Ponies of Deltora: Monsters and Magic

Day one, Time 8:32 AM

Twilight clung to the earth under her hooves, paralyzed with shock and fear. The world seemed to be spinning as she processed the events that had just transpired. She silently hoped in her mind that this was all a trick, and that she’d awaken with her friends. Sadly those hopes were dashed by the screams of terror flying along the wind from the captive Granous. To Twilight’s relief though, the sound soon died away, and a sickening chewing sound replaced it.

Finally feeling came back to Twilight’s legs and she rose to her hooves. Quickly she scanned the skies desperately, but found nothing. Not wanting to wait around and thank her saviour in person, Twilight made her way towards a rocky path leading out of the hills. The uneven terrain slowed her down something fierce, but it was either that or going back to the forest.

As she traversed the rocks, her hoof brushed something soft. Looking down, her eyes widened with amazement. The golden saddlebag with her cutie mark on it had somehow appeared by her side. Resting on the bag was another note with a chess queen on it. Opening the note with her magic, Twilight found several chess pieces arranged to spell out. Just this once.

As Twilight was contemplating this, she failed to notice the chewing sound had stopped. It wasn’t until she felt the powerful winds pin her to the rocks that she looked up. Dust and debris were whipped around her, but she could clearly make out the descending shape.

Its underbelly was a pale blue, matching perfectly with the morning sky. It landed in the valley, completely filling it up with a sea of gold as if Celestia herself had commanded the sun to land. It folded its great wings onto its body and turned a massive head to stare at the small unicorn. Fear gripped at her instantly. Foreign land or not, she still knew a dragon when she saw one.

The dragon looked at her and the young mare found herself facing a flat golden eye. Her image was reflected perfectly from its surface, and she found herself unable to look away. She was lost, all thoughts draining from her mind until she was all but mesmerized by the sea of gold. It wasn't until the dragon blinked that the spell was broken. She gasped and staggered back, but didn’t dare look away from the dragon. She readied herself for the worst, but nothing happened. Curious as to why, Twilight observed the dragon, which she realized seemed to be analyzing her.

“You are a ponderous creature," It said suddenly. "There is great magic about you, the likes of which I have never seen. Tell me, what land do you hale from?”

Twilight looked to the dragon in amazement. “You can speak, and quite well actually?”

“Indeed I can, as can all dragons.” It said flatly. “Does this surprise you?”

“Well, yes actually. You see where I come from dragons don’t exhibit a great level of intelligence. The smartest I’ve seen amount to a teenage pony’s intelligence.”

The dragon gave an annoyed snort. “Then I pity your race, for you shall never know the true wonders of dragons.” It then flicked out its black forked tongue and licked some dark liquid off its teeth. “I must thank you for luring my prey out of hiding. You saved me half a day’s work.”

Twilight swallowed a sickening feeling that had been rising in her stomach. “Glad to...help.”

“So tell me ‘unicorn’ I believe the Granous called you.” Twilight nodded. “What brings you to these hills?”

“Well I woke up here, separated from my friends, and with a note telling me to go to The Forest of Silence.” She explained. “Do you happen to know of it?”

The dragon let out a small, booming laugh. “Indeed I do. It is not far from here, less than a day’s march for you.” It then looked curiously at the mare. “What business do you have you there?”

“Well I need to retrieve a vine from some place called the Dark.”

A small rumble escaped the dragon’s mouth. “That place is vile and inhabited by an ancient evil. If you truly are a smart creature, you will abandon your quest.”

Twilight shook her head. “I can’t, it could be the only way I can locate my friends.”

The dragon sighed. “Very well then, since you helped me I shall tell you this much. Never go into the Forest at night. Wait until the sun is well in the sky and the beasts have retreated back to their dens.”

Twilight smiled and politely bowed to the dragon. “Thank you...sir, for your help and for saving me.”

“Farewell young unicorn and best of luck with your journey. May the light of the full moon guide you through the darkness to come.” With that it spread its massive wings and took off into the sky. Twilight’s gaze followed it for as long as she was able to before continuing her trek out of the hills.

The sun was high in the sky when Twilight finally found the path down from the hills. She whipped out her map fragment and made her course. The words of the golden dragon still floated in her mind, but she had no choice in this matter. She double checked her supplies, made mental notes, and left the Os-Mine Hills behind her.