Tales of The Forgotten: Firefly

by Orion97

Catalyst

"Come on, you'll be fine. Ponyville is full of understanding ponies." Fluttershy urged as we neared the town. My pace had practically slowed to a crawl. While I knew she was more than likely right, either way walking into a town of a species you had only met that day could make most people a little nervous.

"I know it's just...not sure if I'd fit in very well." I admitted.

"You will, try not to worry about it." she reassured.

I sighed a little in defeat and kept walking as we neared the town. I nervously played with my staff as we walked through. I was met with a few odd glances at first and even a hello or two before we reached Twilight's library, it has a new look to it when compared to most of the town but still looked lived in. I smirked as I thought how it really raised the bar being an actual tree house.

"Twilight has this big castle now but since it was rebuilt she still spends much of her time in here." Fluttershy stated as she knocked on the door. We waited for a few long minutes but no answer came to the door.

"Huh. She must be off on princess business or something." Fluttershy thought out loud. "Well we should try again later, in the mean time maybe you'd want to get to know some of the other species living in Ponyville. We have of course ponies, a zebra, a handful of gryphons, a couple of dragons and maybe even a minotaur."

It really was quite a variety, and from what I could gleam about this world from the show and various stories online I could guess that the gryphons and dragons were some of the only sentient apex predators on this planet, much like humanity on Earth. I'm not particularly violent but they might be more similar in how they behave to humans than ponies.

"Know where any of the gryphons or dragons are?"

"Hmm...well Gilda came back some time ago, she left once on bad terms but when she came back she said she had grown up and learned from what she did. She became a lot nicer after that and a few years ago some of her friends moved to Ponyville after hearing what it's like. They live a little closer to Applejack's farm. We've had three dragons living here for a while and a fourth recently moved in and they're actually all bipedal which it pretty rare. Most dragons walk on all fours after they reach adulthood. Spike is often at the blacksmith now. We didn't always have one but we found it was easier to make metal here than always ship it from Canterlot. His strength helps him do really well there. The other three live near the Everfree, but not in the direction I'm in. If we take a left from here we can go meet them."

"Alright, let's go meet the dragons." I suggested. Fluttershy nodded and led the way towards where they lived. Soon we came upon three cottages that looked like Fluttershy's initially but there were some key differences. First off they were noticeably larger and a few specific points seemed reinforced with stone.

"The one on the left is where Nova lives. She's like a lot of dragons in some ways but in others she's pretty unique. She's pretty nice and loves to go on adventures and stuff. She likes to fight or train sometimes, though since most ponies are either busy or nervous about fighting a dragon she usually just does it with the other two. On the right is Valerian, he's a little bigger and he can seem a bit scary sometimes but deep down he's a nice dragon. He takes loyalty seriously and can be stubborn at times but once you get to know him he really opens up and shows that he likes to do things like paint and even write poetry. Please don't tell him I told you. In the middle lives Telara. She's really fun to be around and she is great person to talk to. She's pretty patient and always seems to be there when her friends need help. She's a lot like Nova but Nova doesn't share her interest in things like gardening or magic or astronomy. That's not to say she doesn't like them but where Nova would just enjoy stargazing or even try to learn magic herself, Telara studies it in more detail and tries to figure out all of the secrets. Her and Twilight do a lot of stuff like that together now. Anyway I've talked so much, I should let you go introduce yourself." After an explanation of what they were like she took a deep breath and smiled.

I knocked on the left most door and waited for a response. I waited but no one came to the door. I moved on to Telana's house and knocked but still, no response came. Just as I backed away from the door, the one to my right opened and out poked a tall, deep crimson red dragon, Valerian I assumed.

"If you're looking for the girls they went out hunting a while ago for rabbit, they should be back any minute." He opened the door further and noticed Fluttershy with a slightly sad look.

"Oh...sorry Fluttershy, I know how you feel about woodland creatures, especially rabbits, don't worry you know we'd never touch Angel." he smiled awkwardly.

"It's okay...I know you guys eat meat to and it would be silly for me to expect otherwise. I just have nightmares about something in the woods gobbling up Angel, it's no fault of your own. I still feed the bear that's with me fish and I have an injured wolf that eats it too.

"Alright, so what brings you by?" He asked Fluttershy.

"Oh I was actually just here to help introduce someone new in town. He's a human named Michael." She gestured to me.

"A human, interesting. Haven't seen one for some time. You know there's rumors about a human settlement somewhere in Equestria. He'd be only the second one I've ever met." he replied.

"That's just a rumor, I've never seen anything like that but if I ever do I'll talk to you."

"Alright, so, Michael, is it?" He turned back towards me and extended a claw.

"Valerian, nice to meet you." He smiled as I reached a hand out and shook with him.

"Michael, likewise. How long have you guys been in Ponyville?"

"Several years now. It was actually just going to be for a year or two while we explored around but the mayor asked us to stay. You wouldn't expect it but apparently Ponyville has a habit of getting caught in some rather sticky situations so she figured a few more dragons would be just what they needed. So far we haven't seen much but at one point there was a mating pair of manticores they found trying to set up a nest at the edge of town. All we really had to do was relocate the nest deeper into the Everfree. I distracted them while Nova and Telara flew the nest away. We actually get paid a bit each month just for living here and keeping an eye out. It's enough for necessities and a little extra and with our jobs it's decent pay."

"Wow, interesting, sounds pretty cool to be a dragon."

"I suppose so." he grinned with pride. "Oh, sorry, come in, come in. Make yourselves comfortable."

Fluttershy and I both thanked him and made our way inside. The interior seemed to have an almost militaristic design. I was surprised to see an area that opened up into a small armory loaded with swords, spears and even beautifully crafted metal armor. Valerian must have seen where I was looking.

"Oh, that. Sometimes even our fire and claws aren't enough to drive something away and we need these, in the event of say another super timber-wolf attack we need this stuff. It's magically resistant to fire and they can form if enough of the regular ones are destroyed in a short time frame. We all work at the blacksmith as well with Spike though not as often as he does. It's easier for us to make it and cheaper so we just make these from time to time. I sell some of them to help boost income too, so If you ever need protection remember where I'm at." He smiled widely as he looked over his own creations until Fluttershy made a coughing noise.

"Right. Sorry Fluttershy, I know you aren't too interested in weapons. Anyway over here is the kitchen and-" Valerian cut himself off as he passed by a window and seemed to notice something.

"Ah, wonderful, they're back. They're lovely gals I assure you. Come on out and meet them." He smiled courteously made his way to the front door where he held it open for us to exit. As we walked outside with Valerian just behind us we saw the dragoness duo come into view carrying a few large fish.

"Ayo, Valerian! Got a big ass fish that looks a little like you! What do ya say we-" The loud blue dragon stopped as soon as she saw us and just froze until she noticed Valerian behind us, then she relaxed visibly. Behind her I could assume was Telara, the green dragon. Valerian coughed into his fist and began introductions.

"Nova, Telara. You know Fluttershy, she brought a new friend for you two to meet. This is Michael. He's a human."

"Hey...I think I've seen a human before...was quite some time ago but yeah...long blonde hair though." Nova rubbed her chin.

"Anyway it's nice to meet you! Name's Nova and this is Telara." She gestured to Telara, whom waved meekly in response.

"Likewise." I smiled. I had to admit, if I were to ever see a dragon this isn't how I would have expected.

As they approached closer I saw Nova flex a stunning pair of sapphire blue wings before folding them against her back once again.

"Hello? Anyone home?" She tapped on my head. Apparently I had dozed off for a moment. But to be fair those wings really were incredible. I've had countless dreams about flying myself and I couldn't help but feel a speck of envy.

"Oh, sorry. It's just I've never seen someone with wings...other than Fluttershy."

"They are pretty nice. What happened to yours?" She asked, looking over my back and tapping a clawed finger where wings would be if I had any. Telara glared daggers at her and punched her shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?" She glared harder.

"Nova! Apologize!"

"Okay! Jeez. Sorry...uh...Michael. I didn't mean to be insensitive." She rubbed her shoulder where she had been hit. "Ow..."

"Oh, it's okay. Humans don't have wings...sadly. I really wish I did sometimes though."

"Oh, well maybe sometime-" She ended abruptly when a young stallion with a bag at his side ran to us, breathing heavily.

"Miss...miss Flutter..." He panted.

"Take it easy there, catch your breath and tell us why you're here." Valerian said in a calming tone.

"Right...whew...anyway. Miss Fluttershy, I was told to get you right away. Princess Twilight is hosting an important meeting and she said she needs everyone there that can make it."

"Oh my. Well I can't just leave Michael here...would it be okay if he came with me?"

"I don't know, ma'am. All I know is that she wants you there as soon as you can make it."

"Why not just take him? I mean worst thing that could happen is if they told him he couldn't come in." Valerian said with a shrug.

"I suppose that's fair enough..." She put a hoof to her chin.

"Thank you ma'am, now I must go attend to my other duties. Farewell!" He waved to us and we returned our own goodbyes before he departed.

"Well if it really is that important you guys should probably hurry." Telara suggested.

"Oh and Michael, that's a nice staff you got there. If you stop by some time later I can reinforce the ends with some metal, maybe even put an enchantment on it, free of charge!"

"Wow, thanks!" I smiled. I clutched the staff tightly. While it had been useful in a surprising number of situations, it undoubtedly could be better. I'd have to take him up on that offer sometime. He gave me some advice on the best wood for a new staff as well if I wanted one and offered to teach me classes on the use of different weapons for a modest sum of bits. It wasn't long before we finally did depart however.

Fluttershy took off on a brisk jog to wherever Princess Twilight's castle was and I followed.

"That was interesting..." I stated aloud.

"Don't worry, they're all really nice people. Hopefully after this we could go back and maybe you could hang out with Valerian...or the girls." She added with a chuckle and against my best efforts she caught me blushing.

"Oh crap. I wasn't staring was I?" I asked as my cheeks began to flush a crimson hue.

"Language, mister."

"Sorry..."

"Oh yes...though she didn't notice it most of the time. If you had a tail it would have been wagging non-stop."

"Oh my god..."

"You think she's cute."

"Er...."

She giggled. I would have sworn it was an evil giggle if such a thing was possible.

"Oh don't worry, I won't tell, but I wouldn't need to at this rate." She flashed a grin back at me.

"How did you know?"

"Boys are easy to understand. Girls are the complicated ones."

"So I'm just an open-book aren't I?"

"Yep! Luckily for you, she's oblivious to these things too. But I know a crush developing when I see one!" She chimed and added a bounce in her step as she kept walking.

"I don't have a crush! I just met her!"

"Then why are you blushing again?" Again, the evil grin made a reappearance.

"I uh...are we there yet?"

"Boys are so easy to tease." She smiled. "And we're just about there."

True to her word, within another minute a beautiful crystalline castle came into view.

"We're here!" She called out and began to run towards the structure. I kept a calm walk as I approached, finally alone for a moment with some time to think. I played with the pendant that hung around my neck, it was the spitting image of a wolf, given to me by Robert, but it was obscured my by clothing as often as not. I had a tendency to play with it when I was thinking. I was thinking about Robert, if he was here, perhaps in the human settlement rumored to exist in this world.

Fluttershy's voice detracted me from my thoughts and called me to catch up. With her I quickly found an assortment of ponies, the rest of Twilight's friends...and another dragon.

"Hello, I'm Faelan!" She introduced herself with a handshake that I quickly returned.

"I'm Michael. A pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, do you know the other-" She tried to say before Applejack forced a cough into her hoof.

"Sorry to cut the introductions short sugar-cube but now that Flutters is here we really need to head inside. We'll talk more when it's done." Applejack said briefly.

Without another word, the majestic crystalline doors were pushed open, completely unaware of how much my entire world would change after this...

Author's Note:

Whew...about time I updated this. It was a little odd for me because Storm Quill already wrote this part in great detail in "The Shadow War" chapter in his side of the story so I cut it a little short. If you want a more detailed version of that encounter I'd suggest reading his story (it's really good...and violent at parts) The only real difference that you'd see is who is saying "I" and "he".

I will admit...I rushed a little on this, but I wish to catch up with Storm Quill's story and I have a LOT of others being worked on, not just what you see already published. I will make a dedicated effort to put out nothing but my best work, but anyway I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter, sorry if it doesn't seem like much. Don't worry though...it'll get exciting real soon...

(What happens immediately after)

But after this there will be some parts where we are writing different perspectives but remember it's two stories that run side by side, not the exact same, this isn't a cheap way to skip some writing but it feels unnecessary at best to simply rewrite all of what he already impressively put into words.