Of Snow and Fire

by Markus Nirpaw

Chapter 1

Of Snow and Fire

Lightning crashed through the clouds around me as I pumped my wings. The thunder hit me barely an instant after the flash. The boom was much more of a threat to my dumb butt then the lightning. The concussion from the thunder could knock me around and confused me. Gods, it would really suck to bury myself tail first into a hillside. I found level again and fought for more air.

This is probably the dumbest things I've ever done. Not quite as dumb as if I had stayed back there with that creeper and his little cabal, but even still. I've flown through light rain and wind storms before. The trick with those was to get above of below the disturbance, hopefully without getting wet, and continue on. This storm, however, was a little bit different. Just a teensy bit.

The storm was a full fledged black thunderhead that stretched from ground level all the way to about twice my flight ceiling. It had not been there when I had showed up at the creeps request around dawn, but appeared within minutes of my arrival. It surrounded that dirty place on all sides; the ruin covered mound was the eye of the storm. I heard the storm growling at me before I had left. It was screaming at me now. Battering me, wanting me to go back, clashing lightning and drumming thunder around me.

A hard gust slammed into me from the left. my wing was wrenched very painfully in a direction it was not designed to go. I could feel the joint wanting to pull out of its socket, and I cried out despite myself. Get a grip Snowfire. I told myself. You can do this. You got this, you've done storms before, maybe not like this, and I'm sure OTHER dragons do this all the time. For fun. Yes. I bet those other dragons also like to bang their heads against rocks repeatedly! WHY am I OUT here?!

I knew why I was out here. Short answer; I was young and dumb. I had thought that Creepy Mc Creep-creep was my friend. He had been friendly enough these past months. I suppose that should have been a tip off. No one wanted to be friends with a dragon, let alone a half-breed. I should have just left and forgotten about him when he had asked why I was covered in fur; I had told him I was only three fourths 'true-dragon.'

“Close enough for me,” he had replied said, with a wicked little smile.

So now I found myself fleeing through a thunderstorm so big and black and dark that I had never heard of anything like it before. There was so much lightning around that I didn't have to worry about flying into anything because of a lack of light. Most other dragons would have been forced to stick around McCreepy by all the electricity in the air, but just like fire was a pure-blood dragon thing, lightning was mine. What? It makes sense: fire and fur do not mix. I don't think I could actually take a full on strike by one of the lightning bolts in this storm, but I could keep my fur charged enough that the bolts didn't come close to me anyways.

Personally I liked my... I guess it would be called it a pelt? I was covered was mostly with red fur, and had a white main that went from my head all the way to a poof on the tip of my tail.Most of the other dragons thought it was a weird mutation, but I have caught a couple of the drakes eyeing my flanks. I was too tired to blush at the half-thought right now. As good as my fur and mane might look, and as good as it might be at keeping a charge, it was excellent at retaining water. Water meant more weight, and weight meant I had to struggle just that much harder.

Charging my fur did not help much with the concussive thunder or the ripping winds or the general cacophony of banshee screams and wails of the REST of the storm either. Having to constantly fight for altitude was getting really REALLY old as well. I'm a Broadwing, so I can stay 'up' a long time, and carry a lot with me, but the whole 'flap-flap-flap' constantly thing.... well I'm just not built for it. I was constantly pushing myself just to maintain my current altitude; it was lower then I would have hopped for. My muscles had long since moved past merely burning and were actively yelling in pain at every movement.

I had a good little shelter cave picked out that was probably only forty five minutes worth of flight in clear a sky. Normally an easy flight. It wasn't “an easy flight” right now. In fact, this was probably the worst flying conditions that could ever be encountered. My tendons creaked in agreement as I thrust my wings down again. I couldn't just land anywhere, as much as I might want to. Trying to do a hover landing was hard enough when I was fresh, and I knew I just didn't have it in me right now. I would end up dropping out of the sky hundreds of feet if I made the attempt just from muscle failure; no need to contemplate the wind or rain. I need a good clean stretch of ground, or even a small river, to land in. Without a clear area all I would accomplish would be to Impale myself on several trees.

I think I'm probably going to die. That sucks. I didn't want to die. I was only just leaving adolescence. This was the sort of realization that happens after one has been fighting a force of nature for hours upon hours, spending all ones strength and reserves to claw one bit further, despite making no recognizable progress, and with no end in sight. I'm not gonna give up, Ill be damned to Tartarus before I give him the satisfaction. He let slip that his little 'ritual' was going to take until sunset...I left the place at dawn.... gods, it feels like I've been out here days. It can't be much longer. He wont get MY blood for his little spell. Hes welcome to go “back to his homeland to take whats rightfully his” but I'm not going to be part of any soul-twisting-blood-magic-curse-thingy ritual!

It was right then, in the middle of my mental rant, that I was hit with a red tinted lightning bolt. It hit be right between my eyes and continued off my tail to menace something below.

Stupid creepy little unicorn. Were my last thoughts as I started to fall from the sky, losing consciousness.

****

I awoke all at once. That surprised me; That I was alive. Even if I was attuned to lighting, taking a wild bolt to the face generally kills just about anything, let alone the fact that I should have plowed a trench into the ground at terminal velocity. My mind wasn't in a “fully-working” state, and I knew it, but I was conscious. It was a happy mystery.

A moment or so later the images my eyes were seeing stated registering. I appeared to be in some sort of vast marble room, or maybe a great hall. There was daylight coming in from somewhere, and no hint of storm in its quality or on the wind. The hall also appeared to be filled with creatures, every one of them upside down and standing on the ceiling. ...Wait... Blinking a little bit, I mentally fixed the image. They were all standing on the floor; it was me that was upside down.

I was laying on my back. Over the protests of my very worn out body, could feel an impressive collection of new bruises beginning to form. I was also pushed up against a wall, and laying on-top of something lumpy. Every one of my limbs was splayed out in a different direction, and were informing me that any attempt to move them would be met with open rebellion. I carefully avoided thinking about much about how much pain I was in; I did not seem to be actively bleeding out, so the rest could wait a little. I'm probably in shock…

I could see a path from about the middle of the room to where I was that was covered in scrape-marks and bits of my fur, but pieces of cloth and fur a color that were not mine were mixed in. My twin ivory horns and neck were beginning to complain, so that probably explained the bigger gouges near my resting spot, but the ones near the start, four of them, appeared to be made more by... hooves?

The creatures around me were all staring and me with googly eyes. Not a single one moved. At that moment, I couldn't even tell if they were breathing. All of them were quadrupeds, and of an equine persuasion. Huh...A lot like McCreepy actually… but I didn't get a bad feeling from these ones. There was a bigger one wearing a lot of gold. It was mostly white, and I think it was a female. Her striking multicolored mane seemed to be moving in a wind I couldn't feel. I could see her face slowly changing from one of fear and anger to one of compete confusion as she looked at me. Most of the rest of the ones standing around had a blank look, like they were trying to get their eyes working correctly.

I saw many of the equines had weapons and armor, and more of them were entering the room... maybe some sort of guards? The big white equine had a crown … so she was royalty? Great. I probably just bulldozed her Prince or King or something. I'm gonna get stabbed a lot.

I opened my mouth. I had to say something to derail the upcoming stabbing. I had often heard stories about how silver-tongued drakes could talk their way out of any problem, but it was getting hard to concentrate. My body seemed to be doing a full inventory of all its parts, and ever last one of them felt the need to complain. Loudly. I hissed in a breath, only half noticing most of the equines in the front taking a step back.

“...Owie.”

Author's Note:

This is my first work here on Fimfiction, and my first attempt at creative writing in like... 8 years (or something like that, at any rate). Comments and critiques are welcome!

Comments

[beirirangu]

I enjoyed the idea of it, even if I'm partially against the underlying premise, and with that said, I'd like to read more

[Corgii]

Not bad really... but we have NO idea who this character is and why he is in this situation. But im sure its explained later.

Besides being really confused, the only complaint i had was he isnt exactly a likeable character. At least for me.

6/10

[Markus Nirpaw]

4887052 Glad you like the idea, but what about the premise is rubbing you the wrong way?

4887057 Thanks for the input, Hopefully the character grows on you a bit, but Ill try and work on the characterization a bit more. I'm not sure I'm understanding whats so confusing however? (Its been a long time since I've written for others to read)

[Corgii]

4887117 I just meant were kinda thrown in to this dragon fighting a storm and waking in a mystery place scenario. We dont know the character at all so he didnt appeal to me and i didnt know what he was talking about. But since this is unfinished i should probably hold that thought until maybe a third chapter as im guessing it will be explained later.

[beirirangu]

4887117 I meant the underlying premise of an evil being bent on taking over a kingdom... and it seemed like he was trying to take over equestria, which was why I brought that point up, but it's not a bad thing, necessarily

[Freelancer]

Dragoness you say? *leans back in chair* you have my undivided attention, dear author.