Dragon's sorrow: Tales of Dragon's rest

by Megaskullmon

Chapter One: Elders and cloaked mare

Fifty years ago to this day. I was more of a rebellious mare. I was pretty young by the standards of a zebra. I was born in this community like most even though I was born here. Most treated me like a problem since I didn’t buy everything the elders said. There are old legends of a thriving community that lived here but all of the histories vanished overnight.

Then I met her. I am getting ahead of myself though it all started with an elder teaching us. It never stood right with me why elders only could teach us and could tell us the best way to live. I wasn’t a well-liked mare. I had some friends but many hated me. I was too rebellious in the eyes of the others.

“Now class please open your books to page sixty-three. Today we will learn about the founding of Dragon’s Rest. Now from history we still have Dragon’s Rest which was formed on the body of a dead dragon. The dragon used everyone as slaves. The ponies rose and helped all the other races become strong to kill the beast.”

I roll my eyes

“How do we know this is true?”

I get many of the stallions and mares looking at me. Like I said I wasn’t a very welcomed mare. Even other zebras disliked me more so than you would think. I always questioned everything the elders spoke of. Before I could do anything a stallion smacked me across the face. I shake my head staring at the stallion.

“Now Glyph's question is solid and correct. Now the fact she is questioning an elder shows she has too much of a lingering mind. So please don’t attack her you may do that if you wish at the end of class.”

I snort hating how they tell the others to just outright attack me because I don’t blindly follow the words of these elders. An hour later the class was over and all we talked about was the dragon and why Dragon’s rest was formed and how monsters, evil monsters, and death.

I walk out of the class trying to keep to myself to get out of the wooden makeshift school. I trot as quickly as I can to get out of the building. I am stopped by a large group of ponies and surrounded by them.

“Look, I don't want any trouble. Let me be on my way.”

I try to pass them and a stallion quickly raises his back hoof into my face. The hit from the hoof makes me fall to the ground. I groan I have now been surrounded by their hooves smashing into me. I scream in pain. Granted I did deserve this. I have been a jerk but it didn’t have to hurt so much.

“ENOUGH!!”

A powerful magic shield protects me while the ponies and zebras turn to look at the cloaked pony. The mare wears strange boots and does as much as it can to hide its features. Of course, it was easy to tell the figure is female from the build of their body.

“This is not your problem stranger.”

The stallion who hit me stood up to the cloaked figure.

“Dragon’s Rest is founded on the principles of accepting all those who are lost and outcasts from the normal world. We aren’t normal, are we? Now enough of your measuring of whose ego is bigger and leave the poor mare alone.”

The stallion stood by his friends looking at them and the cloaked mare doesn't do anything but come up to me in the shield looking at the stallion,

“Are you done hurting this mare or have you got anything better to do?”

The stallion snorts getting ready to attack the cloaked mare. The mare I am sure is looking at him like really?

“Are that dumb to attack someone who could be very powerful and turn you inside out?”

A mare pats the stallion's shoulder.

“Come on, let's go, she is not worth it.”

The stallion snorts leaving with his gang.

“Just as well we got to gather our tributes for the creature of the cave.”

The mare lifts her spell, helping me up by using magic to form a cloth. Using other spells to clean up my body and bleeding cuts. She puts the cloth on my nose.

“Blow.”

I blow in the cloth blowing out some fresh blood coughing.

“Now, what did you learn?”

I stare at the cloaked mare unsure what she wants me to say. I shrug my shoulders.

“All I wish to know is the truth. The truth about why this place is called Dragon’s Rest and why all our history is missing and why the elders are so openly brainwashing everyone.”

The mare laughs.

“Ah, so you question everything, am I correct?”

I don’t answer for a few pregnant seconds shifting on my hooves. I am unsure what this mare will do even if I answer the question.

“Look, I know my way of thinking doesn’t work here. I just do what everyone does to learn or try to. Gather gold and food whatever else and leave it at the cave to please whatever fake monster is down in that cave not far from here.”

The mare stares at me. I can just make out her eyes. She looks over to the trees not far from the village seeing a cave mouth leading down. I see that she frowns and her eyes turn sad. I swear I could hear her say something. I ignore it for now.

“You’re a mare that wishes to know everything? Have you ever thought of going down into those caves to learn if this legend is true?”

I stare at the mare again. Is she crazy? It’s forbidden to go into the cave.

“It’s forbidden to go into the cave. There are stories of ponies or other creatures going down in there and vanishing.”

The mare turns around to walk away from me. Stop turning her head to look at me over her shoulder.

“Then you’re not the one to prove otherwise. You’re too brainwashed into thinking something new is something to be scared of. I will be at the inn if you change your mind. If you don’t come then I will have to search for another to bring change to this community.”

The mare leaves heading to the inn. I just watch her leave feeling unsure if I should follow. I head home walking past a good friend of mine, a pink mare I grew up with.

“Hey, Glyph, I heard what you did. You’re the talk of the town again for being you.”

I stop looking at the mare, a weak smile forming on my face.

“Yes, that’s me the rebel.”

The smile goes back to a frown my pink mare friend. Who calls herself Cotton her real name is Berry of course. But I think she changed it to sound funnier. I am unsure she was drunk at the time.

She walks with me back to my home. I tell her everything that happened and about the pony, I met. The offer she wanted to do as well.

“So some random pony who many have seen showing up here over the years asked you if you would like to learn the truth? My question is what kind of truth is there? I may not believe in the creature of the cave but I still do what I am told, but whatever food I have at the time there or gold.”

I snorted, shaking my head.

“I don’t want to risk my life to find this truth this mare is talking about.”

Cotton gets in front of me to stop me. I stare at her tilting my head at the reason why she stopped me.

“Glyph, you're always telling me you’re upset about how the elders run this community. Why don’t you finally get off your butt and do something for once instead of pissing them off? Now go to the inn and talk to this mare and tell her you’re in. I will gather whatever you have in your home and then you go.”

I take a deep breath sighing. She is correct. I always talk about how I hate the elders who have so much power. I turned around letting Cotton do what she was going to do. I head to the inn. It’s a pretty calm night. I head inside going into the bar I go to the tender. The large Diamond dog female stares at me.

“What’s your poison tonight Glyph?”

I sigh.

“Nothing tonight Tina have you seen a pony in here?”

Tina stares at me.

“Oh look there is a pony over there.”

She gasps.

“Oh look at another pony over there!! Are you dumb or something Glyph?!”

I snorted just what I needed, a smart ass.

“I mean have you seen a pony in a cloak?’

Tina nods pointing to the table. There are two full glasses of a type of drink there. I smile nodding to Tina heading to the table and sitting down on the chair looking at the mare. She lifts her glass drinking from it.

“I figured you would be here so I put in an order for you. Now, are you sure you wish to do this? You can back out if you want.”

I shift uncomfortably on the chair. I feel if I say no to this mare she will leave me to the wolves. I lean in to get a drink from the glass.

“I will not back out now. Just what do I need to do?”

The mare smirks

_________

That night

If you would ask me to be bait for some evil creature in a cave I would have told you to bug off. If I was asked to do this by a strange mare in a cloak? I guess I would be all for it. Since the adventure would be even better.

I walk with the mare to the cave mouth and all the offerings have been placed. There is a large basket for me to get into. I look at the basket and then at the cavern of the mouth. I have been here before but never went inside.

“What should I expect?”

The mare chuckles.

“If I told you what to expect it wouldn’t be a good mystery what is down there.”

I stare at the mare from the corner of my eye.

“You act like you already know what is down there.”

The mare goes silent.

“Let me just say this. Say this name out loud.”

She leans in to whisper a name to me. A human name I have heard of human names before but it’s been a while since I have heard anyone use one.

“Now what?”

The mare opens the basket full of fish.

“If you go.”

I stare at the dead fish then at the mare a looked at her with a look of disgust the smell was awful.

“You’re kidding.”

The mare smirks, I just don’t argue. I get into the fish groaning, coughing at the smell. After this, I hear a bell ringing. Then a few pregnant moments I hear and feel loud stomping. I feel the force of being moved and after a while, I am thumped onto the ground. The stomping goes away and I hear chewing.

I get out of the basket groaning. I don’t see whatever grabbed me. I quickly go into another part of the cave and when I get in there I see many cases. Inside them are old books that are well kept. I put my hoof on the case and a spell throbs a moment and vanishes.

I look at three books called journals in one of the cases and then I get the last case. A strange thing that looks like a toy. A large metal creature with bright white eyes. I look at the paper in front of it. ‘Who do you want to be? Superman.’ I stare at the toy again. It's pretty old and one of the legs is missing. It’s kept standing with a piece of metal.

I hear stomping coming closer since I know I smell like fish and I turn to see a large claw and I hide seeing the large creature oh gods it’s a dragon.

“si shilta keefum wux”

I didn’t understand what the creature was saying. I try to sneak away to get out as quickly as I can.

“wux shilta ti itrewic mojka de ve moxt ir.”

I keep running trying to head back out of the cavern. Before I could do that through a large rock blocking my path I turned to see the creature staring right at me. Smoke coming out of the mouth of the angry beast.

“vi z'ar meal”

I didn’t know what to do. All I could think of was using the human name I was told. I had to act quickly before I was made into a meal.

“Russell!!”

The dragon stops staring down at me. I finally get a good look at the dragon. The eyes of the creature stare right at me. Gentle old blue eyes. They look like they have seen much and felt much. I just stare into the eyes of the creature. I don't know what I saw in the eyes of this creature at the time but I know full well I was in for a world of either death or pain. I have no idea.

To be continued