> A Dragon in Princess Celestia's Court > by halothair > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > 1: Draggin' Your Feet > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ...ugh... This just isn't my day. ...am I dead? No. I can't be dead. I'm thinking about being dead. Can dead things think? Do they turn into thoughts? Does that mean all of the thoughts I've ever had were dead things? ...what was I thinking about again? Right. I suppose I'm not dead, then. But if I don't open my eyes, maybe someone here will think I'm dead. That would be funny, in a gruesome, kind of...jerky way. Hey, where is here, anyways? Slowly, the young male opened his eyes and fought off his bleariness to survey his current condition. His name was Krikaan Drake. He was a quadripedal dragon, with red scales on his back and head, an orange underbelly, green eyes that looked almost like emeralds, and a tail reaching about 3 feet long. His wings were very impressive, reaching almost five feet at full length, and strong enough to blow back anything twice his size. He had nothing on his body except for a single chestpiece, silver in color and fitting right below his neck, with one single gem in the middle. This gem was the same color as the dragon's eyes, but the emerald itself was more intricate and beautiful than any other seen before. If one looked closely, they could see their own soul inside, and possibly...something more? Well, young Krikaan was already aware of these things and more, but the most pressing thing that was coming to his sleep-induced mind was the fact that- My leg hurts. He looked at his rear left leg and noticed that even though his legs weren't as strong as he would've liked, they definitely weren't supposed to bend that direction. "Yeah, okay, this REALLY hurts now!" His deep, yet young, voice called out in the hopes that someone would hear and take sympathy on him. But nobody came. Jerks. "Alright, calm down, Krikey. I just gotta-" This statement was cut off with a grunt of pain as the young drake pushed himself up with his remaining three limbs. "-Just gotta keep my head, and walk until I find some civilization." Krikaan saw that he had somehow ended up under a tree in the middle of a forest. There were no sounds of any sort of creature, which was odd in and of itself, but more interesting was that this type of forest seemed...unnatural. He grimaced at the fact of walking anywhere in this situation, but he had faced worse circumstances before. And with no other choice, he limped forwards into the dark reaches of the forest. He walked... ...and he walked... ...and he walked... ...and walked until he collapsed from exhaustion. Apparently, walking for hours (days? Krikaan couldn't remember) without any sort of food besides berries and absolutely no water was not healthy. No...have to keep going...have...to finish...my mission... His ears perked up as he heard a soft voice talking. "Now, Angel Bunny, I know you don't like the Everfree Forest, but please try not to grab my leg too hard." Who...need help... "Help me..." "AHHH! Who said that?" the soft, timid voice shrieked. His vision was fading and his voice got more distant. "...please..." "Ohmygoodness! A dragon! Angel, we have to get out of-" Fluttershy paused as she got a better look at the dragon. He looked miserable and exhausted, and she was pretty sure no leg was supposed to bend that way. She knew she could never leave any creature in this sort of condition, even something as scary as a dragon. "Wait, you're hurt! Um, d-don't w-w-worry, I'll get some help for you, okay? After hearing this comforting voice, darkness fell over Krikaan's world. "I'm telling you, Twi, he's going to destroy everything!" "Rainbow Dash, we can't pass judgement until-" "-ghastly thing in Fluttershy's cottage, then you've got another think coming!" "But Rarity, Fluttershy needs those needles to sew back the wings-" "-you do trust me, right, AJ?" "...I reckon you ain't never made a mistake, but it just seems odd is all." "It's 'haven't ever', Applejack. Proper pronunciation is the most-" "-andballoonsandcakeandmaybesomestreamersandcakeandlotsandlotsofpresentsanddidImentioncake?!" "...did you get into my coffee again, Pinkie?" "..." "..." "...maybe?" "...Celestia dam-" "-don't know why, but it just seemed like the right thing to do." "Fluttershy, you know I trust you when it comes to animals, but-" "Oh, but dragons aren't animals, at least not technically. Do you consider Spike an animal?" "Well, of course not. But you weren't there, they were rude and I'm afraid that he's going to hurt you like-" Now, aside from his physical injuries, Krikaan was hurt by what he thought were Twilight's words before he fell back into unconsciousness. Darkness, and then light. Krikaan woke more rested than he had ever been. He first wondered why he had slept so well. His second wondering was why his leg didn't hurt anymore. And thirdly, he wondered why he was covered in a blanket in someone's cottage. "Oh, good, you're awake! I was worried at first, but it's nice to see that you're recovering." He was mildly surprised to see that the creature talking to him was a pegasus, but he passed it off. He had seen weirder things before. He made an effort to speak, but the sound that came out was more of a dead cat than a voice. "No-no," remarked the yellow pegasus with a shake of her head. "Here, drink this first, then maybe you'll feel like talking." She held out a cup of something hot and steamy. She pushed the cup gently into Krikaan's claws, and watched as he gently sipped the drink. He grimaced at the taste, but medicine always did, so he downed it in a few gulps to get it over with. He then smiled at this new creature that had come into his life. "Thank you," he muttered quietly, his voice still a little raspy. He furrowed his brow and asked, "I feel really...good. How long was I out?" "Um, I think it was about a month?" The next few minutes involved the spitting out of a drink into a face and some stammered apologies from both parties, one for spitting directly in one direction, the other for surprising him with such...surprising information. "A week! Are you sure it was that long?" "Well," said the yellow pony as she wiped off the medicinal residue, "I didn't really pay attention to a lot during that time, but I think you have been mostly unconscious during that time." "A week..." His mind raced. If he was out for a week, that meant he was running out of time! He leapt up from his comfortable position, and his blanket rested softly on his head as he cried out, "Mm sho chrry bt a hv to goo!" The pony blinked at the strange choice of words. "Um, cherry what?" Krikaan blew the blanket off his head and repeated his statement: "I'm so sorry but I have to go!" She looked alarmed at this. "Go? But-but you're not fully rested and you only just got here and-" He put a claw against her lips, then spoke in a deep, quiet voice; "Miss Fluttershy, I'm very grateful for you nursing me back to health. But trust me when I say that my presence here will leave you in grave danger." She moved the claws from off her mouth, and wondered, "How did you know my name was Fluttershy?" Krikaan then gave a knowing smirk. It was time to reveal something he did not reveal to many others. "...I know your name is Fluttershy because I heard pretty much everything over the past week. I know that your friends are named Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Spike. I know that your friends have had some experience with dragons, including Spike, who I assume is also a dragon. They don't seem to trust me, but they trust you, even though you decided to take care of a dragon, which you are deathly afraid of. I know that because I have the ability to see and hear everything when I'm asleep, and I also have enhanced sight and hearing when I'm awake. I heard pretty much all six of you while I was 'asleep'. On top of all that, I'm very observant...which is how I also know that your friends I just mentioned are listening to this whole thing outside your door." "...oh."