Among the Stars

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but stare at Tyrex. It seemed like there could be no possible way for a dragon to be under all that metal, much less one that was still able to move with all that speed. Then again, she had only really interacted with four Dragons. One was Spike, Obviously. He wasn't too fast or strong, but then again, he was just a kid still. The other three were total douche bags, And she didn't give half a buck about them. This one, however, seemed… Different. Even had he not been wearing that strange armor, he seemed to give off something that just made him seem… Different. She shrugged. He TECHNICALLY was an alien, in a manner of speaking, so that was to be expected. She pulled in her wings and landed soundly atop the dragon’s head.

Tyrex gave an annoyed glance, though again, she was unable to see it because of the helmet. “What did I say about touching the armor?” He half-growled, half-mumbled.

“Right. Sorry.” Was her response, as she leaped off, preforming a somersault in midair before touching back on the ground. Taking another look at him, she realized that as intimidating as he looked, he was actually a pretty cool guy. She might ask him to check out her moves later.

“Acrobatic little thing.” He mumbled under his breath as he watched the mare flip off of him. So now they knew each other’s names, which was a plus. This led him to conclude that there were possibly more like her. He crossed that thought out of his head. There were DEFINITELY more like her. There simply had to be.

The two looked back at each other for a second, before asking at the same time: “Are there more like you?”

Rainbow answered first. “Heck yeah! What you thought I was the last of my species or something?”

Tyrex winced slightly at the wording, but said nothing. Rainbow, who didn't happen to pick up on this, rambled on.

“There are TONS of others. All over the world.” She said, as she hovered upwards again. This led the dragon to his next question.

“So… What exactly ARE you?”

“I’m a pony. A Pegasus to be exact.”

Pegasus. Well, he had been hoping for an answer that was a little less... obvious, but it really didn't matter what she called herself. “So, there's more than one type of… uh… pony?”

“Yeah! There’s three others.” Rainbow found it odd to have to explain the types of ponies that existed. Other world or not, many, herself included, thought that it was universal knowledge. Maybe he was from even farther away than she first thought.

“And those would be?” He asked patiently, sitting down on his haunches as he waited for an answer.

“Well, you've got Unicorns, which can use magic, Earth ponies, which have no wings or magic but are stronger than the others, and Alicorns, which have both Wings AND the ability to use magic. They’re also way bigger than any other pony. Though not quite as big as you.”

The dragon could only give a smile, though like so many other emotions, it went unnoticed. ‘Magic.’ Did anyone honestly believe that stuff? It was nothing more than natural science integrated into a creatures Biology. Certainly, in his life he had seen things that were difficult to explain, but the answers came eventually. Still, what this ‘pony’ believed in wasn't important. What WAS important was that there were more of them. Which meant that he might be able to find a way back.

As if she read his mind, Rainbow’s face brightened up suddenly. “Hey! I know! Why don’t you come to Ponyville with me? I could show you off- I mean, uh, Introduce you to my friends!”

“Yeah, somehow I have the feeling that none of your ‘friends’ know anything about Conduits, or Pathways.” He stated flatly, as he stood back up. Really, they were the same thing to him. A Conduit was essentially a type of portal that could transport you great distances. The only problem was, though the one traveling would feel as if they arrived instantaneously, it would in reality take them several days, or even weeks before they arrived. A Pathway was slightly different, in that it actually COULD Transport you instantaneously. The second you went through, you were there.

Rainbow gave him a quizzical look, but her smile never faltered. “Actually, I think I may know someone who might know something.”

That hit him as a surprise. Though it was never stated that this pony DID know anything, it was really the only lead that he had to go on. Even if it meant trusting this… Pegasus. Regardless, he lifted his head slightly and asked: “So… where are we going again?”

“Ponyville! It’s not technically where I live, but most of my friends do.” She paused for a moment. “Oh, yeah! There’s another dragon living there too! You guys could probably… Oh, I dunno, talk about breathing Fire or something like that!”

“I don’t breathe fire.” He said simply "Why does everyone assume that? Just because I'm a dragon doesn't mean that I'm some big, lumbering pile of scales that belches fire at everything."

“Oh… Um… ice?” She suggested, though her tone sounded less excited, and slightly more apologetic.

“No. Nothing like what you would expect from a dragon.” He sighed. Really, he couldn't blame the pony. Dragons were no doubt something feared in this world, which more than likely meant that his little visit here was going to end like most of his other "Expeditions" went. With him running for his life as Kairos-knows-what chased after him.

“I thought all dragons were supposed to have… I dunno, some sort of breath attack.” She said, her tone yet again adopting the clueless confidence that it usually carried, as she yet again missed the dragon deep in thought.

“I do have a breath attack. Well. Sort of." He said, as he shifted his position to get a better view of her. She was an interesting thing, this pony. Maybe his stay here wouldn't be so bad. Maybe the others would be as... Interesting... as her. "I don’t really use it anymore.”

“Well, don’t leave me in suspense. What is it?” She asked, her eyes practically letting out beams of eagerness. "I've never met a dragon who doesn't breathe fire."

“I… Well, it’s hard to describe. It’s… basically just energy. Not really focused into an element.” He said after another moment's contemplation. "It's sort of- Wait." His head tilted up to hers, to the point that she could see her own reflection in the visor. "You said that you'd met other dragons besides this, uh... Spike?" He asked. He tried not to sound nervous, but his voice shook slightly. Of course, the Air-headed Pegasus didn't notice that, either.

"Yeah, 'course! Most of them were jerks, though. Except Spike."

Perfect.

"But Ponies forgive easily. And you're not even from here, so they probably won't harbor any ill feelings."

Huh. Better. "So... This friend of yours. You said he knows about Pathways, or Conduits?"

"She, first of all. And I said she MIGHT be able to help you. Her name's Twilight. Twilight Sparkle."

Could these names get any more ridiculous? Then again, a name like 'Tyrex' was probably odd to a pony. Who was he to judge? He gave a small shrug. Weird names or not, this 'Twilight' was his only lead. He hoped that she was as adventurous as Rainbow, for her sake. He cleared his throat. “So… Ponyville?” He asked. Taking to Rainbow was getting sort of tiring. Really, he just wanted to get back to his home. It might be damned, but at least it was familiar.

Rainbow gave a single nod, and lifted off, before waving a hoof. “Right this way!” She took off, leaving a rainbow-colored streak behind her. Huh. So that’s why her name was Rainbow Dash. He had just followed her into the air before she stopped suddenly. “Wait!” She hollered, turning around just in time to see him swerve out of her way, neatly barrel rolling to the side of her before catching himself in a hover. His wings were now exposed, and she could see that the membrane was a bright yellow. Impressive, but it didn’t dismiss the matter at hoof. “Uh… Maybe we shouldn't fly straight into town.”

Tyrex was getting annoyed. “And why not?” He asked, struggling to keep his voice level.  First he’d been dragged- no, shoved into some strange, cartoonish world. Then he’d met some horse-thing that claimed to be the fastest flyer in the land and apparently had an affinity for touching armor. After meeting said pony, She claimed to know someone who might be able to get him home, before telling him that now they apparently had to take the long way to get there, for reasons unknown. "I though you said they wouldn't harbor ill feelings."

She nodded. "Well, yeah! But still... Some of the other ponies are more..." Immediately, she thought of Fluttershy and Rarity. "...Delicate? Fragile is probably a better word."

"You mean they're pansies."

"That's not exactly a word I would use, but... Basically, yeah."

"I thought you ponies wouldn't have a problem with dragons, since you have Spike."

"Well, yeah. Normally. But that's because Twilight raised him from an egg. And to be honest, he doesn't look quite like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

“Uh… No offense to you, but…” She paused, tapping a hoof to her chin, trying to think of the right words to say. “You look kind of like something that got dragged out of a filly’s nightmare, if the filly was on drugs, and then put in a dark room with creepy noises all night.”

Oh. Right.

He sighed, touching back down on the ground. He hated having to show her one of his abilities, but if it would get him home quicker, then he was willing to. Still, he wanted to make sure that he kept as many as he could unknown. Victory comes not from what you can learn from your teacher, but from your opponent. He thought to himself. Giving another sigh, his black crest began to glow with a yellowish light.

Rainbow, watching with Curiosity, landed. Despite the amount of magic as she had witnessed in her life, she wasn't prepared for when the dragon faded from view. A small ‘pop!’, and it was finished. “Dude! You didn't say that you could use magic!” She exclaimed.

“It’s not magic.” He said matter-of-factly. “It’s science. I simply bent the light around the armor, giving the illusion that it’s not there.”

Rainbow smirked. “Oh yeah. You and Twilight are gonna get along just fine.”