//------------------------------// // Meeting the Neighbours // Story: TMPDA: Last One In The Nest // by Myriad of Failure //------------------------------// I breathed. And again. Delicious air, sweeter than sugar. Well, not quite - it was a little sulphurous. Peering between frightened lids, the purple dawn greeted me. I moaned. Nopony came over. I had expected a few onlookers to at least saunter over - just to check that I was alive. They wouldn't even have needed to come over - they could have just shouted from afar to ask if I was alright. "What's going on?" There we go! "This is a meeting to establish trust and friendship, not fight!" The angry female voice continued, clearly not directed at me. "She said it was a tradition!" Cloud Drift blurted out. I smiled and rolled onto my hooves. Surprisingly, nothing felt broken. My wings were burnt, so I left them unfurled to drag across ground. However, apart from this and a few cuts and bruises, I seemed pretty unharmed. I trotted over to the trio of ponies - the two guards fixed rigidly in place, and the pony that the new voice belonged to. She was taller than an average mare, with a mane a lighter purple than my own, and an even paler coat. Gold glittered in her hair. Princess Twilight Sparkle. "That doesn't mean that it was a good idea." She pointed out. Dragons stared at her incredulously, and even my mouth hung a little open; she had offended our culture! Well, it was a stupidly dangerous one - nevertheless, it was my opinion that you had to try it before you could criticize. "Princess Sparkle," I knelt as I came over, drawing her attention, "I'm sorry if the initiation... startled you - it's a necessary process I needed to clear out of the way before the treaty could start." She didn't reply. I glanced up, expecting a disapproving glare - instead, I was faced with a look of curiosity and awkward embarrassment. "Did I say something wrong?" I asked, standing up again. Every limb protested, though I did my best to hide it. Weakness in front of dragons was not the done thing. "No - no!" She trotted over, her violet eyes as large as saucers. "It's wonderful to meet you - it's Nocturne, isn't it?" "Yes, I -" "Princess Luna told me all about you." She shook my hoof, though stopped when she noticed my grimace. "I hope I didn't ruin anything by catching you? Do you feel alright? You fainted afterwards, but you seem... better now?" "Um, I'm fine, thanks -" She circled around me. Checking my wings, her magic flashed and a pair of what could only be described as mittens appeared over them. What they lacked in style, they made up for in cooling relief. "Ooo - that's nice!" "I hope they fit," she came back around, "I learnt the spell for pegasi wings, but they should be adequate for yours." "Thanks, yes - they're..." I suddenly remembered that we were actually surrounded by dragons. Towering over us was Magma, his old face patient. We fell silent. "Finished, Nocturne, born of Lonely Colony?" He rumbled. I nodded quickly. "From strength and courage, Ruby Horde welcome Thestral friend." With a flick of his tail, an elegant female dragon walked over, balanced on her hind legs carrying a small white bowl. Inside sloshed a dark crimson liquid. "I welcome Drake friend, to serve and honour." I replied, being handed the bowl. I was forced to sit and take it between my fore-hooves, my wings too sore to move. I knocked back the fluid, barely tasting it. It wouldn't do for the other ponies to know what I'd just swallowed. "Wow..." the princess whispered. I didn't think that she could understand us; not that a small issue like that should stop her getting excited. Ancient dragon and bat pony rituals should inspire awe. Cloud Drift nudged me, "Was that what I think it wa-" "Grape juice." I snapped, wiping my lips to remove the evidence. Hmm... coppery after-taste. "So, Princess of Ponies, you are also welcomed." The wrinkled neck bowed respectfully, his eyes closing slightly in trust. "It's an honour, Lord Magma." She curtsied. Rising, she held out a wing behind her. "Allow me to introduce my friends; Fluttershy and Spike." I followed to where she was pointing. A young dragon stepped forwards, still balancing on his hind legs, despite being about the same height as Princess Luna. Cowering in his shadow, a pink mane was doing its best to conceal a pony. Reaching a clawed hand out, the one I assumed to be Spike pulled the pony into view. I admit, I could have been mistaken - Fluttershy might be a perfect name for a dragon, however unlikely. The pink ball squealed, turning into a bundle of butterscotch and cotton-candy. Teal eyes peered out, only to elicit another squeak. "She's happy to be here, honest." Spike the dragon waddled over, making sure that the pony followed him. At a second glance, you realised that she was actually a pegasus. A memory twigged; she was one of the Elements of Harmony - well, one of the bearers. Not that they were used any more - instead of being protected by flashy jewellery, we were all relying on a magical rainbow... Sweet stars, even having lived in Equestria for over sixteen years, pony magic still confused me. "Is this our whole party?" I hissed to Cloud Drift. I had at least expected the rest of Princess Twilight's entourage. "No, we're waiting for a few academics - nopony else." I raised an eyebrow, but neglected to comment. I wasn't sure if the dragon horde would be insulted if only a few ponies turned up, or if they preferred a small group. Personally, if I'd just flown across the sea from the Dragon Islands, I would at least expect three princesses to turn up. One new, relatively inexperienced alicorn didn't do them justice. "We have prepared your... quarters," Magma said, indicating with a great wing, "I hope you will settle in before we start negotiations." "Thank you very much!" Princess Twilight stood and led our party. I sighed and followed. Sleeping sounded like the best plan, especially now that the Sun was making its presence felt. "Oh, well, I'm sure we can make this very agreeable." Looking up, I noticed that our 'quarters' were just a flat section of rocks, out of the way of the other dragons, with some animal skins spread across the floor. Considering them, I decided that some sheep were the ones to make our stay the most comfortable. "Interesting rugs..." Cloud Drift wandered over first, observing the fur warily. "How about we put up some tents?" I offered, before our Junior Captain could work out what they really were; the dragons would be insulted if the ponies stared being squeamish. Checking the reptilian species, most of them had lost interest in us for the time being - so at least we might have managed a cover up if somepony did protest. We had four tents between us, which were efficiently erected - primarily due to the versatility of unicorn magic. Back in the Night Guard, it used to take a good twenty minutes to set up the tents, just because everything was more fiddly with hooves - and, unlike pegasi and earth ponies, we always had to be careful not to rip the tarpaulin with our fangs or hooked wings. We were designed for mountains and caves, not fancy material bedding. Luckily, this gave me the chance to move the furs around a bit, either hiding them or using the ones that looked adequately woolly. It was warm enough down here not to need them anyway. When I turned around from my work, I noticed that our resident dragon was watching me. "You worked out what they were then?" He was tall and skinny, standing up like that. Young pale green wings had sprouted on his back, and the spikes that lined his spine from head to tail were becoming more pointed. An adolescent dragon. "Yeah - I didn't think the others would be too happy knowing what they were." His emerald eyes narrowed. "Twilight said you were a bat pony, right?" "Yeah..." "Not a vampire pony?" I laughed. Having been asked it so often before, you either had to laugh or strangle the pony who said it. "No, not a vampire pony! Though we are what the legends are based on." "Y'know, Fluttershy became a bat pony once." I left my hidden cargo and faced the teenager face on. "You cannot just become a bat pony. If we could all swap our races like that, I would be a unicorn." Everypony would be a unicorn, I thought, unicorns have all of the fun... Heck - what was I saying? Everypony would be an alicorn - with bat wings! A bat-alicorn! A baticorn! Or would it be an Alibat...? "No - no - really!" He grinned. "A spell went wrong, right, and her brain swapped with a vampire fruit bat!" "Is she normal again now?" It would have explained the face covering and general nervousness. "Yeah, she's been fine for years now." He shrugged. "You just reminded me of it, is all." "Good, well..." We stood awkwardly at the side of our camp, rocks to one side, tents to the other. "If you don't mind, I might sleep for a bit now that our 'quarters' are set up, so..." "Sure thing," he turned, letting me past, "good night, or is it good morning?" I smiled, "In the Cave Tongue, we say -" I made a clicking sound followed by a slow hiss, "- which translates as delicious slumber." "Then, um... cluc - ckliz - cluss?" "Brilliant - we'll have you conversing fluently by the end of the week!" I smiled and turned into the nearest tent. There were four spread out, so I figured that nopony would mind me claiming the one on the end - it had my saddle bags in it already. Taking a minute to bandage the worst of my cuts, I decided that this was going to be a fairly relaxing trip. With the initiation was out of the way, I was planning to stay out of the way while the Princess of Friendship worked out the details. With her around, I would hardly need to settle any disputes at all - as well as there being a dragon who could also act as middle ground. My time here was looking decidedly easy. Curling up of the sheep skin I had procured for myself, I settled down for a well earned nap. All good things had to come to an end, I found out. It was the third time I'd woken up to the sound of gossiping ponies, so I finally gave up and went to see what they were talking about. Outside, the Sun was now high in the sky, far hotter than it had been in Canterlot. A sinking feeling grabbed hold of my stomach and pulled it towards the ground as I realised that I'd left my sunglasses in Canterlot. I'd forgotten that I'd be needing them. On the floor, the princess had a book spread out in front of her while she chatted to her nervous friend and her dragon. The two guards stood a little way off, talking between each other. Funnily enough, when she was with the princess, Fluttershy seemed much more willing to talk. Crowds must have frightened her. "Isn't this fascinating? Dragons have been migrating to Equestria regularly for centuries, but this is the first diplomatic mission to set up a lasting bond between the species. You'd think somepony would have tried this before." "We've had relations with them," I butted in, sitting on the ground so that I was next to Spike. The pegasus managed not to squeal, and gave me a polite smile while looking determinedly in the opposite direction. "Of course," the princess smiled, "that's why Princess Luna suggested you." "Only after the dragons insisted that an impartial bat pony was present," the purple dragon butted-in, "three days before the summit!" "It was all rather disorganised..." Princess Twilight admitted. "We barely made it down from the Crystal Empire in time!" "It would have been nice to stay for a bit longer..." Fluttershy said, her voice unnaturally quiet - not that this was a problem for my oversized ears. "We don't get to see Cadence or your brother very often." "No, or my niece..." The alicorn flushed with pride. "She really liked you, Spike." "I know..." he huffed, stretching out his claws from where he lay on the floor. "You used to be just like that..." she reminisced, causing the dragon's scales to flash scarlet. We laughed at him, the only way mares can when a stallion is outnumbered. Talking about outnumbered... "So, Princess, where are the rest of your... friends?" I asked, thinking it might be rude to call them her groupies. "Oh, they couldn't make it; it was very short notice." She said. "And you don't have to call me 'princess' - Twilight is fine." "You would never have pulled AJ away from her family reunion - even if this had been planned for months." Spike pointed out. "It was unfortunate that Rarity got such a big commission... well - not unfortunate - I mean, she loves the work, but, well-" Fluttershy mumbled, trailing off as she went. "It's just a shame she didn't hear about it until a week before the dresses were needed." Twilight finished, nodding in agreement. "A shame? I think it's a shame we're missing Pinkie's New Year party!" Spike protested. "And Dash's big performance with the Wonderbolts!" "The Wonderbolts?" I asked, amazed. "Your friend's in the Wonderbolts?" "Yeah - she's awesome!" Spike exclaimed, "Haven't you seen the posters?" "I've been a little out of the loop lately," I confessed, brushing my mane back, "you know, I had a friend once who always swore he was too good for the Wonderbolts..." I sighed - that shouldn't have been past tense - we were still friends; although I hadn't seen him for a couple of years. "I think he was just jealous." "Ponies?" A large orange dragon had sauntered over while we were talking, and now stood uncomfortably at the edge of our group. "More ponies have arrived." We stood up and followed him, coming back to the narrow stairway. Despite the blinding Sun, and the disorientating heat, I found that I recognised these two ponies. A unicorn and a pegasus - the first tall, elegant and very blue; the second was shorter and the colour of sand-grazed rocks. The unicorn's silver mane had been cut back since the last time I'd seen her, and now wore a grey bandanna, similar to her partner's neckerchief. "Perfect Eloquence! Dust Trail!" I hopped over, getting a hug from Perfect and a hoof bump from Dusty. I'd forgotten that they were tracking dragons. "Fancy seeing you here!" Perfect smiled, her eyes lighting up like I'd never seen them do before. She hugged me again. If anything, the travelling had made her put on a little weight. "You still a detective, batty?" Dust pulled Perfect under her wing. She had always been protective over her mare-friend. "Well, I haven't been fired yet, so..." I snorted, "anyway - I want to know where you've been! Tracking dragons?" "My goodness, Nocturne," Perfect grinned, "we have so much to tell you!" To clarify, Perfect Eloquence and Dust Trail were both involved in the Gently Articulate case. Having managed to clear Perfect's name and get her brother arrested instead, Perfect Eloquence had finally come out and gone travelling with her filly-friend. Clearly, having done this, she'd become a lot happier. The fact that all of her immediate family were either dead or in prison also had something to do with it. "So how is the family?" I asked, having exhausted the talk of foreign adventures. This had taken all morning to get through, so we were tucking into an oaty lunch when I asked. "Oh, same old, same old," the unicorn flicked her hoof dismissively, "Mother detests me, Enterprise is refusing to talk - but my dear brother has been in regular correspondence; the letters we've been sending have helped a lot." She levitated a laden spoon to her mouth, licking her lips. "Don't forget your nephew," Dust butted in, her own mouth still full, "we write to him too." "Actually, do you mind me saying?" Perfect glanced at her filly-friend, who gave a wing shrug and nodded. Looking back at the group (Twilight, Fluttershy and Spike had all joined in to listen as well), she gulped. "We were thinking of adopting my nephew. With Pink Diamond still struggling with my brother's debts, and having gotten little in the divorce, we thought we should take in the colt." "Good idea." I laid on my stomach, eating straight from my bowl, just managing to pull my head up to speak. I knew the nephew, Quartz Crystal, and he was a lovely colt - it was just a shame about his parents. "Thought he might want to see some dragons too," said Dust, "y'know - before he has to be in school all the time." "Isn't that a bit... dangerous?" Fluttershy asked, somehow eating gracefully despite having no unicorn magic. "Nah - it'd be great!" Dust pushed her bowl away. "When I was his age I was always running off and exploring." "Sounds like some fillies we know..." Twilight shared a knowing glance with her friends, a mischievous curl making itself known on her lips. "Loads of foals do, like - I bet you were always doing stupid things, batty." "Why me?" I protested. "You're the only pony I've known to fall off a roof because of a butterfly!" She laughed, her nasally snort distinctive. "I mean - really? A butterfly!" "Butterflies are evil, it's a well known fact." I folded my hooves defensively, trying to cover my racing heart beat. Just the thought of those multicoloured, flapping bas- Then I noticed the angry teal eyes staring at me. "Butterflies are wonderful creatures," Fluttershy spoke up, her look earnest, "without them I'd never have gotten my cutie mark. And they're -" I zoned out from what she was saying, taking a second to glance at her flank. Oh, smother me in strawberries and feed me to the fruit bats. A cold sweat started under my wings, even though they were still encased in veritable ice-packs. A shaky grin plastered itself to my face. "- and they even help to pollinate flowers." The most evil pony in existence looked at me, her eyes softening. "Why would you think they were evil?" My mouth opened, but no sound came out. Swallowing, I forced myself to squeak, "no reason..." and jumped up. "I'm-going-to-meet-some-dragons-and-be-diplomatic-and-stuff. Anyponywanttocome-no?" I span and tried to fly away, only to end up with a lolloping gallop. My bandaged wings flapped awkwardly at my sides. As soon as I was out of view, I slowed to a trot, letting my wings drag. Breathing deeply, I tried to slow my manic heart. Hyperventilating while crouched behind a rock, alone, would not have been a good idea. Picking at a bandage, I took my mind off the... things. When I was ready, I stood and trotted further into the dragons' camp. Having been accepted as a friend to the horde, I had free roam, so held my head up and looked around freely. Cowering and jumping between rocks would only have enticed suspicion. The entire plateau was surrounded by a rocky ridge, like the safety rail around a foal's crib. At some points there were overhangs which cast great shadows under the midday Sun, however, other than this, there were no other things, like caves, in which to hide from the cruel glare. So I stumbled across the bare earth, squinting blindly. At intervals gems glinted, encased in rock, or piled into high towers where the slightest disturbance would cause a few emeralds or sapphires to tumble down. Between these, the dragons roamed. In the stifling heat, some were sunbathing, their scales glistening like the precious stones they lounged upon. Others walked between the pillars, sliding like snakes, slinking their way towards unknown goals. Several sat in groups, speaking in the Cave Tongue - these were not native Equestrian dragons, who regularly migrated. The Ruby Horde were considered to be the greatest of the hordes in the Dragon Isles - they did not need to migrate for food, or territory, or warmth. They occupied the largest of the islands - where ponies say lava spills across the ground and the earth shudders with eruptions. I knew that along with the violent volcanic activity, it was also abundant with wild flora and fauna. Not something you expected when you contemplated the vast dragon hordes - but that's what you get with volcanoes; lovely fertile soil. Amusing, considering that the greenery was something dragons struggled with. They'd much prefer rocks and mines and gems. Apparently, it was this harsh environment which had caused them to become the greatest of warriors. That, and the frequent wars with the griffons. So, as I glanced around, now part of the pack, I felt very insignificant. I also thought that the pony reception was poor. I mean - greatest of dragon tribes, only getting one princess. And we arrived late. Even if the meeting was only arranged the day before, you should still have gotten Princess Cadence down - she had her husband to keep an eye on things while she was gone! And Twilight and her followers managed to get a train down from the Crystal Empire - she could have just boarded with them. When I properly looked where I was going, I found I'd stumbled onto the edge of the nests. Concealed between two great slabs of rock, the dragon eggs were being guarded. They rested on beds of trees, ripped out of the sparse ground and forced into curling, twisting nests. Mother dragons stalked between them. A dragon did not sit on her egg, as a chicken might. Instead she would protect it closely, keeping it warm with her own fire until it was ready to hatch. It is supposed that the magic in dragon fire is what causes the egg to eventually open, otherwise the shell would remain shut forever. Obviously, this enticement had led to other magics being used to force open the eggs. Having seen Spike, I could guess that he'd been hatched by pony magic rather than from more natural means - there was something about him which seemed softer and more delicate. Most dragons of that age would still have shown hatching burns, and once they'd faded, a dragon would have scars from various scraps and fights, as well as having a stronger pair of wings. Our resident dragon had been given a very comfortable life. There were others, like him, born away from the nests. From foundlings and abandoned eggs to other less... honest means. Apparently, there had been cases of griffon raids taking dragon eggs. From there they could be traded through the black-market into the Griffon Empire, free from regulation. Not that this kind of life would lead to hatching - the dormant shells would then be displayed as trophies rather than being reared as family members. I had read about this during a long night without a case to work on, passing the time before Conundrum sent me away. Thankfully, I'd never been faced with one - stepping into the feud between the dragons and the griffons was dangerous enough, even without the life of an egg on the line. Understandably, the mother dragons were giving me wary looks as I loitered at the edge of their nests. While I had been accepted, they couldn't be forced to like me, or even trust me. I was still an outsider; an outsider who could still do some serious harm. Hissing to each other, they shot glares at me. Extending my wings and bowing, I turned away from them. I had no business there. After wandering aimlessly for a little longer, I realised that I was being watched. The yellow eyes had been on me for a little while, slinking between the stacked pillars, always sticking to any shadows he could find. With the Sun's gaze only just beginning to drop, I was still squinting through the landscape, and could barely make out the floor from the rocks that rose from it. I had walked into a few already. Having trotted my way into a relatively secluded part of camp, I knew I would have to face this stalker. Waiting for him to jump me didn't appeal very much. "Nice day, hm?" I said very loudly to nothing in particular, sitting down on the warm stone. "Though a little colder than you're used to, I guess." Movement in the shadows, and a figure slunk out from the lip of the crater. His caramel scales blended into the rock, but those yellow eyes had given him away. They narrowed as he approached, his pointed muzzle curled in a snarl. "It's Crater, isn't it?" I asked, assuming he knew Equestrian. "Yes." He agreed, understanding my speech while being too difficult to comply with it. "Day to Crater, born of Ruby Horde," I greeted properly. The position of king was not hereditary, so it was unlikely that Crater would ever be King of the Horde, leaving him to accept the lowly title despite being the direct descendent of the current king. "Day to Thestral." "I, of service?" Rubbing a leg, I waited awkwardly for the young dragon to reply. He had begun circling me, observing every possible inch. "No." "I... uh... apologies," I stood up, facing him head on. "You, desire?" Or in other words; what, in the name of Equestria, do you want? "No." A lip curled. Smoke puffed from his nostrils. We remained as statues, locked in contemplation. "You... strong, Drake." I offered the compliment with an incline of my head, attempting to fill the awkward silence. It was true - he had certainly kept up with me. "You, also, Thestral." After another silent few seconds, he twisted around, stalking back off into off into the camp. His flicking tail was the last thing to disappear around the corner. Weird.