Dragons Over Yonder

by Chaotic Note

Rating: everyone
Tags: Original Character, Mystery, Spike, Adventure, Ember, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 6152

Twilight and Spike helps an aspiring researcher on his expedition into dragon territory.

Dragons are a reclusive species. Not often do the wild beasts be settling near settlements, and ponies clearly do not be wanting them. However, some are not so common in sense like the others. Gayl, a stallion with a wild passion for learning, always had dragons on his mind since he was a wee little foal, and as he grew up, he noticed there weren't very many credible research books on dragons. Being the scholarly, daring type he is, he planted his home base in Ponyville (infamous for attracting danger) and starts his quest to sate his thirst for dragon knowledge. But first, he'll need some willing volunteers to accompany him on his travels.

After all, to go where dragons be is a perilous life choice.

Published 2015-03-17 00:50:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-03-17 00:50:02 UTC

Chapter 1: She Who Breathes Slumber

April 3rd, 1015 A.D.
Day 1
Dangerous things are often the most mysterious in the land of Equestria. If there was such a dangerous threat known, ponies of the common mind would care to avoid them. I, however, do not hold a common mind like most others. I’ve taken a daring with my life, and my heated passions is one that is not taken lightly: To pursuit the knowledge of dragons, or specifically, to learn more about them.

Dragons are often known as ruthless creatures, with razor-sharp claws and fangs that can tear solid stones apart and fiery breaths that could melt steel into meaningless puddles. Mothers would warn their foals with scary stories that dragons would eat naughty little ponies in one bite, but is that all they are? Purely terrors of the skies and fire? The question that I asked was not one that would be answer by just anyone. Barely anything is known about dragon due to their hazardous nature, and to be near a full grown dragon would be a death sentence, but I believe it is more rather an exhilarating experience. And so here I am, out in the mountainous wilderness near dragon territory, and this journal will play host for the personal logs of my daring journey into dragon territory with a couple friends of mine.

Gayl sighed as he placed down his quill and fitted the cork back into its inkwell, his mind wandering back to the past. In his first week in Ponyville, he has chosen to settle in a location resting closely near the Everfree Forest to chase his wild dream. He thought back to the reports he had heard, all of them recounting the details of all sorts of strange and menacing creatures living within its leafy canopy, as well as ruins of old civilizations as well, making it the perfect adventurous treat for an explorer like Gayl. The sweet cherry on top was the fact that there were even reports of a dragon living in there, giving him access to observation research.

So far since his first day settling in Ponyville, however, his expeditions into the forest were not as fruitful as he hoped for them to be. On Gayl’s first adventure he had tried to pierce through the thick walls of the Everfree’s trees, but he forgot one crucial detail: a machete. He said some rather unpleasant things in that moment, cursing himself for being a bit of a scatterbrain. In his rushed, ecstatic move to Ponyville, he had forgotten his trusty blade back in his old home. After a few steps into the forest, he found that the dense vegetation was impossible to trek through, so he turned back towards his home, found on the outskirts of Ponyville. He soon written a letter to his parents, hoping they could arrange a way to send it to him by mail, but that would take some time, maybe a couple weeks. Until then, he would have to find an alternative way in.

Two days later, Gayl struck lucky as he learned from a couple regulars of the Berry Punch Pub that to the south of the town’s main road, there was a wide, beaten path that goes straight to the ruins of the Equestria’s old capital. His enthusiasm bolstered at the new knowledge and set off at once, only stopping by his house to gather much needed supplies. And indeed the bar dwellers spoke the truth as their directions indeed led him to a crumbling castle, standing upon a rocky island ringed by a deep gorge that completely encircled the fort. The only way across it was an old, rickety wooden bridge, which was in a state of disrepair. The green curtain of heavy lichen that hung from planks said enough.

Even so, he daringly walked across with confidence and made it across with no problems. His trot took him deep into the cold, stone halls of the castle and eventually his hooves made it into the library. For some reason, he found the library appear very well kept as the books were mysteriously still in very good condition with no layers of dust at all. Heading deeper into the maze of bookshelves, he found clearing in the center, with tables strewn about, and on one of them was a book laid open. Pocketed in the book was a bookmark. It was purple and had a curious symbol of a six-pointed pink star with white sparkles dotted around it, and it seemed to be new as well. Gayl decided to keep it, hoping it would be a clue as to why the books looked like they were dusted, despite being in a castle abandoned for about a thousand years

However on further inspecting the open book, he discovered that the bookmark was placed in pages with key hints leading to the possible presence of dragons in the forest. One of the books was a diary kept by one of the past servants of the olden establishment. They spoke of how the area was once a popular destination, often being referred to in the book as a hot vacation spot for all the nations. Back then, it sounded like the Everfree was more like a lush, tropical forest rather than the creepily creepy woods it is now. Among the walls of text was mention of a cavern hidden deeper in the forest, and how dragons would often make their nests there. Gayl had practically leapt for joy when he read that. Now he has actual, primary proof of dragons once existing here, and they could still be hanging around.

Then he suddenly remembered the bookmark. Indeed it was something that would not be made in the olden days, so it must be new, and therefore someone was here before him. The idea of another dragon enthusiast living in the area tickled his interest. It was nice to know there was somepony out there that shared his passion. Perhaps if they’re still here, they could share information between each other and maybe help each other out. Although Gayl wasn’t so sure about keeping them too long. After all, time spent talking could be wasting time going out there and discovering new things about dragons. However he was new to the Ponyville area, and if this mysterious person was a local, it would be beneficial to seek them out.

Outside one of the broken windows, he saw that the sun was starting to set, so Gayl made up his mind and hurried on back home. Next morning, he had set out to Ponyville and started asking around about the bookmark, hoping to gleam any information about the possible owner. Thankfully, it didn’t take too long to find somepony who can answer his question. However, it was something he was wasn’t prepared for.

“Ooh I’ve seen this before. Isn’t that Princess Twilight Sparkle’s cutie mark?”

Gayl was shaken to a shocked standstill state, his jaw dropping. The Twilight Sparkle? Protégé of Princess Celestia, High Ruler and Sun Alicorn of Equestria? HERE?! And he was holding her bookmark. This was some shocking news indeed. He heard rumors of the princess living in a rustic town out in the countryside of Equestria, but he didn’t think it would be Ponyville! Also, didn’t she have a dragon?

Eager to set off and meet the princess, he quickly asked where he could meet her and the mare pointed him towards a large crystal tree on the western edge of town. Gayl raised his eyebrows as he saw the towering structure, questioning his dull awareness. He had thought he would have seen the darn thing on the first day in Ponyville, but then again his mind was, more or less, thinking about finding dragons. Quickly thanking the mare, he made a beeline straight for Twilight’s abode. The meeting he was about to have was one he would remember fondly.

+Ω‡‡¥‡‡Ω+

Knock, knock, knock boomed the golden doors as Gayl pounded his hoof against it. Gayl held his trembling hoof steady as the pulsating noise faded away. He didn’t think that he could make booming sound when knocked upon, seeing how it appeared to actually be made of solid gold, but it had thundered with the pride of a war drum. That’s how it sounded like to him. Gayl bit his lower lip as he waited. He never thought he would dare to be in the presence of royalty, but for his quest he was willing and ready to do anything. His mind thought back to the fact that Twilight has a dragon companion, and his imagination soared high.

Looking at the towering, golden double doors that seemed to be about three times taller than him, he imagined the dragon would be so large, that it would have squeeze past those doors to enter the castle. Along with large size, he immediately conjured up the idea great, leathery wings on its back and large with finny spines from the crest of its head to the end of its tail. Or would it have a long flowing mane instead like the mythical eastern dragons of Ib’Xian, swept backwards as if hair gel was applied to it? Would a dragon of a princess look regal? All he knew for certain was that the dragon was often described as purple. But of course, he wouldn’t know for sure until he saw the dragon with his own eyes. Then two voices were heard.

“Spiiike, could you get the door?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m on it.”

Gayl held his breath as the door opened. Behind it was diminutive, purple-scaled, green-finned being that could be mistaken for a strange lizard, but Gayl knew better, for it was actually a baby dragon standing right in front of him. He released his pent-up excitement.

“Oh my Celestia, you are so cuuute!” Gayl squealed, lowered his eyes to Spike’s level.

Spike stared at him with eyebrows raised. “I beg your pardon?”

He yelped as Gayl suddenly took out a tool kit and began measuring him. “Wow I never thought I would get to see a baby dragon in person. I heard tales from hardened adventurers that dragon mothers are fiercely protective of their child when they’re around your size.”

Spike tried to step away, but Gayl’s measuring tape kept him close. “I, uh, what?”

“Spike, who’s at the door,” a mare’s voice called out from upstairs.

“I– I don’t know! Somepony new!”

A purple head popped up over from the top of the stairs leading to the second floor. “Oh! Well I should have met them personally then. I’ll be right down!”

Gayl paused to peer upward to see Twilight Sparkle, a purple mare carrying a professional stride as she walked down the steps. Her mane and tail seemed to have a deep shade of navy, with two-colored stripes of pink and violet. The most notable features were her cutiemark, matching the same picture on the bookmark he obtained, and the fact that she had both a horn and a pair of wings. Gayl couldn’t almost believe it, but Twilight really was crowned as an alicorn princess.

He continued to stare at Twilight for a moment before turning his attention towards Spike again. As he did, Twilight gave Gayl a bright but slightly confused smile. “Hello there, I’m Twilight Sparkle. I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Charmed,” Gayl said. “My name is Gayl. I’ve just moved to Ponyville four days ago.”

“Really? Well that explains why I haven’t noticed you yet.” Twilight held a hoof to her chin. “Although I’m pretty sure that Pinkie Pie would have mentioned somepony new moving into the area.”

“Pinkie Pie? A fellow friend of yours?” Gayl said as he wrote down Spike’s measurements on a paper pad.

“Why yes! She holds the title of ‘Friend of Ponyville’ for knowing each and every townsfolk’s personally and being very friendly to anyone in general. She throws plenty of parties too.”

“Well I haven’t met her yet. Probably because I’ve been spending some of my time in the Everfree.”

Twilight jolted her head back in surprise. “The Everfree?” she asked. “That’s pretty dangerous, Gayl. Why are you hanging around there?”

“Well I’ve moved to Ponyville for the purpose of studying dragons. I heard that there were signs of dragon activity in the Everfree, so I moved to a house out in the town outskirts. Gives me plenty of chances to venture out there quickly.”

“Dragons?” Twilight mumbled, still sounding quite astonished. “Well you sure are somepony for wanting to pursue such knowledge. We’re talking about wild dragons, one of the top apex predators of our world here.”

“Yes, and because they’re so dangerous they’re also the most elusive in nature. I want to learn everything about them. Where they live, when they sleep, how they walk, communicate with each other, feeding habits, if they have any magic, breeding grounds, everything!”

Twilight puckered her lips, looking a little befuddled. “What was that about feeding and breeding?”

Gayl blushed slightly at the last part. “Well, won’t it be interesting to see what their mating rituals are? We can learn a lot about their culture from that.”

“Well, you do make a good point. Rather strange and uncanny one though,” Twilight laughed.

Gayl joined with her in jovial chuckles. He had the feeling that he was going to get along with the princess. A strange concept of all its own.

“Uh yeah I suppose that’s nice and all, but could you please give me some space?”

Gayl peered down to see Spike wrapped in his measurement tape. Gayl quickly peeled it away from Spike, fumbling with his tools. “O– oh sorry! I forgot to ask for your permission. Forgive me?”

Spike dusted himself as Gayl packed away his equipment. “Yeah, yeah. Just don’t push it.”

Gayl breathed a deep sigh. “Still, it is an honor to meet you, Spike. I’ve always wanted to see a dragon all my life and you’re the first one.”

Spike shrugged it off, but Gayl could see a hint of a smile on him. A little flattery never hurts. “I can imagine why I’m the first one. Not a lot of dragons make their presence known in Equestria. I’ve only known two to be near a town, and it’s Ponyville.”

Gayl’s eyes gleamed at this information. So there were dragons skulking about in the area. This could be his chance. “Spike, Twilight, I would like to propose an offer to you two. You see, I’ve wanted to research dragons really up close and publish my findings nationwide. If you help me find one, I’ll be sure to give you credit in aiding my research, forty percent of the royalty profit, AND I’ll owe you a favor.”

Spike and Twilight raised their eyebrows at Gayl’s proposition. “Really?” Spike asked. “I mean, sure I guess I can be of assistance, but you reeally want to see a wild dragon up close?”

“Yes!” Gayl shouted in heated passion. “It’s a lifelong dream of mine to find a dragon, learn their secrets, and find out their origins. It’s been known they could survive in the harshest environments, no matter what natures throws at them. Please, help me. You two could be my only chance.”

“Gayl, this could be a little dangerous. I’m happy to know you’re passionate about this. It might be best if you gather an expert on this.”

“I’ve tried, Twilight. I’ve spent most of my time in school trying to form connections to keen adventurers, and they all turned me down. I know you’re probably busy, Princess Twilight, but it would be an honor if you could join me. And I know you’re of the most scholarly type. Surely this is one expedition you wouldn’t want to miss.”

Twilight furrowed her brows, deep in thought. “I don’t know. This does sound very interesting, but you are asking quite a lot.”

Spike turned towards Twilight. “What if I just show him the way?”

Twilight and Gayl stared back at him. “Really?” they both said. They did a double take at each other before have a bit of a laugh.

Gayl then looked back at Spike with renewed excitement. “But really, you know where to find the dragons?”

“It’s almost time for the Great Dragon Migration, as I’m sure you already know by now.”

Gayl nodded. It hasn’t been the first time that a thunder of dragons made their presence as they soar across the lands. To where they go is no mystery, but the trek into the Dragon Scorchlands is treacherous and a wall of enormous mountains called the Drake Spine Range surrounds it. So far, nopony has found a way to pierce through it as it is a popular nesting area for dragons. If one was spotted… well Gayl loves danger, but not danger that puts him in immediate risk. He would like to have a surviving chance.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Spike said, “there IS actually a way to get through the mountain range.”

Gayl raised his eyebrows. “How did you kno– ”

“I saw the doubtful look on your face.”

“Oh.”

“But yes,” he continued, “there really is a way you can get through the mountains without being spotted. There’s a particular pass in the mountains that dragons don’t go near. It has sheer, steep cliffs that make it impossible for any grown dragon to stand on, and has terrible nesting qualities for the eggs. If there’s any chance you have of entering dragon territory undetected, it’s through there.”

“And you can lead me to there?”

Spike nodded. “Yes.”

“Wait, Spike,” Twilight said. She reached out for his shoulder. “You really sure you want to do this? It’s still an immense, dangerous trip.” She turned towards Gayl. “And I’m not sure if you should go too. My friends and I once went there, and we were in quite a jam when we met some dragons. And they were only adolescents.”

Gayl huffed. “I’m never going to get a chance like this, your majesty. Don’t worry about me, but don’t worry about Spike too. I’ll make absolute sure that he’ll never come to harm on our way there.”

Twilight contemplated Gayl with uncertainty, then to Spike. “And you?”

He put on a confident smile. “Don’t worry about it, Twi. I’m a tough little dragon. Also, I still want to know more about my kind, even after that nasty spat I had with those teens, and I get the feeling Gayl is the one to help me. I believe in him.”

Twilight cast her eyes downward, unsure what to think. To Gayl, it felt like everyone was holding their breaths, waiting for an answer. The princess then lifted her chin and said to Spike, “Well... Alright I suppose I will allow it, but I’ll be coming too.”

Gayl gasped softly, holding his breath a little in hope. “Truly you will?” he asked with a great smile.

“Yes, but only on one condition.”

“And that would beee?” Gayl questioned, drawing out the last word.

+Ω‡‡¥‡‡Ω+

“Gayl! You coming or what?”

Gayl lifted his head as he stuffed the writing supplies back in his bag. “Coming, Twilight!”

Swinging the book bag over his shoulder, Gayl raced after the others, but at the same time taking caution of the sheer ledges to his left and right. Ever since Twilight and Spike accepted his offer, they made it a date to head off in a couple days, first meeting at the southern edge of the Everfree. Sure enough after two moons have passed, Gayl found the library duo waiting for him there the one nearest to his home. Spike then brought out a map to show their destination and how they would get there. They trekked through many rivers, a couple forests, and a great plain, but they finally made it to a scaling, rocky ramp that led to a great mountainous pass.
True to Spike’s words, the walls of the pass appeared to be very steep and lacked any visible footholds to climb, as if some god had taken a knife and cut right into the mountain range. The mountain walls on both sides had a black, glassy gleam to them like obsidian, the air smelled sulfuric, and the heat was really starting to roll in. The place was quite unlike the cold, desolate, rocky field behind them. But that didn’t matter to him now as Gayl reached the top of the ramp where Twilight and Spike were.

“Sorry about that, guys. I was busy writing the introduction for my book. I hope I wasn’t keeping you guys.”

“Don’t worry about it, Gayl. I don’t think we need to be in a hurry now,” Twilight frowned, starting deep into the passage.

“Why is that?” Gayl leaned to glance past Twilight.

“There’s something… odd about this place. Although I can’t quite put my hoof on it.”

Gayl tried to see what Twilight was trying to figure, but all he saw was a path wide enough for about seven ponies to walk through shoulder to shoulder. There was rubble scattered about, most of them curvy, but nothing too strange about the place. Not even any boulders to block the way. He tilted his head. “Sorry Twilight, but I don’t really see anything off-putting.”

Twilight hummed in thought for a moment until she said, “Well alright then, but we better proceed with caution. I don’t like the feeling of this place.”

“You said it,” Spike added. “This place gives me the creeps.”

Gayl followed them into the pass. He gazes up towards the ledges at the very top. “Why? Didn’t you use this to get into the Badlands before?”

“Yeah… well no not really.”

Upon those words, Gayl raised his eyebrows. “Wait, so how did you know of this place?”

“Well I’ve went on this migration twice. I didn’t really learn much from my first trip since I got caught up with some rough teens, but on the second trip I hung out with the elder dragons since they seemed to be more kind and collected than the others. They like to tell stories about their past, reminisce about what they’ve done with their lives. One of their tales involved this pass.”

Spike then scowled slightly. “It’s not a very happy one. Once before, this pass actually had been a great nesting area for dragons. These walls you see? They used to have great ledges, as well as cave holes large enough for a bull drake to slither through and just coil up cozily with room to stretch, and they can grow up to be two hundred meters long! Tons of eggs in nests were around, but that didn’t stay that way for too long. During one of their old migrations, a tragedy struck as the dragons were pulled into a war against the wyverns. Despite being close cousins in terms of species link, they were very much rivals and the tension between a dragon and a wyvern is like standing on a small rock cropping inside a boiling volcano.
“The war was terrible and the dragons were losing ground to the wyverns. Eventually the enemies pushed their advances towards the Dragon Scorchlands and its first battle took place right here. Ledges were sliced off by their powerful wings, causing the nests to fall to the ground. They’ve collapsed the caves and entrapped dragons inside them. Much fire had rained in that battle. The elders said that they and their brethren’s raging fire burned with so much anger, that they had melted the walls of this pass and gave them the sleek exterior you see now. It was a battle that would last for what seemed like decades, but eventually the dragons managed to chase off the wyverns away from their home turf. However the damage has already been done and the unhatched dragonlings were lost. Since then, in their language, they’ve named this Lumnaar do Krent Klur, which translates to the Valley of Broken Eggs.”

Spike gander back towards the two ponies. “And that’s the story of this place, and why no dragons haven’t stepped in here since. Well, until today.”

A moment of silence passed through the three. Spike’s story had given Gayl plentiful thoughts. As the grey pegasus looked around, his eyes wandered mostly towards the curved rocks lying around. They were quite thin compared to normal rocks, and their curved surfaces seemed to be smoother as well, and their edges unusually sharp-looking. Did they used to be the broken eggs shells before they were burned to a crisp, or was it just coincidental? Without another thought, Gayl rummaged through his bags and pulled out a plastic jar.

Twilight observed him curiously. “Planning to take a sample?”

“Um, yeah. Just thought I would like to examine one of these curved rocks when I get home. I think they might be burnt eggshells.”

“Well let me help you with that,” Twilight said as she used her magic to twist the jar open and placed one of the rocks in it. “If you want, we can use my lab to study it.”

Gayl smiled at the offer. “That would be great, thanks.”

“No problem,” Twilight smiled back. “After all, we are partners in this, right?”

“Right!” Gayl gleefully agree. “By the way, I really do appreciate you taking your time to help me. You and Spike. I honestly couldn’t have done this by myself.”

“Not a problem, Gayl.”

“Hey I’m getting credit for this too, right?” Spike asked.

“Of course,” Gayl said. “You’re our resident dragon expert, right?”

Spike chuckled at that. “You can say that again.”

The three continued their way through the pass, carefully making their way around the sharp rubbles. Other than the occasional hot winds blowing into their faces, the walk through the pass was lackluster and uneventful. Eventually, the pass opened up to a ledge dropping down what seemed like about a hundred feet. Beyond that, the sight was breathtaking. To say the lands of the Dragon Scorchlands were red is simply a huge understatement. The rocky landscape wore a mixture of multiple red shades, ranging from orange to maroon to light salmon, and all the colors blended against each other like the bands of swirly, multi-flavored ice cream. Closer to the travelling party, the surface was smooth and silky like sand hills on a beach, although there are dark pits sparsely scattered around. Further in deeper, Gayl could see the land rising into more mountains and rocky crags. Their pinpoint peaks reminded Gayl of the sketch drawings of the art books he read, depicting the great dragons and their sharp spine fins. A huge gust of hot wind suddenly blasted Gayl in the face, making him cough.
The sight was a lot to take in, but Gayl knew the true prize will not be found by staying on the ledge. The three managed to find a path downwards, but it was slightly dangerous, having to leap over a few gaps and such. Despite the troubles, they successfully made their way down to the sloping rock hills.

Twilight Sparkle surveyed the area around them, seeing that there were no dragons in sight. At a distance, she could see signs of her namesake as the sun was dipping into the mountain range far to the West. “We should probably set up camp soon. This area seems like a pretty safe spot to do so, but we should find more cover.”

Gayl and Spike nodded in agreement and began setting up camp. They found a cropping of three tall rocks with enough space between them to cozy up. They stretched out two tents and set them up with no problem since the rocks blocked the hot winds. They spread the tents apart by ten paces, and between them, Spike and Twilight Sparkle assembled a ring of rocks for the campfire. But there was one tiny, but crucial missing ingredient.

“We don’t have any wood, Twilight,” Spike said, his tone deadpanned at the obvious realization. “No wood means no fire.”

“And there doesn’t seem to by any trees around here from what I saw,” Twilight said, humming in thought.

Gayl adjusted his glasses as he gazed the sky above him. “What if I were to look around? I’m sure I can find something from up there.”

“Okay, but do be careful. It’s almost twilight right now and dusk will fall soon,” Twilight warned.

Gayl nodded as he could see the night sky starting to open its many twinkling eyes. Unlike the white and blue stars that hang over Equestria, it seems like these follow an array of yellow to orange. Strange, but still intriguing. “I won’t take long then.”

Just as he was about to go, Twilight dug into her packs and said “Hang on, Gayl. You’re might need to take this with you.” She found the item she was looking for and tossed it to the blue-greyish pegasus. Gayl caught the item and took a moment to look. Hanging on a loop of nylon lanyard was a circular item with a clear plastic lens over it. Inside the device was a light bulb. “Neat flashlight,” Gayl noted as he turned over the device, “but how do I turn it on? I don’t see a button anywhere.”

“The button is the lens itself. Try pressing on it.”

Gayl did so and blinked as the light shined into his blue eyes. “Thank you for this. This will help me get around at night.” He clicked the lens again to turn it off and hung the lanyard around his neck, the flashlight dangling near his chest.

“Just be sure not to use it often,” Spike said. “Most of us aren’t nocturnal by nature, but we do have heat pits like snakes. If the light won’t catch their attention, its heat will.”

“I’ll use it sparingly then,” Gayl said. With a mighty flap, he rocketed up the sky and started circling around the area, carefully spying the land for any sign of wood. Off in the distance, he could see a small patch of tree-like objects near the mountains’ horizon where the sun was setting, but it seems close by within flying distance. “Okay I see some trees, I think. I’ll be back soon!” Gayl said, making a beeline for it. As he left, he could hear Twilight and Spike’s fading voice wishing him luck. He grinned a little at that.

As he had thought, it didn’t take him more than five minutes to reach his destination and correct to his assumption, he indeed did see trees. However he could see that their leaves were rather very grey instead of the usual green Gayl was used to. Even with the setting sun, its orange light was bright enough to show that.

“Speaking of the sun, I don’t have a lot of time,” Gayl said to himself as he landed hear the edge of the grove.

Like the leaves, the bark was grey too, looking very stone-like in appearance. Doubt suddenly started entering Gayl’s mind. What if the wood here wasn’t suitable for making fire? Night was coming soon, and Gayl knew he won’t have enough time to look for more trees. Gayl brushed away the hesitation and continued walking forward. He promised wood for his friends and he wasn’t about to let them down. Not after coming this far. Around the first row of trees, Gayl could see plentiful branches strewing on the dirt ground. He picked one up and turned on his flashlight. Looking at the broken part of the branch, he could see the inside of the branch had a healthy color of tan brown.

Gayl allowed himself a small chuckle. “Great! Looks like this is good for a fire.”

Just as he was about to gather some more, he noticed that a blue fog was rolling in, coming up to his neck, and then a sound that he didn’t anticipate entered his ears. A shrill hiss that sounded out from within the grove’s darkness. Gayl froze instantly and his eyes widened, his chest thumping and shivering. His legs trembled, his soul terrified. The hiss struck a chord within his mind, as if his deepest instincts were telling him get out and flee for his dear life, but his hooves and wings refused to budge. Gayl was utterly terrified, yet this also excited him in a way as the source of the ethereal noise revealed itself in the flashlight’s stare.
Slithering out of the shadows was a ferocious, wicked serpentine creature, its long, extended body hosting a midnight hue on its skin, meshing with the purple, nebula-like spots scattered over its back. Gayl couldn’t begin to imagine how long it was as somewhere in the darkness, its tail refused to show itself. The creature’s head was thin and its snout triangular, watching Gayl with beady, abyssal-black eyes that sparked with intelligence. Extending from the crown of its head, shortening as it goes down its back to the midsection of its body, was a row of spiny fins. The flaps in between the spines were translucent and had sparkling lights dancing in it, as if they captured parts of a bright blue night with plentiful stars.

To Gayl, it was the most petrifying and most gorgeous dragon he ever laid eyes on. His opinion strengthen when the dragon began to speak, her voice silvery and crystalline, yet also ethereal. He could detect a hint of hissing behind her every word.

“Sssssssss haaaaaaaa... What do we have here? A pony? It isssss not often I ssseee one around here.” The dragon began to circle around Gayl, giving him only enough room to make a couple steps. “What issss a little pony like you doing here, though? A bit curioussss about these landssss?”

Gayl tried to keep track of where her eyes were, but he couldn’t keep his head together. ‘Wait, is this dragon a she? She sounds like one. Gah, my head is all cloudy,’ he thought as he rubbed the temple of his head.

Gayl could hear the dragon hissing in what seems like amusement. “What issss the matter, little pony? Feeling a bit woozzzy?”

Gayl racked his brain hard to pick his words. “I, uh, yes. I mean, no? Gah, are you doing this... This thing to me?”

“For a little pony, you are clever. Why yes indeed this is my doing.”

“W– why?” Gayl coughed.

By this moment, he realized that his headache might have something to do with the blue fog around him. The dragoness’ next words confirmed his suspicion. Through his wobbly vision, he thought he saw a small grin on the corner of the dragoness’ lips.

“It isssss sssimply sssssomething that I cannot help. My breath is an excellent way to help anyone ssssleep.”

Somehow, Gayl believed that ‘sleep’ wasn’t the only effect of her breath. While she was an exhilarating example of a dragon, he had to find a way out of this mess. Hoping to stall for time, he tried for small talk. Putting all of his mind to focus, he managed to shout, “I– I know what you are!”

“Really? Do tell. I’m quite interesssted in what you have to ssssaay.”

“A– a wyrm! Serpentine body, no legs, sleek skin. All of it together makes the defining characteristics of a wyrm!”

”Not only clever, but well educated. I’m beginning to like you.” A spark of hope lit inside Gayl. Hopefully being on her good side meant he wasn’t only seen as a snack in her eyes. Maybe. ”Yes what you said is true. I am indeed a wyrm, but not just any wyrm as you can tell.”

“Definitely I do not – *Cough Cough* – recognize your other physical characteristics. I never heard of such a wyrm with such beautiful spines. Their beauty definitely rivals Luna’s night sky.”

“How kind of you. Not often do I have the pleasssssure of meeting sssssomebody who flatterssss my form.

“Y– you know, it is my passion to learn more about such beautiful beings like yourself. Would you care to – *COUGH* – enlightened me about your mysterious nature?”

The dragoness hissed for a few moments, considering her choice. At least, that’s what Gayl was hoping for. “Ssssssssss haaaaaa, very well. I shall humor your request.” The dark wyrm stopped coiling around Gayl and rose her head upwards, towering over him and stopping just below the reaching branches of the trees. ”My true name does no flow well in your language, little pony, but I do go by a different name that suits my tastes at the very least. Hear me well, for it is an honor to learn of my name, for it is Alsafi of the Northern Nebula and I am a Celestial Wyrm.”