//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: A New Dragon in Ponyville // by Vedues //------------------------------// Spike made sandwiches for lunch, like usual. They would never rank among Cliff Runner's favorite foods, but at least his little brother made an effort to change the ingredients every day. There were two varieties this time around: fruit and nut, and lettuce, tomato, and cheese. They were both decent, but the second was really calling out for some meat to go on it. Rainbow Dash arrived as they were cleaning everything up. “Heya Cliff, ready to go?” “Yeah, in just a moment.” He gathered his cloak and the bags Twilight had packed for him. After getting a promise from both her and Spike that they would practice their magic while he was gone, Cliff said his goodbyes and met Rainbow Dash outside. Twilight's palace was at the northern end of Ponyville, and they needed to go south, which meant a trip through town. Cliff imitated Fluttershy and studied his front claws as he walked. Rainbow Dash, however, met the stares they were attracting with an angry glare. “I can't believe those ponies,” she said when they reached the edge of town. “I just hope my coven is better behaved with you,” Cliff replied, mentally tracing their path. “Of course they will be.” She ran a hoof through her mane. “Who wouldn't be impressed by my awesomeness?” He smiled and rolled his eyes. Her bravado had a way of cheering him up. “Anyway, stick close to me once we reach the third mountain range. If you don't stop when I do, we could wind up separated by several dozen miles.” “No problemo.” She crouched and spread her wings. “Let's do this!” It took Cliff a few moments to cast all the spells he needed, but then he dropped to a crouch as well and pushed off. Colors swam before his eyes for a fraction of a second before exploding away. He had broken the sound barrier. The southern edge of the Everfree forest seemed to rush forward to meet him, but Cliff surged a Speed Burst and shot into the sky. Additional uses of the spell propelled him higher and faster. The forest gave way to a large clearing, and Cliff used another blast to angle himself towards it. Momentum Redirection absorbed the impact from his landing and transformed it into forward momentum. He couldn't risk dodging through trees at these speeds, and so Cliff had to jump again almost immediately. This time, he was able to reach the edge of the forest and land in the fields beyond. Switching his focus to other spells, Cliff raced across the landscape. One spell helped hold him to the ground so that he had enough traction to maneuver, while others improved his reaction time and senses enough that he could actually see obstacles coming and avoid them. Luckily, there wasn't much need for that. He only had to worry about the occasional tree. Minutes passed, and the ground turned to sand as they entered the desert. Traction became a nightmare. Cliff had to invest more and more of his willpower in spells to keep himself upright. He was breathing heavily by now. This would be a draining run under the best of circumstances, and his body and will were still recovering from his fight with the hydra. Luckily, some ponies had recently built a town between two upcoming mountains. The firm dirt of their fields provided welcome relief from the unsteady sands, as well as a helpful guide through the rest of the mountain range. A jump at the edge of the fields brought Cliff nearly to the edge of the desert. He only had to endure a few more seconds of sand before the dirt returned. Another mountain range loomed ahead. This one was far more steep and rocky than the one in the desert. The Spider Climb spell combined with Momentum Redirection allowed him to shoot up one of the cliffs that blocked his path. He landed at the top of one peak and immediately jumped to another, and then another, and then one more. By the time Cliff reached ground-level again, he was well and truly into dragon territory. The dirt, rocks, and mountains were all a shade of orange-red. It was as though some creature had painted them all with a massive brush. Forests still dotted the landscape, but they were mixed with large rock formations, and even the occasional volcano. High above, dark clouds blanketed the sky. Between gasps of air, Cliff allowed himself a smile. It was good to be back. It was getting harder to run, but Cliff pressed on. Stopping out in the open like this would leave them vulnerable if any berserk dragons were in the area. The third and final mountain range came into view. He shot to the top of the nearest peak, like before, but then transferred his momentum into the air around him, sending out an impressive shock-wave. Rainbow Dash landed beside him with a loud thud. Their combined sonic booms reached the pair almost instantly, shaking quite a few rocks loose, and leaving a ringing in Cliff's ears. “You okay?” he asked the pegasus between gasps of air. “Never better,” she replied, also breathing heavily. “Good... we should move.” Cliff's limbs were a bit unsteady, but they managed to keep him up as he led her down the other side of the mountain. “It's a good thing... you're purple.” Rainbow Dash commented. “It was hard enough to see you at times... without you being brown... or something.” Cliff studied the valley below them. Aside from a river and a couple of trees, it was mostly clear. “Good... now follow again.” He launched himself down. Not to be outdone, Rainbow Dash went into a swan-dive, pulling up just before she reached the ground. He applauded softly. “Good job... Just don't use too much energy.... We still have one more mountain to climb today.” “Ugh,” Rainbow Dash moaned. “Another one? Why didn't you land on that one instead?” “I didn't want my coven to get the wrong idea... if they saw you chasing me.” Cliff started walking towards a nearby mountain. “A group of pegasi attacked us just two months ago.” “What?!” She went after him. “Why would pegasi attack you all the way out here?” “I don't know,” Cliff admitted. “They came into our cave, freaked out when they saw us, and started shooting lightning bolts from the sky.” Rainbow Dash thought about it. “They probably didn't realize that you're intelligent, and were just trying to scare you off.” Cliff turned and gave the pegasus a flat look. “A word of advice, never shoot lightning at a dragon's family. If it hadn't been for our magic, River Wind might have died.” She gulped. “Oh, I didn't know that they actually hit somepony.” “Somedragon,” Cliff let out a deep breath. “Sorry for getting angry. I'm still kind of upset about that.” He continued walking. “It's okay. I'd be angry too if some...dragon hurt my friends.” She flew alongside him as he walked. “Who's River Wind, anyway?” “She's one of the hatchlings that's learning magic from me.” “So it isn't just Twilight and Spike that you're teaching?” “No.” Cliff shook his head. “I actually teach most of the hatchlings in our coven.” They reached the base of yet another cliff, and he activated his Spider Climb spell to ascend it. Rainbow Dash flew up beside him. “You must be really good at magic, then.” “Not really,” Cliff grunted. His arms and legs were exhausted after the run, making the climb much more difficult than normal. “Everydragon else had vital duties to worry about, and so it kind of fell to me by default.” The pegasus went silent as he finished his climb. Cliff reached the top with a relieved sigh. The worst was behind them. He started up a familiar, winding trail. “You should probably walk next to me from now on. We could run into another member of the coven anytime now.” She landed and fell into stride with him. “What are they like?” “Which one?” Cliff chuckled. “There are thirty-seven of us in all.” “How about your friends?” “Fire Eyes is my closest friend, and my rival. Kind of like you and Applejack.” “Cool.” Rainbow Dash gestured for him to continue. “She's very energetic and loves to push herself, but sometimes fails to plan ahead.” “Sounds like we'll get along great!” “I hope so,” Cliff scanned the path ahead, “but don't be upset if she avoids you.” The pegasus looked confused. “Why would she do that?” “River Wind is her little sister.” “Oh.” They walked in silence for another few minutes before Cliff noticed a draconic shape jump from further up the mountain. It shot into the sky before angling down towards them. “Don't move,” he whispered to Rainbow Dash, who had noticed it as well. The newcomer landed in a thunderous impact of purple scales, blue spikes, and a wide smile. “Cliff Runner, you came home early!” She caught him in a tight hug. Cliff hugged her back. “Hi, Grandma.” After squeezing him one more time, she stepped back and turned to Rainbow Dash. “Greetings, pegasus. I am Fire Claws, Cliff Runner's grandmother.” It took the blue mare a moment to respond. “Oh, I'm Rainbow Dash, Cliff's friend.” “I'm sure there must be an interesting story behind that.” Fire Claws gestured up the trail. “You can tell me while we walk, since Cliff doesn't look like he'd be up to running right now.” “We were in central Equestria less than an hour ago,” Cliff said as he followed after her. “I've earned the right to be tired.” Fire Claws looked back at her grandson in surprise. “That is impressive, even for you.” She turned back to the trail. “Why don't you start at the beginning?” “Well, I took Silent Hall's advice and went to Canterlot first. It was a lot larger, and much busier than we expected.” “Hm, you'll have to give Egghead the details later.” She turned back to Rainbow Dash, who was suppressing a laugh at the name. “Is that where you and Cliff met?” “Nah, we met at Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight brought him there to help with planting.” Fire Claws laughed. “Cliff was helping on a farm? I can't wait to hear that part of the story.” “Anyway,” Cliff interjected. “I had a run-in with the Immortal Sisters... We need to reconsider our whole stance on ponies after everything that happened since meeting them.” “I'll arrange for a gathering.” Fire Claws shook her head in wonder. “I can't believe you actually met those two.” “Who're the Immortal Sisters?” Rainbow Dash asked from behind them. “Do you mean Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?” Both dragons nodded. “What happened next?” Fire Claws prompted. “The Sisters directed me to a smaller town named Ponyville, where...” He took a breath. “I found him.” Fire Claws was there immediately with one of the tightest hugs he had ever experienced. “I can't believe it! Tell me everything!” She let go and took a seat. As tired as he was, Cliff was more than happy to settle down beside his grandmother. He told her about first meeting Spike, the dragon's surprisingly young age, the friends he had made, re-introducing Rainbow Dash as he went, and everything that had happened during Cliff's time in Ponyville, including the reason for his visit to the coven. “And I thought your trip to the griffon kingdom was eventful.” The purple dragoness laughed. “No wonder you're exhausted.” She turned to Rainbow Dash. “The others will have to make up their minds about you themselves, but you've passed my test, so I'll put in a good word for you.” “Uh, thanks,” Rainbow Dash said, fanning herself with her wings. “What test?” “She read your heart while I was talking,” Cliff told her. Rainbow Dash put both front hooves over her chest. “She what?” “Relax,” Cliff assured her while his grandmother laughed. “She does that with every newcomer, just to make sure their intentions are pure. Grandmother is the best fighter in the Redstone Coven, so security is her job here.” “Ookay.” The pegasus shrugged uncomfortably, wiping away sweat from her forehead. “Do you think we could hurry to the cave? It is way too hot out here.” The two dragons exchanged glances. Too hot? Was that even possible? “I'll go ahead,” Fire Claws offered. “Give me a minute to explain things before you follow.” Cliff nodded that he understood, and watched the older dragon jump back up the mountain. “Don't dragons get hot?” Rainbow asked. “We go swimming in lava for fun,” Cliff reminded her. “Okay, I can get that.” She looked up the mountain. “How old is your grandmother?” “One hundred and seventeen. Why do you ask?” The pegasus rubbed her chin. “Well, she doesn't look any older than you, and I guess I was expecting an older dragon to act, I don't know, more like Princess Celestia.” Cliff laughed. “Grandmother is hardly an old dragon. Some members of the coven are nearly seven times her age.” This came as a shock to Rainbow Dash. “Did she have kids really young, or something?” “No, dragons can't lay more eggs after they turn one hundred.” As always, Cliff was surprised at how little ponies knew about his kind. She frowned in confusion. “So... Fire Claws is still just a kid, but she has grand-kids?” “She's an adult, like I am.” Cliff shrugged. “But yes, we're effectively the same age as far as the others are concerned. The only difference is that I'm still fertile.” “Weird.” “From my point of view, it's ponies that are weird.” Cliff rose to his feet. “We can probably head up now.” Rainbow nodded, and the two of them shot up the mountain, propelled by wings and magic respectively. They came to rest on a relatively flat section of rock in front of a large cave. Nearly a dozen dragons were gathered there. Fire Claws stood at the middle of the group. “Spread the word,” she told them, and then came towards Cliff and Rainbow as the others dispersed. “I gave them the abbreviated version of your story.” She turned to the pegasus. “Everydragon has agreed to trust you, for now. Anyway, Cliff, I'll be back tomorrow. Your grandfather is with an expedition in the deeper ruins, but I know he'll want to see you before you leave.” “I'd like that too.” He gave his grandmother a hug. “Be safe down there.” “Of course.” She nodded to Rainbow Dash. “It was nice to meet you.” Then she ran into the cave and disappeared from view. “Deeper ruins?” Rainbow asked as one of the other dragons came towards them. The rest had disappeared to whatever jobs they were working on before being interrupted. “There's an ancient dragon city under this mountain,” Cliff explained. “Our coven lives here because we wanted to excavate it.” “Not that Cliff here ever helps.” The new dragon punched his shoulder affectionately. She had bright red eyes and silvery white scales and spikes. “He's always off looking for his brother.” She gave Cliff a big hug. “Congratulations on finding him, by the way.” He thanked her. “Rainbow Dash, this is Fire Eyes.” Upon hearing the name, Rainbow folded her wings tightly against her sides. “Oh, hi.” Fire Eyes noticed the action. “Cliff told you about my sister, didn't he?” She nodded. The white dragoness sighed. “There's no need for that. Fire Claws said we can trust you.” “She idolizes Grandmother,” Cliff whispered. “...Okay then.” The blue mare's confidence returned. She held out a hoof. “Good to meet ya.” Fire Eyes shook it. “How did you and Cliff wind up traveling together, anyway?” “We just finished explaining everything to Fire Claws,” Cliff said as he walked past her to the cave. “You can wait until the gathering.” “Oh fine.” The dragoness walked after him. Rainbow Dash could only follow them. After a few paces, the tunnel-like entrance expanded into a large chamber lit by glowing rocks. Near the back, a stream wound its way from one side of the cavern to the other. Some kind of work area had been set up next to its banks, and beyond it, she could see three tunnels branched off to other areas. Six rock nests lined the walls next to them, leaving the majority of the chamber open. Eight hatchlings were there, racing from one side of the chamber to the other and back again. “Cliff is back!” One shouted, and the entire group rushed over to him. “Hey there, everydragon!” Cliff knelt down to meet them. “How have you all been!” They jumped all over the older dragon; laughing, and shouting, and telling silly stories, and asking about his adventures. Cliff kept their visit short, but made sure to spend at least a few seconds with each one of them; asking a question, answering one, complimenting them on something, or just giving a quick hug. “Okay.” He rose to his back feet. “My friend Rainbow Dash and I are thirsty, so go back to your game while we get a drink.” The group obediently returned to their race, except for a dark green hatchling with white spikes. She followed them silently to the back of the chamber, where a stream provided water for them all. “This area is for drinking,” Cliff explained. “Over there, where it starts, is where we collect water for cooking,” He pointed out the kitchen next to it. “And down there is the swimming pond.” Cliff took a long drink of the cool water. Rainbow Dash looked at the stream. “Don't you guys use cups?” “Not for water,” Cliff replied, going down for another drink. “Are you saying that ponies do?” Fire Eyes asked. “Well, yeah.” She looked at the stream again, and with a sigh, bent down to drink. “River Wind,” Cliff said to the hatchling who had followed them. “How are you feeling?” The little dragon remained silent, but she looked at Rainbow Dash and touched her shoulder where the lightning bolt had struck. Rainbow's eyes went from Cliff to the hatchling and she winced a little, obviously unsure of what to do. Fire Eyes watched them too, her expression carefully blank. Cliff gave them both a reassuring smile and scooped the little dragon into his arms. He had almost forgotten how much smaller she was than Spike. “How about I tell you a story?” Her expression brightened. “Please.” “Let me tell you about how a good friend,” he nodded towards Rainbow Dash, “and I worked together to save three young ones, from a monster.” Cliff didn't have his mother's natural talent for storytelling, but he could weave a decent tale when he needed to. He told River Wind about how he and Rainbow Dash would go running each morning, and about finding the three fillies being chased by a “giant monster with four heads.” Their run back to town got embellished a little. In this version, Rainbow Dash flew dangerously close to the monster, distracting it, and knocking over trees to slow it down while Cliff escaped. “Then we reached the town, and Rainbow Dash flew as fast as she could to where the warriors lived. I just had to keep the monster busy for a few minutes until they arrived... but I did something stupid.” “What?” River Wind asked. “I ignored my allies and tried to fight the monster on my own.” She gasped. “Like I said,” he hugged the little dragoness against his chest, “it was stupid. It's lucky for me that those ponies still wanted to be my friends. One of them used her unicorn magic to stop the monster right before it killed me, and when Rainbow Dash came back and saw that I was in trouble, she flew super fast to get another pony who could heal my injuries.” He smiled down at her. “I'm lucky to have such good friends, aren't I?” “Yeah,” River Wind smiled back. “Did you kill the monster?” “Of course, it didn't stand a chance against all of us.” He set her down. “That's why I invited Rainbow Dash to come meet you and the rest of the coven. Did you know she can fly so fast that she kept up with me the entire way here?” “Wow,” she turned to the pegasus. “You can? Can I see it?” “Probably not right now,” Cliff said. “She's really tired after coming so far. Maybe she could show you tomorrow?” He looked at Rainbow Dash for feedback. The pegasus flapped her wings experimentally. “Actually, I think I could manage a sonic rainboom right now.” A determined grin settled across her lips. The baby smiled widely, even though she had no idea what a sonic rainboom was. “Are you sure?” Cliff asked, even though he knew it was a silly question. Rainbow Dash would never go back on her word. “Absolutely!” -_-_-_-_-_- A few minutes later, Cliff and Fire Eyes had gathered all the hatchlings outside. Several other dragons had joined them as well; partially from curiosity, and partially to keep an eye on the pegasus. It was a standard gathering for the coven, which is to say that the young chatted among themselves while the adults either watched in silence or held whispered conversations. After living in the energetic chaos that was Ponyville, Cliff was almost surprised by the calm and quiet that marked his home. He shook off the odd feeling and approached Rainbow Dash. “Are you ready?” She nodded. “Hey Cliff, thanks for talking me up to that kid... I really appreciate it.” “No problem.” He held up a claw. “You can repay me by letting me use a spell on you.” Rainbow looked at the claw nervously. “What spell?” “Just something to increase your muscle strength,” Cliff assured her. “It will help with the fatigue.” “Okay, fine.” She tried to feign annoyance, but a smile had slipped through when Cliff mentioned what the spell would do. Physical contact was all that mattered, and so Cliff touched her on the shoulder, assuming that would be the least intrusive area. As the spell's energy flowed into her, Rainbow's expression went from neutral, to shocked, to ecstatic. “Ah yeah!” She turned to the crowd. “Prepare to be amazed!” Then she shot into the sky. Cliff settled next to Fire Eyes and her little sister as they watched the blue pegasus climb ever higher. When she was barely more than a dot, the mare dove. Like the dragons around him, Cliff couldn't help but stare as she descended faster and faster. She was just a blur shooting towards the ground. How could anything move so quickly? BOOOM!!! An explosive shock-wave that somehow looked like a rainbow coursed through the sky above them. The wave hit, and Cliff grabbed onto River Wind for fear she'd be blown away. Clearly, Spike had been underselling the power of the sonic rainboom! Rainbow Dash touched down in the aftermath, grinning wildly. “And that, dragons, is what awesome looks like!” The hatchlings tackled her, shouting praises and begging for an encore. Most of the adults could only stare in awe. Cliff turned to the dumbstruck Fire Eyes. “It's good to know she's on our side, isn't it?” “Yeah,” the dragoness breathed. “If you're training with her, then I'll have to work even harder if I want to keep up.” She leaned closer to Cliff. “Are all pegasi able to do that?” “No.” Cliff shook his head. “She's the only one.” “Good.” Fire Eyes sighed in relief. She noticed one of the older dragons signaling that it was nearly time for dinner. “Do you and the pegasus want to lend a claw in the kitchens tonight, or would you rather teach the hatchlings?” Cliff seriously doubted that Rainbow Dash would be much help with either chore, but asking her to help cook meat might lead to a complete mental breakdown. “We'll teach the hatchlings. They seem to like her anyway.” He nodded to the blue mare, who was laughing as she wrestled with the young ones. “Okay, I'll talk to you at dinner.” She left for the kitchen. When Cliff finally convinced the hatchlings to leave Rainbow Dash alone, she looked up and found that the adult dragons were all gone. “Where is everypony?” “Everydragon,” Cliff corrected her. “They're finishing off their duties before dinner.” “Okay.” She laughed as she dusted herself off. “Do you want to go for a light run?” “Actually, we have a class to teach.” He motioned for her and the hatchlings to follow them into the cave. “Wait.” Rainbow caught up with him. “Why are we teaching them?” “Everydragon helps where they can around here,” Cliff replied. “Trust me, this is better than the other job they had available.” “Oookay.” She was far from convinced, but followed Cliff as he and the hatchlings sat in a loose circle near the center of the main chamber. “What would you like to learn tonight?” Cliff asked the group. Two of them stood. Cliff gestured to the first one. “I want to know more about pegasi.” He sat down. The group remained silent as Cliff gestured to the second hatchling, River Wind. “Cliff told me that he lived among ponies recently. I want to know why some ponies are willing to be our allies, while others try to kill us.” She also sat. Rainbow Dash's eyes nearly popped out of her head at the young dragoness's statement. “Whoa, what? How can you be so calm about that?!” Cliff put a clawed hand on her shoulder. “They know that it's time to be calm and learn right now.” He turned back to the group. “I believe we can cover both subjects if we discuss pony culture in general, and how it differs from our own. Is that acceptable to everydragon?” They nodded. “Why don't you start, Rainbow Dash?” Cliff suggested. “Tell us the basics of pony society.” She scratched the back of her neck. “Uh, we have earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi, like me. Pegasi control the weather. Unicorns can do magic with their horns. Earth ponies grow the food.” She looked at Cliff with an expression that clearly said, 'Is that enough?' Cliff nodded, and elaborated a little. “These three types of ponies interact freely with each other, unlike the limited contact between ourselves and the drakes. They also have a fourth variety, called alicorns, who combine the physical characteristics and special abilities of the other three. Alicorns are extremely rare, though. I was told that there are only four in the whole country. Two of those are, of course, the Immortal Sisters, who rule the day and the night. The other two aren't nearly as powerful, and appear to be mortal, but they are still quite remarkable.” He gestured to the group, signaling that they could ask questions. All eight hatchlings stood. That hadn't happened in a while. Cliff went around the circle, answering questions as best he could. Some were simple, like what colors ponies came in, (all of them). Others required more thought, like why the three pony tribes could live together in peace, but the two dragon tribes could not. Once she had recovered from the strangeness of this 'classroom,' Rainbow Dash started answering questions as well. “They could live in Cloudsdale if they wanted, but they'd need magic to keep from falling through the clouds.” “Of course the tribes intermarry. Nopony is small-minded enough to care about that anymore.” “No, not even unicorns can breathe fire... probably. I'll check with Twilight on that.” After a while, Cliff decided that it was time to tackle the proverbial manticore in the room. He held up his hands to forestall further questions. Once everydragon was sitting again, he spoke. “The ponies in Ponyville were generally quite friendly, and the ones we see around here have almost all been hostile. I can't claim to to be sure why this is, but I do have a few theories. First, and most likely, ponies seem to understand us even less than we understand them. This might lead them to think dragons are stupid animals, or will attack them on sight. The hostility we see might just be them trying to get us before we get them. Second, some ponies are bad, just like some dragons. This area might draw in the bad ones somehow. Third, it's unlikely, but possible that ponies are generally violent, and the ones in Ponyville are the exception.” “What?” Rainbow Dash shouted. “How can you say that?!” “I did say it was unlikely.” Cliff replied calmly. “Every option needs to be considered before you reach a firm conclusion.” “Ugh, now you're sounding like Twilight.” Rainbow Dash calmed down, but she still looked a little hurt. Cliff turned back to the group to see if they had any questions. River Wind was the only one standing. “Are you going to go live with the ponies?” “River...” Cliff gently chided her. She knew better than to ask personal questions during a lesson. “Oh,” she said, realizing her mistake. “Sorry, I just wondered if living together would keep dragons and ponies from fighting.” “That's actually a very good thing to wonder about.” Cliff managed to catch Rainbow Dash's eyes. “What do you think, Rainbow?” They exchanged a long look before the blue mare broke into her usual grin. “Hay yes.” -_-_-_-_-_- The discussion went on for a while longer before Fire Eyes called them over for dinner. The rest of the coven had gathered as well. Cliff had to grab Rainbow Dash to keep her from rushing to the front of the line. “The youngest eat first.” He explained. “Why's that?” the pegasus asked, holding her rumbling stomach. Cliff took them to the eleventh spot in line, just in front of Fire Eyes. “In case there isn't enough food for everydragon.” She winced. “Sorry.” “You don't need to apologize,” Fire Eyes assured her. “This dope,” she smacked Cliff, “should have told you earlier.” When they reached the trays of food, Cliff picked up a stone plate for himself and gave another to Rainbow Dash. He took a few slices of pork, fried chicken, mashed beans, some fruit salad, and steamed vegetables. He looked back for his pegasus friend, and saw that she was causing a slight holdup in the line. “Fire Eyes, uh, is that...?” she asked, looking a bit nauseous as she pointed at a tray of chicken parts. “Yeah, you want some?” “Gross!” Rainbow pushed past the meats with a disgusted shudder. “At least Gilda only ate fish.” Once the three of them had filled their plates, they found an empty part of the cave to sit down and eat. “I still don't get how you can eat that stuff,” the pegasus muttered. Cliff could only shrug as he helped himself to one of the slices of pork. Stars above, I've missed this! “For what it's worth, eating grass or hay seems just as strange to me.” “Well yeah, but at least hay doesn't have a face before you cook it.” Rainbow looked from Cliff to Fire Eyes. They both seemed perfectly happy to eat the roasted body parts on their plates. She faked a gagging noise, and focused on her own food. It was rather amusing for Cliff to watch the pegasus frown over her meal. She refused to touch the beans or roots, and barely tolerated the vegetables. She downed the fruits in just a few bites, and then sighed discontentedly. “Now you know what I've been enduring in Ponyville,” Cliff said with a smile. “At least you had Fluttershy bringing you eggs and fish,” Rainbow Dash countered. She frowned at her plate again. “Don't you have any lettuce or hay?” “Sorry,” Fire Eyes said. “Our garden isn't very big, and this is all we can grow in it.” “It's rude not to finish your plate,” Cliff told her between mouthfuls. Rainbow glared at Cliff, and shoveled some of the beans into her mouth. “Blrg,” her face contorted as she swallowed. “Sorry, but I'm going to have to be rude.” She set the plate on the floor. Cliff was wolfing down the contents of his own plate. “Just leave it there. I'll finish it off in a bit.” “Here comes my sister,” Fire Eyes observed. “Ready for the barrage?” He glanced up. The dark green hatchling was indeed making her way towards them. “Probably.” “Cliff?” River Wind asked as she drew near. The older dragon patted the ground next to him, answering her unspoken question. Her eyes lit up. “Thanks.” She sat beside him. “Would you tell me more about Ponyville?” Cliff and Fire Eyes exchanged a smile. If there was anything that River loved, it was a story. “Of course,” he told her. “What would you like to know?” She rubbed her cheek thoughtfully. “Everything. Is that okay?” He tousled her head spikes. “No problem.” Fire Eyes leaned over to Rainbow Dash. “Sure, he's fine with telling her everything.” She rolled her eyes and laughed. “I guess he has a soft spot for kids,” Rainbow whispered back as Cliff began his story. “You have no idea.” Cliff ignored them and continued. He toned things down a bit for his young audience, but kept all the important details. He finished the story at nearly the same time he finished Rainbow's leftovers. River Wind's eyes grew larger and larger as he spoke, drinking in every detail with glee. “Are you going to bring Spike to visit?” She asked when he was done. “I want to meet him.” “Of course,” Cliff assured her. “Do you think the ponies will accept you when you get back?” “I don't know.” He looked to Rainbow Dash. “What are your thoughts?” The pegasus waved a hoof dismissively. “Ponyville has learned to trust Twilight's judgment by now.” The young dragoness shifted uncomfortably. “Does that mean you'll be staying there?” “For a little while, at least.” Cliff patted her on the shoulder. “Don't worry. I'll come back to visit all the time.” “Thank you.” Her eyes flickered to the pegasus. “Are you and Rainbow Dash in love?” A combination cough, gasp, and snort escaped from the mare in question before she collapsed to the floor, laughing uncontrollably. “You might say that we share the love between friends, but no, I'm not romantically interested in her.” Cliff smiled at the ever-curious hatchling. “It would seem that Rainbow Dash here feels the same.” River looked from Cliff to the laughing pegasus and back again. “Are you in love with anydragon else in Ponyville?” “Anypony else,” Cliff corrected her absentmindedly. She asked these same types of questions nearly every time he returned from a journey. He gave his usual response. “I'll find love when I find it.” He collected their plates and stood. “You three can wait here while I go wash these.” -_-_-_-_-_- He returned a few minutes later to find all three females laughing. “Do I want to know?” Cliff asked. “I was just telling our new friend here about the time you tried to court me,” Fire Eyes chuckled. Cliff covered his eyes. “Great. How much did you tell her?” “There isn't that much to tell,” she pointed out. It was true. Cliff had expressed his interest, and been flatly rejected. Then he challenged her to a fight for the right to date her, and was soundly defeated. Out of desperation, and a hefty dose of stupidity, Cliff had then set out to find some noble deed that would win Fire Eyes' heart. Two days later, he had run home with a berserk dragon hot on his tail. “In my defense, I was young and dumb.” “I don't know,” Fire Eyes teased. “Falling for me was one of the few smart things you've ever done.” “And we can all see how well that turned out.” Cliff took a seat beside River Wind. “Haven't you ever had problems with love?” He asked Rainbow Dash, who seemed to be enjoying this a bit too much. “Nope.” She smiled. “I'm not the type to slow my life down for a stallion, and I haven't met one yet who could keep up with me.” The rumbling of thunder echoed through the cave. “It's starting to rain,” a dragon called from the mouth of the cave. River excitedly grabbed Cliff's arm. “Come on!” He rose and started walking with her towards the entrance. “Are you two coming?” “As if I'd miss it,” Fire Eyes replied, walking after them. Rainbow Dash watched them in confusion. “What's going on?” “It's raining,” Fire Eyes said as though that explained everything. “So? Is it off schedule or something?” Her question only brought confused looks from Fire Eyes and River Wind. “Pegasi can control the weather,” Cliff reminded them. “They actually have schedules for it in Ponyville.” To Rainbow Dash, he said, “we like to enjoy the rain around here.” There was a brief silence as both sides absorbed the new information. “You schedule your weather?” Fire Eyes asked as the group walked. “Well yeah, how else would we make sure all the crops got enough water?” Rainbow Dash replied. “What did he mean about enjoying the rain?” The dragoness just pointed outside, where most of the coven had gathered in the darkness. There was no real rhyme or reason to it. Instead, each dragon had found a place that seemed comfortable and settled down. Cliff found a small clearing and took a seat. He motioned for Rainbow Dash and the others to join him. River curled up on the older dragon's lap, while Fire Eyes lay on her stomach beside him, curled up so her tail nearly touched her head. Rainbow sat on Cliff's other side. “Okay, now what?” She asked over the light drizzle. “Just relax, and enjoy it,” Cliff told her. He closed his eyes and took his own advice. The cold rain splashed against his scales like a gentle caress. The feeling was enhanced by gusts of night air, bringing with it what could only be called the scent of purity. Thunder rumbled overhead, and Cliff smiled. It was like listening to the heartbeat of the planet. In his lap, he heard River gasp in awe. Minutes passed, and a soft chattering sound began to distract the young dragon. He opened his eyes to find Rainbow Dash shivering beside him. “Yeah, it's raining alright,” she said. “Can we go back in now?” Cliff smiled. “Here.” He placed his claws over her chest. “Focus on the power of nature.” He soothed the other emotions out of her heart. Her posture relaxed. “What are you doing?” “Just helping you to experience this like we do.” He replied. Unfortunately, maintaining the spell made it difficult for Cliff to focus on the storm as much as he would have liked, but at least Rainbow Dash seemed to be enjoying herself. She had an expression similar to the one he often saw during their morning runs. Less than thirty minutes after the rain started, it stopped. All the dragons around them seemed to come alive again. Some laughed, others embraced, and they all seemed to be smiling as they made their way back inside. “Okay, so that was... nice,” Rainbow Dash admitted, though she was shaking from the cold. “It was kinda like flying, except not.” “Ponies don't do this?” River Wind asked. “No, we most-” she jumped when a group of dragons ahead of them started breathing fire on each other. “What are they doing?!” “It's to dry off and warm up,” Cliff told her. “Uh, maybe we shouldn't do that with you.” Rainbow stared at him. “Ya think?” “How do ponies normally dry off?” Fire Eyes asked before breathing a stream of fire on her little sister. River Wind leaned into the flame with a relaxed smile. “Towels, duh.” Rainbow shook her head vigorously, sending water droplets everywhere. The sisters stared at her blankly. “They're like small blankets,” Cliff explained. He had seen Twilight use them back at the palace. “We can use a few from my nest,” he said after drying himself off with a few puffs of fire. “You have a nest?” Rainbow asked, still shivering. “Well, the nest my family shares,” he replied. It was the second one on the left in the main chamber. Like the others, it was shaped much like an extra large bird's nest, except that it was made from stone that had been melted together. The edge only came up to his shoulders while on all fours, and Cliff hopped over it easily. Inside, the floor was covered by soft wool and scattered blankets. He grabbed one and climbed back out. “Here you are.” Rainbow Dash took the offered blanket and began rubbing it vigorously across her dripping wet coat. “Uh, why are you all staring?” She asked after a few moments. “It's fascinating.” Fire Eyes leaned closer to her. “I never thought that your fur would hold in moisture like that.” “Uh yeah.” Rainbow was clearly uncomfortable about the close scrutiny. “That's normal.” River Wind was also staring. “Doesn't it make you cold?” “Yes.” The pegasus began working the makeshift towel through her multicolored mane. “We could share a nest tonight!” The little dragoness said brightly. “Since the rest of Cliff's family is gone right now.” “What?” Rainbow frowned in confusion. “Good idea.” Cliff patted her head. “I can't tell you how much I've missed that. Would your parent's mind?” “No,” Fire Eyes assured him. “They're both working the farm tonight, so they won't even be here.” “What's going on?” Rainbow's expression hadn't changed. “We're going to share a nest tonight to help keep you warm,” Cliff told her, then he turned to the other dragons. “Which one should we use?” “Wait, wait, wait!” The pegasus cut in, her face going from blue to red. “You want to share a nest, as in, sleep together?!” All three dragons nodded like it was obvious. “What's the problem?” Cliff asked. “Well, that, you,” she sputtered, blushing even more heavily. “That's just wrong!” Her voice attracted the gaze of several other dragons, but none moved to interfere. “Sharing body heat is... wrong?” Fire Eyes asked slowly. “Are we missing something?” Cliff scratched his cheek, trying to guess what had his friend so upset. Rainbow Dash looked at the three dragons one by one. “What exactly did you mean when you said that you wanted to...” she struggled to get the words out, “sleep together?” Fire Eyes and River Wind both turned to Cliff, who could only shrug. He didn't know what she was getting at either. “We'd climb into the nest,” he said slowly, “curl up near each other, probably sharing blankets to help keep warm, and then maybe talk for a while before going to sleep.” “And... that's it?” He nodded. The mare let out a long sigh. “Don't scare me like that, Cliff. I thought you were seriously messed up for a minute.” Fire Eyes and her little sister just looked at Cliff. Apparently they had decided not to talk, for fear of setting the pony off again. Not that he didn't appreciate their trust in him, but Cliff was every bit as lost as they were. “What did you think we meant?” “Uh.” Rainbow Dash started nervously drying her tail. “Never mind. You guys can share a nest. I'll sleep alone tonight.” Since the entire reason their coven existed was to gain and share knowledge, it was no surprise that neither Cliff nor the sisters were prepared to let the matter drop. He stepped closer to the pegasus, while the others backed away to give them some privacy. “Rainbow Dash,” Cliff said gently. “What did we say that scared you so badly?” Rainbow let out a sigh. “I wasn't scared, okay? I just thought that...” She met his eyes and immediately looked away. “I thought you meant sex.” The blushing returned in full force. Cliff paused while the pieces clicked into place. If sleeping together means having sex among ponies, and I just invited her to sleep with the three of us... “Oh stars above,” he buried his head in his claws as his own face turned red. “Uh, yeah.” She smiled uncomfortably. “Sorry for the mix up?” “Did you honestly think that I would...?” Cliff decided it would be best if he didn't finish that sentence. He did manage to lower his claws and return her gaze though. “Well, no, but you just surprised me.” Rainbow shook her head, probably to clear it of uncomfortable thoughts. Cliff could see that she was still shivering. He pushed the awkwardness from his mind so he could focus on the more important issue of keeping a friend from freezing. “Look Rainbow, it's night in the mountains, we're in a cold cave, and you're still all wet. Just let us keep you warm tonight. I promise that nothing... like that, will happen.” She remained silent, except for the slight chatter of her teeth. “Would it be better if it was just Fire and River? I know Twilight has had sleepovers before, so it'd be fine if it was just girls, right?” She nodded slowly. “You can be in the nest too, but not... right next to me.” “Deal.” Cliff sighed. It was good to have that topic behind them, even if it meant sleeping alone. “Mind if I ask you something?” Rainbow said before he could turn back to the others. Perhaps his relief had come too soon. “Sure.” “If 'sleeping together' doesn't mean...” she blushed, “what it does to ponies, then what do you say for it?” It was far better than Cliff had feared. “Sharing a private meal.” He turned to where the sister dragons were still waiting. “Come on, let's get you warmed up.” -_-_-_-_-_- As they lay in the nest that night, Cliff Runner couldn't help but reflect on how different ponies were from dragons. Basic parts of life, like drying off with fire, were completely foreign to the equine race, and then one of the ponies he had believed understood dragons fairly well had thought that he was propositioning her for... He shuddered. Pushing that part from his mind, Cliff turned to where Rainbow, Fire Eyes, and River lay, still chatting quietly. Chatting about him, he guessed, based on the fact that they kept glancing his way and laughing. River Wind's question from earlier sprang to his mind once more. Could dragons and ponies live together in peace? He also remembered Zecora's words, 'A one colored world would be very sad. That there are many makes me quite glad.' Perhaps that was his answer. It didn't have to matter that dragons and ponies were different, so long as both groups were willing to accept the other for who they were. The scene in front of him, two dragons and a pegasus sharing a blanket, was a precious bit of hope that it was possible. River Wind and Fire Eyes could both live for many more centuries, and they would remember this night for that whole time. Dragons had the blessing of time. Ponies, on the other claw, had the blessing of prosperity. Rainbow Dash could tell her children about this night, and they could tell their children about it, and so on, extending across the generations. With dragons to keep the message of peace alive, and ponies to share it, they could change the world. When Cliff closed his eyes for the final time, he might be leaving behind a world where warfare between the two races was just a myth. It was a comforting thought for the young dragon as he drifted into sleep.