//------------------------------//
// The Misfortunes of Some 
// Story: Saint Beast: From Pony to Dragon to Pony Again 
// by Setten Sun 
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[Please take note:
1. Most dragons do not speak Equestrian, since they normally do not interact with them. So when someone talks and it is red they are speaking in draconic.
2. Dragons only eat the gems the same color as their scales.
3) The five main dragons pride themselves in their breed's strengths. Red is strong in spell-casting and resistant to fire. White has phenomenal speed and agility. Brown has brute strength and physical resistance on its side. Black is cunning and resistant to poisons. Blue is strong in magic and intellect.]


The Misfortunes of Some
 

Mr. And Mrs. Shine were a happy couple, and they'd recently built their own home in Ponyville, a pretty little cottage with wind chimes out front. Mr. Shine had a full-time job at a local hoof-shining company, but the company down-sized soon after he finished his house, and he lost his job.
Five months went past, and neither pony could find a new job. They lost their home and their savings. Desperate for some bits, they were forced to resort to stealing from dragons, which is legal in Equestria but very dangerous. They decided to make the well-known Rosmerta the target, because she was an old and powerful red wyrm, and she would not expect such an intrusion.
Soon after making this decision, they set out to the land of dragons, but it took two months to find their destination. In the meantime, Mrs. Shine's belly began to grow, and she was frequently ill in the morning. The two ponies suspected pregnancy, but neither of them said the word out loud. The horribleness of the entire situation was just too great, and it did not change what had to be done. They studied Rosmerta for some time, and Mrs. Shine's belly grew and grew. She could feel the baby kicking at night, and sometimes she cried, worrying about what might become of her little one, if they failed. She said none of this to her husband, though at times she suspected he too was awake, worrying.
The time came to strike. In the middle of the night, the two unicorns snuck silently into Rosmerta's lair. She was as tall as a five story building, and double the length. Rumor was she had a mountain of gold, and that she was the matriarch of all the region's red dragons. Mr. and Mrs. Shine waited for the dragon to take her nightly flight before they crept into the cave. The cave was huge; the whole of the mountain had been dug out and replaced with gold. Piles upon piles of gold lay heaped on the floor, and without hesitation, without a word, they started to fill the bags they had brought with them.
They didn't expect the dragon to come back early. She landed outside the cave with such force the ground shook, and the two ponies froze, terrified. They tried to hide, but it was impossible to hide in a dragon's cave. Rosmerta spotted them immediately.
The dragoness looked down at the two thieves, unable to find any forgiveness in her heart for the terrible crime they had committed against her. She breathed in deeply as the two huddled together, Mr. and Mrs. Shine both knowing this was the end, wishing things could have been different. The flames engulfed them, and they were killed instantly. The stallion had stepped in front of his wife at the last moment, and his body was pure ash and cinders, the mare behind him only burned black.
" I must be getting old," Rosmerta said to herself. "Normally I would have turned them both to dust.
Yet for some reason, Rosmerta still sensed movement and life among the two theives. She sniffed them closely, and after a moment realized that the mare was with child, that the child yet lived.
Killing an infant of any race is the worst crime one can commit," she murmured, remembering her old teachings. "Even one born of thieves is still pure." She snatched the newly deceased mare in one hand, and with a single talon sliced the mare's swollen belly. She pulled the newborn out of the carcass, and examined it.
"A boy. You cannot last long in that form, little one. Not in these parts. And since I've slain your mother, I will take her place. It has been many a millennium since I last had a young one." She smiled, fondly remembering her many children. "Now let us do something about this mouth-watering exterior." 
She etched a runic circle on the ground with one claw, and grabbed a handful of rubies in one hand. Then she torched her own hand until its contents became liquid, the flame a gentle tickle against her hard, hot scales. She filled every rune with ruby elixir, then waited while it hardened.
Taking a deep breath, she carefully aimed a blinding clear flame at the child. The runes collected the flames and created a shield, protecting the infant in its fiery embrace. The child screamed.
When the runes stopped glowing, the child no longer looked like a normal unicorn. Now he wore a ruby-red dragon hide, and vast bat-like wings.
"You are not truly a dragon, child. Nor are you a true pony. You are a pony with our features and our tastes. Now you need a name. I suppose I should call you by one of those silly little pony names, but nothing quite so sentimental I think. I will call you Saint Beast!"
And so was born a creature that was neither pony nor dragon, but a confusing mixture of both. And Rosmerta knew that he would face great challenges, but she also knew that she could give him the strength to face them. She picked up the child and walked deeper into her lair.


Seven Years later


Saint Beast flew around his mother's mountain, soaring on updrafts and downdrafts, stretching his wings joyfully, when he suddenly heard "Saint, come and eat!"
Without hesitation, he dove toward the cave mouth, touching the ground without a sound. His mother gave him a plate full of rubies, some venison, and it was all topped with micro-greens.
"Thank you mother, this is my favorite! Er... what are these for?” he asked, pointing one claw at the greens.
"The reason for this dinner is two-fold. First, your favorite meal, because it is your seventh hatch-day. And also..." She trailed off, hesitating.
“Something’s bothering you,” Saint Beast said. “What is it?”
So she told him everything. How his parents were ponies and had come to rob her hoard, how she’d killed them both before realizing the mare was with child. How she’d taken him as her own, and changed his aspect so that he could survive among the dragons.
When she had finished, she looked at him expectantly, but Saint Beast did not know what to say or think. So instead of waiting for an answer, Rosmerta continued, "Since you are not a true red dragon, you must live with the other clans for a year each: the Whites, the Browns, and Blacks, and the Blues."
As though he had been called, a white dragon landed outside the cave as she spoke. "Rosmerta?" he said.
She nodded, and the white dragon looked at Saint Beast kindly. "Come, young one. Let us see what the Whites can make of you."
Rosmerta walked back into her cave, and Saint Beast said nothing, understanding that his mother did not want to show her tears.


Four years later


Rosmerta was asleep on her bed of gold, as usual, when she woke to the cry of, "Mother! I'm back! Mother!" At first she moved slowly, until she realized that it was not just a dream this time. Today was the day of her son’s return, at long last. She dashed out of the cave, only to see a small four-legged dragon with purple scales and red spines. He had large wings common to the white clan, and the strong muscle definition of the brown clan. She stared at him for a long time, hardly recognizing him, until he spoke again. "Mother, can I have some venison and rubies with micro-greens on top?.”
Her confusion turned instantly to joy as she scooped her son up with one claw, which was extremely simple since he was still hardly more than a handful for her, and gave him a large hug.
"I have missed you terribly since you left! And yes, you may. I shall have it ready in five minutes, no longer." 
As he was eating, Saint looked up and saw a small spark by his mother’s face."What’s that, Mother? It looks like a message, but it is much too small to be from another dragon, isn’t it?" 
She looked down at him, and replied, "This message is from the princess of the ponies. I have asked her a favor, and I just recently got the answer... though I wish she would send me a parchment larger than a speck of dust." She tried to grab it a few times, but the letter was just too small for her. 
The parchment fell next to Saint, so he grabbed it in his talons, and read it aloud for his mother. “‘He is welcome. I will personally await his arrival tomorrow next at Everfree.’ That's all it says, Mother. What does it mean?" 
She looked at her son fondly, and said "You have grown as a dragon, my son, but you are a pony. So you must understand where you come from. So I asked their princess if you would be welcome to live in the ponies’ domain for a time." 


Yesterday, Canterlot


Celestia sat on her throne, listening to yet another pony complaining about something she could probably fix easily by herself, if she’d just use her brain. How much longer until she could leave? She wished Twilight would send her a friendship report, so that she could act like it was an emergency.
Her wish was almost immediately granted, for a moment later she saw the flames of a letter forming in front of her.
Thank you, Twilight, she thought happily. But the letter didn’t stop growing. All the ponies who’d come to be heard ran from the room in a panic as the parchment materialized, stretching from one wall to another, still rolled up. It hit the ground, shaking the castle, and the guards ran in, then ran right back out as it started to unravel. It showed a message in red flames.
Dragons. Why did they always send such a large parchment for such small messages?

Rosmerta reached into the mound of glowing gems and pulled out one that changed its color every few seconds. She gave it to Saint and said, " Eat this. It was made by the five dragon leaders for you. Once you eat it, you will take on the appearance of a pegasus pony. It will also turn your scales into fur, including your spines and horns. This will allow other ponies to touch you without frightening them away. The rest of you will look like a normal pegasus, but it will all be an illusion. You will still need to eat normally... I hear ponies see eating meat as a taboo, so you will need to hunt for yourself, in secret. And remember the gem spells, because we do not know if you will find any gems there." 
Without hesitation, he ate the gem and felt a strange warming sensation all over his body. His form changed slowly, until he looked completely like a pony, though he felt no different. He nodded his head and said, "Don’t worry, Mother. I know the diamond, ruby, onyx, axinite, and sapphire gem spells. I will have plenty of food."
Rosmerta held out her hand to her son, and he sat down when she started to close her claws around him. "One last thing, my son. All I know of the princess is that she is white and has a horn in the center of her head. 			She should be the first pony you see. Do your best to help her."
He nodded again.
Rosmerta mixed magic with her flames, and turned the floor into a pentagram of flames. Then she slammed her fist down into the middle.


Everfree


A large claw came up from the ground and opened, allowing a single pegasus colt to hop down. Once he was off the claw, it vanished back underground. 
Now to find the princess. Saint looked around him, and saw nothing but trees and more trees and even more trees. But a moment later, he heard, "Please help me! I'm lost!" Saint looked in the direction of the noise as he started to walk toward it. He didn’t know what the words meant, but he did recognize the fear in them. Curiously he made his way toward the sound. Then suddenly, a shrill scream rent the air.
What he found when he arrived was a unicorn filly backed against a tree. She was white, with a pink and purple main, and a horn in the middle of her head.
The princess! She fit the description exactly. Saint walked over to the whimpering pony, and snapped a twig in the process. Her head shot up, and she saw him. Before he could even blink, he was on his back. The scared pony had rushed at him and knocked him down. Saint was about to fight back, when he realized that she was actually hugging him, not attacking. Trying to comfort her, he said "Worry not, Princess, I’m here and I will not let anyone harm you." Sadly, this came out as a threatening mix of growls, stances, and other noises. The filly, spooked from his noise, ran off deeper into the woods. 
Saint kept right behind her, and she ran as fast as she could. They ran like this for a good two hours. All the while, the filly screamed her head off, clearly terrified. Soon they came to the mouth of the woods, right near a cabin. Alerted by the screaming filly, three mares walked out through the front door: a violet unicorn, and two pegasi, one yellow, and one light blue. The blue one said, "Whoa there, shrimp, what's up? Did you know AJ's looking for you?"
The white filly jumped behind the other three as Saint also came out of the woods. “He’s after me!” the filly screamed.
The three mares looked at the colt in front of them. His eyes were fixed on the four of them, and after a moment started walking closer. The violet one immediately summoned a bubble to trap him. What were they saying? Wait a second. Why did he care what they were saying? They just attacked him! Saint Beast flared out his wings, destroying the bubble instantly. As he landed, he heard, "He broke my spell? How's that possible?" 
Then the blue one spoke again. "I’ll handle this guy." She took off to stop the colt and give him a lecture, but he couldn’t understand a single word, and he thought it was another attack. He sprinted toward the flying mare, and at the last second stopped and grabbed her, his razor-sharp claws digging into her soft skin. He used her momentum and flung her straight into the ground. With the four dazed, three from his display and one from the sudden impact, Saint took the chance and fled back into the safety of the woods. The blue pony got up from the ground, leaving a blood stain where she lay.
The yellow pony galloped to her side, and said "Oh, Rainbow, let me take care of that for you." She skillfully patched Rainbow’s wounds.
"That's two things that make no sense now!" screamed the lavender one.
Rainbow looked at her and asked "What the hay are you talking about, Twilight?"
As Twilight was about to answer, a flash of light appeared in front of the group. The princess stood there with a small smile on her face. Then she saw the three standing nearby. "Oh, hello girls. How are things going with you today? You haven’t seen a young pegasus colt nearby, have you? I’m expecting one. He’s purple with a red mane."  
The violet pony answered, "Well, I think he just ran into the woods." 
"And you did nothing to stop him?"
"Well...we may have had something to do with it." She turned her head away from the princess.
"Do not tell me you beat up a colt," the princess said, smiling.