Chapter 5: Hybridization
They say an undiscovered species disappears from the world every day.
But that isn't the problem.
The problem is, how many species are created in a day, and go undiscovered despite all the good they do for the land?
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The Alpha was dying.
Typherias seemed to have a never ending flow of magic to feed the cobalt beam she was breathing at the Alpha. To contest with said beam, he parried with Balefire. The hottest known substance in the known world.
Although Dragons are fireproof, Balefire was something else. It gave off a heat that felt just plain disgusting.
It was also burning the scales around his mouth from which the Balefire erupted.
That wasn't his only problem, though.
During the fall, Typherias had disintegrated the leathery membrane on his right wing, rendering it useless for flight. Even if he were to succeed in breaking through her magic, he would die from the height of the fall.
And his distance was dwindling down like a candle stick next to the sun.
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She couldn't move.
The Constellation Demon that threatened to kill them all was about to only kill three.
Her, the red Dragon, and her Father.
"Looks like I win, little foal."
The Mare turned to her father, her eyes brimming with tears.
"You're going to die with me."
She looked to the silent Dragon, not expecting words, but sympathy. He only looked at her with a emotionless expression.
But something was in his eyes that set her sad soul at ease. He understood the least, but in his innocence -excluding the two soldiers he destroyed- he understood the most.
Then, breaking the silence, he spoke, that low guttural voice forever etched itself into the Mare's memory.
"It will be a noble death. We die doing what we set out for ourselves."
And with that, he looked towards the Demon, completely fearless of his imminent death.
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Typherias spent the last 7 years sleeping, building up massive energy. Her Spawns absorbed energy from other living creatures for her and she grew more powerful every time they deposited the energy into her starry body.
All that energy inside her though, contained bits and pieces of dragon; the main source from which her Spawns absorbed from.
This explains her dragon-like form, and how the Alpha was able to contest with her power.
They were nearly the same species, so it was natural that Typherias used a variant of Dragon magic to fight.
An orb had formed where her beam met the Alphas Balefire, sending out random streaks of blue-green energy. The free-falling standoff between the two titans would meet a catastrophic conclusion if the orb exploded.
The Alpha wasn't ignorant of this fact, and he intended on using it to his advantage.
Lessening his push on the Balefire, the burning on his maw lessened as well. But doing this gave Typherias the upper hand in the duel and the orb moved closer to the Alpha.
This is it, the Alpha thought.
Raising his undamaged wing, he banked out of the fall, veering to the left giving him some distance from the Demon.
His Balefire was quenched as he retracted his wing and dive-bombed for the blue orb of energy.
"I am the Alpha Dragon, and you're going to burn in Hell!"
He said it not as a thought, but a fact.
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A rogue wind made the trees sway, and the bloodstained grass ripple. The mares mane whipped around in the air, as did her fathers.
The vines still refused to release their vice grip on him despite how much he struggled. It was either just by chance that the vines were loose around his head, or a cruel decision of fate that he was able to watch Typherias and the Alpha duel in the air.
His greatest enemy and most powerful weapon contested in their descent with each others own form of magic. It was a wonderful display of lights and majestic power.
It was to his dismay that the Alpha had veered away from his Demon, not letting him see the utter destruction he was sure she would bring the black dragon.
Until the Alpha did something he didn't expect.
He dove for the energy Typherias had collected when his own collided with hers, and let out an inaudible roar that left a rattle in his bones.
"Damn creatures..."
Then the old king closed his eyes, and waited for the end.
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His world turned white-hot as his body merged with the Constellation Demon's cobalt orb of tame energy. He held no remorse for his self-sacrifice as the orb contorted and expanded, accepting his body.
A rapid change of mass and an impact of high velocities was causing Typherias to lose control of the magical flow going into the sphere, thus, it went critical.
And then, whatever remains of the Alpha there were in that lifetime seemed to speak out to Typherias, mocking her in an echoing tone.
"Burn brighter, Demon."
The orb exploded in a blue ripple, and Typherias was strewn in every direction.
Along with the spell she left in her chest before she combatted the Alpha.
A spell that ripped cells off of organisms for her to absorb.
But the spell wasn't ready, and it went awry.
Some cell cultures were taken from the Alpha, then, when the explosion reached the ground, cells were taken from the mare and red dragon.
It was painless, like a gust of wind was passing over the mare, her mane rippling. The red dragon simply watched the blue lights in the sky as they faded away.
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A spark.
All it took was a spark, either from the Alpha's sacrifice or the shadow of the mare's magic carried over in her stolen cells.
A small torrent of genes and traits seemed to fuse together, mixing both dragon and pony.
By conventional means of mixing these two traits would imply two parents; a dragon and pony. But they are very different species and no offspring could ever be created.
Now, by some unknown will of fate, Typherias's broken spell was conjoining them.
And the world was not ready for what would happen next.
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The mare and the dragon didn't know what to do.
Typherias was gone, the Alpha was gone, and the King was trapped within the vice grip of magical vines.
Clouds began to cover the wild skies, and a storm came forth from them. Rain began to fall, and the mare sat on her haunches, exhaling a breath she forgot she was holding.
Instinctively, the dragon raised a wing to shield her from the storm. Wiping the rain off her brow, she leaned against the dragon.
"Well," the mare said. "What now?"
The dragon shrugged.
She let out a sigh, and relaxed against him, the rain turning into a downpour. Lightning danced overhead, and thunder rumbled in the distance.
"We could go home," said the dragon.
Home. It was something the mare hadn't thought about. How would her family react? Surely the would cast me out once and for all, she thought.
"Not worth it."
He puffed smoke through his nostrils in agreement.
The lightning and thunder struck once more, shaking the ground. Lightning jumped from cloud to cloud, teeming with energy. A few crimson flashes could be seen in the bunch.
The dragon felt a tug in his stomach; an attraction of sorts. The mare felt it too, a strange pull to the sky and the land.
They exchanged glances, and shared a moment of empathy.
"You felt it as well?" the mare queried.
"I did."
The red lightning was more abundant now, striking trees and splitting stones around the companions. Wind roared and rain fell harder.
They stood up, the dragon still keeping his wing over the mare to shield her from the elements. Curiosity got the best off her and she trotted to a rock that had been split by the lightning. Inside the split, there were hundreds of small white crystals.
Just like the floor of the chamber the Alpha showed her.
She backed away from the stone as the crystals inside began to hum with red energy.
"What magic is this?" the mare shouted over the noise of the thunder.
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The Alpha watched over his loved ones in life, and in death.
He died valiantly and continued to patrol his land as a ghost; a Draconic specter.
He felt the power resonate around the dragon and the mare. He sensed their world about to receive a gift. For a future untold, he knew one thing: this gift would save them.
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Two bolts of red lightning cascaded down from the Heavens and struck the dragon and the mare in tandem. They were not paralyzed or killed, but filled with a power beyond belief.
They became conduits for the lightning as it went through them into a point ahead.
The genes stolen from the two were struck, and pure, white light blinded them. The mare attempted to shield her eyes, but it was as if she was looking right at the sun.
When the light died down, and she opened her eyes, after images of the woods were left in her vision. She cast a quick spell to dispose of them, and looked towards the epicenter of the rapidly fading light.
What she saw, changed her life forever.
A colt.
Ashen colored mane with light blond streaks and a maroon colored coat.
And he was lying on his side, being pelted by cold rain.
The mare ran for the colt as she shook herself free from the shock she was in. The dragon nonchalantly followed her and covered them both with his wings.
The colt was small, and it was as if he was only a few months old. The mare brushed his ash mane away from his eyes and saw that he had a horn.
A unicorn.
Carefully, she grabbed the colt in her magic and began to run.
There was one place she was sure she could go still. One place that would not cast her aside.
The Dragons' cavern.
And so she ran, the red dragon in tow.