The morning greeted Ian like it did a man waking up from a ten year drinking binge. His entire body ached in a pain unlike anything he had felt in centuries, the very glimpse of sunlight sent a thousand invisible knives deep into his skull, he felt like he was going to throw up every scrap of food he had ever eaten, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had done something horrible the night before. There was really no better way to describe how positively dreadful he felt. Twilight, on the other hand, was beaming with joy.

“Time to wake up,” she chortled.

Ian buried his face into the ground and groaned bitterly. The last thing he wanted to be reminded of was Twilight. The mental image of him wrapping his arms around her brought chunks of food to the back of his mouth.

“You’re not a fan of mornings, are you?” Twilight joked.

“Is it that obvious?” Ian grumbled.

Twilight shoved Ian onto his back and scowled. “Let’s go, the Wabberjack isn’t going to catch itself!”

“I just need five minutes to wake up,” he said drowsily. “Five minutes and we can go.” It would be five minutes without having to see Twilight and Ian wanted to savor it.

Twilight leaned down as silently as she could and closed her eyes. A tiny spark arched from Twilight’s horn into Ian’s shoulder, jolting him to his feet.

“Gah!” He yelled in shock.

“Oh good,” she said cheerfully, “you’re awake.”

Ian grumbled as he rubbed his eyes and pulled his damp shirt over his head. “What’re you so happy about?”

“I guess I slept well. I take it you had a rough night.”

“Nightmare,” Ian lied as he walked out of the cave. He took care not to look at Twilight.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, I’d rather not remember it,” he answered bitterly as the sunlight blinded him. It was like the morning was trying to piss him off.

“It might help to tell me,” she said looking up at him. He turned away so he didn’t have to look at her beautiful face. “You never know-”

Ian took a deep, calming breath and turned to Twilight. He cringed when he looked into her eyes. They reminded him of amethysts. “Look, Twilight,” he said rudely. “I don’t mean to be a prick, but I really don’t feel like talking. Please drop it.” He walked away before she could respond.

“Do you at least want breakfast?” Twilight asked, disheartened. The way her voice whimpered as she said it made Ian want to cry; the thought that he had hurt her was excruciating.

He had to be strong and ignore her no matter how painful it was. With another set of calming breaths, he walked on silently. The sooner he could find the Wabberjack, the sooner he could get the hell out of Equestria and forget about Twilight. Ian hated that no thought had ever filled him with so much dread. What the hell was it that that he found so appealing about her? She was a pony!

Twilight made an excellent companion, but the idea of her as a…he didn’t want to think what else she could be. She was smart, funny, considerate, and incredibly entertaining, but that didn’t change the fact that she was a pony. The way he felt for her was unnatural, sick. He was sick.

If he was sick, was there a cure? Was it something as simple as turning off a switch in his mind? Did he need therapy? Maybe he should be castrated? He was only spit-balling the last one, but the more he thought about it, the better it sounded.

Sex was frowned upon among the Angels (it was generally viewed as an unnecessary distraction), but Ian had never dwelled much on it. He’d been to Earth and her colonies more times than he cared to count and there were any number of women, including tramps, he could sleep with. None of them, however, were able to engage him like Twilight could. Surely that meant there was something wrong with him. He wasn’t just sick, he was flawed...a freak.

The morning passed by without a word from either of them, much to Ian’s relief. When he concentrated on the Wabberjack he was able to block Twilight from his thoughts. He felt at peace walking through the forest smelling the fowl air; it gave him a sense of purpose. The Angels had entrusted him with this task, and he’d be damned if was going to let them down. His purpose was to hunt. His purpose was to kill.

Being an Angel brought Ian the feeling that he had a place in life. He was a lost cause, only capable of taking for himself, but the Angels gave him a reason to exist. They gave him abilities beyond the grasp of any mortal, they showed him the deepest secrets of the multiverse, and most importantly, they saved his soul. To turn his back on everything they had ever given him for an abominable relationship with a beast was foolish.

Yes, he thought to himself, he was foolish. He had been so starved for attention that he had latched onto the first female willing to speak to him. The feelings he had for Twilight were nothing more than delusions- a ridiculous fixation. There was no spark between them, only an unnatural physical attraction. Once he was off this two dimensional rock, he’d be able to get the help he needed and move on with his life.

Ian had been so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed the moon rise above him. The cold night air had a strange comfort to it, and he felt like he could finally smile.

“Ian?” Twilight asked. “You never told me why you aren’t in Heaven.”

“Why does it matter? I thought you didn’t believe me.”

“It just seemed like a pretty obvious plot hole,” she said with a shrug. “I like my stories to make sense.”

“It’s because I didn’t get in,” he said with pride. “I wasn’t worthy. But the Angels,” he said waving his finger, “they gave me a home. I owe them everything.”

“What makes somebody ‘worthy’?”

“You’re asking the wrong person.”

Ian breathed in the cold air, letting the stench of the Wabberjack fill him like a balloon. The smell was magical, but there was something else in the air. Someone was cooking meat.

“Do you smell that Twi?”

Twilight gagged at the smell. “Regretfully.”

Ian turned to Twilight and grinned. “Let’s see if we can make some new friends, shall we?” He didn’t bother to let Twilight answer; he was already following his nose.

The aroma of cooked meat beckoned Ian onward until it led him into the campsite of a fat orange dragon. The dragon must have been almost nine feet tall, and the flames from the fire accentuated his portly figure. Ian waited for the lizard to spot him and run screaming, but it didn’t. “Hello there,” he greeted in an earth rumbling bass.

A greeting…he definitely wasn’t expecting that. “Pardon our intrusion,” Ian said politely, “but what is that wonderful smell?”

“Deer. Would you like some?”

“I would love some!”

“Then come and sit,” the dragon bellowed. “There’s plenty to go around.”

Hot damn! Not only was this guy friendly but he also didn’t care what Ian looked like. Ian laughed and sat down by the dragon. “Come on Twilight, don’t be shy.”

“Don’t you think we should keep moving?” Twilight asked as she sat down next to him.

“Sometimes it’s best to sit and enjoy the beauty around you my little pony.”

“Yes, but we are in a hurry.”

Ian looked up at the dragon and smiled. “Excuse us for a moment.” Ian leaned over to Twilight and cupped his hands around her ears. “How often do you see a generous dragon?” Ian whispered.

Twilight pulled away from him in shock. She didn’t utter a word, but her expression said everything. Ian cupped his hands around her ears again and whispered, “He won’t be harmed Twilight, I promise. But you can’t deny the Wabberjack would love him. I promise he’ll be okay.” Her stare screamed at him that this was wrong, but she nodded nonetheless.

“What are you two whispering about?”

“Just how strange it is to see a generous dragon. I’ve always heard they like to hoard things.” Now to play the innocence card. “I-I’m sorry,” Ian stammered, “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“Oh no my friend,” the dragon reassured, “it’s quite alright. I guess I am a little strange.”

“Aren’t we all?”

The dragon extended his hand to Ian. “The name’s Morpheus.”

Ian’s face lit up in amusement. “Oh my God,” Ian laughed, vigorously shaking the dragon’s hand. “That’s the greatest name I’ve ever heard!”

“Thank you,” Morpheus smiled. He reached into a small bag at his side and tossed a gemstone into his mouth. “Would either of you care for a gemstone?”

“No thank you,” Twilight said politely, still trying to get over the smell of roasting deer.

Ian suddenly gasped in excitement. “Do you have any reds or blues?”

The dragon rummaged through the bag and pulled out two large gems- a ruby and a sapphire. “I have both.”

Ian fell onto his side laughing uncontrollably. Quite possibly the only thing that would make this moment more amazing to Ian would be if Morpheus had sunglasses and a leather coat. “Um, Ian?” Twilight asked, utterly confused. “Are you okay?”

“Just-just give me a- sec,” he gasped. Without even looking, he knew they were both staring at him. How could they not? They had no idea why he had burst into laughter, but in all honesty, he didn’t care. If Mark was watching, he was probably laughing just as hard as Ian.

Ian pushed himself back up, trying his best not to laugh. “I’ll take the blue one.”

The deep blue sapphire had a special allure to it that Ian found fascinating. No matter what way he turned the stone, the firelight made it shimmer with an incredible luster. It was a shame that something so beautiful had come so close to being destroyed. Maybe he was over thinking it, but he felt like he had done a good deed by saving this gemstone. One end slimmed down to a surprisingly sharp point, and when he pressed his finger to it, it drew blood with ease. “This’ll make a good knife,” he told Twilight as he spun it in his hand.

“I’m curious,” Morpheus said. “Why are you two so deep into the Everfree Forest?”

“Treasure hunting,” Twilight lied. “I was in the Canterlot archives when I found an old map of the Everfree Forest. I hired Ian for protection.”

Morpheus’s chuckle shook the ground. “Then I hope you find what you’re looking for. Treasure’s never interested me.”

“Really?”

“Have you ever heard of the ‘Winged Death’?”

“Are you kidding?” Twilight was incredulous. “Who hasn’t heard of the dragon that almost single-hoofedly reduced the Crystal Kingdom to ash?”

Ian silently raised his hand, but Twilight swatted it away. It was blocking her view of the legend sitting before her. Morpheus looked astoundingly like the paintings of the beast, only he was much smaller. He even had a long vertical scar running down his abdomen, just like the one the Winged Death had. Coming here suddenly seemed like a terrible idea. “Are you going to eat us?” she squeaked.

“What?” Morpheus and Ian said in unison. Both of them looked confused and slightly disgusted with the question.

“Of course I’m not going to eat you,” the dragon said. “Why would I want to do that?”

“It sounded like you were saying were the Winged Death,” Twilight said nervously.

“The way I see it, I am not the Winged Death and I never was. The only link between us is that we used the same body.” Basically, it was a really smarmy way for him to say he changed. “The Winged Death had enough gold and silver to fill three mountains, but he never had enough. He wasted so many years of his life going from one country to another, burning, maiming, and devouring anything that got in his way. It didn’t matter how many things he had though; he always needed more.

“Sleep was next impossible for him and he would spend months at a time staring at the mouth of his cave, waiting for something to run in. On the rare occasions he did fall asleep, he’d have horrible nightmares about losing his fortune.” The dragon bit into a diamond.

Debating the definition of the ‘self’ would have been fun, but Ian was too enthralled with Morpheus’ life. This guy could have the answer to Ian’s…problem. “What’d he do?”

“When he realized that nothing he owned brought him any joy, he died, I was born, and I abandoned the fortune.”

“That’s it?” Ian was incredibly underwhelmed.

Morpheus leaned back. “I knew it was nothing but a pile of useless sparkling trinkets, so I had no problem leaving it behind. Now I spend my days wandering the forest, only taking what I need and sharing the rest.” He flicked the gem bag in distaste. “Even this feels excessive.”

“What did the other dragons think?” Twilight asked. It was hard to ask without gagging.

“I don’t know,” said Morpheus. “And frankly I don’t care. My life here doesn’t affect anyone other than myself, and I’m happy, so why should I waste time worrying what they think?”

The dragon cut a generous slice of meat with his claw and tossed it into Ian’s eager hands. “Enough about me,” he chimed. “Tell me about yourselves.”

“I think Ian should go first,” Twilight said with a hoof over her nose.

After a daylong hike to think, and a splendid encounter with Morpheus, Ian was in a good mood. In fact, he felt like having a little fun. “Alright,” Ian said with a grin. “I’ve got a story for you Twilight.” The way he said it was very unsettling to Twilight.

“Three years ago I was sent to a distant country called Bren. Merchants were telling stories of hideous creatures haunting them on their trade route, and some people had even vanished in the middle of the night. One night I was escorting a caravan through the forest,” he said and paused for dramatic effect. “And that’s when I saw them.” He slowly moved towards Twilight, doing his best to seem as creepy as possible.

“Up on the hill,” he pointed to a tree, “It was watching us.” Ian noticed Twilight gulp. “She looked human, like me, but she was a monstrosity. Thin white clothes wrapped around her skeletal body, waving in the breeze with her pitch black hair. Her skin was as cold and pale as a corpse, and her neck-” he cricked his head unnaturally toward his shoulder “-hung limply as if it had been snapped.” Twilight pushed herself away from him.

“We could see them behind the trees, dozens of them.” He slowly crawled toward Twilight. “Men…women…children, all staring at us with wide dead eyes, and their jaws hung lifelessly,” he said, mimicking their faces. “They’d surrounded us, and they were closing in.” Ian’s movements were jittery and unnatural, like a machine breaking down one gear at a time. A low weak gurgle emanated from Ian’s throat and he shakily reached for Twilight, grabbing the dirt instead.

He pulled himself over Twilight and leaned close to her face. “H-how did you escape?”

“Escape?” Ian said blankly. “You don’t escape.” With one kick, Ian scattered the campfire logs, leaving Twilight in darkness. Ian rolled away from Twilight and jumped behind a bush without a sound.

Morpheus replaced the logs and relit the fire, but Ian was still gone. “Alright Ian,” she called. “You’ve had your fun.” There was a long unnerving silence, which was then broken by Ian’s gurgle. “Ian?”

Out of nowhere Ian covered Twilight’s mouth so she couldn’t scream and pinned her to the ground by the neck. He gurgled as he moved centimeters to her face, staring blankly into her beautiful purple eyes. When their faces were practically touching and he could smell an old book, he blew air onto her nose. She snorted in annoyance. “Gotcha’,” he said and smiled, leaning back.

“It wasn’t that scary.”

“You looked pretty scared to me,” Ian teased.

“It was a jump scare,” she smirked.

“Or maybe I’m a great storyteller.”

She gingerly placed her hoof on Ian’s chest and his heart began to race. “What did I say about flattering yourself?” Before Ian could say something, she shoved him off. “What really happened?”

Ian helped Twilight upright and took a seat on the opposite side of the fire, in case she was going to hit him. “They formed a circle around our caravan and just stared at us. The people I was protecting had guns, but they were too terrified to do anything so I was basically alone. Nothing happened until the woman from the hill walked toward us. She stopped a couple yards away from me, held out her palm," Ian said, raising his palm. “The she gurgled at us. Then they all did.

“I don’t remember what made me do it, but I put away my gun and walked up to her. When I put my hand on hers...” he dropped his arm. “She smiled.”

“They were friendly?”

“One of the men in the caravan had been bitten by a snake and they wanted to help him. Those things had spent every night looking after them. They fought off animals, bandits, Demons...hell they even kept stormclouds off the trail just to make things easier for the humans.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“I have to deal with the same damn thing all the time- having everyone fear you when you’re only trying to help.” He dug a hole in the dirt with his finger. “Having them think you’re a monster.”

“They only see what’s on the outside,” said Morpheus.

“Exactly,” he said, flicking the dirt into the fire. “So, I guess what I’m getting at is um-” he looked up at the mare through the flames. "Thanks for talking to me Twilight.” She smiled and looked at her hooves in embarrassment. “And you too,” he said, patting the ground by Morpheus’ foot.

“That was a great story,” the dragon chuckled. “It’s always a pleasure making new friends.” He gently nudged Ian’s shoulder, but it was still strong enough to knock Ian on his side. “Okay Twilight, now it’s your turn.”

“Actually I have something else to say.” Ian stood up and dusted himself off. “We lied to you Morpheus, we aren’t looking for treasure. Twilight and I are looking for a dangerous creature called a Wabberjack, and I planned on using you as bait. And I’m sorry for telling you to go along with it,” he said to Twilight. “That was wrong.”

After an uncomfortable silence, Morpheus leaned forward and rested his chin on his hand. “Why me,” Morpheus asked, intrigued. “Why not use something like a deer?”

“The Wabberjack feeds off of a person’s best traits-”

“And a charitable dragon would be a buffet.”

Ian looked at his feet in shame and nodded.

“I can’t say I like the idea of being bait,” the dragon sighed, rising to his feet, “especially when it’s not my choice, but I appreciate your honesty.”

“You should leave the forest until it’s safe,” Ian said meekly.

Morpheus laughed harder than ever. “Why would I do that?” He clapped his claws together and cracked his knuckles. “Let’s go kill a Wabberjack!”

Author's Note

I'm not proud of this chapter. It feels incomplete but I'm not sure what I need to fix.