//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Turning of a Friendly Coin // Story: R.E.P is Magic // by ToonLegion //------------------------------// Chapter 1: Turn of a Friendly Coin Darkness, complete and utter darkness. Everywhere he looked, that’s all he could see. The figure felt...numb to say the least. No memories of how he got where he was or what he was even doing. Heck, he couldn’t even seem to move. However, he managed to feel his voice coming back to him and give out a groan. This was followed by bits of feeling returning to his body. Though in doing so, this traded in the numbness for sharp pangs of pain. Especially in his head which begin pounding like a drum, causing him to moan in concert. As such he couldn’t stand to open his eyes to the thumping of his brain. “Huh? Hello i-is somepony there?” This unfamiliar sound to his pain rhythm managed to catch his notice though he could barely let out a response to it. At best, another pained groan came from him and he could hear footsteps coming in his direction. Suddenly the world seemed to move underneath him as if he was being tilted. This actually let him feel ground underneath, it didn’t feel like gravel. Rather it felt wooden, he could feel his feet even touching the end of it and getting the same feeling of the material. It’s then the voice spoke again, a rather hollow somewhat echo-y sound. “Oh...oh wow! It’s a dragon!!” However, the reverb didn’t do wonders for the pounding. But it did manage to get his body to move as he lifted up his left hand, albeit cringingly, to his head and rub it in a futile effort to dull the pain. “Um...M-Mr. Dragon? Are y-you alright?” The figure growled a little and he heard the voice pull away with a little “eep”. Yet after a bit, could feel the gaze come back on him. Summoning what returning strength he had, the figure spoke. “Y-Yeah..just...keep it down...would ya?” The figure said, a mixture of grogginess and scratchiness in his throat. “W-Where?” Much as the pounding was getting to him, he was getting tired of being in pitch black. Thus he forced his energy into his eyesight, managing to slowly open them. It was still rather blurry but he could make out the night sky and a building towering in the background. From what of his surroundings, it was circular and indeed wooden. But the more noticeable feature was that there was someone staring down back at him. A lightly brown-ish figure with a blue looking and yet bulky collar around his neck. His blue eyes staring at him with both a look of curiosity, concern and a little fear. From the look of him, he seemed fairly young. “Where? Um you don’t remember? Did you get separated from your pack?” “Pack?” The figured asked, trying to make sense of the questions, but nothing was coming to mind. Only more pounding to his head, he grimaced “I...I don’t know? Ugh, you...you called me a dragon? Are you one?” The young one blinked but chuckled a little “No silly, I’m a pony” The figured raised an eyebrow at that. Granted nothing seem to register when he said it, yet at the same time, it didn’t seem...right. He wanted to rack his brain more on this but the headache was only getting worse. Most he could do was go back to a previous question “W-Where am I? Can you tell me?” “Uh..oh right. Well this is the Ponies of Mercy Orphanage. Least the alleyway of it anyway. You’re currently in the barrel where we stash away old clothes and whatnot. Um, do you...need some help?” The young pony ducked down a bit. “You won’t eat me will you?” That sentence both annoyed yet amused the figure somehow. “Doubt it, last I checked. I don’t eat things that talked back to me.” He chuckled but then groaned as another onslaught of pain hit his head “Just help me out of here, will ya?” The young pony did just that, at first trying to reach for him. But his arms were too small to close the distance. Instead he left for a bit then lept onto the side of the barrel. The whole world tilted completely to the side, throwing the dragon into another section of the wooden container. He let out a yelp as he fell face first into the wood. “S-Sorry” The pony apologized “Was trying to get it to come down more smoothly but…” The dragon just groaned from the newfound pain. Still the action wasn’t without merit as the young pony managed to slide in and grab the dragon’s arms, pulling him out of the barrel and into the moonlight allowing the pony to get a good look at him. He was completely brown colored, save for his yellowish stomach, with black spines on his back and head. Yet was surprisingly not very big. When the pony lifted him to his feet he found he was practically his height. The dragon wobbled a bit, trying to gain his footing but it was taking all he had just to lean up against the pony. “Wow, you're...nothing but a baby.” The pony remarked “Guess you really did get separated from your pack, huh?” “Maybe...maybe not” The dragon quipped back still holding his head “It’s just all a blur to me. Ugh my head!” “Oh well do you know your name at least?” “My...name?” The dragon echoed, again nothing was coming to him. “I...uh….huh?” It was then he noticed his right claw. The whole time it was clenching something within it. Opening it, he found a small coin in his claw. Nothing too out of the ordinary saved for a “X” etched into it. The dragon stared at it for a bit. “A...coin?” “Oh a Bit! Must’ve been in the barrel with you. Hehe they say that’s usually good luck if you manage to find one on the street!” “Really..?” The dragon queried “Huh well I guess you can call me...um Coin.” “Coin? Really?” The pony asked The dragon shrugged “The only thing I can really remember. Maybe it’ll bring me luck.” The pony chuckled at that “Fair enough. Mr.Coin. I’m Barrel. Barrel Roll. Everyone calls me Rolly though.” “Cute name, nice to meetcha Rolly” The two shook claw to hoof before Coin nearly doubled over again. “Whoa easy there.” Rolly said catching him “C’mon, on my back you go.” Coin found himself surprisingly hoisted onto the back of his finder. The little guy was indeed stronger than he looked. “W-Where we going?” “To see Sister Katsidy. Hopefully she’ll know what to do.” “Uh you sure?” Coin said a bit worried “From our little meeting a minute ago, it sounded like you were scared of me” “Well yeah” Rolly admitted “But you seem friendly enough. ‘Sides she specializes in stuff like this, so don’t worry.” With that Rolly trotted back inside with his new reptilian friend on his backside quite happily. “Hehe and I thought this day was going down the tubes but hey I made a new friend and he’s a dragon to boot. Cool!” “Uh Rolly could you slow down. I still got this headache...and now...it’s kinda...transferring...to my stomach.” “Huh wha...whatcha mean “stomach”?” “I mean…I...” His mouth suddenly puffed up and his face turned a sickly shade of green “Ulp!” “Oh no! No! Nononononononono!” Unfortunately in his haste, he quicken the bouncing with Coin still on his backside, which did not help matters until… “BLECH!” ...Well, some details of the beginning of a beautiful friendship are probably best left untold. (To Be Continued)