//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Listen and Learn 
// Story: Became a Dragon 
// by The Digital Guy 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 3: Listen and Learn

Canterlot... A great, shining city clutching to the side of a majestic mountain, capital of one of the worlds largest nations. White, gleaming towers of marble and polished stone, gilded, golden roofs, and clear glass windows were practically a standard in the great pony metropolis. The once docile city had become restless however, burning homes and businesses causing the sky to choke on dark clouds of black smoke. Fireponies worked around the clock to protect the buildings surrounding the ignited ones, as saving them was out of the question. The citizens, once proud and secure with the knowledge that nothing bad could happen this deep into their country, were scarred, scared, and otherwise bewildered. How had a dragon, a mere beast from miles away, gotten here without alerting the guards, and then proceeded to burn down at least four blocks of buildings? Some even said that the dragon defeated Princess Celestia, but very few believed that. The town had one thing on its mind though: Justice, justice to the beast who had ruined so many lives and caused some amount of the secure feeling to burned to ash. A horde had gathered at the castle gates, stallions and mares, a few of them victims of the dragon’s rage, bellowing and demanding the execution of such a beast. They battered the front gates, and caused an unsteady falter in the guard holding them back.

"I will be the one asking questions!" Luna yelled over the sounds of the nearby crowd.

The dragon seemed to slump, despair washing over his features, "No mead... what's a Nord without his mead..."

Luna sat down again, a few feet away from his snout, and looked into his eyes, "A Nord? What is a Nord? Answer me dragon!"

"Maybe I could make some, like before... no, that batch was terrible, and I wasn't even a Dragon then..." Ylven mumbled.

Luna groaned, her mane flickering around like a candle flame instead of a piece of cloth caught in a perpetual breeze, "You are trying my patience, beast! I merely wondered why you had attacked, but now it seems that I know why, you are mad! Crazy as a crawsnap, and I have no time for those whose minds have left them..." with that, she stood, and began to leave.

Ylven barely noticed, mind already shrouded by thoughts of one of his most coveted drinks. What was a Nord without mead? A beast, that's what. Like the damn Elves and their Alto Wines or the Milk-drinking Imperials; both were less than men... was he to join their ranks? However, as Ylven sat alone an object was hurled over the the wall, flying gracefully it struck its target, and broke apart on his nose. Something feral awoke in Ylven again as his sane mind began to try and figure out how to procure mead, and he released a bestial roar, struggling against his restraints. Luna took notice as she was leaving, and saw his predicament. Part of her knew that this was what he deserved, that she should turn the other cheek and let justice prevail, but the other more militant part knew that this was comparable to blasphemy, what the citizens were doing, disobeying direct orders from their Princesses. She ordered her soldiers to stop the riots, and began to return to the dragon, who was starting to crack the stones anchoring him there. Pegasi flew into the air, knocking down objects with their hooves and weapons, while unicorns began to restrain some of the rowdier citizens.

Luna's horn glowed bright blue, and suddenly Ylven was surrounded in the midnight pony's power, and he was forced to stiffen. Luna approached from in front, and looked him directly in the eyes.

"Be still now, dragon, or I will be forced to paralyze you again," she commanded, making sure her message got across.

She began to feel him stop struggling against her magic, and so released him. He slumped down for a while, before facing her again, "Thank you..."

She frowned, "Understand that I did what I must, we are not friends."

He nodded, "But neither are we enemies."

She chuckled, "Dragon, after all you have done, we are about as much enemies as we can be."

Ylven sighed, "I did not want to do those things."

She chuckled, "Do not try and trick me, beast, I have not ruled for this long because I fell for such pitiful traps."

"I see... I do not take you as a fool, your majesty, but when I came here, I was... not myself."

"Is that so?" Luna asked, "And why, dragon, should I trust you, even after all you have done? Do you not hear the citizens? They are outraged, and I must admit, after what you have done to my sister, I don't much like you either."

"I wouldn't either, mighty Amazon, but please, hear me out, I do not wish to start a war," Ylven explained.

Luna sat just feet away from his snout, "Go ahead, humor me dragon."

He nodded, "Princess, do you have werewolves in this world?"

She seemed surprised, "Something similar... wereponies, they transform into feral beasts every full moon, why?"

He tried to stretch himself out, but the metal clasps kept him from doing much, "I was not always the beast you see before you, I was once a mighty warrior, perhaps one of the most powerful to ever be born since Tiber Septim himself. But, when my world was threatened by a great Dragon, a son of a God, who tried to destroy the world, I set out on a quest when I learned that I was the only one that could stop him."

She chuckled, "Oh, is that so? So, what were you before you were this dragon I see before me?"

"I was a man, a Nord, the Dragonborn, the last Dragonborn. A being born of man with the blood of a Dragon within, who can absorb a slain Dragon's soul and knowledge directly after slaying them. I had slain many of my now brethren before I faced the monster Alduin, the World Eater in combat in the realm Sovngarde. I, with the help of other, long dead Dragonborn defeated Alduin, and cast his soul into the void. The world was safe. We were victorious, and the guardian of that realm sent me back to my world... or that had been his intentions. Obviously, it didn't happen. I was brought here instead, and given the body I had loathed just minutes ago, before landing in a nearby township, one I am not proud to admit I attacked."

She raised a brow, "Is that so, assisted by long dead cousins of yours? Tell me, how did this happen?"

"Sovngarde is the realm of the honored Nord dead, and Alduin had been devouring souls there to strengthen himself after our previous conflict, which left us both scarred. As I was sent home, I was somehow morphed into this beast before you. I have been a wolf before, known the hunt, and purged myself of that Daedric taint, but even then I could control it, and I would become man again after some time... I was... sane. But now, I know that I will never be man again, never to enjoy the splendors of mead, or the rush of adrenaline a battle would give me... now, I am a monster, as you have described so many times, and there's a part of me that wants out, to let the beast free, permanently, to join my brethren in the sky and enslave those who oppose me... Dearest ruler, hear me out, I was once a mighty warrior, strong, and just, but now I am a Dragon, powerful, and greedy. I fear what would happen if I cannot tame this creature inside me, but I have a feeling few could stop it should it come loose again... today, was just a taste, be weary should I come to blows again, I do not wish to harm your people."

Luna sat, bewildered by his speech, but it was clear he was finished speaking, and lowered his head to the ground, shutting his eyes, almost as if he were praying. She was dumbfounded... a dragon, from another realm, once a warrior who slew the thing he is now, and described his condition like that of a werepony... well then, there was one action that could be taken.

"Do you know what we do to ponies who have become wereponies, and terrorize the night?" she asked Ylven, causing him to lift his head.

"No."

She smiled weakly, "We seek to help them, to let them understand that the beast within is a gift from forces beyond our control. The deaths they have caused or the terror they have sown was not theirs, but the beast’s. Learn to control it, and it can become a great asset in times of need. I will not release you, Dragon of Sovngarde, but I will bring you help, so that you may cope with these conflicting feelings."

He stopped for a moment, "Ylven..."

She raised a brow, "What was that?"

"My name... it's Ylven, of Cyrodiil. I was born in Cyrodiil before I came to Skyrim, where I learned my fate."

She placed a hoof on her chest, "Princess Luna of Equestria, nice to meet you, Ylven of Cyrodiil."

He let a smile cross his beak, "And you as well, your Majesty."

She waved a hoof, "To you, just Luna. I will be leaving shortly, but when I return, I will come with one who may be able to help you with this exponential increase in power, for she has been learning to control great amounts of power recently as well. Farewell Ylven, until we meet again."

He nodded, "Thank you Luna, this means a lot to me."

She smiled, before taking to the air and back into the castle. Looking up now, Ylven felt some amount of warmth from the sun... perhaps... just perhaps, things were going to get better.


"Do you think she's okay?"

"Oh I hope so... dearest Fluttershy, come back to us!"

In the remains of Sugar Cube Corner, five friends gathered around one slightly more unconscious friend, who had fainted after the dragon attack. She slowly stirred, groaning as she awoke from her involuntary slumber.

"Ugh... girls... what happened?" Nausea overwhelmed her as she rose, being helped up by her friends.

"A dragon attacked, that's what!" Rainbow reported, gesturing to the area around them, "And he totalled the Corner!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie yelled, "And my house too! How am I supposed to explain that a DRAGON attacked while they were away?!"

"I'm sure they'll understand Pinkie, and about your house, you can always stay at my place until the building is repaired," Twilight offered, patting the pony as she dealt with what just happened.

"Ah hope Canterlot's alright, dragons are right mess makers, they are," Applejack said, looking at the mountain in the distance, Canterlot being visible from practically anywhere in Equestria.

"Are you kidding? That's where the Princesses live! They'll kick his flank back to Draconia in no time FLAT!" Rainbow said, making a few punching and kicking movements with her hooves.

Fluttershy blinked, "Oh... well, I'm glad that nopony got hurt, at least."

Twilight nodded, "Thats right, we're all still alive and healthy... What did he say when he fell through the roof? ‘Fear me I'm a dragon?’ He definitely seemed pretty confident about his abilities."

"Reminds me 'f a certain pony..." Applejack mentioned, smiling wryly at Rainbow.

"What?" Rainbow shrugged, "Even if I was a dragon, I wouldn't attack Ponyville! Do you know how aerodynamic scales would make me? I would be Sonic Rainbooming all day!"

As they talked amongst themselves, Spike came running up the road, holding a letter, "Twilight!"

Her name caused her ears to swivel on her head, and Twilight faced Spike as he clambered up the wooden steps, and soaked in his surroundings, "Yes Spike?"

"Uh... message from Princess Luna, wanted you to see it... what happened here?"

"A dragon attacked," deadpanned Rarity, "A very rude, brute of a dragon, nothing like yourself dearest Spike."

He nodded as Twilight floated the note from his hands, "Jeez, he was a big one, wasn't he?"

Twilight unrolled the scroll, and began to read its contents, "Oh... well, we know where that dragon went."

Everypony began to gather around Twilight, "What's it say, Twi'?"

"It looks like they were able to capture and subdue the dragon, as well as get it to explain why it attacked."

"Why would they need to know why it attacked? It's a dragon, right?" Rainbow asked, unsure to why they would waste their time like that.

"Not so fast, it looks like they want me to come an see him for some reason..."

A round of gasps.

"Why? Aren't they gonna haul it back to where the dragons live and release it, you know, make sure it never tries again?" questioned Fluttershy, looking over the paper.

"It doesn't say why, just that I need to go to the Canterlot castle courtyard as soon as physically possible... looks like I'll have to go then," she said, moping.

"It's alright Twily! We'll clean up while you're away! Make sure to give that dragon a piece of your mind!" Pinkie said, already sweeping up broken boards and splinters alike.

The rest of them nodded in agreement, though Rainbow seemed to do so loathingly, and set her on her way. Twilight thanked her friends, and took off, leaving them all to their work. Canterlot wasn't all that far away, and she soon arrived at the perimeter of the city after a few minutes of flight. Instantly she noticed something about the city, something was different... it wasn't the weather, that was for sure, it was a sunny afternoon, but it was like something had disturbed the city. There were more ponies at the train station than usual, some of which had bags and furniture. She knew ponies moved in and out all the time, but there was an actual lineup of ponies to leave now. There weren't as many ponies on the street anymore, and those that were jumped at her shadow, which was admittedly a lot bigger from being so high, but still definitely pony shaped. On her way to the castle, she saw why.

"Oh no..."

Downtown was a wreck, some houses still smoldered while ponies threw water onto the dying flames, and craters caused by some sort of conflict were visible, construction crews already assessing the damage. Perhaps the most prominent feature about the entire situation was at the castle... it seemed like half of the city had gathered at the gates, and were being subdued by the castle guard. Finally she saw the cause of all the havoc, the dragon that had attacked them, and quite obviously attacked the city as well. She tipped her wings downward, and dived towards the castle. Why had the Princesses called her to the castle again? To talk to it? What good would that do? Perhaps they wished for her to give it a piece of her mind, as Pinkie had intended. Whichever the case, she felt its gaze follow her as she descended to the front doors, and was allowed inside by the guards.

"Why is the new Princess here?"
"We want it dead and gone!"
"Boo to the Princesses!"

Twilight was surprised by what she heard as the doors closed behind her, ponies weren't usually so... rude. In fact, citizens of Canterlot often times prided themselves on being some of the most courteous and well-mannered in Equestria. Ignoring their comments for the time being, she made her way inside the castle proper, and towards the throne room where she expected both sisters to be awaiting her arrival. The castle had changed little since her last visit, and the floorplans to the entire building were etched in her brain, her mind reading her memories like a map and guiding her to a set of ten foot tall golden doors. She had always wondered why they were so blasted tall, but she supposed it gave them a sense of majesty no normal sized door could.

Stepping inside the throne room, her eyes were assaulted by the amount of extra light everything let in compared to rest of the castle, something she had never truly gotten used to. The stained glass murals and velvety rugs coupled with the rising marble pillars certainly gave the building an aura of awesome, and it all lead to the twin thrones... one of which was empty.

"Twilight!" Luna called, flying over to her, "I'm glad you could make it!"

Twilight was surprised by the sudden embrace of the Moon Goddess, but returned it in kind, "It's good to see you as well, what's going on?"

She seemed a little downtrodden from the question, and sighed, "It would appear that we have a situation..."

"The dragon?" Twilight guessed.

"The dragon..." Luna confirmed.

Twilight curled her mouth around a little, "I don't know what's expected of me, I should probably be furious with it, but I kind of just dealt with it, I suppose."

"Hmm? Oh, no, we're not going to get rid of it, we're doing to opposite, were helping it," Luna explained.

Twilight blinked in disbeleif, "What?"

Luna sighed, "Allow me to explain what information I have gleamed off of our guest: He is from another world, he wasn't always a dragon, and finally, he wants nothing but peace, but he described his... condition, like that of a werepony, when he becomes enraged, a sort of beast escapes, the kind that burned down some buildings and attacked Canterlot. But now, when he's calm, he actually talkative, and it is our responsibility as Equestrians to help him."

"I see... Luna, where's Celestia?" Twilight asked, remembering that it was just the two of them.

"Oh... uh, she was... er, attacked. By the dragon," Luna explained hesitantly, unsure how Twilight would react.

Twilight blinked, "And we're helping it?"

Luna smiled sheepishly, "I knew it seems odd, but until proven otherwise, it was the angry dragon that got her, not Ylven, the much nicer dragon."

"Was she seriously injured, what happened?" Twilight asked suddenly, taking a step towards Luna.

"No, well, not by Alicorn standards, she may have lost some blood but... she's alive, and the doctors assure me that she'll make a full recovery by sundown tomorrow. We heal rather quickly, so you don't have to worry."

"Have you even taken her word into account?" Twilight inquired, looking into Luna's eyes.

"Well... I feel that it's the right thing to do. After all, she forgave Discord, he did some pretty nasty things in his day, as well," defended Luna, seeing that this was going nowhere fast.

"Luna, we need to at least check with Celestia before we make any major decisions, Discord served his time and was given a chance to make restitution, this dragon has not, other than sitting in shackles just outside the castle. I refuse to help him until I get the go-ahead from Celestia," Twilight said sternly, and sat down before Luna.

"Come now Twilight, we're both Princesses, and both fully capable of making our own decisions in life, Celestia may be older, but that doesn't change the fact that our power is split equally," Luna reminded her younger associate.

"Maybe so," Twilight assured her, "but this is more of a respect thing than a political issue, I feel that we should wait for the victim to speak before we go and make a choice that doesn't honor hers."

Luna sighed, "I see your point... Still, I feel that we should help, as a once warrior, he could be a very valuable asset to Equestria, not only that but a esteemed source of information on his unique and powerful form of magic, surely as a scholar you must have some interest in that?"

Twilight stopped for a moment, "What kind of magic?"

Luna shrugged, "I haven't a clue, the kind that relies on spoken words, and can teleport an entire dragon behind you in a heartbeat."

Twilight mulled it over for a second, "Alright fine, I'll go and talk to him, but Celestia still decides what ultimately happens to him."

"Of course, Twilight, it would only be honorable," Luna agreed as Twilight exited the room, before hoof-pumping, "Hook, line, and sinker!"

"What was that?"

Luna scrambled back into a princessly pose and followed after the younger triarch, "Nothing, nothing at all."