//------------------------------// // Act 1: A New World // Story: A New Flame // by The Zebra Hybrid //------------------------------// I opened my eyes slowly only to shut them again from the intense glare from the sun. My head was throbbing like some had just hit with a mallet. Trying again to open my eyes I had more success everything was still a blur but I could manage it for now. I felt my surroundings and noticed that I was laying in grass and guessing from the the tree trunk I was passed out on, I was in some kind of forest. My vision started to come back as I took a better look at my surroundings. 'Yep , definitely in a forest, but how did I get here?', I thought as a small flash of light caught my eye I turned to see the power crystal 'The Merchant' had sold to me.letting my curiosity get the best of me, I reached out a claw and picked it up to- wait CLAW! Starting to panic I retracted the claw with the crystal in hand(or claw) and glanced down at it. I inspected the my reflection inside the crystal and at the same time hyperventilating at what was staring back at me. I instantly noticed the purple scales on my face and the rest of my new body, purple irises, four sharp talons, a tail with orange spines running up my back to my head, two reddish-orange wings, and two orange horns. Putting two and two together that crystal must've transformed me into a dragon and sent me somewhere in the middle of a dark forest. Yeah that sounded better in my head. "Okay James, calm down and lets figure out the situation here." I say to myself trying to ease my mind, "I was at comic-con...uh...there was that 'Merchant' guy who sold me the crystal and....here I am as Spyro, the legendary purple dragon himself." I put a claw to my face knowing that did not make any sense what-so-ever. Sighing in frustration I tried to moved my new wings and surprisingly it was very simple, I smiled to myself finally making some progress. I tucked the crystal under my wing and, again by surprise, started to walk on all fours like it was nothing. 'I could get used to this body', I thought as I walked through the trees of the forest, which I noticed was kind of dark even though I can see the sunlight seeping through the canopy of trees. My thoughts though wasn't focused on my surroundings though, it was on my friends and family back home. Clearly they had to know I was missing, they must be freaking out right now, plus I might get fired from my job for not coming in to work for a couple of days or maybe weeks and I don't think 'got turned into a dragon from a video game is a good excuse'. My thoughts were then interrupted from the sound of my stomach grumbling for food. "I knew I should have ate breakfast this morning." I look around to see if there were any fruits for me to munch on until I reach someone(who won't freak out) that will help me. I groan in defeat for not finding any fruit in the trees or bushes and my stomach is literally grumbling 'feed me'. My head the shoots up at the sound of running water nearby, hoping to find some food I follow the source of the noise until I reach a stream filled with fish minding their own business. My mouth starts to drool at the nostalgic taste of fish and chips back home, but I never tasted raw fish before.Well, I am a dragon, I can just roast them..........When I know how to do that, i say in my head and there noticed that is another problem added to my list, I got to learn how to be like a dragon if I am going to be one for the rest of my life. I glance back down at the stream and put a determined look on my face and raising a claw. With one swift move a swipe the water, only for me to get no fish and a gush of water splashed on my face. I swiped again but came with the same result and a couple of scared fish. "This is harder than I thought." I say to myself deciding to try a different approach. I dunk my head in to the stream and spread my jaws and clamp down I pull my head out, only to receive sticks and twigs. I spit them out in frustration and tried again only for me to hit my head on the bottom of the bank, I groaned in pain as I started rubbing my head with a claw I glared at the fished who slipped my grasp who was now...laughing? "Oh! So you think that was funny?!" I say to the fish a tad bit irritated as they gave me teasing looks in return, I lost control of my temper at their teasing and let out a mighty roar, accidently releasing a ball of fire at the stream causing it to explode on impact sending the fish soaring through the air and on to the bank charbroiled. "How did I just do that?" I asked myself, only to shrug in response and focused my attention on my lunch/dinner on the bank. I gather up the cooked fish and took a leaf off a tree using it as plate. I hesitantly took a bite out of one of them and quickly savored the taste at how good it tasted, Guess my taste buds changed too I threw another fish in my mouth chewing on it happily and continued to the next. With the whole pile of fish devoured I set off deeper into the unknown forest, after about two and a half hours of walking I noticed the sun starting to go down which meant I must've arrived here at about five o'clock p.m. I scan my surroundings noticing that I am in a patch in the forest. "Well I don't know what kind of animals are in this forest or what animal will be stupid enough to take on a dragon, but just to be safe I'll sleep on one of the branches." I walked up to the closest tree and glanced at my claw. Figuring my talons are sharp enough I dug them in to the base of the trunk and started to climb. After about thirty minutes of falling, slipping, and climbing I found I branch sturdy enough to hold my weight. "I am definitely learning how to fly tomorrow." I say with a yawn as I curl up in a ball on the branch and think back to my life before all this mess started, I let out a sad sigh wondering if my friends and family even miss, me let alone I'm gone. Hoping for the latter I slowly closed my eyes and let sleep take over me. The sounds of birds chirpings filled my ears, waking me from my peaceful slumber. I let out a long yarn and I stretch my limbs on the branch I had fallen asleep on, I looked down at my body hoping that yesterday was all just some big dream.........but that was shut down by me almost tripping over my wing. "So it wasn't a dream," I said in a disappointed tone. Looking down I noticed I was real high up, thinking for a moment I spread my wings and took a deep breath. With a serious look on my face I jumped off the branch, as I thought flying would be much harder than walking and running, but I did glide down safely on to the forest floor. "If I am going to get out of here I have to learn how to fly." I say to myself as I took the crystal that was under my wing and held it in my claw and flapped my wings a couple times to no result, I tried again but this time flapping them harder like a humming bird.......but nothing happened. "Come on!" I scream out, "Okay, concentrate it's just like riding a bike..........a bike with scales and wings." I closed my eyes and jumped as high as I can flapping my wings hard but not fast this time, I slowly opened my eyes to find I didn't fall yet. Matter-of-fact I was hovering above the ground! "YES!! Things will be soooo much easier now!" I chant in the air. I was always a fast learner back home so maybe I can learn how to breath fire fire sooner than I thought, and who knows maybe I can use magic since I AM Spyro. I give out a chuckle at how cool that would be, and glance back at my wings keeping me in the air. Deciding to do a little experiment I tuck in my legs and adjust my body in a horizontal position as my body slowly started to move forward through the trees of the forest. 'So that's how you go forward' I lean to the side turning by body to the right and continued to fly on a different route 'And that's how you turn, seems simple enough', wondering how to stop I leaned back and started to hover above the ground. "Okay I think I got it." I say smiling to myself and taking another glance at my wings, "let's see what these things can really do." With that said I sped off like a bullet and I'm not going to lie I had no idea what I was doing at first, but it was sure fun as hell! I zipped and zig-zagged through the trees, closing my wings to hop across branches and opening them to resume flying through the dense forest. "Man, if the boys back home could see me now!" I exclaimed as I land on the forest floor. Deciding not to burn up my energy I continue to tread down the forest path. "It will be best if a preserve my energy so when I'm fully rested i can easily fly out of here." I say with a hint of glee finally being able to leave the forest and find civilization. Oh man, I missed the softness of a bed. My thoughts were then interrupted by three screams, my instincts take over me as I run as fast as I can for the source of the screams. I'm really tired from all the flying I did earlier, so I hope it wasn't anything TOO major. And of course with my luck I was dead wrong. As I came to a stop to the source of where I heard the screams my eyes went wide at what I saw. There were three small technicolor ponies huddled up against a tree. one was yellow with orange,and red mane with a big bow tied on her head. The other was white with green eyes, a purple and pink mane and a horn on top of her head. The last was orange with a tomboyish purple mane and had feathery wings. What really got me though wasn't the small pony, unicorn, and pegasus(which I assumed were kids). I t was that they were surrounded by four wolves made completely out of wood. 'Talk about Minnesota Timberwolves'. I thought as I hid behind some bushes, it would have been really nice if I knew how to breath fire. I don't even know how to fight, so I can't just jump in blindly, but at the same time I can't just leave them there to get devoured. my thoughts were broken by the sound of the wolves now barking at the three small filly who were now crying. "I better survive this." I say to myself launching myself from my hiding place and into plain view, knocking one of the wooden wolves closest to the fillies before it could pounce. I lowered my upper body and growled my teeth in front of the three fillies facing the wolves like a mother protecting its young causing the four wolves attention to turn to me and not the fillies. 'Yeah, I really hope I don't die.' (third-person) Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were astonished and in shock of not only the newcomers sudden arrival, but that it was a dragon, of all things, protecting them. He had purple scales and eyes, orange spines that ran from his tail all the way to his head, two orange horns, and reddish-orange wings. He was also pretty small compared to the dragons they've seen, he wasn't as big as Applebloom's brother, Big Mac, but he sure was close. One of the timberwolves pounced at the dragon and tackling him to the ground causing the girls to scream in terror. The timberwolf pinned the dragon but got quickly kicked off by the dragon's back legs. The dragon quickly got back to his feet and sidestepped another wolf that tried to pounce causing it to slam into a tree before the wolf could recover, the dragon sank its jaws into the wolf's neck causing it to ooze out a sap like substance. The wolf howled in pain before being thrown in to another tree shattering it into splinters. The remaining three wolves circled the dragon snarling in anger for their fallen comrade. One of the wolves charged the dragon, but as he was about to dodge the attack another one of the timberwolves sunk its teeth around his body and threw him across the ground like a rag doll. The dragon could feel something warm and wet on his underbelly, he knew it was blood but his adrenaline was going so fast he didn't feel the pain. The same timberwolf charged again, the dragon growling in anger ran to intercept him and lowered its horns, which were now covered in orange flames, when the two collided the wolf bursted into a fiery blaze . The dragon panting looking at his horns, which the flames now dissipated and were now smoking, wondering how he did that. He was snapped from his thoughts when one of the wolves swiped him across the face knocking him to the ground, blood starting to trail down his scaley muzzle. The wolf took the opportunity to encase the dragon's head in his jaws only for the dragon to grab it with his claws, the two struggled for dominance, the dragon was bloodied and bruised and was losing his stamina fast. Using all his strength he had left he broke of the jaw of the timberwolf causing it to go limp. He kicked it off him and wobbled to his feet and glanced at the final wolf he presumed to be the alpha. The trio of fillies watched in shock and horror from behind a bush. "We have to help him!" said Sweetie Belle with a worried expression. "Are you crazy Sweetie Belle?!" replied Scootaloo, "We have no chance of helping him, plus if we did manage to that he'll just come after us!" "But we can't just let him get killed!" "Ah' have ta' agree with Sweetie, he is risking his life to save us right now." commented Applebloom. Scootaloo groaned in annoyance, "Come on Scoots, just think of it as us getting a cutie mark in saving a dragon from a timberwolf." said Sweetie with a pleading look. Scootaloo expression softened and gave a defeated sigh, "Alright, what's the plan?" The dragon skidded across the ground on his side his eyes clenched shut from the pain of cuts and bruises on his body. He was covered in blood and had a few cracked ribs. He slightly opened on eye, and started to crawl where he last saw the fillies only to be turned on his back by the alpha timberwolf. The wof placed a paw on his underbelly and pressed down, the dragon screamed in pain his cracked ribs now broken. The dragon closed his eyes as the wolf's jaws came closer to his face..............only for a rock to collide wto the side of it's head. The wolf turned its head and found the same three fillies he and his pack were chasing earlier. "THATS your plan! Throwing a rock at it!?" yelled Scootaloo. "Well ya' have ah' better idea?!" snapped back Applebloom. "Uh, g-g-girls?" stuttered Sweetie Belle as the three fillies now saw the alpha timberwolf making its way over to them. The three fillies threw more rocks at the incoming wolf but it only shrugged them off and continued to advance. "It was nice knowing you girls." cried Scootaloo. The three fillies huddled up together until the timberwolf was looming over them. It's terrible breath filling their nostrils making the three fillies gag at the smell. The three fillies bursted into tears as the timberwolf opened its jaws ready for its meal. My body ached all over, my wings, and wrist have been sprained, and I had a few broken ribs. I wobbled to my feet and observed the puddle of blood below me, my blood. A high pitched scream interrupts me as I snap my head over to see the wooden wolf holding the small white unicorn in its paw and holding her down as her other two friends were cuddled up watching in fear. Anger boiled up inside me, I never felt this way towards something(or in this case somepony) before. I stand up at full height ignoring the pain in my body and let out a mighty roar. "HEY BALTO!!" I scream gaining the wolf's attention. I took a deep breath and and let out a ball of fire at the wolf. It collided with its head and exploded in a fiery blaze dropping the little white unicorn. I fell to the ground breathing heavily and slowly, I could see the little unicorn run up to me with a worried expression ignoring the protests of her friends galloping after her. I'm not even surprised that they can talk after what I encountered so far. I could feel her shaking me trying to get me on my feet but my body was too strained. "Please, please, please don't die." I heard her whisper, and that was the last thing I heard before everything went black.