//------------------------------//
// Prologue: Cursed Translations 
// Story: A Dragon in Equestria 
// by Teraunce 
//------------------------------//

Prologue: Cursed Translations
Ԁɹoloƃnǝ: Ɔnɹsǝp ┴ɹɐuslɐʇᴉous



Teraunce walked his way out of the inn into the foggy demiplane he had more or less inherited from his cursed, and now vanished, friend. Looking back on it as he frequently did before a new journey, he found his company in those days from when his curse had first manifested equally as strange. Lately he's had more of a handle on his curse and even managed to turn it into something of a blessing, but who would have thought the first beings he'd meet and befriend when literally forced from his own world would be a literal demon king and a vampire, a vampire who gave him the inn and gave him honorary clan status and taught him not to be afraid of showing himself to others and who on more than one occasion had saved him from death. It was thanks to her he had also found his goddess, a Goddess of the Moon.


However, speaking of said goddess, it is amazing her blessing has managed to travel across as many planes and worlds as he has, even ones where magic is little known, not like he'll ever know if it will hold on the world where he was hatched. After all, it literally took a malfunctioning spell/trap from an evil ancient god to get him out of there. He's been much more careful of any ruins he's explored ever since then and all he generally takes from there is knowledge and stuff to buy more knowledge with.


On that note, it is time he explored yet another world or plane for knowledge, his innate abilities useful for fitting in to them. The off-color Steel Dragon reflecting on the fact his scales and fur are much much lighter than the standard ever since he found his true element, that of white magic, as he rears up on his hind legs and continues moving along towards the most prominent feature of the inn's grounds besides the inn itself, the giant circular gate that serves as entry/exit to the demiplane to those not of the vampire clan. He pulls his Handy Haversack off his back making sure he has his camping kit in there and pulling his hooded cloak out to don it. He also makes sure he has his weapons, a longsword and longbow with him, weapons he is familiar with wielding thanks to his training as a Ranger.


As he finishes checking up on his gear he starts pushing buttons on a device by the gate while feeding his magical energy into it. Slowly, one by one, a ring in the gate spins and symbols light up in the diffuse morning light. Eventually nine symbols lie lined up as he pants a little before he hits a giant button in the center of the device, causing a portal to appear in the center of the gate. He slowly walks through the portal, wondering where he'll appear next before he groans as he feels his curse activate, and the portal shifts colors during translation from light blue to red and in his mind appears a...crystal tree. A crystal tree, really? What's one of those doing here in the space between. And then his telempathic senses kick in as he hears in his mind, ~What are you doing here. You are not in the plans or script, and yet...yet, there may be a place for one as balanced as you.~


As he hears this he asks in his mind, ~Script? Plans? What are you going on about? I did not mean to come here...here. who or what are you? And are...am I altering destiny by going wherever I am headed?~


Responding to his questions, the tree responds, ~You may call me the Tree of Harmony and indeed you are. You will also not survive your transition without my help. It is lucky you woke me with your magical power and gave me enough to affect changes upon you if you still wish to explore. You do want to keep most of your abilities, don't you? And there will be chances to end your place in the story early, as you will not be, how should I put it, required for it to end unless you make yourself be. In any case, you shall be my understudy, making sure the plan is somewhat followed, as changing you will put me asleep for quite awhile and you will have to regain some of your abilities and work yourself back up from the start. Equestria's rules of magic are different from yours, and some of your abilities will scare the natives so reveal them only if you must. What you currently are will also scare them so when you wake up you will not look like yourself sort of. I even have an idea what your personal emblem will be from looking at your magic element. So, do you want to enter? Or will you forever wonder what could have been?~


After hearing that long speech Teraunce hmms before sending, ~I will...will. I do enjoy hoarding knowledge and this sounds like a once in a lifetime experience. Are you a god of this world?~


Suddenly Teraunce sees the end of the tunnel approaching as he hears in his mind, ~I hope you enjoy the changes and I am a guardian of this world, promoting Harmony and Friendship amongst beings of this world. Now brace yourself, for this transition will not be pretty and where you will end up will be at my roots, a safe place in a dangerous forest. When you awake, follow the path out of the forest and observe the village. Full dragons are not generally welcome once they become teenagers, which you look like. I shall impart basic magic knowledge onto you as you sleep.~


And with that, Ter crashed into a barrier and popped through, falling from a hole in the sky towards a cavern below a ruined castle in a dark forest. He looks up to see the rainbow portal in an evening sky close as White flames surround him as he falls. Then, just as he almost hits the ground, a rainbow aura surrounds him and slows him down, bringing him up to the base of a crystaline tree before letting him drop at its base, himself passing out as he lands.