As I flew away from Azalea, the sound of a second pair of wings soured my mood greatly. Never before has the sound of flapping wings caused me such annoyance, and it unnerved me to think those wings unnerved me. Well, to be fair, it wasn’t the wings themselves that had me in such a tizzy; it was the dragoness that used them.
“I honestly don’t see why the Queens told me to travel with you, Ragnarok. You’re clearly capable of this on your lonesome.” The womanly voice of Aphrodite caused me to snort some smoke, her larger form coming up beside me. Her eyes radiated a deep displeasure.
“For someone who barely flies, you certainly like winding yourself with these unnecessary expositions of how you feel about the situation.” I flew ahead a bit more, wanting to distance myself from the pink-scaled paperweight behind me. She gave a huff at my rebuttal, her panting picking up as we flew at a rather slow pace. “Just listen to yourself, Aphrodite; you’re starting to run out of steam, and we’ve only been flying for an hour.”
Aphrodite growled a bit, flying closer to me. “I’m fine, you tactless cod! Have some respect for the dragoness willing to put up with your unchivalrous character.” Her words were spoken sharply, but did not pierce my hide of indifference. The ferocity in which she spat them would have a caused some other dragon to bristle, however; maybe even force their claw under the right conditions.
“Again, it wasn’t on your own terms, you pink puppet.” I avoided a nasty storm cloud, frowning as I caught more approaching on the horizon. I had forgotten that only the alicorns manage their weather, and so, the lands outside their influence are under natural weather formations. “I should have seen this storm coming... my mane is going to be messed up.” “I also advise that you ready yourself for evasive maneuvers; there’s a storm coming.”
Aphrodite’s growl escalated. “You’re not going to escort a lady around, or help her wait out a storm?! What kind of drake are you, Ragnarok!?”
I chuckled and avoided a larger storm cloud by ducking underneath it. “A punctual one, Aphrodite.” My sight picked up on her eyes rolling, making me grin at her annoyance. “It’s about time you’re starting to feel some displeasure, woman. Maybe you’ll see how much of a burden you are after we enter this storm.”
My frown grew as Aphrodite saw fit to fly next to me again, her eyes a little wide as blue lightning cracked ahead. Our faces were soon being whipped by turbulence and rain as the grey vortex roared its challenged to us. Blue teeth lashed at grey lips, which spat drizzles of water onto anything it could, including us.
“... Mr. Ragnarok? I really don’t want to fly through this...”
I rolled my eyes. “Now you’re going to tell me that you have a fear of lightning.” My sarcasm could have chopped a mountain clean in half, and when I saw how Aphrodite bit her bottom lip and averted her eyes, I sighed heavily. “You honestly have a fear of lightning, don’t you?”
She went to open her mouth, but we had already entered the storm. A vicious whip from an angry, grey, puffy slaver cracked out above her, and this caused the large dragoness to give a roar of severe fear and grope me harshly. Aphrodite, despite her size, was actually a huge coward.
Still, because of her larger proportions, I was sent careening right into a lightning bolt that socked me in the kisser. I felt the charge of lightning fry my mane, and lock my muscles up as they were zapped. I gave a short grunt of pain, falling a little while my wings locked up. As we fell, Aphrodite didn’t use her head and start flapping her wings.
I gave a sigh at that, and had to endure her gear-grinding yodels of fear incarnate as lightning crashed around us. “OPEN YOUR DAMN WINGS AND FLY, APHRODITE!” She screamed all the louder, but snapped her large appendages open and took off. Sighing in relief, my moment of serenity was halted when I noticed that Aphrodite was flying with her eyes closed.
My blood surged, boiling that one emotion she seemed keen on drawing from me at every twist and turn. Seeing as how my body was through the initial shock of being hit by lightning, I kicked myself away from her and spun, slapping her in the face with my tail. “Get yourself together,” I roared, watching as her eyes snapped open in realization. Apparently, her chest was heaving as she hyperventilated; right up until I smacked her with my tail, that is.
We just hovered there, her brain trying to process what’s going on. I could see the smoke coming from her ears as the gears grinded within, but then again, it was probably from my mane based on the fact that I was zapped earlier. Even so, Aphrodite shook her head sharply and rubbed her cheek with a pout; she’s been calmed, apparently.
“... Thank you for that, Mr. Ragnarok. Please don’t ever hit me again if you can help it.” I crossed my arms while hovering, raising an eyebrow to her request.
“The key word in that is if, Aphrodite. Complicate this flight through the storm any further, and a smack from the tail will be the least of your worries.” She frowned at that, making me give a powerful sigh of bemusement. Using two strong flaps while aiming myself towards her, I saddled up to her side. This, of course, made her a little apprehensive.
“... What are you doing?”
“Helping a big hatchling,” I responded quickly, flying ahead on time with her. She groused and grumbled at that, but was cooperating with me nevertheless. It took some time, maybe an hour or so, for us to clear the storm. There were still some complications, such as when she saw fit to hug me tightly as lightning crashed ahead after some time, and when she accidentally flew into my side again, getting me shocked. Other than these two things, we braved the storm fairly well.
My irritation, however, was not dwindled down in the slightest. To my eternal displeasure, Aphrodite still clung to me awkwardly, many minutes after leaving the storm. As you’ve probably surmised by now, I hate being touched without permission. So, it should have come as no surprise when I shoved her away with a push of a wing.
“Distance yourself, woman. The storm has long since passed.” I flew ahead some more, hearing Aphrodite give a squeak of sudden fear as I shoved her off my person. Her flaps distanced themselves, which made me think she was hovering behind me as she processed what happened again.
Oh how bad did I long for those wing flaps to fade! But alas, they returned, strong as ever.
“I thought you said flying wasn’t your strong suit?” I couldn’t help but growl somewhere in that inquiry; a gesture Aphrodite picked up on as she shook the water from her form, giving me an unneeded spritz-down once more.
“It’s honestly not, Mr. Ragnarok; I’m starting to reach my limit. Won’t you please allow us a moment to rest?” Rolling my eyes with a heavy sigh, I angled myself down, starting a short drop to the prairie below. I heard a praise to the creators come from Aphrodite’s lips as I did this, and as we landed next to a stream, saw her desperation for water as she practically pounced it.
I ran a claw through my mane, feeling it stick up in odd places with a frown. “This is problematic. How am I supposed to be the most handsome dragon if I can’t even keep my mane in order? Granted, it wasn’t my fault, but I digress.” I dunked my head into the stream and came back up quickly, snapping my neck right and then left quick as a whip. This action caused all the water to leave my mane, and I felt it return to its former glory.
Aphrodite, at this point in time, decided to grace me with her charm again by pulling her head out of the water, splashing me with the excess on her head. My mane drooped over my eyes, and I gave a short blow of irritation, which caused it to flop back against my face.
“Oh! Mr. Ragnarok! I’m so sorry! Here, let me- Woah-” My chest was hit by her form, a short scuffing sound coming from in front of me. I knew then that she tripped on something, but it mattered little when I found myself smashed onto the ground by her bulk. Temporarily winded from the impact, I hastily brushed my mane out of my eyes and sent a glare her way.
“... Seriously?”
Aphrodite grinned sheepishly, blushing a little. “Uh.... sorry?” Even after apologizing, her face stayed transfixed on mine. Apparently, she wanted some form of acknowledgement to her apology. I stared at her for just a bit more.
“You’re straddling me.”
Her blush increased tenfold as she leaped from me, growling a bit. “I was not, you scaled pervert! My bottom was in the air the entire time!” She stomped her front claws on the ground, shaking it briefly as I stood up and dusted myself off. This process took some time, but I was able to get through it easily enough.
“Hurry up and rest, please. I would like to reach Atlantis some time soon.” I went over to the stream and lowered my head for a drink. The relief came in cold splashes against the back of my throat, which was burning from the first flight I had taken. Because of this cooling sensation, my body became lax and settled as I inhaled the relief thorough copious amounts of water.
“Yeah, yeah, I get it...” she said gloomily, “... I’m just dead weight. You don’t have to rub it in, Ragnarok...” Her footsteps echoed off into the distance, making me turn my head to see where it was that she was going. As I watched her lumber away sluggishly with her head hanging, the crest of a small hill made itself known to my eyes. Aphrodite climbed its slope, and then plopped down in an unladylike manner; if it were any more lax, she would be flashing me.
Sitting back on my rump, I actually started to feel a little... bad. Turning my head to grab another drink, I jerked back a little as my own reflection glared at me as I looked at it in surprise. “Your curt tongue has hurt the dragoness, Ragnarok. Go apologize and restore the bridge you’re surely burning.”
Fixing my face of blank staring, I glared right back at myself. “No. I refuse to make myself an ass for the betterment of her feelings. She is slowing down my progress.” My talons dug small furrows into the ground as I stared myself down.
“Don’t be a fool, Ragnarok. It is obvious that although she considers herself no more than a nuisance to you, she still sticks around because she’s loyal to her Queens. Such a redeeming quality cannot be overshadowed by your petty decisions to be... blunt.” I snarled at my reflection.
“Shut your mouth, cur,” I whispered harshly, getting a snarl from him as well. “You do not decide what I do and who I deem worthy of my time!”
“But I do! I am your mind, you ignorant pariah. View me as whatever you want, but in the end, all your decisions come through me. It is my sworn duty to protect you from outer harm... and inner destruction.”
My growls became lower in frequency, and increased exponentially in killer intent as his face contorted into a smug grin. “There is a reason you’re alone now, Ragnarok; it’s not because of your past, nor is it from your beliefs. It is because you don’t want to do anything anymore; it is because you gave up on life itself after Xilla died-”
I roared savagely, shaking the prairie as I swatted the water with my claw. “LEAVE ME ALONE!” I panted heavily, watching as my reflection distorted forever more, the smug grin lost.
“Ragnarok? Ragnarok, are you alright?” I kept my back facing the concerned voice of Aphrodite. Her footsteps ceased right behind me, and I could feel her heat on my back, even though I knew she was a good distance away. “Is something bothering you?”
“.....” I snapped my wings open. “.... We’re leaving.” Taking about three flaps, I took off into the sky, heading for my destination.... Atlantis. Aphrodite was right behind me, and through her softening wing flaps, I knew she was becoming apprehensive in asking me what my malfunction and meltdown was about back there.
“.... Ra-”
“I’m sorry,” I interrupted curtly as we leveled off from our ascent. “... The way I’ve been acting has been nothing less than shameful. I pray to the creators above, the whole Pantheon, that you’ll find it in your Spark to forgive me for my transgression.”
Aphrodite sighed, and through her sigh, I finally felt a jab of regret and pain. In a way, the sigh came out in a way that reminded me of my old mate’s... that made the pain even more unbearable, so I opted to keep quiet as we soared through the skies.
Atlantis was coming up on the horizon, letting me know that I was actually flying in silence for a long time. It was at this point that I became aware of the burning in my wings, and certainly knew that by now, Aphrodite was doing worse. Slowing my pace just a bit, I let her catch up, and watched with a wince as she heaved with each breath.
Somehow, she was able to stay with me during my trance-induced flight. This fact made me blink as she finally struggled up to my side. “.... You... couldn’t..... hear me....”
I nodded and floated around to be behind her. She looked over her shoulder with a weary face, wondering what I was doing. But, I didn’t keep her in suspense long as I hooked my arms around her frame and added more strength to my flapping to carry us closer to the island.
This time of relief was welcomed wholeheartedly by my pink companion as she slumped in my grasp, taking a well-deserved break at long last. I fumbled a bit from the added weight, but straightened back out with a grunt, approaching what appeared to be a section of the floating island I could only describe as rolling plains.
Giving a final grunt and push of power, I dropped Aphrodite on the soft earth and promptly flopped onto my stomach afterwards. My position wasn’t too far in front of her, which she took notice of. A shaky pink claw came up, and slowly opened to give me a thumbs-up.
.... I blinked at that. “.... You’re... welcome... I guess.”