NA: OMG, I am freaking out. So I haven't been on FanFiction for a while and guess what the crap fairy decided to do because of that? Delete all my stories. Yeah I know, 90 days and it's gone and all the crap but, seriously? I had almost an entire chapter of broken written up. Sorry guys, shit happens. So yeah.
Anyway, the only story that didn't get deleted was this one; it yet has a name so I think I'm just going to stick with A Favor for the Best. It is the back story to a good friend's (or at least I think of him as good friend) OC for MLP. Can you guess who it is? You might know him as Coran from Venin Abyss or from some of his own VA work. Yes! It's dragonv0942!
Seriously, you guys, this guy is great you should check him out. I really hope that he likes this (he did after all let me write it) and I just wanted to say that he's work is great. :)
So on to the story! 3
~Acid
Prologue: Part One ~ Finally, A Way Out
The full moon sat quietly, radiating silvery beams down on the black and smoking battle field. Almost nothing moved, except for the occasional flurry of ashes. It seemed as if nothing was alive on this barren landscape. A mournful wind began to blow over the plain of despair as a small equine shape rose from a burnt detritus, the blackened leaves and grass crumbled. Coughing, the blacked shape looked around with terrified eyes and whispered a single word, a name, uttered like a prayer.
"Saphira."
That single syllable held so much emotion, it was so dear to the ash-covered pony.
"SAPHIRA!" he screamed, his pain-filled cry echoing over the plain.
Not too far away another pile of destroyed matter shook and a figure emerged, dazed and blacked. The equine saw this figure and, recognizing it as a dragon, rushed at it. The collision knocked both parties off their feet and caused ash and dead matter to rise in a cloud blacker than the night sky above them.
As the cloud settled it revealed the pony standing over the dragon, teeth inches from it's neck, malachite green eyes narrowed to slits and lips pulled back, showing vicious teeth ready to end the life of such a terrible and terrifying creature. The dragon's eye's opened slowly, it's head still reeling from the fall. Two ultramarine orbs stared at the pony in horror.
"Go on . . . end it." The dragon's light, feminine voice quietly said, "The only thing I have left to lose is my life."
The pony wavered, That voice he thought, it couldn't be . . .
But he took another look at the figure below him, it's familiar shape, the malformed left wing. It was her.
"Saphira . . ." he whispered before pressing his forehead to her neck, "I thought I lost you."
"Viridan . . . is it really you?"
"Yes . . . I can't believe it, we both survived . . ."
Their eyes locked and some silent message passed between the pony and dragon.
"The egg." They both whispered.
In a flash the duo were back on their feet, galloping away to the West, hoping with all they had that their offspring had also survived the horrid battle. This is all my fault, Viridan thought desperately, if only I had gotten Saphira away faster, if only we had made it to the plains, if only this world wasn't the way it is. Thoughts like these ran round and round in his head as he raced to find the fate of the egg.
Minutes pasted like hours for Saphira as they ran to their waiting child. She waited with bated breath as the battle site disappeared over the her memory was a bit fogged up, Saphira still remember most of what had happened in the last day.
~MicSet!~
Thirty-Six Hours Ago . . .
It had been so good. No one had known that she had betrayed her kind by falling in love with a pony, no one had known that she had had conceived a child, a beautiful orange egg threaded with blue and green. All that was shattered as three figures approached the camp.
Her heart frozen in her chest as Saphira recognized her brother, Malzor.
Three? Only Malzor and his mate, Reon, had gone out for patrol this morning, she thought with great curiosity. As the shapes drew closer, she could she the blood red scales of her brother, Malzor, and the pale lavender scales of Reon. The third shape she also recognized as soon as she saw it, but she had hoped that she had been wrong. The third shape was being dragged by Malzor, it was a bright splash of orange against the green grass. There were no wings, no scales, and no razor sharp teeth, the third figure was no dragon. It was a pony. It was her love, Viridan.
"Sister!" the red dragon called out, "Look what we found in the forest, in our forest!"
With the last three words Malzor shook the lump of horseflesh in disgust. There was no mistaking this orange pony for any other, one that she did not care about, for as Malzor and his mate walked right up to the mouth of the cave the pony opened his eyes to reveal the most stunning, bottle green eyes. Saphira had seen them many times before, in the forest, filled with laughter as they raced, near the river, filled with concern as they talked about the future, but never had she seen them so close to her home.
"What is that thing?" she called back in mock curiosity, but in all reality she was frozen with so much fear that she was sure that Reon would be able to smell it.
"This, sister," Malnorz stated as he dumped Viridan on the ground and gave him a kick for good measure, "is a smelly, filthy, pony, come to steal from us in the night."
Saphira said nothing, too afraid that any sound or word she spoke would give away what she was truly feeling. "Oh, one of those?"
The pile of skin and bones looked up at her, one sad eye lighting up in recognition before they dragged him away into the cave.
Twenty-Four Hours Ago . . .
The cold night air nipped at her breath as Saphira climbed the outer shell of the mountain that her clan called home. She had climber this path so many times, but not for a reason so serious as this. She was on her way to free her love and the father of her child and escape from all the judgmental creatures that populated her and Viridan's world. The plan was fairly simple. Climb the mountain, jump the guard, get the keys, free him, and leave.
Practically everyone was in a coma like slumber after the feast that celebrated the capture of Viridan. She had not attended, claiming to feel ill. She was after all a weakling with her left malformed so badly that she could barely fly with it and it was expected of her to be ill more than a regular, healthy dragon. It had worked, no one was any the wiser. And here she was, putting her suicidal plan into action.
Saphira was nearing the cave at the summit of the mountain, where the Clan Elders placed the most important prisoners. Thankfully, most of the guards would have been at the feast and would now, hopefully, be fast asleep. She was expecting at least three to five to be some what conscious. As she peered around the lip of the cave's aerial entrance, she discovered to her delight that there was only two guards and both were slightly swaying on their feet.
This would go smoother than she expected. Saphira popped into the cave, false limp in place and her eyes lowered. The guards only noticed her when she went and tapped him on the shoulder, they were so tired, or intoxicated, or both.
"Hmm? Oh! Ms. Saphira, what a pleasant surprise. What are you doing up here at such a late hour?"
"Um, I was feeling better so I wanted to see what all that hubub was about." She peered through the bars at Viridan, who had been dosing until she walked in.
"All of this over one measly pony?"
"Yes ma'am. One here means one less out there."
At this, Saphira narrowed her eyes and mouthed 'going to free you, let me get rid of them-. Then she turned around and flashed the guard with her most dazzling smile. The guards returned her new expression with a dumb grin as they tried to remain awake. She walked between them and grabbed a bottle of some drink off one of the tables.
"Let us celebrate then! A toast!"
She turned around to poor the drinks as the now flustered guards began to argue, mumbling something about not drinking on the job.
"Nonsense! Can't we make an exception for such a momentous occasion?"
The guards accepted the drinks reluctantly, and mumbled toasts before throwing back the cup. The poison took only a few moments to effect their nervous system, completely shutting down their heart, lungs, and brain. As the bodies fell to the floor, the key ring came detached from one of the belts and Saphira scooped it up.
As she fiddled with the lock Viridan finally snapped out of his blood-lose induced trance.
"Saphira?"
"Yes love, it's me."
"Wha-?"
"Shh, there's not time to explain. I've got to get you out of here before the guard changes."
Finally, the stubborn clicked and the door swung open. Viridan catapulted out of the cage and captured Saphira in a tight hug, nuzzling her flank. But the embrace was short lived. Soon they broke apart and began the taxing decent from the prison.
Six Hours Ago . . .
It was done. It was a miracle they had made it out alive, let alone without being seen. Viridan was in much better shape, most of his injuries were superficial, cuts barely deep enough to draw blood, bruises, nothing more. They were so happy to be together again and once Saphira told him about their child, Viridan ran for joy, nipping her and playing like a youngling.
The sun was setting as Saphira and Viridan were traversing the last stretch of forest before neutral territory. They could almost taste freedom. But like their embrace and time together, it was short lived. The couple had the fortune to run into a battle between an enemy dragon raiding party and a boarder patrol from Saphira's clan. The battle all but came to a stand still as the couple blundered into the clearing.
~MicSet!~
Malzor was the first one wake from the stupor that the appearance of his sister had caused. It did not take him longer to figure out what had happened and with an outraged roar, he launched himself at the newly defined traitor. The battle began with fresh vim and vigor, reinforcements from both clans showing up, and all dragons united for the moment to end the monstrosity that was Viridan and Saphira's relationship.
~MicSet!~
Some how they had been separated, but they had bother survived. And now that the battle was over and they could escape, once and for all. The duo moved slowly, each nursing their own injuries in silence. They moved back into dragon territory, now more careful not to run into anything unexpected, heading to the spot where Saphira had hid the egg.
~MicSet!~
Time passed swiftly, but none too soon, they reach the hollow tree where the brassy egg sat like a hidden flower of life. As the moss was scrapped away and Viridan pulled the little ball of life out of the hole, Saphira let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Viridan looked up as her cradled his unborn son.
"It's okay, everything is going to be okay."
~MicSet!~
Back at the site of the battle, Malzor was investigating. The clans never found the remains of his sister and the pony, they just agreed that they had burned in the combine breath of fifty dragons, but he was not so sure. And of course he was right. He found the disturbed piles of ash, the hoof and paw prints. His rage boiled over and he swore then and there, that he would destroy his sister and that rat of a pony. And so he followed the tracks and plotted.
~MicSet!~
The egg was heavy, but it was a burden that Viridan was more that happy to carry.
"I still can't believe that you cared him around for six months in your stomach like this!"
"I bet he will grow to be big and strong, just like his father."
"He better, or I'm going to give him a piece of my mind for causing his mother unnecessary trouble."
Their laughter was as light as their spirits as they came back to the site of the battle that had happened less than half a day ago.
"Can you believe all we've been through?"
"Yes. We have the scars to prove it."
They stopped for a moment, admiring the rising sun. This was the perfect way to begin their new life together, with the promise of the new day. But the moment was broken as a hundred and fifty three pounds of dragon flesh slammed into Viridan. The egg flew off his back and Saphira was only just barely able to catch it. The pony threw the blood read dragon off of him and turned to face him.
"Malzor." He sneered.
"Oh, so my little sister told you all about me has she? Well, then you'll know how dangerous I am when I'm angry."
He dashed forward and as Viridan tried to side step, raked his claws across the pony's flank. The new father stumbled and let a hiss of air through his clenched jaw.
"Malzor stop this! Why can't you just let us live the way we want to!"
He turned toward her and stared murderously at the veined egg in her paws, "Because sister, loving him makes you a traitor to all dragon kind. And traitors deserve to die!"
With this he launched an attack at her, but was met with solid wall of horse flesh halfway there.
"You will not lay one stinking claw on her."
The dragon just took one look at the pony and smirked. Viridan was a terrible sight, wounded in ways that made Saphira's heart twinge and throb with anger and fear. The pony looked over his shoulder as said in the steadiest voice he could muster:
"Saphira, I'll be fine. Go, get the kid to safety."
Then he launched him self at the offending dragon. Saphira took heed of his words and turned to flee. She only got three strides in before she felt that horrid heat at her back and she knew it was all over. Everything she had done had been for nothing.
She turned slowly only to see her brother and best friend flying towards her, claws glistening in the sunlight, jaw wide open, revealing a set of knife-edged teeth. This is the end she thought. Malzor tackled her, the egg flying offer her back and landing in a pile of ash with a soft thump.
"Go ahead. Kill me. It's doesn't matter any more." She said numbly.
He hesitated, looked at the egg, the little bundle of life that had cause his sister so much trouble and joy. He looked back down at her with a sharp snap of the neck.
"Out of respect of our shared bloodline, I will spare you. But if I ever so much as catch of whiff of your sent on the wind I will hunt you down and end it all."
Then he backed off, biting her shoulder and kicking her side for good measure before taking off back towards the mountain. Saphira laid their for a moment, oddly detached from her body. She slowly got up, grabbed the egg and took off towards the rising sun, her vision blurring and her lungs burning.
AN: Omg, 2.5 thousand words for one chapter. This is seriously the most I have ever writen. I hope you like it! Let me know if there is anything you think should be changed.