The Dream Which Started it All

"You can't throw me out! I'm your king!" Onyx objected loudly. Two dragon royal guards held their flailing, raving, drunk king in between them by his arms. "Put me down, you. . . you newts!"

"M'lord, this is for your own good," the guard on the left replied. He dodged the kings hand that swatted at his face.

"Why don't you go eat a. . . dick for your own good! You salamander!" Onyx slurred drunkenly.

The veteran guard shook his head and turned to his recruit counterpart, "He gets like this every year," he explained, "it is the anniversary of Queen Diamond's death."

"Right," the young recruit replied, he glanced sadly down at his miserable king.

Suddenly, Onyx tossed the two guards away. He stood upright and adjusted his cape. "You two can go back. I'll be fine," he ordered and walked away through the darkness to retreat into his lonely castle.

Onyx slumped over the veranda. He stared down at the black shapes that were trees. A cool southern wind from the Parting Sea blew through his thick, black mane and rustled the leaves of the palms.  Visions of his beloved haunted his mind and plagued his vision. He saw her walking down the halls, roaming their room, and filling his dreams. Even now, she stared and smiled at him at his side. His hand passed through her transparent cheek and he heaved a depressed sigh.

"We were so close to a cure. . ." he spoke to the empty darkness.

He dragged his feet over to the cold, empty bed. He flopped onto the bed, face first, and buried his face in the puffy pillows. He released a long groan and in seconds was sound asleep.

Tweeting. Shrilling. Trilling. Bird sounds and songs snapped him up. He was in a clearing, bright light stabbing his eyes, with trees surrounding him and lush grass comforting his bare bum. Bare. . . bum. . .

"I told them Teqlia makes my clothes come off," Onyx sighed and shook his head. He got to his feet and stretched his limbs and wings. He stood with his fists on his hips for a moment, enjoying the breeze that wrapped around his exposed body, and emptying his full bladder. He turned around and noticed an admirer watching him.

His single audience was a curious sight: it was a small, cyan, horse with a rainbow mane and tail, and sported wings. He walked up to the creature.

"Well, aren't you quite the cutie?" he smiled down at it and reached out to pet it when it screamed.

"Ahhhh! You spoke!" it shouted.

Onyx reeled back in surprise, "Ahhh! It can speak!" he immediately covered himself, "Hey there," he greeted coolly.

"Wh-what are you?" the cyan, winged horse questioned and advanced closer to him.

"I am a dragon," Onyx answered.

"You can't be a dragon," the horse replied incredulously, "Dragons are huge, lizards, that breathe fire!"

Onyx smirked and stepped away from the cyan horse. "Watch and be amazed," he stated as he cracked his fingers. His body was encased in shadow and soon began to grow to the size of ten houses. He broke the shadow when he unfurled his massive dragon wings and he spewed blue flames over the tree tops with a thunderous roar. He landed before her, wielding a very toothy grin, "Am I enough dragon for you now?"

"Awesome," the horse awed with wide fuschia eyes.

Onyx shrank back to his favorite size, with his wings still shown. He covered himself again and smiled, "My name is Onyx. Onyx of Dragostea." He bowed and asked, "And who are you?"

"R-Rainbow Dash," her voice cracked.

Onyx circled around the cyan creature, "Huh, what are you?"

"I am a pegasus pony! The fastest flyer in all of Equestria!" Rainbow Dash boasted.

Onyx picked up one of the pegasus' wings and pulled open the feathery appendage, "With these stubby things?"

"Hey! They are not 'stubby'!" Rainbow Dash protested, pulling her wing free from his grasp.

"Relax, kid, I was just joking," Onyx chuckled.

"I told you, I am a pegasus pony; not a goat," she snorted.

A strong wind blew which chilled Onyx's family jewels. "Do you know a place where I can get clothes?" he asked sheepishly.

"Um. . ." the chromatic pegasus thought for a moment, "I think I know somepony who can help you. C'mon, I'll take you to her."

"'Somepony'?" he thought and followed the pegasus.

Walking through the woods, feeling the grass and leaves crunch under foot, and sensing all the new smells, reminded Onyx of home. Well, of when his home flourished, before the wars, before the volcanic eruptions. A sigh escaped his lungs. His new traveling companion took note of this.

"Is everything alright?" she questioned, turning her head back to look at him.

"Living as long as I have, is a curse," he smiled weakly.

She cocked her brow curiously at him, "How old are you?"

"How old are you?" he returned.

"Twenty- four," the pegasus answered.

Onyx laughed, "I was twenty-four aeons ago." He rubbed his chin, "Are you considered an adult?"

"Yeah. I became an adult eight years ago."

"You look awfully small. . ." Onyx observed.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, "I am built for speed and aerodynamics."

"Is that why you have such big eyes? Wouldn't injury to them be high?"

The pegasus smirked at the dragon and poked her eye with her hoof, "Nope. Our eyes are pretty tough." Then the pain flared in her eye.

She rubbed her eyelid to try and clean the dirt from her eye. Onyx grabbed her head gently, opened her teary, closed eye, and softly blew into her eye. Her tears washed the dirt away.

"Better?" he asked with a smile.

"Yeah. . ." she answered after a moment. She turned away from him to hide her rosy cheeks, "Thanks. We should keep moving before it gets dark." She shot up into the clouds. When he did not follow her, she returned to him and hovered above.

"Old injury makes long distance flight. . . intolerable, I'm afraid," he informed her with a small chuckle. "You fly and I'll try to keep up."

Onyx could appreciate the beauty and wonder of this land called Equestria, but he constantly felt on edge, as if electricity danced across his tanned skin. This sensation only meant one thing: magic. He could manipulate fire in his human form, sure, but it was not magic. He understood magic as a copy of an element. For example, arcane fire could heat up to the ferocity of the hottest of furnaces but could never reach the degree of his dragon flame. He also understood that magic varied from universe to universe. In the end, he just felt uncomfortable and slightly irritable from trekking through the forest naked.

How did he get here? Was this a dream? A few questions that buzzed through his head. What did he do to be sent here? Which Divine did he piss off this time? Actually, a shorter list would be: which Divine barely tolerated him? Was he in a different universe, with different Laws and Divines?

He heard Rainbow Dash droning about where she came from, about the ruler of the land, and other things. His mind was too occupied with his thoughts to go along with her conversation. He grunted a response every time he heard her stop. He wasn't exactly ignoring her, he just was more concerned about his current predicament. If the past is to be trusted, the last few times he found himself in a different universe it meant trouble and he was in no mood to deal with trouble.

"So. . , Rainbow Dash," he finally spoke aloud to his hovering companion, "How do I say this. . . Do you know who created your universe?"

"Nope," the pegasus answered immediately, "I never was good with history and school in general. Why do you ask?"

"What is the religion like over here?"

"What's 'religion'?" she asked with a confused expression. "I got a question for you: How do you know how to speak my language?"

"That is what I was thinking about. It would make sense if the gods of my universe created this universe, which is how we have the same language. Or perhaps when I was teleported over here, I suddenly knew and understood your language. There are multiple explanations."

"Sounds like it. I really only care about the Wonderbolts, Daring Doo, and being the fastest!" she elated. "I don't care for how things happen. If they happen, they happen."

Onyx chuckled at her enthusiasm, "Worrying about big questions and trying to find their answers has led many great beings to ruin. I usually don't think this much, my brother Grey or Darqlon, are the ones that go looking for big questions and answers."

"What kind of things do you like?" the rainbow-maned pegasus inquired as she floated on her back facing Onyx.

Onyx smiled up at her, "Long walks on the beach, starry nights, the morning dew, how the grass smells after it rains, and I especially like," he reached out and caressed her cheek, he gazed into her sparkling fuchsia gems, "beautiful females."

Rainbow Dash grinned and pushed his hand away, "It'll take more than flattery to ruffle my feathers." She shot up into the air, over the tree tops, and returned within seconds. "Not far from Ponyville now, only about twenty more minutes."

"Seriously? 'Ponyville'? Really?" Onyx laughed.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Rainbow Dash confronted him.

"It doesn't seem weird that everything has a horse related name? Equestria, Ponyville, Canterlot?"

"Cloudsdale isn't pony related," she retorted. Onyx shook his head dismissively. "Doesn't your land have dragon related names?" she questioned.

"Only the island, but it means 'love'. The capital of Dragostea is translated as 'Capital City'." Onyx explained. "There are also several other species of sapient beings that inhabit my world."

"There are other species that live here! There are Griffins, Dragons, and Zebra ponies, uhm. . ." Rainbow Dash listed.

"Are there evil beings?" Onyx asked reluctantly.

"There used to be," Rainbow Dash zoomed to face him, "But me and my friends kicked their flanks! Let's see there was: Nightmare Moon, Discord, King Sombra, Queen Chrysalis, and Tirek; those were the biggest baddies we had to fight. We also fought some annoying ponies like Trixie, Flim and Flam, and Starlight Glimmer. We are known as the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. I represent the Element of Loyalty!" she boasted.

"Clearly not the element of modesty," Onyx joked.

"I can't help that everything I do is pure awesome!" she gloated.

"If your friends are as puny as you, how did you kick the flanks of evil?"

"Ha!" Rainbow Dash interjected, "I dare you to call Applejack 'puny' and walk out alive! We used the Elements of Harmony to defeat the really big baddies."

"And what do they do? What do they look like?" Onyx questioned.

"Um, we aren't really supposed to talk about them, considering how many villains have tried to get their hooves and claws on them," Rainbow Dash replied defensively.

Onyx laughed, "Fair enough. You never know   I could be the next baddy to try and enslave your whole world."

"Yeah. . ." Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously.

Onyx poked his head through a bush and Rainbow Dash did the same.

"Coast looks clear," Rainbow Dash observed.

"So does the street," Onyx quipped.

"C'mon," Rainbow Dash snickered.

Onyx followed the cyan pegasus along the wall of the building. He had spied it from the edge of the forest: the light pink, cylindrical building, with columns, and dark pink roof, adorned with pony statues. It did look curiously carousel like, which was why it is called the Carousel Boutique. He made his way through the door after his chromatic mane companion.

Onyx whistled in awe at how the inside looked, he could tell that whoever decorated the inside really knew what they were doing. He might not have as much knowledge about decoration as he does women, but the decor and the clothes he saw made his confidence in the tailor grow. Rainbow Dash had said that her friend, Rarity, was the proprietor and tailor of the shop. Rainbow Dash failed to mention how spectacularly divine the vision called Rarity was.

There she was, standing in the middle of the room, working on a mannequin with her latest designs. Rarity, a Goddess among ponies, to be sure. Rarity, beauty even Helen could never reach. Rarity, whose coat was that of the purest of ivory, whose mane was the finest of violet silk, whose eyes were the most brilliant of sapphires.

She turned to him; she flashed her marvelous smile; she fluttered her long lashes; and then    she spoke   shattering all his fantasies in an instant.

"Good afternoon   AAAAAHHHHHH!" Rarity screamed when she saw the naked giant next to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash! What have I told you about bringing strange creatures into my boutique?"

Onyx wanted to cover his ears, her voice reached his "annoying threshold", but he felt that keeping himself mildly modest was the best course of action.

Rainbow Dash snickered, "He's not a 'strange creature', Rarity. His name's Onyx and he's a dragon!"

"Greetings," Onyx smiled.

"Wha~?" Rarity was confused. "He does not look like any dragon I have seen before."

"Trust me, he is bigger than any dragon we've ever seen!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Anyways, he needs some clothes. Apparently, the way he is now is inappropriate in his society."

"That is because we are not blessed with four legs and coats of hair," Onyx replied. "I would be awfully thankful and indebted to you, my lady," he knelt down and bowed before Rarity, "If you could find it within your heart to prepare me a garment or two to wear, I will announce to the whole world from atop the highest mountains about your generosity."

"Pfft," Rainbow Dash snorted, "Rarity is the element of generosity, everypony knows that already."

Rarity smiled at Onyx, "Of course I will make you something, darling. We can't have you walking around here naked and exposing yourself to everypony."

"Thank you," Onyx returned her smile, "I will pay you back as soon as I am able."

Rarity stepped up to him and smiled. "Please wrap yourself with this for the time being," she levitated a white sheet of fabric to him.

Onyx gladly accepted the sheet, turned around, and wrapped the swatch of cloth around his waist. "Thanks," he replied when he turned around.

"Fewer distractions, darling," Rarity commented with a smile.

She began to measure Onyx. Onyx watched in wonder as the unicorn manipulated the measuring tape with her blue magic.

"Hmm," Rarity hummed when she went behind him. "I think the most trouble I will have will be with your wings, darling."

"I can take care of that," Onyx informed her. He stepped away from her and flexed his wings out and back. He hunched over and his draconic wings folded and turned into blue flames; the twin blue jets of flame shrank and disappeared into his scarred back. "Whew!" Onyx interjected and wiped the sweat from his brow, "I can't even remember the last time I did that. So used to having clothes and armor that magically fit me."

He turned around and saw their stunned faces, "What?"

"I think you are twenty percent cooler," Rainbow Dash commented.

"I am just glad you did not burn down my boutique!" Rarity shrilled. She sauntered past Onyx, "I will get to work on your wardrobe, darling. Return in an hour."