A Dragon's Fate: The Fall

The following morning, Zecora was up at sunrise. As she hurried along the path to Ponyville however, the mare stopped and looked around, her ears pivoting atop her head as she studied the forest around her.

Something wasn't right. Zecora could feel it in her being - she could sense it in the air. When she realized what it was, the zebra felt her stomach clench with unease.

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

Cautiously, Zecora set off down the path, moving at a swift walk. She soon came to a place where one of the forest's many meadows were located. Stopping for a moment, Zecora's eyes widened in bewilderment and horror. In the next instant she'd taken off at full gallop, breaking through the line of trees and out into the open.

An enormous crater now existed where none had before. Clouds of dust still hung in the air. Drawing closer to it, Zecora skidded to a halt at its edge. Though she squinted as hard as she could in the dust, she was unable to see the bottom. The shadows too deep.

Was that what he had heard the night prior? Had the quake - whatever it was - been what caused this? And what about that terrible roar she'd heard before the quake? Just what in Equestria was going on?

"This is a place I should not be," Zecora told herself, now realizing just how afraid she was, standing beside the crater with too many unanswered questions. "I must warn the other ponies!"

However, as she turned to run away, a sudden noise from the depths of the pit made her freeze. When the sound repeated again, Zecora realized with a terrible jolt that it was the sound of a wounded dragon in distress.

When she thought of the moment afterwards, Zecora knew that it was no rational impulse that made her do what she did. She only knew that she had scrambled down the steep side of the of the crater, the soft earth giving way beneath her hooves as she continued downward through dust and darkness. When she reached the bottom she continued forward, stifling a cough as dust caught in her throat.

As Zecora moved forward, drawing ever closer to the dragon which she knew lay at the center of the crater, a part of her experienced a fleeting moment of doubt. There was a good chance that she was walking right into danger. Yet a stronger part of her, the part of her that had been built upon years of wisdom and experience, told her there was no danger here - only a creature in terrible distress. Zecora would not abandon it to die in this dismal and dark place.

"I pray my help has not come too late," the zebra muttered. "No creature deserves such a terrible fate."

It was then at this point, that Zecora's heart gave a leap of hope. For just ahead of her, she could see a dark mass. As she drew closer, the clouds of dust seemed to dissipate, until at last Zecora could see clearly.

She gasped, and nearly took a step back in horror.

Stretched out before her, lying on its side, was a dragon. Its scales were a deep violet in color. Its horns were pale and curved, and a strange growth of feathers that crowned its head, ending at a point between its shoulders. The dragon's tail was thick and powerful, the spikes on the end of which were sharp as spear points. Its claws looked sharp enough to tear through anything.

But these details were not what made Zecora gasp. None of it was the reason for her newfound horror. She saw the problem within moments, and when she did, she felt as though her heart would break.

The dragon was, as she had suspected, gravely wounded. But she hadn't expected it to be this horrific. Deep wounds covered the dragon's hide, some of which still dripped with crimson blood. One of the creature's wings was draped limply over it's body, and Zecora was forced to fight the urge to be sick when she realized it was broken - she could see the bone protruding from the flesh.

Glancing back at the dragon, Zecora froze when she realized the creature was staring right at her. Gazing back at the creature, Zecora felt her heart clench as she realized the dragon was watching her with a mixture of terror and desperation. It was as if the dragon wanted to call for help, but could no longer summon the strength to do so. Bending low, Zecora spoke, and hope the dragon could understand.

"Do not be afraid," she said. "I came here to lend you aid."

Reaching inside her saddlebags, Zecora pulled out one of the herbs she always kept with her.

"This plant, though it looks quite plain, will ease your pain." Pulling out a smaller darker herb, she explained its purpose too. "This one taste bitter but please - don't weep. Its powers make rate of recovery steep."

Carefully, Zecora nudged both the herbs in front of the dragon.

"I'm afraid I must now say adieu. But fear not, I shall return with more help for you."

Straightening up, Zecora closed her saddlebags and set off back the way she'd come. Soon, the echoes of her galloping hooves were lost to the deafening silence. The dragon stared after her for a long time, before eyeing the herbs Zecora had left behind. In a single swift snap of its jaws, the dragon had swallowed both articles. She then laid her head back down and closed her eyes falling into a deep slumber.