Life Begins Anewby ImpressmeChaptersNo bark, No Bite, All Pony (Cherry Dream)Shells, Scales and Manticore Tails (Prisma)Beautiful, Inside and Out (Snow Fall)No bark, No Bite, All Pony (Cherry Dream)Mama always picked the flower covered pup up when it was time for the pack to move on. At first, when the young pup figured this out, she was finicky and upset, trying the best she could to kick away from Mama so that she pack would stay; she always made little animal friends in the different spots of the forest, like the little bear cubs and squirrels that never ran away, so why couldn't she stay and talk to them? It wasn't fair -- it was their territory, Mama had told her so. Why were they leaving like this? It wasn't until the growls grew louder and her mother's grip on her became more and more painful that the cub finally quit resisting. She still didn't understand it, though. Not until the hunger began to set in. It wasn't bad, at first, for the shy little pup. Some nights she would curl up next to her mother like she always did, and yawn against her mother’s hard, wooden chest... But she could hear mother’s stomach growl. She didn't mind or worry much...but eventually the young cub’s own pain became too unbearable to ignore. Sleep became a difficult task to accomplish, with the snarls of hungry camp members echoing through the caves, resonating through a dark forest. All the poor pup was left with was snarls from her short tempered mother and sharp pains burrowing into her oaken form. It was bad, but not horrible. It wasn't horrible until much later... and for a completely different reason. It had been a normal day, over all. The Timberwolves who had gone off to hunt had returned with no food, saying that there was none left. They explored the expanse of their territory, searching it over and over again for a sign of just a single squirrel or living animal, but it was as if all of them had just run off or disappeared from the face of the planet. Absolutely nothing was left at that part of Everfree. So they did what they always did. They argued, snapping furious growls and snarls back and forth between each other, quarreling and having to be broken up before they decided to move again. Mama then gave her normal, low growl of warning to the young pup, clamping down on the back of her neck much harder than she had to, swinging her up from the ground and limping after the pack. Like always. They always left. But it was normal. A normal day. A bad one, yes, but normal. It wasn't different until later. The sad cub swung low to the ground, her wooden paws scraping the mud as her mother limped through the forest. She had thought about telling her Mama about it -- telling her that it was hurting her and dirt was starting to cake into the scratches in her wooden legs -- but when she looked up at Mama, she knew that she wouldn't. Her mother's eyes were squinted and drawn up in pain, and her wooden ears were snapped back angrily against her cheeks. Her stomach cramping and letting off low growls, she snorted and stared down the path ahead, marked by paw-prints. The cub knew that if she went against her mother now, she would be angry, and would just snap and bite down even harder against the pup's wooden skin. It would just be better to let it be, let Mama be as happy as she could -- Mama did so much to help her, after all. So the cub just looked away from her, ignored the pain in her paws, and looked down to the trail swinging around below her and scraping at her paws. It was the best she could do, since she wasn't walking herself. Just stay still, quiet and complacent. She stared at the ground, and looked at the patterns going by. There were tiny swirls of dirt branching off of the wooden paws of the pack ahead, swirling up into Timbershy's face. Clouds of the dirt and dust scattered over the paw-prints they left behind, pebbles, ridges in the earth. Timbershy looked at each one, the paw-prints, naming off who's paw each belonged to. Alpha, Omega, Beta-- Mama tensed. The pack stopped. The cub stopped thinking about the paw-prints and looked up. The cub broke her rule, looking wildly around as her mother's lips tightened into a thin line. What was happening? Her mother never stopped until they were at their new territory and she circled around three times, making a new place to sleep -- why was she stopping now? What was happening? What was happening? What was-- A sharp growl ripped through the back of Mama's throat, the pup's wooden legs stiffening as she watched. The cub could hear her mother sniffing at the breeze, an air of tension flying over the entire pack. An odd smell wafted and misted over the cubs' nose through the dust, everyone around her bared their fangs and dug their claws into the dirt... There was a sharp whistle, the weary wolfs' vision went black, and then she was on the ground. After that... It all happened so fast... there were loud, harsh yelps that split through the trees, snarls and the lashing of claws and teeth... two more high-pitched whistles which broke off in the cubs' ears... The pink headed pup stood up from wherever she was at the time, her head swimming while she shook the dust off of her body. An agonizing headache formed in her head as noises exploded from all sides, her scratched paws aching even more now that they were up. How had she gotten to solid ground like that? Her Mama had... dropped her? Something had to be wrong, Mama never dropped her. Never. Something had to be-- Timbershy opened her eyes, and looked up at her Mama and the chaos swirling all around her. Mama laid on the ground, eyes closed. A strange object, some sort cylinder with red leaves on one end and a sharp point on the other, jabbed and broke into Mama's hard skin. It had punctured down into her veins beneath the dull, broken wood, a sparkling blue concoction of several pure magics leaking from the hole that... thing had made. Two more Timberwolves, just ahead of her, were laying the same way, leaving imprints in the ground, while the rest of the pack let out harsh barks and yelps, snapping their teeth. The cub backed up, her legs and arched back shaking as she stumbled backwards, away from her Mama. What was going on? She hadn't seen anyone -- surely nothing would attack the whole pack...? B-But they had, and she was seeing it play out before her very eyes. Two more whistles. Then three. A few flashes of light and five Timberwolves hit the ground. The pink pup couldn't stop staring, couldn't move from her spot staring at her mother. She couldn't tell if Mama was breathing. If any of them were breathing. Who was... what was... ? Four more. Then one. Only the sad little she-wolf was left. And she could see them. Walking forward, with large grey boxes with lines in the middle floating along in a magic bubble... were monsters. They were somewhat tall, yet sickly in stature, their heads covered in odd wisps of stringy clouds of what the cub thought looked a lot like the fur on a squirrel's tale. They were different colors, all contrasting against the green and greys of the trees, an odd, sharp stick protruding out of their heads. Circles and squares rimming their eyes... they smelled so strange too, unlike anything the pup had ever encountered... They were looking at her. With those big, weird eyes, they were looking at the lone pup. They stalked closer, gibberish breaking past their mouths as the grunted at each other in undecipherable noises. Some of them moved their eyes across some of the pack, taking the little cylinders out of them and starting to shake them. They looked... confused, angry maybe, the pup didn't know. She just knew they were coming closer, one of the large grey boxes in a bubble. Just closer... closer... closer... The pup ran. She couldn't remember, not even now, how far or how long. She just ran away from the monsters, gibberish and weird noises coming from them as she went. She ran and ran, away from the sight of Mama's blood, away from the pack hitting the ground, away from the boxes. Everything. Nothing. She couldn't tell anymore. She never would. How in the world could any of this happen? Why did she have to run from this? When she stopped, she was lost. The pink pup knew she was lost -- she didn't even look around the area or try to see where she was -- but she didn't care. She just cared about her mother. Her mother and whatever was left of the pack....If there was a pack to run back to. Mama... was she remembering right? That couldn't have happened, right? Where was she going? She couldn't actually have been lost could she? The pack never let her get lost. She tried to think about it, tried to see what happened... they were alive and they were walking, but then that smell and Mama wasn't moving anymore, and maybe she was dead, but Mama couldn't be dead, except she was and so were all of the others except for her and she was all alone and she didn't even have the squirrels and-- It didn't make sense. None of it did. This had gone by to fast, she couldn't understand... Nothing. There was just nothing. Nothing... A sharp pain shot through the cub's stomach and down her spine, and then the world went black. Her dreams were filled with red. Red trees, red grass and red wolves howling in the distance before they dissolved into ash. * * * When the pup woke up she expected to see her pack getting up, barking orders and making complaints on how hungry they were. She expected to be picked up from her mother and be carried with the rest of the pack. She expected to feel her mother's wooden chest pressed up against hers, warming her up in the endless cold nights. She expected anything other than absolute loneliness. She twisted her body to the left and peaked one of her eyes open, and an endless valley of green filled her surroundings. She was rested upon a luscious soft grass, under the sea of blue above, with white, fluffy clouds scattered in the sky. Oak trees stretched to the tips of the heavens, and the sun beamed into her face, cooking her flesh and fur. There were no Timberwolves curled up, asleep, beside her. No sign of the pack. No sign of anything. And...The pack? Where was she? She was just there -- she had to still be there, right? Panicking, her breath quickening, the weak cub opened both eyes. She couldn't see her mother, or the pack. She lifted her shaking body up, her eyes darting back and forth across the trees, searching the forest for signs of life. She couldn't find anyone. She couldn't even find the alpha. What happened to her mother and the-- It hit her like a ton of bricks. Her mind swimming, thoughts pounding I her brain like a drum, it came back to her. The spindly creatures with sticks on their foreheads, the grey boxes that the creatures swung around with their strange, colorful lights, the little cylinders of red that were sticking into her mother's... th-that had killed... killed... The memories settled into her aching, growling stomach and sat there like lead, pushing her body back to the ground. It happened. It was happening. It wasn't just a dream -- everyone was gone. She was lost in the forest, completely alone, and she never was good at tracking and hunting. Mama always got her food for her and kept her safe. Now she was forced to fend for herself. She had to. But she didn't know how. How? She had never gone into the forest on her own. She did her best to remember the layout of their territory. A river marked the eastern border of their territory. Which way is east? A memory of her father, from long ago, came into her mind. No faces, really, but a voice. One distinct voice... "Little oak, do you know which direction we're heading?" A familiar voice asked. "No I don't, Daddy." She answered sitting up on his back. "Well, let me teach you a little trick. The sun rises in the east, and the sets in the west." "So east would be that way?" She pointed to where the sun rose a few hours ago. "And west would be there?" She pointed in the opposite direction. "That's right." He confirmed. "What about north and south?" The pup asked. "That answer lies with the trees." "Really, daddy? The trees will tell us?" "Yes, but not with words." He approached a nearby tree and pointed at the trunk near the ground.. "You see this green bark?" "Yes." "This green bark only grows on the north side of the trees. We use this to help navigate the territory. Now, which direction are we going?" "South?" "Excellent, you are a fast learner. It took me a long time to learn that." He smiled. "It wasn't that hard, daddy." "Not for you, because you are a smart pup." "Really?" "Yes, really. You won't have a problem getting food when you get old enough to hunt. I'm proud to say you are my daughter. Now let's get moving, we don't want to fall behind." She looked up at the sky and saw the sun was about to set, and began walking in the opposite direction. Dad's right, I can do this. With new found fire, she took off in the direction of the river. Years Later "Bill, bill, another bill, magazine subscription... Oh hello, what's this?" Derpy picked up a curious and formal letter in a yellow aura, the envelope covered in a blood-red seal. The sending address was from Canterlot, apparently, and it said it was for her. But who could it be from? I don't know anyone in Canterlot. She ripped the envelope open with a hoof, and read over the elegant print of the parchment. Dear Ms. Hooves, Although this may be a bit sudden, Miss Doo, I am in dire need of assistance from somepony with your particular set of skills. You're quite advanced in magic, you're a trustworthy candidate in a town that absolutely adores you, and for all the right reasons, and you are a *wonderful mother. I need someone who can take care of a new "addition" to your wonderful town and I know that you are the right mare for the job. Although I may not be able to meet you face to face, I promise you that you will be properly rewarded for you endeavors. If you feel that this is something that interests you, please reply as quickly possible and I will have an associate fill you in on the details and any other instructions that I deem necessary.* Princess Celestia Derpy nearly dropped the letter after seeing who it was from, her jaw almost hitting the ground and her breath hitching at the back of her throat. The P-Princess requested my help... with payment... I-I don't know, I don't know what this is... What am I talking about?! I need to do this! With all those bills and Dinky starting another semester at school... Before Derpy even realized it, a toothy grin began to spread on her snout, as she did a happy little jig with the red envelope still held in her giddy hoof. With a happy little twirl and a shake of her rump, she danced her way up to the confused filly sitting at a small table and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Mommy, is something happening? Why are you dancing all funny?" "Dinky, all of our problems might be going away soon!" She picked up her pegasus daughter and nuzzled her nose into her cheek. Her daughter giggling and pushing away from her with a puckered face, a single thought ran through Ditzy Doo's mind: * * * "Believe it or not, Miss Doo, but this is a relatively simple spell. Just the two of us together should be able to perform it when the time comes, if everything goes according to plan. It will take a couple weeks, yes, but it shouldn't be that difficult for a unicorn of your skill level." No need to worry about the Princess, Miss Doo. This isn't the only facility holding this particular experiment and she's far to busy to visit each and every one. You can trust us, Miss Doo. Ditzy Doo's chest heaved up and down in fear as she poked her head around the corner of the tree she was pressed against, her heart throbbing up from her chest and up into her dry, aching throat. She had met the group and it was....Shady to say the least. Every answer they gave seemed to be a rehearsed excuse, but the bag of bits that they slammed onto to the table was no joke. Four hundred bits just to watch over something for a few months? She couldn't refuse. "Miss Doo, it will be fine. Even a filly could pull this little spell off, if given the help of two or three mages, and I promise you that you'll be rewarded greatly for your time. There's absolutely no need to panic. I'm more than capable of taking care of a few wolves on my own, if need be." Derpy took a deep breath, struggling to stay calm, and looked to her partner at her right. His grey, fur-covered face was stoic and calm, his green eyes, rimmed by protective goggles, staring determinedly around the bark of the tree he was against. He wasn't scared. He wasn't worried. He was completely calm. Derpy should have been like him, she told herself. Nothing would go wrong. Hopefully. "Well, if you're so sure... what exactly would I have to do, though, mister...?" "Evergreen. And that, too, would be relatively simple. We already know that the spell does what it's intended to, but we also know that it's not quite perfected. As soon as the target is in sight, we'll set off the spell to make it easier to capture." Evergreen pointed out, still out of sight behind a large tree. "After that, we would just be monitoring it's progress and running a couple of tests to see if we need to make any changes to the spell. Raising it will be your job. Our other subjects haven't reacted to well with steel cages and locked doors so we're going to take a different route and entrust it with somepony a little more caring." She gulped and looked around the tree again. And the gray unicorn was gone. "Wh-What?!" she screamed in a hushed whisper. "How did..? Evergreen?!" Ditzy Doo looked over to where her partner had been standing. He was no longer there, and as Derpy saw with another peek behind the tree, was now several feet away, jabbing a hoof through some bushes and muttering something unintelligible to himself, before his horn flared a nasty shade of green. With a loud pop, he was gone. He had left Derpy alone. In the Everfree. Where those monsters could get her at any second. "E-Evergreen?! Evergreen!" Derpy trotted away from her hiding spot as quickly as she possibly could, her breath hitching as she found her partner ducking into some tall shrubs. What is he doing?! Wasn't he supposed to be helping her? Then, everything slowed to a near stop. Ditzy "Derpy" Doo heard a furious snarl and the snapping of claws. She turned, a squeal bursting from her lips and bouncing from the expanse of trees circling her, and a Timberwolf, vibrant pink flowers breaking off of its branchy head, lunging at her. It was going to get her. It was going to kill her. She was going to die. She was going to leave her children as orphans. Derpy wasn't going to let that happen. Her horn flared, her eyes crossing themselves and her teeth grinding together with determination, and then the Timberwolf was being suspended in the air. * * * The flower covered pup studied the forest floor, tracking the deer that would, with luck, become her next meal. The sun offered little light as it was about to set as she hunted her prey alone. She had been alone for so long now it was hard to remember how long her life had been that way. Not that it mattered, Mama was gone and nothing was going to change that. Same with the pack, they were all gone. A rustling close by drew her attention away from her past and back to the present, where it needed to be. She pursued the sound to a nearby path. Normally, she would have avoided the paths ponies made in the Everfree, but the desire and need for food outweighed any fear or concern that they would attack. Even if her pack was taken down by the evil things. The pony was covered in grey fur, and had thicker yellow fur on her head. A strange horn protruded out of it's forehead. It had a blonde tail as well. She was muttering that same strange language those other ones did so long ago when they attacked. It looked like she was searching for something. Not that it mattered, the creature didn't deserve to exist in her land. She began to feel the hatred she had harbored over the years bubbling over. Why do they think they own this forest!? What gives them the right to come and go as they please!? Why should they be allowed to set one foot in this territory!? Her temper flared and she lunged out of the bushes. It will pay for what they did to my pack! The flower covered wolf raced down the path and bared her sharp teeth, ready to tear it to pieces. The pony gave a loud shriek and just when she thought she had it, she was paralyzed. Somehow floating in the air, her entire body was engulfed in some sort of yellow light. The horn on the pony's head glowed with the light as well. The pony began shouting gibberish at her while she was suspended in the air. Once it was done, the scrawny wolf felt the earth return beneath her feet. She was still immobilized by the pony, who began muttering again. In her peripheral vision she saw another pony approach her, it's horn glowing as well. She had walked right into a trap. The second pony was silent after a few minutes before it's horn gave off a blinding light. Then the first one followed suit. Her breathing quickened and she began to panic. Fear had gripped her mind much like the way her body was gripped by these ponies. She clenched her eyelids shut to try to keep the light out. But, it was too bright and caused a sharp pain in her eyes. The pain started spreading over her entire body, as if her wooden hide was being stripped away. She was powerless to stop it. Her life was coming to an end, just like daddy, just like mama, just like her pack. Powerless to save herself from the coming end. Minutes ticked by at an agonizing pace as her entire body felt like it was on fire. After a few more minutes, the pain had ceased. The young wolf was released and collapsed from the severe pain she had just been forced to endure. With all of her energy ripped from her body, the tired, newly formed pony simply blacked out. "I... I can't believe it worked!" Derpy exclaimed, as she eyed the unconscious pony in amazement. "Yes, yes. You did a fantastic job Miss Doo, but this was the easy part." The bored looking scientist stated, putting a damper on Derpy's excitement. "Now you have the privilege of caring for her." Derpy only grunted a quick response as she eyed the unconscious mare with curious eyes. "Do I get to name it?" "If you feel the need to, than it shouldn't be much of a problem." The gray unicorn replied, wandering off into bushes once more. "Your head was covered with blossoms, so how about Cherry Dream? I'm sure you'll love your new home." Of course the unconscious wolf couldn't utter much of a reply, but Derpy was more than satisfied with the choice of a name. "You'll probably need this." A voice called, catching Derpy's attention. With a loud slam, the gray unicorn brought a large, plastic cage out into the open, earning an unamused frown from the gray unicorn. "What? She won't exactly be sunshine and rainbows when she wakes up, you know." Shells, Scales and Manticore Tails (Prisma)Deep inside the massive, ancient chamber, dragons stood guard. They had done so for centuries, millennia even. Dragons were infamous across the world for their almost single-minded protectiveness of their hoards, and every dragon with a healthy amount of greed had a hoard to call their own. This chamber, however, held a hoard of something far more valuable; one that even the most selfish, greedy dragon in existence would lay down their life to protect. For inside that chamber, the next generation lay dormant. Eggs of all shapes, sizes, colours, and patterns sat in neat, orderly rows and columns. The room itself was located deep below the surface, with a level of heat that would easily make any non-dragon black out. To a dragon, it was comfortably warm. Standing over two eggs, one a sky blue and the other a bright orange, was a huge dragoness. She was known amongst others as the Caretaker, for she had lived for long enough that her true name was all but forgotten to time, and she didn’t care enough to be known by any other name. In fact, the only thing she really, truly cared for were the eggs. They were her solemn duty, and she would stand for eons, protecting them. The blue egg began to shake and tremble in its cradle. As the Caretaker watched the miracle of life unfold, the orange one began to shudder too, a small crack growing down the side. The Caretaker examined the shells more closely and documented them in her immense draconic memory. The blue egg featured webs of colour, only visible under close scrutiny. The colours, unlike ordinary eggs, were a variety of shades, lending it a rainbow pattern. The orange egg, on the other hand, was far more traditional; its orange colouration was cut through with brilliant cobalt stripes, laced with a few other shades of iridescent blue. The Caretaker snorted once, smoke blowing out her nostrils, before stomping over to a pile of meat and gems. The eggs continued to shake, getting more intense every passing second, with cracks webbing all over the shining surfaces. The Caretaker returned, clutching two slabs of raw flesh in one claw. She leaned her head down and exhaled warm air onto the two eggs, hastening their hatching more and more until, with two snapping cracks... Two new dragons entered the world. Two bright blue eyelids slid open to reveal two slitted orbs, a deep rose in colour. They stared blankly at the towering form of the matriarch above, who gazed back with an unknowable expression. Her rose coloured eyes flicked over to the right, and stared at the neighboring egg, still in the process of hatching. The youngling contained inside was visible through a large crack, but was clearly struggling to break the shell. The Caretaker watched as the blue dragon reached over and tried to help her friend. It was an unusual act, even for a hatchling. After a few minutes of whining and struggling, the orange dragon tumbled out of the shell and smacked into the Caretaker’s foot. She looked down at the newborn, her muzzle peeled back into a faint look of displeasure. Snorting again, the Caretaker picked up the tiny hatchling between two claws and deposited it back into its cradle. The runt squeaked in protest, but the Caretaker ignored it, dropping a slab of meat onto both of them to silence them. After watching them tuck into their food with gusto, the ancient dragon wandered off to check on the rest of the eggs. The blue dragon crawled over to her orange companion, watching how he struggled to chew the bloody steak. She cocked her head slightly, before getting her neighbour’s attention with a series of squeaks. She pointed at the meat in his feeble claws, then tore off a smaller, more manageable chunk of flesh for him to eat. The orange dragon stared at the meat in wonder. Tentatively, he reached out and took it into his claws, then looked at his newfound friend with innocent gratitude. When the Caretaker returned hours later, the two dragons were curled up asleep in a crib, smiling. She watched as the cyan dragon wrinkled her snout as she slept, then sneezed a bright and beautiful rainbow flame. The Caretaker chuckled in a way that shook the cavern ever-so-slightly, then returned to her eternal duty. Many years later... Prisma crouched down, her red eyes glittering through the tall grass. As her prey entered the clearing, she arched her back and tensed her lean leg muscles, preparing to pounce. Just a little closer, she thought to herself as she watched the hapless morsel wander through the clearing. Closer... Now! She leapt at her target, both her claws and bared teeth gleaming in the midday sunshine. She landed on the orange dragon’s back and grabbed his wing and forearm, taking care to avoid her prey’s sharp cerulean spines. The orange dragon yelled out as the predator grabbed his wing and forearm, sending him crashing into the dirt. “Yes!” Prisma called out. “I got you again! Man, you suck, Firefly!” The orange dragon beneath her tried to shout something, but it got muffled by the mud. “Mmmpf! Mmmpf-mmmpf!” Firefly cried out. Prisma guffawed loudly at her floundering friend, before getting off of him and helping him up. Once he had brushed off the dust and dirt, the two of them looked at each other and burst out laughing. Unfolding her leathery wings, Prisma looked over at her childhood friend. “Come on Firefly, I’ll race you back to the Eyrie” she said, leaning forward and tensing up in preparation for take-off. “That’s no fair, you’re sure to win. Besides, you know I have trouble flying.” Firefly unfolded his own wings and looked at his frail flight appendage with a scowl. Prisma was undeterred. “Alright, how about a ground race than?” The cyan dragon jogged slightly on the spot. Firefly just stared at her, eyebrow raised. Prisma stifled a sigh. “Fine, I guess we’ll just walk back home.” Ever since they were just hatchlings, the elders had always thought of them as an odd pair. One of them was fiercely competitive and prided herself on her speed, while the other avoided strenuous physical activity like the plague. But, despite her occasional frustration with her friend, Prisma would sooner die than leave Firefly behind. After a long trek, they finally made it back to the Eyrie, one of the largest dragon holds in existence. The entire settlement was a huge system of caves inside a mountain. The only entrance at ground level was a large opening in the rock. Two adult dragons stood guard at the mouth of the cave, assuring that no other living thing could get inside. The two guards glared down at the adolescent dragons, saying nothing. Prisma always made a note to heckle the guards whenever she got the chance. “Sup guys, just a pony in a dragon disguise wanting to get in!” One of the guards snorted in response, tired of the cyan dragon’s jokes. The other just glared at her. Firefly watched them warily, while Prisma just stuck out her forked tongue. It didn’t take long for Prisma and Firefly to reach the center of the mountain, where a huge cave had been hollowed out. It was so large that even the biggest of their kind were able to fly freely inside. At the very top of the cave, the mountain opened up to the sky, allowing light inside. As the two of them made it through the large chasm, a group of teenage dragons from their flight class dropped in front of them. Crag, the unofficial leader of the group, stalked towards them with his typical brutish swagger. “Hey there, Prism and Firefall. You gonna fly up to class or are you going to climb like some namby, pamby pony?” The group of jerky dragons all laughed at Crag’s snide comment. Prisma’s nostrils flared and a wisp of rainbow flame escaped from between her teeth. “Maybe you should try walking around for a bit Crag. Who knows, maybe you wouldn’t be such an airhead then!” Crag’s sly smirk disappeared as he gritted his teeth in anger. “You want to start something, rainbow scales?” “Anytime, anywhere!” Just before the two prideful dragons were about to tear each other limb from limb, Firefly stepped in. “Stop you two! If you start fighting in here, you’ll both get in trouble with the elders!” This managed to calm the two down enough to prevent the fight, but both still held a lot of anger. “This isn’t over Prism! We’ll settle this during flight school! Your weak boyfriend won’t be able to save you there!” Prisma flinched visibly. “He’s not my boyfriend!” She cried, but her traitorous cheeks blushed a bright red. Crag laughed, then turned and flew away, the rest of his group following right behind him. Prisma didn’t stop glaring at them until they had disappeared from sight. “Ugh, I hate those guys! I am so going to destroy Crag on the flight track today.” “Prisma, don’t let him get to you. You know he’s nothing but hot air.” Prisma knew this, but it didn’t calm her down. It wasn’t Crag’s name calling that had gotten to her; rather, it was the mental images that just wouldn’t get out of her head. Just the idea of Firefly and her, cuddling together, the sound of his heartbeat echoing in her ears... Prisma shook away the daydream before it went any further. Firefly and her were just friends, nothing more. She had more important things to think about now, one of which was beating Crag. “Come on, we don’t want to be late.” Prisma opened her wings and took off. As she flew toward the top of the mountain, she looked back to see Firefly having trouble getting into the air. Quickly flipping around, Prisma flew by Firefly and picked him up as she passed. Once airborne, Firefly opened his wings to catch the wind. “Thanks Prisma, but I can take it from here.” Prisma looked at him skeptically, but let go of him, allowing him to flap his own wings. Although he was much slower than Prisma, he managed to keep a steady speed as they both headed for the top. A few weeks later... Prisma flew down into the mountain from above, a fresh kill hanging in her mouth. She had just returned from hunting and had only managed to catch a squirrel that hadn’t been quick enough. Though it wasn’t enough to satisfy her hunger, squirrel was one of Firefly’s favorite snacks. Prisma angled her wings and flew into one of the many caves along the walls of the central chasm. As she turned the corner, she saw Crag and his gang standing around Firefly as he tried to stave them off. Prisma’s anger immediately flared up. The squirrel in Prisma’s mouth snapped in half as she gritted her teeth, crunching the morsel between her molars before she spat it on the ground. “Back off, Crag!” Prisma yelled as she dropped between him and Firefly. “Oh look Firefall, your girlfriend is here to save you! Ain’t that sweet?” As Crag and the other dragons laughed, Prisma could feel heat coming off of her face. She was certain it was anger that had caused this, but somewhere underneath it all, she knew she felt embarrassment as well. Firefly spoke up in a meek voice. “Prisma, don’t worry about it.” Prisma didn’t hear him though. She had let Crag get away with bullying the two of them long enough. She knew that it was time to put him in his place once and for all. She stomped up to Crag and looked him straight in the eye. “You and I are settling this right now!” “Oh yeah?” Crag replied snidely. “And just how are we going to ‘settle this’?” Prisma found herself without a clear course of action. She began to regret not having a plan. “A race.” Crag looked at her with as much pride as his disgusting face could manage, and laughed out loud. “Hah! Nice try, Prism, but real dragons don’t race. That’s a pony sport.” Prisma tried to think of some way to save the situation. She took one more look at Firefly and made a snap decision. “We’ll race through the Manticore’s Nest! Crag’s companions muttered to one another at the mentioning of the dangerous race course. The Manticore’s Nest gained a place among the exaggerated tales of the young wyrms after ending the life of more than one dragon that got too curious. Crag went wide-eyed for a moment, and his gaze shifted back and forth before he caught sight of one of his cronies, who had been waiting to see his decision. He puffed his chest out and tensed up his face before speaking. “Y-You’re on! Your little challenge doesn’t scare me!”” The brutish dragon motioned for his group to follow him and left, leaving Prisma and Firefly alone after glancing back once more. After Firefly got up, he voiced his shock and displeasure about the situation. “Prisma, the Manticore’s Nest!? Are you crazy? You know how dangerous that is!” Prisma knew Firefly was right, but she didn’t care.“I know! I just couldn’t take Crag walking around here like he’s a big shot anymore! It’s about time someone put him in his place!” Firefly, occasionally dubbed Prisma’s moral compass by some of the elders, put an arm around Prisma, clearly trying to calm her. “I understand you’re angry, but you can’t let it get the better of you, otherwise you’ll end up getting yourself into horrible situations! You need to back out of this race before you get yourself hurt.” “I can’t back down now! If I do, things will just get worse for us. I’m going to race him, and I’m going to win!” Prisma declared with a hard edge of determination in her voice. Firefly sighed. “Alright, just be careful, will you?” Prisma turned to see her friend looking at her with the same caring blue eyes she had known since the day she hatched. She quickly looked away as she felt herself begin to blush. “D-don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” She quickly shrugged his hand off of her shoulders and took off after Crag, determined to put an end to their rivalry once and for all. Firefly flew after her, first having to drop down a couple feet off the lip of the cave to catch air in his weak wing. Both dragons reached the top of the mountain. From their vantage point, they could see for miles in all directions. To the north the mountain range went on into the distance. In every other direction were the forests the dragon used to hunt. The border of Zebrica, could be seen on the southern horizon. Both Prisma and Crag stood just behind a line etched into the dirt, wings ready to take flight, Both of them tensed their bodies as one of Crag’s so-called friends stood in front of them. “Ready?” Prisma cleared her mind, awaiting the signal to start. Just before the race was about to begin, Prisma felt a gust of wind strike her side as Crag took off toward the Manticore’s Nest. “Hey, he’s cheating!” Firefly cried out. Prisma was surprised to hear him call out Crag, especially since he was against the race in the first place. Crag’s group simply snickered and did nothing as they watched the foul play. Not wanting to give Crag more of a head start, Prisma took off after him. Although Crag had cheated, the air was Prisma’s domain, and she was determined to show Crag just that. Just as Crag was about to reach the Manticore’s Nest, Prisma caught up to him. the race was soon neck and neck. The Manticore’s Nest had been named such due to it being an actual breeding place for the half lion, half scorpion beasts. The manticores had created large towers in which they laid their eggs, and it wasn’t strange to see a few of them clinging to the side of any one of them. The course that had been devised by Prisma and Crag required flying between the towers, bringing them dangerously close to the defensive parents that would undoubtedly try to strike the dragons out of the sky. Both dragons were forced to slow down as they came up to the first tower. The manticores’ poisonous tails struck out like lightning, leaving little time for dodging. Although Prisma was without a doubt faster than Crag, there was no way she could go full speed while also avoiding all of the tails, and she had to bob, twist, and swivel to avoid them.. Prisma and Crag managed to pass between each set of towers unscathed. The end was in sight, and as they were about to pass through the final obstacle, Crag flew close to Prisma. “Not bad, rainbow scales, but I ain’t going to lose this race, not to you!” As he said this, his face twisted into an evil grin, and Crag kicked out one of his hind legs, striking one of the joints on Prisma’s wings. The blow forced Prisma to close that wing, sending her on a course straight into the base of one of the towers. She hit the hard-as-stone nest head first. Prisma could see stars as she tried to get back up. Prisma felt the ground shake, like a large boulder had fallen from a cliff. She looked up to see three manticores that had dropped down from their perches and were now slowly closing in on her. Prisma looked around for any way out, but found none. There was no way she would be able to take off fast enough to make it past the manticores. As Prisma realized she was trapped, the manticore closest to her rose its tail, readying to strike. In an instant, Prisma realized of all things she would never get to do. She would never grow old, never lay eggs of her own, never tell Firefly... ...never tell Firefly that she loved him. Prisma felt tears run down her cheeks as she finally came face to face with her own feelings. Despite Firefly’s weaknesses, he was still the nicest dragon she had ever met. She couldn’t outrun the fact anymore; all those years of trying to protect him weren’t just because they were friends, but because she loved him. The manticore loomed over Prisma. She stood up and faced the creature, still dazed from the crash but prepared for the worst. She heard the manticore’s tail whistle through the air and pierce flesh, but she felt no pain. Confused, she took a moment to shake off her daze. Once her mind was clear, she looked up and gasped. Firefly was standing between Prisma and the manticore, its tail embedded in Firefly’s weak wing. Even though it was obvious he was in extreme pain, he still managed to turn his head toward another approaching manticore and unleash a blazing torrent of cerulean and scarlet. After a brief respite, he turned back to Prisma. “Prisma, are you alright?” Prisma looked at him shocked. “I-I’m fine, but you-” Before she could finish, the manticore pulled his stinger from Firefly’s wing. Prisma watched as he wavered for a moment, nearly toppling over. He turned back toward her, and gave a weak smile. “You should probably run.” Firefly closed his eyes and fell to the ground. Prisma stared at his limp body, not wanting to believe what was before her. It was some horrible nightmare. It had to be. She would wake up from it any moment now. When she finally realized the reality of her situation, she felt a fire start inside her. It filled her entire being with an uncontrollable rage like no other. A fire that had to be let out. Prisma stood strong in front of the manticore and opened her jaws. Rainbow fire poured from her throat and engulfed the beast who had dared to harm Firefly. Before it could even react, the manticore’s hair and mane had caught on fire. The beast, now frightened and wounded by its former prey, ran off in search of a way to put out the flames. Prisma did not stop at just one manticore, however. She turned her head toward the others, allowing the stream of rage to wash over the other beasts surrounding her. She wouldn’t let any of them hurt Firefly ever again. Not her Firefly. Each one ran as she turned toward it, afraid to meet the same fate as their companion. Prisma did not stop breathing fire until the last manticore had disappeared from sight. As soon as she was sure that she and Firefly were safe, she sprinted to his side. The manticore had struck right through the bone in his weaker wing and the end of it was now bent at a grotesque angle. The wound itself was bleeding profusely and the flesh surrounding it was beginning to grow puffier, evidence of the poison left by the creature’s tail. Despite the severity of the wound, Firefly was alive. Prisma breathed a small sigh of relief, but knew that she would have to get him back to the Eyrie before the venom reached his vital organs. Prisma picked him up just as she did when he needed help taking off and flew toward home as fast as her wings could take her. Tears streamed down her face as she felt his shaky breaths. “You’re going to be okay, Firefly. I’m gonna get you home, and we’ll get you better.” Beautiful, Inside and Out (Snow Fall)Cake. Whoever invented this scrumptious, fluffy treat must have been treated like a god by his or her peers. Sitting at the small cafe was a snow white kirin with a styled purple mane. She sat there with a satisfied look on her face as she enjoyed the very last bite of her delicious treat. The kirin’s previous favorite was vanilla with strawberries on top, but now she was craving the delectable goodness of her Cloud Chocolate Delight. The way they mixed the cocoa and the sugar was godlike as it was smooth and creamy. Just the way she liked to end her meals or snack time. The maid, who was standing by, picked up the kirin’s plate when she was finished. “Ah. My compliments to the chef for this delightful cake,” the kirin hummed with satisfaction as she gently wiped her mouth with a cloth napkin. “I’m sure he will be glad to know you enjoyed it,” the maid smiled, striding into the cafe with the plate after placing the bill on the table. As the creature looked over it, she noticed a shadow circling around her chair. She looked up to see a light green pegasus making rounds around her spot, gliding down towards her. As the mare landed on the cloud next to Snow Fall with a soft pomf, she gave the kirin a sheepish smile. She sported a light red mane and yellow eyes to go along with her green coat. She gave a nervous laugh as folded her wings together. “Sorry I’m late, Ms. Snow Fall,” the light green mare apologized. “I lost track of the time I was supposed to be here so...” “It’s perfectly alright, darling. We all have our bad mornings,” Snow Fall assured. She motioned her claws over to the open chair right across from her. “Please. Take a seat.” The mare walked over to the seat, making herself comfortable in it. “By the way, I never caught your name. Can I have the pleasure of knowing?” “It’s, um, Grass Breezy, Ms. Fall,” the pegasus stammered a bit at that last sentence. “Alright then Grass Breeze, please take a seat.” Snow Fall asked as she rested her foreleg on the table. “I... um... of course, Ms. Fall.” Grass fidgeted in her seat, looking nervous. “Well Grassy, let's get to business, shall we?" Snow Fall said in a serious tone. Grass Breeze gave a soft nod as she dug in her brown saddlebag. She pulled out a scroll and unrolled it on the table. The scroll revealed to be a map of sorts. It showed the details of a large building and the schematics of the different wings of the structure. She pointed on a section of the map that had nothing on it whatsoever. “Well, Ms. Fall, we would like to commission you and your team to build a new section of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory. This new section would be to control the hurricane force winds that would normally take plenty of unneeded pegasi power to make. Snow Fall looked over the blueprints as she inspected the location of this new wing of the factory. She noticed a crucial detail that would greatly affect the building process. “I would be willing to do the commission, but we would have to move the location to here.” She pointed to another section of the blueprint. Grass Breeze raised an eyebrow at her decision. “Why would we have to move the project?” Snow Fall gave a small chuckle. “You see, the southern side of Cloudsdale isn’t really meant for larger structures like a new section of the weather factory. It would would stand out like a sore thumb. Moving it to the northern side would look so much nicer.” Grass Breeze shifted nervously at her statement. “Well, Ms. Snow Fall, you are the expert. The northern side it is then. Now, let’s talk about the inside of the building.” The two exchanged words and ideas as to how the new section of the weather factory would look like. Grass Breeze would offer up an idea, which would be quickly rectified by Snow Fall. They continued to debate for another hour until Grass Breeze checked the time. Noticing she would be late for another appointment, she rolled up the scroll and placed it in her saddlebag. “I’m sorry Ms. Snow Fall, but I must be on my way, as I have another meeting back at the factory. But please, whenever you have the time tomorrow, please come over to the factory and present your ideas to my husband, the current owner of the place.” Grass Breeze said as she gave a small bow. Grass Breeze flew off, leaving Snow Fall to her thoughts. After giving the maid a small bow, she left the cafe to return to her office. As she was walking along the plush roads of Cloudsdale, she was able to get a nice view of the weather factory. The tall buildings and detailed structures were already giving her ideas as to how the building should be designed. Why yes, add a few pillars there around the main building and it’ll look absolutely gorgeous. She thought to herself as she reached her office. As she opened the door, she was greeted by her secretary who was startled by Snow Fall’s sudden entrance. “Oh! Ms. Snow Fall! How did the meeting with Mrs. Breeze go?” Snow Fall looked at the orange pegasus with gray mane as she gave her a smile, “Well, we have the commission. All that’s left to do is present the plans to Mr. Breeze and we shall begin building.” The secretary clopped her hooves together as she said with excitement, “Great! Do you want me to get the others together and tell them of the new project?” Snow Fall gave an approving nod. “Please do, as we’ll need all available hooves for this one.” After dismissing the secretary to finish her duties, Snow Fall retreated to her office. It was a modest room, with a sofa against the wall and two chairs sitting in front of her desk. She trotted over to her office chair and relaxed in it. She stared at a paperweight stone she kept on her desk; the way it looked fascinated her. She never knew why it fascinated her so much, though she had summed it up to the dragon part of her: it was a blue orb with a flattened bottom that had multiple colors swirling in it. She usually found herself lost in the stone, and it was considered to be an odd habit by most of her coworkers. There was a knock on her door, and she snapped away from the trance-inducing article. “Come in,” she said, turning to face the knocker as they came in. Her secretary came in, poking her head in through the door. “Just thought you’d want to know that your workers are ready!” she said with a smile. “Good,” Snow Fall replied, slightly dropping the air of professionalism she had been holding. “Thank you.” The door closed, leaving her alone in the office. She stood and sighed. She had always had to be so professional around other ponies, to let them know she was good at her job. It was something her parents had instilled in her as a child, and something that she was sure to never forget. She turned back to the small stone, and held it up as she relaxed back in her chair. “All that’s left is to present my plans and then work on perhaps my biggest project yet.” * * * “And that’s the plans for the Hurricane Wing of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory.” Snow Fall gave a bow to the executives seated before her. One of them stood up from his chair with a stoic expression. “It appears to be a very well thought-out plan Ms. Snow Fall,” he said, standing straight-backed and stiff. “However, why did you decide to build it on the north side of Cloudsdale, rather than the south?” “The south side isn’t for big buildings,” Snow Fall replied, nervousness creeping up into her body; executives held an air that made her tremble. “It’s still developing, but the north side is already used to tall complexes and the like. The view out there is much nicer, as well.” “Snow Fall,” he said, sounding rather disappointed. “You are my top contractor, and you know it. Your skills are great, and you know how to talk to the clients. But, sometimes you let other things get in the way of progress. “This new addition to the weather factory has to be in quick reach of the main plant, and putting it on the north side places it farther from the main complex, meaning accidents will take longer to resolve, and more money lost by the company on transport. “It doesn’t matter how bad the city looks when this is built on the south side, as long as it does its job, pays its workers, and keeps the skies safe. So, we are going to put it south side.” Snow Fall only nodded and sighed under her breath. “Sir,” she began, raising a hoof. “Are you sure? I mean, ponies may not like the building there.” The stallion sat down and said, “It doesn’t matter what the populace likes about the design, it matters on how much more efficient the complex will run.” Snow Fall opened her mouth to speak once more, but just stopped in defeat. There was no changing his mind. “Then that is all,” she said, beginning to pack up her things. “You may go. Thank you for coming.” Snow Fall placed a few sheets of paper in her bag. The sound of softly approaching hoofsteps caused her to look up. The pony coming to her was Grass Breeze, who had a smile on her face. “Your husband was serious,” the kirin said with a mirthful smile. “He’s always like that at work,” Grass Breeze said. “I don’t actually work here, but I decided to come and see how it went.” “It was fine, but my idea to put it on the north side of town was trounced,” Snow Fall stood with her saddlebag across her back, papers and documents stored safely inside. “It’s okay, though,” the mare replied. “He knows what he’s doing. It won’t seem so bad as soon as the building starts.” “I know, but does he not see the art of beauty in buildings?” Snow Fall complained. “Oh well. Say, would you mind showing me where you planned on building before?” “Not a problem,” Breeze replied, signaling her to follow. “It’s right this way.” Snow Fall followed Grass Breeze to the southern side of the factory. Unlike the area the two were just in, which had large, multi-story structures, this side contained many smaller, one and two story buildings. While she was busy examining her surroundings, she wound up bumping into a blue pegasus mare with a white mane. “Sorry,” she said, backing away carefully. Snow Fall looked at the mare, before turning her head away from the pegasus, “You really should watch where you are going.” The pegasus, who was surprised by her rude attitude, quickly got up and said, “Well, excuse me then. You should watch where you’re going as well!” Snow Fall looked at her with a frown, “You have wings, you could have easily just flown over me, but instead you rudely collided with me.” The mare was taken aback by her claim, “And you could have done the same! You know what, I’m not going to get into an argument. I have more important duties to attend to.” As the pegasus flew off angrily, Snow Fall realized that she was losing pace to Grass Breeze. After quickly trotting up to her, she noticed that Grass Breeze had stopped and turned to her. “Here it is!” she said, waving a hoof at the site. It was a large, open area with buildings surrounding it in a circular formation. “Hm...” Snow Fall pondered. “It seems acceptable, though it isn’t really what I was expecting to work with.” Grass Breeze merely chuckled lightly and turned to look at her. “I hope that your work goes well,” she said. “I can’t wait to see the finished project.” Grass Breeze trotted off, leaving Snow Fall to look at the area, imagining the final construct standing. She looked up and pictured the tall pillars stretching up to support a roof of floating white. Her thoughts were soon going a mile a minute as she began to ponder how to make such a large building look acceptable amongst such other smaller, more petite structures. Soon, her eyes lit up as she gasped with excitement and said in a sing-song voice, “Idea!” She located a nearby bench and table as she took out a large piece of paper and started drawing blueprints for the new area. Her pace was almost frantic as she sat there, improving the original plan and adding to the functionality at the same time. She began talking to herself as she drew on the blueprint, “Yes, that way, instead of having to look like the more blocky buildings of the factory, making it more like a tower, and add pillars here and here... Why, I think I’ve had a stroke of genius!” As she finally finished her design, she placed the new blueprints in her saddlebag and was soon on her way to meet the carpenters available for the job. In order to reach the workshop where the carpenters would be at, she had to cross through most of Cloudsdale. The walk took her about an hour, but she was now in front of the building. She opened the doors and went in, where a small space with a lone counter awaited. “Ah, Snow Fall!” the middle-aged stallion at the counter said. “What do you want this time?” “Would it hurt to be a bit more polite?” the kirin replied, rolling her eyes. “You always greet me the same way.” “You’re a regular!” he said with a chuckle. “Gotta treat regulars like family!” “No, you don’t.” Snow Fall said with a deadpan look on her face. “Aw, well. Now, why’re you here?” the stallion leaned forward on the counter. “I want,” Snow Fall pulled out her blueprint design with the modifications, “this created. It’s a new extension to the weather factory. It is a circular opening located on the southern side of the area, and it must be done with the utmost precision.” “Hm...” he said, taking the papers and looking them over. “It’s a lot, but we can get it done. You really went overboard with the design, though.” Snow Fall was taken aback by his statement. “Overboard? Why I never! It is perfect for the location of the building.” The stallion laughed as he said, “Well, Ms. Fall, I’ll get the team together. We’ll meet you at the site.” “Thank you very much Mr. Build,” Snow Fall said while placing a few bits on the table, “Here’s a small tip for you, for accepting the job.” The stallion gave Snow Fall a quick salute before heading to the back, leaving Snow Fall to herself once more. After sealing her bag, she headed back to the southern part of the factory, ready to begin her work. Upon arrival, she received quite a surprise when Grass Breeze was waiting for her. “Why, Ms. Snow Fall, just the pon—er kirin, I was looking for!” Grass Breeze said with a smile. “There’s somepony that is supposed to assist you in overseeing the project, as the new department will be run by her.” Snow Fall raised an eyebrow at Grass, “Oh? Just who would this other pony be?” Grass Breeze clopped her hooves together in excitement, “Oh, she is just a joy to be around. Honest and dependable.” As she was talking, a familiar pegasus mare came down from the skies. It was a blue pegasus with a white mane. Her cutie mark was that of wind blowing in the air. It was the same pegasus who Snow Fall had rudely bumped into just hours before. Grass Breeze pointed a hoof in the pegasus’s direction. “Snow Fall, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Windswept.” “You!” Snow Fall yelled. “You!” Windswept yelled in return. “She’s your daughter?!” Snow Fall said, turning to look incredulously at Grass Breeze. “Yes,” the mare replied. “Why?” The two stared at each other for a minute, eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry about earlier,” Snow Fall said, breaking the confrontation. “I was rather in a rush, and I may have overreacted.” “Overreacted?” Windswept replied, rolling her eyes. “You blew it out of the water!” Grass Breeze looked between the two and smiled, “See, I knew you two would hit it off well!”
No bark, No Bite, All Pony (Cherry Dream)Mama always picked the flower covered pup up when it was time for the pack to move on. At first, when the young pup figured this out, she was finicky and upset, trying the best she could to kick away from Mama so that she pack would stay; she always made little animal friends in the different spots of the forest, like the little bear cubs and squirrels that never ran away, so why couldn't she stay and talk to them? It wasn't fair -- it was their territory, Mama had told her so. Why were they leaving like this? It wasn't until the growls grew louder and her mother's grip on her became more and more painful that the cub finally quit resisting. She still didn't understand it, though. Not until the hunger began to set in. It wasn't bad, at first, for the shy little pup. Some nights she would curl up next to her mother like she always did, and yawn against her mother’s hard, wooden chest... But she could hear mother’s stomach growl. She didn't mind or worry much...but eventually the young cub’s own pain became too unbearable to ignore. Sleep became a difficult task to accomplish, with the snarls of hungry camp members echoing through the caves, resonating through a dark forest. All the poor pup was left with was snarls from her short tempered mother and sharp pains burrowing into her oaken form. It was bad, but not horrible. It wasn't horrible until much later... and for a completely different reason. It had been a normal day, over all. The Timberwolves who had gone off to hunt had returned with no food, saying that there was none left. They explored the expanse of their territory, searching it over and over again for a sign of just a single squirrel or living animal, but it was as if all of them had just run off or disappeared from the face of the planet. Absolutely nothing was left at that part of Everfree. So they did what they always did. They argued, snapping furious growls and snarls back and forth between each other, quarreling and having to be broken up before they decided to move again. Mama then gave her normal, low growl of warning to the young pup, clamping down on the back of her neck much harder than she had to, swinging her up from the ground and limping after the pack. Like always. They always left. But it was normal. A normal day. A bad one, yes, but normal. It wasn't different until later. The sad cub swung low to the ground, her wooden paws scraping the mud as her mother limped through the forest. She had thought about telling her Mama about it -- telling her that it was hurting her and dirt was starting to cake into the scratches in her wooden legs -- but when she looked up at Mama, she knew that she wouldn't. Her mother's eyes were squinted and drawn up in pain, and her wooden ears were snapped back angrily against her cheeks. Her stomach cramping and letting off low growls, she snorted and stared down the path ahead, marked by paw-prints. The cub knew that if she went against her mother now, she would be angry, and would just snap and bite down even harder against the pup's wooden skin. It would just be better to let it be, let Mama be as happy as she could -- Mama did so much to help her, after all. So the cub just looked away from her, ignored the pain in her paws, and looked down to the trail swinging around below her and scraping at her paws. It was the best she could do, since she wasn't walking herself. Just stay still, quiet and complacent. She stared at the ground, and looked at the patterns going by. There were tiny swirls of dirt branching off of the wooden paws of the pack ahead, swirling up into Timbershy's face. Clouds of the dirt and dust scattered over the paw-prints they left behind, pebbles, ridges in the earth. Timbershy looked at each one, the paw-prints, naming off who's paw each belonged to. Alpha, Omega, Beta-- Mama tensed. The pack stopped. The cub stopped thinking about the paw-prints and looked up. The cub broke her rule, looking wildly around as her mother's lips tightened into a thin line. What was happening? Her mother never stopped until they were at their new territory and she circled around three times, making a new place to sleep -- why was she stopping now? What was happening? What was happening? What was-- A sharp growl ripped through the back of Mama's throat, the pup's wooden legs stiffening as she watched. The cub could hear her mother sniffing at the breeze, an air of tension flying over the entire pack. An odd smell wafted and misted over the cubs' nose through the dust, everyone around her bared their fangs and dug their claws into the dirt... There was a sharp whistle, the weary wolfs' vision went black, and then she was on the ground. After that... It all happened so fast... there were loud, harsh yelps that split through the trees, snarls and the lashing of claws and teeth... two more high-pitched whistles which broke off in the cubs' ears... The pink headed pup stood up from wherever she was at the time, her head swimming while she shook the dust off of her body. An agonizing headache formed in her head as noises exploded from all sides, her scratched paws aching even more now that they were up. How had she gotten to solid ground like that? Her Mama had... dropped her? Something had to be wrong, Mama never dropped her. Never. Something had to be-- Timbershy opened her eyes, and looked up at her Mama and the chaos swirling all around her. Mama laid on the ground, eyes closed. A strange object, some sort cylinder with red leaves on one end and a sharp point on the other, jabbed and broke into Mama's hard skin. It had punctured down into her veins beneath the dull, broken wood, a sparkling blue concoction of several pure magics leaking from the hole that... thing had made. Two more Timberwolves, just ahead of her, were laying the same way, leaving imprints in the ground, while the rest of the pack let out harsh barks and yelps, snapping their teeth. The cub backed up, her legs and arched back shaking as she stumbled backwards, away from her Mama. What was going on? She hadn't seen anyone -- surely nothing would attack the whole pack...? B-But they had, and she was seeing it play out before her very eyes. Two more whistles. Then three. A few flashes of light and five Timberwolves hit the ground. The pink pup couldn't stop staring, couldn't move from her spot staring at her mother. She couldn't tell if Mama was breathing. If any of them were breathing. Who was... what was... ? Four more. Then one. Only the sad little she-wolf was left. And she could see them. Walking forward, with large grey boxes with lines in the middle floating along in a magic bubble... were monsters. They were somewhat tall, yet sickly in stature, their heads covered in odd wisps of stringy clouds of what the cub thought looked a lot like the fur on a squirrel's tale. They were different colors, all contrasting against the green and greys of the trees, an odd, sharp stick protruding out of their heads. Circles and squares rimming their eyes... they smelled so strange too, unlike anything the pup had ever encountered... They were looking at her. With those big, weird eyes, they were looking at the lone pup. They stalked closer, gibberish breaking past their mouths as the grunted at each other in undecipherable noises. Some of them moved their eyes across some of the pack, taking the little cylinders out of them and starting to shake them. They looked... confused, angry maybe, the pup didn't know. She just knew they were coming closer, one of the large grey boxes in a bubble. Just closer... closer... closer... The pup ran. She couldn't remember, not even now, how far or how long. She just ran away from the monsters, gibberish and weird noises coming from them as she went. She ran and ran, away from the sight of Mama's blood, away from the pack hitting the ground, away from the boxes. Everything. Nothing. She couldn't tell anymore. She never would. How in the world could any of this happen? Why did she have to run from this? When she stopped, she was lost. The pink pup knew she was lost -- she didn't even look around the area or try to see where she was -- but she didn't care. She just cared about her mother. Her mother and whatever was left of the pack....If there was a pack to run back to. Mama... was she remembering right? That couldn't have happened, right? Where was she going? She couldn't actually have been lost could she? The pack never let her get lost. She tried to think about it, tried to see what happened... they were alive and they were walking, but then that smell and Mama wasn't moving anymore, and maybe she was dead, but Mama couldn't be dead, except she was and so were all of the others except for her and she was all alone and she didn't even have the squirrels and-- It didn't make sense. None of it did. This had gone by to fast, she couldn't understand... Nothing. There was just nothing. Nothing... A sharp pain shot through the cub's stomach and down her spine, and then the world went black. Her dreams were filled with red. Red trees, red grass and red wolves howling in the distance before they dissolved into ash. * * * When the pup woke up she expected to see her pack getting up, barking orders and making complaints on how hungry they were. She expected to be picked up from her mother and be carried with the rest of the pack. She expected to feel her mother's wooden chest pressed up against hers, warming her up in the endless cold nights. She expected anything other than absolute loneliness. She twisted her body to the left and peaked one of her eyes open, and an endless valley of green filled her surroundings. She was rested upon a luscious soft grass, under the sea of blue above, with white, fluffy clouds scattered in the sky. Oak trees stretched to the tips of the heavens, and the sun beamed into her face, cooking her flesh and fur. There were no Timberwolves curled up, asleep, beside her. No sign of the pack. No sign of anything. And...The pack? Where was she? She was just there -- she had to still be there, right? Panicking, her breath quickening, the weak cub opened both eyes. She couldn't see her mother, or the pack. She lifted her shaking body up, her eyes darting back and forth across the trees, searching the forest for signs of life. She couldn't find anyone. She couldn't even find the alpha. What happened to her mother and the-- It hit her like a ton of bricks. Her mind swimming, thoughts pounding I her brain like a drum, it came back to her. The spindly creatures with sticks on their foreheads, the grey boxes that the creatures swung around with their strange, colorful lights, the little cylinders of red that were sticking into her mother's... th-that had killed... killed... The memories settled into her aching, growling stomach and sat there like lead, pushing her body back to the ground. It happened. It was happening. It wasn't just a dream -- everyone was gone. She was lost in the forest, completely alone, and she never was good at tracking and hunting. Mama always got her food for her and kept her safe. Now she was forced to fend for herself. She had to. But she didn't know how. How? She had never gone into the forest on her own. She did her best to remember the layout of their territory. A river marked the eastern border of their territory. Which way is east? A memory of her father, from long ago, came into her mind. No faces, really, but a voice. One distinct voice... "Little oak, do you know which direction we're heading?" A familiar voice asked. "No I don't, Daddy." She answered sitting up on his back. "Well, let me teach you a little trick. The sun rises in the east, and the sets in the west." "So east would be that way?" She pointed to where the sun rose a few hours ago. "And west would be there?" She pointed in the opposite direction. "That's right." He confirmed. "What about north and south?" The pup asked. "That answer lies with the trees." "Really, daddy? The trees will tell us?" "Yes, but not with words." He approached a nearby tree and pointed at the trunk near the ground.. "You see this green bark?" "Yes." "This green bark only grows on the north side of the trees. We use this to help navigate the territory. Now, which direction are we going?" "South?" "Excellent, you are a fast learner. It took me a long time to learn that." He smiled. "It wasn't that hard, daddy." "Not for you, because you are a smart pup." "Really?" "Yes, really. You won't have a problem getting food when you get old enough to hunt. I'm proud to say you are my daughter. Now let's get moving, we don't want to fall behind." She looked up at the sky and saw the sun was about to set, and began walking in the opposite direction. Dad's right, I can do this. With new found fire, she took off in the direction of the river. Years Later "Bill, bill, another bill, magazine subscription... Oh hello, what's this?" Derpy picked up a curious and formal letter in a yellow aura, the envelope covered in a blood-red seal. The sending address was from Canterlot, apparently, and it said it was for her. But who could it be from? I don't know anyone in Canterlot. She ripped the envelope open with a hoof, and read over the elegant print of the parchment. Dear Ms. Hooves, Although this may be a bit sudden, Miss Doo, I am in dire need of assistance from somepony with your particular set of skills. You're quite advanced in magic, you're a trustworthy candidate in a town that absolutely adores you, and for all the right reasons, and you are a *wonderful mother. I need someone who can take care of a new "addition" to your wonderful town and I know that you are the right mare for the job. Although I may not be able to meet you face to face, I promise you that you will be properly rewarded for you endeavors. If you feel that this is something that interests you, please reply as quickly possible and I will have an associate fill you in on the details and any other instructions that I deem necessary.* Princess Celestia Derpy nearly dropped the letter after seeing who it was from, her jaw almost hitting the ground and her breath hitching at the back of her throat. The P-Princess requested my help... with payment... I-I don't know, I don't know what this is... What am I talking about?! I need to do this! With all those bills and Dinky starting another semester at school... Before Derpy even realized it, a toothy grin began to spread on her snout, as she did a happy little jig with the red envelope still held in her giddy hoof. With a happy little twirl and a shake of her rump, she danced her way up to the confused filly sitting at a small table and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Mommy, is something happening? Why are you dancing all funny?" "Dinky, all of our problems might be going away soon!" She picked up her pegasus daughter and nuzzled her nose into her cheek. Her daughter giggling and pushing away from her with a puckered face, a single thought ran through Ditzy Doo's mind: * * * "Believe it or not, Miss Doo, but this is a relatively simple spell. Just the two of us together should be able to perform it when the time comes, if everything goes according to plan. It will take a couple weeks, yes, but it shouldn't be that difficult for a unicorn of your skill level." No need to worry about the Princess, Miss Doo. This isn't the only facility holding this particular experiment and she's far to busy to visit each and every one. You can trust us, Miss Doo. Ditzy Doo's chest heaved up and down in fear as she poked her head around the corner of the tree she was pressed against, her heart throbbing up from her chest and up into her dry, aching throat. She had met the group and it was....Shady to say the least. Every answer they gave seemed to be a rehearsed excuse, but the bag of bits that they slammed onto to the table was no joke. Four hundred bits just to watch over something for a few months? She couldn't refuse. "Miss Doo, it will be fine. Even a filly could pull this little spell off, if given the help of two or three mages, and I promise you that you'll be rewarded greatly for your time. There's absolutely no need to panic. I'm more than capable of taking care of a few wolves on my own, if need be." Derpy took a deep breath, struggling to stay calm, and looked to her partner at her right. His grey, fur-covered face was stoic and calm, his green eyes, rimmed by protective goggles, staring determinedly around the bark of the tree he was against. He wasn't scared. He wasn't worried. He was completely calm. Derpy should have been like him, she told herself. Nothing would go wrong. Hopefully. "Well, if you're so sure... what exactly would I have to do, though, mister...?" "Evergreen. And that, too, would be relatively simple. We already know that the spell does what it's intended to, but we also know that it's not quite perfected. As soon as the target is in sight, we'll set off the spell to make it easier to capture." Evergreen pointed out, still out of sight behind a large tree. "After that, we would just be monitoring it's progress and running a couple of tests to see if we need to make any changes to the spell. Raising it will be your job. Our other subjects haven't reacted to well with steel cages and locked doors so we're going to take a different route and entrust it with somepony a little more caring." She gulped and looked around the tree again. And the gray unicorn was gone. "Wh-What?!" she screamed in a hushed whisper. "How did..? Evergreen?!" Ditzy Doo looked over to where her partner had been standing. He was no longer there, and as Derpy saw with another peek behind the tree, was now several feet away, jabbing a hoof through some bushes and muttering something unintelligible to himself, before his horn flared a nasty shade of green. With a loud pop, he was gone. He had left Derpy alone. In the Everfree. Where those monsters could get her at any second. "E-Evergreen?! Evergreen!" Derpy trotted away from her hiding spot as quickly as she possibly could, her breath hitching as she found her partner ducking into some tall shrubs. What is he doing?! Wasn't he supposed to be helping her? Then, everything slowed to a near stop. Ditzy "Derpy" Doo heard a furious snarl and the snapping of claws. She turned, a squeal bursting from her lips and bouncing from the expanse of trees circling her, and a Timberwolf, vibrant pink flowers breaking off of its branchy head, lunging at her. It was going to get her. It was going to kill her. She was going to die. She was going to leave her children as orphans. Derpy wasn't going to let that happen. Her horn flared, her eyes crossing themselves and her teeth grinding together with determination, and then the Timberwolf was being suspended in the air. * * * The flower covered pup studied the forest floor, tracking the deer that would, with luck, become her next meal. The sun offered little light as it was about to set as she hunted her prey alone. She had been alone for so long now it was hard to remember how long her life had been that way. Not that it mattered, Mama was gone and nothing was going to change that. Same with the pack, they were all gone. A rustling close by drew her attention away from her past and back to the present, where it needed to be. She pursued the sound to a nearby path. Normally, she would have avoided the paths ponies made in the Everfree, but the desire and need for food outweighed any fear or concern that they would attack. Even if her pack was taken down by the evil things. The pony was covered in grey fur, and had thicker yellow fur on her head. A strange horn protruded out of it's forehead. It had a blonde tail as well. She was muttering that same strange language those other ones did so long ago when they attacked. It looked like she was searching for something. Not that it mattered, the creature didn't deserve to exist in her land. She began to feel the hatred she had harbored over the years bubbling over. Why do they think they own this forest!? What gives them the right to come and go as they please!? Why should they be allowed to set one foot in this territory!? Her temper flared and she lunged out of the bushes. It will pay for what they did to my pack! The flower covered wolf raced down the path and bared her sharp teeth, ready to tear it to pieces. The pony gave a loud shriek and just when she thought she had it, she was paralyzed. Somehow floating in the air, her entire body was engulfed in some sort of yellow light. The horn on the pony's head glowed with the light as well. The pony began shouting gibberish at her while she was suspended in the air. Once it was done, the scrawny wolf felt the earth return beneath her feet. She was still immobilized by the pony, who began muttering again. In her peripheral vision she saw another pony approach her, it's horn glowing as well. She had walked right into a trap. The second pony was silent after a few minutes before it's horn gave off a blinding light. Then the first one followed suit. Her breathing quickened and she began to panic. Fear had gripped her mind much like the way her body was gripped by these ponies. She clenched her eyelids shut to try to keep the light out. But, it was too bright and caused a sharp pain in her eyes. The pain started spreading over her entire body, as if her wooden hide was being stripped away. She was powerless to stop it. Her life was coming to an end, just like daddy, just like mama, just like her pack. Powerless to save herself from the coming end. Minutes ticked by at an agonizing pace as her entire body felt like it was on fire. After a few more minutes, the pain had ceased. The young wolf was released and collapsed from the severe pain she had just been forced to endure. With all of her energy ripped from her body, the tired, newly formed pony simply blacked out. "I... I can't believe it worked!" Derpy exclaimed, as she eyed the unconscious pony in amazement. "Yes, yes. You did a fantastic job Miss Doo, but this was the easy part." The bored looking scientist stated, putting a damper on Derpy's excitement. "Now you have the privilege of caring for her." Derpy only grunted a quick response as she eyed the unconscious mare with curious eyes. "Do I get to name it?" "If you feel the need to, than it shouldn't be much of a problem." The gray unicorn replied, wandering off into bushes once more. "Your head was covered with blossoms, so how about Cherry Dream? I'm sure you'll love your new home." Of course the unconscious wolf couldn't utter much of a reply, but Derpy was more than satisfied with the choice of a name. "You'll probably need this." A voice called, catching Derpy's attention. With a loud slam, the gray unicorn brought a large, plastic cage out into the open, earning an unamused frown from the gray unicorn. "What? She won't exactly be sunshine and rainbows when she wakes up, you know."
Shells, Scales and Manticore Tails (Prisma)Deep inside the massive, ancient chamber, dragons stood guard. They had done so for centuries, millennia even. Dragons were infamous across the world for their almost single-minded protectiveness of their hoards, and every dragon with a healthy amount of greed had a hoard to call their own. This chamber, however, held a hoard of something far more valuable; one that even the most selfish, greedy dragon in existence would lay down their life to protect. For inside that chamber, the next generation lay dormant. Eggs of all shapes, sizes, colours, and patterns sat in neat, orderly rows and columns. The room itself was located deep below the surface, with a level of heat that would easily make any non-dragon black out. To a dragon, it was comfortably warm. Standing over two eggs, one a sky blue and the other a bright orange, was a huge dragoness. She was known amongst others as the Caretaker, for she had lived for long enough that her true name was all but forgotten to time, and she didn’t care enough to be known by any other name. In fact, the only thing she really, truly cared for were the eggs. They were her solemn duty, and she would stand for eons, protecting them. The blue egg began to shake and tremble in its cradle. As the Caretaker watched the miracle of life unfold, the orange one began to shudder too, a small crack growing down the side. The Caretaker examined the shells more closely and documented them in her immense draconic memory. The blue egg featured webs of colour, only visible under close scrutiny. The colours, unlike ordinary eggs, were a variety of shades, lending it a rainbow pattern. The orange egg, on the other hand, was far more traditional; its orange colouration was cut through with brilliant cobalt stripes, laced with a few other shades of iridescent blue. The Caretaker snorted once, smoke blowing out her nostrils, before stomping over to a pile of meat and gems. The eggs continued to shake, getting more intense every passing second, with cracks webbing all over the shining surfaces. The Caretaker returned, clutching two slabs of raw flesh in one claw. She leaned her head down and exhaled warm air onto the two eggs, hastening their hatching more and more until, with two snapping cracks... Two new dragons entered the world. Two bright blue eyelids slid open to reveal two slitted orbs, a deep rose in colour. They stared blankly at the towering form of the matriarch above, who gazed back with an unknowable expression. Her rose coloured eyes flicked over to the right, and stared at the neighboring egg, still in the process of hatching. The youngling contained inside was visible through a large crack, but was clearly struggling to break the shell. The Caretaker watched as the blue dragon reached over and tried to help her friend. It was an unusual act, even for a hatchling. After a few minutes of whining and struggling, the orange dragon tumbled out of the shell and smacked into the Caretaker’s foot. She looked down at the newborn, her muzzle peeled back into a faint look of displeasure. Snorting again, the Caretaker picked up the tiny hatchling between two claws and deposited it back into its cradle. The runt squeaked in protest, but the Caretaker ignored it, dropping a slab of meat onto both of them to silence them. After watching them tuck into their food with gusto, the ancient dragon wandered off to check on the rest of the eggs. The blue dragon crawled over to her orange companion, watching how he struggled to chew the bloody steak. She cocked her head slightly, before getting her neighbour’s attention with a series of squeaks. She pointed at the meat in his feeble claws, then tore off a smaller, more manageable chunk of flesh for him to eat. The orange dragon stared at the meat in wonder. Tentatively, he reached out and took it into his claws, then looked at his newfound friend with innocent gratitude. When the Caretaker returned hours later, the two dragons were curled up asleep in a crib, smiling. She watched as the cyan dragon wrinkled her snout as she slept, then sneezed a bright and beautiful rainbow flame. The Caretaker chuckled in a way that shook the cavern ever-so-slightly, then returned to her eternal duty. Many years later... Prisma crouched down, her red eyes glittering through the tall grass. As her prey entered the clearing, she arched her back and tensed her lean leg muscles, preparing to pounce. Just a little closer, she thought to herself as she watched the hapless morsel wander through the clearing. Closer... Now! She leapt at her target, both her claws and bared teeth gleaming in the midday sunshine. She landed on the orange dragon’s back and grabbed his wing and forearm, taking care to avoid her prey’s sharp cerulean spines. The orange dragon yelled out as the predator grabbed his wing and forearm, sending him crashing into the dirt. “Yes!” Prisma called out. “I got you again! Man, you suck, Firefly!” The orange dragon beneath her tried to shout something, but it got muffled by the mud. “Mmmpf! Mmmpf-mmmpf!” Firefly cried out. Prisma guffawed loudly at her floundering friend, before getting off of him and helping him up. Once he had brushed off the dust and dirt, the two of them looked at each other and burst out laughing. Unfolding her leathery wings, Prisma looked over at her childhood friend. “Come on Firefly, I’ll race you back to the Eyrie” she said, leaning forward and tensing up in preparation for take-off. “That’s no fair, you’re sure to win. Besides, you know I have trouble flying.” Firefly unfolded his own wings and looked at his frail flight appendage with a scowl. Prisma was undeterred. “Alright, how about a ground race than?” The cyan dragon jogged slightly on the spot. Firefly just stared at her, eyebrow raised. Prisma stifled a sigh. “Fine, I guess we’ll just walk back home.” Ever since they were just hatchlings, the elders had always thought of them as an odd pair. One of them was fiercely competitive and prided herself on her speed, while the other avoided strenuous physical activity like the plague. But, despite her occasional frustration with her friend, Prisma would sooner die than leave Firefly behind. After a long trek, they finally made it back to the Eyrie, one of the largest dragon holds in existence. The entire settlement was a huge system of caves inside a mountain. The only entrance at ground level was a large opening in the rock. Two adult dragons stood guard at the mouth of the cave, assuring that no other living thing could get inside. The two guards glared down at the adolescent dragons, saying nothing. Prisma always made a note to heckle the guards whenever she got the chance. “Sup guys, just a pony in a dragon disguise wanting to get in!” One of the guards snorted in response, tired of the cyan dragon’s jokes. The other just glared at her. Firefly watched them warily, while Prisma just stuck out her forked tongue. It didn’t take long for Prisma and Firefly to reach the center of the mountain, where a huge cave had been hollowed out. It was so large that even the biggest of their kind were able to fly freely inside. At the very top of the cave, the mountain opened up to the sky, allowing light inside. As the two of them made it through the large chasm, a group of teenage dragons from their flight class dropped in front of them. Crag, the unofficial leader of the group, stalked towards them with his typical brutish swagger. “Hey there, Prism and Firefall. You gonna fly up to class or are you going to climb like some namby, pamby pony?” The group of jerky dragons all laughed at Crag’s snide comment. Prisma’s nostrils flared and a wisp of rainbow flame escaped from between her teeth. “Maybe you should try walking around for a bit Crag. Who knows, maybe you wouldn’t be such an airhead then!” Crag’s sly smirk disappeared as he gritted his teeth in anger. “You want to start something, rainbow scales?” “Anytime, anywhere!” Just before the two prideful dragons were about to tear each other limb from limb, Firefly stepped in. “Stop you two! If you start fighting in here, you’ll both get in trouble with the elders!” This managed to calm the two down enough to prevent the fight, but both still held a lot of anger. “This isn’t over Prism! We’ll settle this during flight school! Your weak boyfriend won’t be able to save you there!” Prisma flinched visibly. “He’s not my boyfriend!” She cried, but her traitorous cheeks blushed a bright red. Crag laughed, then turned and flew away, the rest of his group following right behind him. Prisma didn’t stop glaring at them until they had disappeared from sight. “Ugh, I hate those guys! I am so going to destroy Crag on the flight track today.” “Prisma, don’t let him get to you. You know he’s nothing but hot air.” Prisma knew this, but it didn’t calm her down. It wasn’t Crag’s name calling that had gotten to her; rather, it was the mental images that just wouldn’t get out of her head. Just the idea of Firefly and her, cuddling together, the sound of his heartbeat echoing in her ears... Prisma shook away the daydream before it went any further. Firefly and her were just friends, nothing more. She had more important things to think about now, one of which was beating Crag. “Come on, we don’t want to be late.” Prisma opened her wings and took off. As she flew toward the top of the mountain, she looked back to see Firefly having trouble getting into the air. Quickly flipping around, Prisma flew by Firefly and picked him up as she passed. Once airborne, Firefly opened his wings to catch the wind. “Thanks Prisma, but I can take it from here.” Prisma looked at him skeptically, but let go of him, allowing him to flap his own wings. Although he was much slower than Prisma, he managed to keep a steady speed as they both headed for the top. A few weeks later... Prisma flew down into the mountain from above, a fresh kill hanging in her mouth. She had just returned from hunting and had only managed to catch a squirrel that hadn’t been quick enough. Though it wasn’t enough to satisfy her hunger, squirrel was one of Firefly’s favorite snacks. Prisma angled her wings and flew into one of the many caves along the walls of the central chasm. As she turned the corner, she saw Crag and his gang standing around Firefly as he tried to stave them off. Prisma’s anger immediately flared up. The squirrel in Prisma’s mouth snapped in half as she gritted her teeth, crunching the morsel between her molars before she spat it on the ground. “Back off, Crag!” Prisma yelled as she dropped between him and Firefly. “Oh look Firefall, your girlfriend is here to save you! Ain’t that sweet?” As Crag and the other dragons laughed, Prisma could feel heat coming off of her face. She was certain it was anger that had caused this, but somewhere underneath it all, she knew she felt embarrassment as well. Firefly spoke up in a meek voice. “Prisma, don’t worry about it.” Prisma didn’t hear him though. She had let Crag get away with bullying the two of them long enough. She knew that it was time to put him in his place once and for all. She stomped up to Crag and looked him straight in the eye. “You and I are settling this right now!” “Oh yeah?” Crag replied snidely. “And just how are we going to ‘settle this’?” Prisma found herself without a clear course of action. She began to regret not having a plan. “A race.” Crag looked at her with as much pride as his disgusting face could manage, and laughed out loud. “Hah! Nice try, Prism, but real dragons don’t race. That’s a pony sport.” Prisma tried to think of some way to save the situation. She took one more look at Firefly and made a snap decision. “We’ll race through the Manticore’s Nest! Crag’s companions muttered to one another at the mentioning of the dangerous race course. The Manticore’s Nest gained a place among the exaggerated tales of the young wyrms after ending the life of more than one dragon that got too curious. Crag went wide-eyed for a moment, and his gaze shifted back and forth before he caught sight of one of his cronies, who had been waiting to see his decision. He puffed his chest out and tensed up his face before speaking. “Y-You’re on! Your little challenge doesn’t scare me!”” The brutish dragon motioned for his group to follow him and left, leaving Prisma and Firefly alone after glancing back once more. After Firefly got up, he voiced his shock and displeasure about the situation. “Prisma, the Manticore’s Nest!? Are you crazy? You know how dangerous that is!” Prisma knew Firefly was right, but she didn’t care.“I know! I just couldn’t take Crag walking around here like he’s a big shot anymore! It’s about time someone put him in his place!” Firefly, occasionally dubbed Prisma’s moral compass by some of the elders, put an arm around Prisma, clearly trying to calm her. “I understand you’re angry, but you can’t let it get the better of you, otherwise you’ll end up getting yourself into horrible situations! You need to back out of this race before you get yourself hurt.” “I can’t back down now! If I do, things will just get worse for us. I’m going to race him, and I’m going to win!” Prisma declared with a hard edge of determination in her voice. Firefly sighed. “Alright, just be careful, will you?” Prisma turned to see her friend looking at her with the same caring blue eyes she had known since the day she hatched. She quickly looked away as she felt herself begin to blush. “D-don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” She quickly shrugged his hand off of her shoulders and took off after Crag, determined to put an end to their rivalry once and for all. Firefly flew after her, first having to drop down a couple feet off the lip of the cave to catch air in his weak wing. Both dragons reached the top of the mountain. From their vantage point, they could see for miles in all directions. To the north the mountain range went on into the distance. In every other direction were the forests the dragon used to hunt. The border of Zebrica, could be seen on the southern horizon. Both Prisma and Crag stood just behind a line etched into the dirt, wings ready to take flight, Both of them tensed their bodies as one of Crag’s so-called friends stood in front of them. “Ready?” Prisma cleared her mind, awaiting the signal to start. Just before the race was about to begin, Prisma felt a gust of wind strike her side as Crag took off toward the Manticore’s Nest. “Hey, he’s cheating!” Firefly cried out. Prisma was surprised to hear him call out Crag, especially since he was against the race in the first place. Crag’s group simply snickered and did nothing as they watched the foul play. Not wanting to give Crag more of a head start, Prisma took off after him. Although Crag had cheated, the air was Prisma’s domain, and she was determined to show Crag just that. Just as Crag was about to reach the Manticore’s Nest, Prisma caught up to him. the race was soon neck and neck. The Manticore’s Nest had been named such due to it being an actual breeding place for the half lion, half scorpion beasts. The manticores had created large towers in which they laid their eggs, and it wasn’t strange to see a few of them clinging to the side of any one of them. The course that had been devised by Prisma and Crag required flying between the towers, bringing them dangerously close to the defensive parents that would undoubtedly try to strike the dragons out of the sky. Both dragons were forced to slow down as they came up to the first tower. The manticores’ poisonous tails struck out like lightning, leaving little time for dodging. Although Prisma was without a doubt faster than Crag, there was no way she could go full speed while also avoiding all of the tails, and she had to bob, twist, and swivel to avoid them.. Prisma and Crag managed to pass between each set of towers unscathed. The end was in sight, and as they were about to pass through the final obstacle, Crag flew close to Prisma. “Not bad, rainbow scales, but I ain’t going to lose this race, not to you!” As he said this, his face twisted into an evil grin, and Crag kicked out one of his hind legs, striking one of the joints on Prisma’s wings. The blow forced Prisma to close that wing, sending her on a course straight into the base of one of the towers. She hit the hard-as-stone nest head first. Prisma could see stars as she tried to get back up. Prisma felt the ground shake, like a large boulder had fallen from a cliff. She looked up to see three manticores that had dropped down from their perches and were now slowly closing in on her. Prisma looked around for any way out, but found none. There was no way she would be able to take off fast enough to make it past the manticores. As Prisma realized she was trapped, the manticore closest to her rose its tail, readying to strike. In an instant, Prisma realized of all things she would never get to do. She would never grow old, never lay eggs of her own, never tell Firefly... ...never tell Firefly that she loved him. Prisma felt tears run down her cheeks as she finally came face to face with her own feelings. Despite Firefly’s weaknesses, he was still the nicest dragon she had ever met. She couldn’t outrun the fact anymore; all those years of trying to protect him weren’t just because they were friends, but because she loved him. The manticore loomed over Prisma. She stood up and faced the creature, still dazed from the crash but prepared for the worst. She heard the manticore’s tail whistle through the air and pierce flesh, but she felt no pain. Confused, she took a moment to shake off her daze. Once her mind was clear, she looked up and gasped. Firefly was standing between Prisma and the manticore, its tail embedded in Firefly’s weak wing. Even though it was obvious he was in extreme pain, he still managed to turn his head toward another approaching manticore and unleash a blazing torrent of cerulean and scarlet. After a brief respite, he turned back to Prisma. “Prisma, are you alright?” Prisma looked at him shocked. “I-I’m fine, but you-” Before she could finish, the manticore pulled his stinger from Firefly’s wing. Prisma watched as he wavered for a moment, nearly toppling over. He turned back toward her, and gave a weak smile. “You should probably run.” Firefly closed his eyes and fell to the ground. Prisma stared at his limp body, not wanting to believe what was before her. It was some horrible nightmare. It had to be. She would wake up from it any moment now. When she finally realized the reality of her situation, she felt a fire start inside her. It filled her entire being with an uncontrollable rage like no other. A fire that had to be let out. Prisma stood strong in front of the manticore and opened her jaws. Rainbow fire poured from her throat and engulfed the beast who had dared to harm Firefly. Before it could even react, the manticore’s hair and mane had caught on fire. The beast, now frightened and wounded by its former prey, ran off in search of a way to put out the flames. Prisma did not stop at just one manticore, however. She turned her head toward the others, allowing the stream of rage to wash over the other beasts surrounding her. She wouldn’t let any of them hurt Firefly ever again. Not her Firefly. Each one ran as she turned toward it, afraid to meet the same fate as their companion. Prisma did not stop breathing fire until the last manticore had disappeared from sight. As soon as she was sure that she and Firefly were safe, she sprinted to his side. The manticore had struck right through the bone in his weaker wing and the end of it was now bent at a grotesque angle. The wound itself was bleeding profusely and the flesh surrounding it was beginning to grow puffier, evidence of the poison left by the creature’s tail. Despite the severity of the wound, Firefly was alive. Prisma breathed a small sigh of relief, but knew that she would have to get him back to the Eyrie before the venom reached his vital organs. Prisma picked him up just as she did when he needed help taking off and flew toward home as fast as her wings could take her. Tears streamed down her face as she felt his shaky breaths. “You’re going to be okay, Firefly. I’m gonna get you home, and we’ll get you better.”
Beautiful, Inside and Out (Snow Fall)Cake. Whoever invented this scrumptious, fluffy treat must have been treated like a god by his or her peers. Sitting at the small cafe was a snow white kirin with a styled purple mane. She sat there with a satisfied look on her face as she enjoyed the very last bite of her delicious treat. The kirin’s previous favorite was vanilla with strawberries on top, but now she was craving the delectable goodness of her Cloud Chocolate Delight. The way they mixed the cocoa and the sugar was godlike as it was smooth and creamy. Just the way she liked to end her meals or snack time. The maid, who was standing by, picked up the kirin’s plate when she was finished. “Ah. My compliments to the chef for this delightful cake,” the kirin hummed with satisfaction as she gently wiped her mouth with a cloth napkin. “I’m sure he will be glad to know you enjoyed it,” the maid smiled, striding into the cafe with the plate after placing the bill on the table. As the creature looked over it, she noticed a shadow circling around her chair. She looked up to see a light green pegasus making rounds around her spot, gliding down towards her. As the mare landed on the cloud next to Snow Fall with a soft pomf, she gave the kirin a sheepish smile. She sported a light red mane and yellow eyes to go along with her green coat. She gave a nervous laugh as folded her wings together. “Sorry I’m late, Ms. Snow Fall,” the light green mare apologized. “I lost track of the time I was supposed to be here so...” “It’s perfectly alright, darling. We all have our bad mornings,” Snow Fall assured. She motioned her claws over to the open chair right across from her. “Please. Take a seat.” The mare walked over to the seat, making herself comfortable in it. “By the way, I never caught your name. Can I have the pleasure of knowing?” “It’s, um, Grass Breezy, Ms. Fall,” the pegasus stammered a bit at that last sentence. “Alright then Grass Breeze, please take a seat.” Snow Fall asked as she rested her foreleg on the table. “I... um... of course, Ms. Fall.” Grass fidgeted in her seat, looking nervous. “Well Grassy, let's get to business, shall we?" Snow Fall said in a serious tone. Grass Breeze gave a soft nod as she dug in her brown saddlebag. She pulled out a scroll and unrolled it on the table. The scroll revealed to be a map of sorts. It showed the details of a large building and the schematics of the different wings of the structure. She pointed on a section of the map that had nothing on it whatsoever. “Well, Ms. Fall, we would like to commission you and your team to build a new section of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory. This new section would be to control the hurricane force winds that would normally take plenty of unneeded pegasi power to make. Snow Fall looked over the blueprints as she inspected the location of this new wing of the factory. She noticed a crucial detail that would greatly affect the building process. “I would be willing to do the commission, but we would have to move the location to here.” She pointed to another section of the blueprint. Grass Breeze raised an eyebrow at her decision. “Why would we have to move the project?” Snow Fall gave a small chuckle. “You see, the southern side of Cloudsdale isn’t really meant for larger structures like a new section of the weather factory. It would would stand out like a sore thumb. Moving it to the northern side would look so much nicer.” Grass Breeze shifted nervously at her statement. “Well, Ms. Snow Fall, you are the expert. The northern side it is then. Now, let’s talk about the inside of the building.” The two exchanged words and ideas as to how the new section of the weather factory would look like. Grass Breeze would offer up an idea, which would be quickly rectified by Snow Fall. They continued to debate for another hour until Grass Breeze checked the time. Noticing she would be late for another appointment, she rolled up the scroll and placed it in her saddlebag. “I’m sorry Ms. Snow Fall, but I must be on my way, as I have another meeting back at the factory. But please, whenever you have the time tomorrow, please come over to the factory and present your ideas to my husband, the current owner of the place.” Grass Breeze said as she gave a small bow. Grass Breeze flew off, leaving Snow Fall to her thoughts. After giving the maid a small bow, she left the cafe to return to her office. As she was walking along the plush roads of Cloudsdale, she was able to get a nice view of the weather factory. The tall buildings and detailed structures were already giving her ideas as to how the building should be designed. Why yes, add a few pillars there around the main building and it’ll look absolutely gorgeous. She thought to herself as she reached her office. As she opened the door, she was greeted by her secretary who was startled by Snow Fall’s sudden entrance. “Oh! Ms. Snow Fall! How did the meeting with Mrs. Breeze go?” Snow Fall looked at the orange pegasus with gray mane as she gave her a smile, “Well, we have the commission. All that’s left to do is present the plans to Mr. Breeze and we shall begin building.” The secretary clopped her hooves together as she said with excitement, “Great! Do you want me to get the others together and tell them of the new project?” Snow Fall gave an approving nod. “Please do, as we’ll need all available hooves for this one.” After dismissing the secretary to finish her duties, Snow Fall retreated to her office. It was a modest room, with a sofa against the wall and two chairs sitting in front of her desk. She trotted over to her office chair and relaxed in it. She stared at a paperweight stone she kept on her desk; the way it looked fascinated her. She never knew why it fascinated her so much, though she had summed it up to the dragon part of her: it was a blue orb with a flattened bottom that had multiple colors swirling in it. She usually found herself lost in the stone, and it was considered to be an odd habit by most of her coworkers. There was a knock on her door, and she snapped away from the trance-inducing article. “Come in,” she said, turning to face the knocker as they came in. Her secretary came in, poking her head in through the door. “Just thought you’d want to know that your workers are ready!” she said with a smile. “Good,” Snow Fall replied, slightly dropping the air of professionalism she had been holding. “Thank you.” The door closed, leaving her alone in the office. She stood and sighed. She had always had to be so professional around other ponies, to let them know she was good at her job. It was something her parents had instilled in her as a child, and something that she was sure to never forget. She turned back to the small stone, and held it up as she relaxed back in her chair. “All that’s left is to present my plans and then work on perhaps my biggest project yet.” * * * “And that’s the plans for the Hurricane Wing of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory.” Snow Fall gave a bow to the executives seated before her. One of them stood up from his chair with a stoic expression. “It appears to be a very well thought-out plan Ms. Snow Fall,” he said, standing straight-backed and stiff. “However, why did you decide to build it on the north side of Cloudsdale, rather than the south?” “The south side isn’t for big buildings,” Snow Fall replied, nervousness creeping up into her body; executives held an air that made her tremble. “It’s still developing, but the north side is already used to tall complexes and the like. The view out there is much nicer, as well.” “Snow Fall,” he said, sounding rather disappointed. “You are my top contractor, and you know it. Your skills are great, and you know how to talk to the clients. But, sometimes you let other things get in the way of progress. “This new addition to the weather factory has to be in quick reach of the main plant, and putting it on the north side places it farther from the main complex, meaning accidents will take longer to resolve, and more money lost by the company on transport. “It doesn’t matter how bad the city looks when this is built on the south side, as long as it does its job, pays its workers, and keeps the skies safe. So, we are going to put it south side.” Snow Fall only nodded and sighed under her breath. “Sir,” she began, raising a hoof. “Are you sure? I mean, ponies may not like the building there.” The stallion sat down and said, “It doesn’t matter what the populace likes about the design, it matters on how much more efficient the complex will run.” Snow Fall opened her mouth to speak once more, but just stopped in defeat. There was no changing his mind. “Then that is all,” she said, beginning to pack up her things. “You may go. Thank you for coming.” Snow Fall placed a few sheets of paper in her bag. The sound of softly approaching hoofsteps caused her to look up. The pony coming to her was Grass Breeze, who had a smile on her face. “Your husband was serious,” the kirin said with a mirthful smile. “He’s always like that at work,” Grass Breeze said. “I don’t actually work here, but I decided to come and see how it went.” “It was fine, but my idea to put it on the north side of town was trounced,” Snow Fall stood with her saddlebag across her back, papers and documents stored safely inside. “It’s okay, though,” the mare replied. “He knows what he’s doing. It won’t seem so bad as soon as the building starts.” “I know, but does he not see the art of beauty in buildings?” Snow Fall complained. “Oh well. Say, would you mind showing me where you planned on building before?” “Not a problem,” Breeze replied, signaling her to follow. “It’s right this way.” Snow Fall followed Grass Breeze to the southern side of the factory. Unlike the area the two were just in, which had large, multi-story structures, this side contained many smaller, one and two story buildings. While she was busy examining her surroundings, she wound up bumping into a blue pegasus mare with a white mane. “Sorry,” she said, backing away carefully. Snow Fall looked at the mare, before turning her head away from the pegasus, “You really should watch where you are going.” The pegasus, who was surprised by her rude attitude, quickly got up and said, “Well, excuse me then. You should watch where you’re going as well!” Snow Fall looked at her with a frown, “You have wings, you could have easily just flown over me, but instead you rudely collided with me.” The mare was taken aback by her claim, “And you could have done the same! You know what, I’m not going to get into an argument. I have more important duties to attend to.” As the pegasus flew off angrily, Snow Fall realized that she was losing pace to Grass Breeze. After quickly trotting up to her, she noticed that Grass Breeze had stopped and turned to her. “Here it is!” she said, waving a hoof at the site. It was a large, open area with buildings surrounding it in a circular formation. “Hm...” Snow Fall pondered. “It seems acceptable, though it isn’t really what I was expecting to work with.” Grass Breeze merely chuckled lightly and turned to look at her. “I hope that your work goes well,” she said. “I can’t wait to see the finished project.” Grass Breeze trotted off, leaving Snow Fall to look at the area, imagining the final construct standing. She looked up and pictured the tall pillars stretching up to support a roof of floating white. Her thoughts were soon going a mile a minute as she began to ponder how to make such a large building look acceptable amongst such other smaller, more petite structures. Soon, her eyes lit up as she gasped with excitement and said in a sing-song voice, “Idea!” She located a nearby bench and table as she took out a large piece of paper and started drawing blueprints for the new area. Her pace was almost frantic as she sat there, improving the original plan and adding to the functionality at the same time. She began talking to herself as she drew on the blueprint, “Yes, that way, instead of having to look like the more blocky buildings of the factory, making it more like a tower, and add pillars here and here... Why, I think I’ve had a stroke of genius!” As she finally finished her design, she placed the new blueprints in her saddlebag and was soon on her way to meet the carpenters available for the job. In order to reach the workshop where the carpenters would be at, she had to cross through most of Cloudsdale. The walk took her about an hour, but she was now in front of the building. She opened the doors and went in, where a small space with a lone counter awaited. “Ah, Snow Fall!” the middle-aged stallion at the counter said. “What do you want this time?” “Would it hurt to be a bit more polite?” the kirin replied, rolling her eyes. “You always greet me the same way.” “You’re a regular!” he said with a chuckle. “Gotta treat regulars like family!” “No, you don’t.” Snow Fall said with a deadpan look on her face. “Aw, well. Now, why’re you here?” the stallion leaned forward on the counter. “I want,” Snow Fall pulled out her blueprint design with the modifications, “this created. It’s a new extension to the weather factory. It is a circular opening located on the southern side of the area, and it must be done with the utmost precision.” “Hm...” he said, taking the papers and looking them over. “It’s a lot, but we can get it done. You really went overboard with the design, though.” Snow Fall was taken aback by his statement. “Overboard? Why I never! It is perfect for the location of the building.” The stallion laughed as he said, “Well, Ms. Fall, I’ll get the team together. We’ll meet you at the site.” “Thank you very much Mr. Build,” Snow Fall said while placing a few bits on the table, “Here’s a small tip for you, for accepting the job.” The stallion gave Snow Fall a quick salute before heading to the back, leaving Snow Fall to herself once more. After sealing her bag, she headed back to the southern part of the factory, ready to begin her work. Upon arrival, she received quite a surprise when Grass Breeze was waiting for her. “Why, Ms. Snow Fall, just the pon—er kirin, I was looking for!” Grass Breeze said with a smile. “There’s somepony that is supposed to assist you in overseeing the project, as the new department will be run by her.” Snow Fall raised an eyebrow at Grass, “Oh? Just who would this other pony be?” Grass Breeze clopped her hooves together in excitement, “Oh, she is just a joy to be around. Honest and dependable.” As she was talking, a familiar pegasus mare came down from the skies. It was a blue pegasus with a white mane. Her cutie mark was that of wind blowing in the air. It was the same pegasus who Snow Fall had rudely bumped into just hours before. Grass Breeze pointed a hoof in the pegasus’s direction. “Snow Fall, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Windswept.” “You!” Snow Fall yelled. “You!” Windswept yelled in return. “She’s your daughter?!” Snow Fall said, turning to look incredulously at Grass Breeze. “Yes,” the mare replied. “Why?” The two stared at each other for a minute, eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry about earlier,” Snow Fall said, breaking the confrontation. “I was rather in a rush, and I may have overreacted.” “Overreacted?” Windswept replied, rolling her eyes. “You blew it out of the water!” Grass Breeze looked between the two and smiled, “See, I knew you two would hit it off well!”
