Chapters Dragons are superior. It's as simple as that. Never has a pony bested a dragon, neither have they ever tried. They are cowards. That's all I know and need to know about those hoofed creatures. Earth ponies are strong, we are stronger. The winged ones can fly at great speeds and distances, dragons could beat them in a race in a single weak flap. Unicorns have great magic skills, dragons learned how to master and control it. The threat called Tirek was a fool, he was defeated by the magic of....Friendship. I hate that word, Friendship, how utterly useless. The ponies rely on a source of friendship to survive. Fools, all of them, we dragons have survived centuries without it and have never needed such a thing. I have no feelings for others, of any race, even my own. Some dragons choose the ponies over their own kind, they don't deserve to be related to us.
Now that I have given you the proven facts, I guess you are wondering who I am. I am Igneous, the dragon of the blue flame. Each individual dragon has their own set of power and magic. I can conjure blue flames, these flames can melt through anything, including a whole mountain if given the time. My scales are as tougher then anything you have ever seen, nobody has ever been able to penetrate them. Many weaker dragons look up to me for my strength and power, nobody bothers me. The pile of bones in the corner of my den were the fools who did. I guess, sometimes I get lonely, but I have no need for friends.
But one day, everything changed.
I just had finished picking some long-forgotten meat out of my teeth, when I heard a shuffle of the rocks. I turned my head to the entrance and growled, smoke erupting in small bursts around my muzzle and nose. "Who goes there?" I demanded, expecting nothing more than a small mouse or rabbit. There was silence. Then a purple alicorn appeared in the entrance to my den. A pony! In my den?! I growled once more and showed my claws, they glinted in the reflection of my large hoard of gold that was positioned carefully in the corner behind me. A small voice suddenly replied from the unicorn, and she bravely said, "I'm Twilight Sparkle." There was no fear in her voice, only a kind reply. I looked down on her in disgust, but also recognition. She was brave, I gave her that, but also a great fool for trespassing on my territory.
"What are you doing here?!" I boomed, my voice filling the room. "Nobody dares trespasses on my grounds." Twilight just stood taller and replied, "I cannot seem to find my way home, and I was wondering if I could stay with you until I find my way home." She asked me. "Back in my hometown I have a baby dragon named Spike, so I understand what I should or should not do in a dragon's company."
I knew immediately to let loose a big no, but something held me back. I knew it would go against my better judgement, but I felt like I couldn't just leave her out in the rough terrain of the mountains. After considering the pros and cons, I finally came to a judgment that I would never be able to live down. "Fine. But only if you don't bother me the slightest bit." I growled, trying to accept what shame I had just put on a the dragon's name.
What have I done?
That night, I awoke to the sound of paper being pushed back. I yawned and looked hazily towards the sound, and next to me I saw that purple unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, snuggled up close to me with a candle and pages of paper with some sort of writing upon it.
"What, what is that?" I demanded, still regretting my choice to let her stay. She looked at me in a confused way, her head tilted to the side. "What? A book?" I looked at her then turned my head, I didn't want her to think I was actually interested. "What in the wide world of dragons is that?" She started to laugh, then thought twice and stopped. Smart. "You're saying you never heard of a book?" She asked, obviously enjoying my confusion. "No, am I supposed to? I have survived without it, so that means it doesn't matter either way if I know about it's existence or not."
"Why do you always say that?"
"Say what?"
"That you survived without it, so whatever it is, is not special to you?"
"It makes sense, that's all, if I survived without it, that supposedly means that whatever it is, is not important at all."
She glared at me, I returned the glare. If this pony thought she would be able to intimidate me, she was surely mistaken. "What about friends? Without them, this world would surely be ruled be chaos." I stood quickly, letting a blue flame erupt from my mouth to illuminate the room and all my riches. "Friendship?! I have lived a thousand years longer then any of your pathetic race has without threats! I need no such weakness to make me soft! So if you think that your friendship is affective on any terms, just look at how long dragons have lived on without it!" I boomed, laying down after my lecture. "It's nothing, never has friendship ever cured scars and wounds, and it never will. That, little pony, is why nobody ever needs a friend...it's worthless." Twilight looked stunned. I was glad she finally understood where her place was, but she still didn't look like the pony who would give up a fight.
After that, I tried to go to sleep, and I assume that Twilight was trying to regain her composure, but I couldn't. Something was still bugging me. So I reluctantly whispered, "What is a book?"
I didn't turn around to see her expression, in anger that she would be smirking. But then she replied kindly, like nothing happened. "A book is a reading device that gives you information, or takes you to faraway places without you having to ever leave your room...or cave." I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to forget that I was actually talking her.
After a few moments of silence, sleep finally enveloped a warm blanket around me, taking my thoughts on the subject completely.
The sun rose and the sounds of birds were distant. (Because I ate all that grew close.) I opened my eyes and stretched, taking in the warm summer air of a new day. Twilight stood near the entrance of my cave, staring off into the distance. I stood and slowly walked over to her, my tail dragging along the rough surface of my den. Twilight turned and smiled at me, and I returned it with a grunt. I sat down next to her and looked off into the distance as well, trying not to make eye contact with her. "Good morning- wait...I never got your name!" She exclaimed. I yawned and said, "Igneous." Twilight smiled and said, "That's a nice name!" I kept looking towards the sun rising over the mountains and asked, "When are you leaving? You said you would leave when you found your way home, it's daylight, and you would have the best luck finding your way home in the morning."
Twilight sighed and said, "I can't, until I know exactly where I'm going, you're stuck with me for now." I growled angrily. Why couldn't she have stopped by another dragon's den? I thought. "What information do you need to be well on your way?" I sighed in defeat. Twilight smiled and replied, "Maybe some source of information, like a map or some dragon that happens to know the way." I thought of the ways that I could get her out of here, grimacing at the idea that she might never get home. "I own no maps, and I don't interact with other dragons unless they come to me, which is rare." Twilight looked like she was racking her brain for ideas on the information she was just presented, then she asked, "Do dragons ever meet somewhere? Like a gathering to discuss events?" It was now my time to think, searching the far reaches of my mind to remember any of the few moments where I interacted with a large group of dragons.
Then it came to me.
"Every year, certain dragons are permitted to go to a special gathering of dragons, the Migration Gathering." I explained to her. "Lucky for you, that gathering is tomorrow, and I am permitted to join, even though I rarely go. Unlucky for you, no other species are allowed, certainly not ponies." Twilight just smiled, as if there was no problem in the first place, and said, "If I am correct, you should be able to hide me under your wing, or I could cast a spell that I just learned, that makes me look like a dragon to the regular eye."
Immediately, I said, "I vote for the spell." Twilight laughed, I scowled in a confused way, That wasn't a joke... I thought. After a few moments, I broke the silence, "I know a dragon, his name is Scout, and like his name, he has been all over the wide world. He may know a thing or two about your home." Suddenly, I felt a warm sensation around my legs. I looked down to see Twilight...hugging me. For once in my life, I didn't shake it off. It made me feel somewhat safe. "Thank you, Igneous." She said, still not breaking her hold. Then I snapped out of the feeling and shook my head. "Well, I think I need to count my gold, we'll talk later." I said, walking away, snapping Twilight's hold on me.
But I still couldn't shake the feeling that all loneliness had left me when that purple unicorn came into my life.
After a long morning of counting gold coins, night finally fell upon the cavern. This night, Twilight was reading a different book. I tried to go to sleep, but after the agreement I had just made with Twilight, I was....excited. In fact, almost too excited to sleep. The light of the flame on the candle glimmered brightly, even in the dark hole that was my home. The moon looked surprisingly still that night, it's light setting upon the entrance to my den. Everything was still, the only sound that could be heard was that of the occurring flip of pages being turned. Trying to occupy myself before going to sleep, my eyes darted from and to the moon, my gold hoard, and Twilight. What disturbed me the most was that my eyes crossed over to Twilight more then my hoard of gold. What it true that I was really growing soft?
"Trouble having sleep?" Twilight asked, snapping me back to reality. I just nodded. I peered over to where she was, and saw the cover of the book. "The Elements of Harmony?" I asked, reading the cover out loud. Twilight nodded in a surprised manner, and said, "You can read?" I huffed out a plume of smoke, and replied in a gruff voice, "Yeah. Just because I don't know what a book is, doesn't mean it's a priority to dragons." Twilight almost laughed at this. "Isn't reading not a part of your survival?" I grew frustrated by this, but let it pass. "What if a death threat is posted on my wall? If you can't read that, you might not be prepared for the battle."
Twilight went back to her book, saying nothing else. After another moment of darting eyes, I peered over Twilight's shoulder...and began to read. It was very interesting, old writing covered the slim pages, and it told the story of Nightmare Moon, a pony who probably needed a breath-mint after a few thousand years on the moon. The most interesting part of it was the suppoused magical weapons that helped defeat the pony of the moon. Twilight and I read for hours, flipping one page after another.
Soon tiredness hit me like a freight train. I knew it would be the best idea to get some sleep to be prepared for tomorrow. So I let sleep envelop me and reality drift away.
~~~~~~~
Morning came, and after a few moments permitted to get ready, I shook myself of sleep. Twilight's horn was enveloped in a purple mist, and soon, the rest of her too. I watched intently as the purple unicorn turned herself into a small dragon with bright purple eyes. I was not amazed by this magical feat, I had seen it before with other species. "Can you fly?" I asked, losing my patience. "Yeah, back in my home, I'm kind of a princess." This didn't change anything between us, this only made me think even lower of her. "Let's just go already." I growled. To my suprise, Twilight- I mean, Princess Twilight wasn't angry, in fact she almost smiled. I was losing my patience, so before I could say anything more, I forced myself to open my wings, signaling Twilight to do the same.
Only after a few moments in the air, the air currents propelled us forward. We didn't talk the whole way, I didn't ask Twilight about her book, and she didn't ask me about the Migration Gathering. I led Twilight throughout the rough terrain of the mountains, some dragon dens, and the occasional land squid. (Don't Ask.) About twenty minuets later, the shadow of a volcano loomed over them, reaching towards the sky.
"We're here."
"So...This is The Migration Gathering." Twilight said as we looked over the volcano's top. Over the years, this volcano's lava had hardened at the surface, leaving a thick shell of obsidian on the top. A few places had holes that led to some not-so-hardened lava beneath it, casting off a red glow on the surface. The obsidian surface was huge, covering the whole top, and multi-colored dragons covered the rim and top. "Now, are you ready?" I asked Twilight. She nodded, and we glided down to the fray of dragons. Almost immediately after we touched down, a few dragons noticed me, and one ran my way. "Hey Igneous!" I groaned. "Hey Sunburn..." I said roughly. Sunburn was a tan dragon with amber eyes and the most annoying personality to walk the planet. "What are you doing here? I thought you said you hated company." He asked, tilting his head. "I said I hated your company..." I muttered quietly.
"What was that?" He asked. "Nothing!" I said quickly, changing the subject. "Do you know where Scout is? I only came here to see him." Sunburn smiled and said, "Yeah! Right over there!" He pointed with a claw towards an older light brown dragon with a spiny back and brown eyes. "Thanks." I said, signaling Twilight to follow me. We walked up to Scout getting a few uneasy glances from other dragons. I had earned my reputation with fear, not kindness, so it was normal for other dragons to feel uncomfortable around me. When we finally reached Scout, he turned our direction and noticed Twilight beside me. "Who's this?" He asked with a smile. I hoped he wouldn't see through her disguise, so I quickly came up with an answer. "Um, this is my cousin, coming to visit...her name is Twilight." "Of what?" Scout asked, examining Twilight.
"Hmm?"
"What power does she have?"
"Oh! Um...she's Twilight of...the swirling skies."
Scout looked back into my eyes, finally acknowledging my existence. "So, what brings you here?" He asked politely. "Well... I actually came here looking for you." I replied, ready for a gasp from anyone who had been listening. It's not often that I actually look for someone. But Scout was not surprised. "What for?" He asked. "Twilight wanted to know....not me, of course..where any ponies are located?" Now this got a gasp from some people, fortunately it didn't drag the eyes of the whole pack. "Don't worry...she's not going to befriend them...it's just for some hunting training." Scout nodded at this and the tension in the air subsided. "Alright, a few days ago, I saw a small group of ponies on the Trail of Mist, heading up the mountain." He took a raggedy breath before continuing. "There was an orange one, a white one, a pink, a yellow one, and a light blue one with a rainbow mane. But they look tough, I don't think your cousin could handle them if it's her first time."
"Thanks, now I think it's time to leave." Before I could take off, I heard an all-too-familiar voice. "Igneous!!" I looked behind me to see a black dragon with piercing purple eyes blundering straight towards me. "Time's up! It's time to pay." He boomed, his black scales rippling under his muscles. This was Nightmare of the Sudden Death, the only dragon I was almost afraid of....almost. Long ago, Nightmare and I had fought over who was the rightful ruler of this pack of dragons. He had won, and I stopped interacting with other dragons, I was preparing my skills for a rematch. When he had won, he made sure I paid for doubting his rulership, every gathering he would demand half of my gold hoard, which is why I placed my gold furthest away from the entrance, and why I didn't attend gatherings. Now he was here, his breath in my face. Maybe they should've named him Nightmare of Rancid Breath... I thought, snickering at my own joke. "Well?" Nightmare said, his patience growing smaller.
"Fine... send someone to collect it, then we'll see." I took off, Twilight catching up behind me. Before we were out of earshot, Nightmare yelled, "You can never avoid your mistake!"
When Twilight and I finally reached home, Twilight transformed back into a pony and asked me, "What was that dragon talking about back there?" I didn't want to tell her, I really didn't. But if I was to continue on with the day, I needed to tell her. So I did, I told her every detail, every moment, and even that I was sometimes scared. She didn't laugh, she didn't call me soft, and she didn't interrupt. She listened to every word, every detail, it felt comforting when I spoke to her. When I finished, the sun was setting, and I let out a long yawn. "I think it's time to go to sleep." I said, laying down where I usually did. Twilight snuggled closer to me then usual, and...I was fine with it. The moon started to rise, and then I remembered that- I never talked about tomorrow, when Twilight would leave to find her home. Then I thought, Do I really want her to go?
Half of me said that I should not be feeling anything for this pony, but the other side said that I needed to remember the moments that she showed kindness to me, without any kindness in return. My whole head was starting to hurt, swirling with emotions Iv'e never had, not to anyone, except for this purple unicorn that walked into my life. I snapped to reality when I heard Twilight working on her book. I looked over her shoulders again, but I found that the candle flame was dangerously low. I leaned towards it and blew a small blue flame onto it, that lit up instantly. I took my place back above Twilight's shoulders and peered at the next entry in the book. This night's story was about the Flame of Friendship, a magical flame that represented the friendship between all of the ponies. This caused me to look back at the flame that I had just lit, it's blue flame burning brighter then the moon. Some dragons believe that a dragon's flame is not unlimited, and every fire we start, we grow closer to death.
Many others do not believe this theory, but....if it were true...I would have no problem with spending it on Twilight's value. This...flame, was the representation of our friendship. Not long ago, I would've spat out the word friendship, but after all I've been through, I was starting to respect it. I yawned one more time, and rested my head on the rocky surface beneath me. I let sleep overtake me yet another time, and dreamed about the freedom of the skies.
~~~~~~~~
When I awoke the next morning, Twilight just finished packing her book into her bag. I let out a loud yawn and stood, shaking off any sleep that stuck onto me. "You're leaving already?" I asked. Twilight nodded and said, "But I really enjoyed our time together. It was...fun." She smiled, I smiled back. But I couldn't help feeling bad that she had to go so soon. Even though it was a short time, this pony changed my whole outlook on ponies completely. They had one thing that dragons didn't, Friendship. "Twilight, there is no need to thank me, I should be thanking you, without you I would've never looked at a pony in a different way. But now-" Twilight cut me off. "I know. I will miss you too." Small tears formed in her eyes. I leaned my head down to her and delicately wiped the tear from her sparkling eyes. "Twilight, I like your name too." I said softly.
Throughout our whole conversation, I didn't see Sunburn, who was listening to our whole conversation before flying off.
I opened my wings, and Twilight did the same, we were preparing to meet this group of ponies that could somehow bring Twilight back to her hometown. We took off, and thankfully, the Trail of Mist was closer then the Migration Gathering, so it didn't take us long to arrive. We landed on the top of the mountain, which was a large plateau, that was the only part of the mountain that wasn't covered in mist. Only a few seconds after we landed, the ponies that had climbed up here arrived. There was an orange one, a hyper pink one, a shy-looking yellow one, a white one, and a tomboyish blue one. "Twilight!" They said in union as they saw her land. When they saw me land they gasped. The orange one said to Twilight, " 'Twi, I wouldn't turn around if I were you, there's a big dragon behind 'ya." I didn't growl at her for misjudging me, I only stood there, waiting for what else was to come. Twilight looked at me and smiled, then said, "Don't worry, girls. this is Igneous, he's on our side." The pink and yellow one flew up to me, and stared kindly into my eyes. "Awww, what a cutie you are! Choocie Coocie Coo!" I tried my best not to snap out at her, and just said calmly, "I would appreciate it if you didn't do that..." She gasped, "Oh! And he can talk too! What a good boy he is!" I rolled my eyes and looked at Twilight like, 'Does she always do this?'
The one with the rainbow mane also flew up to me, but took a different way to get to know me. "What did you do to Twilight?!" She yelled defensively. Twilight sighed and said, "Rainbow, he didn't do anything to me. In fact, he was really nice." The two flew down and Twilight said to me,"This is Apple Jack," The orange one lifted her hat. "This is Pinkie Pie" The pink one laughed and jumped. "This is Rarity," The white one tossed her purple mane. "This is Rainbow Dash," The blue one nodded her head in acknowledgment. "And this is Fluttershy." The shy pink and yellow one smiled. Interesting, so these are her friends... I thought and smiled. It must be nice to have so many friends...
All of a sudden, a roar erupted from the mist above. The ponies looked at the pink one, and she replied with a squeaky, "Hey! That wasn't me! I only do that on Wednesdays!'' I looked up, the mist was covering the sky, but a black shape was quickly rumbling towards them. When I realized what it was, it was too late. "Everybody run!" I yelled before a searing pain slashed upon my back. I fell to the ground only to be face to face with Nightmare, who was starting at me with cold, unforgiving eyes. "This is very interesting indeed..." He smiled with razor sharp teeth. "The great Igneous, friends with ponies? I never thought I would see the day..." I grabbed his shoulders with my claws and ripped downwards. He didn't yell, but he slackened his grip, letting me escape. I stood in front of the girls, blood trickling down my spine. "Stay away from them! You can have my gold!" I yelled at him. Nightmare just smiled deeper and he said, "Now where would be the fun in that?" He lunged. I didn't jump out of the way, because if I did, my friends would get the force of this blow.
He bit me on my neck, sending another jolt of pain up my body. Nightmare shoved me against a rock, and soon, he had me pinned against it. I looked at the girls, who were watching in horror. "Run!" I yelled at them. They ran to the far side of the plateau, but didn't leave me. I looked back at Nightmare with hatred burning in my eyes. This dragon had taken away all of my freedom, my interactions, and my kindness. I would not let him take away my friends....even if it killed me. I devised a quick plan, and with one last use of strength....I hurled both of us over the edge of the cliff.
The wind whipped at my face as we plummeted downwards, Nightmare had clawed my wings, so I couldn't fly. But he couldn't either, I had clipped his wings and they now had too many scratches in them to catch the wind. At least I took something from him, his flight. We plummeted, the ground was covered by mist, so I couldn't be sure when we would....arrive. "What were you thinking?!" Nightmare yelled. He bared his teeth. I sighed in defeat, for I knew these moments with him would be my last. "I have never seen anything so pathetic." I said calmly. Nightmare looked at me in a mix of rage and confusion. "You have absolutely no respect for others, neither do you care if they die by your claws. At least I had my limits." Nightmare growled at this, and said, "You were the one who threw himself off the side of a mountain! That was foolish!" I remembered when I had been like him, full of rage and revenge, there was no pity in his cold purple eyes.
"How could you befriend those ponies?! " Nightmare spat out the word ponies. I narrowed my eyes, and replied, "Those ponies, showed me something that you could never grasp onto...Friendship." Nightmare growled again and clawed my eyes, scratching my right eye, which could never be healed. I cried out in agony, but held onto my life strings, ready to hold out until the end. "You've grown soft Igneous, I'm glad that I the battle for the kingdom." I heard the ground rushing up fast , so I prepared for the sound of bones breaking. But, suddenly, I was lifted from my free fall, and was constantly being pulled up. I looked above me to see Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and....Twilight, lifting me upwards. I felt a burning pain below me and looked down to see Nightmare clinging onto my ankle.
I tried to shake him off, but to no avail. "I knew it, you are growing soft." He grunted. "You're so called, friends are pathetic fools that deserve to be eaten by the land squids." I let out a low growl and let my rage take over me. "You, are the one who doesn't deserve to live. You refuse to let others into your life, you ignore the cries for help, and you enjoy the screams of pain. I may not be a perfect dragon either, none of us are, but at least I believe in second chances."
And with a quick kick of my other foot, I pushed Nightmare off of me and into the misty abyss. He fell the whole way screaming until I heard no more. Nightmare was dead. I sighed in relief when I was finally hauled onto the mountain, but then pain hit me like a cannon ball. I didn't cry out, but I bit my lip, which the girls caught. "Oh! Mr. Igneous! Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked. I fell down and Apple Jack said, "I don't think so 'shuga." I couldn't see out of my right eye, my back was bleeding, and my wings....I only hoped that they would heal. But I held on to my conciseness, and my life.
I turned to Twilight and made a shaky bow, and said, "Thank you Princess Twilight, I owe you my life...and I would be happy to lose it for you and your friends." Twilight smiled and said, "If it wasn't for my friends, I wouldn't have been able to help." I knew this next part would be the hardest one. "Twilight, I know that you must go, and...I respect your decision to go." Twilight looked to her friends for help. Apple Jack spoke up first. "We would always enjoy another helping hoof-I mean, claw, on our farm." Fluttershy was next. "I always have room in my cottage, we have more space then you would think." Pinkie Pie jumped up and said, "I am always open for another friend!" Rainbow Dash smiled and said, "If you lived with me, we could race every day!" Rarity piped up. "I am always open for another costumer in the bouquet!"
I smiled, there was always a place to go when I needed a friend. But one choice stood out the most. "Fluttershy, did you say that you had a lot of open space?" I asked her. She smiled again and said, "Of course!" The whole group of ponies looked at me and smiled. I realized that I now had an actual home, and friends. No gold could replace that.
And it all started when that purple pony walked into my life.
