The Tails of The Scribble Family

Chapters

It All Started When Fate Got Bored
Oh The Irony, It Burns
Gravity Check, AKA: Falling
Fragile
Hi! I'm The Author and This Is: Poison Joke!
Sweet as Honey and Cool as A Cucumber
The Best Medicine

It All Started When Fate Got Bored

Long ago, during the beginnings of Equestria there was a pony that was just like any other. His name was Cerulean Scribble, a humble and intelligent earth pony. He traveled from the barren lands of his home in search of the rumored land of Equestria. The land was said to be founded on the principles of harmony and friendship. So Cerulean decided to make the journey, as anypony would do in order to find peace away from a land of malice and tension. His trek was almost finished and as he began to climb what he hoped was his last mountain, Fate decided to intervene.

Because Cerulean was so humble and average, Fate felt as though an amazing event must happen in his life. And so it did.

Cerulean tentatively walked on the winding path of the mountain, only to find the path lead into a gorge. Stray rocks fell, jostled by every small sound. Cerulean held his breath, in hopes to stay silent. Sadly despite this, other creatures did not feel the same. A distant roar caused Cerulean to look up. Up in the sky there were two full grown dragons battling fiercely. Cerulean was then given an even better reason to not be heard, and attempted to not be seen either. But his dark blue coat and sky blue mane did not blend well with the gray rocks of the gorge. He watched in awe at the battle above him.

A large red dragon shot flames from its large maw. Cerulean shivered as he caught the shine of sharp teeth. The smaller white dragon batted the airborne flames away with its large wings. The large dragon had medium sized wings and four legs. The white dragon had a bat like build with only legs and wings. This gave the white dragon a disadvantage as the red dragon swiped at it. The dragon’s large claw tore through the wing membrane, causing the white dragon to screech loudly and go spiraling to the ground.

The screech caused the gorge to shake and Cerulean watched in horror as the rocks began tumbling. He reared up on his hind legs and galloped for all he was worth on his small narrow path. The mountain shook again and Creulean risked a glace to see why. The white dragon had hit the summit with a deafening crack and began sliding down the mountain. Though the dragon looked small in the sky, it was absolutely enormous up close. Cerulean began to gallop even faster and narrowly escaped being dragged down by the dragon's massive tail. The entire path behind Cerulean was no more. And as he began to gallop again, seeing as the mountain continued to tremor, he heard the cry of a baby.

He turned to find a small white figure grasping a dried plant, as it hung over the gorge. Cerulean raced back on what little was left of the original path, dodging fallen rocks hoping to make it to the figure. The figure turned out to be a baby dragon, about the size of a newborn foal. Unlike the larger white dragon, the baby had four limbs and no wings. It cried out as it struggled to hold on. "Momma!" The baby sobbed as it looked down at the fallen white dragon, grim realization swept over Cerulian as his eyes followed the baby's eyes. Cerulean turned around and lowered his tail to the baby.

"Grab on." He told the dragon, hoping the youngling would understand. He looked over his shoulder and caught the baby's stare. Its slitted golden eyes questioned him. "Please, the plant won't hold much longer." He begged. As if by his words the roots of the dried plant began to show as it was pulled from the rock. The dragon looked frightened and grabbed onto Cerulean's tail tightly. Tears sprang into the blue stallion's eyes but he gritted through the pain. And with all the might he contained, he lifted his tail and swung the baby dragon onto his back. He refused to cry out as he felt little claws dig into his mane and pull tightly.

Cerulean dashed again throughout the collapsing gorge, mindful of the baby on his back. His heart pounded and his lung burned, but was spurred on when he saw the end of the gorge. He jumped off his trail and slid down the side of the mountain. Rocks raced at his side and the baby dragon whimpered, pulling tighter on his mane. Cerulean's eyes blurred with pained tears, but he saw the ground rapidly approaching. He braced himself and attempted to jump, only to stumble and roll as he hit the ground. His undoing was the fact his eyes were closed tightly when he sprang off the mountain.

When he opened his eyes again he stared in surprise at the lush forest before him. He was then pulled out of his gawking by the sudden rush of pain, everywhere. The pain intensified as something beneath his chin squirmed. With much effort he lifted himself and stared down at what lied beneath him. The little milk white dragon stared up at him with golden slitted eyes filled with tears, while clutching a partially eaten diamond in its small claws. "Momma?" Questioned the little dragon as its eyes darted beyond Cerulean, who turned his head to look as well.

Cerulean's black eyes stared at the gorge; or what should have been a gorge. The large pile of rubble that sat were two proud mountains that had made a gorge caused Cerulean's heart to sink. He turned to the little reptile and shook his head, words failing him in a way he had never experienced before. The small dragon hurled itself at him, wrapping small scaly limbs around his neck and sobbed. Cerulean got over his shock and wrapped his forelimbs around the small shaking body, sobbing with the newly orphaned dragon.

When they had cried themselves dry, the baby fell onto the grass staring at the ground with a lost expression. Cerulean stared and nuzzled the baby with his muzzle. "Please, don't be sad. I'm here." He said softly to the baby dragon who wrapped its scaly limbs around Cerulean's muzzle. Cerulean lifted his head and stared down his nose at the white dragon. The baby trilled like and songbird then babbled as any small foal did when they didn't know how to speak. Cerulean smiled and turned his head to place the baby on his back. The baby grabbed his mane tightly, and Cerulean let out a hiss of pain. The baby noticed and loosened its grip. Cerulean looked back at his new companion and smiled. The baby babbled and buried it face in the stallion's mane.

And with that, Cerulean entered the forest, determined to begin a peaceful life in Equestria. Fate watched happily at the unlikely pair and watched as all the pieces began to fall into place.

Night came quickly and Cerulean had no choice but to spend the night in the forest. Fearing the night he fell in to a restless sleep, tightly wrapped around the baby dragon. When morning came Cerulean woke to the sound of growling. The stallion quickly left the floor and stood before the baby dragon protectively, only to realize the sound was coming from him. A blush rose to his face causing his fur to turn a deep violet. He turned to his companion and found the baby staring at him calmly. His stomach rumbled again and the dragon offered the diamond to him.

His pushed the jewel back to the little drake and laughed nervously. "Sorry, but ponies don't eat jewels." He said. The baby blinked a couple of times, the opened its mouth and swallowed the gem whole. Cerulean grimaced at the sight of the baby's budding fearing the idea of a teething dragon. His stomach growled again and Cerulean decided it was time to search for food.

Cerulean made quick work of weak branches he plucked off the trees, creating a makeshift basket, seeing as he lost his saddle bag in the avalanche. The baby quickly clambered onto Cerulean's back, mindful of his claws, and grabbed onto his mane. Cerulean gave the baby the basked to hold and began walking through the forest in search of edible food.

As an earth pony Cerulean knew which berries were toxic and which were safe. He quickly found bushes covered in sweet juicy berries. He then moved upwards, as he searched the trees for fruit, finding apples and the like. Soon the basket was full and Cerulean felt proud of himself as well as famished. The little dragon stared at the basket in his lap and Cerulean saw the wheels turning far too late. Before he could stop the baby, the dragon lifted the basket and g swallowed its contents whole.

Cerulean stared in shock at what had transpired in only a few seconds. He let out a choked and anguished noise, hanging his head in mourning of his lost breakfast. He sat down, letting the baby slide down his back and onto the ground slowly. A personal cloud of sadness hung over the dejected pony. This went on for a few minutes before a new sound was heard.

Cerulean's ears perked up and he turned to find his companion making the same noises of a cat getting rid of a hairball. Panic filled the pony's veins as he scrambled around searching for anything that would halt the dragons choking. Then the heaving/hacking stopped with a small thud and Cerulean froze mid gallop fearing the worst. And in front of the little baby dragon sat a shiny red apple, completely undigested and surprisingly clean. Cerulean stared in confusion. "What in the..." he questioned absently as he peered closely at the apple.

The baby began hacking again and Cerulean backed away, still keeping a close eye on the dragon. A compass came tumbling out of the dragon's mouth in relatively the same condition as the apple. Cerulean stared in shock, and his mind came to a conclusion.

"Are you keeping those safe, in your stomach?" he questioned. The dragon nodded happily and Cerulean stared at the baby dumbly. "Well okay then." He said as he picked up the apple and cleaned on his fur for good measure. He then began eating the apple, noting there was no odd taste or noticeable change on the outside. The baby trilled and crawled to Cerulean to snuggle up to.

A warm feeling entered Cerulean's heart, and he decided that he didn't care if his companion was a weird dragon or not. He would protect the little baby from harm with everything he had. And with that thought Cerulean finished his apple and stood with a determined look in his eyes. The dragon next to him squawked as Cerulean stood. Cerulean turned to the dragon and noticed something new, they were absolutely filthy. Both he and the once white dragon were covered from head to hoof, and claw, in dirt. Cerulean sighed and allowed the dragon to once again clamber onto his back.

Cerulean walked deeper into the forest in hopes of finding water for two reasons. The first reason was so he and the little dragon to bathe. The second reason was to follow the running water to a village. It was a long shot but he had hope. He sped up to a trot as he began recognizing signs of water. The grasses were darker, the soil softer, and mosses growing sparsely on the bases of trees. He continued on as he began to hear the croaks of frogs and the babble of running water. And with a strong sense of happiness Cerulean burst through the brush to find a calm river flowing. He almost began bucking in happiness when he remembered the baby on his back.

He turned to see the little dragon had its face buried in Cerulean’s mane. He nudged the dragon and lowered himself so the baby could climb off his back. The baby crawled on the grass toward the river; it stopped and stared at its reflection. The baby chirped in happiness as it began to splash at its reflection. “Momma! Momma!” called the baby as it tried to grasp the water. Cerulean watched the baby with a weight settling in his heart, and began to approach the dragon. “Momma! Momma!” the baby’s cries grew frantic and Cerulean nuzzled the baby. The baby clung to Cerulean as it sobbed, much like the first time they met. Cerulean wondered how in the world he was supposed to help a baby dragon grieve its lost mother. The baby’s sobs subsided into only a few sniffles and released Cerulean in favor on wiping tears from its eyes.

Cerulean then walked into the cool water and watched as the dirt just seemed to disappear from his body. He began to scrub his coat and washed his main and tail. He scrubbed at his flanks to clean the dirt off to reveal his cutie mark. It was a simple scribbly signature, because his talent was calligraphy. But that talent wouldn’t help him survive in the unknown forest. The little dragon followed the pony’s example and crawled into the shallow edges of the river. Cerulean took notice of this and began to wash the baby dragon softly with his hooves. The baby dragon trilled and blew steam from its nostrils into Cerulean’s face. Cerulean gave a snort and the baby dragon gave a high pitched chirp that sounded suspiciously. Cerulean gave a smirk and splashed the laughing dragon. The baby immediately stopped and stared at the pony for a full minute. And then the world’s most epic splash battle between dragon and pony ensued.

Once the splash battle was over Cerulean kept cleaning the baby and found the answer to a question he never even bothered to ask. Was the baby a boy or a girl? Despite his nonexistent knowledge of dragon anatomy it was pretty obvious the dragon baby was a boy. And as he guided the baby out of the water with his muzzle a knew question entered his mind. Did the baby have a name? Well it never hurt to ask.

“Little one, what is your name?” Cerulean asked softly to the baby. The little dragon stared at him and blinked. “What did your momma call you?” he asked again. The baby seemed to recognize one word.

“Momma?” he asked questioningly. Cerulean nodded, hoping the baby understood. The baby made a sad noise and sniffled. It was clear to Cerulean that he wouldn’t get an answer from the dragon.

“Since you don’t exactly have a name, I guess I’ll call you Uther, how about that?” He asked as he rested his chin on the dragon’s head. He gave a contented hum as the newly dubbed Uther made soft chirps of contentment.

“Papa.” Squeaked Uther as he curled up under Cerulean’s chin. Cerulean stiffened in shock, but felt a sense of happiness at the thought of being the small dragon’s papa. And not long after that Cerulean and Uther were cuddled together, catching up on sleep they had missed the night before.

Oh The Irony, It Burns

When they woke up again Cerulean guessed only an hour had passed. The sun was a little lower but not by much. Cerulean rose and coaxed Uther from their impromptu nap. The little dragon stretched and yawned in a catlike fashion, smoke rising from the yawn. Uther rubbed his eyes and trilled questioningly at the earth pony. Cerulean smiled, “It’s time to get moving, we have to cover some ground before it gets too dark.” He said as he lowered himself to let Uther climb onto his back with ease. The little dragon buried his little claws in Cerulean’s mane and they began to follow the river’s path. Cerulean’s mind began to wander and he thought about his little companion seated on his back.

Uther was small, but he was still a dragon. Would other ponies accept him? He heard of how wonderful Equestria was, but there had also been stories of dragons burning upstart villages. And as much as he hated to admit it, this land was the dragon’s land first. He was very worried about two things, dragon slayers and dragons hurting Uther. With the way those two dragons were fighting earlier, he didn’t believe they would have any qualms with hurting their own.

A rustle in the brush pulled Cerulean from his thoughts, he warily scanned the area. He mentally scolded himself for getting distracted and napping when he could have been covering more ground. He never noticed the noises of the forest before, every rustle sounded like a pouncing predator, and the chattering of small animals sounded like the growl of a hungry monster. He picked up the pace and began trying to get his mind off of it. It wouldn’t help if he scared himself beyond movement, he had someone to protect now.

‘Remember what all those other ponies said about Equestria. Paths lined with more food than we can handle, warm summers that had breezes that felt like a mother’s hug. And loving, accepting ponies that welcome you with open minds and open hooves.’ Cerulean smiled and his heart slowed into a normal pace. With a bounce in his step Cerulean trekked on.
Not thirty minutes had passed after Cerulean’s internal pep talk and he moved from motivated to complete denial. A skill many in his family had accomplished was the skill of lying to one’s self. You know when the Windigos first came; his grandmother passed it off as a rather long winter. Yeah, Cerulean wasn’t too fond of his family.

At the first growl Cerulean happily trotted on passing it off as a groaning tree in the breeze. There was a squeal and a crack like the sound of bones snapping or a closing set of sharp teeth. To Cerulean, a hog must have snapped a fallen branch. Sounds similar to those continued and soon they began to be hard to misinterpret. And just before Cerulean was about to admit to himself that there may be something dangerous in the forest…a beast leapt from the brush directly in front of Cerulean. The stallion found himself face to teeth with an animal that he wished never to encounter. You know what,
Cerulean was happier when he pretended it wasn’t there. But sadly he couldn’t travel down that road anymore.

Cerulean gave a noise (that totally didn’t sound like a filly wetting herself) and dashed towards the beast. If you’re confused that means the plan worked. The monster obviously hadn’t read this chapter in the monster handbook and just stood there as the earth pony simply pushed past him, escaping. Not long after Cerulean’s ‘heroic’ escape did another creature burst through the trees. “Don’t worry I’ll save you!” cried out the figure as it barreled into the ground at high speeds. Cerulean side stepped out of the blur’s path and was narrowly missed by the odd black and white blur. There was a thud and a soft
“Ow” that followed the creature’s landing.

“Are you okay?” Cerulean asked as he peered at the leaf and twig covered creature. Suddenly the figure sprang to life and attempted to appear heroic. The creature was a mix between lion and eagle, Cerulean vaguely remembered that the creatures were called Gryphons.

“Stand back I’ll slay this…” the gryphon finally became aware of its surroundings. “Where’s the monster?” asked the gryphon as it turned to face Cerulean.

“Down a couple ways south.” answered Cerulean, the gryphon groaned.

“Great, way to go Azazel. First month out of training and you haven’t slain a thing!” said the gryphon as he began to bang his head against a nearby tree. Cerulean approached the gryphon curiously.

“What are you talking about?” asked the pony as he peered at the gryphon. Their head was white and feathered, the feathers having black tips; their fur was black and their tail was tipped with a white tuft of hair. The gryphon turned back to the pony and puffed out his chest.

“I’m Azazel Blake, Equestria’s greatest dragon slayer. No need to worry miss, you’re safe with me.” The gryphon said proudly before Cerulean bucked the gryphon in the gut. Azazel fell with an ‘ooph’ and curled on himself groaning. Clearly Cerulean felt offended.

“I’m a stallion, idiot. And I don’t need to be saved by some failure of a dragon slayer.” said Cerulean as he turned around and walked away. What with all the yelling running, screaming and bucking; Uther had been jostled awake.

“Papa!” the little dragon chirped as it tugged on Cerulean’s mane. Cerulean turned his head to look at the baby dragon.

“What is it Uther?” he asked, the dragon stared back in the direction of the gryphon and back at the earth pony. The message was clear but Cerulean didn’t want to listen, that gryphon was a trained dragon slayer. That could spell major danger if he had noticed Uther riding on his back. But then again Azazel didn’t notice Uther and he said he hadn’t slain anything. As Cerulean turned back he began cursing his conscious. When he returned the gryphon shakily had pulled himself off the floor.

“So you’re a stallion? With that mane of yours, you sure fooled me.” mocked the gryphon. Cerulean looked affronted.

“I’ll have you know, lots of stallions wear their manes like this where I come from.” Cerulean said angrily, the gryphon gave an airy laugh, the laugh of someone who still hadn’t caught his breath.

“Even better, an entire place of filly-stallions.” The gryphon taunted. Cerulean was about to buck the gryphon into a tree, when someone beat him to it. A flying rock sailed through the air and hit the gryphon in the head, knocking him out effectively. Cerulean slowly turned his head to see the small dragon covering his mouth making a small trilling noise that sounded like laughter.

“And here I thought you wanted to help the gryphon.” said Cerulean, the dragon gave a small toothless smile and Cerulean couldn’t help but smile back. Uther hopped off his back, plucked a fallen branch, and poked the unconscious Azazel. Cerulean just sat and watched, slightly entertained by the display. He decided to just watch and wait until the gryphon regained consciousness. The reason why was beyond him.

Ten minutes passed and Uther had grown tired of poking the dragon slayer and proceeded to find new ways to entertain himself. Cerulean had suspected the little dragon was teething and his suspicions were confirmed when the dragon began chewing on the branch he had picked up. Cerulean walked over to the dragon and removed it from Uther’s jaws. “Do you know where that’s been or what’s been on it. I mean you poked the gryphon with it.” He said as he wrinkled his muzzle in disgust. Not that he found gryphons disgusting, it’s just he didn’t know where this particular gryphon had been either.
Instead of crying like most foals did the dragon merely shrugged and waddled over to Azazel. Uther gave the gryphon’s tail a good tug, and Cerulean was under the impression that this was the dragon’s new game. And just like before, he had seen the idea form far too late. He tried to get to the dragon but to no avail, Uther had his toothless jaws clamped on the gryphon’s tail.

“Argh!” cried out Azazel as he jumped a few hooves in the air. The gryphon gripped onto an overhanging branch, his tail hanging down with Uther jumping and snapping at Azazel’s tail like some sort of carnivorous fish. Azazel’s eyes pleaded with the earth pony that was watching the scene with amusement. “Please help me!” the gryphon begged.

Cerulean gave Azazel an evil smile. “I thought you were a dragon slayer. It’s only a baby.” He said mockingly. Azazel quickly grabbed his tail and pulled it away from Uther who attempted to get the gryphon’s claws.

“immafraidofdragons.” muttered Azazel as he looked away from the blue earth pony. Cerulean raised an eyebrow and strained his ears.

“Excuse me, what was that?” he said, his tone somewhat mocking yet somewhat sincere. The gryphon blushed harshly, if the crimson coloring of his facial feathers where any indication.

“isaidimmafraidofdragons.” the gryphon said a bit louder, Cerulean still didn’t hear him.

“What?” he questioned. The gryphon had an extremely embarrassed look on his face.

“I SAID I’M AFRAID OF DRAGONS!” Azazel shouted, and the forest seemed to fall silent.

“BWAHAHAHA!” laughed Cerulean as he suddenly lost his balance and collapsed on the floor. Uther did the same, apparently understanding the irony; or was simply copying his ‘pappa’. The laughs eventually subsided and the gryphon was still attached to the tree branch looking both embarrassed and irritated.

“It’s not funny.” Azazel grumbled as the two on the ground managed to maintain the standing position. Cerulean wiped a tear or two from his eye and gave a contented noise.

“I’m going to have to agree with you there Azazel, it’s not funny. It’s hilarious. And by the way Uther has no teeth, and he can barely breath fire, let alone talk. He’s no threat” Cerulean said, Uther eventually gave up on gryphon and wandered over to Cerulean and sat. The gryphon glared at the duo.

“Just help me get down.” The gryphon said as he realized he imbedded his claws into the tree and was now stuck. Cerulean chuckled and walked to the tree.

“Can do.” He said as he gave the tree one good buck, sending the gryphon to the floor with a hard thud.

“Ow.” The gryphon groaned, though the sound was muffled and Cerulean began to see a pattern with the supposed ‘Dragon Slayer’. Cerulean walked back over to Uther and got low so Uther could climb on his back. Azazel pulled his beak from the ground and casted the dragon nervous glances.

“Do you even know what that ‘adorable’ baby dragon’s going to look like when he grows up?” Azazel said, his voice raising an octave. Cerulean shrugged and began trotting ahead.

“I have an idea.” He said.

“How?” the gryphon questioned nervously. Cerulean stopped and turned to look at him, Uther doing the same. The black and golden eyes stared at the gryphon.

“I’ve seen his mama, besides there’s probably more around here that could give me an example.” Cerulean stated casually as he once again moved to leave.

“Wait!” called out Azazel as he tried to catch up to Cerulean, though he did his best to avoid the baby dragon. “I’ll stay with you, to protect you. You can never trust those dragons right?” he said nervously. Cerulean looked unimpressed.

“Right.” He said with a roll of his eyes. The gryphon followed after him.

“I’m serious.” He cried out. Cerulean didn’t turn back.

“Mmhm, I bet you are.” He called out. Azazel walked right behind the earth pony and Uther stared at the gryphon. The little gryphon blew smoke out his nostrils and Azazel gave a shriek of terror. Cerulean just continued on. “Really helping your case Azazel.”

But despite Cerulean’s cool attitude he was worried. Azazel’s words still echoing in his head. “Do you even know what that ‘adorable’ baby dragon’s going to look like when he grows up?” Cerulean did have an idea on how Uther would look when he grew up, and he wondered what he would do when that time came. If he was still alive by then, a weight settled in his stomach and he decided not to dwell on it. Instead he focused on his newest odd companion. A dragon slayer who was afraid of dragons… someone out there hated him.

Gravity Check, AKA: Falling

Three days, three agonizing miserable days! Cerulean was read to slay the dragon slayer. “Do you have anything to eat?” Azazel asked for the hundredth time in what Cerulean assumed was the last five minutes. Cerulean refused to answer, again. Despite being blatantly ignored Azazel continued to complain, not whine, they had that argument a day ago and Cerulean almost ripped off his own ears. Uther seemed to be immune, and Azazel didn’t antagonize the dragon. Apparently he was still fearful of the baby dragon. “Come one we must have something to eat! And I want meat, I don’t eat grass like a sissy pony.” He said as he pathetically collapsed onto the floor and pretended to starve. “Food! I need food!” he groaned.

Cerulean executed a perfect about face (a bit hard to do with four legs) and stared into the gryphon’s green eyes. “I swear on the green earth beneath my hooves, I will personally end you if you open your beak. Rest assured, It. Will. Be. Slow.” He hissed. The three days had begun to take their toll. Cerulean ran out of food the day before and Azazel refused to eat anything Uther…um…offered. The blue earth pony desperately missed his travel pack that he was sure was crushed between two boulders in the gorge. The pack had enough food and rations to last him another month. The gryphon gave a whimper and seemed to get a bit smaller. Cerulean stood back to full height, his neck stiff as a board and muscles tense.

As he continued to walk away the little dragon watched the gryphon and ran a claw across the width of his own neck.
The gryphon’s eyes filled with terror. There was a distant roar and he quickly ran off after to the duo. Though seeing as they wanted to kill and the monsters wanted to kill, Azazel wondered which one was a better choice. Seeing as it was dawn and the canopy of the trees made it dark he’d rather not be alone. “Cerulean wait up!” he called as he continued to run.

Cerulean didn’t stop but he did slow down his pace. At least he used his name and not ‘Scribs’, a nickname that the gryphon had deemed better that Ceruelan’s real name. When he had first introduced himself to Azazel officially, the gryphon had a fit similar to Cerulean’s out burst when it came to the gryphon’s ‘phobia’. Eventually the gryphon caught up and was slightly out of breath. Cerulean took pity and stopped as well.

Azazel’s feathers were ruffled in the literal sense and he had twigs and pieces of the native flora in his fur. Cerulean’s appearance appeared to be in disarray; his coat, mane and tail were matted and covered in bits of the surrounding forest. Cerulean’s mane was also knotted to an extreme from Uther grabbing at it. Uther was covered in a bit of dirt but looked no worse for wear. “Do you even remember where the river was?” Azazel panted as he rested.

“O-of course I do! I found it once before didn’t I?” Cerulean said, his voice growing unsteady. The gryphon slowly turned to stare at him.

“We’re lost aren’t we?” he asked, his voice sound accusing. Cerulean avoided his eyes and dug at the ground.

“No.” he said stubbornly, the gryphon glared.

“We’re lost. And it’s all your fault.” said the gryphon, his tone caused Cerulean to snap. Cerulean calmly turned to Uther and got him off his back. He turned back to the gryphon, his anger burning cold.

“That’s it! I’m tired of you complaining and tailing me like a scared filly! We’re lost, meaning me and Uther. You followed us, it’s your fault you’re lost; not mine! You’re absolutely useless! Three days of pure torture, that’s what being in your company has been. You’ve insulted me and treated Uther like an insect. We may not be the same race, but he is my son. You are nothing, not to me and not to anyone. You’re a dragon slayer who’s afraid of dragons. Your value as a living being has officially expired.” Cerulean said coldly. Azazel glared back at the earth pony, anger burned in his eyes along with something Cerulean didn’t recognize. The gryphon stood up and stared at them.

“You know that that last thing was the same thing my father said to me when I finished training. The thing is, I never really cared for my father.” said Azazel, his voice more serious than Cerulean had ever heard it before. Cerulean was confused by the statement but just brushed it aside. “I’m outa’ here.” The gryphon said before he launched himself through the canopy of the forest.

The rant seemed to take all of Cerulean’s energy and he slowly sank to the floor. Though the rant was slightly therapeutic and relieved the pressure on Cerulean’s shoulders, the pressured was replaced with a weight in his stomach. Cerulean chose to ignore it and settled for collapsing. Sunshine poured through the hole Azazel made in the forest canopy and Cerulean felt it on his back. Despite how much Cerulean wanted to lie down in the sun, he still had the whole day ahead of him. The soft sound of steps approached and a small clawed hand tugged on Cerulean’s ear. “Papa?” questioned the little dragon. Cerulean groaned and picked himself off the ground.

“It’s alright. I’m fine.” Cerulean said as he gave a stretched and heard the satisfying pops of his joints. Uther clambered on and they were on their way again.

It was the wind in his eyes, he wasn’t crying. At least that’s what Azazel said to himself as he flew over the vast forest. Sadly he wasn’t that good at lying to himself. Azazel gave a sniff and wiped a few not-tears from his eyes. Cerulean’s words still stayed with him. “Your value as a living being has officially expired.” Except it wasn’t Cerulean’s voice who spoke them, no it was his father’s voice.

To gryphons bravery, honor, and family were the most valued things. Sadly he had none of those things. He didn’t even have friends; well he thought he did until…he didn’t want to think about it anymore. He felt the lump form in his throat. He cursed that stupid earth pony and his stupid dragon. Azazel especially blamed that dragon. He bet that if the dragon wasn’t there keeping his enchantments or whatever on Cerulean, the pony wouldn’t have snapped at him. The burn of anger seared through his veins. Azazel was sure that if he showed Cerulean the dragon’s true colors he would break from whatever spells the little dragon had him under. He just needed an opportunity.

Cerulean felt the ache of hunger gnaw at his stomach, and the weight that also rested in his stomach didn’t help. He needed to find the river soon, but he didn’t know where he was. He could be going the opposite direction at this point. He heard Uther’s snoring and sighed, the little dragon’s talent for sleeping on his back while Cerulean walked was amazing as it was slightly irritating. Then again as a baby, Uther must need a lot of sleep. Most babies no matter what species needed sleep.
As Cerulean began walking he began to notice odd carvings on the trees. They were circles with X’s through them. Hope washed through Cerulean as he began trotting faster, following the markings. Cerulean guessed they were the markings were made by a traveler who used them to navigate back to a camp, or even a village. Suddenly there was an itch in his throat and he began coughing. His throat felt dry and sore. Suddenly it felt wet and a coppery taste filled his mouth. He raised his hoof to wipe away the spit on his mouth. When he looked at it the crimson of his blood had stained his deep blue coat a purple color. Cerulean began to grow worried, thinking he may have the dreaded plague that killed entire villages.
A sharp pain came from his mane and he looked back to see Uther shaking with wide eyes. Cerulean wanted to ask what was wrong, but he couldn’t speak. With another hack more blood flew from his mouth. He felt weak but tried to move, hoping to find the river. As he walked he began noticing the same signs of the river as before. The softer soil, moss, and livelier plant life were all the signs of a river. Uther still hadn’t calmed down and Cerulean hoped it was nothing bad, maybe it was just a nightmare.

He galloped to the river and practically drowned himself trying to get to the water. The river’s clear water gained a red tint as he washed off his coat and drank. Uther had to be pried off of Cerulean’s back with force Cerulean didn’t think too much of it and began passing the clinginess off as the result of a night mare. Suddenly a black figure moved out of the corner of his eyes. Uther gave a bird like screech of fear and Cerulean raised his head from the water. Nothing was there. He turned back to Uther and nuzzled him. “It’s okay Uther nothing’s there. No reason to be afraid, I’m here.” He said softly. Uther clutched onto his muzzle tightly, making it hard for Cerulean to open his mouth.

“Papa!” the little dragon whimpered, Cerulean gently pried the little dragon from his face and tried comforting him.

“Shh, don’t worry we’re safe.” He said, though it wasn’t necessarily true. Uther didn’t seem helped by it much but Cerulean couldn't really do anything to help. He turned back to the water and began to wash himself. He was focused on his task and a tiny shriek pierced the air. Cerulean’s head snapped up and across the river was the oddest creature he ever had the displeasure of seeing. It was tall and thin with strange clothing. It had no face and long arms stretched out from its torso. Cerulean let out a shriek of his own.

Azazel was trailing after the earth pony and his dragon for a while. But he lost them, the gryphon circled the area a couple times and was almost about to give up on finding his chance. Then a scream pierced the air. He immediately flew towards it and found the river, he guessed it was Cerulean and hoped he wasn’t too late to save him from whatever was attacking. And Azazel felt it wasn’t the dragon baby attacking.

Azazel dove into the river with a splash and saw a creature that he couldn’t even begin to describe in any other way than, simply evil.

Uther began walking into the creature’s embrace and Cerulean raced over. With a head butt Cerulean flipped Uther over his head so Uther was on his back, gripping onto his mane tightly after snapping out of the creatures trance. The monster sent a long black limb at them like a whip and Cerulean barely dodged. “Hold on tight.” He told the little dragon, and he felt Uther’s claws tighten in response. Another limp came at them and before it came to close, another black figure barreled into the monster.

Azazel gave a roar and slashed at the monster with his talons, but it didn’t seem to be in pain. Soon the long outstretched limbs attempted to close on him, Azazel escaped from the monster’s grip before he could be captured. He looked at Cerulean with a desperate gaze. “Run, now!” he urged. Cerulean nodded before he attempted to gallop away, then a large black limb snapped at a tree and sent it landing on Cerulean’s long cyan tail. Cerulean was stuck, but Uther wasn’t.

“Uther I need you to run as fast as you can and leave. Don’t even look back understand?” he said. Uther’s eyes began to water and he gripped Cerulean tighter.

“Papa!” the baby dragon cried. Cerulean shook his head and pushed Uther off.

“Go!” he yelled. The little dragon nodded and ran into the forest. The monster, who was fighting the gryphon again, noticed the dragon running off and began to follow.

“Oh no you don’t.” Azazel said as he chased after the monster. He stopped at Cerulean and quickly cut his tail before rushing after the monster. Once Cerulean was free he raced after Uther, the monster, and Azazel.
The monster loomed over Uther who slipped in and out of the monster’s trance. Suddenly the monster was tackled by Azazel, who clawed at the monster with renewed vigor. The monster bled mist and soon the area began to grow foggy. The creature was in ribbons but an arm shot forward and pierced Azazel’s shoulder. The gryphon gave a cry of pain and slashed once again swiping the monster’s head clean off. Azazel jumped back and witnessed the creature writhed and its limbs shot about. Two of them head straight for where Cerulean and Azazel now stood. Uther panicked and opened his mouth, releasing an emerald flame that engulfed the creature. Then it disappeared with the flame, not a scorch mark or ember inside.

Azazel looked out the sight and let out a chuckle. The chuckle grew and soon the gryphon was laughing hysterically. “I did it! I did it! I slayed the monster! And you helped!” he yelled out as he rushed to Uther and hugged the baby dragon, who was confused. But none was more confused than the spectator Cerulean. Then Azazel seemed to come to his senses and realized he was hugging a baby dragon. He didn’t drop Uther. But he did put him on the floor and back up quite a bit.

“Thanks for the um…help.” The gryphon said nervously. The Cerulean began laughing, and Uther trilled.

“ ’zazel!” the little dragon chirped. A deep blush grew on the embarrassed gryphon’s face, and he absently thought about how adorable that sounded. Though not completely over his fear, Azazel realized Uther might not be as bad as he imagined.

Once the excitement died down Cerulean watched Azazel guiltily. He yelled at him, called him useless and then had his life saved by the very one he insulted. He shuffled his hooves guiltily and he heard a sharp trill. He looked up to see Uther giving him a reprimanding look. He averted his eyes but still felt the dragon’s eyes on him. Cerulean gave a sigh and walked over to the gryphon, who was practically buzzing in happiness. “Azazel,” he started but his mind couldn’t come up with words. He tried again “Azazel , I’m so sorry. I don’t even know how to fix this.” He said as he hung his head.

Azazel stared in shock. The ache he felt lessened but he was still hurt. He put a claw on Cerulean’s shoulder and Cerulean looked up. Azazel smiled at him. “I forgive you, I mean what are friends for?” he said. Cerulean gave him a smile back. “But you still owe me big time. How about we head back to the river and you can try to catch me some fish?”

Cerulean laughed.

Fragile

Once the fish was caught (with much error and little trial), Uther and Azazel ate happily while Cerulean wrinkled his face in disgust. He was perfectly fine with the berries he found on a nearby bush. Cerulean then noticed the giant wound on Azazel’s shoulder and winced. Knowing it was his fault the gryphon was injured was not the best feeling. While the dragon and gryphon were eating Cerulean walked off to find herbs, rocks and leaves. Despite living in a frozen wasteland most of his life, Cerulean was taught about plants that could help with illnesses, wounds, and anything else really. As he wandered around he found several familiar plants from his books. He gathered them up, ignoring the taste of earth that went with the plants and managed to find some leaves that would make good bandages. When he got back the two carnivores were finished eating and rubbing their stomachs lazily.

Cerulean walked over to the gryphon and dropped the herbs. “Azazel, can you make me a bowl?” Cerulean asked as he began to sort through the plants he gathered to find the ones needed for the healing salve. The gryphon scratched his head in confusion.

“How do I do that?” he asked as he sat up, with slight difficulty. Cerulean lifted his head from the plants and scanned the area around them.

“See that fallen tree? You can carve a bowl from the log.” He explained as he went back to his work on the plants. Azazel looked at the fallen tree and back at Cerulean.

“So why do you even need the bowl?” he asked as he stood fully. His eyes darted to Uther and saw he was asleep. Azazel was a bit jealous that the little dragon hardly did anything but sleep, he wished he could do that.

“I found these herbs and if I use some water and a bowl I could easily turn this into a paste tho heal your wounds close to instantly.” Cerulean exclaimed as he held up some plants for Azazel to see. Azazel stared at the earth pony’s hoof in curiosity.

“How are you holding those without claws or fingers?” he asked as he continued to stare. Cerulean looked down at his own hoof and realization struck.

“I…don’t know.” He said. He put the herbs down and picked them up again. “You know I made a basket out of branches earlier, I don’t know how I did that either.” He said as he placed a hoof on his chin as he tried to remember, but the memory was conveniently blank.

“Man this author sucks.” Azazel said. Cerulean gave a horrified yell.

“Ahh! You broke it!” he yelled in panic as he held onto Azazel’s shoulders. He then stopped and stared at his hooves.

“How am I doing that?!”

“Broke what?” Azazel asked confused by Cerulean’s panic. Cerulean grabbed ahold of Azazel again.

“The fourth wall, we’re not allowed to break the fourth wall!” Cerulean said as he began to shake Azazel. The gryphon simply pushed the pony off of his person.

“Who says I can’t. Hey readers look what I can do!” said Azazel as he pulled a keyboard out of nowhere and began typing.

Azazel the received the sword of awesomeness made from dragon scale that, if used correctly, played awesome music by Linkin Park. Uther then woke up from his nap and pledged to be Azazel’s servant because he was just so awesome…and Cerulean did the same!

What? Who gave you control of this story? And since when do you listen to Linkin Park, I don’t even listen to Linkin Park?

“I can’t hear you!” Azazel the awesome said. Then a harem appeared and-

DON’T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT WRITING THAT! THIS IS RATED E FOR EVERYONE! AZAZEL BLAKE YOU BETTER GET RID OF THAT KEYBOARD OR SO HELP ME CELESTIA!!!!!!

“You’re not the boss of me!” Azazel said as he began to type once again. Suddenly the keyboard disappeared with a poof and the world was once again normal.

Story error. It seems we are experiencing TECHNICAL difficulties

“I found these herbs and if I use some water and a bowl I could easily turn this into a paste to heal your wounds close to instantly.” Cerulean exclaimed. Azazel then felt a headache bash into his skull mercilessly.

“Ow!” Azazel groaned as he pressed the pads of his claws to his temples to alleviate the pain. Cerulean looked worried for his friend.

“Are you okay?” he asked the gryphon who nodded despite the pain.

“Yeah but I feel like I’m being punished for something and I don’t remember what!” Azazel groaned. Cerulean handed the gryphon a little plant and Azazel opened his eyes to see a little green herb in front of his beak.

“Eat this, it’s usually supposed to be a tea but since we don’t have cups or hot water…” he trailed off. Azazel quickly ate the plant and almost immediately his headache began to disappear. Uther awoke and glared at Azazel for being loud and ruining his map. With a little smile Uther crept up next to Azazel and breathed a small flame next to him. Azazel gave a high pitched scream and darted away.

“Fire!” Azazel screeched as he jumped into the river with a splash. A minute later he realized there was not actually fire and he got back on to dry land sopping wet and looking like a drown cat. He glared at the laughing dragon. He then turned his glare onto Cerulean who looked like he was going to explode any minute. “Not. A. Word.” He growled out as walked a few feet away and plopped down on the ground waiting to dry.

“So are you going to do the bowl or what?” Cerulean asked the angry gryphon, Azazel gave him a glare in response.

“No need I’m already healed look for yourself.” He said as he turned away. Cerulean approached and saw the spots where Azazel had been stabbed were completely healed. Only a bald spot was left behind, the wounds didn’t even scar.

“How is that even possible?” Cerulean asked as he marveled at the missing wounds. Azazel gave a snort.

“Gryphons are different from ponies on almost every way. We happen to heal at a rapid pace, that’s what makes us ideal warriors.” He said as he put his head down. Uther watched as Azazel’s mood headed south and a pain entered his heart. He didn’t know why the pain was there or that it was guilt, b with he knew it had something to do with the gryphon. Uther wandered off to find a gift for the bird thing.

“So that’s the reason why gryphon’s are so violent, because they heal faster?” Cerulean asked as he sat. Azazel shook his head, whipping water everywhere.

“No, gryphon’s are very honor bound and they believe that bravery strength and family is what earns you honor. My father thought I lacked the strength and bravery to survive and said I brought dishonor to the family. So with that my weapons were taken from me and I was disowned by my family.’ He said in a suddenly emotionless voice. Cerulean looked horrified at the gryphon’s statement.

“And I thought my family was bad.” He said as he shuddered at the thought of his dysfunctional mess of a family. Azazel raised an eyebrow at the pony.

“What do you mean by that?” the gryphon asked. Cerulean gave a sigh.

“Well I come from a land that’s trapped in an eternal winter. The ponies there were always fighting, and their hearts are almost as cold as the weather. My father is constantly drunk yet acts as though he were a king among peasents. My mother would never look me in the eye until I left and she did so just to tell me I’d die without my family if I leave. My grandmother is a crotchety old mare who always told me how I would never survive past colthood. They also have the amazing talent of convincing themselves things are fine, even though the windigows destroyed the land and our neighbors began dying off from a strange plague.” He said bitingly. Azazel stared and blinked at the look in Cerulean’s eyes.

“Well I guess we both have some family issues huh?” he said as he tried to break the tense silence. Cerulean nodded and the awkwardness once again blanketed them. Salvation came in the form of Uther who warbled in his normal birdlike manner. In his claws he clutched two blue flowers that made an odd chiming noise when moved.

“Pappa!” Uther chirped as he put the flower in Cerulean’s mane, much to the amusement of Azazel.

“You really do look like a mare now!” he snickered; Cerulean glared and kicked Azazel, knocking the wind out of him.

“ ’zazel!” Uther chirped and handed the gryphon the other blue flower. Azazel tensed slightly but accepted the flower. He gave the small dragon a smile and Uther seemed to brighten. Uther climbed onto Cerulean happily now that the bad feeling was gone. Azazel sniffed his flower curiously.

“Doesn’t really have a smell. I’ve seen these flowers all around Equestria but never had the chance to see them up close.” Azazel admitted as he began to study the flower.

“I’ve never seen a flower like this in my books before, maybe it’s only native to Equestria. Do you know what it’s called?” Cerulean asked Azazel as he examined the flower in his friend’s claws. Azazel shook his head as tucked the flower under his wing for safe keeping.

“No I don’t but let’s get moving. It’s midday and we’ve already been attacked once. I don’t want to wait for the next beast to show up.” Azazel said, both Uther and Cerulean nodded in agreement and they began their journey as a trio.

Hi! I'm The Author and This Is: Poison Joke!

The forest grew dark, and the newly formed trio began to set up camp. There was no need for a fire once again seeing as Azazel had fur and feathers to keep him warm, Cerulean himself came from much colder climates, and Uther just gathered his heat from Cerulean.

"Cerulean, what's your favorite color?" Azazel asked randomly. Cerulean gave the gryphon a questioning look.

"White, what's yours?" Cerulean replied cautiously. Azazel gave a snort.

"Yellow, because it's the color of my brother's eyes. He saved me from a dragon when I was little, I owe him my life. But why would anyone like the color white it’s so...boring." Azazel said, and a pebbled hit the back of his head courtesy of a glaring white baby dragon. Azazel glared back and childishly stuck out his tongue.

"I thought the whole world was white, until I heard about Equestria being founded. White used to mean home to me." Cerulean said sagely. Azazel rolled his eyes at his friend’s tone and rolled to stare up at the canopy of the dense forest. Moon light peaked through the breaks in the tree tops.

“You know I just can’t imagine that, the world just being white. It would drive me insane.” Azazel said as his eyes roamed the forest. Suddenly he noticed the colors around him, and he wondered what the world would be without them.

“I couldn’t really go outside because it was so cold. So I read…a lot. I found out about plants that used to grow and what they could be used for. I used to picture the world green and warm. It was hard for me to do that, like it’s hard for you to imagine a world without.” He said and shifted a bit. Uther snuggled in closer to Cerulean and watched the two. The words they said were hard for him to understand but still easier than the day before.

“No, it’s hard to imagine the world without color. But I used to live in the mountains in the land of gryphons. I was the youngest of three sons, and was kept in the cave until the day I was to learn to fly. It was supposed to be a rite of passage, a coming of age thing, even though it happens when you’re really young.” Azazel said, his voice growing softer as he spoke.

“Was? What happened?” Cerulean asked shifting again to gain a better look at his friend.

“Well it started out normal enough. My father brought me from the cave, and both of my brothers stood next to him. We stood at the edge looking over the land, it was green. I was so awed by how the world looked beyond the mountains, but that wasn’t what I was there for. My father told me that we were kings of the sky and we must learn to fly with the wind. He said the wind was family to us, lifting us above where we were before. Making us strong, making us kings. He told me to close my eyes and spread my wings. When I did I could feel the wind blow through me, it felt so right. And then…” Azazel stopped and Cerulean was pulled into reality. He shot an irritated glare at the gryphon.

“Well, what happened next?” the pony asked impatiently, Azazel exhaled loudly.

“He pushed me off the edge.”

“What?” shouted the shocked Cerulean. Azazel rolled his eyes.

“That’s the reaction I was hoping to avoid. Yeah I know my old man ain’t the greatest but honestly that was actually a normal thing to do.”

“Oh and my father throwing bottles at me when I was a colt was our way of bonding.” scoffed the blue earth pony. Azazel raised an eyebrow at his pony friend.

“It’s tradition, you can’t coddle your cubs. They’ll never grow strong like that. We have to gather that strength in ourselves by ourselves. When your life is in danger you tend to have an easier time. Now let me finish my story.”

“Gryphons are crazy.”

“Moving on… I was hurtling toward the ground scared out of my mind. And then I heard voices. (I knew it!) I looked to my right and then my left, and saw my brothers. They were right next to me telling me that it would be okay and that I needed to spread my wings. I had tucked my wings in out of shock. They told me to trust them, and to trust the wind. So I took the leap of faith and opened my wings. Next thing I knew, I was flying.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“Let me finish… Flying, I couldn’t believe it. I soared so high and started diving. I was pulling tricks I didn’t even know the names of, I was born to be in the air. (No, really?) My brothers flew with me but I didn’t even notice, but then I heard them shouting. They were telling me to fly away, I didn’t know what they were talking about so I stopped and looked at them. I’d never seen them so afraid. I turned around and behind me was this black dragon.

It was probably a young adult at the time, but to me it was huge. I turned tail and flew away as fast as I could but the dragon was right behind me, snapping his jaws. Dragons usually don’t eat meat but he seemed hungry, so I evaded him as much as I could. As I was flying I heard this crack, and I don’t what possessed me to do this but, I turned around. My oldest brother was standing on a cloud shooting lightning at the dragon, taunting it. The dragon still chased me and my second older brother went to go get help with my father. I still don’t know why he wasn’t the one fighting the dragon instead of my brother.

My brother saw that the lightning was just bouncing of the dragon’s scales so he flew to the dragon and began clawing at the dragon’s eyes. At that point I was more worried about my brother than myself and I was telling him to stop. My brother continued telling me to go back to the mountain and to trust him. I did, so I turned and flew away, not looking back. I wanted to turn around and help him but I just flew away, with my brother’s screams and the dragon’s roars in the background. I made it to the mountain where my brother told me my father and the other dragon slayers left to fight the dragon off. Several hours later only my father and three of the original seven slayers returned. After that day I couldn’t so much think of dragons without falling apart.

Eventually my father made me begin training as a dragon slayer, to make me stop being afraid. By the end of the training I was no less afraid than when I left. My father disowned me, my older brother cursed me and I lost everything.” He explained, his voice emotionless. Cerulean stared at Azazel with hard, determined eyes.

“Well just because you lost everything doesn’t mean you can’t gain something better.” Cerulean stated with an air of finality. Azazel looked back at the pony feeling lighter than he had in years.

“You’re right.” Azazel agreed, Cerulean smiled at him and turned to fall asleep. Azazel opened a wing and tucked his head underneath it in a bird like fashion. With the camp dark, Azazel too fell asleep.

*Thud* “Damnit!” *Crash* “Ouch!”*Thump* “Crap!”*Thud* “Again?”

Azazel stirred, the noise was waking him up. He opened his eyes and the sun attempted to blind him. Azazel threw an arm over his eyes and hissed. “Cerulean, tell the sun to shut up.” He groaned. Well, he tried at least. Azazel suddenly sat up and reached for his own throat in panic. His beak was open in a silent scream as he realized he couldn’t speak. He searched his body for any injuries but found something worse. His talons were small, his feathers were downy and his hide was spotted. He looked up to search for Cerulean but saw nothing. He began to panic until he heard a groan from a blue blob on the ground.

Said ‘blue blob’ was actually Cerulean, who was face down on the ground in a tangled mess of limbs. Azazel approached the fallen pony cautiously. He was surprised to see how large the world had gotten around him. He nudged the pony, which gave another groan but turned to him none the less. Cerulean’s large dark eyes stared at him confused, until Cerulean began to recognize the creature before him.

“Azazel?” he asked the small half bird half lion. The creature nodded rapidly with panic and relief flooding it’s bright green eyes. “What happened to you?” he asked as he tried to stand up, only to trip…again. The little gryphon watched with his beak opened in silent laughter leaving the pony confused. “What’s wrong with your voice?” he asked. The little gryphon opened his beak, but no sound was emitted. Cerulean finally realized that the cub in front of him wouldn’t be answering anytime soon and gave a groan again.

“Papa!” came the voice of a certain little dragon, who wasn’t so little anymore. He stood about a hoof taller that Cerulean with large wings sprouting from his back. With a burp a large stream of fire was emitted from the dragon’s toothy maw. Azazel gave a silent shriek of terror and hid behind the fallen form of Cerulean. The earth pony stared wide eyes at the dragon that stood before him. He sounded like Uther(despite his size), he looked like Uther( albeit a lot older), and he called Cerulean ‘Papa’. Uther gave another burp of flames causing Cerulean to give another groan and plant his face in the dirt.

Once the pony’s angst seemed to lessen he lifted his muzzle from the dirt and attempted to stand again. Before he could fall again Uther grabbed him with his claws. Azazel stared on in terror as he watched the dragon lift a full grown stallion like a toy. Uther looked down at the cub curiously before coming to a conclusion. “ ‘zazel.” The dragon chirped as it reached for the cub. Azazel gave a silent shriek of panic and flapped his downy wings in a sad attempt to fly. Uther gently picked up the struggling cub and cradled him in one scaled arm, while the other arm held an angsting pony.

“Just my luck! Things were going good! Now I have four left hooves, Uther went through puberty overnight, and Azazel is more useless than usual. OW!” Cerulean’s ranting stopped and he turned to see Uther struggling with one arm to hold the gryphon cub that now had his shortened tail in its beak. Ceruelan and Azazel glared at each other not noticing Uther rolling his eyes at the pair.

“Papa! ‘zazel!” Uther snapped. Though his voice hadn’t changed, the size of him was enough to intimidate the two creatures in his arms. Uther then gave Cerulean a pleading look asking him to say something.

“Let’s think about this rationally. We’ve drank the water, eaten the food, fought the monsters and basically came in contact with everything the forest has to offer. So what do you think caused this?” Cerulean asked. Azazel and Uther gave Cerulean a look. Cerulean blushed a deep purple. “Oh right, sorry.” Ceruelan cleared his throat trying to dispel the awkwardness.

“Well if we narrow it down to the last twenty four hours, we could say it was either the water or that blue flower we all touched.” He said. The two blinked back at him. Azazel struggled and Uther released him. The little gryphon walked over to where he slept the night before and picked up a flattened blue flower. “Bring it here!” Cerulean called. The little gryphon glared but walked over anyways. Uther set Cerulean down on the ground carefully and sat down as well.

“Papa?” he asked as he rested his chin on his knees and wrapped his tail around himself. Azazel gave Uther wary glances and handed Cerulean the flower. Cerulean studied the flower between his hooves. He honestly didn’t know what he was supposed to be looking for, but it obviously made his companions feel better, visibly at least.

Azazel stared at the pony and used his small talons to carve a message in the dirt. He tapped on the pony’s shoulder and Cerulean looked down at the message. “Well?” Cerulean smiled. Both Uther and Azazel perked up wondering what Cerulean discovered.

“I got nothing.” Cerulean said happily. Azazel collapsed into the ground in disappointment and Uther facepalmed.

“Papa!” the dragon groaned. Cerulean sighed and stared down at the flower.

“Well what do you expect me to do? I’ve never dealt with this plant before, I don’t even know for sure if this what caused everything.” He said.

“If you’re talking about that blue flower you have there, then yes. That flower’s the reason nopony goes into the forest, except for me of course.” said a voice from above.

Sweet as Honey and Cool as A Cucumber

The group looked up curiously at the sky saw nothing but a cloud. "Who's there?" Cerulean called out. A yellow pegasi popped out of the cloud and blinked at them. She had a bright red mane and blue eyes. Any other words Cerulean wanted to say died on his tongue. The mare flew down from her cloud and stood in front of them. Now that she was closer they noticed the freckles across her cheeks. Cerulean sat there with his mouth opened slightly and his eyes glazed. Uther noticed he wasn't talking and gave the pony a nudge.

"Papa." The dragon urged and the mare gave them a curious look. Cerulean shook his head and blushed.

"I'm Cerulean Scribble, nice to meet you." He said holding out his hoof to her. She stared at it.

"Forgive me if I don't shake hooves, but I don't want to come in contact with anything that's touched that plant." She said as she looked up from his hoof. Cerulean blushed again and lowered his hoof awkwardly. "My name's Honey Comb, Soft Trot's resident herbalist!" she said happily. Cerulean's blush grew and he averted his eyes and looked over to Azazel. The cub wiggled his brows in a perverted manner that didn't fit his current appearance. He sent a glare to the little gryphon who silently laughed at him.

"N-nice to meet you Honey Comb." Cerulean stuttered. 'Smooth Cerulean, smooth' he thought to himself as he continued to embarrass himself.

"Nice to meet you to Cerulean, can you tell me who your friends are?" she asked politely. Uther belched out another jet of flame making Azazel tremor. Honey Comb seemed unfazed by the fiery display and Cerulean turned back to his companions.

"This is Uther, he's a baby dragon, well he was a baby dragon, as you can see. He's actually a lot younger than he looks. Even though he's not related to me I consider him my son and he considers me his papa." He said gesturing to the large dragon who gave a wave. Cerulean then gestured to the gryphon cub.

"This is Azazel Blake, a monster slayer. He is actually older than he looks, and noisier." He said. Azazel glowered and snapped at Cerulean's outstretched hoof. Cerulean pulled away and avoided the gryphon. Honey Comb giggled at the pair and Cerulean's blush returned with a vengeance.

"Well you seem to have had a run in with a plant that happens to cause a lot of trouble with the ponies over in Soft Trot." She said. Cerulean nodded.

"Yup. Is there any way to fix it?" he asked hopefully. The other two shared similar looks of hope as well. Honey Comb's smile faded.

"Not really, ponies just wait until the effects wear off, that usually takes a week. But I've been trying to find a cure, I think I'm close to a break through." she said. The other's seemed to deflate at the news. "Uh…you can come with me to Soft Trot, until I create a cure. And even if I don't you can get out of this danger zone while your…(Uther gave another belch of flame) recovering" she said referring to their current ailments.

"Not that I don't appreciate the invitation, but why?" he asked confused by the hospitality the stranger showed him. "You do notice the large dragon don't you?" he asked gesturing to Uther who released another jet of flame.

"Yes, and I'm fine with that. I'll just have to make sure he doesn't burn down my house. For now though, let's work on getting out of the woods so we can avoid a forest fire." She said, picking up Azazel and flying to the cloud.

"Uther do you know how to fly?" asked Cerulean. The dragon blinked at him a couple times. "Never mind, dumb question." He said when he realized that Uther had never flown before. Honey Comb peeked down from the cloud above.

"Well, you guys comin' or what?" she asked. Cerulean stared back and seemed to forget his lines. Uther nudged him with his foot, bringing the earth pony back to reality.

"Uh…Uther doesn't know how to fly. So you guys are going to have to come down." He said, a pillar of flame blared from the drake next to him.

"Okay then." said the yellow mare as she flew back down with the little gryphon on her back. Azazel pouted feeling like a helpless cub, which he was, but he'd kiss Uther before he admitted that.

"Lead on." Cerulean said and the mare nodded turning around and heading in the direction of Soft Trot. Cerulean felt so happy his travels were over. He followed after the mare, only to trip over himself and land on the floor. Uther sighed, shook his head and picked up Cerulean. As they walked Cerulean stared straight ahead with the utmost attention. His eyes shifted upward to see Azazel giving him a sly look that set his cheeks ablaze. Cerulean looked away from the gryphon grumbling something about admiring her leaf cutie mark and not being a pervert. Uther just rolled his eyes.

"Soft Trot isn't the biggest village but we make do. Everypony pitches in overall. Some are smiths and make shoes for the village, some teach the foals their numbers and letters, others get up supper early to help raise the sun or manage the clouds." chattered Honey Comb from up ahead. Cerulean listened closely and found that he really like the sound of that. Back in his homeland it was everypony for themself, none cared if their neighbor starved or died of plague, as long as it wasn't them.

"What do you do? I know you're a herbalist. But was exactly does that mean?" Cerulean asked from his place in Uther's arms. He was very aware of the switch in roles, but at least he saw how Uther would look when he grew up. Well when he grows up again.

"As an herbalist I do a range of things, from selling teas to making medicines." She said as she glanced back at them with a smile. Cerulean's heart fluttered and he blushed for the umpteenth time. She turned back and continued to trot gracefully, as if she knew every nook and cranny of the forest around her.

"So that's why you've been looking for a cure." Cerulean stated, now that she wasn't watching him with those eyes he could use his words.

"Yup, you don't know how many ponies come to me with one silly ailment or another. This one pony came to me only speaking backwards! And another had the oddest blue spots in her horn. Poor thing couldn't use magic for two weeks; she nearly had a break down." She said as she trotted on. "It's like this plant plays pranks on anything it comes in contact with."

"What is it called?" Cerulean asked, hoping they were near the village already.

"Well we don't have a name for it yet, I'm more worried about a cure than a name." she said as she stopped. "Now which way was it…AH! Now I remember!" she said, then took a sharp left and continued to trot away. The rest followed without question, wondering what Soft Trot looked like and when they would finally get there. Finally there was a break in the trees and a mid-sized cottage with a large garden appeared. "Welcome to Green Leaf Cottage travelers!" she said as she gestured to the cottage in a grand pose. Everyone stared at her confused.

"What about Soft Trot?" Cerulean asked. Honey Comb smiled at him and he suddenly lost the ability to communicate.

"Soft Trot is just a few minutes away by walking. I live closer to the forest because the land is more fertile. For now you can stay with me, I have some empty rooms you can fill." She said kindly. Uther burped out flames again and she frowned. "First we have to do something about those flames." She said as she began toward her house. Cerulean stumble after them, asking Uther to stay put before he followed. He then looked to Azazel and found him asleep happily on the mare's back. Cerulean couldn't help but feel a little jealous. "Dad I'm home and I brought guests!" called Honey Comb, Cerulean froze.

'She still lived with her father? What if he didn't like me? What if she didn't like me because her father doesn't? Then I'll never get my chance to impress her!' Cerulean panicked internally.

"Coming!" answered a weathered voice. Cerulean's panic began to rise and he didn't really understand why he was freaking out so bad. Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed Azazel give a yawn and snuggle into Honey Comb's fur. Cerulean threw the gryphon a scowl only to have the little cub give him a smirk. Before Cerulean could do anything dumb the thud of hooves stole his attention.

Standing at the foot of the stairs was a large wall of a stallion. His mane was a forest green that was streaked with grey and his coat was a dark reddish brown. His cutie mark was of an acorn and leaf leaning on each other. To be honest, Cerulean was both impressed and intimidated by his presence. His bright blue eyes scanned the new faces in his kitchen and he gave a kind smile.

"It seems my little girl has picked up some strays from the forest. My name is Sequoia, pleasure to meet you stranger." He said with a nod. Cerulean felt relief flood his veins, he was so glad Honey Comb took after her father.

"Hello there, I'm Cerulean Scribble. This over here it Azazel Blake, and outside is my adoptive son Uther." He said pointing to each of his companions, or at least in the direction of them.

"Why isn't he inside?" Sequoia asked. Cerulean was about to answer but was cut off by Honey Comb.

"Uther's a dragon, and he's currently having some problems with his burps. I don't want to risk our home being set aflame." She said with a smile identical to her father's. Sequoia nodded at his daughter and retrieved a mug from a cupboard along with a bag of dried herbs.

"He should drink this tea here; it'll help with his gas problem. There are also some Windigo Roots that Honey could dig up for Uther. That'll help with fire." He said as he passed them the herbs and filled the mug with water. He gave the mug to Honey and Azazel held the bag of herbs curiously. Honey thanked her father and they left the cabin with Cerulean stumbling behind them. Sequoia watched Cerulean with mild amusement. He recognized those star struck eyes, he remembered himself wearing those eyes when he met Honey's mother. He hoped Cerulean treaded carefully around his daughter's heart, he'd hate to have to destroy the kind looking colt.

Once they made it outside Cerulean sat surrounded by charred grass. Honey walked over to the dragon with a kind smile and hoofed him the mug. With a burp the flames surrounded the mug, leaving the water bubbling. Azazel climbed Honey like a tree and dropped a few of the leaves into the drink. Uther understood what he was to do, and drank the steaming mug in one gulp.

"Feel any better?" Cerulean asked the dragon. Uther waited a few seconds, but nothing happened. Uther gave a toothy smile and nodded his head. Honey placed Azazel on the ground and walked over to her garden were she dug at the ground and pulled up a pale root. She balanced it on her nose and walked back to the others.

"Here Uther, this is a Windigo root. It's ten times stronger than mint. We usually use it to treat burns, just chew on one of these every day until the flames stop." She said as Uther took the root. The dragon stared at it and took a small bite. Uther's eyes widened and he blew out cool air, followed by snowflakes. Cerulean whistled.

"Effective." He said as he stared at the fallen snowflakes. Azazel had his thinking face on (yeah didn't know he had one either) and began to scratch at the ground.

"I think we should keep some with us at all times." The message read. Cerulean nodded in agreement. Honey took the mug and herbs back to the cabin and the three waited outside.

"Remember we're guests here. So please, be on your best behavior." Cerulean pleaded. Both Azazel and Uther carried serious looks, giving Cerulean mock salutes. The earth pony knew he should have felt reassured, but he didn't.

The Best Medicine

Their first day as guests of Green Leaf Cottage was odd to say the least. But the one's after that steadily grew more odd until...

“Azazel get down from there right now!” yelled Cerulean. The de-aged gryphon he was currently yelling was perched on the roof of their temporary home, ready to jump. Azazel glared at Cerulean and shook his head defiantly. He was determined to regain his flying abilities, despite his now under developed wings being unable to carry his weight.

It was an early and crisp morning. Cerulean should still be asleep in the guest bed he was given, not trying to talk down his friend from a ledge. “You know you can’t fly yet! Just get down before you kill yourself, or break something!” He called out. Azazel sent him another dirty look and replied with an inappropriate gesture. Cerulean saw said gesture and became livid.

“Wait till’ I get up there! I’d like to see you do that with broken talons!” Cerulean yelled even though he had no idea how to get on the roof, he didn’t even know how Azazel managed since he couldn’t fly at the moment.
Azazel gave a knowing smirk to Cerulean and gestured where the earth pony could place his threats. Cerulean glared at his friend with fury burning in his eyes, the world seemed to grow hot for a second before he slumped into the ground. Azazel stared with wide eyes and Cerulean heard a whistle in the background. “Wow I didn’t know you could do that.” said a familiar voice. Cerulean turned weakly to see Honey Comb approaching, her mane was messed with sleep and Cerulean blushed.

“I’ve been trying to get him off the roof but he’s being difficult, like always.” Cerulean said as he turned back to Azazel. The little gryphon had taken the moment Cerulean looked away to jump on the roof and Cerulean yelled in shock and fear. He ran towards the falling gryphon with great difficulty and he ran knowing he wouldn’t make it, nut still trying to save his frined. Suddenly a yellow flash flew through the air and landed. The yellow flash was honey how now had Azazel pressed up against her body and she hugged him fiercely.

“Thank goodness you’re alright! What in the world were you thinking?” she asked, clucking like a mother hen in Azazel’s opinion.

“Took the words right out of my mouth.” came Cerulean’s cold voice. Azazel winced and risked a peak at the pony, he really wished he hadn’t though. Cerulean had a stern look on his face and his anger burned cold rather than hot like earlier. Cerulean smacked the gryphon in the back of his head and pulled him close in a crushing hug. “You idiot!” Cerulean said as he squeezed the gryphon. He felt someone tap hid shoulder; he looked up to see Honey watching them, amused.

“Um, I don’t think he can breathe.” She said pointing to the struggling gryphon in his arms. Cerulean gave an embarrassed laugh and released his friend from the death grip. Azazel wobbled slightly.

“Sorry about that Azazel. You had me scared to death! I can’t lose my best friend just because he’s stupid you know.” He said jokingly. Azazel gave him a halfhearted glare but then hung his head in shame. Cerulean placed a comforting hoof on the gryphon. “Look I know you want to go back to normal, I do too. I mean I can’t even walk down the stairs without tumbling forward like a slinky.” He said. The two creatures gave him an odd look. “Toy from my home.” He explained. The two nodded even though they still didn’t understand.

“Honey, we’re going to need you to see Free Spring. The water talisman seems to be on the fritz.” Sequoia said as he walked out of the cabin with a sleepy Uther following behind. Honey nodded.

“Alright, I need to run some errands anyway. I’ll take Cerulean with me and you can watch Azazel and Uther.” She said. Sequoia arched in eyebrow in questioning. “Azazel’s too small, Uther is a dragon, and you have to pick and dry the herbs.” She said. Sequoia just nodded and chuckled, leading the gryphon and dragon into the gardens. Honey gave Cerulean a smile that would have made him stumble even if he hadn’t touched the blue plant. Honey quickly went to get her saddle bags and was ready to go.

He and honey left towards the village of soft trot at a snail’s pace as Cerulean struggled to walk. By the time they reached soft trot, Cerulean had figured a way to let him walk without too much difficulty but he had to be extremely careful and slow. He watched hone seemed to greet everypony they passed, knowing them by name. Eventually they made a stop to a small stall that had the picture of a horse shoe painted on a sign.

“Iron Hoof, you in?” Honey called as she trotted toward the building behind the stall. Cerulean followed behind carefully watching his steps. The chink of metal seemed to answer her question. As they entered the spotted a large unicorn stallion, built much like Sequoia. His coat was a bronze color and his mane was a dark brown that was cut short. The magic surrounding his tools was a silvery color and he had a cutie mark of a hammer striking hot metal. The stallion turned to them and smiled.

“Hey there Honey. Here pick up your dad’s shoes?” he said as he turned his focus back on the project at hand. The metal was flat and looked formless; Cerulean had no idea what it was supposed to be.

“Yup, his birthday is coming and he’ll be so surprised!” she said as she walked over the four shoes on the workbench. They were shiny and looked sturdy; Cerulean would have liked to have some new shoes of his own. Blacksmiths were had to come by in the frozen waste land; none could generate that much heat. She used her wings to slip them in her saddle bags and pulled out some bits and placed it on the table. At least the money system was the same, Cerulean noted. He looked at Iron Hoof and Iron Hoof stared back.

“Well, I’ll be! I didn’t know you got a coltfriend Honey!” he said as he dropped what he was doing and trotted over to Cerulean who was blushing so hard he almost passed out. “What your name, stranger?” he asked with a grin.

“My name’s Cerulean Scribble, and it’s not really like that with me and Honey. I’m just helping her in return for her help to me and my companions.” He said whishing he was lying. Iron Hoof didn’t seem to believe him but nodded anyways.

“I get it, keeping it a secret huh? Well I guess I’d be wary too if I had to break the hearts of every single stallion in Soft Trot.” He said slyly. Cerulean was confused, annoyed, and embarrassed, while Honey was blushing an odd orange color.

“Well Iron nice to see you bye!” Honey squeak as she practically pushed Cerulean out of the building. Cerulean was confused still but decided not to ask, though that could have had something to do with that dark look on Honey’s face as she bluntly said “Not. A. Word.” Mares were crazy and weird, but if Honey wasn’t the perfect mare despite that.

After that escapade and a few more stops they finally made it to Free Springs house. Honey seemed exhausted and
Cerulean was ready to gauge out the eyes of every single stallion that dared look at Honey. Honey nodded and the door swung open with a motherly ‘Come in’ from Free Spring.

They both walked in and found an older Unicorn mare that could have been Cerulean’s mother based on looks alone. Her coat was a lighter blue than Cerulean’s with a waterfall cutie mark and her mane was was an extremely light blue that curled slightly. She was beautiful, but not in the same way as Honey. Free Spring seemed to carry that sort of aged beauty you see on mothers or grandmothers.

“Free Spring it’s been a while hasn’t it. I know I said I’d visit but I’ve just been so busy, and it a shame the only time I come over is for business…” Honey rambled and Free Spring laughed.

“It’s alright Honey, it’s alright. Now I’m guessing something’s wrong with the talisman I gave you right?” she asked, Honey blushed when she realized had been rambling and nodded.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with it but my dad said that it was on the fritz so me and Cerulean came over and-” Honey was cut off once again.

“My poor colt! What on earth has happened to you!” she said as she rushed over to Cerulean. The stallion struggled to come up with an answer.

“I’ve been traveling-“ he managed to say before he was levitated by a blue magical aura.

“Well that is no reason to walk as though you been dragged throught the dirt. We must get you cleaned up.” She said as she carried him to her was room. Honey sat alone in the sitting room puzzled by what had transpired. She got up to follow but heard shouts of “Ahh it’s hot, I can clean there myself and you barely know me.” And decided to sit and wait. An hour passed and Honey gave a board groan and decided to find the two. She eventually got to the wash room where she found Free Spring combing and braiding his mane.

“And then Honey found us and gave us a place to stay.” Cerulean said. The mare smiled at him from the mirror.

“What an amazing tale, my dear! And all this to find a home?” she asked. Cerulean nodded. “Well I do hope Soft Trot is what you’re looking for; we need a nice stallion like you around here. Not that the others are bad, they just need a role model and I think it should be you. Cerulean blushed at the praise and admired the braid she had done. He wasn’t the only pony admiring his looks. Free Spring gave Honey a knowing look, to which Honey blushed. “Now about that water talisman, I do apologize for getting distracted but this was an emergency.” She said as she walked past Honey and to her front door. Honey and Cerulean both shared a look and Cerulean walked over to her.

He froze and stared down at his hooves, he was cured. He was cured! Cerulean practically jumped up in joy and he galloped passed Honey who was so confused she felt a headache coming on. She shook her head and followed Cerulean wondering if there was something wrong with blue ponies in particular. When she finally caught up to the two ponies she found Cerulean bouncing up and down foalishly and Free Spring watching him in amusement. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” he cried as he hopped circles around the older mare.

“Can I ask why exactly you are thanking me?” she asked as Cerulean continued to hop. Cerulean stopped and placed his hooves on her shoulders.

“You cured me! Something you cleaned me with removes the effects of that blue flower!” he said. Free Spring looked a bit surprised and confused.

“Well all I did was clean you with an herbal bath I threw together. I( just thought it smelled lovely.” She said. Suddenly Honey was right next to her with a serious face.

“What was in it?” she asked. Free Spring named the herbs and flowers she had used to make the herbal wash and Honey stared at her. “I have all of these things growing behind my home. I could have made that cure ages ago!” she said as she trotted away to her home grumbling. Free Spring turned to Cerulean who was still grinning like mad.

“Let’s get going shall we?” she suggested as she followed Honey. Cerulean nodded and hopped beside her, feeling as happy as could be.

Once they made it back to Green Leaf Cottage the found Azazel and Uther dirty and tired. Sequoia was there to greet them and swiftly lead Free Spring to the talisman. Honey quickly rushed off to gather the ingredients for the cur and Cerulean hopped up to his friends happily.

“You’ll never guess what happened while we were out!” Cerulean exclaimed happily. Azazel quickly wrote something inappropriate in the dirt. Cerulean hit the gryphon sending him beak first into the ground. “Not that you pervert. I found the cure for the blue plant. I’m not stumbling like an idiot anymore!” Azazel lifted his head from the ground and wrote his reply in the dirt, only to end up with his beak reacquainted with the earth. Uther made a happy noise and hugged Azazel who squirmed but didn’t make any noises of horror.

“I’m not intruding am I?” asked Honey and she trotted over. Her saddle bags looked a little fuller and she seemed a lot less irritated. All three males shook their heads no and Uther dropped Azazel who once again got closely acquainted with the ground below him. “Well good, with Free Spring’s help I’ll have this cure in no time!” she said as she trotted away with a huge smile. Cerulean then turned back to his dirty companions.

“So what did you do with Sequoia?” he asked. Both Azazel and Uther shuddered at the mention of the stallion’s name, leaving the earth pony puzzled. “What happened?” he asked confused. The two creatures before him seemed to cling to each other as they relived the memories of only a few hours ago. Azazel shakily wrote on the ground.

“So much green and dirt.” The message said. That only seemed to confuse the pony further but Azazel didn’t look to be in any shape to be answering questions, and Uther is still whimpering. Cerulean then made a vow to never get on the stallion’s bad side. Not long after that both Free spring and Honey came from the cabin telling them the cure was ready. Uther and
Azazel rushed into the cottage comically pushing and pulling each other to get to the mares first.

Surprisingly the little gryphon won and not five minutes after entering the wash room did he sprint out full sized and sopping wet whooping in happiness. “I me again!” he shouted as he hugged Cerulean leaving him sopping wet, Azazel didn’t even look like he was pretending to be sorry. Azazel just ran outside and attempted to fly, only to remember his wings were still wet and he’d have to wait for them to dry before flying. He began cursing and Sequoia quickly taught him not to say certain words in front of mares. The screams were ignored.

Then it was Uther’s turn and Cerulean decided to be there with him when he shrank. Right be for his eyes he watched as Uther shrank from the out of place adolescent to the adorable hatchling Cerulean missed seeing. Uther was dried and immediately he climbed onto Cerulean’s back to take a well derved nap. Needless to say it was a very interesting day.