//------------------------------// // Blue Planet/Yellow Planet // Story: My Little Dragon // by Metal Pony Fan //------------------------------// "Well that was a stupid promise!" Flash and Derpy ran through the woods again, chased again, by another magic type. "And why are all these dragons completely insane?" "Whoa, oh, ho ho!" Their pursuer, long and snake-like, laughed in an eerie sing-song. "Who's insane? Is you's insane? I mustache you to stop running so we can discuss. Get it? Mustache!" Fire Flash looked back at the purple dragon on their heels. In the middle of a life and death struggle, that gaudy idiot mentioned his facial hair every few moments. "I'm gonna burn that mustache off of you if you keep it up!" "What?" He paused and stroked the bright orange hairs flowing from his snout, letting his prey gain some distance. "Oh, non, non, non, that just won't do, ouí?" He flicked a finger towards Fire Flash. There was a splash, and Fire Flash looked down. More puddles! He jumped away, just as the water below turned to razor blades. He jumped away from another puddle as the liquid snaked out to grab him. Where did all these come from? Did this dragon set these traps? "Water, water, everywhere, but do not stop to drink." The dragon clapped, and both puddles exploded in a shower of droplets that hit Fire Flash like a hail of stones. Was he freezing it? "Is water soft, or is it hard, it really makes one think." Cursing the battering he just received, Fire Flash kept running. It was all they could do, run, and hope that the phoenix lignum's sudden appearance would draw dragons from town. Preferably, they would be either strong or fast, so they could either fight, or fetch the appropriate help. As much as he might hate to admit it, Fire Flash was actually hoping to run into that annoying pony creature that plagued his military career. Behind him, he heard another clap, and a puddle he missed exploded near him, pelting him with dozens of stinging impacts. Ahead of him, Derpy was mostly left alone by the water mage's attacks. Another clap, and Fire Flash was caught by surprise when a puddle directly beneath him exploded into steam with the force of a small landmine. He caught the impact square in the chest, getting the wind knocked out of him as it flipped him over. He barely had time to tuck and roll before landing, lessening his impact with the ground ever so slightly. He was back on all fours and running again before the water mage could get any closer. Not that he even seemed to be trying. Flash glanced back as he ran through what was now a minefield. Every time the purple dragon clapped, something else exploded; a puddle, a hollowed stump that collected rain, even bowls and dishes that were obviously laid out as traps. Through it all, the water mage maintained his distance. Why? He still followed Fire Flash, but never got close. Was he simply wary of ending up like his green partner? Or was he toying with them, planning something, running them like minnow into a trap? Flash found his answer ahead of him. He had caught up with his grey companion, and she was stopped... at the edge of a small lake. He cursed as he came to a stop. As powerful as their opponent was with just puddles and plashes, this much water was the same as handing him the Scales of the Ancient. He would be unbeatable. "Ingenious, non?" The water mage used one of his explosive puddles as a springboard, and sailed over the two dragons at water's edge. He landed in the lake with a loud splash, and swam in a small circle before turning to face his prey. "The trap is sprung, the stage is set, and the actors are all in place. Taste the beauty of my true power!" With that, the purple dragon dove below the surface. "Now what?" Fire Flash watched the lake carefully, searching for any change. He briefly considered running, but if that would make a difference, their opponent wouldn't have left it an option. The change was slow, so slow at first that Fire flash almost missed it. A fish passed by, then another, then another. That wouldn't have been strange, except they were swimming in the wrong direction, being pulled backwards by an overwhelming current. "Oh, hell, you've gotta be kidding me." A growing whirlpool appeared at the center of the lake, starting small, like you would see in a drain, but rapidly growing as the lake itself was stirred by the invisible hand of magic. Roaring to life, it pulled in rocks and trees from around the lake's rim. The debris was little more than a collection hatchling's bath toys in the water's grip. Like the maelstrom of legend, the lake pulled in anything touching it as it grew more and more violent." "Now what?!" Fire Flash asked the grey dragon beside him. "You know, next time some dragon offers to sacrifice themselves for your sake, take them up on it, cause I ain't gonna do it again." Derpy just stood there, hyperventilating. Fire Flash looked over. Was she really hyperventilating? She was breathing heavy, but it sounded labored, forced. Oh, please don't be having an asthma attack in the middle of a battle. Derpy lowered her head and lifted a claw to her mouth and carefully spit out a small, oily-black sphere. Fire Flash recognized it immediately. It was the bubble bomb that took out the steel dragon near the cave. What was she going to- Derpy chucked the black bubble into the lake, adding one more piece of rubble. Fire Flash waited a moment. He looked over at Derpy. She looked over at him. Fire Flash shouted over the now deafening storm. "Was something supposed to happen?" Derpy opened her mouth to speak, and the lake changed from whirlpool to volcano. Fire Flash jumped as a geyser-like eruption burst straight up from the center of the lake, disrupting the maelstrom, and sending tens of thousands of liters of water skyward. What went up came back down quickly, drenching both dragons in a torrential downpour of water, fish, and sticks. It was over in a second or two, and a waterlogged Fire Flash stared at an equally soaked Derpy. "You timed that, didn't you." She smiled and shrugged before looking out at the lake. It's surface was pulsing, surging with small waves as the water struggled for equilibrium in the wake of such total disruption. It was calming rapidly, but at a level well below its previous height. Dead fish were floating to the surface, along with one much-less-talkative purple dragon, unconscious and bleeding from his ears. Derpy prepared another bubble, and Flash grabbed her arm before she could lob it into the lake. "No no, I think you got him." "Indeed you did," said a gravelly voice behind them. "I take it you two are the ones responsible for the string of corpses I now have to replace?". Behind them stood another dragon, one they had yet to see. He was smaller than Koro, but still larger than either of them. Heavy set and rough-scaled, he lacked wings or magic-type horns. His scales ranged from dirt brown to sandy tan in mottled patterns, like a patch of mixed soils. Even his face was earth-like, square and rough like carved sandstone. And on that face, was a faint smile of almost pleasant surprise. "My name is Stahl, and you two have caused me quite a bit of trouble." Fire Flash jumped away from him, but Derpy took a more direct approach to dealing with the new threat. Bubble bomb still in claw, she spun, swinging her arm out with the momentum and throwing herself at him. The earthen dragon watched the start of the attack, eyebrows lifted slightly in curiosity. When he realized what she was doing, he shrugged and opened his mouth, taunting her. "Stop!" Fire Flash jumped forward to catch Derpy, but by the time he reached her, her claw was stuffed down the newcomer's throat. Stahl bit down, sinking his teeth into grey. Derpy stifled a shout and clenched her claw, crushing the black bubble and releasing its gale. The force of the wind was fired back at its creator, roaring forth from the stone dragon’s mouth as if it was his own breath. As the wind died down, Stahl chuckled around a mouthful of bleeding grey. "So, that was the attack that killed Damsk." He bit down a little harder, making his captured prey cry out. It was a good attack, powerful, yet subtle, equal parts trickery and pure destructive force. Even Koro would be in trouble if he got hit by that. Stahl started walking backwards, dragging the grey dragon along like a disobedient child. Her companion leapt at him, raising his claws to strike at the other dragon's eyes. Stahl shifted, pulling Derpy into the line of attack. "Not so fast, red," he said, letting go of his hostage and kicking her into her would be savior. "Aiming for my eyes means you don't have confidence in you claws versus my scales. She is definitely the stronger dragon, but you are, by far, the more experienced. It would be troublesome to leave either of you alive." On the ground, two dragons freed themselves from each other and righted themselves. Derpy immediately wanted to charge back in, but Fire Flash grabbed her by the leg. "Don't," he whispered, "stay close. And when I say to jump, jump straight up, as high as you can." They backed away, crouched low and snarling as Stahl ambled towards them, calm, confident, like he was walking down a street instead of though a battle zone. Derpy glanced over at the Drake beside her. She didn't know what he was planning, but he hadn't let her down yet. "What are you planning now?" Stahl asked pleasantly. "Surprise me, and there may be value in keeping you around after all." "Now!" Fire Flash hopped back, throwing his wings wide open. Derpy leapt skyward. If her wings weren't under poison joke's influence, she could have added several meters to the leap. Of course, she also could have flown straight to town immediately after the crash. Fire Flash had no such restraints, and he wasn't about to let his injuries get them both killed. With a powerful beat of his wings, he launched himself at the mail carrier, grabbing her at the peak of her jump. Through the tearing pain of his injuries opening up, he flew off, holding his grey companion tight. "Disappointing," Stahl sighed. He brought his claw to his neck, pulling on a light blue crystal tied on with rope. "Koro. Head north." "I thought you said to head south?" asked the wrong voice from within. "Bilk, give Koro the crystal." A clinking sound signaled the crystal changing claws. "Changing your mind again, Stahlheart?" The earth-toned dragon raised an eyebrow. When did that brat learn his full name? "I will triple your pay if you stop questioning me. Now, head north." After a short pause, Koro's voice echoed through the crystal, "how far?" Stahl smiled. "You'll know, just follow the breaking branches." He let the crystal fall back to his chest and picked up a small rock. Tossing it and catching it to feel it's balance, he peered into the sky. His prey was receding into the distance, rapidly clearing the forest that stood between the and safety. If they kept it up, they would pass close to Koro and Bilk. Right... About... Now. Stahl threw the rock.