Episode one: Dragon Your Life - Prologue
Twilight groaned struggling against the heavy sheets of her bed, for some reason she just couldn’t get comfortable. The bed felt oddly lumpy and there was a certain coarseness to the sheets she didn't like.
Worse still her head throbbed gently with an lingering headache that made it hard to focus.
Her throbbing mind worked slowly to try and piece together the previous nights events. The last she was able to recall was a particular pink party pony double-teaming her with a rainbow maned pegasus mare to drag her away from her studies to yet another party in town.
What was that, the fifth one this week? she thought sluggishly with a faint smile.
Everything had been fun and enjoyable, but after Applejack brought out some new cider the whole thing began to dissolve to a blur. The whole night spun in her head like an out of control merry-go-round, with about the same effect on her head as the imaginary screeching music blared in her ears.
“Twilight?”
At least Spike was up already, maybe he could get her something for her throbbing head.
“Twilight are you awake?”
There was a note of concern in his voice Twilight completely failed to pick up on. “Yes Spike I'm awake, now could you please go ge-”
She was immediately cut off as Spike tackled her. “Oh Twilight I'm so glad you're awake. I was so worried.”
“Spike what's gotten into you?” Twilight groaned trying to shove him off her and finding it difficult.
That was her first warning sign.
Something wasn't right.
Spike was just a baby dragon, there was no way he could pin her so easily, and something else felt weird too. She should have been able to lift Spike off her with a simple levitation spell but nothing happened.
Of course she attributed that more to the headache she was currently sporting more than anything else skewing her focus.
“Spike what's going on? Did you have another attack of greed growth?”
“Greed growth? What are you...?” Spike started but then sighed, “It was the fever wasn't it? Fluttershy warned me this might happen. It's messed with your head while you were unconscious.”
“Wait, what? What fever?” Twilight asked now that Spike had pulled back, trying to see through the dim light of the room, “I feel fine. I had a few drinks with Applejack last night but...”
“Last night? The fever only just broke last night. You've been out for almost two weeks Twilight.”
“Two weeks!?” Twilight almost had a panic attack at the amount of wasted study time alone. Fears of being behind in her friendship reports were quickly squashed. She was not about to go through another panic attack that set the whole town on a mad chase after yet another doll.
“Really hit you bad didn't it?” Spike moved away and Twilight picked up a soft clop of hooves. “Spike, is there someone else here?”
“Nah, it's just me right now, the others had to go back and get to work. Though Fluttershy has barely left your side this whole time. I only finally convinced her to go home and get some rest last night when your fever broke.”
“I hope she's...” Again Twilight trailed off as the dim glow of a lamp brightened the room considerably.
What shocked Twilight though was there was a pony she had never seen. Deep purple in color, he had a forest green mane and tail. Quite obviously a stallion, but in those awkward years between being a colt and a full adult. The horn on his head was middling length, confirming the adolescent unicorn description.
“W-who are you?” Twilight stammered looking at the strange pony, “Where's Spike?”
“Twilight, I am Spike.”
The voiced was Spikes certainly, but it was the mouth of the stallion that moved. His light green eyes turned to face Twilight, her face a mask of utmost confusion.
“But Spike...? What...? How...? When...?” It took a moment for her brain to sort the questions, “How did you end up a pony!?”
The stallion Spike cocked his head to the side and gave her a somewhat worried look, “Twilight you're scarring me. I've always been a pony, remember? Ever since that day Queen Celestia entrust-”
“Wait wait!” Twilight's mind felt like an engine that was beginning to pop a gasket or two and the headache was only getting worse, “Queen!? When did Princess Celestia become a queen?”
“Princess?” Spike asked, “Twilight I think you might need to rest. You're still recovering...”
“I'm just fine Spike,” Twilight muttered throwing back the blankets and hopping out of bed. “Now what has been... happening... while...”
Twilight brain did flip-flops. Her stomach lurched. Her eyes rolled downwards.
She was standing on two feet.
Not hooves. Feet.
Spike seemed to sense the oncoming storm muttered only a soft 'Oh dear' at Twilights expression.
Too frazzled to even think about how she was doing it, Twilight walked over to the mirror over her dresser she kept in her room. Climbing onto the cushioned seat was the only way to reach the dresser mirror, but she didn't think about that right now. Hauling herself up she looked at her reflection.
What looked back was not a pony.
Instead the figure in the mirror had Twilights eyes were the same lavender color, she even had a single horn still. But that was where the similarities ended.
Her mane was still there but the pink stripe had been swapped for a series of pink spines starting at the top of her head and running down her back. Instead of one color of fur on her body there were two tones of scales with the slightly lighter color being on her underside. Her eyes had widened slits instead of round irises. She had clawed hands (actual hands, some part of her marveled) which she poked her features with. The two fangs jutting from her upper lip visible as her jaw hung down in shock from a short muzzle, not unlike the one she knew Spike should have.
A dragon. That was the only description that fit. Twilight was a dragon.
Without a groan, a whine, or even the smallest peep, Twilights eyes rolled up into her head as she collapsed backwards into unconsciousness, sprawled on the hard floor.
“Submitted for your approval. Twilight Sparkle. Friend... Student.... Unicorn.... Usually.
“For at the moment Miss Sparkle is not what she knows she should be. Nor where she should be, as we'll see in a minute.”
A off-white unicorn with black mane and tail steps forward, dressed in a black suit and tie. Unseen or heard by Twilight or Spike, he stares off as if at some unseen observer. His hard gray eyes not uncaring, but merely watching with mild amusement as a small smirk curls his upper lip.
“For you see, Miss Sparkle is the gifted student of one Princess Celestia, co-ruler of the land of magic ponies known as Equestria. And currently she is in the lands of one unknown Queen Celestia. Whose outermost reaches have crossed paths with the home Miss Sparkle has come to know so well. Creating a gray murky middle ground. An area that also intersects with that unusual place known simply as... The Twilight Zone.”
