The Dragon Withinby Silent StormChaptersI-IntroductionsII-Invisible ExistenceIII-RevealedIV-Nightmares and Nightly MessagesI-Introductionsthud. Thud. THUD. Silent Storm stirred from the rock formation he called a bed, the sound of repeated impacts waking him from his sleep. It’s still light out, he thought groggily, pulling his small frame up on to his hooves. He walked outside of the cave he was currently living in, and observed a large wolf-like creature repeatedly running into a tree, shaking it quite a bit. Looking up into the tree, he saw a similar, but smaller wolf-like creature, and assumed that the larger wolf was its parent. Despite being seven years old, Storm had never known his parents. A pack of wolves had found a foal in the middle of the Everfree Forest and decided to take care of it until it could fend for itself. Storm barely remembered the wolves, as they left him to survive when he was four. He had managed to survive by scavenging for edible plants and running from any creature that wanted some fresh meat. Being one of the smallest creatures in the Everfree forest was hard. He learned that hiding was usually better than running and now instinctively hid from any animal he saw in the forest, regardless of their size, except for wolves. This instinct made him naturally timid and shy among other ponies, but they rarely saw him anyway. He approached the wolf parent and pointed slightly higher on the tree, and made a whacking motion with his hooves. The wolf turned to observe the strange pegasus. His coat was a dull gray-green and its eyes a sky blue, but the wolf stopped and stared for a moment at his wings, mane, and tail. His mane and tail were a brilliant blue, and had the appearance of fire, flowing and flickering on the midday sun. His wings didn’t appear to be real at first, but the closer the wolf got, the more he realized they were real. The pony had dragon wings. As soon as the wolf discovered this, it recoiled and growled at Storm, in a ready stance to attack if necessary. When Storm saw the wolf's reaction his eyes widened, and he quickly retreated to his cave. Peering from behind a rock, he saw the wolf hit the tree where he had suggested. The smaller wolf fell and was caught by its parent. Both wolves walked off into the forest, the parent nuzzling its child. Silent Storm felt a sudden loneliness, but brushed it aside, his mind again survival-focused. He retreated his bed of rock, and drifted into a dreamless sleep. When Storm awoke again for the second time, it was dark outside. He plodded outside and stared into the night sky. I've never seen so many stars before, he thought as he craned his neck upwards, I bet it looks great from higher on the mountain, Entranced by the beautiful view, he began to climb the mountain, jumping from rock to rock and going higher than he'd ever been before. After awhile of climbing, he finally stopped in a large, flat, grassy area with a completely unobstructed view of the moon, which was full, as well as the stars. Letting go of all his fears and concerns, he plopped down and stared at the moon. As he stared, he swayed with the grass in the breeze trying to become one with the night. He sat there for many hours watching the moon and stars shift across the sky, and when the moon was three quarters of its way across the sky, a midnight blue alicorn flew into the sight of Silent Storm. Never having seen an alicorn before, he was mystified by her grace, and how she blended in with the night, yet remained distinct. Several seconds passed until Silent Storm realized she was flying toward him. He panicked and ran to hide behind a rock, but found none. The alicorn landed and looked down at Storm's small frame with a stern look in her eyes. Silent Storm stared back silently, taking all of her in. Her coat was a midnight blue, her eyes the same shade, but deeper somehow, as if she held the whole of night in them. Her mane was an even more striking shade of blue, and it flowed like a river. She had a faint aroma of the mountain's morning dew and the moonflowers he saw blooming in the night. He took an immediate liking to her, but in the back of his mind he knew never to judge on a first impression. He observed a reflective obsidian tiara resting on her head, and his eyes widened as he realized that she must be royalty, but being young, and not learned in proper etiquette, this just made him stare more. "Well?" The Queen of Night before him said, "Are you not going to greet your Princess?" Silent Storm just stared back. He looked past the alicorn's legs and saw that the moon had almost completed its journey across the sky. He glanced behind him and saw the sun with its revealing, blinding light and departed without a word, starting to climb down the mountain. ~~~~~~ "Cease your movement, child!" Luna roared, her voice shaking the trees around the the edge of the clearing. She sighed and thought, now even the children won't talk to me? Then, she felt a slight tug on her mane and looked down. The strange little foal was standing there. As she watched, he beckoned her to follow with his hoof, then continued down the mountain. Luna opened her mouth wide and let out a yawn, peeking back at the sun like the foal had. Maybe he has a spare bed I can use for today, she thought hopefully, and followed the colt down the mountain. The sun was almost risen by the time they reached the cave's entrance. The colt motioned from Luna to a bed-like rock formation covered in some very soft-looking moss, and then curled up on the cavern floor and shut his eyes. He sleeps during the day, like me, she thought, a hint of a smile on her lips. She lay on the rock-bed which was softer than she'd expected. It won't hurt to stay here for a day. Her eyes closed, and the day passed by in the slow blink of an eye. Luna awoke at nightfall and did her usual routine of stretching, managing her severe case of bed-mane with magic, and raising the moon. She flew outside into the cool night air and grunted with the effort of bringing that huge old chunk of rock into the sky, which in the end just reflected her sister's sun's light back onto Equestria less brightly. That thought giving her face a scowl, she returned to the cave where the colt still slept. Wondering how he got there, living alone on a mountain in the Everfree forest she made a decision. Luna lowered her head and placed her horn lightly on the colt's forehead and closed her eyes. She extended her consciousness into his mind, and recoiled at what she found at first. Survival. That was all that he strove for. As she searched deeper, into his memories, she found not a single other pony. No memories of parents of friends or even another forest-dweller. Her heart softened toward the foal, and she opened her eyes. The colt's eyes stared at her from less than an inch away. She jumped back, startled. "L-luna" the colt said, and a smile played across his lips, as if amused by the sound of his own voice. "Y-you're like me Luna. S-so few friends." Luna stared in shock at the foal at first, but shook off the feeling, It's common knowledge I don't have many friends, right? she asked herself. "Y-you who lives in the shadow of your sister, you who w-wants to be accepted, but is not," the colt said, the smile gone, "The one who you fear most, this mare of the nightly moon, is still inside of you, faint, but real." The shock hit Luna again, and her veins felt as cold as ice. "H-how can you know that?" she stammered. The smile returned to the foal's face, "A d-door once opened can be walked through both ways, your m-majesty," he said giving a small bow. "While in your memories, I found these... words. These w-wonderful, horrible, joyous, depressing w-words." he said, a sparkle in eye, "And n-now I can say, hello, it was very nice to meet you, princess." ~~~~~~ Silent Storm started toward the entrance of the cave and heard a voice behind him. "Come with me," Luna said, "Back to Canterlot castle. I'm not quite sure what to make of you, but I know you're alone. You need friends. Trust me, even the few friends I have keep me from going crazy." Silent Storm stopped and considered the request. Friends. The word was so foreign to him. Friend, Companion, Ally, what did these words mean to him? He thought for a great while and finally came to a conclusion. "I w-will go with you," he said, looking sheepishly down toward his wings, "B--but how will we get there? I c-can't fly yet." "Climb onto my back," Luna said, and lowered herself to the ground. Silent Storm climbed onto her back, and once he was on, Luna suddenly broke out into a sprint for the cave opening, then leaped into the air, wings spread, and took off, nothing more than a streak in the sky as she accelerated in the air. As soon as the rushing night air hit Silent Storm, all the seriousness he had acquired from Luna's memories washed away, leaving a scared foal on the back of a racing alicorn. He hugged Luna's neck tightly with his hooves, and squeezed his eyes shut as they sped toward what would soon be Storm's new home. II-Invisible ExistenceSilent Storm tentatively opened one eye as they approached the castle. Nopony was in the courtyards, nor in the palace gardens, except a few guards. As they alighted on a balcony, Storm stepped off of Luna's back and looked around at the monstrosity of stone he stood upon and was surrounded by. Out of pure habit he searched the balcony for places he could hide. There were a couple of potted plants roughly his size, but other than that he saw no cover. Luna led him through a door, down a corridor, around several turns he couldn't remember if he tried, and into a room that was empty except for a bed and a large window. "You can stay here until arrangements are made," Luna said glancing away from Storm for a second. Storm saw his chance and silently slipped through the doorway while she looked away, using the moment of distraction to disappear. He contentedly plodded down the halls of the castle, searching for something interesting to see. He wandered past room after room filled with everything from agricultural equipment to architectural models. After passing a room filled with the most odd-looking paintings he'd ever seen, his stomach growled, and he remembered he hadn't eaten anything in awhile, so he decided to look for a food-filled room. He sauntered on looking for a snack to satiate his hunger, and after several minutes a delicious aroma tingled his nose. He followed the smell, and eventually found its source: a great big room which produced a great clattering noise that became louder the closer he got to it. He peeked around the corner of the room's door and was taken aback by what he saw. The room was filled with both unicorns and earth ponies, but no pegasai, bustling about, shouting to each other about things Storm couldn't understand. Near the doorway, there was a shiny flat rectangular thing upon which sat medium-sized mounds of golden-brown puffy stuff that emanated heat. He wasn't completely sure what they were, but they smelled delicious, but he was unsure of how to get at them without anypony seeing him. He thought back to how he took berries and things from the animals in the forest without being seen. Rule one: distraction, he thought. He peeked around the doorway again, and saw a large cylindrical thing that steamed from the top. Nopony seemed to be paying attention to it. He also saw that one of the little torches that lit the castle halls and rooms hung directly above it and was loose in its holder. A plan formed in his mind. He found a pebble in one of the corridors he'd walked through, then went back to the tasty-smelling place. He threw the pebble as hard as he could at the loose torch and the small stone struck it right in the holder. The torch swayed and then fell into the cylinder, making a great hiss, as well as sending up a large cloud of steam. As all heads turned, Silent Storm snatched a couple of the golden lumps and left the room. Rule two: evasion, he thought, and retreated to the room with the odd paintings where he munched happily on his snack. After his snack was finished, Storm resolved to find a map, as that would make exploring this gargantuan place much easier. On his quest for a snack he had seen a massive room filled with paper and books. He went back to that room, and was surprised to see other ponies huddled in various corners with either a candle or a glowing horn to light their books. He froze for a moment, wondering if any of them had seen him, but they didn't react, so he slipped past them toward the shelves as quickly and quietly as he could. He searched the seemingly endless rows of books for anything that looked like a map, and eventually chanced upon a door with a sign that read "Maps" This'll be easy, thought Storm. He pushed open the door, expecting a closet sized room. His jaw dropped as the door opened into a room almost the size of the one he'd come out of. Well, I'd better get started then, he thought. He walked down row after row, searching for the right map. Ponyville? no. Phillydelphia? no. Cloudsdale? no. Castles? no... wait, CASTLES! Silent Storm backed up to the sign that read "Castles". It was still a large section, but at least it cut down his search. He plopped down and scanned each scroll one at a time. Neuschwanstein Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Urubaen Castle, Alnwick Castle, Tintagel Castle, Canterlot Castle! He dropped the rest of the scrolls and examined the last one. The noisy food place he'd been at before was apparently called "Bakery One." He became enthralled by the map, staring down at the diagrams and labels, trying to memorize the castle's layout. After several minutes, he realized this venture was hopeless, so he tucked the map under his wing and walked out of the...Library, as the map had called it. Back in the corridors, Silent Storm looked at the lower floors of the map and saw the word "Armory and Smith" over a particularly large room. He thought it seemed interesting, so with the help of the map, he found the nearest stair-case and walked down toward it. He found the room after getting lost a couple of times in the basements of the castle. Nopony seemed to be around, so he just walked right in. Storm had never seen so much metal in all his life. He saw what appeared to be metal ponies of all size and shapes, but without faces. As he walked farther he saw all sorts of weapons; he saw clubs and maces, swords and shields, and bows and arrows, but what really captivated him were the knives. Big, small, curved, straight, short, long, thick and thin, they were all there. He was looking upon their shining blades, when he heard a crash of falling armor from behind him. "What do you think you're doing here, sonny?!" an angry voice shouted from behind him. Not even looking back, Silent Storm sprinted away, the voice still shouting after him, but not pursuing him. His heart thumping, he galloped back to the room Luna had shown to him. He opened the door, and Luna was there, waiting for him, the same stern look he'd seen on her face when they'd met. "Do not run off again," she said, her voice as stern as her look, "You have much to learn if you are to stay here, and one thing you should know is not to run off while someone is talking to you." Silent Storm didn't pay much attention as Luna launched into a lengthy lecture about astronomy and the planets and stars that he saw every night in the sky, but after awhile with nothing to do anyway, he listened, absorbing every word. Once about two hours had passed, Luna stopped and looked at Silent Storm, content that she had sufficiently taught him on the subject. Hopefully I can get him caught up enough to go to a school here in Canterlot, she thought to herself. Once Luna stopped, Silent Storm yawned and curled up on his bed to sleep. He felt Luna give him a little pat with her hoof, and heard her walk out the door. He closed his eyes and began to drift into sleep, and a small grin appeared on his face, as he thought, what will I do tomorrow? Over the next few years, Silent Storm explored the castle so much, he knew it better than Luna herself, and yet he made sure that nopony knew that he existed. Luna did manage to catch him up to school-level, but then immediately surpassed his grade-level and went on to advanced learning, covering complicated maths and science. It was not until he was eleven years old that he started to go out during the day. Instead of sleeping entirely during the day, he slept from ten in the morning to three in the afternoon so that he could be awake and aware during both parts of the day. It was harder to remain unseen during the day, but Silent Storm managed fairly well. He found that blending in with a crowd could be just as effective as hiding around a corner, it was all in how you carried yourself. Keep your chin high, and your stature tall, and ponies are going to look at you. Keep a relaxed posture and a slight slouch, but not too much of one, and most ponies will let their eyes pass right over you. Surprised that a pony with dragon wings and a head of blue fire could keep such a low profile, Silent Storm got into the habit of sneaking in to places. He was very good at it, and hadn't gotten caught yet, but all streaks must come to an end eventually. It had been a good day so far, and Luna decided to forgo the teaching session that day, as she had some important business to attend to. Silent Storm had heard a buzz of talk about a political trade meeting happening that day in the main meeting room of the castle. He wanted to see why so many people were talking about it, so he sneaked into the room before the meeting started, and climbed up into a shadowed area in the rafters he'd often hid in before to observe other happenings in that particular room. Confident he was well-hidden, he waited for the meeting to start. Only a couple of minutes passed until a small procession of about a dozen uninteresting-looking ponies followed by Princess Celestia, who was still in the dark about his existence there at the castle, entered the room. They all sat down and started talking about inconsequential things like wheat taxes in certain provinces. His eyes glazing over, he reached a hoof forward to scratch his nose, and lost his balance. He fell with a resounding thud onto the center of the table, and all the ponies that had been talking froze and stared at the odd dragon-pony that had suddenly appeared before them. He hid his face in his hooves, trembling as Princess Celestia silently lifted him from the table onto her back. She told the diplomats to continue talking amongst themselves, said she'd be back in a few minutes after she'd "taken care of... this", and walked out the door with Silent Storm on her back. III-RevealedAs Celestia entered the dark hallway and closed the door, Silent Storm abruptly stopped quivering and bolted, using Celestia's neck to push off, effectively stunning her. By the time she had recovered, Silent Storm was already down a side corridor, through a large vent he often used for quick escapes, and out a side door into the unguarded gardens. With all the diplomats waiting, she won't have time to track me down, he thought, but when he turned around, there she was, towering over him. "What to do with you...", Celestia muttered, almost to herself . "Since you love running and hiding so much, you have to stay in this area of the gardens until sunset." Her horn glowed and Silent Storm felt a tingly feeling in his hooves. Celestia turned and left the garden, and once she was out of sight Storm made a run for the exit, but when he reached it his hooves wouldn't move. He could move around in the gardens, but when he was within a couple of feet of the doors or the gates that lined the gardens he lost control of his hooves. He sat on the ground, thinking of things to do while trapped in this grassy expanse. While he was thinking, a bee flew onto the flowers in front of him, moving from flower to flower. Fascinated by the small creature, he watched the bee visit each flower, never stopping, never going back to a flower he'd missed. Several minutes passed, and the small creature was joined by others. Butterflies, dragonflies, and even a mantis appeared in the garden. After about an hour, he became bored and lay down on the soft grass for a nap. When he awoke, there Celestia was again, staring down at him with her pink eyes. Silent Storm looked around him, noticed all was dark in the garden, and walked around Celestia without so much as an acknowledgment of her existence. He exited the gardens, and walked through the corridors of the castle toward his room. He looked over his shoulder, saw Celestia following behind him, and a little smirk came to his face as he thought, Let's see how well Celestia knows her own castle. He turned a corner and took off, sprinting down the halls and making turns into corridors with a speed gained with years of memorizing every nook and cranny in the place. He looked back and saw that Celestia was still there, albeit farther back than before. Silent Storm rounded a corner and quickly entered a familiar room filled with odd paintings and waited for Celestia to pass, then doubled back and made a turn down a corridor he'd passed before and slowed down, thinking he'd lost the Princess. "That all you've got?" Celestia's voice rang in his ears. Silent Storm turned around to again see Celestia's tall form right behind him. He finally gave up and faced her. "W-what do you want from me?" Storm asked, fearing a more extreme punishment than garden confinement. "Just your name," Celestia said, her trademark kindness back in her voice. Silent Storm said nothing and just stared at her. "Fine then, don't tell me. You really know your way around the castle, almost as well as I know it. I should really do this more often." Stretching her legs, Celestia gave Silent Storm a little wink, and then turned serious again, "How long have you been living here without my knowledge?" "Four y-years" "You managed to keep your entire existence hidden from me for four years?!" Silent Storm nodded. "Why did you not reveal yourself to me?" "No o-offense, Celestia, but have you l-looked at me r-recently? I have dragon wings, and m-my mane looks like it's o-on fire. Last t-time I willingly revealed m-myself to another creature o-other than Luna, it almost a-attacked me." "You have spoken with my sister?" Silent Storm nodded again, "She is th-the one who brought me h-here four y-years ago." Celestia reacted oddly to that statement, and appeared lost in her thoughts for a few moments. "Come then, let us pay a visit to my sister." Celestia's voice dripped with a badly concealed emotion Silent Storm couldn't identify. They plodded down the halls and Silent Storm had to fight his own body for control while his every instinct screamed at him to run and hide every time another pony was in sight. The ponies always bowed for Celestia, then gave Storm one of a variety of looks, some like he was a highly esteemed guest, and others like he was a convicted murderer. Celestia turned to him. "Why don't you call Princess Luna and me by our formal titles?" she asked him. "I don't believe you are my superiors." Silent Storm said, his voice surprisingly stutter-free, looking Celestia straight in the eye. She stared back back at him, and the same badly-hidden emotion became apparent. They walked awhile longer in silence, the sound of their hooves clicking against stone the only sound to reach their ears. Silent Storm bumped into Celestia's legs when she abruptly stopped at a black door with a faded white crescent moon on it. She pushed open the door with her hoof and lit a lamp near the door with magic, filling the dark room with light. Luna lifted thick midnight-blue covers from her body and got out of the bed she'd been sleeping in. She rubbed her eyes with her hooves. "To what do I owe this visit, sister?" Luna asked, and then noticed Silent Storm peeking out from behind Celestia's legs. "Oh, I see you've found my little friend. I was wondering when you'd stumble upon him." she said with a bemused smile. Celestia turned to Storm, "Would you mind leaving us alone for a moment?" She opened the door with magic and shut it again after Storm walked through it. He heard the click of a bolt snapping into place. He pressed his ear to the keyhole and listened Celestia all but screaming at her sister. "You brought a DRAGON BLOOD into the castle and didn't even bother to mention it to me?! If that... thing... inside of him wakes up, he could level the whole city!" Silent Storm now realized what the emotion he hadn't been able to identify before was. It was fear. "Relax, Cel, Stormy's still young, it shouldn't awaken for at least another two years." Luna said, her voice smooth and calm. "You NAMED it?!" Celestia spat, a tone of disgust breaking into her voice. Silent Storm's lip curled at her exclamation. "Stormy's not an it, he's a pony, just like the rest of us but... different. Just because you have an unhealthy fear of all things dragon doesn't mean they're all monsters. And I didn't name him, that's what he said he was called." "I am not afraid of dragons." "I seem to recall you sending a team of ponies from that speck of a city called Ponyville just to deal with a sleeping dragon." "I was testing their ability to deal with odd situations." Celestia muttered, her voice taking on a hurt tone. "So what are they, a science experiment? "No they're..." she trailed off, then regained her composure, "Never mind them, back to the subject at hand, what are we to do with this... Stormy... problem." "What problem? Just let him live. I'm not sure he has one inside of him, he hasn't shown any signs of it." "We should take care of it now, while it remains inactive." "What are you going to do to him?" "I think incarceration order two will do nicely, or maybe order five." a cold edge laced Celestia's voice and Storm heard her walking toward the door. Silent Storm leapt backward away from the door and shot down the dark hallway, faintly hearing the door lock produce a click. He ran and ran and ran, the halls becoming a gray blur before his eyes. He didn't care who saw him. He didn't care who stared. He just ran and ran and ran, fear fueling his muscles so that that they didn't ache or tire. He ran past the guards of the garden, who shouted after him. He ran past carefully tended hedges and metal gates as he entered downtown Canterlot. He ran past shops and booths, houses and mansions. He ran past mares and stallions and fillies and colts, not stopping for anything as he swerved and jumped and dodged anything in his way. He ran out of Canterlot, sprinting down Mane Street, which ran through all of Equestria straight to the throne of Celestia. He veered off the road, afraid he would be too easily found. He ran and ran and ran, through vast plains, past trees and shrubs, and into a particularly dark forest. He ran and ran and ran, through the forest, not even giving the strange creatures or plants a glance as he ran. He saw a massive hollow log before him, and stopped for a moment, jerking his head to and fro, searching for the royal guards he was sure were closing in on him. None showed their faces, so Silent Storm collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. IV-Nightmares and Nightly MessagesIV-Nightmares and Nightly Messages Silent Storm sat there in the forest from which he originated until the sun was lowered beyond the horizon. He thought of what had just happened, and of what was to come. I'll never see Luna again, he thought somberly, and surely Celestia will find me and have me thrown in some long-forgotten dungeon until I rot away. Nopony will find me, and nopony will care. He let his mind lapse into the thoughts of a helpless, scared foal. Once the moon had journeyed a quarter of the way across the sky, he could keep his eyes open no longer and drifted into a fitful rest. He dreamt of a towering and slender Celestia with a wicked toothy grin plastered across her face, her eyes open wide and her pupils small. She stared down at Storm like one would an insect they had the opportunity to squash after it had been bothering them incessantly. She ordered several faceless stallions garbed in royally crested armor to take him from her sight, and as they hauled his helpless physique off she cackled in a highly pitched wail. Silent Storm wriggled and writhed trying to free himself from his captors' steely grip, but it was to no avail. Before his fear-stricken eyes, Celestia's form twisted and contorted to form a long alabaster snake that slithered over to him, wrapped around his hooves and midsection, weaving herself impossibly tightly throughout his limbs and slowly started to squeeze. He heard ribs crack and an intense pain was all that filled his petrified mind. He yelled out in anguish, calling for the end of this torment. Just as the pain seemed to become unbearable, Silent Storm snapped awake from the disturbing nightmare. He sat up and whipped his head around, searching for any sign of the serpentine ruler of Equestria or her featureless minions, but his eyes met only vegetation and darkness. He quickly examined himself, but there was no mark of any kind of injury on his body that he could see. Silent Storm looked to the ground and saw moonflowers scattered about him, not in any kind of pattern, but definitely focused around him. Luna? he thought, recalling the Ruler of the Eventide's fondness for the blossoms. He turned his head to the deep azure sky hoping that she would be there, hidden among the stars. No such mare showed her head, and he slumped back to the ground. The forest was so quiet compared to the bustling castle Silent Storm had grown accustomed to. Other than the hushed whisper of rustling leaves and hiss of the wind, the night was soundless. The silence combined with the feeling of abandonment he felt from Celestia's words triggered something inside of him. It felt like something else inside of him was stirring, as if from a deep sleep. The bushes next to Silent Storm shook softly and a small woodland rabbit removed itself from the foliage. It hopped in front of him, its small feet traipsing across the grass. "KILL IT" Silent Storm screamed in shock from the sudden piecing sound. The rabbit scurried away as he shook violently and twisted his head around to find the source of the raspy, menacing voice. "A pity, it would've made a nice juicy snack." "W-where are y-you?! I'm n-not a-afraid!" Silent Storm shouted into the forest, still quivering intensely. "Oh, you're not are you?" the voice chuckled devilishly, "I doubt that m-m-mister st-st-st-stutter. "I-I always t-talk like th-this!" Storm retorted. "Who a-are you?!" "You don't remember me?" The voice feigned an insulted tone, "Why, that's just rude." "Remember y-you from w-what? W-WHO IN THE N-NAME OF CELESTIA A-ARE YOU?!!!" Storm yelled, sensing his anger well up inside of him, a feeling that was quite foreign to him. "What do you hear?" "W-what?!" "I said, what do you hear?" Silent Storm perked up his ears and listened intently to what was around him. "Nothing. Just the forest," Storm said, annoyed with the voice's deflection of his question. His eyes widened quickly, realizing that the voice wasn't in his ears, but in his head. "Aaaah... so now our little Stormy has finally found a piece of the puzzle." "But... H-how... what are you?" "I think it's time for you to go to sleep." the voice said, still in a grating, cruel vocalization. Storm began to grow weary and wobbled on his legs, his body seeming to become heavier and heavier. "Yes sleep, but do not fear for your life. You shall reawaken soon... this time." Silent Storm dropped to his stomach and felt his eyelids close as he fell into yet another dream-filled slumber. Everything was dark, like he'd stepped into a cellar without a torch, and the ground beneath his hooves was as cold as ice and just as smooth. He turned around in circles, seeing nothing but blackness and hearing nothing but his steady heartbeat and frightened, irregular breaths. A soft white light suddenly poured onto his back and Storm whirled around to face it. It was the moon, large and round in the air, and the silhouette of a tall pony stood upon its bright face. The pony spread wings that had been hidden by its sides and flew down from the moon toward him, its dark form getting closer and closer. Fearing the motives of the creature, Storm turned around to flee and began galloping away from the shadowy equine, but seemed to get no farther away from it. He pushed his legs to go faster and faster until they were nothing but a gray-green blur beneath his body. He spread his still underdeveloped draconic wings wide and launched off of the ground with all his might. He caught the air in their membranous sails for a moment, and the thought that he could escape from the dark pony briefly crossing his mind, but the thought disappeared as his weak wings could no longer support his weight and he dived back down toward the ground and fell, sprawled on the ground's cold, smooth surface. Storm heard the tall, winged pony's hooves click against the ground as it alighted on the ground. He quivered with fear of what it would do to him. He curled into a ball, covering his face with a wing and awaited his fate, his eyes brimming with worried tears that threatened to spill over. He flinched and squeezed his eyes tightly as a foreign hoof touched the edge of the wing covering his face, pulling it away and revealing the colt's muzzle. "Oh, child, what has been done to you?" the pony spoke in a voice that was comfortingly familiar to his ears. "L-Luna?" Storm said and opened his clenched eyes. There, standing before him, was the only friend he'd ever known. "Luna!" he shouted and leapt at her, grasping hold of her neck and hugging it firmly. The tears that had welled in his eyes broke free and they streamed down his face, soaking his snout. Princess Luna's face bore a surprised expression and she was knocked onto her back as the young pegasus tackled her with his embrace. She lightly hugged him back, gently stroking his mane as a mother would her terrified child. "Stormy, I appreciate the gesture, but could you please get off of me for a moment? I think you're choking me." Luna said, giggling slightly at the colt. Silent Storm hastily stopped clutching her and took a few steps back, a sheepish smile on his face. "I have something important to tell you, and I need you to listen carefully," the princess said, her face turning mildly forlorn, "The castle isn't safe any more. My sister has sent out members of her personal guard to find you. You're going to have to find somewhere to lay low for a while until everything has been sorted out. Be brave, you may be small, but you have the heart of a lion, or rather the heart of a dragon. You can take on anything that Celly can throw at you, no matter how tough it may seem." "But, w-why is she looking for me? And what's i-incarceration order two and five?" Storm asked. many unanswered questions floating through his head. Luna sighed, then spoke, "If you want to know why, I'm going to have to tell you exactly what you are and how you came to be, or at least as much of it as we know ourselves. Are you sure you want that?" Silent Storm thought carefully for an instant, then quickly nodded. "Alright then," she said and took a deep breath before continuing, "You are one of three ponies in Equestria, a unicorn, an earth pony, and you, that exhibit physical draconic traits and have been known to show some emotional draconic tendencies, and in the scientific community are known as equus draco. As for how you came to be, we have only the account of a certain unicorn that was part of a group of conjurors and spell casters that were plotting a takeover of Equestria. He and a small band of other unicorns formed a rebel group that called themselves the Angues Timor, or the Snakes of Fear. Their idea was to plunge the whole of Equestria into such a state of panic, using weapons that struck terror into the hearts of even the bravest warriors, that the government would simply collapse and they would take over the land by controlling the weapons and thus the fear and fearful ponies." Luna paused and looked into her Stormy's downcast eyes. They emanated bewilderment and just a touch of confusion. She briefly considered lying to spare him reality, but knew that would only complicate the matter, then continued. "You are one of these weapons, as are the other two like you. You three were supposed to be raised in the group and trained to obey any of its members, even if it meant your life would be at stake, but there were complications when they were in a vital enchanting process, mainly a pair of royal guards finding their hideout mid-spell weaving. This is why my sister is scouring Equestria for you. She thinks that you're going to do exactly as you were intended and start attacking villages and causing chaos throughout the world, and that she can stop you by imprisoning you. That's what incarceration order two and five are; two is an order to have you captured and brought to her, and order five is and order to have you imprisoned immediately, without hearing nor jury." "The member of Angues Timor that we caught was quite helpful in explaining exactly what they'd done to you. They took each of you from an orphanage in Canterlot after you'd only just been born and brought you to their laboratory of sorts. Each of you was given a transfusion of dragon's blood, hence the moniker Dragon-Blood that Celly used. After about a week of constant transfusions, the physical attributes of each individual foal changed in favor of a dragon's. The unicorn's horn split into two and moved to either side of her forehead, the earth pony's front right hoof fully changed into a dragon claw, and your wings went from feathers to what they are now. In addition to these changes, all three pony's manes went from natural fiber to flowing as a fire, though they remained mane-like in general shape." Storm thought deeply. I have a brother and a sister? he wondered, So I'm not the alone. The colt was clearly excited about his newfound family, even if they weren't actual relatives, but somehow they seemed like the closest thing he had to family. Luna sat up a bit straighter as she continued, "The group then did something a bit more... unusual. This is where the process gets sketchy and unclear. through a complex series of spells and alchemic potions, they summoned three dragon souls and somehow bound them to each of you, then subdued them, keeping them dormant until they would be needed." "This is when everything went wrong. The two guards burst in when the souls had not yet been repressed and, quite literally, all hell broke loose. The dragon souls took control of the foals, including you, and destroyed everything. Each of the dragon-bloods' eyes glowed and had a visible aura surrounding their bodies, each in the shape of the dragon who's soul had been bound to it and the color its scales had been, but you didn't behave the same way as the other two. You just stood and stared as your counterparts destroyed the building and as its inhabitants fled, almost as if awaiting something or someone to get you. After being given a description of what your aura looked like, a certain ancient scholar identified it as Gretylon, a dragon that is actually quite infamous throughout both history and legend." "Gretylon is famous for being one of the few "noble" dragons of the world, and did a great deal to help in the effort of protecting Equestria from invaders. Though he may have been a great benefit to society, he was ultimately exiled by his dragon pack and then similarly outlawed from any community of ponies because of the simple fact that he was a dragon. He was driven mad and feral by isolation and completely decimated several towns, then he flew into the Everfree forest so nopony could catch him. He stayed hidden there until the day he died. Have you heard a voice or felt anything odd since you left the castle?" "Y-yes, in th-the forest there was a v-voice, but it didn't s-seem noble at all," Silent Storm answered, still trying to take everything in. "If you can reason with Gretylon and even pull him from the madness in which he descended, he could be a powerful ally and even a friend if you allow him to be," Luna said and was about to go on when she saw that she'd been smothering the little colt with information. She softened her tone and gestured for Stormy to come sit next to her. He plodded over and seated himself beside the midnight blue alicorn and tentatively asked, "Can you help me along the way?" She looked sadly upon him and replied, "I'm sorry, but I can't. This is something that must be done with friends that you make on your journey, but I can point you in the right direction. Look for a zebra that lives in the forest, she may be able to get you on your way. In fact, she might already be nearby." Silent Storm leaned his head on Luna's side and the two of them sat together, enjoying the simple feeling not being alone.
I-Introductionsthud. Thud. THUD. Silent Storm stirred from the rock formation he called a bed, the sound of repeated impacts waking him from his sleep. It’s still light out, he thought groggily, pulling his small frame up on to his hooves. He walked outside of the cave he was currently living in, and observed a large wolf-like creature repeatedly running into a tree, shaking it quite a bit. Looking up into the tree, he saw a similar, but smaller wolf-like creature, and assumed that the larger wolf was its parent. Despite being seven years old, Storm had never known his parents. A pack of wolves had found a foal in the middle of the Everfree Forest and decided to take care of it until it could fend for itself. Storm barely remembered the wolves, as they left him to survive when he was four. He had managed to survive by scavenging for edible plants and running from any creature that wanted some fresh meat. Being one of the smallest creatures in the Everfree forest was hard. He learned that hiding was usually better than running and now instinctively hid from any animal he saw in the forest, regardless of their size, except for wolves. This instinct made him naturally timid and shy among other ponies, but they rarely saw him anyway. He approached the wolf parent and pointed slightly higher on the tree, and made a whacking motion with his hooves. The wolf turned to observe the strange pegasus. His coat was a dull gray-green and its eyes a sky blue, but the wolf stopped and stared for a moment at his wings, mane, and tail. His mane and tail were a brilliant blue, and had the appearance of fire, flowing and flickering on the midday sun. His wings didn’t appear to be real at first, but the closer the wolf got, the more he realized they were real. The pony had dragon wings. As soon as the wolf discovered this, it recoiled and growled at Storm, in a ready stance to attack if necessary. When Storm saw the wolf's reaction his eyes widened, and he quickly retreated to his cave. Peering from behind a rock, he saw the wolf hit the tree where he had suggested. The smaller wolf fell and was caught by its parent. Both wolves walked off into the forest, the parent nuzzling its child. Silent Storm felt a sudden loneliness, but brushed it aside, his mind again survival-focused. He retreated his bed of rock, and drifted into a dreamless sleep. When Storm awoke again for the second time, it was dark outside. He plodded outside and stared into the night sky. I've never seen so many stars before, he thought as he craned his neck upwards, I bet it looks great from higher on the mountain, Entranced by the beautiful view, he began to climb the mountain, jumping from rock to rock and going higher than he'd ever been before. After awhile of climbing, he finally stopped in a large, flat, grassy area with a completely unobstructed view of the moon, which was full, as well as the stars. Letting go of all his fears and concerns, he plopped down and stared at the moon. As he stared, he swayed with the grass in the breeze trying to become one with the night. He sat there for many hours watching the moon and stars shift across the sky, and when the moon was three quarters of its way across the sky, a midnight blue alicorn flew into the sight of Silent Storm. Never having seen an alicorn before, he was mystified by her grace, and how she blended in with the night, yet remained distinct. Several seconds passed until Silent Storm realized she was flying toward him. He panicked and ran to hide behind a rock, but found none. The alicorn landed and looked down at Storm's small frame with a stern look in her eyes. Silent Storm stared back silently, taking all of her in. Her coat was a midnight blue, her eyes the same shade, but deeper somehow, as if she held the whole of night in them. Her mane was an even more striking shade of blue, and it flowed like a river. She had a faint aroma of the mountain's morning dew and the moonflowers he saw blooming in the night. He took an immediate liking to her, but in the back of his mind he knew never to judge on a first impression. He observed a reflective obsidian tiara resting on her head, and his eyes widened as he realized that she must be royalty, but being young, and not learned in proper etiquette, this just made him stare more. "Well?" The Queen of Night before him said, "Are you not going to greet your Princess?" Silent Storm just stared back. He looked past the alicorn's legs and saw that the moon had almost completed its journey across the sky. He glanced behind him and saw the sun with its revealing, blinding light and departed without a word, starting to climb down the mountain. ~~~~~~ "Cease your movement, child!" Luna roared, her voice shaking the trees around the the edge of the clearing. She sighed and thought, now even the children won't talk to me? Then, she felt a slight tug on her mane and looked down. The strange little foal was standing there. As she watched, he beckoned her to follow with his hoof, then continued down the mountain. Luna opened her mouth wide and let out a yawn, peeking back at the sun like the foal had. Maybe he has a spare bed I can use for today, she thought hopefully, and followed the colt down the mountain. The sun was almost risen by the time they reached the cave's entrance. The colt motioned from Luna to a bed-like rock formation covered in some very soft-looking moss, and then curled up on the cavern floor and shut his eyes. He sleeps during the day, like me, she thought, a hint of a smile on her lips. She lay on the rock-bed which was softer than she'd expected. It won't hurt to stay here for a day. Her eyes closed, and the day passed by in the slow blink of an eye. Luna awoke at nightfall and did her usual routine of stretching, managing her severe case of bed-mane with magic, and raising the moon. She flew outside into the cool night air and grunted with the effort of bringing that huge old chunk of rock into the sky, which in the end just reflected her sister's sun's light back onto Equestria less brightly. That thought giving her face a scowl, she returned to the cave where the colt still slept. Wondering how he got there, living alone on a mountain in the Everfree forest she made a decision. Luna lowered her head and placed her horn lightly on the colt's forehead and closed her eyes. She extended her consciousness into his mind, and recoiled at what she found at first. Survival. That was all that he strove for. As she searched deeper, into his memories, she found not a single other pony. No memories of parents of friends or even another forest-dweller. Her heart softened toward the foal, and she opened her eyes. The colt's eyes stared at her from less than an inch away. She jumped back, startled. "L-luna" the colt said, and a smile played across his lips, as if amused by the sound of his own voice. "Y-you're like me Luna. S-so few friends." Luna stared in shock at the foal at first, but shook off the feeling, It's common knowledge I don't have many friends, right? she asked herself. "Y-you who lives in the shadow of your sister, you who w-wants to be accepted, but is not," the colt said, the smile gone, "The one who you fear most, this mare of the nightly moon, is still inside of you, faint, but real." The shock hit Luna again, and her veins felt as cold as ice. "H-how can you know that?" she stammered. The smile returned to the foal's face, "A d-door once opened can be walked through both ways, your m-majesty," he said giving a small bow. "While in your memories, I found these... words. These w-wonderful, horrible, joyous, depressing w-words." he said, a sparkle in eye, "And n-now I can say, hello, it was very nice to meet you, princess." ~~~~~~ Silent Storm started toward the entrance of the cave and heard a voice behind him. "Come with me," Luna said, "Back to Canterlot castle. I'm not quite sure what to make of you, but I know you're alone. You need friends. Trust me, even the few friends I have keep me from going crazy." Silent Storm stopped and considered the request. Friends. The word was so foreign to him. Friend, Companion, Ally, what did these words mean to him? He thought for a great while and finally came to a conclusion. "I w-will go with you," he said, looking sheepishly down toward his wings, "B--but how will we get there? I c-can't fly yet." "Climb onto my back," Luna said, and lowered herself to the ground. Silent Storm climbed onto her back, and once he was on, Luna suddenly broke out into a sprint for the cave opening, then leaped into the air, wings spread, and took off, nothing more than a streak in the sky as she accelerated in the air. As soon as the rushing night air hit Silent Storm, all the seriousness he had acquired from Luna's memories washed away, leaving a scared foal on the back of a racing alicorn. He hugged Luna's neck tightly with his hooves, and squeezed his eyes shut as they sped toward what would soon be Storm's new home.
II-Invisible ExistenceSilent Storm tentatively opened one eye as they approached the castle. Nopony was in the courtyards, nor in the palace gardens, except a few guards. As they alighted on a balcony, Storm stepped off of Luna's back and looked around at the monstrosity of stone he stood upon and was surrounded by. Out of pure habit he searched the balcony for places he could hide. There were a couple of potted plants roughly his size, but other than that he saw no cover. Luna led him through a door, down a corridor, around several turns he couldn't remember if he tried, and into a room that was empty except for a bed and a large window. "You can stay here until arrangements are made," Luna said glancing away from Storm for a second. Storm saw his chance and silently slipped through the doorway while she looked away, using the moment of distraction to disappear. He contentedly plodded down the halls of the castle, searching for something interesting to see. He wandered past room after room filled with everything from agricultural equipment to architectural models. After passing a room filled with the most odd-looking paintings he'd ever seen, his stomach growled, and he remembered he hadn't eaten anything in awhile, so he decided to look for a food-filled room. He sauntered on looking for a snack to satiate his hunger, and after several minutes a delicious aroma tingled his nose. He followed the smell, and eventually found its source: a great big room which produced a great clattering noise that became louder the closer he got to it. He peeked around the corner of the room's door and was taken aback by what he saw. The room was filled with both unicorns and earth ponies, but no pegasai, bustling about, shouting to each other about things Storm couldn't understand. Near the doorway, there was a shiny flat rectangular thing upon which sat medium-sized mounds of golden-brown puffy stuff that emanated heat. He wasn't completely sure what they were, but they smelled delicious, but he was unsure of how to get at them without anypony seeing him. He thought back to how he took berries and things from the animals in the forest without being seen. Rule one: distraction, he thought. He peeked around the doorway again, and saw a large cylindrical thing that steamed from the top. Nopony seemed to be paying attention to it. He also saw that one of the little torches that lit the castle halls and rooms hung directly above it and was loose in its holder. A plan formed in his mind. He found a pebble in one of the corridors he'd walked through, then went back to the tasty-smelling place. He threw the pebble as hard as he could at the loose torch and the small stone struck it right in the holder. The torch swayed and then fell into the cylinder, making a great hiss, as well as sending up a large cloud of steam. As all heads turned, Silent Storm snatched a couple of the golden lumps and left the room. Rule two: evasion, he thought, and retreated to the room with the odd paintings where he munched happily on his snack. After his snack was finished, Storm resolved to find a map, as that would make exploring this gargantuan place much easier. On his quest for a snack he had seen a massive room filled with paper and books. He went back to that room, and was surprised to see other ponies huddled in various corners with either a candle or a glowing horn to light their books. He froze for a moment, wondering if any of them had seen him, but they didn't react, so he slipped past them toward the shelves as quickly and quietly as he could. He searched the seemingly endless rows of books for anything that looked like a map, and eventually chanced upon a door with a sign that read "Maps" This'll be easy, thought Storm. He pushed open the door, expecting a closet sized room. His jaw dropped as the door opened into a room almost the size of the one he'd come out of. Well, I'd better get started then, he thought. He walked down row after row, searching for the right map. Ponyville? no. Phillydelphia? no. Cloudsdale? no. Castles? no... wait, CASTLES! Silent Storm backed up to the sign that read "Castles". It was still a large section, but at least it cut down his search. He plopped down and scanned each scroll one at a time. Neuschwanstein Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Urubaen Castle, Alnwick Castle, Tintagel Castle, Canterlot Castle! He dropped the rest of the scrolls and examined the last one. The noisy food place he'd been at before was apparently called "Bakery One." He became enthralled by the map, staring down at the diagrams and labels, trying to memorize the castle's layout. After several minutes, he realized this venture was hopeless, so he tucked the map under his wing and walked out of the...Library, as the map had called it. Back in the corridors, Silent Storm looked at the lower floors of the map and saw the word "Armory and Smith" over a particularly large room. He thought it seemed interesting, so with the help of the map, he found the nearest stair-case and walked down toward it. He found the room after getting lost a couple of times in the basements of the castle. Nopony seemed to be around, so he just walked right in. Storm had never seen so much metal in all his life. He saw what appeared to be metal ponies of all size and shapes, but without faces. As he walked farther he saw all sorts of weapons; he saw clubs and maces, swords and shields, and bows and arrows, but what really captivated him were the knives. Big, small, curved, straight, short, long, thick and thin, they were all there. He was looking upon their shining blades, when he heard a crash of falling armor from behind him. "What do you think you're doing here, sonny?!" an angry voice shouted from behind him. Not even looking back, Silent Storm sprinted away, the voice still shouting after him, but not pursuing him. His heart thumping, he galloped back to the room Luna had shown to him. He opened the door, and Luna was there, waiting for him, the same stern look he'd seen on her face when they'd met. "Do not run off again," she said, her voice as stern as her look, "You have much to learn if you are to stay here, and one thing you should know is not to run off while someone is talking to you." Silent Storm didn't pay much attention as Luna launched into a lengthy lecture about astronomy and the planets and stars that he saw every night in the sky, but after awhile with nothing to do anyway, he listened, absorbing every word. Once about two hours had passed, Luna stopped and looked at Silent Storm, content that she had sufficiently taught him on the subject. Hopefully I can get him caught up enough to go to a school here in Canterlot, she thought to herself. Once Luna stopped, Silent Storm yawned and curled up on his bed to sleep. He felt Luna give him a little pat with her hoof, and heard her walk out the door. He closed his eyes and began to drift into sleep, and a small grin appeared on his face, as he thought, what will I do tomorrow? Over the next few years, Silent Storm explored the castle so much, he knew it better than Luna herself, and yet he made sure that nopony knew that he existed. Luna did manage to catch him up to school-level, but then immediately surpassed his grade-level and went on to advanced learning, covering complicated maths and science. It was not until he was eleven years old that he started to go out during the day. Instead of sleeping entirely during the day, he slept from ten in the morning to three in the afternoon so that he could be awake and aware during both parts of the day. It was harder to remain unseen during the day, but Silent Storm managed fairly well. He found that blending in with a crowd could be just as effective as hiding around a corner, it was all in how you carried yourself. Keep your chin high, and your stature tall, and ponies are going to look at you. Keep a relaxed posture and a slight slouch, but not too much of one, and most ponies will let their eyes pass right over you. Surprised that a pony with dragon wings and a head of blue fire could keep such a low profile, Silent Storm got into the habit of sneaking in to places. He was very good at it, and hadn't gotten caught yet, but all streaks must come to an end eventually. It had been a good day so far, and Luna decided to forgo the teaching session that day, as she had some important business to attend to. Silent Storm had heard a buzz of talk about a political trade meeting happening that day in the main meeting room of the castle. He wanted to see why so many people were talking about it, so he sneaked into the room before the meeting started, and climbed up into a shadowed area in the rafters he'd often hid in before to observe other happenings in that particular room. Confident he was well-hidden, he waited for the meeting to start. Only a couple of minutes passed until a small procession of about a dozen uninteresting-looking ponies followed by Princess Celestia, who was still in the dark about his existence there at the castle, entered the room. They all sat down and started talking about inconsequential things like wheat taxes in certain provinces. His eyes glazing over, he reached a hoof forward to scratch his nose, and lost his balance. He fell with a resounding thud onto the center of the table, and all the ponies that had been talking froze and stared at the odd dragon-pony that had suddenly appeared before them. He hid his face in his hooves, trembling as Princess Celestia silently lifted him from the table onto her back. She told the diplomats to continue talking amongst themselves, said she'd be back in a few minutes after she'd "taken care of... this", and walked out the door with Silent Storm on her back.
III-RevealedAs Celestia entered the dark hallway and closed the door, Silent Storm abruptly stopped quivering and bolted, using Celestia's neck to push off, effectively stunning her. By the time she had recovered, Silent Storm was already down a side corridor, through a large vent he often used for quick escapes, and out a side door into the unguarded gardens. With all the diplomats waiting, she won't have time to track me down, he thought, but when he turned around, there she was, towering over him. "What to do with you...", Celestia muttered, almost to herself . "Since you love running and hiding so much, you have to stay in this area of the gardens until sunset." Her horn glowed and Silent Storm felt a tingly feeling in his hooves. Celestia turned and left the garden, and once she was out of sight Storm made a run for the exit, but when he reached it his hooves wouldn't move. He could move around in the gardens, but when he was within a couple of feet of the doors or the gates that lined the gardens he lost control of his hooves. He sat on the ground, thinking of things to do while trapped in this grassy expanse. While he was thinking, a bee flew onto the flowers in front of him, moving from flower to flower. Fascinated by the small creature, he watched the bee visit each flower, never stopping, never going back to a flower he'd missed. Several minutes passed, and the small creature was joined by others. Butterflies, dragonflies, and even a mantis appeared in the garden. After about an hour, he became bored and lay down on the soft grass for a nap. When he awoke, there Celestia was again, staring down at him with her pink eyes. Silent Storm looked around him, noticed all was dark in the garden, and walked around Celestia without so much as an acknowledgment of her existence. He exited the gardens, and walked through the corridors of the castle toward his room. He looked over his shoulder, saw Celestia following behind him, and a little smirk came to his face as he thought, Let's see how well Celestia knows her own castle. He turned a corner and took off, sprinting down the halls and making turns into corridors with a speed gained with years of memorizing every nook and cranny in the place. He looked back and saw that Celestia was still there, albeit farther back than before. Silent Storm rounded a corner and quickly entered a familiar room filled with odd paintings and waited for Celestia to pass, then doubled back and made a turn down a corridor he'd passed before and slowed down, thinking he'd lost the Princess. "That all you've got?" Celestia's voice rang in his ears. Silent Storm turned around to again see Celestia's tall form right behind him. He finally gave up and faced her. "W-what do you want from me?" Storm asked, fearing a more extreme punishment than garden confinement. "Just your name," Celestia said, her trademark kindness back in her voice. Silent Storm said nothing and just stared at her. "Fine then, don't tell me. You really know your way around the castle, almost as well as I know it. I should really do this more often." Stretching her legs, Celestia gave Silent Storm a little wink, and then turned serious again, "How long have you been living here without my knowledge?" "Four y-years" "You managed to keep your entire existence hidden from me for four years?!" Silent Storm nodded. "Why did you not reveal yourself to me?" "No o-offense, Celestia, but have you l-looked at me r-recently? I have dragon wings, and m-my mane looks like it's o-on fire. Last t-time I willingly revealed m-myself to another creature o-other than Luna, it almost a-attacked me." "You have spoken with my sister?" Silent Storm nodded again, "She is th-the one who brought me h-here four y-years ago." Celestia reacted oddly to that statement, and appeared lost in her thoughts for a few moments. "Come then, let us pay a visit to my sister." Celestia's voice dripped with a badly concealed emotion Silent Storm couldn't identify. They plodded down the halls and Silent Storm had to fight his own body for control while his every instinct screamed at him to run and hide every time another pony was in sight. The ponies always bowed for Celestia, then gave Storm one of a variety of looks, some like he was a highly esteemed guest, and others like he was a convicted murderer. Celestia turned to him. "Why don't you call Princess Luna and me by our formal titles?" she asked him. "I don't believe you are my superiors." Silent Storm said, his voice surprisingly stutter-free, looking Celestia straight in the eye. She stared back back at him, and the same badly-hidden emotion became apparent. They walked awhile longer in silence, the sound of their hooves clicking against stone the only sound to reach their ears. Silent Storm bumped into Celestia's legs when she abruptly stopped at a black door with a faded white crescent moon on it. She pushed open the door with her hoof and lit a lamp near the door with magic, filling the dark room with light. Luna lifted thick midnight-blue covers from her body and got out of the bed she'd been sleeping in. She rubbed her eyes with her hooves. "To what do I owe this visit, sister?" Luna asked, and then noticed Silent Storm peeking out from behind Celestia's legs. "Oh, I see you've found my little friend. I was wondering when you'd stumble upon him." she said with a bemused smile. Celestia turned to Storm, "Would you mind leaving us alone for a moment?" She opened the door with magic and shut it again after Storm walked through it. He heard the click of a bolt snapping into place. He pressed his ear to the keyhole and listened Celestia all but screaming at her sister. "You brought a DRAGON BLOOD into the castle and didn't even bother to mention it to me?! If that... thing... inside of him wakes up, he could level the whole city!" Silent Storm now realized what the emotion he hadn't been able to identify before was. It was fear. "Relax, Cel, Stormy's still young, it shouldn't awaken for at least another two years." Luna said, her voice smooth and calm. "You NAMED it?!" Celestia spat, a tone of disgust breaking into her voice. Silent Storm's lip curled at her exclamation. "Stormy's not an it, he's a pony, just like the rest of us but... different. Just because you have an unhealthy fear of all things dragon doesn't mean they're all monsters. And I didn't name him, that's what he said he was called." "I am not afraid of dragons." "I seem to recall you sending a team of ponies from that speck of a city called Ponyville just to deal with a sleeping dragon." "I was testing their ability to deal with odd situations." Celestia muttered, her voice taking on a hurt tone. "So what are they, a science experiment? "No they're..." she trailed off, then regained her composure, "Never mind them, back to the subject at hand, what are we to do with this... Stormy... problem." "What problem? Just let him live. I'm not sure he has one inside of him, he hasn't shown any signs of it." "We should take care of it now, while it remains inactive." "What are you going to do to him?" "I think incarceration order two will do nicely, or maybe order five." a cold edge laced Celestia's voice and Storm heard her walking toward the door. Silent Storm leapt backward away from the door and shot down the dark hallway, faintly hearing the door lock produce a click. He ran and ran and ran, the halls becoming a gray blur before his eyes. He didn't care who saw him. He didn't care who stared. He just ran and ran and ran, fear fueling his muscles so that that they didn't ache or tire. He ran past the guards of the garden, who shouted after him. He ran past carefully tended hedges and metal gates as he entered downtown Canterlot. He ran past shops and booths, houses and mansions. He ran past mares and stallions and fillies and colts, not stopping for anything as he swerved and jumped and dodged anything in his way. He ran out of Canterlot, sprinting down Mane Street, which ran through all of Equestria straight to the throne of Celestia. He veered off the road, afraid he would be too easily found. He ran and ran and ran, through vast plains, past trees and shrubs, and into a particularly dark forest. He ran and ran and ran, through the forest, not even giving the strange creatures or plants a glance as he ran. He saw a massive hollow log before him, and stopped for a moment, jerking his head to and fro, searching for the royal guards he was sure were closing in on him. None showed their faces, so Silent Storm collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air.
IV-Nightmares and Nightly MessagesIV-Nightmares and Nightly Messages Silent Storm sat there in the forest from which he originated until the sun was lowered beyond the horizon. He thought of what had just happened, and of what was to come. I'll never see Luna again, he thought somberly, and surely Celestia will find me and have me thrown in some long-forgotten dungeon until I rot away. Nopony will find me, and nopony will care. He let his mind lapse into the thoughts of a helpless, scared foal. Once the moon had journeyed a quarter of the way across the sky, he could keep his eyes open no longer and drifted into a fitful rest. He dreamt of a towering and slender Celestia with a wicked toothy grin plastered across her face, her eyes open wide and her pupils small. She stared down at Storm like one would an insect they had the opportunity to squash after it had been bothering them incessantly. She ordered several faceless stallions garbed in royally crested armor to take him from her sight, and as they hauled his helpless physique off she cackled in a highly pitched wail. Silent Storm wriggled and writhed trying to free himself from his captors' steely grip, but it was to no avail. Before his fear-stricken eyes, Celestia's form twisted and contorted to form a long alabaster snake that slithered over to him, wrapped around his hooves and midsection, weaving herself impossibly tightly throughout his limbs and slowly started to squeeze. He heard ribs crack and an intense pain was all that filled his petrified mind. He yelled out in anguish, calling for the end of this torment. Just as the pain seemed to become unbearable, Silent Storm snapped awake from the disturbing nightmare. He sat up and whipped his head around, searching for any sign of the serpentine ruler of Equestria or her featureless minions, but his eyes met only vegetation and darkness. He quickly examined himself, but there was no mark of any kind of injury on his body that he could see. Silent Storm looked to the ground and saw moonflowers scattered about him, not in any kind of pattern, but definitely focused around him. Luna? he thought, recalling the Ruler of the Eventide's fondness for the blossoms. He turned his head to the deep azure sky hoping that she would be there, hidden among the stars. No such mare showed her head, and he slumped back to the ground. The forest was so quiet compared to the bustling castle Silent Storm had grown accustomed to. Other than the hushed whisper of rustling leaves and hiss of the wind, the night was soundless. The silence combined with the feeling of abandonment he felt from Celestia's words triggered something inside of him. It felt like something else inside of him was stirring, as if from a deep sleep. The bushes next to Silent Storm shook softly and a small woodland rabbit removed itself from the foliage. It hopped in front of him, its small feet traipsing across the grass. "KILL IT" Silent Storm screamed in shock from the sudden piecing sound. The rabbit scurried away as he shook violently and twisted his head around to find the source of the raspy, menacing voice. "A pity, it would've made a nice juicy snack." "W-where are y-you?! I'm n-not a-afraid!" Silent Storm shouted into the forest, still quivering intensely. "Oh, you're not are you?" the voice chuckled devilishly, "I doubt that m-m-mister st-st-st-stutter. "I-I always t-talk like th-this!" Storm retorted. "Who a-are you?!" "You don't remember me?" The voice feigned an insulted tone, "Why, that's just rude." "Remember y-you from w-what? W-WHO IN THE N-NAME OF CELESTIA A-ARE YOU?!!!" Storm yelled, sensing his anger well up inside of him, a feeling that was quite foreign to him. "What do you hear?" "W-what?!" "I said, what do you hear?" Silent Storm perked up his ears and listened intently to what was around him. "Nothing. Just the forest," Storm said, annoyed with the voice's deflection of his question. His eyes widened quickly, realizing that the voice wasn't in his ears, but in his head. "Aaaah... so now our little Stormy has finally found a piece of the puzzle." "But... H-how... what are you?" "I think it's time for you to go to sleep." the voice said, still in a grating, cruel vocalization. Storm began to grow weary and wobbled on his legs, his body seeming to become heavier and heavier. "Yes sleep, but do not fear for your life. You shall reawaken soon... this time." Silent Storm dropped to his stomach and felt his eyelids close as he fell into yet another dream-filled slumber. Everything was dark, like he'd stepped into a cellar without a torch, and the ground beneath his hooves was as cold as ice and just as smooth. He turned around in circles, seeing nothing but blackness and hearing nothing but his steady heartbeat and frightened, irregular breaths. A soft white light suddenly poured onto his back and Storm whirled around to face it. It was the moon, large and round in the air, and the silhouette of a tall pony stood upon its bright face. The pony spread wings that had been hidden by its sides and flew down from the moon toward him, its dark form getting closer and closer. Fearing the motives of the creature, Storm turned around to flee and began galloping away from the shadowy equine, but seemed to get no farther away from it. He pushed his legs to go faster and faster until they were nothing but a gray-green blur beneath his body. He spread his still underdeveloped draconic wings wide and launched off of the ground with all his might. He caught the air in their membranous sails for a moment, and the thought that he could escape from the dark pony briefly crossing his mind, but the thought disappeared as his weak wings could no longer support his weight and he dived back down toward the ground and fell, sprawled on the ground's cold, smooth surface. Storm heard the tall, winged pony's hooves click against the ground as it alighted on the ground. He quivered with fear of what it would do to him. He curled into a ball, covering his face with a wing and awaited his fate, his eyes brimming with worried tears that threatened to spill over. He flinched and squeezed his eyes tightly as a foreign hoof touched the edge of the wing covering his face, pulling it away and revealing the colt's muzzle. "Oh, child, what has been done to you?" the pony spoke in a voice that was comfortingly familiar to his ears. "L-Luna?" Storm said and opened his clenched eyes. There, standing before him, was the only friend he'd ever known. "Luna!" he shouted and leapt at her, grasping hold of her neck and hugging it firmly. The tears that had welled in his eyes broke free and they streamed down his face, soaking his snout. Princess Luna's face bore a surprised expression and she was knocked onto her back as the young pegasus tackled her with his embrace. She lightly hugged him back, gently stroking his mane as a mother would her terrified child. "Stormy, I appreciate the gesture, but could you please get off of me for a moment? I think you're choking me." Luna said, giggling slightly at the colt. Silent Storm hastily stopped clutching her and took a few steps back, a sheepish smile on his face. "I have something important to tell you, and I need you to listen carefully," the princess said, her face turning mildly forlorn, "The castle isn't safe any more. My sister has sent out members of her personal guard to find you. You're going to have to find somewhere to lay low for a while until everything has been sorted out. Be brave, you may be small, but you have the heart of a lion, or rather the heart of a dragon. You can take on anything that Celly can throw at you, no matter how tough it may seem." "But, w-why is she looking for me? And what's i-incarceration order two and five?" Storm asked. many unanswered questions floating through his head. Luna sighed, then spoke, "If you want to know why, I'm going to have to tell you exactly what you are and how you came to be, or at least as much of it as we know ourselves. Are you sure you want that?" Silent Storm thought carefully for an instant, then quickly nodded. "Alright then," she said and took a deep breath before continuing, "You are one of three ponies in Equestria, a unicorn, an earth pony, and you, that exhibit physical draconic traits and have been known to show some emotional draconic tendencies, and in the scientific community are known as equus draco. As for how you came to be, we have only the account of a certain unicorn that was part of a group of conjurors and spell casters that were plotting a takeover of Equestria. He and a small band of other unicorns formed a rebel group that called themselves the Angues Timor, or the Snakes of Fear. Their idea was to plunge the whole of Equestria into such a state of panic, using weapons that struck terror into the hearts of even the bravest warriors, that the government would simply collapse and they would take over the land by controlling the weapons and thus the fear and fearful ponies." Luna paused and looked into her Stormy's downcast eyes. They emanated bewilderment and just a touch of confusion. She briefly considered lying to spare him reality, but knew that would only complicate the matter, then continued. "You are one of these weapons, as are the other two like you. You three were supposed to be raised in the group and trained to obey any of its members, even if it meant your life would be at stake, but there were complications when they were in a vital enchanting process, mainly a pair of royal guards finding their hideout mid-spell weaving. This is why my sister is scouring Equestria for you. She thinks that you're going to do exactly as you were intended and start attacking villages and causing chaos throughout the world, and that she can stop you by imprisoning you. That's what incarceration order two and five are; two is an order to have you captured and brought to her, and order five is and order to have you imprisoned immediately, without hearing nor jury." "The member of Angues Timor that we caught was quite helpful in explaining exactly what they'd done to you. They took each of you from an orphanage in Canterlot after you'd only just been born and brought you to their laboratory of sorts. Each of you was given a transfusion of dragon's blood, hence the moniker Dragon-Blood that Celly used. After about a week of constant transfusions, the physical attributes of each individual foal changed in favor of a dragon's. The unicorn's horn split into two and moved to either side of her forehead, the earth pony's front right hoof fully changed into a dragon claw, and your wings went from feathers to what they are now. In addition to these changes, all three pony's manes went from natural fiber to flowing as a fire, though they remained mane-like in general shape." Storm thought deeply. I have a brother and a sister? he wondered, So I'm not the alone. The colt was clearly excited about his newfound family, even if they weren't actual relatives, but somehow they seemed like the closest thing he had to family. Luna sat up a bit straighter as she continued, "The group then did something a bit more... unusual. This is where the process gets sketchy and unclear. through a complex series of spells and alchemic potions, they summoned three dragon souls and somehow bound them to each of you, then subdued them, keeping them dormant until they would be needed." "This is when everything went wrong. The two guards burst in when the souls had not yet been repressed and, quite literally, all hell broke loose. The dragon souls took control of the foals, including you, and destroyed everything. Each of the dragon-bloods' eyes glowed and had a visible aura surrounding their bodies, each in the shape of the dragon who's soul had been bound to it and the color its scales had been, but you didn't behave the same way as the other two. You just stood and stared as your counterparts destroyed the building and as its inhabitants fled, almost as if awaiting something or someone to get you. After being given a description of what your aura looked like, a certain ancient scholar identified it as Gretylon, a dragon that is actually quite infamous throughout both history and legend." "Gretylon is famous for being one of the few "noble" dragons of the world, and did a great deal to help in the effort of protecting Equestria from invaders. Though he may have been a great benefit to society, he was ultimately exiled by his dragon pack and then similarly outlawed from any community of ponies because of the simple fact that he was a dragon. He was driven mad and feral by isolation and completely decimated several towns, then he flew into the Everfree forest so nopony could catch him. He stayed hidden there until the day he died. Have you heard a voice or felt anything odd since you left the castle?" "Y-yes, in th-the forest there was a v-voice, but it didn't s-seem noble at all," Silent Storm answered, still trying to take everything in. "If you can reason with Gretylon and even pull him from the madness in which he descended, he could be a powerful ally and even a friend if you allow him to be," Luna said and was about to go on when she saw that she'd been smothering the little colt with information. She softened her tone and gestured for Stormy to come sit next to her. He plodded over and seated himself beside the midnight blue alicorn and tentatively asked, "Can you help me along the way?" She looked sadly upon him and replied, "I'm sorry, but I can't. This is something that must be done with friends that you make on your journey, but I can point you in the right direction. Look for a zebra that lives in the forest, she may be able to get you on your way. In fact, she might already be nearby." Silent Storm leaned his head on Luna's side and the two of them sat together, enjoying the simple feeling not being alone.
