A dragon landed in the court of Celestia, as arranged. She looked him in the eyes, which, was less of a challenge than expected... save for his sunglasses.
“Are you... are you a teenager?” Celestia asked.
“Technically? Yes,” he said, pointing a finger and her and making a “clicking” noise. “My people figured it would be easier for you to talk to someone around your size.”
“I... I guess.” She looked at her notes as a table was levitated between them. They both sat down. “On to the subject at hoof-” the dragon chuckled. “What's so funny?”
“Oh nothing, we say at “hand”.”
Celestia held up her hoof and looked at it. “Hm... I suppose that makes sense.” She put her hoof back down. “You are looking for aid... I'm not sure what Equestria could offer.”
“Well... land is one thing.” the dragon spun his index fingers around each other.
“We don't have much of that as it is.”
“Not so much to live on, but to eat. You see, when we come down to eat from your fields, your people kinda... ya know... freak out.”
“Yes, they think you're trying to eat them.”
“Elll,” the dragon said with distaste. “Not sure what that would taste like, but no thanks.”
“You're just intimidating by nature.”
“Not like we can help that. We're not born pretty like you. We would like our own land back but... I mean if you know a way to do that.”
“I... no, I have no idea,” Celestia looked down. “What is facing your people anywa-” she shook her head. “Truth is, my people would like to stay out of this. We fear you as an enemy, so we do not want to aide you, however you haven't technically done anything to us, so attacking is right out.”
“Exactly dude... we haven't done anything... is it just cause we're scary?”
“Just one of you could kill hundreds of us... you're not really going to tell me something that size wouldn't scare you. Besides, there have been deaths between us.”
“Yea, hundreds of years ago when we fought for land but... most of us don't even remember how that went down.”
“Some of the dragons that fought in those wars are still alive.”
“So you'll hold it against all of us?”
“No, I'm just staying out of it,” She looked him in the eyes, seeing the colors of his irises. “I'm doing the only thing I don't have to question, just staying out. Whatever happens, simply won't be my fault. I'm not sorry, I don't even know you, your situation or anything that's happening. We're staying out of it.” Celestia walked away.
(***)
She was beautiful. Riser was a jade dragon, small compared to other female dragons, but to Torkuda, it only made her more gorgeous. Upon reaching the smokey mountains, his eyes were instantly drawn to her.
The other male dragons flew around the mountain hoping to impress the females, but Torkuda had an idea- one that was probably terrible but it's what he did. He swooped down to Riser and grabbed her around her barrel and took off with her.
“I- what- what are you doing!?”
“Well, how I see it, you can watch, or you can join in.”
“You're supposed to impress me!”
Riser was actually a different race, Grodath. They were slow fliers and rather obese looking. They weren't generally coveted as mates, but Torkuda wanted her for reasons even he could not explain. “I can drop you off, and we can fight it out, your choice, or ya know... you could find out what it's actually like to fly faster than sound. Again, up to you.”
Riser sighed. “Well, I can watch a bunch of guys fly around who don't want me anyway even if one does impress me or- floor it.” Torkuda pushed his wings forward and threw them back, pulling her close and shooting through the air like a spinning bullet. The air around exploded into a huge shock wave as they ripped through it.
This was not really impressive for a helgath, they were the fastest of dragons and possessed a good deal of strength. The fastest was around mach three, Torkuda did well to go mach two. There were rumors of faster creatures out there, like certain ponies, but the dragons had never confirmed such information. Still, the pair touched down around the bad lands, Riser breathing in and out, holding her stomach. “Sweet Dragon Lord that... whoa boy... how do you guys even... holly...”
“So, I can return you, and-”
“Hot stuff,” she grabbed him around the stomach and pulled him in. “Do it again.”
Honestly Torkuda only did what he did because he never saw the point in the mating ritual and just wanted to get it over with. He was either going to end up with the girl he wanted, or be rejected. He figured he would just get it over with... maybe he wanted to be rejected.
Riser turned out to be a rather crazy catch herself though. Most of their dates became about her trying to find a way which she could show him up. She could easily spit fire for longer, but, according to her, that was nothing to a sonic boom. Thus came the challenges. Who took longer to puke after over eating and flying at super sonic? (Riser.) Who could scare more small animals? (Torkuda.) Who could hold their breath under lava longer? (Riser.) Who could survive the worst crash without bleeding? (Torkuda.)
Torkuda really had never been one to push the limits, until he met this girl. Now, he started pushing himself like crazy, but not to impress her, so much as to beat her. She was all he thought about, day and night, always how to get her to tap out or gasp in amazement, and every so often, he had to do the same. Their marriage was inevitable.
And so from that, the eggs were inevitable too.
What else was inevitable?
Was it inevitable when he came home to find the mouth of his cave covered in blood? Was it inevitable that a creature from a powerful species that still knew nothing of true combat, lost utterly to the centipede demon that killed his wife?
Torkuda grabbed the only surviving egg and tore away with it, flying over the sound barrier, wanting to save something of his family, just one thing.
When he landed, it was indeed inevitable that the egg had burst. And so, it was inevitable, that he wept bitterly.
(***)
Day Rise ran across the field to her friends as they waved to her. She was happy to see the hoof ball equipment, her favorite sport! She never heard her parents screaming at her. She never noticed her friends suddenly looking up. She never had a chance to notice before a shadow came over her and a huge claw grabbed her, carrying her into the clouds.
She screamed loud as she could, looking up at the massive green monster that had grabbed her.
The dragon landed, the earth cracking beneath his weight. He set her down and slammed his tail in front of her, roaring with such power Day dropped to the ground, covering her ears as the earth shook around her.
Day was so scared she curled up into a ball and started shaking, ears only perking up as she heard the voices of her parents running towards her. She got up, as the massive tail raised up, eyes filling with tears as she pushed herself to run to them.
The tail came down, the earth shattering. Day screamed again.
The filly blinked as the tail raised again, noticing her parents were still alive, but frozen in place out of fear. She felt the same fear, looking up at the dragon.
Spears flew over head.
In an instant, Day Rise looked around herself and saw all around the spears of the earth ponies who had fought off the monster. Day's mother hugged her close, her father looking around asking the critical questions.
“What... why... where did he go?”
(***)
A huge shadow fell over Ponyville.
Star Gazer ran and grabbed her foal, tossing him into the house through a window. She fell to the ground as the earth shook and a nearby statue erupted in flames. Several more explosions erupted around the town, a roar echoing out, the mare hitting the ground in terror. Massive feet crashed into the ground, the mare's eyes filling with tears as she screamed.
Another mare shot past the earth pony, the new pegasus opening her wings and shooting into the air, joined by several others in the air. Star watched as the pegasi flew around the dragon's head, fire balls shooting out, only singeing their wings as they were far too difficult for the dragon to hit.
Star looked out from the scene, watching as several unicorns started to gather in a loose circle around the dragon, their horns warming up. Suddenly the pegasi shot away from the dragon, as the sky started to fill with magic explosions.
Star suddenly felt herself grabbed around the barrel as a pegasi stallion tore out of the small city. “My son!” she shouted. But looking to her side, Burst was being flown next to her. The mare carrying her colt let her hold him and flew away. In minutes, Star saw pegasi flying hundreds of her neighbors out from the battle.
She watched the fight from outside. The explosions around the dragon started to become more and more powerful until- the dragon shot into the air and flew away at an astonishing speed, tearing threw the roofs of several homes on his way out, not stopping for anything. He just left.
(***)
“You are not individuals here!” shouted the Sargent. “You were selected for your talents, but you will use them as you are told, not however you want. You may think you know better than me, and heck, maybe you do, but you will still obey my orders. If you don't, you may be arrested.” The privates continued to stand at attention listening to him. “Who here can tell me why you all must work under my orders like that? Why working as individuals won't work?” He did not wait for someone to raise a hoof and instead just pointed at a random pony, having to read his name tag, “Tell me... Forward Light, why?”
“As um... written in the text of... I um...”
“There is no “I” here private. What's more I don't give a damn about your reference, you think I want you to site a source? Stick out your chest and answer me!”
“Because even a terrible idea has a better chance of success if we work together, sir! The best ideas will fall flat if we don't work together!..- Sir!”
He walked back and forth. “Yes, yes that is the reason. But I sense some of you didn't think of that. So everyone will be pushing until I am satisfied you will remember. You will say, “Together we are strong, alone we are weak!”.”
(***)
Sargent Rays walked home. Some of the things he taught didn't always sit well with him. He held individuality sacred in truth, but he couldn't deny the necessity of working as a unit. To keep freedom, some had to sacrifice it... how could you justify that?
Like defending life, by giving up your own.
A massive dragon landed in front of the sergeant, holding his daughter. The filly screamed out to him. The creature spoke. “You are going to explain some things to me.” he said.
Sargent Rays hated the ideas, that didn't mean he didn't understand them.
(***)
“It's been almost four months. It's the same dragon every time,” said the soldier. Celestia looked over the simulated map he projected. “He attacks all over, but he never seems to kill, or even stay to fight. Oh I'll grant you, we have no way of knowing if he's trying not to kill, or just has no reason to, but he sure wants our attention.”
“And he gets it,” Celestia said.
“Our knowledge of dragons is limited, but best we can tell, this creature is fast enough to compete with some of our best fliers.”
“The Wonderbolts?” Celestia asked in surprise.
“I have no way of knowing, but he hasn't shown speeds like that. Still, I doubt a small unit like theirs could challenge a full grown dragon on their best days.” the unicorn gritted his teeth. “Your majesty, I must implore you again, we need to send ponies into the dragon lands for research of some kind. We don't even have rudimentary understanding of their capabilities. Just one of them can fly circles around us.”
Celestia shook her head back. “Too dangerous, especially as the creatures are becoming hostile. If war is necessary, we'll... we'll...” she paused. “I-We could probably beat him,” she said, walking around the map, “But he won't fight...” she dragged her front hooves on the palace floor grunting. “What does he want?”
“Our best guess? He wants to learn something from his attacks.” He projected an image of the dragon over the map.
“This is the one right?”
“Of course.”
“I know this dragon.” she said. “We fought- in a manner.”
“He challenged you?”
“No, we had a scuffle, but he wasn't a match. He didn't seem dangerous back then.”
“Well he's definitely dangerous now.”
“He was a coward before, you're telling me he's deliberately provoking attacks just to learn from them?”
“His personality is no concern of mine. My question is, to learn what? He even kidnapped a drill sergeant... seems rather random...”
Celestia looked down at the map again. “How many attacks have there been?”
“Seven in all.”
“How was he repelled?”
“Mostly group tactics, diversion and heavy assault variety normally, but a few times we didn't have time to organize that.”
“Could he have seen commanding officers?”
“We're not at war with dragons, we don't make any effort to hide them. In any case, officers normally aren't called out to skirmishes like that. Highest ranks at these attacks were sergeants.”
“And how high a rank was the drill instructor?”
“First class.”
“Probably the highest ranks he's seen...” She scanned the map over and over. “Captain, if you had no idea how to create an army, how would you go about learning, if you didn't think you could just ask?”
“I suppose I would try to sneak a peak at other armies and learn by watching... course if I were five stories tall, sneaking wouldn't be a strong suite of mine I imagine, so I would just- oh crap.”
“Do we have any indication of where that dragon will strike next?!” Celestia said, eyes wide.
“He um... if I had to guess, he's been attacking in a loose pattern, once in each city, we've been sending forces to Baltimare-” Celestia spread her wings and flew up, shooting out of the room in a blink.
(***)
A shadow fell over the city, ponies scattering below, screams echoing out. Pegasi flew out, some scattering, other grabbing their friends or family and pulling them out.
Celestia soared down, her own shadow paling in comparison, but still, the screams started to quiet as she became visible to the ponies below. She floated down, her horn glowing with such power the dragon had to shade his eyes. The massive dragon flapped his wings and flew near her. “Once again, you terrify my people,” Celestia said, her voice magically amplified, using the “Royal Canterlot Voice”. The glass on the buildings below started to shake.
The dragon shouted back, glass shook and ponies scattered, his voice far overpowering her's. “And you are content to do nothing, while my people die!”
“You have attacked us without provocation.” she kept up her voice spell.
“You have indifference to us. I am not attacking, I am simply using you. So how does it feel to have someone have your own attitude towards you?”
“I am sorry for what is happening to your people...” she lowered her voice so only he could hear. “I know what you are doing... as I'm sure you are aware, I cannot allow you to continue.”
The dragon snapped open his jaw, a bout of flames slamming into the royal sister, throwing her off balance. Celestia screamed as he soared in a near somersault and tore away from her. Celestia shook her head to recover, the flames barely enough to singe her fur.
She flew after him.
(***)
Celestia had thought to simply catch the dragon in her magic... what she intended to do from there, she wasn't sure. Did she really mean to kill him? How else could she stop his plan? He no doubt meant to create an army.
However, the faster Celestia flew, the faster the dragon flew. Soon enough, a shock wave went off from both of them, as they broke the sound barrier. If just one was this fast, and no doubt how strong he was, the very idea of dragons having an army... she had to stop him.
The boarder of Equestria was coming up quickly. As they did, specks of red started to form in the distance. Celestia's eyes grew wide.
The princess quickly banked as hundreds of fire balls ripped through the air, streaming past her. She engaged a force field and was hit several time. Celestia slowed down, watching as her sun was completely blotted out from view. A mass of dragons flew in front of her, all glaring at her, many of them bearing their teeth.
The dragon she had been chasing flew to her. “Might I make and suggestion?” he asked. “You seem to like to like staying out of things. I won't question your reasons for doing so. Simply, I will suggest, you keep to that philosophy. That is, if you would like any of your kind to survive.”
“I... there... maybe we could talk...”
“Too late.”
“I...” Celestia hung her head. “What is it you're facing... I didn't ask before... I... maybe if I had known...”
“You didn't ask. You didn't help. Now, leave.”
Celestia hung her head. She turned and flew away.