The Flower
By B.A.BronieDad.
The sun set over the dry and barren earth, its beauty in contrast to the stark landscape of the dry windswept desert. A few rugged cacti stood watch over the scorched and cracked earth as the sun made its majestic exit, lowering at last, bringing in a well-deserved rest from the intense dry heat of the day.
The moon rose in its turn, clothed in its own subdued beauty, holding its nightly court with its heavenly hangers on. The stars shimmered magically as the earth gave back the heat the sun had given in abundance through the day, the
earth’s nightly offering to the moon’s court.
The creatures of the night emerged from their warrens and boroughs, setting about their nightly chores, bustling about with the busy tasks of their lives. Everywhere there was movement, stealthy, quick, and furtive. With the return of the sun’s heat to the night sky, freedom had returned to the desert.
As a bird passed overhead, drifting in the currents of the night’s wind, a single seed dropped, and settled into the cool but parched earth. It had the good fortune to fall in a place with a fair amount of soil, in a small crevasse, away from the scuffle of busy feet, and hidden from the view of the day’s burning sun.
The seed sat there, wind gently blowing the soil over it, like a mother tucking in her beloved child. Dormant, the seed slept quietly, oblivious to the world bustling around her.
Morning came, and with it the desert’s burning sun. The seed slept still, safe in her bed of soil, removed from the burning light of day. Day turned to night, and night to day. Cycle upon cycle, she slept, waiting for the time when she would waken.
Rain came, the infrequent visitor, washing away the dirt and dust of the desert for a brief moment. The seed still slept as the water carried her away, and her soil with her, moving her further down the cutlet that was her home. When she stopped, caught under a rock, the wet soil tucked in and around her, keeping her safe from the ravages of the desert.
Her new home was a small oasis, barely that, a small trickle of water coming from an aquifer near the rock, making a basin barely large enough for a single animal to drink from. But it was enough. Feeling the pull of the water's magic, the seed softly awoke from her slumber, stretching and reaching for the water. As she stretched, she grew, and soon she had tiny leaves that danced lightly in the desert breeze.
She was content. She had everything she needed. She had the gentle breeze to dance with. She had the call of the night’s creatures for her song. She had the shaded strength of the sun’s light to grow by, and the soil itself as her food. She enjoyed the stillness, and was happy.
After a time, she began to change. She grew again, and felt the need to express the beauty she felt. A beautiful flower grew from her, vibrant as the desert itself, full of color and passion. It waved in the breeze, showing to all the beauty that was in her soul. And she was content.
Time passed, and she grew sad that there was none to share her beauty with. The birds of the air would visit, but only briefly. The creature of the night would come, but only to share in the water of the aquifer, then they would leave as well. There was truly none that came, and stayed to share in her beauty.
One day, as the flower sat alone by her aquifer, a shadow passed overhead. Sensing a difference in this shadow, the flower quivered, not knowing what to expect. She felt something gently working her roots loose from the earth that had given her life, and pulling her up into the light of the desert sun. Fear gripped her soul, and then, she was shrouded in darkness.
For a time, the darkness seemed total, and she began to despair. Her thoughts grew heavy, wondering again if she would ever know the joy of dancing in the wind, or feeling the gentle warmth of the shaded sun on her leaves and petals. Lost in her thoughts of loss, she lamented.
She was pulled from her dark broodings with the sudden return of light. She felt gentle hands cupping her roots, holding her upright, and moving softly the earth back around her. She felt the magic of water poured over her, soaking her roots and filling her soul with life again. A gentle breeze stirred her leaves, and she felt again the dance of the wind upon her leaves and petals.
And she was content. And the shadow passed over her again, and from it she sensed happiness.
Day turned to night, night to day, and the cycle continued. And every day, the shadow returned, and shared with her its happiness, and she knew in her soul that finally, she had found a place where she could share her beauty. And she was happy.
Author's Note
This story is set in the EqG universe. And yes, it was always intended that Sunset Shimmer was the one responsible for the rescue, love, and second chances at the end, even if her name was never mentioned. 
The dragon sat alone in the center of the cave. Gone. It was all gone. Nothing was left, not even a pearl. Every gemstone, every bauble, every gold piece, every treasure had been taken. Looking around he could see nothing but cold hard rock and emptiness all around him.
He sighed. He could not believe he had been taken in so easily. And now, he had paid for his greed with everything he had ever valued. He sat down dejected. There was nothing left for him, nothing at all. Everything he had ever lived for had been stolen away in his absence. The hoard he had taken a lifetime to accumulate was gone, like it had never existed, like he had never existed. He hung his head. It hurt so much. He wished he had never existed.
Lowering his head onto a rock, he thought back to the events of that day. He thought back on his folly, greed, and shame.
It had been a wonderful morning. He had spent the early morning exploring a nearby cave. It had recently been opened by an earthquake, one of the many that frequented this remote part of Equestria. In one of the furthest sections of the cave, he had found a long buried cache of rare and beautiful gemstones, marvelous in their quality and beauty. Finding the cache awoke appetites in him he had not felt in what seemed like lifetimes. The pure joy of acquiring such treasures, and the aching desire for more that they brought, it made him feel young again. They were feelings he barely remembered from a long ago childhood.
After carefully extracting his find and hiding it in his cave with his treasures, he returned to the newly exposed cave to resume his explorations. He was hoping with all his dragon heart to find more treasures to add to his hoard. Like a child in a candy shop with a fist full of coins, he ran from tunnel to tunnel looking for more gems, more treasures, and more joy. Though he did not see any signs of further treasure, he did not slow in his quest, but instead became more and more convinced that within every cavern, or around every new turn, he would find something even better, even more wonderful.
He did not realize that other eyes were watching him, marking his progress, noting with smug satisfaction his increasing excitement and greed. Hidden in the bushes just outside of the cave was a trio of dogs, snickering quietly at the dragon’s excitement.
“You followed him back to his cave this morning, just as I asked you to, right?” asked the smaller one in a whiny and annoyingly gravelly voice.
He was answered by the largest of the three. “Yes, and I will mark the entrance with the sign we agreed on. We’ll have no problem finding it later.”
“He will never know what hit him”, grinned the third, at which all three dogs shared a quietly subdued bout of laughter.
“Oh, he’ll know what hit him. I can promise that!” said the smaller dog. “I’ll make certain he knows exactly what happened and why. We’ll teach him to mess with the diamond dogs!” He snarled, then laughed again.
After a full morning of running back and forth through the cave, to his delight the dragon found two smaller caches of treasure, all gemstones. He carefully gathered and hid them back among his horde. At last, convinced he had explored all there was of the new cave, he returned to his horde and rested happily among all his treasures, both new and old. As he sat blissfully basking in the presence of his new finds, he heard voices approaching the outside of his cave.
“Blast that infernal dragon!” he heard an angry gravelly voiced dog curse. “He beat us to that treasure! If only our scouts had been able to gather all of it and take it back with them, instead of just the few measly bags they were able to carry! That was ours, all ours! Miserably thieving snake of a dragon! I hope he chokes on them!”
“Boss, don’t worry so much about that. At least he didn’t get the biggest cache in the cave further down in the valley. That was way bigger than the haul we lost from that cave. And that one is all ours!” said another dog.
“Quiet you numbskull!” rasped the gravelly voiced dog, accompanied by the sound of a muted thump. “I think that miserable creature lives somewhere around here! We don’t want that thieving snake to hear anything!”
“Besides,” said yet another dog’s voice “there’s no way he will ever find that! The entrance to that cave is down by the riverbed. You can’t even see it unless you know to look for the two trees sitting right on top of it. Their roots totally cover the entrance down on the riverbed. No one would ever suspect that you could just push the roots aside and walk right in.”
“Nitwit!” came the gravelly voice again, accompanied by another thump. “I said quiet! You never know who might be listening!”
“Sorry boss!” said the third dog’s voice again. “At least I didn’t say that it was all the way down the first left side tunnel deep beneath the mountain. Ha! It would take him hours to get down there, and he would give up long before getting to it! You know how dragons are, they love to be near their hoard! He could never stand to be that far away for that long!”
Another thump was heard. “You stupid dimwit! If anyone was listening now you told them everything! Why don’t you two knuckleheads listen to me! I said be quiet!” Two more thumps rang out, accompanied by a mumbled pair of voices. “Sorry boss.”
The voices faded, passing back into the forest outside the cave. The dragon smiled to himself. He was going to have a nice little surprise for those dogs later this evening. He laughed quietly to himself, relishing the thought of just how much fun it was going to be relieving those diamond dogs of the treasure they had found.
Gathering himself quietly, the dragon slunk out of his cave. He watched the backs of still gabbing dogs as they passed into the forest thicket, then were gone from site. Listening carefully to be sure they were really gone, the dragon then turned the other direction, heading down into the valley, towards the river. The river ran serpentine through the valley and eventually into one of the great lakes at the edge of the forest. Moving with the considerable stealth that is the natural gift of the dragons, he listened intently for any sign of activity. He did not want to run into the dogs and possibly alert them to his presence, lest they manage to get the word to their counterparts and hide the treasure from him before he could get there to relieve them of it.
Eventually he could hear the sound of running water and within a few minutes was at the edge of the river. Scanning both sides of the river as he snaked alongside through the cover of the forest, he continued to keep his eyes open for any signs that would mark the opening to the cave, and ears open for any sign that he may have been seen. Eventually, after a good half hour or so of moving stealthily from spot to spot downstream, he heard the faint sound of approaching voices. Quickly moving further back into the forest, he found an ideal vantage point to view the path along the river, and watched as the dogs he heard came into view.
“I know it’s early, but I’m so glad we decided to call it a day! My back is breaking from carrying all those jewels back to our tunnels.”
“Tell me about it! And to think, even after breaking our backs all day, it doesn’t even look like we’ve touched the cache! It’s amazing – we’ll be living like kings with this haul. I’m going to get me a bunch of slaves with my share, and let them do my work for me!”
“Me too! I plan on never working another day in my life after this! It’ll be so worth it!”
“Odd though that they told us we could all knock off for the day. You would think they would keep someone at least back there to make sure no one could steal our stash.”
“Nah, they probably aren’t worried about that. Who is even going to see the entrance? And besides, unless they know exactly which tunnel to take, there is no way they would even find it. I’m just glad for the break, and for a chance at a good night’s rest.”
“I hear you there pal. I hear you there.”
The dogs continued chatting happily as they passed beneath the dragon, and on up the stream. Once they were completely out of site, the dragon leapt out of his hiding spot with a giggle of glee as he quietly clapped his fore claws together.
“Hee hee hee! Now I’ll have all evening to steal their gems! More than enough time!“ With a grin that split his scaly face side to side, he continued on, merrily humming a happy dragon tune from his youth about fire and bones and treasures untold.
At last, he could see it. It was just as it had been described. Above the bank on the other side of the river were two trees. Their roots were entangled down the side of the bank just as the dog said. It was clear someone had been through them recently, as a few of the roots were still pushed to one side, showing darkness behind. The dragon leapt over the stream, and with a flick of his head pushed through the roots and entered into the cave behind them.
It was dark in the cave, though that was not a problem of any sort for the dragon. His kind were well equipped to deal with darkness, not like those pathetic diamond dogs. “Say goodbye to your baubles, losers!” thought the dragon with an evil grin. He looked carefully around, selected the first tunnel to the left, and began to descend.
There were clear signs that someone had been here earlier. There were tracks, and a few abandoned burlap bags – likely to be used for carrying the remaining gems tomorrow and left behind for that purpose. In a few spots were the greasy remains of previously eaten meals, the trash left where it landed. “What pigs those dogs are – and that is an offense to pigs!” sniped the dragon quietly. “How they ever thought no one would find this is astounding. They are way too stupid to deserve any treasure at all, let alone a treasure this treasure!”
As he worked further along, there were less signs of anyone there before him. At first this mildly concerned the dragon, and he thought perhaps he had missed a turn, or somehow misheard the dogs, or ended up picking the wrong tunnel. He reminded himself though the dogs had said that it was deep beneath the mountain, so he put his misgivings aside and continued on.
Two hours later, the concern and misgivings were back. Something about this just did not seem right. The diamond dogs were persistent, so he could see them following a cave all the way to the end just for the chance to find gems. But he really felt that he should have seen some signs of them being here, especially given how messy he knew they usually were.
Shortly after that, he rounded a turn and came to a wall. Dead end – this was the end of the line, there was nowhere further to go. “How could I have missed it?” thought the dragon. He had to admit to himself though on some level he was not thinking clearly. His mind was constantly filled with the thoughts of treasures, and how fun it was going to be to stick it to those diamond dogs, . All those thoughts were clouding his normally rational thinking. “I must have missed something. I’ll work my way back carefully, and try to find where I went wrong.”
Moving slowly, he examined every inch as he returned up the tunnel to the cave entrance. It had taken him almost twice as long to get back due to his increased diligence. Despite that, he had seen no sign of the treasure, nor of any other side tunnels or passages. Back at the entrance, he quickly went down the other tunnels in the cave, but they all showed no sign of having been used. “I must have taken the correct tunnel then” thought the dragon dejectedly. “How did I miss the treasure?”
Feeling frustrated, the dragon exited the cave, and made his way back to his hoard. There were no signs of the dogs along the way back, though he did not expect any, given what he’d heard and seen earlier. As he neared his cave, he quickly noticed something was amiss.
There, directly over the hidden entrance to his cave, was tied a red scarf. Below the scarf, the brush that normally obscured the entrance to his cave had been cleared away. There were dozens of paw prints heading in and out of his cave, though the prints disappeared once they reached the rocky outcropping beneath the entrance. “What in Equestria is going on here!” thought the dragon, panic quickly seizing his heart as he raced into the cave and down the passage to his trove.
He stopped at the entrance to the cavern that held his treasure. His heart leapt into his throat, and his legs buckled. He felt faint.
There in front of him, where earlier his trove was hidden, was an empty cavern. The only break from the rocky expanse was a few pieces of trash, and a large paper note. He walked shakily over to the note, and picked it up from the cave floor. Shakily holding it before him, he read the brief note, then fell to the floor weeping bitterly.
“Hi Stupid! This should teach you to mess with the diamond dogs. You’re so stupid and greedy that you couldn’t even see we were setting you up. In fact, you’re so stupid we decided you don’t deserve any of these nice little trinkets you’ve been hoarding. So we decided to relieve you of them. Have a nice life loser! Don’t bother looking for us or your trove – we won’t be around here again. Thanks for everything lame brain. Laugh’s on you!” read the note.
His heart was aching. His only sensation was the dull throb centered in what was once his soul. His clouded thoughts slowly coalesced around one painful realization – he had been duped. He had been tricked out of everything he had ever loved. And it had only been possible because of his greed and stupidity. He had thought so very little of those he had planned to rob. He had thought himself so far above them they were not even worthy of his consideration – that they were just worthless fools to be relieved of anything they had of value. And in the ultimate irony, not only was that thinking partially to blame for his loss, but that was the exact mindset those ‘stupid’ dogs had taken towards him. “They were right” thought the dragon. “I am too stupid to deserve what I had. I brought this on myself, and I don’t deserve any of the things I loved. I deserve to die. I want to die. I wish I were dead.”
All through the night, these thoughts tortured the dragon. Finally as morning neared, he drifted off to an exhausted sleep.
Dreaming fitfully, he saw the faces of his tormentors and heard their taunting voices. “You’re too stupid to live! You don’t deserve anything! Thanks for taking care of it until we could take it from you loser! Now go ahead and die! No one wants you around anymore! Lamer!” With each repeated torment, the dragon would hang his head in shame, knowing in his heart that everything his tormentors said was true. “You chose this! You brought this on yourself! You have no one but yourself to blame for this! We did you a favor loser! Now you know how worthless and pathetic you are! Do the right thing! Stop wasting space by breathing! Time to die you worthless loser!” The dragon wept silently, but could not in his heart deny the truth of any of it.
Unknown to him, someone else was watching his dreams. She wept with him. He did not sense her, but she was there. She was the complete opposite of his cruel and heartless tormentors; and she was strong of heart, unlike him, weakened by his loss to the point of lifeless despair. She willingly shared in his sorrow. She saw his suffering, and her heart was rent by his sorrow. She poured out her solace to him. Sensing some peace at last, the dragon passed into a dreamless sleep, and finally rested.
Morning broke, and the dragon awoke. He felt a sense of resolve in his heart with the peace that had come at the end of his dreams. In that peace, he had made up his mind – he would not suffer any longer. He had brought this on himself, and he would end this himself. He was going to end his existence. He would end his pain, his suffering, and leave this world as he had entered it – with nothing but a cry. He gathered himself up, and slowly made his way to the cave entrance, resolving to see the sky once more before he passed.
To his surprise, when he emerged from his cave, he beheld two of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen. A regal pair of alicorns stood before him, the larger one white, and the other night black and slightly smaller. Their manes waved in an ethereal wind of magic and wonder. Both had stern looks, though there was the faintest hint of a smile on the lips of the darker one.
“My dear child – what is it you intend to do?” said the larger of the alicorns. Her soulful eyes pierced the dragon, and he felt that she could see to the very core of his soul.
“I’m so sorry – I do not know you,” said the dragon. “Who are you? Forgive my ignorance, beautiful creatures. I’ve come to see the sun one last time before my passing. I have decided it’s time for me to leave this pain and heartache behind.”
“You need not worry who we are,” stated the white alicorn with a kind smile. “Know only that my sister and I care deeply for you, and we have felt your pain. You are not alone, nor friendless. We have come to share in your sorrow.”
“If you feel my sorrow, then you know and understand my need to end it,” stated the dragon sadly. “I’m glad to have met you, but now I will be on my way. Thank you both for sharing my sorrow, and thank you for your concern.” With that, the dragon turned and started to return to his cave.
“Hold for a moment, my dear friend,” said the smaller alicorn. “We have not come just to share words of comfort. We feel your loss, and wish to help you. We can aid you in passing from this sorrow. Let us join you to make the passing one of comfort, and not further pain. We only wish you happiness and peace. May we help you in this?”
“You’re too kind to me,” said the dragon with a sigh. “I’m only suffering what I deserve. These are the fruits of my own choices. I deserve everything that has happened to me. For you to wish me such kindness is a mercy that I don’t deserve, nor understand. My soul is so filled with so much sorrow and sadness. Though I don’t deserve it, I am happy to have friends with me during my passing. I’ll gladly accept your kindness. Your just being here brings me such peace. Yes, please, of course you may stay. Thank you.”
Turning slowly, with a last look at the beautiful sunrise overhead, the dragon walked back into the cave and entered the cavern. He turned and faced the two beautiful alicorns, who followed him into the cavern, then sat. He spoke. “I had planned to burn myself with my own fire. We dragons are immune to fire, though if we wish it badly enough we can perish from it by consuming great quantities of our own fire. However, it takes a long time to generate enough fire, and I fear it would be very unhealthy for both of you to be present to so much heat and flames.”
“Fear not my child,” said the white alicorn. “What you are describing sounds long and unpleasant. It would cause you even greater suffering while you waited for your end. Instead, I will call upon the sun, and through it ease your passing.”
“Thank you for that kindness,” sighed the dragon. “The truth is I was not looking forward to the long ordeal, and would greatly welcome a more painless and merciful way to pass. Please, I’d rather do as you suggest. Tell me what I must do.”
“Just prepare your soul my dear child, and be at peace. You will no longer be troubled by the sorrow that torments you. When you are ready, say the word, and my sister and I will aid you in passing.”
Sitting quietly for a moment, the dragon collected his thoughts. As he thought back over his life, he realized that more than anything, he felt grateful. He was grateful; for his life, grateful for his wonderful younger years he had spent with his friends; and now, grateful for these two former strangers, now through shared sorrow his dearest friends. These beautiful alicorns had shown up in his hour of need, and were now going to be the last souls he would see before his passing. He smiled in gratitude at that thought, and looked up at the two sisters. “I am ready.”
With a bow of their heads, the alicorns shut their eyes. A blue and pink glow formed around the white one’s horn, and a light purple and blue glow formed around her sister’s horn. A bright flash, brighter than the noonday sun filled the cavern, then the moment passed, leaving only the glow of the sisters’ horns.
There, where the grieving dragon had once sat, lay a beautiful dragon egg.
Celestia walked over to it, carefully lifted it in her magic and set it into the padded saddle bag she had brought for that purpose. “Thank you sister for telling me of this poor soul’s suffering.”
“Thank you sister for agreeing to help me help him,” said Luna. “Will he recall any of this, or what happened to him before this when he hatches?”
“No, though when the time is right, I will see that he knows who he is, and how special he is to us, “said Celestia. “When he hatches, he will be as a new creation, with no idea of anything that has come before.”
“Will he resent us for deceiving him sister? Do you think he will be happy with the second chance at life we are giving him?” asked Luna.
“I do not know sister. I can only hope so – everyone deserves a second chance. And his heart was so contrite, so pure.”
“When will he hatch then sister? Will it be soon?” asked Luna.
“I don’t know sister. I just don’t know. I have a feeling it may be a long time from now though, and that even then he will continue to be dear to us.”
The sisters left the cave, and returned to their lives.
Ages passed. Kinships were lost, family banished, and hearts were again rent. And through those ages, an egg sat, waiting for a time when magic would unbind what had been bound, when once again, Friendship was Magic.
Friday, July 10, 2015 pg.
Author's Note
This story is set in the time before the fall of Luna, when the sisters were new to their reign. This is a story of unexpected mercies. It shares with the first story as a common theme unexpected second chances at life, though the stories are otherwise unrelated.
No diamond dogs were actually harmed in the making of this story. 
And no, those are not the same diamond dogs that bothered Rarity, but I did borrow the trope. My apologies for any confusion that causes. 
Thank you for reading my stories! I hope you enjoyed them. 
