//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: A Dragon's Thoughts // Story: My red eyed Friend // by Freelancer //------------------------------// I can't do this all alone I'm completly incomplete I can't struggle on alone You made me strong when I was weak My red eyed friend where are you now My red eyed friend I miss you so My red eyed friend I'll be waiting for you Where are you now (Sonic Syndicate - Red Eyed Friend) My Inspiration..... Chapter 1: A Dragons' thoughts They said to feel the cold morning air in the south of Equestria is like having chunks of ice buried beneath your skin, and then slowly allowing them to melt, an odd and old saying that brought a smile to Titan's maw as he sat in his cave mouth, watching as the new day sun and its light rose between the rolling hills. If the saying was true, it was such for ponies alone; he had sat on the rocky mountain ledge in the morning air more times then he could remember, and had never once felt any discomfort with the cold against his hide. He was, then again, a dragon, and hence his inner fire kept his red scaled mass warm, even on the coldest of mornings. This morning was, however, surprisingly cold despite his inner fire, which had, despite the persistence of his draconic stubbornness, eventually got him thinking about heading back north; that thought in turn had taken many different roads and paths, before winding up in the strangest of places, a memory at the back of his mind where a young yellow pegasus with a light pink mane dwelled. He hadn't thought about her in many years, but no matter how he tried, his last mental image of her haunted the front of his mind no matter how he tried to escape it, mostly because that last image had been a painful one for both of them. "Maybe I should go see her," He murmured to himself, running his long ivory talons across the granite of the ledge, and leaving four long scratch marks as he thought. "It's been years since we've seen each other, and perhaps she might be ready to... forgive me... after all this time." The sound of growling, and dragon scales running across hard rock behind him, broke Titan's chain of thought, the sound though simply telling him one of his cave-mates were now awake, and would no doubt soon be disturbing his peace. A few moments later, the growling green scaled form of Thane emerged from the depths of their cave, and as expected soon he dropped himself on the ledge beside Titan, spreading his jaws wide as he yawned before turning to his friend with an amused look on his face "Titan... why by our ancestors do you feel content to rise so early?" Thane asked with a cheeky smile, spreading his huge green wings to soak up as much sunlight as possible. "I swear you're awake for more of the night then you are asleep." Titan simply growled in reply, and returned his attention to the rolling hills below and the rising sun, taking no notice of Thane and his sense of humour, but instead once again looking over his own thoughts. Thane was a good friend, who Titan had known for around the last five years, one of the reasons they now shared a cave with a few other friends. The only problem with Thane was that he loved to be the funny one, and was hence totally ignorant to any emotional issue when it came up; usually trying his best put a humorous spin on the problem, which often only made the problem worse. Titan sighed to himself as his troubled thoughts returned, his heart was telling him he should go see the yellow pegasus, and at least try and make amends for his actions; but his mind was telling him that it was a foolish idea, and there was no way she would ever even think about forgiving him. Feeling defeated, he slumped his head on the end of the ledge and let out a long sigh, his hot breath causing the moister in the air to become a small cloud of mist in front of him. From the corner of his eye, Titan could see Thane watching him intently as he tapped the granite with his own ivory talons, green eyes alert to every flicker and flinch of Titan's body. "Come on Titan... what's got you acting so strange?" "It's a long story Thane..." Titan replied dryly, not bothering to shift his gaze from the hills on the horizon beyond, which happened to sit the edge of the Everfree forest. "And not one I want to share with you either." "Well, whatever it is, it's making you feel guilty," Thane remarked, blowing a small tongue of red flame across his front claws to warm them. "I've known you long enough to tell that much." Titan growled once more before raising his head from the stone and turning to Thane, running his dark red eyes over Thanes green scaled face for a moment before speaking. "A while back I knew someone... she wasn't a dragon, but we still got along well and eventually we became friends in a way... but I hurt her feelings badly when I left, and I haven't yet been back to make it up to her... so, if you were really wondering, I was thinking about going back to try and fix a few things between us...It's been quite a number of years, but I just think it's the right thing to do." Thane was both motionless and silent for a few moments as Titan's words sank in, the blinking of his green eyes the only sign that he wasn't made from painted stone. At last he snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head; sighing and rubbing his face with his claw a few times before turning back to Titan, with a look of what Titan guessed to his amazement was agreement. "What exactly happened between you two I don't know, and if its personal I don't want to... but if what happened is weighing on your mind this much, then it's a good idea. But, I will say this of all things... just because you want to apologize doesn't mean she'll want to hear you... and if quite a few years have passed as you said, it's probably going to take some time for her to accept that you're sorry." Titan was speechless as he realized what Thane had just said; Thane was admittedly a good friend, but when it came to matters of the heart, he usually liked to make a joke or amusement out of it, so for him to be talking in such a way was totally out of character for Thane. "You actually... think I should go?" Titan mumbled, trying to put the words together as his mind finally re-joined the rest of him. "That's my opinion..." Thane smirked, closing his eyes, and laying his head down on the now somewhat sun warmed rock ledge. "What you do now is up to you Titan." For a few more moments Titan’s mind went over his thoughts in detail, looking at how exactly he would be able to even get close to her, and then how he would apologize for his actions. He knew all too well that over the years the ponies of Equestria had come to fear dragons, for both their fire and aggressiveness, but if he could make them see that he was not a threat, then there was no reason for them to be uncomfortable with him. Soon Titan found himself on his legs and pacing the granite ledge while he thought and muttered to himself; At last, however, his chain of thought was broken by hysterical laughter from Thane, who Titan realized when he turned and glared was rolling around on his back and laughing hysterically. "Why must you make a joke out of everything?" Titan snapped, allowing small wisps of smoke to float from his nostrils to show his annoyance. "Titan, you think things through far too much... I can't help it if I find it funny," Thane laughed "Forgive me for not wanting Princess Celestia to make a trophy of my hide," Titan growled, the red dragon snorting and rolling his eyes. Thane at last rolled over, and apparently regained control of himself. "Look, why don't you just go on impulse like I do... look at the situations as they arise and listen to your heart... otherwise you will just make everything more complicated than it already is." Those words, of all words Thane had ever said, spoke volumes. Deciding to take Thane's advice without another thought or word, Titan spread his wings, and swiftly jumped from the ledge, letting a huge roar escape his throat as he did, which ended up making Thane yelp and growl in response, a reaction that made Titan laugh. For a moment he headed for the ground before pulling up just above the tree tops below, lining up his eyes and wings with the rolling green hills on the horizon as he hurtled through the sky. Now he knew what he had to do, and no force in the known world would be able to stop him, after all the years of living with his guilt it was finally time to put things right. In his mind’s eye two things were burning like newly lit fires, the mental map of the lands he had carried all his life, and the face of the Pegasus he was looking for "Fluttershy my old friend..." He thought as the sun emerged from the clouds, and layered his red scaled back in golden light. "I am coming for you."