//------------------------------// // Roadside Encounter // Story: The Fire of Friendship // by Azarune //------------------------------// It was another beautiful day in Equestria. The beginning of spring had come and the snow was already melting. The pegasi had just started moving the clouds away, so Celestia’s sun began warming everyone after a long winter. Days like this made Cinder feel happy to be a traveler and not subject to the "hundred year sleep" for which dragons are famous. Cinder was a small specimen for a dragon, perhaps twice as tall as a pony when he walked on his hind legs. His “base coat”, as it were, was dark green and his underbelly and wings accented that color with bright yellow. The grass began to show, and whether by clever use of the conditions, or unicorn magic, the road remained dry compared to the muddy hills. Only Cinder was present to enjoy this tranquility. His solitude was not entirely self-inflicted. Most dragons see other dragons as a threat to one another’s territories, and ponies were understandably uncomfortable around anydragon bigger than themselves. Lovely day like always, though a little too cold for my taste. Cinder felt a chill run down his spine. Despite being cold-blooded, dragons are able to survive in moderately cold conditions thanks to their inner fire. It was an uneventful walk. At midday Cinder decided to take a break from walking, he didn’t feel very motivated to traveling. If anything he felt bored, so without a second thought, Cinder scratched at the ground tentatively. Curling himself into a relaxing position, he then succumbed to the stillness around him. Before long, the countryside rang with the sound of a dragon snoring. *** As Cinder slept, he dreamed of flying across Equestria and never needing to land. He half-remembered seeing the amazing places that he could enjoy; soon the images faded black. Barely acknowledging that he was awake, Cinder couldn’t tell if the voice he heard was in a dream or real. “Uh, excuse me sir? Mr. Dragon?” Cinder didn’t even open his eyes. Barely awake as it was, he settled on the fact that the voice was actually just part of a dream. “Um, is this the right way to Mexicolt City?” This dream is very persistent. An Cinder tried the oldest trick in the book for dispelling pestering dreams trying to wake you up. “Five more minutes...” Hearing no response, Cinder felt smugly victorious and prepared to go back to sleep. That was when he felt something lay down on his head. It sunk behind the back of his head. This unknown object sunk itself on the top of his skill. What Cinder first acknowledged was that the object was fuzzy; the second was that the object was alive. He felt the weight of it’s chest slowly rising and falling. Admitting defeat Cinder decided to open his eyes. Raising his neck slightly, he was shocked to discover a pair of yellow eyes looking back at him. He had to blink a few times to make sense on what he was seeing. Here was a mare, and she appeared to be unfazed that she was sitting on top of a dragon. She had a grey coat with a yellow mane. The most peculiar feature that her eyes were both facing different directions. She had her face pressed to his, the top of her head resting gently over his snout. As time seemed to freeze the strange mare gave a smile. “Oh, good, you’re awake. I am so sorry for waking you up. But I was wondering if this road lead to Mexicolt City, I came from over there.” she pointed one of her hooves towards the direction Cinder was heading. Cinder felt the ponies weight lifting from to his head and neck, allowing him to see exactly what the pony looked like. She was a pegasus, with her tail was almost the same as her mane, yellow not even. Her cutie mark; bubbles. He could only imagine how that manifests into her special talent. Cinder could only give her an odd look before speaking in a very raspy voice. One that sounded like it hadn’t been used in weeks. “Uhh, well I am not familiar with that town,” Cinder paused. “Where is it located?” “Oh, its south of Ponyville, waaaay south,” the walleyed pony responded. Cinder only briefly looked at the road where she came from, and looked at the sun, which had just begun its descent, to the right of the road he came from. “I am sorry, but you’re going north,” The pegasus blinked, and her eyes went in two different directions when they opened again. “Dagnab it! Not again! At least I didn’t go east like last time. Once again Ditzy you delayed Spring for Ponyville!” She said with a cast down look, which was off set slightly because one of her eyes was pointed skyward. Cinder felt some pity for the pony and decided to see if he could help. “Well, now I am sure it isn’t the end of the world. Why exactly do you have get to Mexicolt City?” “I was assigned by the other pegasi that I needed to go tell the birds down South that it was time for them to come back up North. But once again I messed up; I have the rest of the team up there.” She pointed a hoof up in the sky, and there were two other pegasi. “Why haven’t they come down to help?” asked Cinder, wondering why he didn’t notice them sooner. “Too nervous. We had a dragon doing some 100 year nap a few months ago,” she said with a matter of fact tone, still with her eyes crossed. “Oh yeah, some of us are like that; dragons are a varied lot. Anyway, so you need to go south to pick up the birds and, you accidentally lead your team north?” “That about sums it up.” The pegasus stated with a cross eyed look of defeat. Cinder looked briefly up at the sky, seeing the other pegasi giving the same look, and with a shake of his head he looked back at the grey mare. “Now, no reason for you three to look so defeated, it’s only about 1:00 in the afternoon! You got a lot of time to cover enough ground to make it to Mexicolt City,” he pointed to the South with a clawed finger for emphasis. “Sure you’ll be a few hours late, but that is better than never.” The mare, giving him an odd look tilted her head slightly before a smile slowly formed on her face. “You’re absolutely right! A mailmare like myself shouldn’t just give up on a job! Alright I guess I’ll go fly south! Thanks for the directions Mr. Dragon! See you again!” giving a quick wave, she turns around to fly off. She quickly turns around again to face Cinder. “Oh, by the way, I’m Ditzy Doo, what’s your name?” Cinder gave her a quick look, shocked that she waited this long to introduce herself, “It’s Cinder.” with another wave she dashed off to the other pegasi and began flowing south. Cinder blinked momentarily, watching the three pegasi shrink from view. Ditzy Doo huh? There was a small smile creeping onto the dragons features, Hopefully we will meet again… with that Cinder settled back down, hoping to at least get a few more hours of sleep. AN: Hopefully this is better than the original. Criticism is always welcomed!