The Dragon in Equestria

by GoontersGonnaGoont

Chapter 3: We are a Family

The rocky ledge in front of the cave gave way for a picturesque view of the vividly saturated landscape. High enough near the mountain peak but just below cloud level granted onlookers the magnificent sight: rolling hills and dark green mountains spanning for miles, a mirror-like lake settled neatly in the valley to the left, and a column of smoke rising from the bustling village just below the horizon. For the dragoness perched atop the ledge above it all, she cherished that spot as her refuge from the stresses of life.

Only weeks after learning to fly, the dragoness found solace up there after a tense argument with her parents. The location was far enough away from the dragon tribes down in the valley that she essentially had the whole mountain range to herself. Any sign of life up there was the occasional mountain goat tiptoeing up the cliffside in a daunting effort to lick at the salt deposits within the cracks of the stony wall, oblivious to the impending danger. But the insurmountable peace it offered cooled her anger while it warmed her soul.

Eventually, the dragoness found herself fleeing to the safe space whenever she needed, often staying for a couple days before coming back home. Nobody else knew where she would go, and she preferred to keep it that way.

She was a grown dragon now, having moved away from her tribe and into the cave that dug deep into the mountain precipice not too long ago. At this point, she wished her refuge was even farther away from her village, but she would never find another place like it.

Tonight was a night of reflection. Ever since the dragoness adopted the cave as her home, she no longer had to flee somewhere else. Though she would try to get out to explore and hunt more often, her presence was needed at the cave for a very special reason. Out of the many stones life had thrown at her over the years, it recently tossed her something miraculous--something wonderful.

The moon illuminated her ocean blue scales, each one gracefully overlapping the other to create the artistic canvas that was her draconic form. Her lighter hued, slightly translucent neck fins stood perked, flowing nicely behind her head. Her beautiful azul wings lay folded comfortably on her back; she hadn’t used them in a while, all for good reason though. Her forelegs dangled over the cliff’s edge, swaying her paws through the blowing midnight breeze. Her head held high, blissfully absorbing the moon’s luminescence through closed eyes.

The wind briefly altered direction after she heard a subtle flapping sound behind her. She knew who it was, but refused to regard his arrival. An orange-colored drake carrying a brown pouch in his maw had landed onto the wide platform in front of the cave’s entrance.

“I trust you were able to find them.” She said without batting an eye, her snout held aloft.

The drake trotted over to her resting place and plopped his rump beside her. “As a matter of fact, I did.” He responded, mimicking her crude tone. He untied the knot at the pouch’s opening with a foreclaw and pulled out a sizable bunch of deliciously plumb bananas. “This was the last bunch they had. The market only sells so much of these you know.” He added, handing the dragoness the yellow fruit for inspection.

Had the green-tinged peels not already suggested, a few whiffs along the rinds indicated these bananas were of sufficient quality--ripe. No brown spots. “These will do fine.” She finally announced after her prolonged examination of the fruit.

The dragoness leisurely tossed the bunch back into the pouch and slung it over her shoulder. Rising from her perch, wings flared and joints creaking, before turning towards the entrance of the cave, leaving the orange drake at the cliff. “Wha-?” He started, scrambling to his paws in a hurry. “W-wait a minute! Don’t I get a thanks and some appreciation?” He donned a pitiful pout upon his muzzle paired with teary puppy-dog-eyes.

The dragoness halted in her tracks, then turned back around after putting on the fakest smile she deemed the drake worthy of. “Of course! Thank you so much, Norwin, full the most succulent, most ripe, most banana-est bananas you have given me. I knew you’d eventually figure out what they were!” She had enlisted his help in finding the rare fruit a few days ago. Although, he returned multiple times with the wrong item, and his effort was more than she gave him credit for.

Appalled, Norwin stamped his paw hard against the flat rock. “Hey! You’re the one who kept telling me ‘Yellow, Norwin! They’re always yellow!’ when every fruit and vegetable I see down there at the market is yellow and long like you said.”

“Yellow squash and banana peppers are not bananas.” She hissed; her voice was glazed with a tempting sweet undertone yet spiced with condescendence. “You should really ask the vendors what you’re looking for next time.”

Norwin squinted his eyes at her. “Well, I’m glad those bananas are to your liking.” He teased, clearly enjoying the banter.

The dragoness’ mocking expression dimmed. “Yes…they are. Though it was a bit of a delay, you did fetch them for me.” She admitted. Honestly, she was intensely grateful he would be willing to do such a thing for her. “I really needed them, you know,… for Torr.” The name too casually slipped out of her mouth. Her face froze, regretting bringing him up in the conversation.

Torran, the little ray of sunshine life had given her, broke free from his eggshell prison only a few days ago, their newborn child whom the mother chose to raise herself. For now.

Norwin quickly dropped his playful demeanor at the mention of his son’s name. “Hey,” He took a small step forward. “H-how is he?”

The dragoness heaved a great sigh upon hearing his question. “He’s fine, Norwin. He hasn’t done much but sleep, squeak, and eat since he hatched.”

“Heh,” The orange drake glanced down at his paws and smiled, “Got a big appetite, huh? Reminds me of a certain someone.” His left foreclaws lightly scratched at the rock floor.

The dragoness tried to hold back a smirk. A certain someone. Ha.

“Can…” He muttered, before looking back up at his mate so she would hear him properly. “Can I see him?”

Oh no. Gods, Not this please. The dragoness could see the moisture and redness accumulating in his eyes, a sight she couldn’t bear to see. Yet, that look told her he already knew the answer. “No, Norwin. Not today.” She hated saying that.

Her mate quietly swallowed as he nodded in response.

She continued. “I…need some time…away. I appreciate you helping me care for him, but…I—we need distance.” Her expression donned that of mellow frustration. Did she need to remind him every time?

Norwin faded into a solemn stare. “I understand. I leave in a week. My squadron commander has requested that we report in a little earlier than expected.” He turned his head away to hide his wavering voice. “I really thought that you would…that we could be ‘ok’ before I go off.”

A week? Until he goes off to that…horrible shit.

Her sympathetic expression dissolved. “That is your choice, Norwin.” She spat with extra venom. “Of course we wouldn’t be ‘ok’ when you leave us for some damn war.”

Norwin winced at her retort, somewhat in disbelief. “You’re not being fair! They need me!” He shouted, but the anger was no substitute for his sadness. “I can’t just stand still and watch our kind burn. I’m doing this to protect you! I’m doing this to protect our son!”

“And leave the both of us behind!? What am I going to do?” Now her own angry tears began shedding from their ducts. “What am I going to do when Torr needs a father figure and you’re not here!?”

“I will be doing my part to protect you both! Gods, do you not understand what will happen if we do nothing?” Norwin broke from the intensity to gaze beyond the horizon. “It’s…it’s my duty.”

“No it’s not! Don’t be stupid, Norwin. Your duty is to Torran!”

“Then why won’t you let me even see him!?”

“B-because…--”

“Because you don’t care about the dragon race. Torr won’t have a world to grow up in when we are all dead!” Norwin’s voice stretched to breaking point.

“Then stay with me! We’ll go somewhere where we will never be found. We will be safe, away from all of it.”

“I can’t just do that. I-I have to stand up for our people.”

“Dammit, Nor. Why this!? Why now!? You said—no—you vowed that you’d stay with me when we were mated! So why are you so eager to leave? We were going to be a family!”

“WE ARE A FAMILY!” Norwin roared; an echo enhanced by the geological structure of the mountains shattered the silence. The shockwave had startled a nearby goat licking at a tasty salt deposit, causing it to skid down the rocky slope a few feet before a brief struggle to regain its footing. A slow moment passed after the larger chunk of his anger had been exerted before he sank back down on himself. He waited for the quiet to return. “We are a family, Auria. So long as we have love, we are a family.”

The blue dragoness frowned as she gazed at the ground in disdain, unable to even look at Norwin. “No…We’re not. Not like this.”

Norwin could hear the final nail being hammered into the coffin somewhere. This felt like the last straw to both dragons. They have had the same argument over and over again ever since he announced he would be joining the dragon military, yet each time they ended up in the same pit. “Auria, please…please don’t say—”

“Just go. And don’t come back.” If Auria chose to look at him right now he would probably look sick to his stomach.

The orange dragon’s neck frills and tail drooped downward. The damage had been done, and her wishes were to be respected. “Okay…I’ll go.” He turned towards the cliffs edge and unfurled his wings, but he wasn’t eager to go right away. Rather, he stood in place for at least a minute as if he had forgotten how to fly. But he knew how to fly. With sunken sorrowed eyes, he craned his neck back to his mate. “Goodbye, Auria. I will…always, always love you.” And with that, he leapt off the cliff.

The dragoness lifted her gaze as she watched the orange disappear into the black night.

It wasn’t long before she could taste the salt from the tears dripping into her mouth as Auria cried. She loved Norwin. So much so she believed he would be the drake partner she daydreamed about as a fledgling. To finally escape the cruel world with another lost soul like her. But maybe severing her ties with him would rid her the pain of ever losing him.

Gods. I’m so selfish.

A tiny squeak echoed from within the cave behind the dragoness. A mother’s calling. The switch now had to be flipped. Wiping the burning wetness from her eyes, Auria turned into the wide cave entrance, head held low.

---

The cave entrance narrowed into a winding tunnel of rock, like a worm boring through the flesh of an apple. The stone walls were naturally decorated with glowing deposits of illuminous crystal, casting the cave in a dim yellow hue. Most may find it difficult to see even with the aid of the natural light emitting from the stones, but the biological advantage of a dragon’s slit iris allows for clarity at greater distances and clear nocturnal vision.

The stomach of the cave opened into a spacious, yet comfortable layout for its dwellers. The mineral glow here was far brighter than the path leading to its inner confines. Dragons did not require furniture like some other creatures, nor did they find the necessity in decoration. A home to a dragon only needed be only two things: loving and warm.

This cave in particular was no exception. At the corner of the room lay a pile of expertly woven blankets with dazzling patterns of colors and stripes. Though a little worn, they offered a soft, cozy embrace for the little dragon that lie on top of it.

“Hello, my little Torr.” The dragoness cooed after dropping the brown pouch nearby. The dragon hatchling perked up at the sound of his mother’s soothing voice. His eyes remained shut--he had yet to fully open them for the first time--but he was very much awake. “I’ve brought you something extra special. They don’t grow anywhere near us, that’s for sure.” She laid down beside the mound of blankets, curling her form around it for added warmth, and dragged the brown pouch over with her tail. “They are called bananas. Can you say ‘bananas,’ Torran?”

“Banz!” The youngling replied.

“No. It’s ba-NAN-nas. Say ba-NAN-nas.”

“Ba...banza…banz!” An excited squeal escaped his tiny little lungs as if he finally figured it out.

Auria huffed a tired laugh. The hatchling’s speech acquisition was already beginning to surface just a few days out of the egg. Although, she suspected that he may only be attempting to imitate the sounds she made rather than trying to understand a word’s meaning. “Yes, Torran. I brought you some banzas.”

A swift fumbling with the pouch’s opening revealed the yellow deliciousness inside. The mother gently tore one banana from of the bunch—they were puny in her paws—and set in on the cave floor to be cut. She was familiar with the fruit. As a dragon, tearing off the peel of the fruit without squishing the soft, internal flesh was always a challenge for her. Her claws could easily slash through materials as hard as cast iron, so she need be gentle, especially around her newly hatched son.

With a single foreclaw, she slowly traced the tips along the length of the fruit to pierce and separate the yellow seal. She flipped the fruit on its opposite side to repeat the same process. As she worked, tiny pinpricks went up her back. The hatchling had already begun climbing atop her gigantic body to investigate. He really was a pawful, both figuratively and literally. “Hey you.” She cooed.

After a bit of tugging on the peel, the dragoness managed to free the cream-colored fruit from its prison. Its wafting scent also seemed to rouse the little hatchling crawling about. “Be patient, little Torr. You’ll have your dinner soon.” She calmy assured, nipping at the nape of his neck to set him back atop his bed of blankets. The little hatchling squeaked in protest.

Flexing a singular claw out from its sheath, Auria delicately sliced the banana into chunks small enough for her son to swallow without choking. He was going to eat a lot tonight knowing his voracious appetite, so she made sure to feed him in small quantities.

After the entire banana had been thoroughly diced, Auria gingerly scooped up the fruit pieces and sprinkled them over the blanket. She made sure to toss them into Torran’s peripheral so he would stumble upon them as he crawled about.

The proud mother watched her son perform a micro-hunt within the soft, rolling blanket folds. With just a couple whiffs of the air alone, he was able to track down each piece of banana within his midst, like a bat giving chase to a flying insect. Auria giggled at the voracious effort he gave to stuff the food down his tiny gullet. “You’re going to be so big and strong someday. Like your father.”

One peculiar feature of little Torr’s appearance she noticed right out of the egg was the small tuft of fur atop his head. Though she cared little about the way he looked, she still couldn’t place the biological logic for it to even be there. Regardless, the tiny ball of energy was nothing of miracle in her life; one that she would cherish. And she couldn’t be happier that he was with her, in her cave. Her refuge. Her solace. Her sanctuary.

The lonely cave cooled during the nights being at such high elevation. The only trace of airflow inside came from a smaller port near the roof, offering a quiet white noise for the inhabitants. But out of some mysterious aura that seemed to emanate within the mountain cavity, the dragoness swore she could feel heat radiating from the rock beneath.

Naturally, the glowing cave crystals began to dim, signifying their rest period. Funny as it was that the crystals needed rest, almost like the miniscule forms of life inside of them were calling it a night.

Regardless the mood or weather outside, Auria felt welcomed here. She would often entertain the idea that if the cave entrance had an engraved message it would say, “Come inside, stay awhile.” That she certainly did.

Her meandering thoughts were rudely interrupted by the pathetic squeaks coming from the bundle of blankets squirming in her forepaws. The hatchling had already snuffed down the last bit of banana and was making a desperate attempt to escape the soft confines. “Torr.” His mother huffed, a little weary from dealing with this pawful of joy.

But instead of scampering off, the mother watched her child scoot closer to her foreleg before settling comfortably upon her, his fragile body draped over her appendage. “Such a charmer.”

It seems like everyone in the universe was telling Auria to go to sleep. The cave was dim and cool, and the impossibly small lifeform on her leg fell into a snooze without a sound. Yet, she couldn’t follow suit. In fact, she wanted to, but the effortless task seemed too difficult right now. Especially after her multiple fights with Norwin.

Her meals became fewer and farther between due to the stress the whole situation put on her. A perfect life was just around the corner and then…no. Don’t think about it. It was his decision.

Her body betrayed her nonetheless as her eyes watered and her gut clenched. Maybe she could cry herself to sleep this time, she pondered.

A far memory fell into view. A hymn sung by an unknown voice she heard as a hatchling at night in the village. It felt like no other dragon could hear it aside from her. Beautiful, melancholy, and comforting it was to her ears. In any case, it could have been sung by another sorrowful soul somewhere else in the village, as if no one cared to hear his song. But she did. That music was special to her, because it was the only remedy when she suffered from insomnia.

Over time, she had forgotten the words, but the tone was forever engrained into her heart. Taking extra care to not disturb the bundle of slumber on her leg, she rested her head snugly over her son. Hopefully, in this position, he could feel the vibrations from his mother’s throat as she hummed herself to sleep.

Comments

[OP Omni God-Emperor Doom]

It ain't a mystery that this amnesia dragon is a washed-up Spike. I just want to know on what happened to him?

[Toon]

Well- I don't know about this, this is supposed to be after the end of mlp? but Fluttershy's character is still scared at the look of a dragon? I mean first she's had so much character development that she wouldn't be just running into a tree after seeing a dragon and two, she quite literally has a friend that's a dragon. Also isn't she a bit busy with her sanctuary? This just feels different when I first read the prologue, idk about this story now...

[GoontersGonnaGoont]

11282891
Thank you so much for your feedback! A lot of the points of criticism you made have rung clear and I have considered them for my writing in the future.
1. The very first Fluttershy/Dragon encounter was intended to be a bit of a surprise to Fluttershy. As in, she wasn't expecting to see a large dragon behind her. She is used to seeing dragons, yes, but I feel like out of the many Earth-like animals she is usually around like bears, giraffes, and alligators, a dragon with a majestic physique donning razor sharp claws and and dagger-like teeth would be a little startling. Especially if said dragon is much larger than Spike.
2. Yes. The prologue was designed to introduce the reader to something new. My original character. In any case, I'm just testing the waters for this style of writing.
Again, thank you very much for your feedback, Chaos Eclipse! Have a wonderful day!

[GoontersGonnaGoont]

11282869
Nay. Torran is an original character. Thank you for your comment, OP!

[OP Omni God-Emperor Doom]

11283020

Then, where is Spike?