An Alagaësia Dragon

Chapters

Ch.1
Ch.2
ch. 3
ch.4
Ch.5

Ch.1

I walked around my workplace mopping the floor for closing. Just a typical day for me, other than having to come in early. I mean hey, my afternoon is off, but I have to wake up at 5 am to get to work at 7 am. Living so far from work was a pain, and I was still living with my parents, just learned to drive this year.

Finishing up the dining room I noticed a customer had left what looked like a plushie on a table, and with me being the last one here. “Great, now I need to deal with it and paperwork.” I groaned moving to the table and picking up the dragon plushie. “Who’s kid left this?”

Looking at the plush, I noted it looked like Saphira from the Inheritance Books and movie, though the film was bull, really they cut all the context from it! “Huh, wonder if they’ve read the last book yet, fucking lost my copy years ago.” I chuckled before the world turned black and it felt like I was falling….

“Fuck, my head.” I groaned as I started rubbing my skull, and then a rock pinged off it. “Fuck, what the hell!”

I found myself in what looked to be snowy mountains in someplace very cold. Which in all honesty should be impossible as I live in California during a drought, in one of the hottest summers on record.

“What the fuck,” I said flatly before wondering around finding my movements to be kind of weird. “Need to find some fucking shelter.” I groaned as I passed a huge tree, which looked utterly gigantic to me. The door I was headed towards, also didn’t look so huge until I first walked up to it. It was an open door and found myself about the size of a puppy in comparison. “Uh..what?” I whined.

“Okay Anthony, just think, you picked up a toy and just shrunk…” I complained as I passed a skull nearly my size in what looked to be a fortress. “Or these are giants?” I questioned, I spotting a burning brazier set into the floor. Rushing over to it to get warm and I cried as I shivered, the heat barely kept the cold out with the open door blowing cold wind into here. “Where am I?!” looking left and right rapidly in a panic.

Around the ruins were bits and pieces of barrels, crates and broken furniture, the grey mildew, moss, and other wild plants covered walls and broke through the stone floors, with snow piling up from holes in the walls. It spoke of the ruin’s age that I couldn’t even begin to guess at how long this place had been left to rot. I’m hoping there was better shelter than just a fire, that whoever lit it was nearby.

“Hmmm? Where is that chirping keening coming?” An old haggard voice said from a door deeper in ruins. I noticed what looked backpacks filled with rope, climbing tools, bedrolls laying by his feet; it would have been useful when delving deep into ruins from games, that I used to play like DnD.

“Hello!” I cried out feeling like my limbs were about to fall off as I heard my belly growl and felt it ache in pain. “I’m cold and need food!” I exclaimed, scrambling to the voice as I noticed he was old, bags hung under his eyes, time, covered in wrinkles marred his tan face. One might liken it to leather pulled over a skull. He wore plain moss green robes, and a cloak was covered lightly in the powdered snow. His most striking feature was that he wasn’t human, at least not entirely, he bore equine features with his head and hooved legs, such that he had the reminiscence of a Disney movie character that belonged in Robin Hood or Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

He frowned, looking down at me his eyes wide, looking down at in confusion, “Do you have food to spare?” I begged him.

He tilted his head; he seemed to look at me, examining me. “What kinda beast are ye? You look much akin to dragons, yet ye aren’t one as far as my eyes can tell, An’ they ain’t failed me yet. What are ye? A new lizard or Draco-kin?”

“Please, I need to eat!” I begged him, my belly growled, and his eyes softened. He bent down and opened his backpack and fished out something wrapped in paper; it turned out it was half-eaten bread.

He tore up some of the bread off and held it in his hand; I wasn’t about to complain about the source of the food or what it was. I was too hungry to care. I took it from his hand and ate it chewing it before swallowing.

He picked me up and placed me on his shoulder, and began to set out camp in the middle of the ruins, next to his campfire. Once he had finished setting up his single person tent and a cushion next to his fire and set a windbreaker around it keeping much of the warmth nearby and shielded the campfire, he sat down and now and then he’d pass me some bread or dried meat to eat.

Well at least he’s friendly, though I don’t think he can understand me, I hope one day I get to thank him. I looked down at myself inspecting what I had become, blue scales, claws, draconic wings If I have to guess that plushie of Saphira did more than shrink me, it outright turned me into her when she was a hatchling!

I began hyperventilating until I suddenly sneezed. Luckily it was away from my savior, as I sneezed. A gout of fire expelled from my mouth, making him jump and left me blinking in shock when he recovered he glared at me, and I tried to look sheepishly at him,

“Akin to dragons,” he grumbled and took out an old worn journal an ink bottle and a quill, he began writing in the book.

“Probably making a note of his discovery.” I thought to myself.

“What are you doing?” I asked getting on his lap. I blinked as I saw him drawing me. “I look a bit like the German cover and the movie version of Saphria. Huh.” I said pawing at the page.

“Well aren’t you a curious thing.” He chuckled at me as he patted my head. I snorted at him, glaring at him before watching him draw me. This whole thing with the plushy is so, weird; I’m a dragon and one from a book saga I have liked for years. My head had fins on the side of my head, and horns sprouting from the back, and my snout was round to a point, but not in a beak. I had what looked like fur running down my back, or Quiles, with skips down my back towards a pointed tail. My wings were bat-like, with two spikes at the elbow. Every bit of my said infant, smaller, little growth to me.

“I’m a baby?” I said looking at the image in worry. I nosed his hand as he finished drawing, trying to ask for more food, my belly already gurgling again. Gods I was ravenous.

“Hm?” He looked down to me. “Hungry?”

I nodded, which brought a look of surprise upon his wrinkled old face.

“Well, let’s see what I have that would be suitable for you.” He said, going through his bag. I growled as I jumped into it, not sure why I did this, but my hunger was driving me. “Whoa! Hey, wait a minute!” He yelled, grabbing hold of me and pulling me out of his bag.

“I’m hungry!” I cried out, trying to snap at the apple in his bag. I wanted meat, but he had none.

“Okay, calm down. Just calm down.” He said to me, being gentle as he reached for the apple with magic and snapped it in two. “Here.” He gave one half to me.

I chomped down on it feeling my belly finally calming as I belched some fire. Which in retrospect was weird, Saphira could breathe fire for at least a year. “Sorry,” I said trying to look apologetic to the old man as he set me down.

“Well, I hope that calmed you down a bit.” He sighed, petting my head.

I chirped at him prancing about a bit before tripping and stumbling around till I got covered in snow and a ball of limbs.

The old man chuckled as to be picked me up and dusted off the snow from me.

“I can do it myself!” I whined, and he chuckled at me. “This whole situation is so embarrassing with how you are treating me!”

“Star swirl what have you found?” A white mare said as she walked into view. She had a horn and wings on her as she sat down next to the Old man.

“Celestia, what are you doing here?” He asked.

“Looking for you.” She told him.

“I was taking a stroll, and I happened to found this little one up here. No idea how this little dragoness got here though.” He explained to her. “Don’t you have your royal duties to attend to?”

“Yes, but you know how cold it is up here, and after my and Lulu’s experience with Sombra I dislike the cold.” She told him with a shiver as I responded in kind.

“Right.” He said with a sigh. “So, what to do with you?” He asked me.

“Don’t leave me!” I cried out clinging to his arm.

“Well, that settles it.” He said, before picking me up. “Can’t leave you up here all alone. Let’s head back.”

“YEA!” I squealed as we started leaving the mountain. We went, with me perched on his shoulder slowly approaching old style train tracks that looked brand new. I blinked in surprise as brand new relic came into view.

“You sure the Serpent won’t show up?” Star Swirl asked.

“Yes, the Enchantments Luna and I made should hold,” Celestia said as they boarded the one train car, it was ornate, covered in whites blues and gold, with images of unicorn heads on the four corners. We walked in and found plush velvet seats with gold inlays, and Sapphire gems points from the posts. They sat down as I hopped onto the seat. “She is kinda cute. The little thing would be eating all the gems though.” Celestia sighed.

“She’ll also be needing meat.” Star Swirl pointed out.

“Great.” She sighed. “Well, I can see if we can get a Gryphon hunter.”

“I don’t eat gems?” I said to myself before sniffing one and gagging as I tried biting it. “NOPE!”

“Maybe not gems.” Star Swirl said blinking at me.

“Don’t eat gem!” I huffed at them hoping whatever chips I was making got the point across. “No gems!”

“Well now, a Draco-kin That doesn’t eat gems?” Celestia said as she looked at me. “And her scales are more like gems themselves is she from the Crystal Empire?”

“Where are we going? What’s a crystal empire!” I chirped feeling much warmer. The white mare looked me over before picking me up in her magic. “Hey put me down!” I demanded trying to will her to understand me. I began flailing in her magical grip.

“Celestia. She doesn’t seem to like that.” Star Swirl told the horned and winged pony. I glared at her as she turned me this way and that. “Celestia!”

“I’m taking notes. Want to make sure this dragon is not of Discord’s make.” She told him and ignored my protests. “Wings are connected at different points than normal dragons, feral build, snout shaped with more curves, and spines along with spikes?”

“Let me out!” I shouted feeling something in the back of my mind and s surge of power. It rocked the train cart and made Celestia’s magic stop. I fell to the floor with a thud.

“She can use magic interesting. Dragon is barely figuring out the mail scroll spell, and she isn’t using fire to do it!” Star Swirl said taking more notes as I whined in pain.

“Oh goodness!” Celestia said as she looked me over. I didn’t break anything, but I think I had bruises. “Are you Alright?”

“No!” I huffed, my legs stinging from the high landing. “You dropped me!”

“She’s mad at you!” Star Swirl chuckled as I tried climbing back up the chair to see out the window. I could see rolling plains and so many trees and shrubs pass by as we raced to some forest in the distance. I could also see a small town surrounding a fortress.

“What’s that?” I questioned as the train neared the fortified settlement.

“We’re almost to the Everfree, the last safe place from the Monster Discord.” Celestia sighed with relief. “Mentor you must stop leaving the forest’s protective grace.”

“Bah, it’s a twisted prison just like anything that monster makes. We need to find a way to fight him!” Star swirl huffed.

“With what? If we take the gems, the forest will grow wild and of our efforts to keep Everfree a safe would be for not.” Celestia’s huffed.

“Gems again? Bleh.” I snorted earning a laugh from the stallion.

“I know, but we have to think of something.” He told her.

“I know. Luna and I will think of something.” Celestia sighed.

“Who was Luna?” I questioned as we started entering the forest. The trees were mostly evergreens with some others saplings here or there of other species. Shrubs were harder to find here, and animals scurried away from the train as it approached.

Most of the said animals were strange like Right out of fantasy. Some I had no names for, others were from human myths all over the world. I found the ones that seemed to glow the most memorizing. There also ones who had crystal eyes, and ones that seemed to fade in and out of sunlight. The trees themselves also had similar characteristics throughout as we passed them.

“Pretty!” I giggled.

“Heh, she looks kinda cute marveling at the forest.” Star Swirl chuckled.

“Or trying to pick prey,” Celestia said, laughing herself.

“It’s pretty! I don’t want to eat those beautiful animals!” I protested with a stern look as Celestia chuckled more.

“Oh, Luna is going to love you!” She said trying to calm down.

“Who’s Luna? Well Anthony, whatever happened to you, I guess you’ll find out.” I sighed to myself.

Ch.2

Dragon Story Ch.2

Stopping in the station the thought of me being Saphira came to mind, I mean am I Saphira, a dragon that looks like the one in the books? And then which Saphira? One or two? Bah, what is up with my brain, is it because I’m smaller, an Infant? Why am I an Infant? Couldn’t I have been I don’t know an adult?

Well, a two-year-old dragoness would be fun, but then I would have to learn how an adult body works. Gah, so much thinking?! I was a cook, I work with food...well chemical reaction and mathematical formulas do count as higher learning, and I did have a Bachelors in the Culinary Arts. Fuck, I miss college, and I was planning on moving on to getting my Masters when I had the money to try to go for it, sure it would have taken me out of work for a bit, but my boss agreed with the decision! FUCK! I can’t cook now, five years of my life and skill are useless now!

“You sure she’s an animal?” Celestia asked Starswirl.

“She hasn’t spoken.” He said.

“I’m an Infant you boob!” I snarled at him.

When did Saphira start talking with her mind? How do I do that? More questions, great I’m going to be asking a lot those in the next few hours, aren’t I?

“Okay, let’s deal with, am I Saphira or just an Alastaesian Dragon? I look like the Movie version and the Swedish cover version, so in turn, yes and no, I’m Saphira, but not. I believe I was turned into an Alastaesian Dragon, sure, but being a true Saphira no. I mean the movie was fucking crap so I will not accept that like her and also the original Cover would trump all other versions as the author dictated it. But then all the other covers from him had similar dragons with different colors.” I huffed in thought as the Train stopped.

“Sister, I’m glad you found our mentor and…” I heard before there was a squee and I was picked up in blue hands. “Have you brought home a pet!”

“She wouldn’t leave Starswirl.” Celestia chuckled at the offending mare as she interrupted my thoughts.

“I found her on mount Canterhorn.” The old man told her I looked upon a blue mare with stary hair and green eyes. She had a younger look to Celestia, who had a curvy body, while she was a slim and athletic body.

“Put me down!” I snarled at her snapping my jaw. She chuckled at me as she cradles me in her arms.

“Does she have a name yet?” The mare asked.

“No Luna, we just found her mere hours ago,” Celestia told her as I wiggled in her surprisingly strong arms.

“Oooh, can I name her!” Luna said bouncing about making me feel dizzy.

“I’m Anthony!” I yelled out

“Hmm, Ember? Or Cynder?” She suggested. Well, it’s not a direct copy of the Saphira then, but quite kinda names to recommend for a dragon.

“Those seem like straightforward names Sister.” Celestia chuckled as I was carried into the town by the blue mare as the three walked me into the medieval-like town. Thatched roofs, stone walls, little-advanced engineering. The most advanced building was the Keep and Fortress. Most of the colors in the place were gray and yellow, with the rare white build that had plaster on it, which seemed like a feat for the owners.

Luna was still babbling on about me, which I couldn’t care less now that she stopped swinging me about like some toy. I figure I must at least be an Alastaesian Dragon if nothing else. I’m not calling myself Saphira at least.

So am an Alastaesian Dragon, one the looks like Saphira, but may or may not be her. I mean well I didn’t give Star Swirl a Gedwey Ignasia on his hand which tells me I’m a wild Alastaesian Dragon or it’s the simple fact that there is no pact made with horse people. Maybe if I met a human or elf...maybe, but these ponies wouldn’t be in the Pact, and unless I find an Urgal and Dwarf here. Well not likely to happen, but hey, there’s anthro ponies so who knows!

“Cynder then!” Luna exclaimed as I was thrust into the air like a puppy. “You’re Cynder!”

“Greeeeaaaat,” I said trying to give her a flat look. Can’t wait to figure out the mind talking thing, don’t know how they’ll react to me talking with my mind by touching there’s though. Thoughts for later, need to pee. “Put me down!” I yelped out.

“I think she likes it!” Luna squeed hugging me close as I tried getting out of her grasp to heed the call of nature as we entered the Keep of the fortress. “Oh this is just marvelous a new pet, and she’s one of a kind!”

“Luna, she’s not a pet.” Star Swirl huffed at her. “Try not to spoil her.”

“We would never,” Luna said sounding offended as she wrangled with my wiggling body.

“Remember fluffies?” Celestia commented with a raised brow. “He was overweight in a week.”

“Indeed.” Star Swirl nodded before taking me out of Luna’s grasp. “Sorry, but I rather not leave her with you.” He told her snidely, narrowing his eyes at her in skepticism.

“I won’t overfeed her! Dragons age slowly anyways!” She huffed as I decided just to let my bladder go.

“What...dammit.” He grumbled before teleporting us somewhere.

I looked around seeing we were in a garden in the Keep. It had trees similar to those in the forest and a few birds flying about, but no other animals. I could smell another Garden just a few areas away full of animals but didn’t have a reference where.

“The Enchanted Garden should do, good thinking mentor, she won’t be able to harm the others we have brought under our care!” Luna said with a smile.

Great, a gilded cage.

“Luna.” Celestia scolded. “Those animals are injured, and we will send them back out when they have healed and ready to return to the wild, they are not pets.”

“And why did you both bring her?” Luna asked looking a bit miffed at her sister.

“Because she wouldn’t let Star Swirl go, and she was alone on a cold mountaintop,” Celestia explained.

“Not to mention, you would lock her up in a cage.” Star Swirl remarked. “I only brought her out here to do her business.” He said, putting me down as I ran into the bushes.“After that I’m taking her to the bathroom, to clean her up and wash my robes.”

“Ew,” Luna said with a look of disgust as I rushed into a bush to well heed nature.

“I thought she looked uncomfortable in Luna’s arms.” Celestia sighed.

“Yes, and I probably should’ve left her with Luna at that time.” Star Swirl snorted.

“Mentor!” Luna cried out in anger.

I ignored them as I finished and noticed a mouse scurrying about looking for food. I felt my belly growl as I tried to stalk it. Creeping as quietly as I could I walked around the mouse to get at it’s back, feeling sick I was thinking about this, but something in my head said I needed meat. I was compelled to follow it was looked the small brown animal over, noticing my sight had much more colors in it than humans, ultraviolet and infrared, along with the visible light spectrum. Humans had.

The mouse itself was glowing faintly red with light bouncing off it fur giving it a blue-purple hue. I blinked as I figured out I could mentally lessen how much I saw. One blink my vision shifted utterly Infrared, another ultraviolet, and the last would be plan visible light, what I was used to. The other light spectrums would be useful for hunting from the air, along with the more exceptional detail I had.

“She’s taking a bit. Should we check on her?” Luna asked making the mouse go on alert and scurry away. I huffed before giving chase out from under the bush and through their feet.

“Looks like she’s hungry again.” Star Swirl said as they watched me.

“She didn’t eat the gems in the train?” Luna asked.

“She doesn’t seem to eat Gems. She bit on one in the train, and I was about to rip her off it. She gave a disgusted look and just looked out the window. I think she’s barely days old, but she is not like Draco-kin we’ve encountered before.” Celestia explained.

“That is strange?” Luna said looking confused.

“I think she might be a new breed of dragon?” Star Swirl theorized.

“Truly?” Luna said as I lost the mouse to a hole in the wall.

“Get back here!” I huffed trying to get my head or claws into the hole as the mouse disappeared into walls.

“Maybe.” Star Swirl said before picking me back up. “For now, though, we’ll wait and see. Come on, you. Let’s wash up.” He told me.

I huffed and snarled, angry I couldn’t get my prey. “I’m hungry!” I huffed.

He sighed as he teleported us into a bathroom, one that was probably his own.

“She’s upset now.” Celestia chuckled as she used magic to help him get me into the bathtub. The room itself looks almost modern if it wasn’t for the bucket for a loo, and bucket for a sink. The water in the metal tub was nice and hot as they scrubbed me with soap. The soap smelled of vanilla as they rubbed it all over me.

“ACH!” I gagged as they rubbed it all over my face.

“Hold still little one, you need to be clean,” Celestia told me.

“I don’t need soap in my mouth!” I yelled out to them as scrubbed me off.

“Remember to get behind her horns. I know dragons at least get fungus back there if they don’t clean there.” Starswirl said as he back up to take some note.

“My Saliva could clean me too! Did I just think that?!” I gagged as splashed in the water, trying to do the doggy paddling in Celestia magic.

“She is just so Adorable!” Luna squeed, ‘helping’ out bypass over more scented soap. “I wonder how big she’ll get!”

“The size of mountains and your dreadful soap bath will be the first crushed under my mighty feet, you tormentors!” I yelled as I got my head back over the water after Celestia dunked me to rinse the soap off.

I huffed as I was dried off and then taken into a library above the bathroom. Starswirl started muttering about needing to learn what I ate and all though, and how long my life was. He was mainly concerned about how big I could get. I chuckled him thinking I would be a small mount.

I jumped up a table in the room using my wings to aid me as I browsed the books. Finding one with a simple light spell was easy enough, taking note Starswirl was using it to help explain Celestia connection to the sun. Looking over the pages, I got a conventional understanding of the spell that was written over them.

Inhaling to try and feel for that strange power from the train car again, I grabbed ahold of it and invoked the Light spell. Starswirl spotted me and rushed to me, thinking I was going to try eating the book, till a ball of light formed between my horns stunning him and the two mares. I swiveled my head to try and see the spell as I was pleased to have been able to cast it.

“She learned a spell? Mentor...how intelligent is she?” Luna said blinking in shocked as moved the ball of light around, playing with it and barely feeling the drain on my life like the books had. I mean I felt a drain from using the spell to start with, but the world itself kept it going, once cast I didn’t need to exert much more power for a simple spell.

Scurrying over to a more complex spellbook, I noted harder to cast spells in these books for it would take much more of a toll on me. Spell that would let me cast destructive powers would simple and cost-effective it I just cast basics, but more complex spells such as pillars of fire would drain me fast.

“Far more than an animal should be. Cynder might not be a feral Draco-kin like we thought.” Celestia muttered as she looked at me in interest as I turned off the light spell feeling another drain on me. So the initial cast and the shut off draws power from my being. Good to keep in mind.

“My thoughts exactly.” Star Swirl nodded with a hum.

I jumped to another table to see if I could find another spellbook as Luna blinked, still in shock. I tried giving a happy sound as I saw a spell that allowed me to levitate objects. Focusing on a feather pen I tried casting the spell knowing it would have a constant drain on me, Get the spell to start was easy, but I quickly had to drop the pen as the spell drained my magic and energy quickly.

“She doesn’t seem to have much regarding magical reserves though. But she is an infant.” Celestia commented.

“Hmmm, yes, training her would be best. Celestia, Luna, I think you have your first student.” The Old Man told them. I blinked in shock at what he said as I felt very drained now, even sleepy. “For now, this youngling need sleep. I’ll let her sleep here till we find better accommodation for her.”

“But Mentor!” Luna said in shocked at the decision they would be teaching me magic as I yawned on the book showing off my tiny sharp teeth.

“You both wanted to prove to me you didn’t need to have my teachings anymore. Best way to show me, teach someone else,” he told them as I started dozing off. “Now go prepare your curriculum. And don’t start with the advanced stuff. Go light and pace her teachings. If I don’t approve you’re back to studying, and I’ll take over her teaching.”

“I’ll make you proud Starswirl,” Celestia said with a bow as Luna still tried wrapping her mind around this. I didn’t pay attention further as I dozed off in a basket Starswirl put me in.

ch. 3

Ch.3

I yawned as I woke from my sleep, nothing I was a little bigger from my size the day before. I wiggled a bit in the blanket given to me before jumping out of bed in search of something to eat.

Wondering the Castle led me to another garden, this one full of rodents that were none the wiser to my presence in the bushes as I started climbing the tree to get and an advantage. Dropping on them from a higher elevation would lend me better chances.

Just as I was about ready to pounce on one yellow magic grab me and floated me into the arms of Celestia, “Nice to see you playing, but I think the cooks have made a decent meal for you. I’m sure you’re hungry.”

“I was already hunting!” I snarled at her as I was taken miles from the prey I had worked to stalk. Wait why I was thinking like that? I’m trying to eat rodents! That is disgusting! Why am I mad she stopped me from bringing me to cooked food! “What is wrong with my head?” I whined putting my forepaws on my head.

We walked into a dining hall full of pony people, beastfolk? Beastfolk works better for a general term. They stopped in their meals as they watch the white mare carry me to s bowl on the head table full of meat stewing gravy with bits of bone marrow floating in some broth. I was blinking at it unsure what animal it was, but the smell was enough to make a jump from Celestia’s arms and dig in, splashing gravy all over the place.

The other people in the room stood aghast at me as I tore into the food, crunching of bones made them cringe away.

As I was finishing sat back and burped, flames expelling from my mouth, I blinked, Ops, hehe I need to get that under control. Lost in thought I missed half the room fainting dead away from shock. I sighed, “I don’t think I am finding my rider here,” I groused, I blinked, Since when did I care about that? Also, how would that even happen? I already hatched without a bonded rider. I doubt these two tormentors will be my riders, Luna smelled nice but she was far too excitable for my liking, and this “Fluffles are dying,” has me worried.

Before I could ruminate further, I had to be extricated by the white harasser. “And who told you that you could just pick me up, or be more comely than I” I hissed, looking up at Celestia with a glare.

I blinked wondering where all this haughtiness was coming from; I was not like this before. Gods, am I picking up Saphira's personality? I was a nice guy!

“Ugh, I don’t want to be the haughty dragon. Also, what do I know of the dragon rider pact that made the riders?” I muttered as Celestia chattered about something involving magic and trading with light bulbs.

“Okay, here we are, the classroom!” Celestia told me as she set me down. Luna was there with a book full of notes, tabs and looking mostly like a jumbled mess of paper. “Now as I said, we’ll be starting with simple light magic. Your magical reserves are not high enough for more powerful magic.”

“I am an infant, what do you expect?” I replied exasperatedly, Is there a point in me replying they don’t understand me and they won't till I bond with somebody.

“Sister I thought we were going to focus on writing,” Luna said as placed a pen and paper in front of me, with examples of their language. It was weird, but the structure seemed to follow US English. “Well, now what is it commutation or straight I To magic?”

“Ah, writing first,” Celestia said a bit depressed. “I didn’t mean-“

“To fly off the cloud?” Luna finished as she started showing me how to write. “Now this is…”

I had a hard time keeping up with Luna, but Celestia would slow her down. It was hard to write with my claws, and weirder still to do so with my mouth as they showed me.

“No, that’s an I not an L.” Luna groaned at me as I tried again. “No just stop!”

“Luna calm down. She’s just starting.” Celestia scolded her sister. “You can’t rush her!”

“Luna, I may be an infant, but I am not retarded.” was written down on the parchment as I huffed at the two squabblingsiblings.

“Ah...hey!” Luna roared at me. “Why you little-!” She snarled about to scold me.

“Luna, She is intelligent, you knew that. Also, you can’t punish her for her syntax with how you talk.” Celestia chided as the two got into a fit of fighting.

“Can you two stop bickering, please?” I wrote

“Fine so that you can write now, sloppily, but you can.” Luna sighed.

“I always could, I could speak too, but you cannot understand me,”

“You growl, and snarl a lot I guess.” Celestia sighed.

“Unfortunately, I won't be able to speak your language until I am bonded with a rider,” I explained.

“What’s a rider?” Luna asked.

“Part of an ancient pact, a dragon rider is akin to a peacekeeper between, Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Urgals and Dragons, the dragon when they are an egg choose their riders, then they hatch. The rider gains the ability to use magic, and a mental connection to their dragon and becomes immortal.”

“Wait, What are those beings, and why have you not bonded to one of us?” Luna asked.

“Natives of Alagaesia where my species of dragon hails from, there was a great war between the dragons and the elves, a young elven lad hunted a dragon not knowing we were sophonts in response the dragons killed the hunter and declared war. After a long and terrible war the pact was forged, by the first dragon rider, they had been made because treaties would be useless for keeping peace especially because dragons don’t put meaning in pieces of parchment. Every so often the dragons part with two or three of their eggs casting a spell on them, so they don’t hatch until their rider appears, this way it stopped random people becoming Dragon riders, once the person is recognized. A swirling pattern gets burned into the palm of their hand giving them the nickname a silver hand as they glowed white when applied and glowed when they used magic.

“I am the last female of my species, my name is Saphira II. Each Rider would be trained in combat, magic, and draconic lore, to better aid in peacekeeping between the races, The Dragon Riders were not just the soldier-diplomats between races though, they were also the foremost of scholars, amassing a library larger than any other in an imposing building in the gardens surrounding Moreta's Spire on Vroengard. As peacekeepers, the Dragon riders were above the laws of all lands and had final say in all matters,

“The bond has one fatal flaw for both the Dragon and Rider, while they can overcome it, it is rare for them to do so. You see, when either the rider or dragon die it usually drives the survivor insane. You have to understand the bond between dragon and rider is so strong and is lifelong, that eventually, the bonded pair cease being separate individuals due to the mental link, it’s like having a chunk of your mind cut out. You’ll live, but you’ll never be the same.”

Take a moment to stretch out I continued writing,

“As for why we haven’t bonded the bond is similar to a cutie mark, nothing can or should force it to happen; the results aren’t pretty if anyone should try to do so and succeed. It’s a subconscious thing; I’ll know my rider and hatch, well that is how it is supposed to be, I am an anomaly as I had not like other Rider Dragons. I would sense the connection. Even as an infant it is mostly feelings but when I fully grow old enough to fly, I will fly into the sky and transform into my teen form for lack of a better term. There is one way I could form a pact, but I would need to recreate the spell from whole cloth, as I don’t know it.”

I pondered for a second if I should add more then remembered another question Luna had asked,

“When I fully develop I will be the size of mountains. In answer to your previous question Luna,”

“Mountains?!” Luna exclaimed looking at me.

“I’m skeptical about the magical growth,” Celestia stated. “And this land you speak of, it is unknown to us, and we have general knowledge of the work.”

“Says the magical sisters who move Celestial bodies, who just found a sapient dragon telling them these things, you have no room to be skeptical. Also and I think this is more direct proof I am not lying, wasn’t I tiny yesterday? And now look at me today,” I retorted wagging my foreclaw at them.

“Yes, you look at the size of a medium sized dog now. How are you growing so fast with such little food?” Celestia questioned. “And at this rate, you’ll be the size of a small horse in a season or two.”

“Maybe,” I wrote. Okay, now I’m starting to freak out! I’m acting like Saphira, and most of that information came from that thing Saphira could do about remembering things from her egg days. I know this from the book, but I felt like I had lived too. I looked myself over and wondered how I even knew how to use this body, why did I write down Saphira’s name and not my own?! What is wrong with me!

I started panicking, breathing heavy as Luna and Celestia talked about my land with excitement. I looked myself over feeling strange and unclothed, but I also felt pride and kinship to it. What is wrong with my head, why I’m I so conflicted about this change? What’s wrong with me most people would kill to be a dragon, even more, would kill to be Saphira II….But that also means I am practically the last of my species, a female without a male. And these other dragons don’t seem all that appealing especially if they are the Equestrian variant. Weak pretenders, they aren’t even worthy of touching me let alone mating me…. Gah why brain!? Why am I fighting this!? That human we were was a nobody! A chef in some small time dinky restaurant what worth is there in that? At least now we have a chance to spread human recipes to this world.

Why am I thinking like this?! Most of what I wrote is from a set of books! I’ve never set foot in that land!

Wait what if my life as a human was a lie? No! That can’t be right… can it?

Ugh, I was human, I know that. I have those memories, and I know I read the books as human. Okay, okay, just-just breathe.

What were the rules of mind reading as a dragon? Do I need a rider for it? Some part of me wants one, but I don’t think ponies are part of the pact, but I have a vague understand for it to recreate it maybe. And I don’t think I need a rider to open my mind, but it would help.

How did I hatch? If I’m Saphira II than my rider would have had to have been near my egg, but there was only Starswirl. He doesn’t have the Silver Hand I woke up in the snow. Did I even hatch or was I just dropped into this world already hatched.”

“She so adorable with that face!” Luna gushed at me.

“No I hatched, someone was holding me then dropped me. I fell for a bit than hatched in the snow. MY RIDER DROPPED ME?! Why, did they think I was some opal or other rock?! How? I mean how?! Who’s my rider, why did they drop me like some rock! I’m a Dragon! Not some stone!” I huffed as breathed heavily in indignant anger at the treatment of myself. I know Eragon in the books had done similar, but they hadn’t just dropped me!

“Are you drawing it?” Luna asked as I looked to see her gushing over my angered look and Celestia sketching on paper.

I huffed at them. “So my rider is around here, but not near me..., or the pact isn’t letting the symbol appear on them for them being a different species...argh, but how would that work!?”

I put my claws over my head as I tried to think of who could have had my egg, or how long I may have been here. “Ugh, why is this not a world of humans and I got bonded to someone there.” I groaned as I pawed at my head as a headache coming on. “No, I should have bonded with Starswirl he was the first to touch me...but then I didn’t, did I bond with someone just as I hatched? Yes, I think I did...I remember breaking from the shell to something’s shock, passing out and waking up in the snow, I don’t have enough to go on, but I bonded with someone, and they’re here.”

I groaned at my luck; my rider must have dropped me and fled after they woke, thinking I attacked them, which means I may not see them for a long time. Now that we are bonded, their lifespan is now linked to mine, so unless they die, they will live on for as long as they can. This is a curse and maybe a blessing, if my bond with them is weak, then I would be independent. But that’s if I don’t go insane from a piece of my mind going dark.

“Well that just great, so yes I’m bonded, and looking at the bond, the person went...north...west? Hard to tell, but it away from me. Wonder if they feel me at all? We’re too far apart to talk to each other at all.” I groaned.

“Are you okay Saphira?” Celestia asked as she finished drawing me.

“Yes, just figured a mystery out, but I can’t do anything to fix it yet.” I wrote.

“What do you mean?” Luna asked.

“I’m bonded to someone here, but well they didn’t stay. So now I have Rider that is absent.” I groaned.

“We could help you find them,” Celestia told me.

“Thanks, but unless I’m close, I don't know who it is until I’m close. And no, I’m not big enough to try and do it.” I wrote with a huff. This is bull, I’m the most beautiful thing in this land, and my Rider stands me up!

“You sure?” Luna asked.

“Yes,” I wrote, “Now what’s the next lesson.” I wrote to them.

“Ah, right light spell,” Celestia said as she shuffled books around. “Alright here’s the book.”

I looked it over before opening it with my claws, careful not to rip the pages. I found the same ball of light spell. I heard Celestia try explaining its background and how to use it properly. It was a spell made for night time exploration back in some long forgot age. It was simple and used a chemical reaction to set off the ball. I’m guessing something like a what a firefly does. It was decent for basic spells.

Casting it again was easy, Celestia nodded as she showed me a few other spells. Luna was giving pointers when she could, but it was clear she was out of her depth. She was mostly talking about how the moon would affect the spell.

So that’s how the rest of my day went, me learning the basics of light magic. Near the end of the day, I think I remembered seeing a mark on my rider. I quickly sketched it, a heart with weird gold embroidery around it. I roar, or squealed, at Celestia. “My Rider has this mark!” My picture read.

“Their Cutie Mark? Hmm, I’ll keep a lookout for this pony.” Celestia told me as she looks at the picture before she cast a spell on it. “That will preserve the picture for us. We’ll find them with this for sure.”

ch.4

I sat on a balcony of the Keep after the lesson with Celestia and Luna. I was pondering the issue with my rider. Has this ever happened before, the bond scaring a young rider off? And if it has, who and where is my rider? Are they safe?

“Why is this such an issue? Why did they run from me? I’m fierce and strong! Even if I’m young, I could have protected them from whatever danger that befell them.” I huffed as Starswirl walked up.

“So you are a new kind of dragon and are bonded to someone who is not here?” He asked as he sat down next to me in a chair he had brought, which was a Chair of velvet leather cushions made of maple wood. The varnish smell a bit fresh, so it seemed new to me as the now purpled robed stallion carefully sat down.

“That is an excellent summary of the situation, yes.” I wrote down in response

“I hope she has not run into Discord. That spirit, while not malicious, is also not a benign being.” He sighed. “Many nations have gone to chaotic ruin from his antics, our one city-state of Equestria is one of the few not to fall.”

“doubtful, he'd likely find me too good a target to pass up on if that were the case,” I replied.

“You most likely were saved by our wards being tested at Mt. Canterhorn. The stop just north of the mountain.” He explained as I remember my rider ran North West from my hatching egg. The memories of the sudden cold as I hatched had caused a bit of gap in my mind from the shock.

A new flash of recollection struck me; I furiously wrote down what I had seen, “the one who hatched me had a pink coat, a purple, magenta, and yellow curled tail…” no.no.no.no

“Sounds Crystalian.” He said looking disgusted and annoyed. “We were at war with their king before they disappeared. I believe they’re war with the gryphons or Discord at this point.” He spat.

No. No! No! “Bucking Tartarus I know whom I bonded to but if I am right I won't meet her again until a thousand years in the future,” I complained

“She may have thought to use your egg to gain refuge in our city.” He explained. “May have thought you as natural stone if she had been young enough. So should we still look for her?”

“We could try, but it's doubtful she still exists in this age, her name is Mi Amore Cadenza,”

“Hmmm, sound familiar, she may have been part of the old royal line before Sombra’s coup.”

“if I got the information right, Princess Amore was the founder before Sombra. Mi Amore Cadenza is a pegasus filly, Though it May change in the future,”

“Like my pupils.” He said leaning back. “Yes, we’ll send scouts, but if they spot the serpent, they will fall back.” He told me.

“Have Celestia and Luna wield the Elements of Harmony on him.” I wrote down.

“They won’t till it is a last resort when he’s at our doorstep.” The stallion sighed, “I have tried convincing them, but we all worry about the Everfree Forest and what taking the fruits will do to it.”

“Nothing will happen, but after a thousand and ten years they will have to return them.”

“So now you’re a soothsayer?” He chuckled at me. “You can try, but they are stubborn in their worry.”

“Maybe, I haven't fully grasped my abilities.” I replied, “Supposedly I should have extrasensory perception and resistance against mental manipulation, Flame manipulation, and enhanced senses. Extrasensory perception comes with precognition plus I have magic. Things become interesting when that was thrown into the mix.”

I stretched before continuing, “So soothsaying is possible within reach of my abilities as is Divination, do you have that school of magic here?” I asked curiosity guiding me.

“Celestia is pioneering it.” He told me. “I just barely discovered it. Though I am surprised that you would tempt fate.”

“I’m a dragon; fate revolves around me!” I wrote looking at him with what I hoped was pride.

“Hmmm, well the future is always changing. For now focus on your studies, worry about saving the world later.” He told me patting my head. “You are still a child at the moment.”

I huffed at him. I was a dragon and even as small as I was I was still the most dangerous and beautiful thing in this city.

“Now, now, you can’t just rush off. The young always do, and the young are always hurt by what the young chase. Be patient, even if the young don’t always listen.” He chuckled at me.

“I’m a dragon.” I wrote down.

“And the last of your kind in this land. The last Hope, don’t deprive the world of your splendor little Sapphire.” He told me sagely. “And if you can delve into the future, don’t look too far that you become lost in the moment that may never come.”

“Okay,” I wrote before flopping down to read. The parchment I had was on fire based spell which Celestia said was a more natural transition from light magic to destruction magic.

Hmmm, I have some ancestral memories helping learn my body, don’t I? It’s mentioned or alluded to in the books. Might be why I’m acting how I am. I have the same memories as Saphira II, not just her body. And Magic acts differently here, not linked to the ancient language like in the books, but I have a decent knowledge of it. I pondered as my mind drifted from the book for a moment. What if I used the ancient language here? Would my magic be more focused and boosted. I’m already abnormal for my use of direct magic at this point anyway.

I sighed at my thoughts before returning to my studies. So far I was able to cast spells quickly, but it has been draining on me, though not as bad as yesterday with the telekinesis spell. I couldn’t practice, but I could study.

After a bit, Starswirl left me to my studies at sunset, and I enjoyed some night time air. Glancing to the sky, It was a jumbled mess of unrecognizable stars and moon that looked very young. That is if you looked above us, just over the horizon I could see it was still daylight with no sun and sky had turned purple.

“Must be Discord’s doing. Hmmm, I hope we can use the elements on him soon before something happens to my Rider.” I mused feeling a twinge of worry.

Shaking my head both in annoyance and worry for my rider, I got back to the book. Magic is wild. Magic in this world as shown by Discord can be very wild and unpredictable. Gabatorix would have a hemorrhage seeing this world and his need to bring order in his insane way. I could feel the magic in the air, having it sing to me if I listened carefully, tempting me to use it.

“But one fact is that the Ancient Language can bring far more potential into a spell if used. Magic can be cast without it safely here but it’s potential is wasted in the limited casting time. If say Brisingr and cast a fireball spell, the flames are much stronger and last longer. It was little more than note, but it the fact had partly been tested.” I muttered as I looked over the notes.

I yawned again as I felt the need to eat. Sighing I closed the book and walked with it to the Dining Hall, I found it full still, but everyone was slowly getting up to leave once they saw me enter.

I shook my head in irritation. I’m a carnivore, of course, I eat meat. Why are they so jumpy about it?

Snarling I jumped up on the table at the end of the room and cooks brought me cooked deer, as I sniffed the salty and cooked meat. It was browned and with a glaze made from pineapples. I nodded in thanks before I started tearing away flesh and crunching bone. It was well seasoned and tasted terrific, but it felt degrading that I haven’t been able to hunt on my own.

“I need to learn to hunt, being fed every day like this will make me fat and lazy. I’m a dragon, not some pet to be spoiled and fattened. I’ll talk to Starswirl about this.” I said after eating the heart of the deer. I know it’d disgust to the old me, but it was so tasty to my new body!

“Ready for bed little thing.” A maid asked me as she came up to me with a basket full of blankets.

I gave her a flat look before a yawn racked my body. Even if I was growing fast, my body was still young. I did need sleep.

Groaned I jumped into the basket and almost fell out. Much to my appreciation, the Maid did her best to help me in, and I soon found myself drifting off to sleep as she carried me to some place that had been set up for me.

It was a large domed room with a glass roof. It looked to be a ballroom had been refitted into a bedroom. Best guess as to why this room is my potential height compared to other dragons if grow up like them, which I’m not, and would not grow like them.

The maid walked me into a grand room after moving through halls of decorative armor that smelled of oil and polish, the brightly crafted works or war displayed as nothing more than a preamble to this room. It was large, smelled of recently cut rock and dirt, a smell of wax faintly rolling off the floor as we stepped inside. Looking around my gaze beheld an incredible array of colors from the window’s stained glass, each piece of art depicting a new event in what I could only grasp was the history the group I had been settled to with.

Looking above me and the maid I saw a spectacular piece on of work showing the sun and moon wonderfully details, with each crater on the moon shown in exact detail. The two celestial bodies circling a world of blue and green, far less detail but a forest was prominent in the center, showing off a little Keep beheld in its trees. The two Sisters I was being taught by chasing the Celestial bodies as they raced across the sky, each Sister depicted as almost lifelike in their detail.

As the Maid placed me down on the marble floor, I noted that a large pool of water that steamed ever so much sat in the room to the left of me. The heat was giving the place a slightly humid and foggy feel to it, making my little body shiver from the contrast of the night air I had just been in. I looked to the pool, too tired and the humid air making me too relaxed to move from the blanketed basket to care for the walk to it, and I saw runes of the Ancient Language that said Brisinger is slowly heating the pool that marred the perfect marble of what had to be a Ballroom.

I looked around a little more as the Maid checked the pool’s spells and I noticed the pillars of the room had little pictographs, each showing even more scenes like the grand windows. Look at the Roman-like pillars I saw what could only be stories of folklore and legends told by stone etched figures. They each ran from the base of the support to the top tell whole stories in the space of one spire of rock.

I breathed in the humid air, preening and smiling at the fact this room had been redesigned just for me. The size meant to help adjust to what would be my growing size if I was a dragoness of this world, which I am not. I found it a compliment that the ponies would still give me a room fit for kings or queens to slumber in, though I would have to ask for a bigger door once I got larger than this room could hold.

“Nice room,” I muttered as I slowly dozed off.

My dreams were of the land Alagaesia; I was flying over the flat grassy land, the wind blazing past my face as I dove through the air. I smelled fauns and stags racing bellow me, my keen sight picking them up running from a group of wolves. The punny canines were losing them the deer rushing through the yellow and brown leaves of the tree growing dormant for the cold season and giving me an opening.

I opened my claw as I swooped through an opening in the trees full enough for me, catching two fawns in my foreclaws. I felt them struggle and heard them scream before my flexed my legs and snapped their necks. I rose through the air and moved to a cave with artwork and a few things that I had collected in this world. I walked through lightly eyeing these works, not understanding them as I placed the Deer on two spikes over a fire pit as I grabbed plants and rubbed the carcasses with them, using my claws to dig the herbs deep before laying down and watching the meat cook as the fur charred.

As I laid there smelling the meat cook I look over to a nest with a clutch of eggs. I felt my chest rumble as I turned them over and tended them. I look to the direction a sound of footsteps were coming from and smiled at purple dragon male that brought in two more deers from his hunt.

Before my dream progressed, I woke to the sound of terrible singing. Opening my eye in annoyance, I found a maid, unicorn, bringing food while she sang off-key, making my ears hurt each time she hit a high key. I wormed out of bed, feeling I was bigger again, my guess about the size of a large dog, and I glared at her, my fury at my sleep being interrupted by such awful singing showing itself as smoke rising from my lips.

It was the same maid from last night. She had green fur and what looked like a rose for a cutie mark. “Why are you singing so badly.” I groaned at her as I rubbed my head.

“My singing is not that bad!” She huffed at me.

I titled my head wonder how she understood that.

“Your face told me!” She yelled at me.

I huffed and rolled my eyes. “Who are you, and why are you bringing food?” I wrote down on some paper she brought.

“I’m Prim n Proper, and I’m assigned to you as your attendant while you are not in your lessons.” She explained.

I sighed before looking at the deer; they were feeding me huge meals. I’ll be as big as this room in months if they keep it up. Now that I thought about it, Alagaesian dragons grew in size very quickly if they had enough to eat, with a deer a day I could grow to the size of an earth horse in six weeks, a small house by the end of fall. Summer was starting here.

“I’m going to grow very fast.” I chuckled before digging into the tasty browned meat.

“Once you're clean, we’ll get your scales to shine, and then you’ll move to you’re lessons.” Prim n Proper told me. “Then you’ll have the rest of your day off.”

“Good,” I said as I ripped a chunk off my meal.

After finishing, I was picked up in magic and dunked into the warm water, the blood from my meal washing off as I swam about. Prim grabbed some soap and started lathering it on me as I struggled by the bubbling soap and heating water. “Ack no! Soap is the devil!” I cried out as I tried escaping the bubbly cleaning item.

“I need to clean you, little one.” She told me as she scrubbed all the grime off of me. I struggled against her magic as she turned me this way and that before dunking me, the warm water removing all of the awful bubbles before I rose into the cold air and wrapped into a towel fluffy towel. I wormed in it as she walked me to the room Luna and Celestia had been teaching me.

And so my daily routine started. I had lessons in the morning after a dreadful, but oh so lovely warm bath, as well as enduring Prim n Proper’s oh so beautiful music. I went to the Library to learn more about what my future lessons might hold in the afternoon but kept the practical use within the teachings; I didn’t want to hurt myself. And had a discussion with Starswirl in the evening before the evening meal and then to bed.

It was like this for a couple of months. I learned light magic quickly, followed by fire magic, though the damage to the classroom had made me feel guilty for a few weeks.

“I’m sorry!” I cried out as I tried my best to help put out the flames as Luna cast a few ice spells on the burning chairs and table, the smell of smoke filling my nose and making me want to gag.

“Told you we should have taken this outside!” Luna scolded Celestia.

“It would spread faster outside!” Celestia countered as we fought the flames.

After that, it was ice which felt weird to use but had some fantastic uses. Well now, after two months, I had gotten down light and fire, but the ice was my struggling point.

“You can do this Saphira.” Celestia encouraged me as I tried forming an ice pillar.

“Svell!” I roared in my mind feeling a drain of power from myself making me feel weak as the pillar formed and speared into the roof of the classroom. I felt drained as I could feel bits of dust fall on me from the damaged ceiling stone. Celestia blinked before patting my back. I was now about to her chest with my head.

“A bit too much power. Maybe we should move to power control for a bit.” Luna said as she looked at the pillar of the ice making me grumble.

“She’s still learning Sister. But you’re right.” Celestia sighed as they got to work taking care of my mess.

“I think I might be understanding why Saphira in the books never used magic in such a manor.” I huffed knowing my lessons were going to slow now. “This is getting annoying.”

“Well, let's take a break,” Luna said, as she and her sister finished melting the pillar.

I sighed as I walked out with their permission. “I need some time to vent.”

“Be back tomorrow, we’ll start on control training,” Celestia told me. I still couldn’t talk to them yet, but they’ve learned how to read my body language.

This whole thing was all so annoying. I’m the most magnificent creature in this forest, and I’m struggling with control. I have inspired artists to craft my beautiful image on multiple mediums. I was a living piece of art to the ponies of this city!

“I need to practice opening my mind. It will help me talk to my Rider when we finally meet.” I muttered as I walked towards the forest. I was big enough to not worry about being a target by most predators. “Just a bit longer till I won’t have to worry hydra’s eating me.”

I didn’t get far from the city as found the valley I used practice opening my mind. I found the stump and sat down before breathing in and out, slowly opening my mind. I was still having trouble with focusing too much on one thing like the ants rushing through their caravans back to the colony.

I shook my head in frustration as I focused on one thing again, this time it which plants. Yes, plants think too, just far less complicated than animals. They even talk if you can figure out what pheromones means what, but they mostly warn, ‘hey, get away from my patch, this is my sun, or stop touching my root, or I’ll throw my ants at you!’

It all was irrelevant to my training, besides the weird tree below the Keep that just sang. I was interested in it the most and would listen to it for days, but that was not the point of the training. I was also putting my mind at risk by trying to connect to that tree with the distance there was from me to the tree, to say while it seemed like a fascinating song, the risk to listening closer was a bit too high.

I felt my body go stiff as I sat there for two hours, nearly listening to all in the grove twice before I fixated on something. At each, for those times I groaned in frustration and tried again. This whole training was open up my mind, to help weed out threats and such without exposing myself. I had gotten the mental Defenses training down...well started. I needed someone who could test them to know for sure.

I stopped the training after another hour passed, feeling myself start to doze more than training. Grunting from my stiff muscles, I got up and started moving through the forest to hunt, sniffing out a few injured Deer. I could smell them north of here, and my eyes could barely see them limping along. Some other predators were after them too.

I prowled through the forest, moving between the trees as I salked the deer. I kept my head on a swivel as I tracked the noisy competition trying to sneak up on the alert deer. I had been practicing my slaking, and even with my blue gem-like scales, I was able not to be spotted by either group.

I blinked, changing my vision from visible light to infrared, tracking the wood like beasts as they moved on the deer. I decided to let them do the work for me then scare the wolves away and claim the prize.

Once they killed the deer, I rushed in, casting minor fire spells to drive them away. I felt glee at seeing turn tail and bolt before I started eating the carcasses. It was not as good as seasoned meat, but I found pride in getting it by myself. I did find raw bloody venison more enjoyable though.

“Well, it is interesting to find another who can talk with their mind.” A voice said in my head making me freeze

A figure walked out of the brush, a wolf that was the size of a Dire Wolf. It had brown fur and mismatched eyes. The wolf looked me over as I moved to guard my catch.

“Oh, I wouldn’t take your catch!” He chuckled at me without moving his mouth. Shit, he was talking with his mind! “Yes, I am. You don’t have to exclaim it.” He said shaking his head as I put up my defenses.

He blinked at me before chuckling and probing them before easily slipping past them. “Seems you need training.” He told me.

“Yes,” I whined hoping he was not going to hurt me.

“I won’t hurt you. It’s rare to find one that can truly open their mind. How about I teach you how to do it properly and how to defend yourself.” He suggested.

“Who are you?” I said getting ready to run.

“I’m Concord.” He told me with a bow. “And I promise not to harm you.”

“So when do we start?” I asked trying to calm myself.

“For one, we’re going to work on the meditation of yours; you are too distracted.” He told me as I went back to eating. “Also, eat more before you start, using your mind can tire you quickly if not properly fed.”

“Ah, yes sir,” I said swallowing a chunk of meat.

“As for when. Tomorrow evening. I’ll meet you in the grove. If you do well, I might teach you some of my magic.” He chuckled before walking out of view. “For now eat and rest.”

I guess I have another teacher.

Finishing the three deer carcasses off, I headed back home, Ready for bed.

Waking up the next morning, I went through my routine and obediently listened to Luna’s lecture on Magical control, trying my best not to pass out at the end. It was mostly knowing about how much charge to give at the start of a spell; she also told me how usage of the Ancient Language could push too much power if you did now stem it at the beginning. It was useful to know boring to listen to and take notes on, and I three weeks of this course.

Once that was done I rushed to eat my dinner, asking for seconds, before heading out to the grove, I found my new teacher sitting on the stump with his eyes closed. I walked over to him to say hello but remembered I still didn’t understand how to do that.

“Hello, my student,” Concord said to my not opening his eyes or mouth. I could barely feel his mind touching mine.

“Hello, teacher,” I said with a bow.

“Now that you are here let’s begin. You are getting comfortable with opening your mind to animals and trees, that is commendable with being self-taught, but that means you’ve only stalled. Now let us begin.”

For the next hour, he had sat there pushing me if I ever gave too much focus on one thing. He told me that if I could stop him pushing me than I was ready to move one. These lessons were the last bit of my day for another month, wake, eat, lectures, free time, eat, mental training, sleep, and repeat.

Prim n Proper was also becoming a close friend of mine and took my jabs at her horrible singing in stride now. She was even getting better at it, though I still winced when she hit high notes. Prime was also trying to get me to learn manners, to no avail as I was of the opinion I didn’t need to be cultured, I was the most glorious thing in this land other should aspire to be like me!

Starswirl and I had started a game of chess, or the thing closest to it in this world. He has so far won every match, but Luna was giving me pointers. My progress was slow, but I had almost won that last match.

I was learning ice again after the month-long lesson on magical control. And I was doing much better than before, only had one small accident. To be fair, the window turned so cold that it shattered from brittleness. Still, I had to practice the minor blizzard spell on my off time.

“Gah!” I yelped as I froze my room. “Not again!”

“You’ll get it,” Prim told me as she used a minor fire spell to keep herself warm. “Are you starting the Catalyst right?” She asked me.

“I think so.” I sighed looking over the textbook and trying my best to figure out this damn book. “No, I’m not, I treating it like a fire Catalyst.” I groaned rubbing my head with a claw. “I think of Wild energy of a reaction. The book suggests it is wild wind, that is cold and still. Just a wild reaction of heat like fire makes for an uncontrollable blizzard spell.”

“And dragons always have trouble with ice. You have a mindset of fire because you breathe it.” Prim chuckled.

“I do not!” I huffed at her as I tried again. I did a little better in that I didn’t freeze the more, but the spell was still far too wild. “Arg! Why can’t I get this?!”

Prim chuckled before blinking at me. “Wait you’re talking!” She said in shock.

“Huh?” I asked as I looked over to her, I was much taller now, so I had to look down at her a bit. I was about the size of a small car now and had to have a new door made for the room. “Yeah, I, Uh, learned how to talk with my mind. Sorry if I’m invading your privacy.” I told her with a bow.

“How long could you do this?” She asked.

“About a week? Less than that. It’s risky to do, even riskier than just listening.” I explained. “I trust you though.”

“Have talked to anyone else?” She asked.

“One of the teachers. Not important Prim.” I chuckled at her.

“Not important?! You can talk and- Wait you said listening!” She exclaimed covering her head, her face heating up with a blush.

“I did not see your fantasies about princess Celestia.” I chuckled at her as she became redder. “I didn’t! Well, maybe a glimpse.”

“Don’t do that.” She huffed.

“I only see what you have at the surface. Not my fault your mind drifts to that!” I chuckled as she got embarrassed. “I could teach you mental defenses after I master it!”

“Fine, But don’t look at my mind if that pops up!” She told with an annoyed look.

“I normally don’t,” I explained to her as I laid down. “I hope to learn all I can so I can teach my Rider.”

After a pause.

“So, what’s with the medal of Maiden?” I asked her and earned a scream of anger and embarrassment.

“Look, I want some recognition for the work I do! Okay!” She yelled at me. “I also like Celestia over Luna. Luna is kinda creepy at times, with all the giggling and laughing.” Prime shuddered for a moment.

“You don’t like Luna?” I questioned as I kept trying the spell, getting better now, but still failing to keep it contained.

“No, well, I can tolerate her, like most of our city.” She sighed. “Celestia at least knows some manners and social conduct.”

“Sure she can be annoying, but she is a nice pony and a great artist!” I said defending my teacher.

“It all creepy,” Prim said with a shudder. “Look can we just go back to your training.”

“Alright.” I sighed still failing at the spell even as my tongue stuck out from an old habit of my human life. I did it when I was focused on something.

“I need to get back to work,” Prim said as she looked at windows. “I’ll bring by dinner for you at the usual time.”

“Yeah, okay,” I said looking over to her before dropping into the pool to get warm after freezing my room so many times.

I loved this thing, they cleaned it frequently, and it was always warm. I felt myself start to doze as tried getting up, the warm water combined with my aching body and drain of mana, mix in a combo that threatens to take me in the realms of sleep.

“No! I want to practice more!” I whined childishly as my mind fought to stay awake, but I lost the battle, my head resting on the edge as my eye closed, my last thoughts being of fluffy sheep to hunt.

Ch.5

I groaned as I tried casting the Blizzard spell again, and losing my control over it still. I moaned as I knew I had been stuck on this spell for two weeks now. My lessons have gone a bit further in theory, but Celestia and Luna wouldn’t let me practice more complex Ice spells before I mastered this one. Luna wanted me to show I had learned control of my magic before we moved to more complex ice magic then it was off to electricity.

I could not figure out how to control an Ice core accurately.

Luna sighed before saying. “Follow what I do and listen to how I do it.” She told me, her horn lighting up. “See the ice as flowing water first then…”

Following her lead I started thinking of flowing water, gagging it and slowing it down at the core of the spell. My magic flowed and waned with the spell as proper ice core formed at the middle. Luna then explained I needed to shatter the heart slowly like a wind rushing through a cloud. Watching the core break and make snow I smile in the glee of the less explosive methods I had only be able to do for weeks. I looked to Luna to give thanks and was stunned by how she looked in falling snow.

“Very Good Saphira, now if we speed it up and you can keep control, we’ll move onto higher Ice spell.” She told me with a beaming smile. “Nice to see you improve. It’ll be good to see you master this art.”

“Thanks.” I wrote to her.

I think I’m blushing.

“Well now, let's get on to Ice spike,” Luna told me as she turned to a new book. “Now, Ice spike takes more energy even if it is simpler than a minor Blizzard spell; it does need you a solid spike of ice then propel it at least several miles per hour at a target.” She explained creating a statue. “We’ll use this as target practices, and I’m putting a shield around the room, so a stray spike doesn’t hurt anyone.”

“Okay,” I said going over the page, noting how similar it was to an ice core base for a Blizard Catalyst but without the shattering needed for the spell to work. Instead, I had to keep it stable and spin it until I got a nice sharp spike, once that was finished, I used magic to push it as hard as I could at my target.

I started the spell as a minor blizzard spell but stopped short of shattering it. Spinning and lengthening the core into a spike was slow needing me to keep the whole thing together as it wanted to break apart from the spin. I growled as I tried pushing it away once I finished crafting the spike only for it to fly a foot and crash down to the ground shattering.

“Well, this is why we practice. Again.” She told me as I tried the spell again.

The next few hours had me practicing this spell, slowly getting the hang of it. By the time Celestia came by for my flying lessons, I was launching the spike. I was still missing, but at least I could initiate the spike. I had winced at the sound of the ice shattering from each impact.

“You’ll get the hang of it,” Luna told me as I got up.

“Thank you, Teacher,” I said bowing to her before heading off with Celestia which was a little hard, but my growth seems to have slowed if only a little. I could still walk through the castle, but by the end of the year, I may have to live outside or have a new building built for me. “So more wing exercises?” I asked Celestia as we walked to an open courtyard.

“Yes, I don’t think you’re strong enough yet actually to attempt full-fledged flight.” She told me as I sighed in annoyance. But I remember my first attempted had me face planting into a cabbage cart.

“I still remember the Cabbages.” I wrote with a groan as I started doing push-ups with my wings, working the muscles in the limbs as Celestia corrected my form. “Still don’t think I’ll have that growth spurt?”

“Yes, magic doesn’t make mass. But we’ll see once I feel you’re ready.” She told me. “Now we’re moving from twenty push up to thirty, if you stop you’re starting over, or until I say you can stop.”

I nodded already on ten. Celestia was more experienced in flying, so she took over that bit of my teachings. But she was very strict on it almost like a drill Sergeant, not like her methods of teaching magic.

I groaned and huffed from the strain as I worked the muscles in my wings hard. The joints in my wings ached, my back complained about how hard I was pushing it, and I swore I could feel my blood pumping through them. It was tiring, but it was making my wings stronger, and the way I was weaving in and out of the forest while I hunted far easier, using my wings and tail to balance myself more and more for the sharper turns.

I had stopped scavenging kills two weeks after my Physical Education started, finding it more comfortable to hunt my prey down. I am also sensing with my mind much faster, seeing the injured and sickly victim more quickly as I saw my targets without looking. But once I started flying than I could hunt, my dreams showed me how — the ferocity I would do it with, and cold glee in my skills.

“Okay, that’s thirty. Time for some running!” She said with glee as I panted for air.

“Huh?” I groaned before I started following her for the run. Crap I’ve been doing this for a while now but I was still getting used to it, but I was trying. Running for a half hour made me collapse, and I was given over to Starswirl for philosophy. Well, after an hour of rest from having to RUN for an hour. “Crap, I hate running.” I groaned as I walked to Starswirl’s room.

“My former students working you hard?” He chuckled as I sat down. I nodded as he smirked before going into theories from earlier wizards. He was very proud of proving most of them wrong. “Now we are covering some broader History! Today is the founding of Equestria Region, and it’s city-states.”

“Wait, this whole region is called Equestria? But you all live in city-states?” I questioned.

“Well yes. Even after the three tribes united after the event of the great freeze, we still had many ideological differences. Take Spart Tan., a place of most military pegasi, but they also have unicorns and Earth ponies. They all believe the strength is best, quick wits, philosophy, and equality of sexes.” She explained.

“Is it not the same here?” I asked.

“We believe in Philosophy, equality, science, and loving common understanding.” He told me.

“And what of the Crystal Empire?” I asked.

“Well, for the most part, they believe many of the same things as us, though they also believe our emotions can change fate. They’re a weird bunch in my opinion and have been known to isolationist even if they hold the biggest land out of any of the City States.” He explained.
"Pranch, on the other hand, revokes modern notion science and abhors magic, stating both go against the face of an all maker, an Alicorn name Faust.”

“That doesn’t make much sense with how this world is.” I wrote in confusion.

“Yes, But religion is as always confusing.” He sighed. “But they have made advances in technology that even we struggle to understand."

“Wait really?” I asked.

“It’s mostly technology that suppresses magic.” He said with a sigh.

“So avoid if at all possible?” I asked.

“Yes, now to move onto the last of our close neighbors, the Lupus, who worship a Fertility Goddess by the name of Wairt," he said as I kept taking notes. “They are a bit of a mystery to us, hiding in the wilds to the west. What we know the most is that they are Ponies, and they are rumored to eat meat, be very sexually open, seem to lack issues with congenital disabilities.”

“Huh?” I questioned on a note

“Yes, I said that right. Lupus are one of the know City States of Ponies to survive Discord.” Star Swirl explained, looking at his notes. “For the most part the Lupus state is strange even by the standards of Discord, but the likelihood you’ll meet them is extremely low.”

“Oh,” I stated tilting my head, well that seems odd. Why would they be known for sex and high birthrates?

“Now onto mathematics,” He said with a big grin, and I groaned, rubbing my face.

“Bleh.” I groaned through my mind as I walked through the forest. Currently, I was hunting down a deer. Why so much math! I hate math!”

“Oh not liking your studies?” Concord chuckled as he walked into view, not scaring the deer at least.

“Yes, not exactly as much as I’m making it out to be. Math is just boring.” I huffed as slowed my stalking turning to Concord. “What lesson is for today?”

“Probing another’s mind. We won’t get into attacks yet, maybe in a couple of months.” He told me as we walked, each staying quit as we stalked the herd. “The deer will be a good example; once I spook them, you will have to keep a probe going in the mind of your target, either calm it or focus on the probe to track its movements and find where the herd is going.”

“Wha?” We began to question before Concord howled and spooked the Deer, making us panic and latch onto the mind of a deer, keeping my mind connected to it as it bolted. “Concord!” I growled in my mind, spooking the deer more as I started running after my meal.

Keeping the connection was hard. I was faster than the herd, but I had a harder time navigating the forest without flight. Growling we climbed into the trees, almost breaking one as we started using them to glide through the woods, my wings having just enough room to spread. Won’t be able to do this in a few months and I’ll have to fly over the canopy to get this speed. I would still be able to walk through the forest, but I could use the same paths as I do now.

“Shit!” I yelped as my wing clipped a branch and I fell to the forest floor. Groaning, I felt the Deer was getting away, making me rush to my feet and attacks it’s mind, forcing it to stay still as I rushed for it.

Its mind screamed and lashed out at me, the beast forcing its limbs to move by inches as I struggled to keep hold. I could swear it was lashing at my probe with red hot pokers as it tried to break my command to stand still, making huffed as I used a lot of energy to hold it. If this was just a panicked beast with barely any understanding of what was happening to it, what would a highly intelligent, or even highly trained individual be?

Grunting like I had kicked, in the stomach, I found my prey frozen still mid-step, hooves struggling to move. The beast grew more panicked as it bleated at the sight of me, it’s herd long gone as I winced from it thrashing even harder, making me my recoil in pain as I tried keeping up the command. It got a few steps as it lashed at my probe, before I struck, my neck acting like a coiled spring and my mouth a vice as I grabbed its throat and twisted.

The beast’s mind flicked as it lost all connection to its body and I felt its blood enter my mouth. The deer struggled only a few moments longer, before going still and I let my jaw relax, dropping my meal before I started ripping away at its flesh. I was so tired from just trying to keep it still that I would need at least two more deers to regain what I used up.

“That was very good.” Concord chuckled as he walked into view earning a growl from me. The wolf chuckled heartily. “You need to learn to track with all your senses, your mind included. And the fact you used your probe to Command the deer even with no training in mental attacks is impressive.”

“I wouldn’t have needed to if you hadn’t howled.” I huffed through our mental link. “You still never explained to me why you could also talk with your mind, you are not like the ponies who are anthro, but a beast almost like me.”

“In due time my student. You have another meal to catch after right? And all that meat will slow you, better hurry up and start tracking them.” Concord chuckled as he vanished into the underbrush.

“Ass.” I huffed as I ripped into the deer feeling like just one more would work.

After finishing the deer off, barely any meat or bones left, I looked about with my mind again, noting some scavengers waiting for me to go. Huffing smoke and turned and left feeling the pests rushing to my scraps as I found the herd again. They were still on the move, but at a much slower pace.

“Should be easier to track if Concord doesn’t howl.” I huffed as I started stalking them, going over each to find my target.

Weaving through the tree, the deer were two miles away when I caught wind of their scent. I picked my target, a fat plump deer that seemed to have a failing heart. It would be easy to chase down if it bolted, not as hard as the last one, hopefully.

I growled a branch broke and spooked the herd again, this time from a pony picking flowers. I had latched onto my target and rushed after it, keeping myself hidden from both its senses and mind. Keeping my presences hidden was hard as I could tell where the beast was looking, it’s full range making it hard to stay in its blind spot as it turned it’s ear’s and turned it’s head to try and find the threat. Luckily it knew it was looking for wolves, so its glims of me were not seen too much as a threat.

I ended up cornering the sickly deer when I spooked it at just the right moment, forcing images of stalking wolves into its mind’s eye and driving it back into a cliff. It bleated in panic as looked down at the wolves in front as I came from the side, slow and steady. Taking the deer by surprise, it jumped right into my attack as I tricked its mind into thinking a wolf was coming for it from the front.

Killing it didn’t take much more energy than the other, even less really. Tricking a mind into seeing something that was not there was a little easier than trying to command it. It was gratifying to rip into the deer’s flesh and eat having learned a few tricks from this. I wonder if that was Concord plan for introducing me to mental combat.

Finishing my meal I heard Concord walk back into view as I licked my teeth clean.

“Very good, trickery is much easier than forcing commands on others. But while it won’t work on everyone, it can be beneficial to get information or turning someone to your way of thinking. It’s much like tricking someone in a debate to your way of thinking to the point they forget they’re arguments.” Concord explained.

“Yeah, tough as hell to pull off though.” I groaned as I got up. “I need to go home and sleep.” I yawned.

“Well, you did finish your lesson.” He chuckled. “Go head my Student.”

“Thanks.” I groaned heading head, belly full, and my eyelids heavy.

I groaned as I am rubbing my full belly and studied my scrolls and books, having a few weeks go by and moving onto Electricity after mostly mastering ice. I got the basics down at least for fire and ice spells. I don’t think I’ll ever be an expert in ice magic, but it’s good to know it.

“So full.” I huffed rubbing my belly. “Why did I eat those cakes!”

“Tummy ache?” Luna chuckled. “I never thought you’d take that dare to eat Sister’s cakes!”

I glared at her as my belly gurgled in protest. Guess it didn’t like sweets anymore. “No more cake ever!” We lamented, writing it down for Luna.

“I can guess!” She chuckled as she looked up to my head, which as now higher than her. I was almost reaching the top of the halls now if I stood on my hind legs but it would be winter before living in the Castle would be a real problem. “Anything else you want to do?”

“Nooooooooooo!” I huffed, shoving the note into her muzzle.

“Alright, So you don’t want to play chess?” She chuckled bringing a box out of nowhere confusing me.

“Where were you hiding that?” We wrote down.

“Magic!” She chuckled making us huff. “Oh please, you know we can do almost anything with magic, like teleporting objects. Now do you want to play or not?”

“Fine.” We sighed letting her set up the board. I just laid on my upset stomach as she put herself as white and me as black.

“You know how to play?” She asked me.

“Yes, Celestia taught me,” I explained with a half-truth, I knew most rules from human life...I think. Celestia explained the rest and a few difference in the pony version. Mostly they were name changes. Queen is now a wizard, and King is Princess in this version for example.

The first few opening moves I was doing well, took a couple of her Guardsmen, even one Commander, both prices being the versions of pawns and knights for this game. Luna was chuckling the whole time before my Guards starting being taken by her general and Wizard.

I panicked as started trying to lay traps, working as I might take the Wizard off the field but just kept having my pieces taken by her generals and other Knights, She also held the edges central control with her Bastions. It didn't take her long to make my Wizard and put me in check, though I was carving her defense, she kept outthinking me.

“You need practice.” Luna chuckled, shifting her legs and an odd scent coming off.

“Do you have perfume on, Luna?” I wrote down, and she blushed.

“I-yeah, I was going to go to the market, maybe attract a Stallion.” She told me. “Didn’t work that well.”

“Oh,” I said feeling some sympathy for her. “I’m sure you’ll find someone Luna.”

“Thank you, Saphira.” Luns chuckled before declaring. “Checkmate!”

“Dammit!” I said with a huff.

“Another round?” Luna asked resting the board.

“Sure,” I said watching her as I relaxed the best I could with stomach pains. This match went much the same as the last, with Luna won the game much quicker. “So you and Celestia looking for mates?”

“Well, um, yes.” Luna chuckled nervously.

“Cool.” I said, “I've not interested myself, even knowing I am the only one of my kind.”

“Oh? Why?” Luna asked tilting her head ever so to her right.

“Well for one, I’m barely a year old.” I chuckled. Sure was about as big as a large car but I was not mature yet.

“Oh right! When do you think that might be?” She asked.

“Uh, very personal question, but I think my two and a half? Three at most.” I explained, finding her waiting patiently.

“That fast!” She said shocked. I gave her a deadpan look and pointed at my body. “Right, you’re growing fast.” She said blushing.

“Mostly consistent with my food, I’ve slowed down in growth a bit compared to the rapid first two months,” I explained. “If I was gorging on food for four hours a day every day, I would be much larger already, and still not sexually ready.”

“Wait really?” She asked.

“While my growth is rapid and I grow huge, very fast, I can’t mature fast. The only help I have with my intelligence is my ancestral memory in my blood. Along with that, you’re teaching and my kind naturally high intelligence has helped grow in vocabulary and understanding rapidly.” I wrote down using coupled papers to do so from my small notepad. “I’m still a baby by my species standard.”

“You’re almost the size of a mid-adult dragon?! And you’re a baby?!” Luna said blinking in shock.

“Yes, my kind never stop growing. I could be the size of mountains by my hundreds.” I explained making her eye twitch as she read the note.

“I-you...what?!” She said.

“Checkmate.” I wrote down with a smug grin as I put my Wizard next to her princes who was trapped by my General and Bastion on either side.

“AH! CHEATER!” She huffed.

“You’re the that stopped paying attention to my pieces!” I chuckled leaning back, wincing from my belly’s protest. Okay, no more sweets, ever.

“Bah!” She huffed as I started chuckling at her. “Anyway, want to come to the market with me next time?”

“I would scare off guys not bring them to you!” I chuckled.

“I know, I just want to spend time with my friend.” She told me.

“I guess.” I chuckled with the note I wrote, and Luna punched me.

“It’s true! You’re my friend!” She chuckled before we got back to our game.

“So when should We go?” I asked in my next note.

“Hmmm, two weeks?” She told me.