“You want me to what?” Steve asked, eyebrows raised in surprise and shock. Zecora sighed, then repeated herself.

“I need you to gather dragon scales for one of my brews.”

Steve sighed as he waved a hand. “Yeah, I got that, I just needed to make sure I heard you right. But where do you expect me to get scales? Of the two dragons I know, one wants to kill or capture me and the other is a friend. There’s no way I’m going to ask Abyss for her scales.”

Zecora merely smirked “Oh? For what reason is that? Perhaps, you are too embarrassed do so?” At Steve’s glare, she laughed. “Oh, I jest. Regardless, there is no reason to go to either. There is a cave up on the nearby mountain where a dragon once slept, before Twilight and her friends removed him. There should be residual scales left over, unless something happened.”

“Got it.” Steve said as he got up and withdrew his sword. “I’ll get your materials.”

“Do be careful, Steve. I consider you a good friend, and the Everfree is dangerous on a good day.”

“Don’t worry, Zecora.” Steve smirked back at the zebra. “I’ve been living here long enough to handle myself. Besides, Thorn isn’t the first dragon I’ve ever faced, nor the toughest, so if one has taken up residence again, I’ll be fine.” He opened the door.

“You’ve faced a dragon before him? When?” She asked, voice showing her curiosity. Steve opened his mouth to answer, but hesitated.

“Uh, it’s kind of a long story.”

“Well, the brew can wait a bit. I, myself am a sucker for a good tale.” She gestured to her dining table. “Come and sit. I shall put on some tea.” She went over to her stove and pulled out a tea-kettle, before filling it with water from the water bucket she kept.

Sighing with a small smile, Steve walked over to the table and sat down in one of her too-small chairs that he’d gotten used to over time. After a few moments of waiting, Zecora trotted in and sat down across from him.

“The tea will be ready soon.” She said, before gesturing to him with a hoof.

He nodded. “Alright then. Now, let me begin my tale. A tale called, ‘The Tale of the Ender Dragon.’”

The Tale of the Ender Dragon

Long, long ago, in the land of Minecraftia, the was a girl. Not very much is known about this girl. Even her name itself was lost to time.

“Though I have recently learned that the girl’s name, but that will be revealed later.” Steve commented, to which Zecora hummed in response.

She was a normal Minecraftian, that lived in a normal village full of Minecraftians. She had a loving family, with good neighbors and great friends. Life was good for her.

However, as all things, it was not to last.

It began as a normal day like all the others. The sun was shining high in the sky. A steady winds blew through the grass. She thought it would be another normal day. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

The first warning came when the ground beneath their feet rumbled, like that of a terrible earthquake. The winds suddenly picked up, going from a gentle breeze to a harsh gale. Dark clouds blew in, blocking out the sun and turning day into night.

Not long after, a terrible explosion was heard. Those who witnessed the explosion saw that a large, gaping hole had formed in the village wall. From it, monsters poured forth, monsters of the most terrible variety. Zombies shambled forward, clumsy arms outstretched. Skeletons snuck on thin, white legs, arrows knocked in their bows. Spiders, creepers, endermen, all types of monsters invaded, destroying homes and killing the townspeople, left and right.

In the ensuing panic, the girl desperately tried to find some place to hide. It was only by luck she thought to jump into the town well, which was relatively deep, making for a long fall. Inside, all she could do was float in the water and listen to the chaos going on above.

After a while, and the racket and chaos had died down, the girl finally felt up to the task of checking to see if it was safe for her to come out. Climbing out, she was utterly shocked at what she found.

The entire village was, gone. The bodies littered the streets, blood pooling beneath them all. The ruins of homes, still burning, released black smoke into the already dark sky. Nothing moved, except for the girl. She climbed over the well wall, feet making a dull thudding noise as she landed clumsily on the road.

The strength faded from her body as she fell to her knees, eyes looking over the horror in an unblinking manner. After a few moments, her face fell and tears slowly made their way down her cheeks.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps registered in her ears. She didn’t bother looking up, not having the strength to do so. The footsteps came close, then stopped a short distance from her.

“You survived the attack. I congratulate you.” A deep voice spoke. Confused, the girl looked up. Her eyes were met by the sight of a tall man, dressed in blue jeans and a sky-blue shirt. However, to her wonder, his eyes were pupil-less, instead glowing white. He grinned down at her with pearly-white teeth. “I wanted to kill you at first, but perhaps you could serve some purpose for me.”

Before she could react, he touched her shoulder and everything went black.

“What happened to the young one?” Zecora asked, eyebrow raised.

“I’m getting to that.” Steve responded.

The next thing she knew, she was waking up. Her eyes felt heavy. Struggling, she opened them, and was met by a shocking sight. She was in a barren landscape, comprised of white stone. Black pillars stretched into the dark sky. She tried to get up, but the girl found she was unable to move. She felt cold, and disconnected. No matter how much she tried, she could move her body. The girl knew, somehow, she wasn’t in her own body now.

Suddenly, she moved, but it wasn’t by her will. The body she resided in stood, hunched over on all fours. She felt large wings spread from her back.

‘What am I? Where am I? What did that man do to me?’ She thought.

Suddenly, there was movement ahead of her. To her shock, a man stepped forward. A Minecraftian, dressed in iron armor, wielding a glowing blue sword. His bright green eyes stared at her with determination and anger.

“Dragon!! I am Brett, from the Kingdom of Ringwood! Your death will be by my hand!!” The man shouted, raising his blade.

‘Dragon!? I’m a dragon!? Wait, don’t kill me! I’m not really a dragon!!’ She desperately yelled in her mind. Unfortunately, the only thing that came from her body’s mouth was a oud and vicious roar. She leapt forward, large black claws coming into vision as her wings. Brett charged forward, and the fight began,

The battle was fierce, and Brett, armed as he was, was underprepared for the battle. After a hard fight, he fell from his many injuries, leaving the girl-turned-dragon victorious. But Brett wouldn’t be the only one. Many Minecraftians journeyed to her domain, adequately named “The End” to fight and kill her. But they were never able to. Years, decades past, and her kill count only increased, the girl trapped inside the dragon, unable to escape. She thought, for a time, that was how things would be, for the rest of her time.

But, one day, something happened. A Minecraftian, shrouded in glowing blue armor and wielding a diamond sword. He didn’t speak a word, his indigo eyes staring at her glowing purple one. He raised his sword and charged.

* * * * *

“And I think I should end it there for right now.” Steve spoke as he got up from his chair. Zecora looked at the Crafter with her mouth open.

“Wait! You can’t end the story there, can you!?” She said loudly as he walked over to her front door.

He chuckled and looked back at her. “Sorry, but as I said, it’s a long story. I’m only about half-way done. I want to get the scales before it gets dark. How about I tell you the rest when I get back?”

She huffed, but smiled. “That will do, Steve. See you soon.”

“See ya, Zee.” He waved at the zebra, then opened her door and walked out.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading and be sure to comment what you all think. If any of you have ideas for future chapters, be sure to tell me!