A deep red unicorn with an almost gem like sapphire mane was strolling along the cobblestone path. Trotting next to him, a large (compared to him) feral gold dragon, its claws clicking lightly on the stone path, but drowned by the clop of the unicorn’s hooves.
The unicorn glanced to his side, looking at the dragon for a moment before looking around and taking in the open scenery. The path the two were walking along was flanked by large open structures. Open walls that looked like small barriers, with large archways to signal doors. The roofs of the structures appeared just more like large open hatches, left open for years to let the warmth and sunlight in.
Off in the distance, and the destination of the pair, was what looked like a large castle, made out of gold colored stone, with small images on it that appeared to have been crafted by a delicate touch. As they neared, the unicorn took note of the pair of dragon statues in fierce poses on either side of the path.
“I don’t see why we have to be disguised if the dragons already know of us,” the unicorn said quietly to the dragon beside him. The dragon glanced to him with a smirk.
“In case they actually have visitors from Equestria or the griffon empire. Although why you picked a unicorn form, Talon, I still don’t understand,” the dragon spoke softly, gazing over the unicorn beside her.
“Feels natural, and I can still use my magic in this form.” Talon shrugged slightly as he trotted.
“And flight? Most unicorns don’t have wings you know.”
“And I have an excuse for that too. Using my magic to conjure my wings, simple and done.” Talon smirked at the dragon, whom responded by shaking her head.
They eventually stopped before a pair of dragon guards, both leaning on walls and looking down the path at them. Once the pair got closer, the dragons stood up and looked them over. “Humph,” one of them grunted, a red dragon. “Seems the guests have arrived,” he said, glaring at the unicorn for a moment before turning to the gold dragon. “Once you’re both inside, you can lose the fake forms,” the dragon almost growled out.
The pair just nodded as they continued in. Once inside, the gold dragon was suddenly engulfed in red fire and standing in its place was Leviathan. She shook herself out a little bit and let out a sigh, then glanced to the unicorn. “Going to..?”
The unicorn shook his head. “They already know, so no need.” He grinned up at her and kept pace as they trotted into the palace hall. Its grand opening also lacked a roof, exposing the warm sun from above onto the marble floor. A few large gemstones sat on various pedestals off to the sides, with a pair of large rubies closest to the throne.
Sitting on the throne is a large grey dragon, holding a sheet of parchment and looking it over. A smaller grey drake sat watching the bigger one next to the throne. Once the clop of hooves reached them, the smaller drake turned to glare at them as the bigger one just looked over the parchment.
“Oh good, queen Leviathan, you’re here,” the larger dragon says, his voice amazingly soft for his size, though his gaze turns to a soft glare as he looks at the unicorn. “And why is your escort still a Unicorn?”
“He chooses to remain so. It is his choice after all, my lord.” Leviathan glances at the unicorn for a second, before looking directly at the dragon. “We are here to discuss –“
“Why you’re staying out of this war,” the drake growled as he stepped towards the pair, glaring directly at the changeling queen. Talon let out a low growl as he sat.
“Yes, exactly why we are staying out of your stupid little blood feud,” Talon retorted quietly with a faint snarl, looking directly at the drake.
The drake stepped forward again and fixed his glare to Talon. “And who said you can speak, whelp?”
“Got a problem with another voicing his opinion, Princey?” Talon smirked as he turned slightly. Leviathan, meanwhile, took a few steps to the side and looked between the two. The drake growled and glared at the unicorn.
“I know that your kind can’t fight nearly as well as the dragons you emulate. That’s why you make for such good fodder on the front lines.” A faint smirk appears on the drakes muzzle as he continues. “It’s why you die so easily.”
Talon shook his head. “So naïve. Of course we can fight, some of us do so better then you. You rely on us for so much that you can’t do. Magic to construct these nice structures for you. Our small stature to craft your gems to their flawless beauty. I could continue on.” Talon smirked as he rotated a hoof, making the drake focus his glare more.
“We don’t need you! We can exist just fine without you! It is you that require us for our emotions!” he snarled, practically getting in the unicorn’s face. Leviathan had moved over to the dragon’s side and sat down, sighing softly.
“Maybe bringing him wasn’t such a good idea.” she sighed softly, glancing to the dragon.
“Now, I wouldn’t say that,” the dragon chuckled. “A wager, since I know a fight is about to break out. Your escort wins, you can stay out of this conflict; if he loses, however…” He trailed off, looking to the changeling queen. She just nodded and looked back to Talon.
“You’re just jealous you can’t use magic the same way we can,” Talon smirked back at the drake that was snarling in his face.
“Oh yes, wouldn’t want a weak horn like that to channel the magic we do have. Although,” he paused, “we can breathe fire, something your species can’t do.” The drake smirked as he leaned back, chuckling softly.
“While it is true that almost all changelings can’t breathe fire. One can.” Talon just grinned widely. Both the dragon and drake tilted their head slightly in confusion. Talon inhaled slightly before exhaling, a small puff of fire escaping his mouth towards the drake, harmlessly fading before reaching his face. “See?”
Talon blinked and suddenly bounced to the side as the drake lunged at him. “YOU DARE MOCK US WITH YOUR MAGIC?” he growled out as he lunged at the unicorn. Talon slid to a stop a yard from where he was, chuckling softly as the drake turned and lunged at him again, claws spread out and ready to slice.
The drake leapt at the unicorn again, swiping at him with his claws but missing as he bounced back again. The drake kept the up the wild swipes until one finally landed, catching Talon across a foreleg, the claws digging deep and drawing blood. Talon hissed as he slid back, keeping his injured leg from touching the ground as the drake scoffed at him.
“Should take on your natural form. Might be a challenge then, changeling,” the drake sneered at him, hovering into the air, ready to make another strike.
“Fine,” Talon said with a low growl, his form getting engulfed in red fire. Standing in the unicorn’s place was the changeling, but something seemed different, namely the slightly upright posture. His fore hooves were replaced by short sickle looking blades, and his wings appeared smaller. “You want me at my best, eh?” He dashed at the drake, leaping up with a downbeat of his wings to swipe at the drake with one of the blades.
Leviathan tilted her head slightly after seeing the form. “Huh, his hunting form,” she muttered, the dragon next to her raising an eyebrow at her as he watched the fight.
The drake floated to his right to dodge the swipe as the changeling kept on the offensive. After a few swipes, the changeling landed and looked up at the still floating drake.
“That all you got changeling? Barely breaking a sweat up here,” the drake taunted as the changeling looked him over.
“Don’t tell me you’re getting bored already?” Talon taunted back, lunging at the drake again as he brought his blade in a side swing. The drake easily caught the bladed arm by the wrist and used the momentum to throw the changeling back to the ground.
Leviathan cringed as the changeling hit the ground and bounced once. The drake quickly zoomed to smash into the grounded changeling but his feet only found ground, the changeling a few feet from where he was, standing and growling as his horn was aglow and his eyes focused on the drake before him.
The drake cringed when his feet didn’t find the soft target he wanted. He glanced down and then quickly looked around, spotting the changeling a few feet from him, already lunging at him with the blades again. The drake brought up his arms to grab at the wrists of the changeling again and hold him back.
“How did you do that? I’ve never seen a changeling teleport before!” The drake lightly snarled out as he continued to hold the changelings forelegs at bay.
“There are a few tricks I can do, that I haven’t seen others do. Like this!” A red flare of fire engulfed his left hoof blade and right hind leg as he brought it up to kick at the drake, throwing his balance off slightly as he brought up the bladed hoof. The drake pushed back on the changeling, making the blade nick his stomach, taking a few scales with it as it swept by.
The changeling spun as he rebalanced himself, standing back on two normal legs as his fore legs ended in blades again. He wore a smirk on his face as he watched the drake look him over. “Not used to fighting an opponent that can shift where his weapons are at a moment’s notice, huh?” He stated as he shook his left leg, getting the blood from the open wound onto the ground and around him.
The drake braced himself as he inhaled, a crimson glow visible in his muzzle before exhaling, a torrent of fire spraying forth towards the changeling. The changeling gasped and quickly brought up a shield, blocking the fire and making it spread to either side of him as he focused on the barrier. After a few moments the fire let up, and the changeling went wide-eyed as he watched the drake lunge through his own fire at him.
Talon quickly ducked, the barrier fading as the drake went through it and swiped at him. The drake managed to catch Talons’ neck along the back as he flew over, sliding behind him and quickly turning around, just in time to see a steel colored hoof fly towards his muzzle. A loud clang sounded as the drake was tossed back, Talon panting where he stood as his hooves returned to normal.
Both the dragon and changeling queen looked stunned from the blow, as the drake rubbed his cheek, looking back at the changeling who was already lunging at him again.
“Enough Talon!” The changeling skidded to a stop a yard or so away from the drake as he looked towards his queen, to see her standing and glaring. “He is beaten, I think you have proven your point.”
Talon looked back to the drake, who was glaring very sharp daggers at him. Talon shrugged slightly as he limped back to his queen’s side and sat. The dragon watched him as he approached.
“What are you?” the dragon asked, almost too quiet for the changeling to hear.
“Talented,” he replied. “Sorry for that outburst though, sir,” he said, watching the drake pick himself up and rub his cheek.
The dragon chuckled. “Don’t be. He needed a good wallop, plus that was entertaining to watch. You’d make a fine dragon.”
“If I wasn’t already part one.” Talon glanced towards the dragon, “Could do with your tougher hide at least,” he said as he raised his cut foreleg. His queen chuckled softly and lowered her horn to the wound, both it and the wound glowing softly and it mostly closing up.
“That should do while we finish talking. Think you can behave long enough Talon?” The drone gave a simple nod as she watched him. “Good.”
The drake continued to glare at Talon while the queen and dragon chatted, and Talon kept an eye on the drake, just in case he made another move.
Talon limped back along the path, his queen walking next to him. They had both resumed their disguises as he exited the grand city. They walked along the path for a bit in silence, before turning off part of it towards a clearing with a few small stones in a circle. They both sat in the circle and looked at each other, Talon leaning a little to the side before catching himself.
“You spent too much energy during that fight you know.” Leviathan shook her head. “That teleport you did wasn’t wise to do.”
Talon shook his head quickly. “What was I supposed to do? Take the claws to the face? I’ll be fine with some rest. I just spent more energy on that last punch then needed, but I did get to test something.”
“Which was?”
“That I can emulate metal. I just need to refine it, costs too much focus and energy to do.” He grinned up at her, leaning slightly to the side. “Just need rest and I’ll be right as rain again.”
“I hope so. Ember isn’t going to be happy to see you bleeding though.”
“Not the first, nor will it be the last,” Talon chuckled softly.
“I hope so,” Leviathan said almost quietly, making Talon tilt his head slightly in confusion. “Ready?” He nodded at her, she grinned slightly, her dragon form disappearing in its red fire and being replaced by a changeling queen once more, Talon doing the same. The moment both were done dropping their disguises, she kept her horn powered up as the stones around them glowed.
In the sound of a pop, they both vanished from the circle, and reappeared back in Leviathan’s throne room. She let out a soft sigh and looked towards Talon. “Well, Ember is already on her way here. You best come up with a reason for these cuts.”
Talon looked down at his leg, “Hey, that tree last time totally deserved it,” he chuckled and stood up, starting to limp towards the door. “Anyway, you get rest, as will I. While fending off Embers overprotectiveness.” He chuckled and opened the door, just in time to see Ember standing there about to open it herself. She looked him over and gasped.
“What happened to you?!” she nearly screamed as she took a closer look at the cuts along his leg.
“Uh. A drake?” He grinned weakly as he tried to limp past her. “I can explain it as you wrap me up… again.”
“Damn right I’m going to wrap you up! Seriously, what drake did you pick a fight with this time?” She said as she noticed the neck wounds.
“Uh. The prince, I think.”
Leviathan just shook her head as she watched the pair leave, closing the door behind him. She trotted up to her throne and sat, sighing softly to herself as she thought back to the fight from before.
“The prince? Seriously?” Ember sighed as she just stared at Talon. “You pick the worst fights, you know that?” She watched him for a moment. “And where are you going?”
“Uhh, towards food?” He grinned sheepishly, “I am hungry after all.”
“And you are not going to bleed all over the mess hall. To the infirmary first, Mister!” Ember turned and went down a hall, her horn glowing and tugging Talon along.
“But I’m hungry!” he whined as he let himself get dragged.
“None of that. Get bandaged first, then you can eat.”