Prompt #373: "Lost Reason"

Does that hurt?” said a voice from across the room.

“I tell you, hatchling, pain hasn’t stopped me from carrying on so far, and I won’t be taken down by it,” he said, looking down at the large gash on his side. Taking a closer look at the one addressing him, he squinted. “Lieutenant,” he said, noticing the mark branded on his shoulder, “How old are you?”

“I’m 68 years old, sir,” he responded.

“I was half your age when this war started,” he began, sitting up straight, “where has the time gone...” Shaking his head, he reached over to a nearby table and picked up something small. It showed signs of wear that accumulated over the years, nearly to the point that the lanes engraved into it were no longer visible. It seemed to flicker, though, in the room lit only by a small fire in the corner. Clutching onto the object, he sighed. “Let me ask you something,” he said, looking up from his trinket.

“Of course, Commander, what is it?” asked the younger one.

“Why is it that you fight?”

He thought about this for a moment, and then answered in a tone that almost sounded as if it were recited. “For equality, justice and freedom to our race, sir.”

“Is that what you believe?” This evoked a confused look from the younger. “I ask because I’m not sure myself. Love, revenge, duty... I can’t recall why I decided to do this,” he said.

“So, how exactly did the war start? No dragon I’ve ever met could tell me, but you said you were there?” the other asked.

“Ah, yes. Coincidentally, a few dragons across Equestria all seemed to become violent all about the time they reached a certain age. Those ruling at the time thought that the situation would only get worse as more and more of us became what they called ‘a threat to national security’. All dragons were to be removed from the country,” he explained.

“So what happened then?”

“There was a rebellion, of course. The dragons formed an army to try and force their way in. We’ve been trying ever since to return, but I don’t even know if there will be anything left to go back to after all this time.” He looked down at the chain hanging from his claw, and the locket attached to it. He opened it, but there were no pictures inside. “I think the reason I became a soldier was once kept in here... but sometime over the last 500 years it must have been lost.”

Setting the locket back on the table, he could see the scars that covered the purple scales on his arm. He couldn’t remember how he got most of them, but they were constant reminders.