//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Shadow Seeds // by Orsuros //------------------------------// Orsuros couldn’t tell what woke him up at first. He was trying hard to hold onto the important memories from the dream, but those were slipping away. There had been a princess invading his dream until he had protected himself. And after that, the dreams had faded into things he couldn’t remember. One of the first rules of surviving was to never trust something that could get into your dreams or mind. She had wanted to talk to him about the shadow beasts in his dream. But such monsters should only stay in dreams. The soft sound of hooves on dirt drew his attention to the entrance. The yellow pegasus with pink hair from yesterday peeked into the cave then stepped inside. “Umm, excuse me?” A soft voice caught his attention. “Oh good, you’re awake. Sorry, sir, but Mr. Bear wants his cave back. He found you in it when he came back after his nightly foraging.” A large bear walked into sight and growled softly in agreement to the pony’s words. The bear waited calmly by her side unlike any other bear Orsuros had ever seen. Orsuros stood up and stretched a little as he looked them over more carefully. The bear seemed to be very normal, or perhaps somewhat intelligent. The pegasus might be more trouble. She might tell her friends about him. She stood in the bright light streaming through the cave’s entrance. She didn’t seem scared of him, and the bear didn’t seem afraid either. Orsuros took a step toward the entrance. “Very well, he can have the cave back, but who are you?” “Oh, I’m Fluttershy. Maybe I could help you find a cave of your own somewhere? I’d hate for you to be homeless, but Mr. Bear needs his cave.” The pegasus gave the bear a friendly pat then followed Orsuros as the two of them stepped outside. It was still very early. The sun was barely rising and the dews and chill of morning were heavy in the forest. There was a trail back toward the town, but Orsuros began to walk off into the trees. “I don’t have a cave of my own around here yet. Sorry to cause you some trouble.” “Oh no. It wasn’t a bother at all. As long as everyone gets along, it’s okay. But really, if you need somewhere to stay, you could have just asked somepony. Some of them might be scared of you, but we like to do what we can for guests in Ponyville, even unusual ones like you. Twilight could let you stay at her castle.” “I can find my own place to sleep.” “Oh… if that’s what you want, um, well, you are new around here, aren’t you?” Fluttershy stared at him a moment. “I haven’t seen any dragons quite like you before. What’s your name?” “Orsuros. And I don’t think there would be any others like me around here. I’m surprised you didn’t run away.” “Dragons are kind of scary, but you’re not too big yet. If you’re visiting, you should go see Spike. He’s a dragon, too. He lives in the castle in town. He might know of some places that would be good for a dragon to stay, but he’s probably still asleep right now.” Fluttershy started to walk down the path back to town then stopped and looked at him closely. “Oh, are you that dragon Twilight was looking for? A dragon crashed out in Applejack’s orchard. I just hope it isn’t hurt.” He was bad at lying, so he decided to ask a question instead. “Who is Twilight?” “She’s my friend and the princess that lives in the castle. You should see her if you’re visiting Ponyville. Sorry, I need to go. The animals still need their breakfast.” Orsuros watched her until she was gone. Hopefully she wouldn’t talk about meeting him with too many ponies. It was a little unsettling that she thought of him as a small dragon. Perhaps the dragons of this world were much larger. Once he was sure she was gone, he quickly pieced together his spell from the previous day. He stepped out of the woods as a pegasus, ready for another day in this strange world. He decided it would be easiest to find somewhere to stay before going back to work with Rainbow Dash. He passed by a cottage where Fluttershy was busy feeding some animals. He continued down the dirt road until he reached the main part of town. It was busy this morning. Many ponies were trotting down the streets or beginning work. He followed Rarity’s directions and found a long white building. It looked much like the homes around it but larger. Inside the building, a thin brown and white unicorn stallion greeted him. This unicorn was a little older, so his mane had a few streaks of gray mixed in with the white. He bowed a little as Orsuros walked up to the counter. “Good morning. I haven’t seen you around. Are you visiting and need a place to stay? I have rooms I rent by the day, week, or month. It’s two bits a day, nine bits a week, or thirty-five bits a month.” “Can I pay for a day and switch to a week or month later? I don’t have much right now.” Orsuros had always traveled too much to hoard gold or other things, but it still felt wrong to spend more than he had to. “Of course. And once you try our rooms, I’m sure you’ll want to stay a while. They’re simple but comfortable. Let me show you one. By the way, the name’s Turn Key.” Orsuros gave the pony his fake pony name and followed him out to a door on the outside of the building. Turn Key levitated a key off of his keyring and opened the door. Inside was a small set of rooms. There was a bedroom, a tiny kitchen, and a small bathroom. It was simple, but he wouldn’t need more than the basics. He handed the unicorn the bits for the day. “I think it looks good. I have enough for today, and I’ll bring you more tonight. I’m not really sure how long I’ll be here.” “Stay as long or as short as you want. But if you’ll be here more than a few weeks, let me know. A lot of rooms get booked in advance when we have something big going on in town. Here’s your key. Don’t lose it, or I’ll have to charge you extra.” Turn Key left the key on the counter. Orsuros flopped down on the bed. It felt almost too soft compared to the dirt, sand, or grass he was used to. Still, staying here would probably be safer than sleeping in caves where ponies might come poking around. He’d just have to make sure the curtains were closed when he shifted back to being a dragon. He rolled off the bed when he decided it would be a good time to go to work. As he flew up toward Rainbow Dash’s cloud home, he circled around the crystal castle. If there was another dragon, he’d like to meet him. He landed by the front door and knocked. He could easily sense a lot of magic inside. “Who’s visiting so early?” A tired voice muttered behind the door as a little viewing slot opened. “Oh, good morning. Just a minute.” After a loud yawn, a small purple and green dragon came out. The dragon still looked very sleepy. He looked at Orsuros. “Sorry, but Twilight isn’t here today. If you need something, I’ll write your request and get it to her when she’s back.” “Actually, I’m not here to see her. It’s just… there’s a dragon visiting the area who wanted to see Spike. That’s you, right?” “The one and only! Which dragon is it? Is it Ember?” Spike looked suddenly awake and excited. “His name is Orsuros. He doesn’t want to scare any ponies, so he said he’ll meet you out by Fluttershy’s cottage a few hours before sunset.” “I never get any visitors! Everypony is always here for Twilight. Thanks for letting me know!” “He’s trying to learn about ponies. I thought you could help him. Anyway, I need to get to work. See you later!” Spike thanked him one more time before Orsuros took to the air. Orsuros landed softly on the edge of the cloud. Rainbow Dash was already outside and seemed to be practicing some aerial acrobatics. She pulled off some stunning twists, loops, and turns. When she finally stopped for a rest, she noticed him. “There’s my rookie weather assistant. You came at the perfect time. I’m all warmed up and ready to go after flying practice. Normally I help Twilight practice in the mornings, but she’s off on some important royal duties or something.” “Was that the purple pegasus unicorn? I saw her the other day.” “Yeah, that’s her. If you want to be fancy, she’s called an alicorn. But usually I just call her my friend, even if she’s a bit of an egghead.” “So what’s my job for today?” “Today’s special. We have an afternoon storm to build up over Sweet Apple Acres. It’s a lot to handle with the rain and thunder. It should keep both of us pretty busy.” Rainbow Dash spent the morning demonstrating how to bunch up the clouds and bounce on them to get the rain and thunder going. Too much bouncing would make the storm more violent, but too little would make it too weak for the rain to fall. He spent the morning herding the clouds together. He went back down to town for a quick lunch and then joined Rainbow Dash again for an entire afternoon of priming the clouds. Once they had enough clouds ready, the storm began. Rainbow Dash looked it over with a grin. “Awesome! But we better get out of here before any lightning builds up. Go fast or you might get zapped!” Rainbow Dash zipped ahead. “I’ll race you back to my place again.” Orsuros followed closely. This time Rainbow Dash didn’t do her sonic rainboom, but she was still far ahead of him even though his wings were burning by the end. “That was a little faster than yesterday. You could do a lot better, though. Maybe you should come to flying lessons in the morning. I could teach you a few tricks. That’s right at eight if you want to come.” “You’re quite an amazing flier. I’d love to join you for practice sometime. You’d probably still be faster than me even if I…” “Wait, you’re not holding back, are you? I like racing other pegasi at their best.” “No, it’s nothing. I have been trying my best.” “Good. I’d hate to know you were letting me win. Now, you better get inside soon. That storm we made is growing fast, and it’s coming this way. Here’s your pay for today.” She handed him eight bits. “I have a few things to go do in town, so I’ll see you later!” Rainbow Dash rushed down to the ground. Orsuros looked at the storm that was quickly filling the sky. He hoped it wouldn’t mess up his meeting with Spike. He flew low over town and spotted the dragon walking along with an umbrella. There was just enough time to land behind some trees and change back into his normal form. As soon as Spike neared his hiding place, he stepped out. “Over here!” He called out before slipping under some trees to get a little bit of cover from the downpour. Spike jumped back in surprise and stared for a moment before rushing over. “Hey there, I’m Spike! Your friend said you wanted to see me.” “Yes, I’m new around here. I wasn’t quite sure how to approach these ponies or if they’d want me in town. But you seem to live with them, so maybe I could, too.” Spike scratched his head. “So you want to live in Ponyville? Did I hear that right?” “Yes, I would like to stay here for a while. Do the ponies treat you well?” Spike nodded. “I’ve always lived with them. Twilight is my… well, she’s taken care of me ever since I hatched. I have lots of pony friends. Dragons like you might think that’s a little strange, but it’s who I am.” Orsuros shifted his wing over his head to stop the rain from dripping on him. He placed another wing over Spike. “Perhaps I am like you. I have many friends who aren’t dragons.” “As long as you don’t cause problems, you should be able to make lots of friends in Ponyville. I’ll let everypony know you’re friendly, but you should probably go visit the mayor, too.” “That’s a good idea.” “If you don’t have anything else to do, you could come stay in the castle with me. This rain would make it hard to find somewhere to stay.” “I have somewhere already, but I wouldn’t mind visiting your castle later.” “Oh, tonight might not be the best, though. I think Pinkie Pie wanted my help with something. I better get back soon to see what she needed, but feel free to stop by tomorrow.” Orsuros waved goodbye as Spike scampered off. The little dragon splashed through some puddles in the road. The dragon seemed carefree and happy here with the ponies, so maybe he’d been worried about something that wasn’t important. In his own world, the dragons weren’t exactly loved by the different species. Here in Ponyville, he’d just need to find the right time to reveal himself. He focused and gathered his magic to transform again. As a pegasus, he headed back to town and stopped by the cafe again. He ordered some food and took it to the place he had rented. The streets already seemed empty of almost any ponies. He took out his key, but to his surprise, the door was already unlocked. He pushed it open. “Surprise!” Several voices shouted as a blast of confetti shot out the door. He fell back and almost dropped his dinner. Rainbow Dash raced out to keep him from falling. Once he was back on all his hooves, he stepped inside. His small room was decorated with a large banner and packed with so many balloons that several started to float out the door. Spike, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and an orange earth pony were all waiting. “Turn Key told me you were staying here, so now I can officially hold your Welcome to Ponyville Party!” Pinkie shouted. “Rainbow Dash said you’ve been working hard, so now you can party hard, too!” All kinds of treats, desserts, and even a large cake were on the counter. The sweet smell of all the freshly baked food made his mouth water. He put down the food he had bought on the table and grabbed his sandwich. “So how are you liking Ponyville?” Pinkie asked. His stomach was empty and rumbling. He took a bite of his sandwich before answering. “Everyone, er, everypony is very nice. You’re almost too nice. I’ve never really had a party just for me before, but I’ve been to plenty of feasts, celebrations, and festivals.” “What? You’ve never had a party specially for you ever?” Pinkie gasped. “But what about your birthday?” “Birthday?” he asked. He had to think a moment. He remembered some of the villagers using that word back home. It was like a hatch day, but for things that didn’t lay eggs. “Oh yeah,” he continued. “Birthdays weren’t very important where I come from.” “What? Well, let’s make this super special and awesome, then!” Pinkie Pie pulled him up as she hopped around, leaving him a little shaken. “Maybe I should have invited more ponies! Oh, but you do seem the type to like a smaller party. I can always tell that about a pony just by looking at them.” Orsuros focused mostly on the food. Eating felt a little awkward now that he was the center of attention, but he was hungry enough to not really care. After he finished off the food he had bought along with a few extra desserts, he went back into the main room. Pinkie Pie immediately started some music playing on some strange device. He stared at it. It had a spinning disk and a sort of metal horn. Some strange mechanism rotated the disk. The orange earth pony held out a hoof. “You look as if you’ve never seen a music player before. I’m Applejack. Nice to meet ya.” Orsuros did the same, and she shook his hoof very firmly. “Rarity and Rainbow Dash kept going on about you today when Pinkie Pie told us about the party.” “I hope they had good things to say about me.” “They did. Said you was a quiet, hard-working pegasus that was new in town. You seemed kind of shifty when I met you out on my farm that first time. But if they trust you, then I do, too.” “Did you ever find the thing that crashed out on your farm?” “Not yet. Twilight wanted me to keep looking, but I have more important things to do than go on some wild dragon chase. She’s still been obsessed with whatever it is. Hey Pinkie, is she even coming tonight?” Orsuros glanced over at Spike nervously, but the little dragon gave a thumbs up sign and motioned like he was zipping his mouth. This party wouldn’t be the best place to start up rumors about a new dragon in the area. Pinkie held up her hooves. “I hope so. I invited Twilight and Starlight, but they might still be off in Canterlot. Even if it’s a small party, I didn’t want it to be too small. That’s still not even 10 guests.” “I think it would be hard to fit more in here,” Orsuros said. Outside the rain started coming down hard. Even with the music going, the sound of it pounding against the window was hard to drown out. Pinkie Pie and Applejack leaned the bed against the wall, which left the main room more open. Pinkie Pie started bouncing around to the beat of the song. “We have plenty of room for a bit of dancing. Just follow my lead.” She demonstrated a few motions and steps. After a few tries, Orsuros was able to follow the pattern. Everyone else joined in, and the small room suddenly felt rather crowded. He seemed to be understanding the dances as they went through several easy ones. After everyone was warmed up, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash started doing some much more complicated motions. When Orsuros tried a more complicated move, he slipped and backed up into someone. With his legs tangled, he fell backwards and ended up on his side with Rainbow Dash on top of him. “Pony pile!” Pinkie shouted as she hopped on the two of them. She laughed then helped both of them up. Rainbow Dash seemed to be a little red in the face and looked away. “Sorry, that was my fault,” Orsuros said. “It's fine. Just be less clumsy the next time, okay?” Rainbow Dash shook out her wings. She slipped away to the kitchen. “I still think she likes you,” Rarity whispered to Orsuros. “But good luck getting her to admit to it.” She walked over to the music player and switched it to a more relaxed song. “I think that's enough dancing for now. Really, it's getting a bit late, isn't it?” “I do need to work in the morning,” Orsuros said. Rarity levitated a broom over to Spike. “As do I. Let's get this cleaned up and put back to normal.” Rarity began to take down the decorations with her magic. Orsuros went over to help Applejack move the bed back into place. Applejack pushed the bed against the wall. “I should have brought my brother along so you wouldn't be the only stallion at the party. He doesn't get out enough as it is. But we had Spike here, too.” Orsuros finished straightening out the bed. “It was a fun party. Thank you for coming, Applejack.” “I’m always willing to help Pinkie, even if it means I get behind on a few chores. It was nice to end the party early. I'm sure we'll be teasing Rainbow Dash about this for months. She was so red.” Applejack laughed again. After a few more moments of cleaning up, everything was back to normal. Pinkie Pie was boxing up the treats for Orsuros to eat later, and he thanked her for the party. Applejack and Rarity were getting ready to go. Orsuros nibbled on one last cupcake as Spike finished up the sweeping. Spike swept some crumbs into a dustpan. “I’m surprised Twilight didn’t make it. Pinkie made me send a message to her in Canterlot. She was supposed to be back tonight or at least send a message.” Orsuros helped Spike empty the dustpan into the trash can before stepping closer to the dragon to speak quietly. “I would like to talk to her sometime. How did your meeting with my friend go?” Spike smiled. “He seems much nicer than most the dragons that I’ve met. I think everypony wouldn’t mind him staying here in Ponyville. He doesn’t seem like a normal dragon, though. Did he ever tell you where he’s form? He looks so different from all the dragons I’ve met.” “He’s from somewhere far away. I don’t think he’s the same type of dragon as you.” A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.