//------------------------------// // On the Origins of Dragons // Story: Letters to Luna // by Minds Eye //------------------------------// Dear Princess Luna, I was rummaging around in the Canterlot Archives the other day, and found an interesting legend about the origin of dragons. Tirek sat on his throne, his rage twisting inside of him, as it always did. Ever since he heard mere rumors of Equestria, he was angry. Those wretched ponies! So happy, so carefree. He wanted to take Equestria for his own and sap it of magic, but such a direct approach with two powerful princesses could be very risky. He needed a more indirect approach. Something they would never suspect. He needed a monster. The world was filled with various beasts to use as a beginning palette for his work. Tirek knew of them all, and decided that lizards were an excellent place to start. Tirek wanted something much more powerful, though. Creating it would take quite a bit of work, let alone perfecting it. But it could be done. He was Tirek, the (soon-to-be) lord of Equestria! He could anything he put his mind to. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, after centuries of careful breeding, it was almost finished. There was just one problem: the beast, which he decided to call a "gon", from the Ancient Speech word for "strange creature" or, if roughly translated, "monster", was too stupid! It just lazed around sedately. What could be done to fix this? Tirek pondered this question for a long time before he came up with a solution. But it was quite risky. He could possibly destroy himself in the process. But it was a risk worth taking. In a large cavern, Tirek stood in front of the gon, patiently waiting for it to awaken. Finally, it opened one slit-pupiled golden eye, then stretched out its dark green body, which was as long as Canterlot's throne room. It gazed curiously at him, tilting its head slightly. A small ball of magic began building up between Tirek's horns, growing in size and brightness. Sweat trickled down Tirek's brow as he gritted his teeth. The spell he was about to do was extremely difficult, as well as dangerous. Tirek was going to sever part of his essence and fuse it with the gon, in order to give it a will of its own, though it would still answer to him. It would be much like him: greedy, vain, and with a passion for destruction. The magic had finally built up enough. Tirek finally shot the sphere at the gon, smacking it between the eyes. Tirek blinked, and sat up, rubbing his temple. He had blacked out after casting the spell. Tirek looked about the cavern. The gon was nowhere in sight. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Something slithered in the shadows, just out of Tirek's sight and hearing. It was amazed. The thing could think. It- no, he, liked to think. Especially of wreaking havoc and (shiny objects?). The beast then crawled up silently behind his creator, and spoke his first words in a throaty voice: "I am Gorgoroth. How may I serve you...master?" Gorgoroth stared at the city before him, slitted eyes narrowed. In the center of the grandiose city was a pompous palace. This was the target Tirek had directed him to. All that was required of him was to lay waste to the city, and he could take whatever he wanted. That was Tirek's promise. Gorgoroth began stealthily slithering towards the city. It was after nightfall when he began his assault on Canterlot. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was the Festival of Flowers, celebrating the beauty and the joy of spring. It was quite an event. Earth ponies, with their special connection to the earth and plants, had coaxed vines to grow on the frames of tents, providing an elegant and organic cover from the elements. The night air was sweet with heady scent of moonflowers, water lilies, and many other nocturnal flora. Ponies went from tent to tent, playing games, eating delicacies, and socializing. The grandest tent was in the center of the square. Two carved thrones studded with precious stones were in the tent. In one throne sat Princess Celestia, and in the other sat Princess Luna. They greeted many nobles and foreign emissaries visiting Equestria during this time of celebration. Soon enough, however, they wouldn't be celebrating... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Mommy!" cried a little colt excitedly. "Look, look, look!" "What is it now?" Rhinestone, his mother, asked somewhat impatiently. He'd been like this all night. "It's a giant lizard!" he squealed, pointing to the city’s border.. "Now Peacock Quill," she replied sternly. "What did I tell you about making up stories?" She approached her son, and looked where he was pointing. "There is nothing-" Her breath caught in her throat as she beheld a terrible sight. A huge reptile was making its way towards Canterlot. And it was staring right at her. "Isn't it neat, Mommy?" said Quill. When she didn't respond, he said "Mommy?" Nothing. Quill was beginning to get worried. He began pulling on her tail, something she always despised. She acted like he didn't exist. All she did was stare. Rhinestone couldn't move. She couldn't talk or scream; she was barely breathing. Rhinestone was aware of only one thing: those horrible yellow eyes. She could only watch as it knocked the gate with ease, and grinned at her, before incinerating her and her son. Rhinestone's last recollections were of pain and fear, and of Peacock Quill's agonized screams as flames consumed him. Then she was enveloped by merciful darkness. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guards threw their spears at the monster, only to have them incinerated. They drew their swords and charged, and were swept away by Gorgoroth’s massive tail. He laughed at how pathetic they were as he continued to wreak havoc upon the city. He levelled a library, then set the remains ablaze. Unicorns attempted to stun him, but their magic only bounced off his natural armor. Pegasi dived down in an attempt to distract him, but were burnt to a crisp. The air reeked of scorched flesh and hair, ponies ran hither screaming. Smoke curled up from the once-beautiful Canterlot as this new beast lay waste to the city. Tirek looked upon this, and was pleased. Gorgoroth had performed even greater than he had expected. Almost nothing was left, and Gorgoroth was quickly taking care of that. Chuckling to himself, Tirek teleported home to await Gorgoroth’s return and praise him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It had been twelve long years since the destruction of Canterlot, and still Gorgoroth had not returned. In this span of time, the ponies had begun reconstructing their capital, this time upon a huge mountain. Tirek was less than pleased. “Where is that wretched beast?” Tirek snarled, slamming his fist into the wall. He was sick of waiting for the ingrate to return. Tirek grabbed his crystal ball and stared into it, his glare practically burning through it. What he saw surprised-and somewhat alarmed-him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To the east was an (mostly) uninhabited land. It was full of volcanoes, hot springs, and geysers. A difficult place to live...for some. Others found it quite nice. Gorgoroth and his brood were one example. Gorgoroth had decided that his short life was quite interesting. He had started out as a dumb beast, then had been turned into a sentient being with a independent will of his own. After he had destroyed Canterlot, he had taken the jewels and riches, and transported them to his lair within this treacherous. There he had thrived. Gorgoroth was never quite sure what had happened. He hadn’t been created with any reproductive organs, and yet he had somehow produced young. Gorgoroth had eventually decided that after consuming many ponies, their magic had some mutated him, allowing him reproduce asexually. His young seemed to have been affected, too. Instead of being exact copies, they were of various colors and sizes. One even had what looked like a small pair of wings. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After many millennia, the gons died out, and were replaced by their larger descendants, the dragons. The word “dragon” is derived from the Ancient Speech as well, meaning “giant monster.”