Morning was lost deep in thought as she trotted out of Riverdale towards the coast, her hooves moving automatically down the familiar trail between the trees while her mind was otherwise occupied. Curio meant well with her teasing, it seemed at times that the little mare was incapable of being rude or mean to anypony she talked to, but even still, her teasing had sparked a memory in Morning’s head that she had not thought about for years. A hoof wiped away the stray tears in her eyes before they could fall, but it was not enough to stem the tide of emotion that surged up within her heart.

The trail under her hooves blurred with each step as tears ran down her cheeks, a thick sniff heralding the flow of more as she turned off the trail leading towards the sea and made her way into the thicker woods at the base of the mountains. It was here, in a small clearing, that an unassuming log cabin stood in the short forest grass. It wasn’t much, just a little single room cabin that Morning used for storage and a place to be by herself, but today her goal was not her home but the cliffs further up the mountainside. There, she had placed something precious, and heartbreaking.

The slope of gravel rose steadily under Morning’s hooves, her breath coming in stronger puffs as she gained altitude. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy from her tears, and they began to burn as the dry and salty ocean wind began to blow through the thinning branches around her. A ragged cough escaped her muzzle but still she pressed on, following the curve of the mountain up and over a small crest until she reached her destination. There, rested upon the cliffs overlooking the valley and the ocean beyond, was a simple stone slab. Morning’s steps slowed as she wiped her face in a poor attempt to clean up the mess her wild emotions had left there, but it didn’t matter too much. Nopony was here to see her in such a state. Nopony still among the living, at least.

Morning paused as she stepped up to the tombstone that she had carved and placed on the cliffs; the writing still as fresh in her mind as the day she had carved them with her newfound dragon claws. It had been years since that fateful night, but she still remembered the sacrifice her mother had made, and the terrible price she and many others had paid because of the flames or jaws of dragons.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do more, mom.” Morning’s voice was soft enough to be almost carried away by the wind, her eyes wandering over the stone before looking beyond into the open skies beyond the cliff’s edge. “I wish you could be here, see the good I’ve been doing for other ponies, but I know you wouldn’t want me to be sad that you aren’t. You loved me enough to give your life for my own, and I try to live up to that gift every day. I just wish, somehow, I could tell you how much I loved you, and show you the amazing things that have happened since you left.”

Morning paused, letting the wind flow through her mane, lifting the long strands into the air behind her and closing her eyes for just a moment. If she listened hard enough, sometimes she could swear that the wind sounded like her mother’s voice, carried from the next world to her on the world’s breath. It was fanciful thinking, but nevertheless the image still formed in her mind every time she came up to visit her mother’s grave. Morning opened her eyes and glanced at the small necklace that was curled up at the base of the tombstone, the simple twine holding fast to the single stone that lay in the center, placed just before the grave as a token from Morning to the memory of her mother.

It was a chunk of raw azurite, and the inspiration for her dragon form’s name when she had first discovered her ability. It was something she had been given as a filly for her fifth birthday, and the last thing she had to remember Morning Glory by. It was in her honor, and as a permanent legacy to her sacrifice, that she carried the name when she changed, and as a reminder that she would never forgive the ones who had made that sacrifice necessary.

Hours passed like minutes as Morning spent time alone, thinking of the past and potential options for her future. She knew that her charade of being the village’s protector would have to end at some point, but she didn’t know what would happen if anypony found out her secret. It was that fear of the unknown, but the drive to help others that had forced her hoof when the teenage dragons had attacked, and the reason she had done whatever she could to keep her oath as the village’s guardian. The only problem was what would she do if other ponies came looking for her? If bigger dragons came looking for her? She had nowhere else to go and nowhere to hide. If somepony really wanted to find her, it wouldn’t be long before Morning Dew was somehow tied to Azura, even if they could never guess the truth.

Morning took one last look at the gravestone, kissing the base of her hoof and pressing it against the wind-worn rock, before turning back the way she had come and working her way back down the mountainside. She had more important things to worry about, but the reminder of why she was doing what she did had been refreshed in her mind, and her trotting steps grew more confident with each moment as she returned to the trail leading from Riverdale to the coast. She debated about going for a swim in the ocean for a bit before returning to town, but her thoughts were interrupted by a small magical buzz that rang in her ears. Recognizing the signal she had built into the listening scale, she paused in place and listened, the voices being muffled but otherwise understandable.

“We don’t care how you do it,” it was a stallion’s voice, one she didn’t recognize from the village citizens, “just summon that big blue monster you yokels call a guardian so we can kill it already!!”

Morning’s eyebrows rose in shock as a crash was heard from the other end of the magical connection, and her teeth ground together as she heard Curio’s desperate voice cry out, “NO!! That was a gift from a friend! She worked hard to bring that back for us to sell!”

A dark chuckle set Morning’s hackles to rise, “Oh? Well then, I guess we can just take this as a token of our trip, then, since you seem unwilling to give us the information we want.”

A harsh slap and Curio’s cry of pain made Morning's mind in an instant. Her hooves spun her around so quickly she kicked up a trail of dust. She sprinted back towards the village, her hoof-falls growing further and further apart as her body grew. Hooves changed into mighty claws while her fur was overtaken by reinforced sapphire scales, the beats of powerful wings taking her airborne as her body continued to change. Her horn morphed from one into many as the location shifted from her forehead to the base of her skull, the four pearly points framing her now broader and longer muzzle. Teeth the size of a mighty shark sprouted from her jaws and a roar of pure fury echoed from her lips as she beelined back to Riverdale.

She hoped that the stallions who had the audacity to harm Curio were ready to meet their maker, because they had just done the one thing that nopony should ever do…

They had harmed a dragon’s loved one and were about to pay the price for their stupidity.

Author's Note

And thus, we have another one!! Hope you all enjoyed this little addition to my newer story, and I am excited to hear your thoughts on the latest installment. I know I've been a bit helter-skelter with my updates as of late, but I am doing the best I can with a muse that loves to take unscheduled vacations at the drop of a hat.

Anyway, let me know what you all think in the towel section below, and don't forget to like the book if you haven't already!! I love hearing ideas and expanded thoughts from my readers, so fire when ready!!

See you all next time,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.