TLN-Call me Slip
The day was like any other; the sun was high, wind was gentle, the ponies were gasping at a gentle volume. Yep, those ponies with their ‘ooo’s’ and ‘whaaaa?’, it always baffled me. How limited were they when they never saw a dragon before? I am large, but, really, was I that unique?
A little over the height of a single story, scales the color of a deep coal in the heat of blacksmith’s forge, and only the ONE broken horn on my head, I wasn’t intimidating or anything. I suppose when you’re among other dragons, I’m not, but really, these ponies are always so awe-struck.
Canterlot, the ‘jewel’ of the pony lands, it’s no different than it was back then. More crowded, now that I think about it, but the same two kinds of ‘persons’: the elite, and the NOT elite. Those that are, remind those that aren’t, and those that aren’t remind those that are… by existing, I guess.
“RED!!”, a voice echoes into my ears.
“Yes, SlipShine?”
“I had asked you a question.” The earth-type with a coat of charcoal, with a swipe of silver that ran across not her mane, but her coat, starting from her right eye moving around her neck, over her barrel and down her tail. It always made me smile how unlike she was to every other pony. “Stop reflecting! You think so loud; you’re drowning out everything else…”
“Sorry, Slip, what was it that you had asked?”
With an overblown sigh and an epic roll of her eyes, she stops and sweeps her foreleg across the street, “I had said, ‘it’s insane how NOTHING has changed since the great war, huh?’”
My eyebrow shot up and looked about quickly and noticed that really few of the others even took notice, let alone gasped in surprise, “SlipShine! Careful! Not everyone would understand!”
With a deadpan look, she monotoned, “Hey, look, a pony talking to a dragon about past events.” She cracked a smile and resumed her normal inflections, “Come now, my old friend, the ‘Elements’ have really pulled much of the pony close-minded-ness away and exposed them, sometimes more violently than WE had, to the outside world.
The Dragon lo-LADY is friends with… well… both Sisters, I suppose. The Hippogriffs are once again made into the fold. The sand dunes were exposed more than just the wastes they thought they were. Zebras’ are longer scorned and locked away as spies and witches. Heck, even the Great Star-Swirled has returned!”
“He worries me the most. He’ll want to know why fought, and not helped them.” My clawed feet stopped suddenly, as I peered down at her, “You know, he coul- “
“The old goat can’t anymore. His powers aren’t as great anymore. His… strengths are only in his mind.”
“You know as well as I, just how dangerous that could be then.”
She gulped audibly, “We should hurry then and say hello to the Sisters and ask for forgiveness.”
“It’s going to be hard with her…”
“Red, you know, she’s changed. She’s accepted her faults.”
“The stories haven’t changed. She’s taken no accountability. She hasn’t learned as much as much she claims. Her following is too strong, and I worry that she is buying into her own lies, and misinformation.”
“Our Lady has forgiven her.”
“She had little choice…”
Hooves and talons sounded against flagstone for what seemed forever before SlipShine muttered, “You still love her…”
“…”
“Redscale… You know, she’s never going to love you back…ever…”
“… this is not what it was…”
The drastic change in subject nearly floored her. Looking about and seeing the buildings, paint peeling and window frames chipping from age, she realized where they were. “Oh. My. Goddesses!! Is this?!”
“Yep… this is where you first sang to me”
Giggling, her shod hoof clacked against his scaled hide, “You know, I was only trying to see if the stories about the size of dragons were true!”
I chuffed a laugh and then sat down, remembering the tune, looking to her “… If I can your bodyguard…”
******* once upon a long, long, LONG time ago ********
Tents surrounded spots were stone and tables were haphazardly spread all about. A castle was going to be built. A grand jewel. Something to unite all the lands and bring an everlasting peace to many people, not just the ponies. At least, that’s what she had wanted. Representation for more than just the three clans. Her youthful ‘short-sightedness’ was the reason why the tables were now being used to record names, not blueprints.
“Redscale. Mountain T’al” The much younger and shorter dragon spoke to a sergeant in a newly formed military.
“A dragon, huh? Glad to have you with us boy, we’re going to need your strength and your fire.”
“Yes, sir.”
“A Dragon?! Nice!” His large yellow pupil swiveled about and spotted a small earth pony with her forehoof held out “Name’s SlipShine! What’s yours?”
“Red.”
“You know, It’s strange that you’re all alone. Do you need a friend?”
“I think you might… what do you want?”
“Hey, hey! I’m only wanting to make things easier for you!”
“I noticed. I saw you as I flew in. I’ll be fine.”
“Hey now, don’t be like that. We could be best buddies, you know…” A slight tinge of piano keys rang out as a nearby flute player blows a few notes, and with a devilish smile she began
A Drac walks down a street
He mutters, ‘why am I soft in the middle now?’
‘why am I so soft while the rest of the world is so hard?’
‘I need a story-opportunity, maybe a shot at redemption’
I guess he doesn’t want to end up alone in a graveyard
Bone digger, Bone digger, dogs in the moonlight
Far away his well-lit shores…
Mr. Beerbelly, Beerbelly, Get those mutts away from he
You know, I don’t find this amusing anymore…
He growls and begins to walk away, with her keeping pace beside him, her song gathering speed and strength as another military band member joins in with a drum and another with a horn
If you’ll be my bodyguard, I can be your long-lost pal
I can call you Biggie, and Biggie, when you call me
You can call me Slip, call me Slip!
A sudden halt and
A mare walks down the street and thinks
‘Why am I short of attention, got a short little span of attention
‘and, wo, my nights are so long…
Where’s your mate and family?
Her turn to growl and thrusted her chest,
Yeah? What if they died here?
Who’ll be my role model, now that my role model
Is gone… GONE?
The pace quickens slightly while the horns dip in time as the Dragon ducks back around an alley, moving about some roly-poly little bat winged girl.
All along, there were accidents and incidents, hints and allegations… but…
IF you’ll be my bodyguard, I can be your long, lost pal!
I can totally call you Biggie! And, Biggie, when you call me,
You can call me Slllliiiiip! Maybe Shine!
They both walk, side by side, moving past other soldiers. Most preparing for a battle they won’t come home from, others they’ll never leave. The band, all the while, moving throughout and gathering more and more into the fold with many picking up drums, strings and other musical tools become even larger.
This Drac walks down the street, a street in a strange world
This place looks like a Third world…
Maybe it’s his first time around?
A nod.
Doesn’t speak the language?
A raised eyebrow and a shake of the head.
He holds no currency, he is a foreign male, and surrounded by the sound
The sooouuund…
Of the ‘cattle’ in the marketplace, these scatteringlings and orphan-ates
Those playing the instruments look about and shrug at one another as she sings on, motioning at herself
He sees angels in the architecture, spinning in their affinity, he says…” motioning at him
“Hey! Uhhh, Hallelujah?”
A Laugh and her hooves wrapping around his middle
If you’ll be my bodyguard, I can be your long, lost pal!
I’ll call you Biggie and you could me Slippie!
Na-na-na-Naaaa … na na nahhh!
The band, now in full swing and swaying in time with the music they’re all playing against one another suddenly halt as a unicorn with a magic amplified lute slide between them all, prompting a solo that leaves all of them silent and blinking at the soloist. Standing and folding back into the rest, the band starts back up as nothing happened and Slip turns to Red.
I can call you Biggie!
I’ll be your bodyguard… but never call me Biggie….
The ponies and some others that he hadn’t noticed, broke out laughing and pats on the back as they departed away from one another. The dragon lowers his head down and speaks frankly to the Earth pony.
“Hi there, my name is Mountain. Redscale is my family name. It’s good to have a friend…”
**** Back in the present****
“And here we are, so many years later, and still best friends.”
The return of same devilish smile as she looks up at him, “I still can’t call you Bigg- “
His right claw claps her muzzle shut, “Nun-huh. You know better.”
Their laughter echoes against the buildings as both friends follow the trail up to the castle, their fate twisted among their memories along with the choices they made.