Chapter 4: The Elder

(This chapter was made with pride in the USA by blm95tehe and Calcos)

As we walked through the Alpha Dragon village, we received friendly ‘hellos’ and ‘welcomes’ from every dragon we passed by. An elderly dragon walked up to us with a cane, and said, “Well! Nice to see some ponies! My, it’s been 70 years since we had a pony visit us here in the Deep Wood.”

I greeted him, then turned to Night Swirl and asked, “So that's what this area is called.”

“Yes,” he replied. “This is the capital of our kingdom. There are about 8 settlements here in the Everfree, now.”

The sunflower lining lead us directly into the grand building. Past the walls was a courtyard that had lush flowers, growing in a carefully structured pattern. In all my life, I had never seen such beautiful plants. They came in all shapes, sizes and colors. One that stood out was a giant rose that stood a foot taller than myself. Its petals were arranged in a square shape, and it had the color scheme of an orange, striped tiger. The path suddenly turned into two rows of cherry blossom trees that were still in bloom, even thought it was summer. The petals ran in the wind, sometimes ending up in a small twister with petals from other plants.

The trees ended at the entry to the main tower, with a door similar to the main gate from before. Fireflies nearby danced in rhythm all around Cloud and I, creating a wonderful light show. Cloud noticeably became distracted, and before he could force his attention away from the insects, nearly fell straight into a pond that just happened to be right beside of him. Night Swirl, with cat-like reflexes, grabbed his hoof, and pulled him away before he could make an embarrassing spectacle of himself.

As we walked, Night began to speak. “So, I see you two have taken a liking to the royal garden. As you can see, these plants are like none you have seen before. It’s all thanks to our personal gardeners. They sing to the plants with enchanted voices, which cause them to grow into any shape, size, or color they wish.”

Continuing to marvel at the garden’s beauty, I asked, “I know I asked you this before, but what exactly ARE you? And the...people, as you call them here in this village? Are you really dragons, or what?”

“I guess I wasn’t as clear I thought before.” Night Swirl said with a frown. “I’ll reiterate it for you: Yes, we are dragons, but not the kind you may be familiar with. Like I said yesterday, there are two races of dragons in this world, the common dragons, or Winged Dragons, as some call them. Then there's us, the Alpha Dragons. Now, we may be wingless, and rarely grow to be taller than 4 feet in height, but we make up for all that with the ability to use magic, much like the Unicorn pony race, in fact.”

Curious, Cloud interjected. “Are you anything like those giant monsters that burn down towns, and eat entire families alive?”

Scowling, I gave him a light smack upside his head for saying such a rude comment. Night Swirl, however, simply waved it off. “It’s fine, Asher. We may be related to them, but trust me, we're nothing like them, personality-wise. My people are a kind, intelligent race that wish no harm on anything that lives and breathes. We're not like those giant monsters you speak of. In fact, we’re not even on good terms anymore. They’re barbaric, and my people want nothing to do with them.”

Cloud showed semblance of understanding. “Well, I’m sorry if I offended you...” he said.

For the first time that I knew of, Cloud was actually acting his age. He hung his head in shame, but Night reassured him. “None taken, Cloud. I’m actually glad you asked. It gives you a better understanding of what we’re like if you can make a good comparison.”

As we walked up to the gate, I noticed there were no guards around to open it. Instead, Night’s hands began to glow with the same light green aura as usual when he performed magic. He gently placed his palm on the door, which caused a greenish color similar to his aura to fill in lines that were indented in the door. Once the lines were filled, the door slowly opened, revealing the insides of the building.

I initially thought the inside would be dark and depressing. Instead, thousands of simple candles hovered in the air, giving a warm, welcoming look. Ventilation shafts splashed light onto the floor from the ceiling, which was easily fifty feet above us. It was an absolutely massive room, lined in the center with a huge red rug. It had gold lacing expertly sewn into the sides, and in the center of the rug, was a stitching of a large oak tree, with birds of many colors resting on its branches.

Near the end of the room was a balcony, with a set of stairs that broke off into two sets, curving away from each other, and ending on opposite ends of the balcony. They had a marble finish on them, with a red rug similar to the one on the main floor lining the steps. An enormous clock with an Manehatten-esque design hung in the center, its ticking being the only sound in the massive room. As we passed underneath the balcony, we entered what looked like the Throne Room. It was pure white, with Canterlot-style pillars holding the ceiling up. Candles also hovered near the walls, giving much-needed light, as this room lacked the shafts of the previous one.

As I continued to marvel at the wonderful design, my eyes wandered toward the throne at the end of the long, royal rug. It was not as large as I had expected, but it was still pretty sizable. The entire throne was made of stone, the only exception being the seat, which had a nice, comfy cushion on it. There wasn’t anything too special about the throne, which surprised me, as I was expecting a massive, gold chair, with ornate designs running alongside it, fit for a king. I made a mental note to ask about it later.

I couldn’t ask about it now, however, because sitting in the throne was a large, black dragon, with fierce yellow eyes, a blood-red underbelly, and spikes running along his back. Even when sitting down, I could tell he was around a foot taller than any of us, making his presence even more commanding. He also had a long, gray beard, showing his age. With a faint, aged smile on his face, he rose out of his massive throne, and greeted Night Swirl with a massive, fatherly hug.

His voice was deep and commanding. “Hello, my son!” He said enthusiastically. “Welcome back!” Releasing Night Swirl from his embrace, he turned toward us. “Who are your friends?”

Night Swirl turned toward us as well, and said, “These are two ponies I met travelling through the Everfree. The dark gray one is named Asher, and the greyish-purple one is named Cloud Walker.”

Night Swirl then took the time to explain everything that had happened to us thus far, including our run-ins with Discord. Night Swirl’s father looked at us intently for a few seconds, but soon wore an approving smile. “If you’re with my son, then I can trust you.” He walked toward us, speaking, “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Night Rage. I am the Grand Elder, ruler of the Alpha Dragon civilization. Welcome to Saltus, our capital city! Please, make yourself at home.”

The Grand Elder extended a claw towards Cloud. I expected him to destroy the Elder with one of his world famous bear hugs, but instead, Cloud just respectfully held his hoof out, and shook the Elder’s claw. I guess even Cloud can show restraint, if it means greeting royalty. After they were done shaking, he turned toward me to do the same.

When we shook, however, a ring on one of his fingers started glowing an intense black aura, lined with a pure white color. The Elder quickly broke the shake, looking down at his ring. The look on his face was grave. He took a step back, rubbing his long beard in thought, staring at me. For what seemed like an eternity, there was a long silence in the cold room. It was as if Death himself was standing right next to me, and no one wanted to say anything. The Elder would open his mouth to say something, but would stop short, obviously shaken up.

Finally, he spoke, with little emotion, and never taking his eyes off of me. “Night, it’s almost 3 o'clock. You need to go pick up Shadow from school. Please take Cloud with you. Now would be a good time to show him around town.”

Night did what he was told, and started heading for the door in the long hallway, Cloud in tow. I turned around, watching them exit. As they walked out, I could overhear them discussing the latest Daring Do novel.

I guess they finally found something in common, I thought to myself. Turning back toward the Grand Elder, I was shocked to see him standing right over me, glaring with his fiery yellow eyes.

“Asher,” he spoke with a low tone. “There is something we have to discuss.” I stood unmoving, frozen in fear of his intimidating stance. Finally, he took a step back, allowing me room to breathe and relax.

After I regained my bearings, he heaved a sigh, and continued, “Have you heard the Legend of the Tu’eri?” I shook my head. “I see.” He replied. After a small pause, he extended his arm. “Grab my claw. I need to show you something.”

I was a little hesitant, but I slowly inched my hoof towards him. Not knowing what was going to happen, I grit my teeth in preparation. When I finally, just barely tapped his hand, everything started to spin around me. Colors mixed as the world melted away, leaving nothing but a cloud of nothingness. Everything was black and white, while a ringing noise hammered at my ear. It was like an explosion had gone off right next to me. After a few shakes of my head, the Earth returned to my vision, and color soon followed. When my vision was fully restored, I found the Elder standing in front of me, noticeably relieved.

Taking a moment to look around, I noticed we were in a small elliptical room, with a few windows, a bookshelf, and a old desk that had flower engraved at its base. A small red and white bed sat in the corner, next to a simple brown door, which was slightly ajar. There was a balcony on the opposite side. Looking out, I could see the entire town, my view partially blocked by a few trees.

“Asher,” the Elder began, forcing me to stop admiring the view of Saltus, and focus my attention on him. “I’m sorry if that was unpleasant. Teleportation is always hard on someone the first time, but there’s no time to walk up the entire staircase to my study.” Pausing, he turned and walked toward the bookshelf. “You must be wondering why I took you here. Well, I want to show you something.”

The Elder started to cast a spell, his hand glowing a rose red aura. A lone book floated from the bookshelf, and hovered an inch above the floor. Suddenly, it morphed into a small table with a stone bowl sitting atop it. His aura fading, he beckoned me over. Hesitantly, I walked over, standing alongside him, peering into the bowl.

The bowl was filled around two-thirds of the way with water. In my peripheral vision, I saw the Elder’s aura fire up once again. The water began to glow a red color, rippling slightly. The color in the water soon faded, and was replaced with what looked like a moving picture.

It showed a scene of a crowd outdoors, every member viewing a stage. The sun was shining brightly, showing off a perfectly clear blue sky. I couldn’t get a clear view of the stage, but you could hear the crowd cheering. Fascinated, I touched the water. It shimmered, causing the picture to blur.

“I have enchanted the water allowing us to view the past,” the Elder said. “It also allows us to communicate with other beings who can do the same, such as Princess Celestia.”

I looked at him in awe. I couldn’t believe that I might be granted an audience with Celestia herself! The Elder pointed at the water, indicating that he wanted me to continue watching. Turning back to the bowl, I attentively stared at the picture, which had now given me a clear view of the events unfolding before me.

“This took place 1,500 years ago,” the Elder clarified.
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A much younger-looking Night Rage stood on the stage alongside Celestia and Luna. The crowd shuffled, making low murmurs in conversation with one another. A desk covered in dust and scratches sat awkwardly between them, a piece of paper with the words “Pacem Dracones et Mannis” sitting in its center. A small purple dragon with a white under belly ran up to Night Rage. He had a nervous look on his face, the kind of look were you know you're in trouble. He had to stand on his toes to be at eye level with him.

He whispered to Rage, “Commander, sir, I couldn’t find your speech document anywhere! What are we going to do?” He looked at Night Rage with fear. The importance of this gathering was paramount, and everything had to be perfect.

Rage’s face, however, was calm. “Don’t worry,” he replied. “Everything is fine. I memorized the entire thing.” Night Rage hadn’t actually memorized it. He just didn’t want the dragon to worry. He’d have to improvise something short on the spot, but that didn’t concern him. “Just head back to the tent, I need you to start packing; I don’t want to stay here in the Badlands for too long. It gives me the creeps.” Even with his calming words, I could tell that he was worried. What about, I didn’t know.

Reassured that everything was still perfect, the small dragon ran off the stage. Celestia and Luna moved towards the podium in the middle of the stage. Their horns started to glow, using magic to amplify their voices. Celestia cleared her throat, causing everyone to become silent.

Luna spoke first. “Good day to you all. It gives us great pride and pleasure to be able to inform both ponies and dragons alike, that the Great Dragon Wars Have now officially ended. May peace, love and fortune rain down upon you all today, and for all the days and nights to follow!”

Standing down, both Ponies and Alphas were cheering for Luna and her announcement. However, the Winged Dragons in the rear of the crowd remained unaffected, scowling. Night Rage saw this, and gestured for some guards. When they came up, he ordered them to keep an eye on the dragons near the back. Rage had a feeling that the Winged Dragons may stage a coup. Very few of them were happy about the dragon races surrendering to the ponies.

Rage’s attention was broken by another roar from the crowd. Celestia had finished her part of the ceremony. Now, it was his turn, He cast the same spell that the sisters had used earlier, and made his way to the front of the stage.

As he passed Celestia, she whispered in his ear. “Break a leg, Commander.” she said playfully, as if it were nothing more than an act. Night Rage grew even more nervous. He may have done a good job showing otherwise, but nothing ever got past Celestia, it seemed. Slowly, he made his way to the podium, and started his improvised speech.

“Hello fellow dragons and newfound friends,” Night Rage began. “Today marks the start of a new era of peace and harmony with all five of the major races: The bold Winged Dragons and Pegasi, the humble, but strong Earth Ponies, and the magical and clever Unicorns and Alpha Dragons. With this treaty, we are one.” After the roaring applause died down, he waved for the princesses to sit by the desk with the peace treaty. “We will now perform the sealing ceremony.”

Rage walked over to the desk where Celestia and Luna were waiting. He grabbed a pen that was laying nearby, signing his name onto the piece of paper, the princesses doing the same afterward. Luna then stepped backward, leaving the rest of the affairs to Night Rage and Celestia. Both leaders started casting a spell that would end the ceremony, and finalize the agreement.

Rage’s red aura flowed from his hand, while Celestia’s golden aura shined like sun rays from her horn. The treaty was lifted into the air, both auras surrounding it. Everyone watched in amazement, as years of fighting and death were finally drawing to a close, peace replacing it. Some members of the crowd even started to cry.

Right before both auras could mix completely, completing the seal, the sky suddenly grew dark. Both Night Rage and Celestia immediately halted the enchantment, curiously watching the sky. The crowd did the same. After a few moments, everyone looked to Luna for an answer, but all they got was a terrified expression on her face.

Suddenly, to their horror, thousands of Winged Dragons swooped down from the skies. raining fire down upon the crowd. Everyone broke into a panic, running in all directions, hoping to escape the madness. Acting quickly, Night Rage and Celestia mustered up those who could fight. Both Alpha Dragon and Pony soldiers alike quickly grabbed their weapons and joined together in battle.

It was a sight to behold. These two civilizations, having been locked in battle for so long, effortlessly banded together to fight off the Winged Dragon army. Alpha Dragons cast spells with the Unicorns, while Earth Ponies crushed wings and skulls under their hooves, and the Pegasi performed intense aerobatic maneuvers, drawing fire away from the grounded races.

Without warning, however, as the battle raged on, a massive, spiked brown dragon with a white underbelly and pure black eyes flew from out of the clouds above.

Rage knew he was. It was none other than Sand Storm.

He was one of his Lieutenant Colonels during the war, and easily one of the most ruthless soldiers on either side. While he may have been a fantastic soldier, he was always battling personal demons, and on the battlefield, it showed. Ponies who crossed his path ended up as unidentifiable pools of blood. Night Rage never promoted him past his former rank, even though he deserved more; the dragon enjoyed war too much. Eventually, Sand Storm became enraged at Night Rage’s refusal to promote him, and left his post, taking with him the 500 soldiers under his command, who were almost as ruthless as himself.

A few days later, he returned, seemingly calm. The next day, Night Rage received word that Sand Storm and his men had raped and massacred a small town of civilian ponies, leaving nothing in their wake but a few survivors. Mortified, Night Rage discharged him and his soldiers, and banished them from the dragon kingdom, never to return.

However, they had indeed returned, and with a vengeance. Sand Storm landed with a thunderous crash onto the stage. He was easily over three times the size of Night Rage, and over twice the size of the princesses. With every step he took toward them, the stage would shake, the floor boards bending under his massive feet.

Not impressed with his show of power, Night Rage bellowed at him. “What are you doing here, Storm? I told you not to come back!”

Sand Storm looked down at the Alpha Dragon before him. “You really thought I would just stand aside when you banished me like some kind of rat? What a fool you are.” His voice sounded deep, heavy, and slightly demonic, but possessed a calming tone to it, rumbling every time he ended a sentence.

“You know DAMN well why I banished you!” Night Swirl yelled. “You broke the rules of war, and lost whatever sanity you had left!”

“War has no rules.” He stated. “Therefore, you had no right to send me to the Badlands!”

Night Rage was flabbergasted. “Do you honestly believe that what you did is in any way justifiable?! You and your men decimated an entire town of ponies, killing the stallions, raping the mares and...” Night Swirl shuddered in disgust. “...the foals, and burning everything to the ground! No one in their right mind would do anything like that. You are a menace to all of dragon-kind!”

Sand Storm ignored his statements. “Most of my men died within a year, but their deaths shall not go in vain. I was able to convince my superior race to follow me into war against both the Alpha Dragons and Ponies alike.” Sand Storm motioned toward the battle unfolding before them. “Look at it. Isn’t it beautiful? Once all the lesser races have been burned out, the Winged Dragon race will take the world for themselves!” He continued to admire his battle, waiting for a reply.

Night Rage turned toward the Princesses, looking for support. Both Alicorns shot him a fierce look, showing that they were ready for anything Sand Storm could throw at them. Turning back to Sand Storm, Night Rage spoke.

“So,” Rage growled, standing his ground. “It’s genocide you want. A Holocaust.” He had a grip on his sword, ready for whatever might happen. “You really have gone crazy.”

Storm turned toward Night Rage, the mark of his lunacy swirling in his eyes. “Well, I guess I’ll start my conquest by killing you, Night Rage!”

Sand Storm immediately lunged toward. Rage immediately drew his sword, slashing fervently at Storm. There was a mighty clash between the sword and the sand colored dragon’s claws, ending in a stalemate. The giant dragon spat fire onto Rage, which he quickly deflected with a spell.

Snapping into action, both Alicorn’s horns started to glow, shooting out beams of pure power; Celestia’s was golden, while Luna’s was midnight blue. They fused together midway, creating a spiral of pure power. Sand Storm made no attempt to dodge the beam, entirely focused on his goal of ending Night Rage’s life. It killed him almost instantly.

A quick, but brilliant flash of light, and it was over. His body hit the floor with a thud, colored charcoal black due to the heat created by the blast. All the fighting slowed to a stop as they saw a flash of light, and the massive dragon fall dead. After a few moments of stunned silence, Luna walked out into the center of the field. A cream-colored light with dark blue sparkles came from her horn, flowing throughout the battlefield. Every pony and dragon, no matter the race it came in contact with, would either heal from its injuries, or be revived from death itself.

A single tear rolled down her cheek. Every being that was killed or injured during the battle was restored back to health. They all looked at the night Alicorn in shock and awe after seeing what she did. For once, no one was fighting, after years of war. She then spoke in a thunderous voice after acting so calm. Surprisingly, she refused to use the Royal Canterlot “We”, but instead, chose to speak to each pony and dragon as a true equal.

“This is my one and only gift to you all. I’m done with death, war, and anger. This foolishness must stop now, or else it never will. Winged Dragons, if you wish, you can still join us in the treaty. However, as punishment for this uprising, you shall take control of the south end of the Badland, and nothing else will be given. Do what you wish to it, as it will be yours, and yours alone. The Alpha Dragons shall take the very land we stand on now, and can also do what they wish with it. The Pony races will take what is left of Equestria. We will rebuild it, and do what we wish with it. Peace through separation.

“If you don’t agree to the terms I have set forth, then you may continue the battle, and kill yourselves in the process. If you’re all going to be so ignorant and selfish after all that we’ve worked so hard for, then I refuse to help you.” The determination in her voice was clear. She was pissed, something Celestia had only seen a few times in her life.

Nopony, nor dragon, did anything for what seemed like an eternity. After a long, awed silence, one Earth Pony soldier raised his sword into the air with a hoof, and threw it onto the ground. With that display, others slowly followed suit, until the entire battlefield was covered in soldiers without their weapons. Luna’s ultimatum had worked. With that, everyone quickly returned to their positions before the battle had started.

Luna’s changes to the treaty were made, and the ceremony resumed. Celestia’s horn started to glow gold again, while Night Rage was covered in a red aura once more. Soon, each other’s magic touched the treaty, causing magical sparks to fly in every direction. Everyone looked in awe as a light show of every color danced into the sky. Both Rage’s and Celestia’s eyes glowed white with power. A massive blue beam of rough magic screamed into the clouds above. Explosions masked by the thunder clouds that were moving in went off, lightning dancing throughout the clouds as an aftereffect. Both Rage and Celestia finished the spell, and the magical effects vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

The spell had worked beautifully. Both ponies and dragons were one under the Elements of Harmony. The crowd, who had been silent during the event, started cheering in approval. The only exceptions were the Winged Dragons, who had started flying off immediately toward their new home, not wanting anything to do with the other races.
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A massive celebration went on that night. Magic auras of every color casted multi colored shadows, mixing with lightning created by the Pegasi. Everypony was dancing to the wonderful music played by Earth Pony musicians. Everypony was getting drunk. Everypony was having a good time, enjoying life. Everypony was at peace.

All three of the leaders had a private session going on in a tent nearby, where they could talk about political events that were sure to happen now that the war was over. It was a simple tent, with a huge lantern that was dangling from a rope that had been tied from the roof. All the servants and guards had been given the night off to enjoy the party, so they had complete privacy.

Night Rage agreed to travel to the Winged Dragons’ new settlement, to ensure that an appropriate leader would be chosen, and that no further uprisings would occur. He would then return to this land, where his kind would plant a enchanted forest, much like how Equestria was before it was discovered a millenium ago.

It was Celestia’s turn to speak, but before she could say anything, the tent started to shake. The lantern was extinguished, while the table levitated. All three watched with wary eyes. The table suddenly fell, causing Night Rage to jump out of his chair. Angrily, he drew out his sword, waiting for whatever was harassing them.

A yellow orb entered the tent, and hovered over next to Luna. Then the orb disappeared, and a transparent frame of an aged unicorn appeared where the orb was previously. His coat was grey, and he wore a dark blue cape with stars sewn in from head to hoof, along with a giant wizard hat, worn slightly askew on his head. His long, white beard flowed in a non existent wind. His yellow eyes scanned his surroundings, trying to figure out his surroundings.

After seeing the three creatures before him, he smiled warmly. “Hello, Princesses! It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? Oh, and hello, noble Night Rage! I haven’t seen you in a while, either.” His voice was as as old as he looked, but it was always clear and always understood. He was calm and happy to see them all.

Luna was the first to reply. “Star Swirl? What are you doing here? You’ve been dead for centuries!”

“I would like to know that as well.” Celestia said, with a curious tone.

Star Swirl cleared his throat, and continued. “I’m sorry if I have interrupted anything, but I have returned temporarily from the afterlife to speak to you about that little stunt you pulled today.”

Luna began to tense up. Celestia began to look away. Night Rage was just confused. He had no idea what Star Swirl meant by ‘stunt’. Was it Luna’s spell that revived the dead? Was it the light show going on currently?

“Dragon magic and pony magic was never meant to mix.”

Oh. That.

Star Swirl the Bearded practically invented modern magic. It only made sense that he has a magical authority, even over the princesses. Celestia spoke with an apologetic tone. “We wanted to seal our new treaty with magic so it could never be broken.”

Star Swirl looked at her curiously for a bit, then smiled once again. “Well, its nothing to fear now. The reason I never allowed such events to happen was because I didn’t know what would. It was the one experiment I would never perform.” He cleared his throat again. “I’m here tonight because...something happened.”

Night Rage gave him a curious look. “So, what happened? Shouldn’t you tell us?” His face slowly grew grave with concern. “Is there another enemy? If there is, we still have plenty of soldiers to fight whatever evil is heading this way.”

Star Swirl gave out a chuckle. “No, not at all! In fact, something good may have happened!” All three of us looked at him, listening carefully. Something good coming from experimental magic? That would be unheard of!

“The spell you and Celestia used to seal the treaty; it accidentally created a life!”

“WHAT!” All three exclaimed at the same time. They all looked confused and shocked at the same time.

Humored by the childish way they all acted, Star Swirled went on. “I call it the Tu’eri, which means ‘life’ in my native tongue, back when I lived in the Unicorn tribe. I viewed your ceremony from afar, and when the spell was complete, I had a vision about the future. My vision showed the birth of a child. He will be a hybrid, part Dragon, and part Pony.

“I don’t know where he will be born, or even who his parents are. Because your spell altered the fabric of space and time, I don’t know when he will be born, either. I don’t even know whether he will look more like a foal or a drake, or what type of dragon he will be. But I do know this: It will be male, and he will hold more power than even I own myself.”

Star Swirl cleared his throat one final time, and said with utmost concern, “Be sure to find him as quickly as possible. Make sure no other creature is aware of his power, or of his lineage. You have been warned.”

With that, he slowly faded away into nothingness. All three looked at each other in disbelief, the only sounds being from the party still going on outside. Night Rage’s mind was reeling, trying to soak in everything he had heard.

He and Celestia had created life through magic.

Somehow, eventually, he would become a father to an unknown life form.
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The surface of the water shimmered and rippled, and the image had vanished. I was now left staring into a blank bowl of water, with the now aged Night Rage standing next to me. I finally looked up, staring at the wall for what seemed like an eternity.

“Do you understand the memories I’ve shared with you today?” The Grand Elder asked.

I shook my head; I knew I understood, but I didn’t want to. “You’re saying that I’m this ‘Tu’eri’ thing?” I looked to the Elder for an answer, but he did nothing but stand there, unmoving. I continued. “If that’s the case, then what does that make me? What’s going to happen?”

The Elder removed a golden ring with a clear stone placed in its center, and handed it to me. At my touch, it glowed with a clear yellow tint. “I made this ring with a series of complex spells.” He said. “Its purpose is to reveal the Tu’eri when he was near. Thanks to this ring...” He paused, taking a deep breath. “I know, without a doubt, that you’re the Tu’eri.”

All I could feel at that moment was anger. After two days of wandering, looking for answers, I had finally been given the biggest curveball of them all: I was a Tu’eri. A one-of-a-kind, magical life form, created 1,500 years ago by pure chance from a living Goddess and an Alpha Dragon.

I calmly placed the ring on the table, and gained the courage to speak. “All of this is because of you. All of my misfortune, everything that has happened, was because of a mistake you made.” Tears began to form in my eyelids, and my words were unsteady. “I don’t want any of this. I just want to go home! I just want my family to be alive again!”

I sat on the floor, and cried. This was too much for me to handle. I was a magical mishap, nothing more. Night Rage walked up to me, and attempted to put a reassuring claw on my hoof. I instantly jerked it away, and looked in another direction. We stood uncomfortably like that for a few moments before he spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

I looked up at him with fire in my eyes. “For what? For making me?!” I screamed. “A hideous monster?! It’s too late for that, Night Rage! It’s been too late for centuries! What are you gonna do? Travel back in time, and make it so I was never born? I’m pretty sure that’s all but impossible!” I was in no mood to discuss this with my creator.

The Elder looked at me with a concerned scowl, and said, “With Star Swirl’s help, I probably could.”

I was shocked. Could he really erase my existence? “If that’s what you really want, I could find a way to get into contact with him, change the fabric of space and time, and make it so the magical fusion never happened. However, by doing so, I would most likely change the lives of every living being that had ever lived between then and now, possibly erasing them entirely. Or, in a worst-case scenario, I could destroy the universe in the process. I would prefer that neither happened.”

He paused. “For the last 1,500 years, there hasn’t been a single day that’s gone by without regret. Every day, I wish I could go back in time, reasonably, and stop the event from happening. But it did happen, and there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m sorry, Asher, truly I am, but what’s done is done, and you must accept your role in this world, no matter how much you don’t like it, or how unpleasant it may be.”

I sniffled, and looked up at him. As much as I didn’t like it, he was right. What’s done is done. “You’re right. I don’t like it, not one bit, but this is what it is.” I stood on my hooves, facing the Elder. “What do we do first?”

The Grand Elder heaved a sigh, and said, “Well, like Star Swirl said, I don’t know if you’re a Winged Dragon or an Alpha Dragon, but we will in a moment. All I have to do is place one last spell on my ring, and that, too, shall be revealed.”

Night Rage held his right palm above the ring. He said a small phrase in a foreign language, like some unicorns would do when they had a difficult spell to cast. Both his hand and the ring were covered in a red aura. After a few moments, the ring started to shake. The aura that had been floating above both his hand and the ring vanished inside the ring itself, and the spell was complete. He stepped back, allowing me to approach the ring. This time, when I touched it, the ring glowed a bright green color.

The Elder’s eyes softened with relief. “At last, after so many years, we finally know who the Tu’eri is. He is Asher: Pegasus, and Alpha Dragon.” I looked up at him, waiting for more. It never came.

At this point, I was done with his nonsense. I found out who I really was, so why did I need to wait around any longer? “Thanks for your hospitality, but I need to get going, now.” I said. I quickly made my way toward the exit, hoping to get away from all this, once and for all.

As I reached for the door handle, I turned around to face the Elder one last time. Immediately, he jumped towards me with his sharp claws. In my shock, I froze. There was no time for me to avoid the attack. I stood there, closing my eyes, bracing for the impact.

It never came. After a few seconds of waiting, I cracked my eyes open to take a look at my surroundings. Night Rage was gone. I scanned the room, but he was nowhere to be found. Eventually, I could hear a faint, muffled sound above me. I slowly looked up, flabbergasted at what I saw.

It was the Elder, encased in a black aura, with a see-through, outer layer that was pure white, created a blended gray color. I gasped in surprise. When I did, the aura instantly disappeared, causing the now freed dragon to fall to the floor with a loud crash.

The elder, still lying on the floor, shook his head, regaining his bearings. Slowly, he stood up, and looked at me with a toothy grin. “Do you believe me now?” He asked.

I was wide-eyed once again, my mind completely blown. “Y-you can’t possibly believe I did that!” I said, mouth completely agape. “I…I’m a Pegasus. We can’t use magic...can we?” I stood frozen in pure shook. I couldn’t believe what I just did, or how it was possible.

“You’re right.” The Elder answered. “Normally, a Pegasus can’t use magic. However, your Alpha Dragon side can.”

I gave him a completely confused look. “I guess I need to explain things better don’t I?” He said. “Like you saw earlier, when the war ended, Celestia and I wanted to ensure that a war of that size would never happen between our two civilizations again, so when we signed the peace treaty, we both placed a spell over it so we would be magical committed to and we would never be able to break it. However, magic can work in mysterious ways.

“Star Swirl the Bearded’s number one rule was to never mix the magic between dragons and ponies, due almost entirely to fear of the unknown. After some intensive research, we concluded that it was completely harmless to mix the magic between races. However, we were wrong. When our magic mixed, you were the byproduct. You are a perfect fusion of two races, holding the power of both. This is why you can use magic, even though you are a Pegasus.”

My confused look vanished, and was replaced with a curious one. “I still don’t entirely understand.” I said. “Why did it take me so long to be born?”

The Elder frowned. “I don’t know why it took so long for you to be born, and we may never know, unfortunately. But if Night Swirl was telling me the truth about you and Discord, then I need to contact the Princesses at once. You may have seen Discord, but you have no idea what he’s truly capable of.”