The frosty night air flew into the mouth of the cave, spectral aurora shimmering and swimming through the deep blue of the sky above. The sounds of the crickets being drowned out by the yawns and growls of dragons just waking from their slumber. One dragon lived in this rather small cave...or were they a pony? Nobody really knew.
She had dark gray scales covering most of her body, green plates on her belly up to her chin. Short fangs protruded from her pony-like maw even when her mouth was closed and her mouth itself was full of razor-sharp teeth. Long sharp horns came from her head and hooked back like a normal dragon's horns, she had a pony-like body with claws that were sharp and long growing from her hooves, red slitted eyes rested in her skull ,a short white mane with a streak that was the same green tint as that of her claws and plates was plain as day, she had dragon-like wings on her back, and no cutiemark was present on her flank.
Her name was Draken, a strange hybrid creature who...never really fit in anywhere she went. This place, Drakarnia also known as the Dragon Kingdom was the only place where she could feel somewhat normal, and that was thanks to...
A claw gently took her shoulder and she was lightly shaken until she finally came to, lifting her head up to see her Mistress:
Princess Ember of Drakarnia.
"Draken, wake up," she said in her normal soft tone, the tone she always spoke in when she wasn't addressing someone as a princess or when she wasn't talking to her father.
"Do I really have to?" Draken asked groggily, noting that Ember was already in her golden armor, the only thing she wasn't wearing was her helmet. But that was to be expected, she usually didn't wear that unless she was on the battlefield or training in the razor mountains with her.
"Yes Draken, after all, who's going to be my bodyguard if you're not there?" Ember asked. Yes, Draken was her bodyguard, First given this duty by ember's father after she accidentally saved Ember from a changeling assassin. Falling on them after falling asleep mid-flight which, caused Draken to break a leg too.
Draken let out a tired chuckle "Okay, I'm getting up." she murmured, as she shakily stood up from the stone landing she had been sleeping on. Her feet wobbled underneath her, and she was already craving the sweet taste of coffee.
Normally, traders and merchants didn't carry coffee with them over the Drakarnia borders considering dragons usually didn't need it. However, Draken absolutely couldn't function without it. Because of this, Ember sent small groups of dragons to the border and sometimes, with the permission of the royalty from the other kingdoms, she would send them into those kingdoms in order to retrieve small packages of coffee for her.
Usually, dragons weren't this friendly. However, Draken had something the other dragons around Ember didn't:
The knowledge that strength isn't the only way to win. It's a very simple fact that surprisingly not many dragons could figure out, Draken though knew this all too well as she had something on her side that proved this: a silver tongue and a manipulative mind.
Draken stepped down from the landing and looked up at her,
"So, the shop then?" she asked, knowing that's where the coffee was always taken.
"Yep," Ember said, walking out to the front of the cave.
They both opened their wings as soon as they were on the edge and in one moment they pushed off the rocky peak and flew through the air like a couple of arrows. Air rushed passed their scales and flew behind them in whips of cool wind.
Ember held the royal staff with her tail, the red glow flowing behind like the aurora lights above them.
Draken's eyes also emitted this glow as they flew, the trails from both capturing the eyes of many dragons below them.
They weaved through the tall and sharp rocks that littered the landscape, the glow of the moon being just bright enough to see them, the light of the harvest moon fell upon their bodies as the moon's glow did every night, but the sight was still glorious. They finally saw their destination before them after a few more moments of flight, surrounded by pointed rocks in a formation that almost resembled a bowl. Burrows in a few of the rock walls and crystalline buildings on the flatter areas of the formation.
They landed in the dead center of the foundation, on a platform made of the same crystalline that made the buildings.
The crystalline was cold on Draken's claws and caused a shiver to run through her, but she ignored it and walked alongside Ember as they walked over to one of the larger buildings. Ember opened the crystalline door and walked in, hearing a familiar ringing as the door opened. As this sound played she saw a blue dragon poke his head out from behind the counter.
"Ember!" he shouted, a smile spreading like a wildfire across his face. "How have you been, love?"
"Just fine, Sapphire" Ember answered, her tail swaying back and forth very slightly.
Sapphire was the owner of the shop, he was a skinny sapphire dragon with purple spines from his head to his tail, his eyes and flames also being purple. He wore a gold monocle on his left eye and had claws so sharp that you would swear he could cut diamonds.
"Draken and I just needed some coffee before we start patrol tonight."
"Ah, yes! Under Nightmare's glorious moonrise eh? Of course, just give me a moment to retrieve it." As he said this he turned around, grabbing a handle in the flooring with his claws and opening a secret trapdoor that led to the storage. After he finished his sentence he dropped down the tunnel, closing the door behind him.
Draken sighed, resting her head on the counter. "Why doesn't he just get it out when this place opens again? After all we arrive every night." Ember rested her claw on the counter
"Because they need to keep all the products in the same place or they'll lose track of their stock, if that happens they'll be in ruins for quite a while." Draken groaned and set her chin on the counter as they waited for sapphire to return.
They heard the door behind them ring. as they turned, Draken could already hear a growl emanate from Ember's throat. "Oh no," Draken groaned.
"And then I said: you have some nerve coming to the dragon kingdom you puny pony-" Garble immediately stopped telling his grossly exaggerated tale to his buds and stopped in the doorway.
"Oh...lookie what we have here: miss hybrid freakshow and the spotlight-stealing weakling!" Draken shrank back a little at Garble's teasing. The growling in Ember's throat grew louder
"You have something to say there Garble?" Ember's wings started to unfold as she said this.
"Oh, nothing my lord, except the fact that you and your stupid freak over there stole that scepter from me!" Garble yelled, "If it weren't for that mutant 'helping' you I would be Dragonlord!"
"HA!" Ember snarled back, "Dragonlord Garble huh? you'd make a terrible Dragonlord! in fact, you'd probably get half of us killed by the first few weeks and I suggest you leave Draken out of this!"
"Oh yeah? and why exactly should I? she's just as much a part of this as you are!"
"Alright you two that's enough!" Sapphire yelled, having come back up from the storage with two boxes in his claws "If you want to fight you do it outside my shop." He threw one of the boxes at Garble who grabbed it before it could hit his face. "There you go Garble, that package arrived for you this afternoon." Sapphire told him. Garble immediately turned, not wanting to look at Ember any longer.
"Anyways guys..." He continued as he walked out as if nothing had happened "That pony guard was shaking in his boots when I said that-" the door shut and Ember watched through the window as they flew off. She snorted, and turned to face Draken "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, just wish I could give them a piece of my mind sometimes..." Ember chuckled, "If only."
Ember looked up at Sapphire, "So? Is that the coffee?"
"Well...it's the box at least," Sapphire said, opening it to reveal nothing inside. Draken and Ember looked at each other. Draken had already almost fallen asleep twice, once while they were flying to the shop and the second time when they were waiting for Sapphire at the counter. There was no way they could get through the day without it...or at least no way Draken could.
"Well, how long would it take to get more?"
"longer than I expect you to be able to wait." Sapphire sighed, setting the empty box to the side "looks like Draken will just have to take the night off." Draken frowned, her tail swaying back and forth as she thought.
"Well, maybe I could go get some more!" she shouted,
"What!?" both Sapphire and Ember yelled in response.
"Draken you can't, the ponies know your face! If they see you without me they'll think I sent you as a spy!"
"Well...I guess I'll just have to get a disguise!" Draken said, "Ember I want to be there for you, you're my friend."
"Draken..." Ember looked back at Sapphire, hoping to have someone on her side.
"Well if she wants to go get it that badly I say let her. After all, it is her job as given by your father to be by your side with 100% of her concentration, she really can't do that if she keeps falling asleep."
"Sapphire!"
"What? you keep telling me to be more honest and I'm telling you my honest opinion!"
Ember facepalmed, and looked back at Draken. Ember could see the determination in her eyes, she wanted to do this for her...Ember was just...a little scared of what might happen if she's caught. "Draken are you sure you want to do this...there's a big risk that you could be imprisoned by the ponies."
"Yes, I'm positive!" Ember sighed,
"Alright I suppose you can go but...you have to promise me something."
"What?"
"Be careful..." Ember told her, pulling her into a hug.
"I will don't worry," Draken reassured her, while at the same time trying to reassure herself. Sapphire cleared his throat,
"There's a zebra who lives in the Everfree forest just off the border of the razor mountains, her name is Zecora I believe. she can brew you a potion that can disguise you." Ember released her from the hug.
"Alright, I'll go to this Zecora and get this potion! and I'll be back before you know it Ember!" she yelled, as she raced out the door and to the crystal platform, from there, she took off and headed to the Everfree to meet Zecora.
Ember thought for a moment and took the scepter in her claw, waving it around as the light caught the attention of a teenage dragon outside who was referred to as Fizzle.
"Yes?" he asked in the doorway,
"I want you to follow Draken and make sure she doesn't get into trouble. Once she leaves the zebra's cottage, grab a potion from her too and follow Draken in disguise once within the Ponyland border, got it?"
"Yes ma'am," Fizzle said, immediately running to the platform and taking off after Draken
"And don't let her know you're there!" and with that Fizzle was off.
"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Sapphire asked, with a raised eyebrow
"Sure I'm sure."