A thin layer of dust caked the man from head to toe as he walked, painting his once singed white shirt a subdued scarlet. The man entertained a few thoughts as he trekked through the red sand. The man imagined all the things that annoyed him: his roommate leaving the milk in the back of the fridge, billboards advertising advertisement, his manager's uptight demeanor. The sand and sun were swiftly driving their way up his list as the former seemed content filling his shoes and the latter even more so as it scorched his back.
I've been walking for long enough, should have found somebody by now. Where am I?
The man surveyed his surroundings searching for any sign of civilization among the seemingly endless red plains before him, only ended by steep plateaus that reached far above the desert itself. The man let out a dry hacking cough as he clutched at the stark white tube clamped around his neck, running his fingers along the scars surrounding it. They still brought him pain, years after he got them. Bringing his now empty bottle to his lips searching for the last drops of liquid.
If I don't find anything soon this hellhole will be the end of me.
I promised twenty minutes, she's gonna be pissed if I'm late
The man thought back on his choices leading up to this point, the dumb mistakes he made, the time he lost because of them. He only hoped his little girl would forgive him for being so late. Hunger gnawed at him, but he kept moving, he was used to the feeling by now. After so many years of experiencing a feeling it becomes the norm. He recalls the last time he saw Earth, the last time he saw another human being, it felt like a lifetime and for all he knew, it could have been. His sister was screaming at him, he was lying on her living room floor with a needle in his arm. She kicked his ass to the curb faster than she had the last time, she was done with his shit, done with his promises. He stumbled out into the hallway of her complex, all the way out into the street, then into the woods, he wanted to get away from everything, from everyone, he wanted to be alone, so he was. He wondered if they had a funeral for him, if they even called the cops to report him missing this time, if they even cared enough to.
The man was confused, he should be in Canterlot, in his home, not wherever this is. One moment he was busy tinkering with the device that took up the hole in his chest where his heart should have been, the piece of tech he was found with, along with the tube he's now forced to speak out of. There was some sort of explosion, someone was yelling his name, then everything went dark.
Just another fuck-up to regret, if I don't die out here.
The Sun had now reached the horizon and the world was growing dark. Despite this, the man stayed on his forward march, the unbearable heat subsiding into a frigid winter. The man clutched his arms to his chest as his breath became visible. In the pitch black of a moonless night, he saw the light of what he presumed was a campfire in the distance. His teeth clattering slightly as his body tries in vain to warm him, he turns his course toward the light in the distance he unsheaths a small knife from his side.
I hope I don't have to use this
It sickened him that he still had to lie to himself.
Twilight Sparkle sat at her desk, situated in the far corner of her bedroom, a stack of books on either side of her. Bags of dark skin lay under her bloodshot eyes. To an outside observer, her home looked as if a bomb had gone off, maybe several. Books lie on the floor some open to random pages, papers were strewn about them covered in seemingly endless notes the hoofwriting nearly illegible in its frantic nature. Twilight had nearly hit a deadline on a report and everything surrounding showed it. Twilight's assistant Spike kneeled in front of her, his eyes wide and his lower lip outstretched, his claws clasped together.
"...but Twilight, this might be the one chance I will ever get to being a real dragon!"
"Spike, what sort of protege would I be if I didn't attend this year's Celebration, Princess Celestia has invited me personally."
Twilight spoke with a small smirk as she had no intentions of letting Spike down, she mentally checked off a list of things she would need for the trip, plans she would have to cancel, and paperwork she would have to slog through. It was all worth it to give Spike a taste of his homeland.
"You gotta take me Twi, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! The Summer Sun Celebration happens every year!"
"Hmm, I could get a book load of information on Draconic culture from this expedition. OH, maybe I could even write to Princess Celestia about it I'm sure she'd enjoy learning about the Dance of the Dragons."
Twilight Sparkle hopped to her hooves as she had this false revelation, darting around the room until she found a piece of parchment and a quill before levitating them into Spike's waiting claws, the force of it sending him reeling back a bit before he regained his composure. Twilight clamorously cleared her throat before taking a deep breath.
"Dear Princess Celestia, it has come to my attention that a festival, known as the Dance of Dragons, will be taking place during this year's annual Summer Sun Celebration"
Twilight Sparkle stood by her window as she spoke, taking in the scenery of early morning Ponyville from her library. Ponies rushing from one place to another carrying banners, flags, clipboards and the like. The street she could see from her bedroom was already adorned with so many decorations even Pinkie would find it in poor taste.
"... And while it brings me great displeasure to say, I will not be attending this year's celebration in favor of accompanying Spike to the Dance of Dragons to learn about his heritage; however, upon my return, there will be a full report of my findings with no detail left unwritten. I hope you understand, your most loyal student, Twilight Sparkle."
As Twilight finished her sentence she spun on her hooves to face Spike who was making his last few marks on the now full page. He then rolls up the letter, stamping Twilight's twelve pointed star onto a spit of purple wax, before engulfing it in green flame.
"Thanks, Twilight. You don't know how much this means to me"
"Of course I do, silly. Now get ready"
Spike's head whips around to find Twilight filling saddlebags with parchment, quills, and the travel essentials.
"Our Train leaves at dusk"
The man shuffled toward the fire with renewed vigor as he saw two figures sitting around it, though he still couldn't discern any features aside from a vague silhouette. The sand underneath him no longer burned with the sun's heat as it was now cold as ice. Upon seeing what he assumed was a couple of campers the man sheathed his knife as not to frighten them. He continued walking until the light of the fire partially illuminated him. The figures stood up and turned towards him, his teeth clattering he spoke.
"Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice your fire, it's freezing out here, would you two mind if I warmed up a bit?"
The figures seemed to be taken aback for a moment as the man walked fully into the light and spoke, no sound came from his lips, but instead, it came from the device enclosed around his neck. Its tone sounding forced, robotic, and unnatural; like hearing one's voice from an old intercom, yet it had a fluidity not often attributed to such a thing. The figure on the right took a step back but the figure on the left stood their ground.
"Of course, strange one. The night is cold and there is enough fire for us all. Come, sit with us, we were just sharing traveler's tales, perhaps you would like to tell your own?"
How formal, I guess campers with style?
The voice was distinctly female but as the figure stepped into the light the man saw she was not human. Her form was covered in sky blue scales where skin would be, and a tail as long as her torso. She wore a simple dark green shirt and similar pants both stained from the sand. Her face was not entirely inhuman, she had a muzzle with a sharp beak-like mouth and large saffron eyes. Her head was adorned with two horns that curved like a ram's and pointed forwards, four fin-like spines ran from the top of her head down her neck, they were a much darker blue than her scales. She would not have been unlike a bipedal lizard if he hadn't noticed the small pair of wings folded on her back. Behind her sat rock nearly red as the sand, leaning against it, a set of what seemed to be ceremonious bronze armor, laden with detailed engravings it seemed perfectly fit for her body.
"I'm talking with a giant winged lizard, can't say you're the strangest thing I've seen so far but you definitely make the list."
"and I am speaking with a big hairless ape, perspective is everything isn't it?"
The lizard woman smiles as she continues.
"In my culture, it is impolite to ask an introduction before you've given one yourself. My name is Ember and this is Rev"
She gestures to her right as the figure who is now crouched behind a boulder. The man thinks for a second, before taking another step forward and holding out his hand.
"It's Heath, but call me Stone."
Ember hesitates for a moment before shaking his hand, the sharpness of her claws nearly cutting into his skin. She takes a step back and sits down on the flat rock behind her leaning toward the fire. Stone sits on a smaller rock in front of the fire, bringing his hands close to it and rubbing them together. The atmosphere is tense, he needs an ice-breaker.
"Thank you, Ember, I usually don't get this warm a welcome when I'm new somewhere. Most people either scream and run when they see something new, or worse, try to fight me off. Not like this thing makes it easier."
He tugs lightly on the device around his neck. Coughing lightly, he runs his tongue along his cracked lips.
"You wouldn't happen to have any water, would you?"
Ember nods and turns to where her armor sits, she sifts through a pack before taking out a large canteen and handing it to him. He takes it gingerly, uncorking it, and taking a few long swigs before stopping to catch his breath. He wouldn't die of thirst tonight, now hunger that's debatable.
"Thank you again, if you two hadn't've had this fire going I don't think I would have lasted much longer."
He takes another long drink from the canteen.
"Not the way I imagined dying."
Although, it might be a better alternative than popping into a supernova... I'm grateful for that at least, maybe I'm even on the same planet...
Author's Note
This is the first story I've gotten the courage to submit, more chapters will come if they're wanted.
Criticism is always welcome but try to keep it civil, please?
Proofread by CubexTrain
[7/12/17 The first chapter has been edited to fix mistakes and add a few things that should have been there to begin with.]
"Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice your fire, it's freezing out here, would you two mind if I warmed up a bit?"
Ember's eyes focus on the creature, now standing in the firelight. With each word the creature 'mouthed' the white link around its neck spoke for it, shaking her to the bone. It was like nothing Ember had ever heard before, almost like someone talking underwater but still being able to understand them.
Ember kept her left claw behind her back, clutching at a dagger she used for skinning game.
"Of course, strange one. The night is cold and there is enough fire for us all. Come, sit with us, we were just sharing traveler's tales, perhaps you would like to tell your own?"
Ember's voice didn't come out as shaky as she imagined it would, in fact, it was calm and orderly. The lie coming as quickly as it left her beak. She would only break her honor for tactical reasons, the lie was necessary.
King's blood runs through my veins, I can do this. Stay calm and keep out of its striking range
She sized up the creature as she stepped into the light herself, it presumably did the same. It was hairless, from what she could tell as it wore clothing similar to her own, with the exception of its head where it was much like a pony's mane. Black hair, short, messy, and dry from the desert. It had a small dusting of what seemed to be black fur on its muzzle, but not enough to fully obscure its pale skin. It had small beady eyes and a protrusion in the middle of its muzzle, she imagined it was its nose. It was about 6 feet tall, a fair bit taller than Ember, its exposed arms had strange marks on them, scars dotted them, accompanied by what seemed to be tattoos on the other side of its arm, she couldn't make out what they were in the low light.
The thing enclosed around its neck was unusual, to say the least. It was white as snow and, remarkably, untouched by the crimson sand. Grizzly scars surround the device etched into its skin. From what she could see it didn't look akin to any magic she had ever seen nor any contraption. It made her feel cold.
"I'm talking with a giant winged lizard, can't say you're the strangest thing I've seen so far but you definitely make the list."
Every word the creature 'spoke' nearly made her reevaluate the dishonor of desertion, it took a peek at the armor sitting behind her before reaffirming its eye contact with her. She forced a smile.
"and I am speaking with a big hairless ape, perspective is everything isn't it? In my culture, it is impolite to ask an introduction before you've given one yourself. My name is Ember and this is Rev"
She gestures with her right claw, still keeping her other on the dagger, at her Diamond Dog companion currently cowering behind his seat.
Just like a dog to tuck tail, stay down there mutt; you'll only get in the way.
It suddenly made a step towards her, but she kept her courage and stood her ground. It held out one of its claws, they were smooth, and unlike the talons of a predator, contrary to what she had expected.
"It's Heath, but call me Stone."
That accent... Trottingham? No, it speaks too... smoothly.
She froze, staring at its claws for a moment, not taking her own claw off the handle of her blade. She extends her right arm to meet 'Stone's' in something akin to a pony's hoofshake. Its claws were much more delicate than her scales and she feared to grip them too forcefully as she assumed it would cause 'Stone' harm. It lets go after a few seconds and steps back to sit on a rock adjacent to the flame, rubbing its claws together for warmth.
Ember backs up, still facing 'Stone' and sits with her armor and spear within arms reach. Not breaking eye contact with 'Stone'.
"Thank you, Ember, I usually don't get this warm a welcome when I'm new somewhere. Most people either scream and run when they see something new, or worse, try to fight me off. Not like this thing makes it easier." 'Stone' pulls on the tube enclosed around its neck lightly, it doesn't give in the slightest as if it was part of Stone's skin itself. It coughs, a dry wheezing, audible from both mouth and the tube. It runs its tongue along its cracked lips, taking a breath.
It speaks Equestrian as if it was born to it, how?
"You wouldn't happen to have any water, would you?"
Why would it hunt without supplies to last... did it get lost somehow... and where are its armaments I can only see a belt suitable for the scabbard of a small knife...
Ember nods, taking her claw away from the dagger's hilt, 'Stone' seemingly preoccupied with how cold he was to pay attention to her.
It is a he, isn't it? The voice is clearly male... Alright, my guest, time for a test.
She nods and turns her back to him, reaching into her pack to find her canteen. Her spear mere inches away from her claw as it was situated behind the boulder she had been sitting at. She took her time, giving 'Stone' more than enough time to make what she assumed was going to be an attempt on her life. It never came. Turning back toward 'Stone' she hoofs him the canteen. He takes it from her gently, uncorking it and drinking deep, only stopping for air once it seemed he had gotten his thirst under control.
"Thank you again, if you two hadn't have had this fire going I don't think I would have lasted much longer."
"Not the way I imagined dying..."
He looks over at where Rev had been sitting before returning, both to his drink and the eye contact with Ember. He had the same eyes as her father did, aged beyond his years, not unlike a soldier coming home after a war, or one of the elders of her clan. They were filled with regret. Her claws found their way back to her side as she leaned closer to the fire.
"I would pay you for this, but it seems I've left my purse at home" He had the kind of look you'd find on a hatchling who got caught sneaking away from the nest at night. Embarrassed, how can he be so nonchalant?
I don't think he's as dangerous as I initially thought... maybe...
A few hours pass in silence before it finally gets to Ember and she breaks it with a question.
"What are you." Her impromptu polite exterior fell away as she all but demanded her answer. A subtle smirk made its way across Stone's face.
"I'm human, most of me at least," He said with a chuckle "Don't think on that too much, I assume I'm unique around these parts?"
"What do you mean most of you?" Ember squints, still staring at Stone, now searching his form for what he meant by the comment.
"Well, for starters, this," He points to the device clamped around his neck "It isn't normal to have one of these amongst my species, in fact, I'd go as far to say I'm unique on that front as well." He then takes one of his claws and draws a small circle with it on his torso. "Your species has a heart, does it not?"
Ember nods again, "Of course we have hearts, what kind of question is that?"
"You must be a very attentive species then... I seem to have misplaced mine," He pushes his claw against his shirt allowing a dim white light to shine through the cloth. "Don't know what I'd do if I ever found it though..." For a moment he seems lost in thought, his playful smirk subsiding as he stares into the fire.
"Why does your voice come out of that... thing?" She points to the tube around his neck.
"I'd tell you more if there was anything to tell, I'm afraid I know just about as much as you do. It won't come off either," He runs his soft-claws along a jagged scar on the left side of his neck "I've tried."
"Who are you, then, and not just your name, what do you do for a living," Ember keeps her authoritarian tone as she speaks. "Where did you come from?" Her fear had nearly left her as her curiosity became genuine, no longer impeded by her sense of danger.
"I used to work in the medical field, healed the sick, mostly their minds though, never was a good surgeon... my hands were too shaky... nowadays I mostly just tinker and sell whatever the end product is," Stone continues to stare into the fire, his tone falling flat. "as for what kind of person I am, such a thing is learned through experience, not exposition, and you've never heard of where I'm from, don't worry I'll be out of your scales by sunup," Stone turns his head back toward Ember, smiling warmly as he does. "but enough about me, what about you?"
A healer...
Ember sighs lightly, "Ask, but I won't guarantee answers, human."
" Let's start off simple, where are we now?"
What in Tartarus... He doesn't know?
"South-eastern Equestria, Dragon territory"
"Ok, where is Equestria?"
"In the land of The Twins"
"Twins?" He looks back up at her, "Which ones?"
"The Twin pony sisters, Celestia and Luna... You really aren't from here, are you?"
"That's putting it mildly, Ember... but thank you. I've never gotten a concrete answer on that one." Stone scrunches up his face in thought "What species are you then? I've never seen anything like you."
"I'm a Dragon."
Stone smiles "No, you aren't."
Is he slow or something?
"Yes, I am, I think I know what species I am, human!"
"Nah, I've seen dragons, you don't fit the bill." He points a single claw at her before gesturing up and down at her "Dragons are, at least, ten times bigger than you are, they also don't stand upright."
"That's because I'm nineteen, you idiot!"
Stone's smug expression switches to confusion.
"What?" He looks genuinely puzzled now, "Dragons haven't stopped bickering long enough to breed in..." He gets suddenly serious, as he stands up. "Ember, I'm going to ask you a stupid question"
"Humph, implying the previous three weren't dumb as rocks?" Ember doesn't relinquish her dumb smirk to the sudden sincerity, "What's the question?"
"What year is this?"
"You're right, that was a dumb question" She, poorly, attempts to disguise her laughter as a cough.
"Ember, please, I know how it sounds but just stay with me here."
Her smirk fades away,"Year three of Luna's Return, what, did you lose your watch in the desert or something?"
He nearly falls backward onto his rock, his eyes wide and mouth agape. "Twenty minutes I promised her... I promised..." His voice drifts off as he puts his face in his claws.
"Is something wrong with the date?"
He regains a bit of his composure, staring back into the fire once more. "How many years has it been since 983, Celestia's Reign?"
Ember stops for a moment, counting on her claws. "a bit more than twenty, I think"
He chuckles softly, before breaking into full laughter, all of this still audible from the white circle "I was off by one word..." His eyes glistened off the light of the fire.
The rest of the night passed in relative silence as Stone wasn't willing to answer any more questions outside of an occasional 'yeah' or 'uh-huh'. The sun once again rose and with it, the temperature. The red dunes now fully visible and the fire extinguished.
"So... it seems I've lost a traveling companion," She points to a large hole where her friend 'Rev' was hiding, "Odd, I thought I'd hear him leave."
A hole... I'd bet my bits Rev's a Diamond Dog.
"I never asked, where is it you're going?" He makes a full 360 waving his arms about as he does, "There ain't nothing out here but sand, shrubs, and bones!"
"Rev and I were heading to a festival, it's about another day's journey that way." She picks up the bronze breastplate and a short spear from behind the rock she was sitting at, pointing towards the rising sun.
That's why she lingered, to see if I'd make a move? Bitch was gonna gut me... I guess I can't really blame her...
"I mean, you could come, if you wanted to"
I need to go home, get out of this fucking desert and go home. He starts scanning the horizon for any sign of the desert's end, he had to find his way back to Canterlot, somehow.
Stone is ripped out of his trance, looking back at Ember, "Sorry, what?"
"I said you could come with me to the festival, you dunce!" Her eyes squinted as she glared at Stone.
"I don't know, Ember, people usually aren't as open minded as you are about new creatures." He rubs the back of his head with a hand, "I can't count how many times I've had a blade pulled on me."
"This is a different kind of festival, it's hosted by my clan every ten years or so, always in a different place so you have to be in the know to find it," She takes a step forward, "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, Stone."
"I... I guess I don't have anywhere else to go, sure."
"Alright then, get your things... are you ready now?" She looks around at where he had been sitting the previous night, "We should get going as soon as possible, the heat is bad but dusk is unbearable."
"Yeah, let's go.
The pair walked for hours upon hours, the heat making waves in the air wherever Stone looked. Simply put, he was sweating his ass off. As he continued walking he cast a glance at Ember, she was wearing the bronze breastplate on top of her shirt.
"How," pant, "can you," pant,"wear that thing?" He exhales a breathy wheeze after each word.
"It is my duty, human, I can't expect you to understand," She seemed mostly unaffected by the heat. Perhaps her draconic blood helped, or maybe she was just a very good liar, maybe both.
"It's," pant, "a thing of principle then?" He stops to catch his breath, grasping his thighs and looking down, breathing deeply. Ember comes to a stop a few steps ahead of him.
"What I'm saying is, I'd rather roast out here than disobey tradition."
Stone takes another bemused look at her before standing upright, "Good thing I don't have any traditions to break then!" He strips out of his shirt before wrapping it around his head, "I don't know about you, but I want to make it to nightfall without heatstroke!"
Ember begins to stare at Stone's exposed chest, at the various scars dotting his abdomen, and at the circular device where his heart should be. Then at his now fully exposed arms, they both sported a tattoo. On his left arm was something written in a language she didn't recognize, encased in a fading heart. His right, a series of chains that led off his arm and wrapped themselves around his body.He turned his back to her, continuing on.
"So, your people defile their skin as often as ponies do?" She keeps pace with him, "Or is that just you?"
"Most people don't get tattoos, no, but there's a story for each one I have."
"Then entertain me, Stone, what's the story behind those chains on your right?"
"Aah, everybody always goes for the chains first," He sighs, "They're a form of initiation. When you join a certain group, they give you your stake." He points to what seems to be a large nail inked onto his skin, "You add the links afterward."
"How do you get the links, then?"
"Maybe I'll tell you, one day." He looks back at her with a small smile.
"The one on your left, then."
"A memory, I'd planned to get it removed..."
"Hmm, the one on your neck then, that is the strangest one on you." She gestures to the series of vertical lines and spaces, varying in size and distance, conformed into a small rectangle on the nape of his neck.
"Aah... that one's story is unknown, even to me."
"You mean you were drunk when you got it" She lets out a laugh, smirking as she does.
"Something like that."
"What's it even supposed to be?" She squints her eyes at the pattern.
A barcode, it's a means of identifying a product
"No idea, I was hoping you could tell me!" He grins back at her once more, "Speaking of what you could tell me: do you know the way to Canterlot once we reach this festival?"
"If you're lucky they're'll be ponies there to tell you themselves," She narrows her eyes and looks away from him, "Unfortunately we're not allowed to ban them from showing up."
"What's wrong with ponies?" He starts, Ember gives him a deadpan stare, "Well, I mean, aside from the obvious?"
"What isn't wrong with ponies, they're a species of spoiled rotten kids, the only ponies I've ever gotten along with are the ones I've cut open."
"I've only ever gotten along with two, and I didn't need to meet them on a battlefield."
"Who said anything about a battlefield?"
Author's Note
The second chapter is finally here, sorry for the wait, procrastination is a bitch.
