A Dragon in Shining Scales

Sweetie Belle opened her eyes once more. This time, she was ready to face the dragon. She got up slowly, her muscles protesting with aches and pains, screaming at her to go back to sleep or at least stop trying to move. Ignoring the pain, she gritted her teeth through the aches. It was took a lot of effort on her part to get to a steady standing position, moving was a different story.

*Grumbling noises* Sweetie looked down at her stomach and mentally shouted at it. She didn't know where the dragon was, but she was lucky it wasn't in its cave. Looking around she saw it was littered with rare gems she hadn't seen before. Above her were large crystal like structures that glowed, giving light to the cave that enabled her to see. Red gems, blue gems, green gems, and more all around her. Over in a corner were gray gems, she hadn't quite figured out what to make of them.

Small black orbs bounced inside of them at impossible speeds. If it wasn't for her amazing eyesight, and not blinking, she wouldn't have seen this strange sight. Then, she moved on to pile of gray gem dust on the floor. She poked it, feeling a zap, she squeaked and backed off.  Sweetie Belle licked her hoof gently, trying to ease the stinging pain.

"You are awake?" Sweetie Belle looked over to see a very tall horse standing over her. It had a gentle smile on her face. There wasn't a cutie mark to be seen, but her solid gray coat and black mane stood out from her pale brown eyes. She bowed low before laying on her stomach. "Excuse me...I am still trying to figure out what exactly you are. My master wishes to know as well."

"W-who are you?!" Sweetie started to take a few steps back, but the horse didn't dare to move any closer to her.

"Calm down, little one... please, lay with me." She gently tapped her hoof on the hard cave floor. "I am a friend, please don't be afraid. My master sent me to speak with you."

"I-is the black dragon your master?" Sweetie asked, stepping a little closer before sitting down. "You sorta look like my princess, but with no horn or wings."

The large horse looked around herself and laughed. "Yes, I don't have those. Unlike you, I am of Saddle Arabian decent, but I was born in Filis. It's just west of here, give or take a few dozen miles of barren desert." She sighed, looking peacefully at Sweetie Belle. "Forgive me once again...What is your name?"

"My name is Sweetie Belle, what's your name?"

"My master has raised me since my birth mother died. He called me Jakli, it means Safe One in his tongue." She rubbed her chin, pondering deeply. "So, what are you? I haven't seen your kind before."

"I'm a unicorn!" Sweetie said proudly, sitting up straight. "I can cast cool spells, and..." Her ears dropped low behind her head. "But I still can't do anything right..."

Jakli frowned. "Now, little Sweetie Belle...Failure is just another way of not doing something the right way. My master, despite his size and power, fails quite often. I believe he nearly failed to save your life."

"He what!?"

"Yes, he used a great deal of energy to get you to his cave in time to use his last Crystal of Regeneration."

Sweetie snorted quite loudly in disbelief. "Yeah right...Dragons, where I'm from, are nothing but greedy good-for-nothings..."

Jakli snorted into a laughing fit. "Well of course they are!" She laughed, trying to keep her breath in her lungs. "But my master Sülvahn is not your everyday dragon. See, he protects this land with his master Scorpan."

"S-scorpan!?"

"Why yes, Sweetie Belle. Have you not heard of the Wastelands?"

Sweetie Belle looked away from Jakli. "In school I have...A desert where nothing can survive."

"What a crude joke..." Jakli said harshly. "There are cities, dozens of them."

"Where do you get food and water?"

"We get food from our farms inside the safe town walls. Our water comes from our moon goddess."

Moon goddess? Sweetie thought with interest. "How does she get it to the towns?"

"Through rain. The moon goddess brings the water up from the sea in big orbs of water. We don't know how she does it with no horn or wings as your princesses have. She is the great horse. One of four I believe." Jakli said, drawing circles in the cave floor. She gave a long sigh. "I'm sorry for what happened to your face...does it hurt?"

Sweetie gently touched her face where she felt a slight tingling sensation. When she touched it, it began to burn, and it made her wince. "Yeah...a little...Say...If that dragon is your master, why did he have a hard time learning to speak Equestrian and not you, if he raised you."

"Ah, yes... I've traveled to many cities. I have seen your kind before, but not with a horn or wings. Some had stumps on their sides, and others had big bubbles on their heads. Strange sights indeed...You are a pony, are you not?"

"I am..." She said, sounding a little sad.

"Where are you from?"

"Equestria..."

"The holy land?" She asked, turning her head to the side. "You're from the holy land?"

Sweetie Belle smiled a little with a tiny nod. "I guess if you want to call it that."

"Can you tell me of it?"

"Perhaps another time..." Sweetie yawned loudly. "I'm tired...do you think I could get an actual bed?"

"That pile of hay is the closest thing you might get. However, I must be getting back to my father." She stood up, and nuzzled the filly. "I wish you well Holy Belle. I hope you find your way back to the holy land where you belong." She turned to leave, but Sweetie bit down onto the mare's tail. "Yes?"

"Is the dragon good?"

Jakli nodded, smiling widely. "He's my surrogate father Holy Belle...Yes, I suppose he is nice. A little strict, but then again...." She knelt down to the filly's ear and laughed a little. "Aren't all parents?"

Sweetie giggled into her hoof. "Yeah, you're right... So this means he won't eat me?"

"You're strange to think a dragon would eat something as small as you Holy Belle. My father said the same thing to me when a enemy of mine, in my own school, told me he was going to eat me when I got in trouble." She laughed, remembering that night. " ‘Eating you is too much work to digest Jakli. I wouldn't even get enough energy to make up for killing you.’ That's what he said to me. He's nice, trust me if you can."

"I'll try..." Sweetie sighed.

"Would you like to speak to him? He's waiting outside until you're ready." She turned to leave once again, and out she went from the cave.

Jakli walked slowly out of the cave where her father was waiting, his back against the cave. She walked up to him and set her head on his thigh and gave a long wistful sigh.

"Something troubling you my little hatchling?"

"I spoke to her, and you were right. She is like the smaller horses in Malitik and Borark."

"So what should I do?" He asked her. He was never afraid to ask for assistance when he needed it the most. His daughter knew things that he never had the time to learn. She was free to roam through the Wastelands and, with all her free time, she studied many things. She knew how to read the stars, and knew when the next rainfall would come. "I am worried...should I be worried?"

"Father, the only thing you should fear is your own greed. Her name is Sweetie Belle and...she's from the Holy Land."

Sülvahn looked down at his daughter. "The Holy Land? What is this place?"

"She calls it Equestria for some reason, but if she is from there, there must be more of these unicorns..."

Sülvahn sighed, looking out in a random direction. "I am lost...What is a...uni-corn?"

"A pony with a horn. Apparently her princess has both a horn and wings. I think her injuries are messing with her mind. There is no way she is from the Holy Land."

"What if she is?" Sülvahn asked her.

"Then she is, but I don't believe her. There is no way she could be. No way a creature such as her is from there. You must have great honor to get there. A record showing your worthiness. "

Sülvahn hummed quizzically to himself. "Can I talk to her?"

Jakli shook her head. "Father, she is still very afraid of you. She's seen a dragon before, most likely...she's escaped her former master."

"I was trying to avoid thinking about that, Jakli. I did smell dragon on her, but I didn't think she would escape her master so easily."

"What will you do with her?" Jakli asked with concern in her voice. Something within her was acting out to defend the small filly. It was a strange feeling deep within her that was very different to her. She held her hoof up to her chest, feeling her heart pulse with every thought for the well being of this small horse. "What is this..." She asked quietly under her breath.

"I shall wait until then, Jakli. If she does have a master, he'll smell her if she's close by." He looked down at Jakli, and saw her in mild distress. He could hear her heart beat heavy. "Are you okay?"

"I...I feel as though I should be taking care of her father. She is small and but a child." She sniffed loudly as Sülvahn wrapped his wing around her. "Father....dad...what will you do with her? Please...promise me you'll take care of her well. Like you did with me after my mother's death."

"I don't know where she truly lives, Jakli. If she does live in the Holy Land, then she must get there by herself. Dragons are not allowed there. It would be a crime against the moon goddess to do so." He sighed loudly, breathing a little fire to cool himself off a little. "I cannot promise to take care of her. I don't know if she has a mother or father to speak of. We still don't know if she has a master or not. I'm sorry my daughter... This is an oath I cannot keep."

Jakli stood up from her father, and took a few steps forward. "I understand father. You only mean what's best for her and what's best for the land you protect."

Sülvahn smiled. "I am glad you still know this as well as I. I can only leave this place if Scorpan allows me." He looked up to the sky, feeling the sad sun. "Why is the sun so sad...?"

"Because it must watch the pain of all who suffers, and cries when a life never sees the light."

"Good answer..."

Jakli yawned for a moment as she stood up. She hugged her father's leg and looked up at him."I must get going now father...Lorel must be getting worried by now. I ran over here as soon as you sent the message. He....doesn't like it when you summon me without much of a warning."

Sülvahn nodded, gently rubbing his hand down his daughter's hair. "It is fine. You aided me how you could. Go on, go speak to your lover."

Jakli blushed up, her face began to glow red. "F-father! He isn't my lover!" She looked away from her father, trying to hide her face from him. But it was to no use, as Sülvahn moved his head with his long neck to look directly into her eyes.

He sighed with a soft smile, poking her stomach. "I smell it...How come you didn't tell me?"

Jakli's head dropped in defeat, her secret now out. "I forgot you had such a good nose father...I..I-...I was going to tell you...Just...I wanted to make sure..."

Sülvahn's expression softened up more. "Sure of what? That I wouldn't be mad?" He smiled wider now, picking her up gently with both of his hands. "Jakli, as a father, be-it I am not your true father as he abandoned you, I still love you. You are mine, I chose to take care of you, knowing full well that you would grow up someday. I am wise, and kind... I am not mad Jakli. I'm glad you've started your own life outside of this cave that was your home."

Jakli was starting to tear up from the unexpected reaction she received from him. This was the first time he was happy with her choices, a very unexpected turn of events. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Nonsense, Jakli! This is what I wanted of you. I wanted you to do something like this. As a dragon, we must fight for what we think is right for our own intentions. I have fought my own greed to keep you alive, that was my goal from the very beginning. I wanted you to live, grow, and start a family." He chuckled a little, gently resting Jakli on the ground. "I see now why you feel so strongly for the pony in there. You are feeling what most females feel when they have children....or about to get one I suppose."

"I'll see you again soon father...Thank you."

Sülvahn watched his daughter walk down the path from his cave, down to the Wastelands below. She wasn't too far along in her pregnancy, maybe a month. There was hardly a change in her shape, but the smell of her was that of two beings in one body. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle had watched the whole confrontation.

She watched as her new friend was picked up gently, and how the black dragon had just let her go. Seeing this put her in a strange mindset. Never before had she seen a dragon other than Spike have the compassion of life, most other dragons didn’t have that. Most sought to destroy and conquer. This dragon had something inside of him she didn't see, but knew was there.

As she watched Jakli leave, she saw Sülvahn watch her go with a silverish tear running down his face but it confused her because he was smiling. Why did he poke her stomach? Why did he let her go? These were questions that were causing her rattled mind to hurt. Her horn began to sting, and she began to rub it slowly to help ease the pain.

Stepping back deeper into the cave Sweetie Belle felt her stomach squeeze from hunger. How long had it been since she'd eating was unknown to her, but her stomach had never lied about her needing food. If she was going to get any better, food had to be a priority. However, this was going to be a problem. All she had was the very thing that was keeping her off the cold cave floor during the night when it came. She didn't know any transmutation spells, yet, or anything much that could help her. She couldn't even do spells with her horn fractured, and only a unicorn doctor knew how to heal a broken or fractured horn. Although, she hadn’t yet noticed this as she was trying to figure out where she exactly was. Her mind was on more important matters than her horn.

"UGH! This is stupid! Why did I try that!?" She yelled kicking a green gem across the floor. She felt like all she could do right now was to yell at the top of her lungs, but that would only worry or anger the dragon guarding her at the entrance to his cave. " The Princess was right... I wasn't ready..."

She sat down and slumped over onto her 'bed'. Burying herself under her hooves, Sweetie began to cry. She felt so stupid for trying something she wasn't ready for. The teleportation was an accident, yet she went on with it anyways. All she could think about was how badly she had failed. She was in the WASTELANDS! ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD! How was she going to get back to Equestria now? It wasn't like she could leave where she was now. From what the globe in her classroom in Ponyville had told her, or shown her for that matter, there was a whole sea in between the Wastelands and Equestria. And there would still be days of walking where she could get foalnapped.

"I'm a failure... Princess Twilight shouldn't have ever taken me as her student..."

"Failure?" She heard the low voice of the dragon enter the cave. She looked up from her bed, and saw the dragon sitting a few meters away, a soft look across his face. "What did you fail?"

"My only chance to show how good I was at magic..."

"Y-yes...my daughter told me you could cast magic. I guess that is why I smell it on you." Once he got a good look at her wet face. "Your face is wet, little one... Are you sad?" Sweetie Belle only nodded. "Why?"

"Because I can't do anything right."

"You are wrong." He said, sounding a little mean, but his intentions shown through. "I bet you have done something right at least once. Even if it was something small like learning to walk, you still walk, you still move, you still have succeeded. Tell me I am wrong." She didn't, only stared at him as he began to smile. "When I was but a hatchling I failed many times learning to fly. My wings were never big enough to lift me off the ground, nor did I have the energy to fly for a long time." He chuckled, shaking his head low. "I fell off dozens of mountains, fell in very hot lava trying to show my master I could fly, that I was worthy to him. Then, I flew, I flew when I saw myself flying, not when I felt it."

"What did it feel like? To see your master see you succeed?"

"He was proud, he saw his apprentice learn the one thing I was supposed to do. I wasn't able to fly until I was sixty years old because all I thought about was my failure and the fear of failing him once again. I was not a good dragon when I was young. My master feared I was going to follow the path of greed and hate to gain power. I nearly did until he almost killed me."

"Why? What happened?!" Sweetie was starting to listen to him, she didn't know why, but something he was saying was reaching her.

"Easy, little one. Now tell me, what troubles you? Why are you afraid of your failure and how did you fail?"

Sweetie began to explain everything to him. She told him how she learned how to teleport herself to save something of her sister's. She then told him how she thought she was ready, how she thought if she'd done it once, she could do it again. She knew she was very wrong for thinking such a thing now, but she let the excitement of her first time get to her head and blinded her from seeing it was wrong for her to think that she could do it.

Sülvahn sat silently, pondering many things that was going through his head when one question came up. "My daughter told me that you are from the Holy Lands or Equestria...Is this true?"

"I'm not going to lie about my home Mr."

"My name is Sülvahn, please call me by that if anything at all."

"Sülvahn then... Yes, I am from Equestria. I was born there ten years ago."

"Then you are ten? A little young to try something so advanced eh?" Sweetie saw one of his eyes raise with his question.

"That's why I said I failed. I thought I could when I really couldn't." She looked down. "I just want to go back home..."

"Then why don't you?" He asked her with much confusion in his voice.

"Because it's too dangerous, and it'll take days to get there, maybe a year! AND that's IF I have enough bits..." Something clicked in Sweetie Belle's mind. She looked up to Sülvahn with hope gleaming from her eyes. "Can you?! Can you take me home?! I'm sur-"

"I cannot Sweetie Belle." He said in a very low voice. "I am not allowed to leave unless my master says I can."

"But you're a dragon!"

"AND!?" He roared, shaking the whole cave under the command of his voice. "Just because I am a dragon, does not mean I am powerful enough to strike against my master! I owe him my life! He hatched me! He fed me! I CANNOT BETRAY HIM!" Sülvahn stomped on the cave floor. Rocks shook in place, but did not move.

Sweetie had backed herself to the cave wall. Sülvahn was starting to scare her. "I'm sorry!" She cried, tears beginning to streamline down her face like two small rivers. "I'm sorry for asking you! P-please don't hurt me!"

Sülvahn sighed, falling back on his butt. "I am sorry little one... I let my anger once again get the best of me." He looked to the entrance to the cave. "I'm just going to leave you to rest now..." He left her just as quick as he’d joined her.

He stepped out of the cave, then with one large inhale he shouted only one word as loud as he could. Calling the one being who he had looked up to and revered all his life. The one he called his father from birth but held the position of master and he apprentice.

"SSSSSSSCCCCOOOOORRRRRRPAAAAAANNNNNN!!!!" With just one word, he made the entire mountain tremble at the sound of his voice, the air around vibrated with such force that there was a thunder-like shock that rumbled. It was like the very elements were bending to his anger, his rage. He couldn't help Sweetie Belle because he was following a code deeper than the relationship with Scorpan. The dragon code was keeping him from doing the one thing Scorpan swore him to keep. To help those who are weak and helpless until they are safe. Sweetie Belle wasn't safe in the Wastelands, not for long anyway as forces began to turn.

Across the Wastelands, sat Sülvahn's rival, Valkoris as he saw his spy approach him. She bent her head low. The cave was much different from

Sülvahn's. It was much emptier and gave off a dark undertone that brought shivers down her spine whenever she entered it. It was most unsettling.

"I did what you asked master. As it turns out, he is protecting a creature of rare horse breed. It has a horn on its head." She looked up to him, fear running down her spine. His deep red scales and black spines struck fear into those who respected Sülvahn. His emerald green eyes shining red with hate as the dragon had sworn his soul to dark forces. "What will you do with this information."

He smiled. "Cripple him....I will use this creature to my advantage, but in due time. Return with what tasks he's given you. Begone before my scent is trapped with you."

"Y-yes master!"

Valkoris sat back in his chair, his makeshift throne deep within his own cave. "I will gain what is mine. Even if I must kill my brother to do so. I will get my master's attention from that damned fool..." A dark aura started to shimmer around him and he smiled wickedly.