//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: Strength Within Words // Story: The Last Healing Dragon // by Gearsmash King //------------------------------// "Now that's what I call quartz." Lazarus said, picking bits of rock out of his teeth, "Thank you." Twilight smiled as she started unwrapping his bandages. Under them, she saw that the wounds that had once been there, were now large scars. She winced slightly as she realized that the dragon would have to live with them for the rest of his life. But upon looking at the rest of his body, Twilight realized that it wouldn't really bother him that much. The sun shined brightly and the only ones at Fluttershy's cottage were Lazarus and her. It felt odd being alone with him, but Twilight knew that he didn't mean to be intimidating. However, the alone time with him did allow her mind to come up with various questions. Various and personal questions. "Have you ever been afraid?" Twilight asked, setting the lightly bloody bandages on the ground. "What do you mean?" Lazarus asked, "Whenever I fight, or in general?" "Let's start with fighting. Then we'll work our way to general." Lazarus tapped a claw on the ground and debated what would be the right words. "My first fight," He sighed, finally finding an answer, "was against my brother. He was older than me by a few seconds and he believed that since he hatched first, I was the one who would get knocked to the ground. But what he didn't count on was the fact that I was faster than he was." "What was the fight about?" "A dragoness that we both liked. She was beautiful, very smart, brave, strong, and one of the kindest creatures that I had ever met. Naturally, my brother thought that he could persuade her into being his mate. But she turned him down and he was upset. He tried and tried, but she showed no interest in him. Finally, she upright told him to leave her alone, only to have him grab her arm." Twilight looked in the dragon's eyes as he spoke, listening carefully to every word. "That's when I jumped in." Lazarus continued as a grin appeared, "I told him to back off and leave her alone. The next thing I know, four claws swing at me. But I was too fast and managed to dodge them, before counter-attacking with a strong tail-whip to his face. It wasn't much of a fight, but it was enough to make mother angry at us." "And the dragoness?" "She was my second fight. Which I lost, by the way. But the funny part about that was after she saw what I did to my brother, she told me that she fancied me over him. But she wanted to prove something before actually accepting my charming personality." Twilight let out a small chuckle and Lazarus smiled warmly. "Years after that, she became my mate and we became parents." "You were a father?" Lazarus' eyes changed to deep orange as the memories of his children sailed through his mind. Twilight caught on to his current emotion and almost instantly regretted asking that question. "I'm sorry." Twilight apologized, raising a hoof to her mouth, "I didn't mean to push you." "No, it's alright." Lazarus countered, "I already showed Fluttershy, so I may as well show you." The dragon held out his claws and a blue sapphire appeared. "Watch this and you'll see the best moment of my life." He said, holding the jewel and waiting for her to take it. Twilight wrapped it in magic and placed it in the nearby pond. The memory danced across the surface and Twilight watched what could have been the happiest family bonding moment that she had ever seen. After it ended, the memory faded and Twilight returned the jewel back to Lazarus. He took it and it disappeared into thin air. "So, back to your original question." Lazarus continued, "In a fight, I'm rarely afraid, because I make it my business know what my opponent will do. But I only have to focus on them and nothing else during a fight. Life, however, will always have you twisting and turning, because life is a thing that everyone takes for granted. And you never know if it'll end, whether you're ready for it, or not. I've lived long enough to see both. But if I had to chose between the two of them, then life scares me more than fighting." Twilight sat in front of him and stared, astounded by how his words could be so soul touching. Lazarus held out his claws again and two gems rested in his palm. Twilight recognized them almost immediately. "The Poisoned Mind and Crimson Fury gems!" She said, startled by the mere sight of them, "I don't know if I'm ready to take them. At least, not yet." "That's how I know you are." Lazarus smiled, "Besides, you don't have to keep an eye on them all the time. Just make sure that they're hidden and that only those that you trust and are close to you know that you have them. But, no one else." Twilight cautiously enveloped the gems in her magic. As she did, a surge of strange power flowed through her. It didn't harm her, but it did feel very odd, like nothing she had ever encountered before. It felt almost as strong as when she had the power of Celestia, Luna, and Cadence. However, it wasn't cheerful magic, she knew that what she was feeling was the darkness that rested within these gems. But what scared Twilight the most, was that she seemed to almost enjoy the powerful and dark energy that flowed from the gems and into her body. Quickly, Twilight levitated a small crate from the cottage and tossed the gems inside. Slamming the lid shut and locking it, Twilight panted frantically. "Whoa!" She panted, trying to pull herself together, "W-what was that?" "That? That was merely a fraction of what those gems can do." Lazarus rumbled as his eyes faded to white again, "Please, don't let them fall into the clutches of those who would abuse their power." "You can count on us. I promise." "Good. The Elements choose the right guardians and I'm pleased. But now, let me ask you a question." Twilight's ears perked as she set the crate down. "What are you afraid of?" The dragon asked, "I told you what my fear is, now you get to tell me yours. So, what is it that makes you toss and turn at night? What lingers in the shadows of your worst nightmares and makes you hope that it won't find you?" Twilight's eyes widened at the question, because she knew exactly what frightened her. It was something that was nearly impossible to hide from. As she thought about it, Twilight let her ears droop and her eyes slowly drift to the ground. "Failure." Twilight sighed, feeling ashamed, "I'm afraid of failure." The dragon lowered his head to the ground and looked at her. But Twilight stayed staring at the ground. "I'm afraid of failing my family." Twilight continued, "I'm afraid of failing my friends. I'm afraid of failing Equestria." "Why?" Lazarus asked, "Why does it bother you so much?" "I don't know. I guess it's because I don't want to disappoint anypony. But it's so difficult, because there are some problems that are more difficult than others and finding the solution can be the hardest thing to do." Twilight looked back at Lazarus, through light tears. "I'm afraid that if I fail, then everypony I care about will leave and turn their backs on me." "Oh, hush now." Lazarus said softly, sensing that Twilight was about to start crying, "Has there ever been a time when you did fail at something and they did turn away from you?" Twilight shook her head and wiped away a tear. But then, something resurfaced in her mind, which made her nod and earned confused look from the dragon. "Failure is something that all of us try to avoid everyday. But we can't because it's a part of us. Tell me, what was it that made your friends or family disappointed in you because you made a mistake?" "Well, at my brother's wedding, I suspected that the bride was evil. But everyone believed that I was just being mean and they left me alone. But, as it turned out, the bride was actually a fake and the real bride had been imprisoned in the caves under Canterlot." "Were you forgiven when everything was set to it's proper order?" "Y-yes. But I still think that if something like that happens again, everypony's going to be disappointed and upset with me." "The only one that would be disappointed in you, is yourself. If you fail at anything again, so what? At least you gave it your best try and still helped to find a solution. No one is going to be upset with you because you tried and failed. They'll just give you encouragement and support you as you take on the next challenge. I'm sure in this particular situation, you helped find a way to prepare for something similar." The tears had slowed as Twilight began to realize just how right he was. "But, I'm a princess." She argued, "I'm expected to succeed and make things right." "Do you think Celestia or Luna felt differently about when they became the leaders of this land?" Lazarus countered, "No. They were as afraid of failure as you are. But, they learned to deal with it and stayed strong. And look where they are today, sitting on their well earned thrones and ruling with a fair grip. You might do the same one day." The dragon's tail moved in between them and wrapped around Twilight gently. It startled her for a moment, but quickly realized what Lazarus was doing. "Come here." The dragon cooed, still seeing tears in the alicorn's eyes as he lifted her, "Let me answer your next question, before you ask." He sat up on his hind legs and brought Twilight up to his chest. She gently rested her head and one of her hooves on Lazarus as he held her. "Healing Dragons could heal more than just injuries." He said, "We could heal sorrow, get rid of fear, and be there whenever you just need someone to talk to. However, we couldn't heal ourselves. I still can't. Only others can be healed by a Healing Dragon." "Could you heal each other?" "Yes. But it took longer because we already had the power of healing. It was one of the reasons my race was lost." The tip of his tail brushed Twilight's mane, causing her tears to stop and a smile appear. After a moment of comforting embrace from a dragon, Twilight was lowered back down to the ground. Then Lazarus stretched his arms and tail, extending them as far as they could reach. "Thank you." Twilight said, feeling more confident, "For being open and honest with me." "And thank you for being one of my friends." Lazarus replied, giving her a warm grin, "If you keep your head held high and your loved ones close, then there's nothing that you can't do." Twilight's wings shifted slightly and her face lightly blushed as she realized that Lazarus really had made her feel much better, than before. It felt nice to know that even the toughest creatures in the world, can have a soft spot. "Now," Lazarus groaned, returning to his normal stance, "if I'm going to make myself known to your world, I'm going to need a guide. Preferably, someone who can tell other ponies that I'm not a monster." "Well," Twilight said, levitating the crate again, "I'm going to put this somewhere in my castle and it is on the other side of town. Maybe, I could give you a bit of a tour. But, please keep in mind, ponies aren't really used to having full grown dragons roaming freely. It usually makes them afraid of dragons." "I'll be sure to make myself as harmless as possible." With that, both the dragon and alicorn left Fluttershy's cottage.