Cramped, tight, closed quarters. The nearly suffocating closeness of my environment seemed wrong in every way. I struggled against my confines, but to no avail. I knew that I had to escape, but no amount of struggling yielded any results. I could hear some faint voices coming from outside my confines, but nothing came through clear enough to decipher. I tried again to escape, but the results were much the same. I frantically beat my tiny fists against the walls, but nothing came of it.
Panic fueled my attempts, and soon I heard a crack on one of the impacts of my fist. Spurred on by my success I pounded harder and harder. With a final desperate attack I fell from my prison, into the vast expanse of the world. The intense light of the world blinded me, and so I shut my eyes against the light. I heard a gasp as I tumbled from my cell, and I knew that I had been spotted.
Despite my lack of experience in these things, I assumed that the gasp I had heard was not a good thing. I tried to stand, but something was off about my body. It was similar, and different from what I was used to. I feel a force trying to push me down, but I fight against it, determined to rise. I didn’t just escape a prison to be put into a new one. With a burst of strength I broke free from this new pressure.
I finally opened my eyes to the world, and what I saw stopped me dead in my tracks. There, before me, was a horse. Now, in most cases this wouldn’t be a real problem, since I knew, somehow, that horses were herbivores. What made this a problem was the expression on that horse’s face, and the vicious looking horn coming from its head. That horn, an incredibly sharp horn, mind you, was pointed directly at my chest. Well, this is a warm welcome.
The horn never wavered, but the expression on the horse’s face slowly changed from intense anger to confusion. I took advantage of this change to try and get a stock on my surroundings. I was in a rocky locale, and there was a sun high above. Sadly, before I could examine further, I felt a small prod from the horn. I resisted the urge to slap it away, for fear of being impaled. The horse’s gaze narrowed, and the confusion vanished, to be replaced by a look akin to anger.
“You are no true dragon. Speak. Tell me your name.” I could tell immediately, from her voice that it was a girl horse. A mare, I believe. In response to her demand I just stared. A talking horse. Horses don’t talk, that’s just absurd. And she called me a dragon. Can’t she recognize that I’m not a dragon, but a… Shit. What am I supposed to be? “You can think in coherent thoughts, dragon, so speak.” That demanding tone was just a bit too far, so I decided to lay down the law.
“I’m not a dragon, crazy talking horse lady thing. I don’t know what I am, but I’m not a dragon.” My voice sounded off, even to me. The look on the horse’s face was priceless. She looked surprised at my response, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. “And, I don’t much care for being threatened after escaping that prison, so why don't you just relax yourself.” Well, that sounded better in my head.
A small chuckle escaped the horse, and she raised her head, and, more importantly, the horn attached to it. I breathed a tiny sigh of relief, but then I focused on the horse again. She was tall. Really tall. I mean, like, colossal. She was easily four times my height. I took an involuntary step back, and struggled to look her in the face. As I got a better look at her I could see that she had a large flowing mane of three different colors. What made this even more bizarre was the fact that it was flowing. Without any wind.
I finally met her gaze, and in those eyes was a small spark that hinted at the immense power within her. I felt an urge to kneel before her, but I fought off the urge. I bow to no horse. Under her intense scrutiny I felt as if I was being judged. After just a moment the feeling passed, and her expression softened. “You are no threat to this land. You are one of the wanderers, here by mistake. A mistake that cost you your memories.” She must have seen the confusion on my face, because she proceeded to elaborate a bit. “The wanderers are incredibly powerful beings who travel between worlds. You are one of them.”
“What?” I’m always at my best when I am confused.
“It will become clear in time. But now, I must go. By the old laws I am forbidden from granting you aid, so I will go now. But fear not, for we shall meet again.” That said, her horn glowed fiercely for a moment, and a shadow passed over me. I saw a purple egg shaped object float nearer to the horse, and with a small smile the horse vanished.
“The hell is this? Not even an introduction? Freakin’ horse thing.” I added a few more choice terms to my tirade, and then I took the time to really examine my surroundings. I was on a cliff, amidst many bones, and egg fragments. As wonderful a place to start as any, I suppose.
I picked my way through the eggs and bones till I reached the edge of the cliff. I looked over the edge, and I saw that I was actually quite high up. I took some steps back from the edge, and then I explored the cliff a bit more. Nothing really special enough to note, so I decided to examine my private prison instead. Now that I was actually looking at it I could see that it was an egg, much like the one I saw that horse take. Except that this one was snow white, with some small black veins running along its length. A cursory inspection revealed nothing about the egg, and I was content with a cursory inspection.
I looked down at my body, finally taking the time to see what I looked like. I was pure white on the outside of my body, but the inside, that being the chest and stomach, I was a grayish color. At the end of my hands were tiny black nails that matched the color of the veins on the egg. I wasn’t whatever I was before, that much was certain.
Despite all this it only struck me now just how strange this all was. And at the same time it struck me just how calm I was acting. And, with that thought, the panic set in. I can’t really say just what I did, considering that I wasn’t really consciously aware the whole time. When I finally came to, though, I was lying next to the egg that I came from. The sun was setting on the horizon, so I did what any reasonable person would do in such a situation. I slept.
Mornings… I hate mornings. With the rise of the sun I was woken by its glaring light. Lucky for me, seeing the sun rise set my internal clock, so I would be set for the rest of my life for knowing the time of day. Strange little perk dragons have. That aside, I stood up, and began planning my day. First order of business is getting down from here. Then getting something to eat. But I decided to take things one step at a time. I explored the entire cliff edge, starting at one side and going to the other, until I found a small path leading down.
With no better options I began to trek along the path. It was long, and winding, but after an hour I had made it to the base of the mountain. The forest at the base of the mountain was quite thick, so it was difficult to travel through. Determination won out, though, and soon I found myself emerging into a large clearing. In the distance I could make out some buildings, so, with no place else to go, I began my cautious approach. What seemed a short distance, turned into a long walk, and when I finally made it to the buildings I was disappointed to see that they were abandoned.
I rummaged through the ruins for a while, till I eventually found some food, and even a few gemstones. The food consisted of a few carrots, and an apple, found in a small weed infested garden. The gemstones came from a loose floorboard in one of the buildings. I ate all the produce greedily, and then I turned my attention to the gemstones. A part of me screamed that they were valuable, but the instincts of my body won out, and I guzzled them down greedily.
Delicious isn’t the word for it. They were the best thing I have ever eaten. Thusly fortified I continued walking, exiting the ruins, and re-entering the forest. I spent several days walking through the forest, scrounging up what I could for sustenance. It wasn’t until a week later that I found another sentient being. I had crawled up a tree the night before, to sleep, and I woke with the sunrise to the sounds of a voice coming from below.
I glanced down, and I saw a small horse, blue in color, walking along without a care in the world. Fate can be cruel, and it was especially so this time. With a small misplacement of my right hand I tumbled from the tree. A sharp yelp escaped your lips, and the horse turned in fright at the sound. I landed in the most elegant heap ever, and pain coursed through me. I began to fade, unable to hold onto consciousness through the pain. The last thing I saw was the horse approaching me, concern and fear mixed on her face.
Chapter 1: The Beginning
“And so I passed out. To this day I don’t know quite what happened between then and when I woke again.” I was lying down in my cave, looking at the tiny unicorn filly who had fallen into my cave several weeks ago. She was immensely brave, approaching me without any fear in those yellow eyes of hers. That was certainly an interesting meeting, but one to be reminisced of when the time comes.
“But what happened when you woke up? Don’t just end there!” Her energy was infectious, but you resisted the urge to hop up and down with her.
“Lyra, please, calm down. Shouldn’t we wait for Bon Bon to come back? She’s as excited for the story as you are.” Lyra’s eyes drooped at this, but I gently put a claw beneath her chin. “I’m not saying you can’t still be excited, only patient.” She nuzzled my claw, and met my gaze. My crimson eyes met hers, and I couldn’t help but smile at the happiness within her eyes.
“I can wait.” With her proud declaration she began to explore my cave. I had been living here for a few months, now, and it was as cozy as I could reasonably make it. I had gouged a small fireplace into the stone of the cave, to lend more warmth to the room, and Lyra always loved to rest by it as you told her my stories. Only recently had she taken an interest in my past, as she had been perfectly content to hear the stories I made up on a whim. I swear, when I tell those stories I feel like an author…
Of all the facets of my cave, the one that always entranced Lyra the most was a small medallion that I kept above my fireplace. I stood, and with a cat-like stretching motion I limbered myself up. I softly made my way over to the fireplace, and I watched Lyra examine the medallion. “If you’re patient we’ll probably get to that medallion sometime soon.” She looked up at you, eager to hear the story. “But we need to get to that point first. I won’t jump around, just to tell you only the high points of my travels. Anyway, don’t you want to hear how I met your grandmother?”
Lyra’s eyes widen, and she begins to bounce in place once more. “You knew my grandmother?” I simply nodded, and let her continue her energetic bouncing. A few minutes later and Bon Bon walked into my cave, and she gave me a wave. She had heard my introduction earlier, so now they were both at the same point in my tale of woe.
“Alright, girls. Now, as I remember it, I had just fallen from a tree, and been knocked unconscious. I slowly woke up, but some things had changed…”
Pain lanced through me as I woke up. The pain confirmed that I was alive, but was hated for the fact that it hurt. But things were different. Something about my body was vastly different from before, and it caused me quite a bit of distress. My eyes snapped open, and I looked down at my body, and I nearly passed out again. I had grown. Quite a bit.
The other thing that caught my attention was the pastel green unicorn staring at me with disbelief on her face. Her eyes widened even further when she saw I was awake. I met her gaze, and she became petrified. I tried to sit up, and I met a firm resistance. The unicorn’s gaze hardened, and the resistance increased. Oh, come on!
With a grunt I pushed through the resistance, and I succeeded in sitting up. The unicorn managed to look away from me, and she quickly pushed a shivering ball of fur behind her back hooves. Despite her intense fear, she took a step forward. Does she think to fight me? I don’t want to fight her!
“I don’t want to fight you.” She recoils a bit, at this declaration, but she doesn’t falter in her gaze.
“How did you change size, dragon? Yesterday, when I brought you inside, you were the size of a newborn filly. And now you’re as large as a full grown pony. Explain!” I looked at my claws, and I could see that she was right. I was just about her size. I climbed out of bed, and the unicorn took another step back.
“I still don’t want to fight you. I’m just as confused as you are.” Her gaze softens some, thankfully.
“What do you mean? Surely you mean to attack the town, right? Isn’t that what dragons do?”
“Well, I don’t know about other dragons, but I don’t intend to attack the ponies that helped me. And you don’t have to act so frightened around me. I mean you no harm.” I sat on the floor, and looked at the unicorn, and the ball of fur behind her. The tiny ball of fur slowly expanded until I could make out the fact that it was another unicorn. It was a light shade of aquamarine, and it stood and looked me right in the eye.
Before the bigger unicorn could react the tiny filly ran towards me. She launched herself at me, and I managed to catch her, and cradle her in my arms. The older unicorn gasped, and ran over to try and get the filly from my grasp, but when she got closer she could see that the filly was perfectly comfortable in my arms, and had snuggled closer to my chest.
“She’s adorable.” I found myself looking the filly in the eyes, and there was a tiny spark in those eyes. “What’s her name?”
“Lyra. She’s my daughter.” The unicorn spoke with pride in her voice. I moved a finger close to the filly, and she grasped it in her hooves. I let her hold my finger, and I looked back to her mother.
“What’s your name? And where am I?”
“My name is Harp, and you’re in the town of Hoofton. More specifically, my mother’s home.” Almost as if on cue an older mare walked into the room, and she froze when she saw you. “Mom, it’s okay, he’s oddly friendly.” The older mare relaxed at this, and she approached me.
“A dragon that’s friendly? That’s certainly news.” The older mare was looking at me with an odd look in her eyes, and I felt a connection with her. “Harp, take Lyra downstairs. I’d like to talk with this dragon of yours.” Harp nodded, and I relinquished Lyra. After a moment I was alone with the older mare, and she just looked at me.
“I had a feeling you were coming. Didn’t quite expect you so soon, but the Princess told me you were determined.” You try to say something, but before you can get a word in she continues. “She told me that you were different from most of the other dragons, so I won’t inform the town guard. But you can’t stay here. I’m sorry to be the one to do it, but I must ask you to leave.”
“Really? I just got here, and I have to leave now?” She just nods, and I lower my head. “I don’t have any say in this, do I?” She shakes her head this time.
“I’m afraid not. As a wanderer trouble tends to find you, and since you’re a dragon more trouble is sure to follow. Perhaps in a few years you’ll be able to return, but for now you must go.”
I slowly stand, and heave a great sigh. “Very well then. I’ll go, but I’ll be back, of that you can be certain.”
“I’d be surprised if you didn’t come back.”
With another sigh I head to the door, and open it. I head down the stairs, and waiting at the bottom is Harp. “I have to go, but I‘ll be back in a few years.” Harp nods, and I open the front door. I step out, and close it behind myself. Fantastic! Just freakin’ fantastic…
I felt a wind, and then I noticed it was caught beneath my still folded wings. I did a double take, and looked back to my wings. I have wings? I spread them, and they were magnificent in every way. They were snow white, like my scales, and the sun’s light passed through them. I suppose this won’t be ALL bad. A grin spread across my face, and I gave a few powerful sweeps of my wings, and I was airborne.
The feeling of flight was indescribable. The freedom was intoxicating, and for a time I was free from my thoughts. My flight took me far from that town, and soon it had almost faded from my mind. Sadly, the eidetic memory of a dragon prevented it from falling from my memory. For three days I flew until I came across a new town. I simply flew over it, unwilling to be forced to leave yet another place.
After several days of flight I came across a large city built from the clouds themselves. I was finally beginning to tire, so I gently floated to the city in the sky. As soon as I landed I was approached by a lion-eagle thing. The term griffon leapt to the front of my mind. The one that approached had on armor, so I assumed that he was a guard of some sort.
“Hold, dragon. Why have you come here?”
“I simply seek a place to rest for a time. I have been flying for almost a week, and so I need to rest my wings.”
“Very well, then. At your size you are no threat to our city, so you may stay.” With that done, he continued his patrol. I began exploring the city, until I finally found a small inn. As I approached I heard a call, and so I turned to see a group of griffons approaching me.
“What do you want of me?” They all looked around cautiously, as if afraid of being seen with you.
“We’ve been hoping to find someone of your unique qualifications, and so we have an offer for you.” I crossed my arms across my chest, and looked at them. “We need a dragon to deliver a certain package for us. We were hoping that you would be able to take care of this for us. You’ll be paid handsomely for your time.”
“Why do you need a dragon?” This smelled fishy, and I was unwilling to just take on this job, since it was likely illegal.
“Well, you see, we need it delivered to a dragon, so we can’t take it ourselves. But if you were to do it, you’d be able to get it to them without a problem.”
“I’m listening.” This was a bad idea, of that I had no doubt, but I needed money of some sort. I didn’t realize just how long it would take to finally get paid, though.
