//------------------------------// // Part 2 - Food // Story: The Student from Warpla // by SparkStone //------------------------------//     In class during a lecture, Ocellus was focusing on Applejack’s lesson. As she wrote down notes, she looked to the corner of her eye to see that Dragon was staring at her. She wasn’t sure why he was, but when caught, he would immediately turn back to the lesson.     “And that’s been going on for the last 2 days!” She said to her friends.     “Did you tell the teachers?” Sandbar asked.     “I did and they asked if I talked to him about it.”     “Did you do that?” Gallus asked.     “I couldn’t… It’s hard to work up the courage to ask him, but even when I’m about to, he leaves so quickly.”     “Now that I think about it, sometimes he looks at me too.” Silverstream mentioned.     “Dragon stares at Yona too.” Yona adds. “Not Smolder, Human Dragon.”     “Well, that’s needlessly confusing.” Gallus retorts.     “Maybe we could ask Smolder.” Sandbar suggested. “She has been hanging out with Dragon sometimes.”     “Where is she right now?” Ocellus thought. =     “Ugh, you actually eat this?” Smolder said with a look of disgust. “I mean, I guess if you had no choice.”     “Out on desert missions, if I run out of food, I’ll resort to eating anything I can find. Cacti, Burning Ant Nectar, and even beetles.” Dragon told her.     “Okay, so you’re saying you’re willing to eat anything out there?” she confirmed. Dragon responds with a nod. “What if it was a dung beetle?”     Dragon stares at her for a solid minute before finally replying, “I luckily never saw one while I was out of food.”     Smolder laughed as they talked in the library before someone in particular entered the room. It was another human who was well dressed in ablack suit. He requested Dragon to see him outside. Dragon turned to Smolder and said, “I’m sorry, but it seems they need me for something. I’ll see you another time.”     The two left while Smolder’s five friends entered the scene.     “Who was that?” Sandbar wondered about the man that was accompanying Dragon.     “Don’t know.” Smolder answered. “I think he’s the guy who's supposed to check up on him.”     “What was Smolder and Dragon talking about?” Yona asked.     “Just stuff about his home and stuff. Hey, what’re you guys doing here anyways?”     “Um… We were wondering if you could tell us about Dragon… Slayer... ” Ocellus explained.     Meanwhile, Dragon Slayer and the well dressed man are walking down the hall discussing certain matters.     “How are things, Dragon Slayer?” He asked. “How are your studies and progression?”     “My instructors seem to be pleased with my efforts, but I have not been able to put that knowledge into practice. I currently have a dragon I’m assuming to have accepted my companionship.”     “I understand,” The man replied. “Please continue to learn as much as you can from the School of Friendship. Your efforts now will aid our tribe in the near future.”     “I haven’t forgotten,” He said to him with a serious look on his face. Dragon Slayer looks at the well dressed man once more and asks, “Where did you acquire this attire?”     “When I asked for directions to see you from a pony named Rarity, she insisted on redressing me.” He explained. “I believe she is one of your instructors.”     “I will keep her… skills and passion in mind.” =     “Sooo, he’s been staring at you three?” Smolder confirmed as the group was now heading to eat lunch.     “We’re not really sure why.” Ocellus states. “We were hoping you could tell us a bit about him.”     “Well, last time we talked, he said that when he’s getting really desperate, he’d eat bugs.” Smolder thought from the top of her head.     Ocellus shrinks at that comment. “Y-Y-You don’t think that he thinks I’m a bug, do you?”     “What? No,” Smolder assures her.     “Though, you do have wings like some bugs.” Silverstream pointed out.     Ocellus nearly faints at the thought. Yona then asked, “Do humans eat Yak?”     “I don’t think so?” Smolder thought. “I don’t really know what he eats.”     The six of them enter the cafeteria and easily spot out Dragon sitting alone. On the table is a wooden box with etches of yellow ink around it.     “Is that your lunch?” Silverstream asks as she flies right by him.     “Yes, this is my lunch.” He answers as he opens the box to reveal the contents. The six lean over to see six rolls of bread packed together.     “Is… Is it just bread?” Gallus questioned.     “That’s right. It’s food my tribe eats.” Dragon explained. “It may not seem like a healthy diet, but using special techniques, we can alter the bread to have protein or other necessary nutrients.”     “Does it make it taste different?” Sandbar asked.     “No.”     “Then it is just bread.” Gallus retorted.     “Don’t humans have other food? Like cakes?” Yona wondered.     Dragon tilted his head, confused. “What’s… Cake?”     Everyone gasped except for Smolder and Gallus. Silverstream grabbed Dragon by the coat and said, “YOU NEVER HAD A CAKE BEFORE!?”     “You just eat bread and bugs then?” Gallus japed.     “I only eat bugs when I’m out in the desert and have nothing else to eat. Of course, I’d prefer cactus before I resort to beetles.” Dragon explained.     “Dragon, here, try this!” Silverstream offered a cupcake. “You need to know what you’ve been missing!”     Dragon looked at the cupcake for only a second before it was suddenly shoved down his mouth. Everyone widened their eyes at the way he was fed. Dragon’s eyes suddenly looked as if a spark had erupted. The six of them saw Dragon’s lips curl into a smile and his eyes still looked dazzled by the flavors. They would learn something not even Dragon Slayer knew.     He has a very cute smile. “This is… really good.” He said, still licking his teeth. “It’s really good.”     “You said that already,” Sandbar noted, chuckling at his expression.     “And those are just CUPCAKES!” Silverstream told him. “There’s still so much you need to see out here!”     “More food like these… cakes?” He asked.     Silverstream grabbed his shoulders and said, “A… LOT… MORE.”     The group was having a good time getting to know Dragon Slayer. Even Ocellus calmed down once she saw Dragon savor his tasty treat. Confident enough and no longer scared of the human, she finally asks him about the strange times Dragon has stared at her, Silverstream, and Yona. Dragon looked to the corner with a somewhat unhappy look.     “I apologize if I seemed threatening in any way. It’s just that... I’ve never seen any creature like you three before.”     “You haven’t?” Smolder spoke, surprised to hear that. “Ocellus is a Changeling, Silverstream is a Hippogryph, and Yona is a Yak.”     “I have never seen nor heard of any of those creatures.”     “Well, to be fair, we never heard of humans before either.” Sandbar mentioned.     “I don’t know if there are any other humans outside of Warpla. We don’t have visitors outside of our region.” Dragon explained. Before he could go in further about the history of his people, his stomach began growling. “... Perhaps we can discuss this another time? I would very much like to eat those… cakes, you called it?”     The group laughed at Dragon as they went to go get food together. Dragon felt a small glint of new happiness and had the chance to taste it himself.