//------------------------------//
// The History of Equestria (cont.) 
// Story: The Seven Riders of Equestria 
// by Failsafe99 
//------------------------------//

"Wait a second. Your telling us, that dragons not only existed in Equestria, but here as well. AND, not only that, but elves and dragons eventually got together and were, 'Dragon Riders'. That doesn't make any sense." Rainbow Dash yells out, much to the agreement and annoyance of the other student's, as they were liking the story a lot.

" Well, Rainbow Dash, yes. Know, if you will kindly not shout in the middle of the story again please. I don't always like having others interrupt me, especially when I am trying to talk." Mr. Had says, staring Rainbow down till she decided to sit down once more.

"Now, where was I?" He asks, looking at the students, asking them despite obviously remembering where he had left it off.

A student named Wallflower Blush raised her hand, and he called out, "Yes Wallflower, what is it?" 

The shy student looked around at everyone staring at her, before she said, "Eragon had just helped stop the war with the dragons." she said nervously looking around, hoping they wouldn't stare much longer. She wanted to be noticed, but just not that noticed.

"Ah, yes, of course, your right Wallflower. Yes, and that was how the first dragon rider came to be. Over time, the riders and dragons became friends, and with the pact that tied the elves and dragons together, many things came to be. The dragons gained the ability to better communicate, for before then, they had used emotions and feelings, thoughts and objects, to describe or say anything, but the elves had a written language, known only as The Ancient Language. The elves were affected   the most by the pact though, for before it, the elves where as mortal as you or I. But after the pact, they gained a sort of immortality, they couldn't be killed by any disease or time, but by poison and blade. As time went on, the elves used the new connection with magic, to further understand the world around them, and through magic, they became the most powerful race, beside the dragons in magical prowess.

"After a while, the first humans arrived at Alagaesia. Though the first time was a ship that landed and then left after a few days. However, the humans did arrive, and when they did, they saw the dragons and the elves, and the dwarves too, though they were not as prominent in Alagaesia as they were when the riders came to be. Over time, the humans proved themselves able to take their place in the ranks of the riders. And so the pact was changed to forever include humans to be riders.

"Now, I know you want me to tell you how they went about finding riders, so let me start by telling you about how they chose the eggs to become paired. They would have a dragon choose one of it's clutch to give to the riders, and then spells would be cast over it to help it determine who it would choose to be it's rider. Then, they had children line up, all of them about 11 to 12 years old if they were human, and 18 if they were elven, for the elves lived longer than the humans, and it gave them a better time to mature before they were chosen. Once the dragon hatched, they were trained for many years before they finally became a full fledged rider, and was given a sword. They were trained in swordplay, strategy, magic, and many other things.

"So with that aside, lets continue the history. As I said, the pact was changed to include humans, and with that came the eventual end of the original riders of old. Some time after the humans were inducted, a human boy by the name of Galbatorix, came to become a rider, and was chosen by a dragon in the method I just told you previously. After he had finished his training, and had become a rider in full, he and some friends had gone on a small patrol trip, laughing it up and having a good time. They let their guard down though, and a small band of Urgals were able to slaughter all of them but Galbatorix, who was able to kill them, but not before he lost his dragon. Now, normally, you might eventually get over the death of a family member or loved one, like some of you have. Well, to understand what I say next, you have to understand the bond a dragon and rider have. Think of it as a literal pairing of the heart and mind, with both of you being a separate entity, but connected to each others emotions and thoughts as if you were one being. Now, imagine that that other half, is suddenly cut off abruptly, with no warning, taking half of your soul with it. That is what happened to Galbatorix, and because of it, he went mad for a time.

"The group had flown over a mountain range called the Spine, which is still around today, though heavily deforested. What he had flown over effortlessly, and in minutes, on dragon back, know proved to be hard terrain, and took months to find his way through. During this time, he began to believe that, if he made it back, the council of riders might yet grant him another dragon, to replace the one he had lost to the Urgals."

"Um, what are Urgals?" Asked Ditzy Doo, raising her hand.

"Hmm, oh yes, Urgals came across the sea following the humans, but were not brought into the riders for their berserk nature and temper. Urgals looked kind of like orcs or ogres in video games, with rams horns, and usually stood above six feet in height, with the exception being Kull, who stood over eight. The hierarchy of the Urgals was based largely on fighting, with the strongest one with the most kills earning the right to lead and best choices of mates in their tribes. Fighting an Urgal in a wrestling match was impossible, due to how strong the Urgals were from fighting to be noticed in mating season. The only human I ever heard of who was able to best an Urgal in a wrestling match, witch these matches were to the death or concede, was able to make the Urgal concede, as he didn't want to kill him, though it's only cause he still needed the Urgal as a soldier. The mans name, was Roran Stronghammer."

"Hold up. Roran Stronghammer. That's my seventh great grandpa, at least, according to Granny Smith it is." says Applejack, getting stared at in aw by everyone in the class, including the teacher. "Really. Well, that is quite interesting." he says to nobody in particular.

"Well, lets continue the lesson, shall we!"