//------------------------------// // Friend of the Night // Story: Night Fury's Lament // by JumpingShinyFrogs //------------------------------// Pain. That's literally all I can register when I wake up. Searing, agonising, unbearable pain. I'm astounded I even woke up at all. I'm definitely going to be stuck on the ground for a while, that is, if I can even manage to crawl out of my den. The next thing I register is the smell. It doesn't smell like my den, before or after the fight. I manage to crack open an eyelid. It's still night out, which strikes me as odd, considering I've definitely been asleep for more than a few hours. But the problem isn't when I wake up, it's where. I'm not in any place familiar. I'm in a small structure with a green wood floor, and a round red rug in the centre of the room. I am lying on said rug. Birdcages and other such paraphernalia hang from hooks and the like on the wall. The cages are empty though- the birds are flying around freely. A white rabbit jumps up into my face. He smirks at me, sticks out his tongue, and hops away. Hate at first sight. He'd be getting up close and personal with my tongue by now, if I could find the strength to move. I let my gaze drift downwards to my foot, which had previously been burned. To my surprise, it's been wrapped up in strips of once white fabric. Now it's more of a dull gray colour, with spots of red where I had been bleeding. I blink a few time to remove any blurriness in my eyes, and somehow manage to lift my head. "Hello?" I croak, wincing as the effort strains my dry throat. I hear a sound like 'meep', followed by a goat bleating, which leads to the sound of something hitting the ground. Said sounds come from behind the couch. The white rabbit reappears, pulling something pink out from behind the couch. As he gets closer, I realise he's pulling a pony's tail. A pair of butter yellow hind legs come into view, as Fluttershy, for some reason lying on her back with her legs straight up in the air, comes into view. There's a shocked expression on her face. Did I scare her by accident? How did I even get here? The rabbit taps his foot impatiently by Fluttershy's face. When nothing happens, he hops off into what appears to be a kitchen, and returns holding a glass of water. He throws the water all over Fluttershy, rousing her. She shakes her head. "Thank you Angel," she says to the rabbit. She then focuses her attention on me. "I'm sorry I got scared," she apologises to me. "You don't have to be sorry," I tell her. "Oh um...all right. Sorry for being sorry..." My first reaction is to faceclaw. This turns out to be a bad idea, as it sends a spike of pain through my leg. My second reaction is to do a double take. "Wait...you can understand me?" I ask. "Of course! Though I don't think anypony else can..." she answers. Well this is a surprise. She can understand Dragontongue, but she can't speak it? Actually, just being in her presence sort of make everything seem right with the world. She just radiates kindness. Somehow, I get the feeling that I won't be engaging in aerial combat with her anytime soon. She looks and sounds like she couldn't fight her way out of a wet paper bag. "How did I get here?" I ask. "Oh...um...Angel bunny found your cave, so I had all my animal friends help me take you here..." mumbles Fluttershy, barely comprehensible. I try to stand up, which is quite painful, but I manage it in the end. I spread my wings and examine them, both for damage and parasites. After pulling a couple of ticks from my wing membranes, I notice something. The hole in my wing is gone! No, not gone. It's been sewn up neatly. Already the membranes are repairing themselves. "Did you do that?" I ask. "Oh um...yes," she answers quietly. It isn't very hard to see how she got her name. "Did I do something wrong? Oh, I'm so sorry if I did something wrong!" she says frantically. "No, I'm just surprised is all. I didn't know that was possible," I assure her. She visibly relaxes. Good, I was afraid she might keel over again. Once my legs stop shaking, I turn to leave. "Where are you going?" she asks. "I'm not a fan of pity," I say. "You've been helpful and all, but I prefer to lick my wounds in private," "You aren't going anywhere," she says sternly. "Or else?" I ask. Seriously, she'd lose a fight with a dead jellyfish, what's she going to do? She doesn't answer. Instead, she glares at me. Thor only knows what she put in those icy aquamarine eyes of hers, but it makes me sit right back down. She's all smiles again once I sit down, a stunned expression on my face. "What do you like to eat?" she asks kindly. "Um...fish?" I mutter quietly. Oh great, she's contagious! She goes into her kitchen and emerges with some perch, loach, mountain salmon and trout. No river salmon, just mountain salmon. Still it looks appetising. I shove my nose in and prepare to grab a trout, when I smell something that doesn't sit well with me. Instinctively, my hackles rise. Is she trying to kill me or heal me? Confused, she reaches in. She lifts up first a trout, which is fine. Then she lifts the problem. Something long and slimy. I start growling again. I'm sorry, I can't help it. "Do you not like eel?" she asks, bewildered, and slightly frightened. "I hate eel. Eel is toxic to dragons," I explain, still baring my teeth. "Oh my! I had no idea! I-I'm sorry," she stammers. I can't tell if she's scared or upset. She tosses the eel into a corner. A large bear picks it up and swallows it like a noodle. Disgusting. Now that the eel is gone, I can enjoy the fish. I swallow them whole, headfirst. Fluttershy watches with a disgusted look on her face. Too bad for her, there's really no other way to eat fish. Unless you cook them with your fire first and then shred them. But something tells me she'd appreciate that even less. Once I'm finished, very little remains. I retract my teeth, leaving only gums behind. Teeth help when you're eating fish. Gives you a better grip. But when you're talking to skittish Pegasi with speech impediments, it isn't hard to see why hiding them would make you look more benign. No one is really sure why we Night Furies can retract our teeth. Even I'm not sure. I think it might be to stop our fire from burning our teeth, but other dragons just have fireproof enamel. So why bother screwing around with retractable teeth? She's shocked, to say the least. "I didn't know dragons could do that! That's so cute, what else can you do?" she says, clearly excited. Even though her voice is still barely audible, it's the loudest she's been this whole time. After she finishes babbling excitedly, Fluttershy proffers some small object in front of me. I sniff it. It doesn't smell of anything I recognise. I ask her what it is. "It's a pill. Just eat it. It'll help you get better." I reluctantly follow her advice, and immediately wish I hadn't. It isn't big enough to swallow whole the way I normally would. So I end up losing track of it. And as soon as it's in my mouth it starts to dissolve, a foul taste spreading through my mouth. I don't care if she glares at me for the rest of my life, that thing has got to go. I make motions to spit it out, but she must have been expecting this, because she whistles. The bear who was in the corner approaches and clamps my mouth shut. Try as I might, I can't shake him off or open my mouth. So I'm forced to endure about five minutes of this, to make sure I ate it. The worst part is that it doesn't even do anything. "I ate that crap and nothing happened! What gives?" I complain. "Just give it time," she says. "You'll feel better soon." She enters the kitchen once more and emerges with a deep dish of water. I plunge my snout in and drink it dry. It gets rid of some of the taste, but not all of it. "Am I interrupting something?" asks a familiar voice from outside the door. "Oh, no, come in," says Fluttershy amiably. Spike opens the door and enters. He's shocked to see me. Especially wrapped up in strips of fabric, with water dripping down my snout, a disgusted expression on my face, and a very smug bear looking down on me. "Umbra?" he asks, unsure of what to make of the situation. "Hi there," I say. "Oh! Have you already met Spike?" Fluttershy asks, confused. "Yeah. We're friends." Spike beams as I make my statement. "Umbra? Is that your name? I never got a chance to ask," says Fluttershy. "Yeah, that's my name," I answer. "Why are you called that?" she asks. What kind of a question is that? After a moment of thinking, I realise what she means. Rainbow has rainbow colours in her mane. Fluttershy is quiet and shy. She doesn't understand how names work on the Isle of Berk. Fortunately, I do know why I was given my name, so I can avoid a long winded explanation of the difference of names. I'm not a patient dragon, cut me some slack. "Well, I hatched during an eclipse. When an eclipse happens, the sun is being blocked out by the moon. The shadow the moon casts on the ground is called the umbra," I explain. "Cool!" says Spike, not bothering to try and make contact with his semi-coherent grasp of Dragontongue. He's figured out that I can understand them by now. "Well, I'm called Fluttershy because I'm quite bashful," Fluttershy says. "Please don't tell anypony...if that's ok with you..." "Never've guessed," I deadpan, eliciting a laugh from Spike and a confused expression from Fluttershy. Her explanation really makes me wonder, how the hell do pony parents know what their child is going to be like when it's older? It doesn't make much sense. Fluttershy's rabbit shi- I mean pill, actually did the job in the end. I'm not hurting quite so bad. It's a pity the same can't be said for my poor obliterated taste buds. "Why did you come here, Spike," asks Fluttershy. "Oh uh, Twilight asked me to tell you to keep an eye out for the black dragon," -he glances at me- "But I see you're way ahead of her on that." Really? I literally didn't do anything, and now I'm being hunted just because I'm a dragon and my scales are black? Fluttershy goes into a huff at his statement. "Oh, that. Twilight and Rainbow should have known better! I expected more maturity from my friends, especially after the incident with Zecora," she complains. "Speaking of that, what the hell did you do? You broke one of Twilight's ribs, and dislocated both of Rainbow's shoulders and one of her wings!" Spike asks angrily. "Absolutely nothing," I state flatly. He falters for a moment. I think he might have been expecting me to get defensive, but I don't have anything to be defensive about. I didn't do anything, plain and simple. "Please explain," he says. "Not much to explain really. I was watching the town all day, I followed Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle around, to make sure they stayed out of trouble, Twilight saw me, she and Rainbow attacked, I fought back and won," I explain. "Wait. You know the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Fluttershy asks, making me jump. I'd nearly forgotten she was there. Kind of sad, considering I'm inside her house. "Yeah, I saved them from being turned to stone by a cockatrice a few days ago," I answer. "So you're their mystery hero!" exclaims Fluttershy. "I didn't realise they were gone until I came in to check they were asleep. A few minutes later they came in, scared out of their little minds! But Applebloom told me they'd run into another cockatrice, but they'd been saved by a mysterious creature that they didn't see or talk to." "When did all of this happen?" asks Spike, incredulous. "About a week ago," says Fluttershy. "Is that where you got that?" asks Spike, pointing to my Crusader cape. But I'm more concerned with another detail. "Another cockatrice!?" I ask. Just how much trouble do these three get into? "The last time it happened, I was there to protect them. I scared the cockatrice away, using non-violent methods," she explains, clearly taking pride in her methods. Personally, I don't think she could've used violent methods even if she wanted to, but that's just me. "I hope you did the same," she asserts sternly. "Umm, about that...I sort of killed it," I say sheepishly. "What! But that poor cockatrice probably had a family!" "So did all the things it had turned to stone," I point out. "What did you do with the body? I hope you were decent," asks Fluttershy. "I ate it," I say. Spike makes a sound like 'eergh' and pretends to throw up. Fluttershy looks angry. Watch out, I pissed off the fluffy pillow! "That's horrible! Why would you do that!" "Predators need to eat too," I say bluntly. This stops her rant in its tracks. In the awkward silence that follows, I realise how stifling it is in here. "Can I go outside for a minute," I ask. "I need some fresh air." Fluttershy gives me permission, making me promise not to run away or kill anything in a strange fashion that involves me crossing my chest with my claws, and covering my eye with a foot, while reciting a strange rhyme. She claims that a 'Pinkie Pie Promise' can never be broken. As I step outside and breathe in the cool night air, I wonder out loud what would happen if I broke the promise. I nearly suffer a heart attack. The crazy pink pony erupts from a potted plant she clearly can't fit in. "You'll lose your friend's trust FOREVER!" she warns. When I regain control over my breathing, I look at the plant to question her further. Only scattered dirt remains as evidence of her existence. I'm wondering now if there was more than just pain relievers in Fluttershy's pill. I cross a little bridge, which spans the river. I settle myself on the grass and just admire the night sky. "The night sky is so beautiful," I remark to myself. "It has been a long time since I have heard those words," says a voice. I look around for the source of the sound. I would flee, but past experience has shown that anyone who can understand my language is not a threat. Except maybe the pink pony, but I don't think she was entirely real. "Who's there? Show yourself," I call. I notice something I didn't before. There's something on the moon. The silhouette of a pony. Said silhouette moves, jumping out of the moon and materialising into what is quite possibly the most amazing creature I've ever seen. A tall, dark indigo mare, with a horn longer than the average unicorn's. Like Twilight, she has a pair of wings. The picture on her flank is a crescent moon with a black background. But the most astounding thing about her is her mane and tail. They are sleek, and flow in non-existent wind. They're the colour of the night sky, with small glowing dots probably meant to represent the stars. A black tiara is positioned on her head. "Hello, dragon," she says. Her voice is odd. She sounds noble and dignified. Her tones seem more advanced than the humans, but less advanced than the other ponies. Oh crap, is she going to kick my ass too? Even if I wasn't already injured, she probably wouldn't have much trouble. "Hi there, um..." I trail off. I don't know her name, or even what species she is. "Luna. Thou mayst call me Luna." "Right. Hello, Luna," I stammer. She chuckles, "Why are you so frightened? Any friend of the night is a friend of mine." "Friend of the night... Yeah, I guess that's a pretty close description of me. I love everything about the night. The beauty, the temperature, the creatures that come of of hiding. I guess we Night Furies live up to our name," I'm more relaxed now after hearing her laugh. It helps her seem more...normal. "My name's Umbra, by the way." "It is nice to encounter an entity other than myself who appreciates the night sky for what it is. A tapestry, intricate and complex. Once, the lack of admirers for my beautiful night drove me to bring about eternal night. My elder sister was forced to banish me to the moon I control." "Control?" I ask. "Yes, my job is to raise the moon to bring forth the night. My elder sister raises the sun. I can tell you are not from around here, so I will explain to you how Equestria works." She then proceeds to explain various anomalies I'd failed to understand. The clouds were as tangible as solid ground because the wings of aerial creatures channel magic that allows them to walk on clouds. Other ponies can't. She and Twilight were alicorns, ponies who possessed the innate magics of all three pony races. Alicorns were considered princesses. Chatting with Luna helped me relax. Eventually, Spike and Fluttershy wander out and join in the conversation, though they're initially shocked at seeing Luna. "Hold still for just a moment," orders Luna. Her horn lights up, and she touches it to a spot between my eyes. The sensation is strange, like something is being forced into my mind. My mouth feels strange too. "Speak," she commands. "Um...ok?" I say, quite confused. Spike and Fluttershy look at me in astonishment. "You can talk!" exclaims Fluttershy. "I've always been able to talk. How did you not realise this?" I ask, exasperated. What a random time to make such a pointless observation. Still, something seems odd. "No, like pony speak. Not dragon speak," says Spike. "I can?" It dawns on me suddenly. "Holy shit, I can!" All three glare at me. "Sorry," I apologise sheepishly. Whatever kind of a spell Luna cast, it's translating my words as I say them. Communication just got a whole lot easier. "Thank you," I thank Luna gratefully. She just smiles in return. We spend the rest of the night talking and laughing, telling stories ranging from Twilight freakouts and swapped cutie marks (which is apparently what the pictures on the ponies' flanks are called), to battling evil unicorns and robbing other dragons. Spike sends a letter to Twilight via his fire saying he's spending the night at Fluttershy's and Luna does the same for her sister. And if anyone would have passed by that night, they would have seen the strange sight of a sarcastic black dragon, a naive purple and green dragon, a butter yellow shy Pegasus and a regal indigo alicorn, laughing and having fun together under the pale light of the moon. And in that moment, amongst my new friends, I couldn't have been happier.