Rainbow Dash started to open her eyes slowly... she could feel a soft bed under her and there was a few colorful blurs around her. She closed her eyes with a groan and started to sit in the bed, rubbing her head. It was obvious that she was in a hospital room.
"What happen...? Where am I?" She said not quite sure of how she ended up there.
As the cyan pegasus woke up and started to move, her friends that were gathered around her bed felt a lot more relaxed.
"We were going to ask you the same thing Rainbow..." Steel Head said stepping closer. "I found you on a cloud between what was left of a wardrobe... also there was several other clouds scattered around where your house used to be"
"My... house...?" Rainbow asked confused for a second... but then all the memories from before she wake up on that bed came rushing back. "Oh my gosh! Eravel! Where is Eravel?" She said grabbing Steel Head's head, pulling it closer.
"I-I don't know! Calm down Rainbow! What happen there?" The royal guard said pulling his head free from her grasp.
"We... we were attacked." She said letting her fore hoofs fall limp on the bed.
"A DRAGON?" Steel head and the girls exclaimed at the same time. Fluttershy just whimpered in fear of the idea of being attacked by a dragon.
"Oh no..." Twilight said "And where is Eravel... don't... don't tell me that he..."
"Eravel was taken by it!" Rainbow Said covering her face with her hoofs. "But... But he was hit by a cone of fire... I... I saw him falling, and he looked hurt..." Her eyes started to fill with tears at the thought.
"Don't worry..." Twilight said passing hoof over her shoulder. "Dragons are very resistant to fire... He was just unconscious..."
"I... I knew that something like this would happen." Fluttershy said in almost a whisper... Everypony on the room turned to look at her, their eyes demanding an explanation.
"Dragons... are very protective of their children..." She started speaking in that soft voice. "...and they are capable of the most extreme acts to see that their children will be ok. The dragon that attacked your house, Rainbow, was probably Eravels mother... or the mother of the egg that was used as a vessel to his soul."
"But... wasn't the egg supposed to be dead?" Steel Head asked.
"Even if it was..." Fluttershy said looking at him "...the mother probably saw her baby walking and flying, and so, she felt in the right to claim her 'son'..."
"And how in tarnation did she saw him in first place?" Applejack arched an eyebrow.
"Maybe when he was taking flying lesions…" Twilight said "…But I don't think that this is important now..."
"Agreed with Twilight." Rainbow Dash said stepping out of the bed. "What we need to know is go where he is and get him back!"
"Rainbow, what do you think you are doing?" Rarity said stepping in her way.
"Going after Eravel... He is at the land of the dragons, and I' m going to take him back!" Rainbow stomped a hoof on the ground.
"Right after waking up?" Rarity pointed. "You can't go after him... he is in the land of dragons... and you know how dangerous that place is!"
"I agree..." Twilight spoke "We should contact the Princess about this..."
"Let's go then!" Pinkie Pie chirped "A great adventure in the land of the dragons!"
Everypony around her simply facehoofed...
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My breath was heavy and my heart pounding fast... I never had the opportunity to try run in all fours but this was proving to be quite useful as I was obvious faster than a biped. Right after me was three smaller dragons with sharp teeth... All of them trying to take a bite of me.
The place where I was resembled a wasteland. Rivers of magma coming from the mouth of huge volcanoes... hardly any plant around... lakes of boiling water and deposit of gems around them... Despite all that there were many dragons living here, like it was some kind of paradise for all of them.
"Why don't you stop and play with your brothers?" The female green and blue dragon spoke, walking right next to me... she didn't need to run to keep up with my speed.
"Because they are NOT my brothers! And for the last time I'M NOT YOUR SON!" I shouted at top of lungs, spreading my wings and flying out of the reach of those little monsters... standing a little higher than the female dragon head.
"Don't say that... you hurt my feelings like this, son!" The female dragon said looking serious at me.
I let out a groan... what the hell was wrong with this dragoness? First she destroy Rainbow's house... then she almost kill her. Now she kidnapped me and is claiming to be my mother!
"I'm not your son! For Odin's sake, leave me alone!" I shouted and started to fly away from her as fast as I could.
As I looked back I saw her spreading her wings to chase after me. I speed up and when she was approaching I spun to the side, diving towards the ground and flying low... Flying so close to the ground was difficult for her because of her size... I flew towards a pool of boiling water and then threw a ball of fire at it, making some of the water to instant evaporate, creating a thick curtain of steam... Using it for cover I dove inside the pool and saw as my 'mother' passed above me. I discovered that my body was extremely resistant to heat after I got hit by that dragoness fire and woke up without a single burn.
I held my breath as much as I could and then emerged grasping for air. Some drops ended in my throat making me choke a little... but at least I was free from that crazy female for while. I sighed and then got out of the water... I needed to find a better place to hide before she came back. It was weird how most of dragons over there lived. I always imagined dragons as lonesome creatures... feral beasts ready to slaughter anyone that came too close... But I found out that they were very social with one another.
This was some kind of paradise for the new born and young dragons. They came here every few centuries to lay their eggs and take care of the children until they were old enough to start traveling with their parents. Every dragon worked with the other to raise the cubs and all the cubs always played together. And that was one of the problems. I was considered something between a cub and a teenager dragon, and that means that I was suppose to watch all the newborns with my 'mother' and 'play' with them too… as a chew toy if needed… But, despite that cooperative nature, fights and violent 'games' was something very common here… especially among the teenagers and other young males.
After a while, I finally found a nice spot to hide from that crazy dragoness and to rest in peace. It was some kind of crack on the ground that she would never fit in... I jumped inside and breathed in relief... I was just going to wait till it was dark so I could eat some gems, drink some water and then come back here to keep hiding.
Of course I could try risk an escape, but I had no idea of what direction Ponyvile or Canterlot was... and I trusted that Celestia or Luna wouldn't let me hanging here... or at least I hoped for that.
"Hiding from mom?" A male voice came from behind me making me jump in startle. Behind me was a male young dragon with blue scales, a little smaller than a full grown. He had just enough size so his head and long neck could fit in the crack I was hiding… the rest of his body was outside.
"She is NOT my mother... and don't startle me like that! Damn!" I said with a hand over my chest, trying to avoid my heart from breaking my ribs and jumping out of my body.
The blue dragon laughed softly at me and got closer.
"I know..." He said with his head really close to me, to be able to look better at me. "I'm sorry for my mother's behavior is just... well… you have to understand that is never easy for a mother to lose a child."
"Your mother? You mean... that this body was supposed to be your brother... right?" I said feeling a bit guilty now... I mean, I was wearing his brother's body as my own.
"Yeah, but don't worry about it." He said smiling softly. "I know you are not to be blamed for what happen... I mean, this kind of thing happens, and it's no one's fault at all."
"Yeah... I guess so..." I scratched the back of my neck. "But... wait a second... why are you so... docile?"
"Docile? What do you mean? "He arched an eyebrow.
"Well... so far, every dragon around looked very aggressive, you know? Like... they enjoy fighting each other..." So much like my old home world...
"Probably because I was rise with my father, far away from here..." He said shrugging "He is one of those dragons that can actually use magic and don't really enjoy how other dragons act here... probably because he grew among ponies"
"And where is your father right now?" I asked.
"On his cave... Far west from here, near the griffon territory." The blue dragon explained. "I was sent here because my father knew that, after he gave the egg away to Celestia, mother wouldn't be so... comprehensive... And so I'm here to keep an eye on her... and on you too now... And before you ask." He said before I could speak, as if reading my mind. "I wasn't able to stop mom from attacking your marefriend... My father is a powerful magic dragon, but I'm not... thus, I'm no match for my mother... I'm sorry for what happen."
I looked on my mind for something to say about it... but he had covered pretty much all the problems I had thought about.
"Ok... At least I know that Rainbow is not really hurt." I said with a sigh... "By the way, what is your name?"
"I'm called Zerachiusarthos... But most call me Zera... My mother's name is Tharianee" He said.
"Wow... fancy names" I chuckled.
"What about you? I suppose is not really appropriate for me to call you by my dead brother's name" He said.
"I'm Eravel... nice too meet you." I said and smiled a bit.
"My pleasure." he said bowing his head a little. "So... you know sooner or later she will find you here right? And that she will easily thorn this crack open to reach you."
"Yeah... is just temporary. I just need to regain my energy to fly to another hiding place." I said looking up, just to be sure that Tharianee wasn't there yet.
"Or... you could give up" He said crossing his fore legs.
"Excuse me?" I blinked a few times not sure what he meant with that.
"Listen... you can keep hiding from her... or, give up and try to live with her and the other dragons around... I'm sure you will learn a lot here and also, when the rescue party arrive, there are less chances of any kind of conflict"
"Well... maybe..." He had a point there... If I started to socialize with them, when the ponies... or whoever the princesses choose to send after me... arrived, I could simply talk my way out. This idea was a lot more attractive than simply hide for Odin's know how much time...
"I better get going or I'll ruin this hiding place of yours" Zera said starting to pull his head up. "Think about what I said... the other dragons around may seem brutes, but they are not bad at heart."
The blue dragon vanished from my sight and I simply sat back, resting against the stone walls. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, trying to relax... there was someone that I wanted to talk to, and I could only do that when I was asleep...
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The royal sisters were in the throne room... both wearing a frown of worry while looking at the seven ponies in front of them. Their concern only grew as these ponies kept talking their tale about an event that didn't happen in more than a millennium... A dragon attacking a pony.
Many years ago, when Celestia parents were still alive, the elder sister was sent to deal with a threat at the borders of Equestria. Dragons attacking villages and hunting the inhabitants to feed themselves...
After days of trying to convince the dragons to stop, Celestia didn't saw alternative but the use of force. It was the first time she ever needed to use her power for violence. Those days when she banished the dragons from the borders still haunted the memories of the Sun Goddess... And now she feared that, once more, her wrath would need to be unleashed.
"So, the dragon just took Eravel?" Luna spoke. That make Celestia come back to reality and stop wandering in her memories.
"Yes princess" Twilight said "Rainbow Dash was then found at the entrance of Ponivyle with her wing lightly injured."
"Wait a second." Rainbow said to Twilight, catching the attention of everypony in there. "I thought you girls found me near my house!"
"Nop..." Steel Head said "I was the one that found you at the entrance of the city..."
"But... how?" She looked confused.
"Maybe somepony took you there?" Rarity said.
"But why only to the entrance of the city and not to a hospital?" Twilight said.
"Maybe it wasn't a pony at'all" Applejack said. Everypony looked at her. "Ya'll say tha' the dragon only took Eravel... What if it also took R.D. here to the entrance of the city after seeing that she was injured?"
"Hunf! After almost turning me into ashes?" Rainbow said frowning "I doubt!"
"In any case, we need to go take Eravel back!" Steel Head said stomping hard. "Princesses..." He said bowing. "I request your permission to travel to the land of dragons to rescue him."
"Denied." Celestia said, making Steel Head look at her in disbelief.
"What? Why?" He asked standing up.
"I won't allow any of my little ponies to get hurt. I'll go personally to take him back." She said serious.
"I don't think this is a good idea dear sister" Luna said. "We do have duties here at the palace... Especially you."
"But Luna..." Celestia started but the Moon Goddess cut her.
"Listen... you are not the same as you were before sister..." Luna stroke Celestia's face with a hoof. "Look inside and tell me... will you be able to focus on the task at hand, without letting the duties here at the castle get in your way?"
Celestia sighed and closed her eyes in defeat.
"No... you are right dear sister..."
Luna kissed her elder sister forehead and then stepped back.
"I'll go and let you informed of the situation... Also I'll take Steel Head with me too. I don't think he will be able to stay behind when his best friend is in peril." The dark alicorn said looking at the royal guard.
"And don't you forget about me!" Rainbow Dash stepped forward. "I maybe not at my top form, but don't think even for a second that I'll let you go without me!"
"But Rainbow dear... your injuries..." Rarity started but was brutally cut by Rainbow Dash.
"Screw that! I'll go walking if I have to!" She stomped hard on the floor. "I'll give a piece of my mind to that overgrown lizard!" the cyan pegasus snorted.
"I will go too." Twilight said. "I won't miss this opportunity to visit the land of dragons again... Also, Spike is worried sick with Eravel, and he won't forgive me if you guys go without him."
"Ah'll go too. Y'know... t'make sure the little fella is ok." Applejack said.
"I'll stay and get a 'welcome back' party ready!" Pinkie Pie bounced around.
"Erm... I... I will stay with Pinkie Pie... if you girls don't mind..." Flutershy said almost hiding behind her mane.
"I'll stay too." Rarity said "I won't be of much help out there so I rather stay and help the preparations for your return"
With all said, the bearers of the elements returned to Ponyvile to get ready for the trip. Steel head went to Canterlot's barracks, to get himself ready. Everypony were really excited and at the same, apprehensive with the travel they were about to make.
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That night, Steel Head went to the capitol's coffee... He was without his armor, just wanting to relax... A simple meal of daisy sandwich and a big cup coffee with milk was making him company...
"You look kind of lonely here..." he heard a female voice behind him.
He turned his head to see who it was and his heart stopped... it was Octavia.
"Are you just going to stare me or are you going to invite me to sit?" She chuckled.
"Oh! Yeah... I'm sorry!" He stood up fast. He hit the table and made his drink spill all over his coat. "Oh damn it!" He cursed seeing his white fur all stained by the brown and warm drink.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Octavia said getting closer.
"Don't worry... it was my fault..." He sighed... what a waste of a good drink.
"Well... why don't you come to my place?" Octavia said. "You can shower there..."
"Look... Octavia, I don't think-" Steel head started, but a gray hoof on his mouth made him shut up.
"Just come ok...? I really want to talk to you and... I don't think you will be well aware of what I have to say if your coat is all dirty like that."
Steel head nodded and then both started to walk... The whole way to Octavia's place was made in silence... they barely looked at each other. After only a few minutes they arrived and climbed to the fifth floor, where Octavia's apartment was. She let him go in first and then pointed towards the bathroom.
As he walked to her bathroom he noticed that her house was impeccable as ever... not a single speck of dust was visible... even the plants looked like they were arranged to be perfect. The white pegasus, closed the door and stepped into the shower... he was trying not to over-think about this situation, but it was kind of impossible... Octavia was about to give him the answer, after a moth of silence... she was finally going to let him know what was passing through her mind.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the gray mare playing her Cello... probably she had bought a new one... after all, the old one had been smashed against Eravel's head. It was a slow melody... something he never heard in his life... it was like she was using her heart to play the strings. It had a really personal touch.
He finished the bath and then stepped outside. After drying his coat and mane, he went to the living room where Octavia was still playing. Steel head simply sat there, watching the love of his life playing... His heart was beating in the slow rhythm of the song... she really had a special talent for that.
When she finished playing, he slowly clapped his hoofs, smiling tenderly to her.
"It was beautiful..." he said standing up and getting closer to her.
"I'm glad you liked it... it is something original from me... I made during this month." She answered and stepped closer to him.
"Steel..." Octavia said and sighed lightly, gathering courage. "I've been thinking during all this time we were apart... At first I thought that my answer would be simple. A very simple and clear NO."
Steel Head lowered his ears and looked at the floor... his chest already aching from the idea of rejection.
"BUT..." She continued. "After hearing that you are going to travel to the land of dragons tomorrow... I saw that you are more important to me than I first though...I mean... Just the possibility of you not returning makes me want to cry... so... my answer is-" She wasn't able to finish her phrase.
Steel Head had tackled her with a deep and passionate kiss. She closed her eyes and kissed him back... A long kiss uniting the two ponies... Steel Head never felt so alive and so good on his entire life...
Suddenly, the whole building was shaken when the entire front wall crumbled. Steel head looked through where the wall was supposed to be and saw a huge dark Dragon staring at him... The dragon opened his mouth and then a hellish fire erupted in a wave of destruction. The white pegasus felt the immense heat hitting him and then... he felt nothing else.
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A/N: Here you go… hope you guys enjoyed this one… about the song Octavia was playing, search for "Nearer My God to Thee (for 9 cellos) – ThePianoGuys"… That was the music that I was listening at the moment.
Thank you for sparing your time here, and as always, comment! I want to know what I did right, what I did wrong, what you guys liked in this chapter and things that maybe you guys disliked. ^^