy's blows unflinchingly, doggedly pursuing his foe.Their clash went on for eons, neither party gaining an edge over the other. Sheer endurance would determine the victor of their bout.

Eventually, Apophis prevailed. Older and more patient, he was finally able to take advantage of on one of Ra's blunders, mercilessly crushing him between his coils. While victorious, Apophis was not pleased with the outcome of their battle. Already Apophis could feel his former power returning. Cradling the last fading embers of Ra's being, Apophis kept the remnants of his flickering flame alive.

Ra's remaining essence would soon be known as the sun, and her counterpart, the moon, was forged from Apophis's gouged eye. The two existed in perfect harmony, creating the world as we know it today."

The basilisk looked up, black had painted the sky while she had been telling her story.

"It is getting late. It time for thou to go to bed."

"But we haven't finished yet!" the colt protested.

"Yes we have." she said simply. She indicated to Egghead, who threw the colt over his shoulder, and unwillingly brought him to bed.

The colt struggled haplessly in his caretaker's paws. "But what about all the other stuff? Like the land and oceans, how did that stuff happen?"

"That will be for another time."

The colt grumbled unhappily, then perked up when he remembered something.

"Hey mommy?"

"Yes?"

"Can you do the stick-in-the-hole dance with Egghead, so he can be my daddy?"

"....Egghead."

"Yes, mighty basilisk?"

"What has thou been teaching him?"

"Many things," he grunted. "Egghead teaches him many things."

So yeah, after two days of being stuck in a bus full of people yelling in Chinese, I made it to my hotel and was able to finish up this chapter! Yay.

Oh and anyone is curious, Egghead's appearance is based of the English bull terrier breed.