(Canterlot) Once Upon a Time (Closed)

[PyroBlaze]

Aranak looked over as Yuri questioned where Huscarl had obtained all his books. Where else? The library. Sure enough, the smaller dragon confirmed his suspicion, plus the fact that he had stolen them. Well, he had expected that, so that was no surprise. He looked over as Huscarl spoke to him.

 

"It's a fantasy novel, I don't care about it." He said simply before the smaller dragon continued, requesting to see the hoards of the other two. Aranak gave a hum before turning back to the pile. "We'll see." 

 

He then began looking through the books to see if any were actually interesting. Nope, nope, nope, nope, n- wait... nope, false alarm.

[Zeig]

 

No.

She did not know what the red male meant, really.

Still, Yuri couldn't help but keep her questioning and slightly intrusive gaze on Huscarl, hovering in front of him as if she could somehow coerce all his secrets out by staring hard enough. The red dragon was having none of it though, quickly flying away from her to shift through his vast collection, leaving the white Eastern Dragon to weave in tight, agitated circles near the ceiling of the cave. Though she supposed she should have been grateful, as the male's next inquiry almost had her falling out of the sky in surprise.

And none too little embarrassment.

Yuri let out an absent-minded hum as she trailed behind a pile of books, to hide the sudden rush of color to her face. Surely the male was jesting - she did not even have a dwelling of her own, much less a hoard! She had learned from a very young age how to survive off the land, even spending nights draped amongst tree branches and leaves, and her skills had proven very useful through her travels. But a hoard of her own was difficult to accumulate if she hadn't a place to store it.

But how could Huscarl know? Perhaps all dragons of Equestria accumulated hoards during adolescence, and thus, the red male simply expected her to have one. Aranak certainly did not seemed perturbed at the idea, continually and methodically looking through the books around him - even though he gave no positive or negative answer. That meant the larger male had a hoard, and was simply choosing not to show it right away?

"Yes, yes," Yuri agreed hastily, swooping down to lazily circle around the pile of books Aravak was picking through, "we should see your hoard, Aranak. What is it your collect - is it so vast as this hoard?"

 

[Huscarl]

"Well then, dear friends" Huscarl said, traces of ecstasy still inhabiting his voice. "How about a proposition for our newfound friendship!" He proudly claimed, standing with his chest poked out and both hands held behind his back regally, he sure hoped this gambit would work, making a few friends in this wide, wide world would be handy, and they both seemed to be good dragons... Despite Aranak's hesitation to take to reading...

 

"I suggest, we all give eachother a single gift from each of our personal collections! This way, we'll always have a way to remember one another, wherever that may be in Equestria!" Huscarl suggested, giving a smile to each of the dragons. "I'll be willing to allow you both to take a single item from my horde, no more and no less. Whether that be a book from my pile, or one of the gems you can find throughout my quaint little home". Huscarl proudly claimed, it was logical, right? Well, dragons rarely give gifts to eachother, if any at all... at least from Huscarls knowledge of them, but a pony tradition between friends was the exchanging of gifts, and that seemed to work swimmingly between them. With this suggestion, he'd also have a reason to visit both of their hordes, like if he wanted to pop in to have a chat and a cup of tea from time to time, he could pay them a visit! 

 

It had been such a long, long time since Huscarl had a friend in anybody, let alone any of whom in his own species. Now he was on the verge of gaining two in a single day! "Please you two, help yourself!" he implored both of the dragons.

[PyroBlaze]

Aranak continued digging through the pile despite the fact Huscarl was talking. He was still listening though, so it didn't really matter anyways. Why was every book he picked up so far a different fiction book? He didn't care about some fake world, he cared more about what was in this one. Maybe he should try a different pile.

 

 

Wait... Huscarl wanted them all to give gifts to each other? Aranak looked at him for a moment before shrugging it off. He supposed they would all still have the same amount of stuff in their hoards afterwards.

 

"Hmm..." He responded, looking through a different pile. At least these ones seemed to be more non-fiction. He wasn't sure he wanted to answer Yuri's previous question about his hoard, but he supposed they would all be seeing it anyways.

 

"My hoard is just various things that interested me at the time. A fair amount of it is gems and gold, some jewelry, weapons and armor." He responded, looking over at Yuri to tell her that he was answering her question.

[Zeig]

 

Aranak still seemed disinterested in the book collection - and in all honesty, Yuri was a little as well. She was far more interested in the actual size of the hoard than its contents - but all that was quickly falling to the wayside as her brilliant plan to place attention onto the larger male seemed to have backfired. A cold sweat broke out along her neck, and the white dragon rubbed one claw up and down behind her head, an almost sheepish smile on her face as she struggled not to panic.

What would they do if they found out she had no hoard? Would they cast her out of Equestria? Was it a requirement?!

And even worse, Huscarl was now proposing an exchange of gifts from each of their hoards. Oh, this was absolutely terrible. What could she offer either of them?

"Ah yes, that is most intelligent," the eastern dragon said instead, in response to Aranak;s revelation of his collection. "To be collecting so varied a hoard." Yuri nodded sagely, slinking around to Aranak's other side, even as she cast a furtive glance towards Huscarl. She couldn't help biting down on her lip for a moment, pink eyes searching frantically around the cave as if it might provide all the answers - before they suddenly lit up.

Of course, of course! So simple an answer!

"A most generous offer, my friend," Yuri exclaimed, zooming back upwards to get back into Huscarl's space, idly moving in circles around him. "But I am afraid my…my hoard is being back in Amani. Where I am from," she extrapolated, eyes widening in earnest. "I am traveling through Equestria, you see, to learn and study the pony kind! Very difficult to travel with my hoard." Yuri was rather amazed with her own brilliance, nodding her head along a bit happily as she swirled around the red male.

She spared a brief, mourning thought to his own hoard, though - taking part of another dragon's collection was almost intimate in nature, an item willingly given to keep and stash amongst your own hoard. But still, an exchange was only fair. Perhaps Aranak would instead accept Huscarl's offer for an exchange, while she watched from the sidelines.

 

[Huscarl]

Trying to follow Yuri dance around you in circles was definitely an effective way to get dizzy. Huscarl stopped trying to follow her when he started to feel disorientated, but the next words from her was definitely enough to adjust his vision. "Amani? That sounds very unfamiliar?" he half said while trying to figure out where it could possibly be. It dawned on him, after processing that she referred to the land as 'Equestria'  as a foreigner would, that he would have next to no idea as to it's position on a map.

 

Huscarl leaned upon one of his numerous smaller book piles and began to think, putting one of his claws underneath his chin as he began to scratch his scales in deep thought. So, Yuri wouldn't be able to gift him since her horde is... well nobody really knows other than her to be honest... Thus far, her actions indicate that she fits the mold of a tourist in the land... or a pilgrim who has journeyed many miles in order to learn the ways of a foreign culture.

 

Well, it seemed as if Yuri didn't have a horde to trade with, at least in Equestria...  But considering they had just became friends, something of which Huscarl had never been able to accomplish with any members of his fellow race, he felt inclined to help her out, everything must have felt quite strange and unusual. Leaning off the pile of books, he looked to the floor with a conflicted expression. Aranak seemed fine with the exchange, what was fine and dandy, it seemed as if they'd be heading to his horde after all business in his own lair had been cleared and sorted anyway.

 

 

However, things finally began to click inside Huscarl's head.

 

Was Yuri heading towards Canterlot to visit it? Did she have the audacity to just casually stroll into the main gates and say 'HELLO!' to a large crowd of ponies? She couldn't of had any other destination if she was heading to Canterlot when Huscarl was relaxing in the tree, it was the capital of Equestria! She must have been heading towards it! Heck, if she entered the city, she would have been chased out with pitchforks and flaming torches! Well if this was the case, what was more than likely, she's a fish completely segregated from the water, does she even know how dragons are regarded in this land?

 

"I uh..." Huscarl was finally able to muster "I guess it's just fine if you take a gift. You can return a gift after you've returned back to your home with all your tales of adventure throughout Equestria".

 

After saying it, he felt immediately stupid. Why was he giving a near stranger an item from his horde without getting anything in return? At least for an unspecified amount of time.... He didn't even know where Amani even was! It could be beyond the Badlands for all he knew... Huscarl was quick to follow it up however, quickly twisting over to Aranak's position. "You're not exempt Aranak!" He proclaimed, since Aranak actually had a horde in the vicinity. 

 

He wished he hadn't of even brought it up.... What was he thinking? Now they're both going to laugh at him, leave and never come back. Huscarl covered his eyes with one claw in shame and fear, how could he have been so brazen? He was able to keep it all up to scratch up until this point and now he had ruined it all...

[PyroBlaze]

Aranak gave a hum at Yuri's response about his hoard. While he kept searching through the books, he listened to the conversation behind him between the other two dragons. Amani, huh? Convenient. Whatever, for all he knew it could be the truth. Or she was just hiding the fact that she didn't have a hoard. He wasn't sure which was more likely.

 

And then there was that Yuri was apparently going around greeting ponies. Really? Did she have no idea how most ponies reacted to a dragon? There were exceptions, of course, but the majority seemed to be on the side of panicking. The fact that she was a type of dragon not typical around here would probably just make things worse for her. Not that he really cared, he went into towns all the time. Of course, he actually knew what to expect. He looked at Huscarl evenly as the smaller dragon called to him.

 

"And why did you feel the need to tell me that? I have made no attempts to get out of this little exchange of yours." He said simply before turning back to the books. Eventually, he found a book about military tactics and stuff like that. He gave a little hum before nodding. This one seemed interesting.

[Zeig]

 

Yuri couldn't help brightening at the genuine interest that seemed to be coating Huscarl's voice when he mentioned her home village. Or maybe that was confusion. Either way, the white eastern dragon was more than happy to explain how peaceful and wonderful her home was - despite the initial mistrust the native zebras had placed upon them, and would undoubtedly do so for another pair of stranger dragons - but was momentarily stymied by yet another offer from the red dragon.

And one even more generous than the last, so much so that it took Yuri a moment to actually comprehend his statement. That moment didn't last for long however.

"You are not having jest with me," the white dragon half-questioned, half-reassured herself as she flew straight back into Huscarl's face, despite the fact that he had swerved around to speak to Aranak. "Really and truly, a gift?" The fact that she would probably never be in a position to return a gift from the red male's hoard, or eventually exchange it with something of her own, hardly crossed her mind as Yuri swooped around to circle his shoulder blades, her long neck wrapping him up in a hug as easily as her forelegs and claws did. "I am most grateful!" she exclaimed giddily, squeezing him just a bit, before uncoiling herself with a rustle of wind to swoop back down into the bulk of the hoard.

So many gifts to choose from…where to even begin?! Yuri knew, instinctively, that she wished for a book, for while gems were pretty and shiny and tasted quite wonderful, most dragons boasted hoards of gems. To claim a hoard with such an unusual piece that had been gifted to her, well - as Huscarl said, it would make a fine tale for home.

…But there were just so many! How in Unyasi was a dragon suppose to know which book to take?!

Yuri pondered this problem for a moment, before she noticed Aranak had picked out something from the pile, and seemed to be observing it with more intensity than he had the others. The white dragon didn't hesitate to spiral downwards, stopping short to hover just above the larger red male, attempting to read the book's cover over one shoulder. "And which book have you chosen as the gift, Aranak?"

 

[Huscarl]

Well, that definitely went better than expected.

 

Huscarl removed the claw from his face, a shocked expression claiming it, rather than one of shame. "I'm not kidd-" He tried to say, before being wrapped up by Yuri like an anaconda, what of course, was more than enough to catch him completely off guard, as he was cut off mid sentence. "I uh... Oh..." Huscarl muttered, as Yuri eventually slithered off of him. Sure, it didn't hurt by any means, but he certainly didn't exactly expect that to happen.  Even when she had left to speak to Aranak, he was still remained in the same position, frozen solid as if he was paralyzed. 

 

'How unorthodox' the smaller dragon pondered to himself, as she left to speak to Aranak, feeling an odd gust of wind as she left. Since they was inside his own lair, and the crack in the ceiling allowed no wind to travel into his horde area, it was fairly obvious what the dragon's method of flight was now, fascinating. Even now, Huscarl was still incredibly curious about what exactly makes an Eastern Dragon tick. Perhaps later, he'd summon the courage to ask her more about what seems to be her 'magical' abilities. 

 

But for now, the two lairguests seem to be picking and choosing books, by the looks of things, Aranak has already chosen. "W-Well" Huscarl said, stuttering a little before clearing his throat. "If you want to ask for a genre of book, I do generally keep them in separate areas of my horde here".  "Whether it be fiction, non fiction..."

 

"Oh!" Huscarl quickly said, as it sprang to mind. "I almost forgot! Don't mind the inside cover of the books!" He said, cautiously. The inside cover of the books hosted the name of the library that Huscarl stole them from, while he knew Aranak would most likely understand, he hoped Yuri would as well.

 

"Oh yes, and You-Rae, You're probably going to need to learn more about Equestria before flying directly into Canterlot again..."

[PyroBlaze]

Aranak had already began flipping through the pages of the book he had picked up, humming a bit as he looked through the book. Yeah, this was probably going to be the one that interested him most without another long search through the piles. At least Huscarl apparently had some sort of organization system. 

 

As Yuri came over, he closed the book to show her the title without saying anything, turning his head to look at her as she read over his shoulder. He remained like that for as long as Yuri remained in the position as well, giving a snort as Huscarl said not to mind the inside covers. No doubt they showed where the books had come from. Not that he cared, it's not like his hoard was obtained through legal means either.

 

Huscarl then took it upon himself to tell Yuri about Equestria. Just as well, he didn't really want to do it. He looked over at the smaller male, waiting for him to continue in case there was anything he needed to correct.

[Zeig]

 

Ah, her head would surely be exploding from the many choices she had to choose from!

Yuri let out a low, noncommittal hum as Aranak showed her the book he had chosen, boasting "military tactics and strategies." What exactly these, "military tactics and strategies" were, the eastern dragon hadn't the slightest idea - militaries were some form of force designed to protect the weaker, if she could remember correctly, but Amani had had no need for such a thing, seeing as the most dangerous beings in the area were probably the jellyfish.

Still, the red male was obviously interested in the subject material, and Yuri drifted off slightly to pull out a book at random from the nearby pile, frowning a bit at Huscarl's sudden instruction not to mind the inside cover of the books. Naturally, Yuri opened her book up to discover a string of words and numbers she could read, but made very little sense to her. Ponyville Library…a collection of books, if she was not mistaken. Almost like a bookstore? Yuri nodded a bit to herself, before carefully setting the book back onto the pile and twisting her body in a tight spiral to bring Huscarl back into her line of vision, eyes wide.

"Really?" she questioned guilelessly, uncoiling herself to fly back up towards Huscarl, and onl briefly wondered at the fact that she had done the same thing at least three times now. The male constantly seemed to be moving away. The thought passed quickly however, leaving the white dragon to, once again, hover in front of Huscarl, an inquisitive and bright look on her face.

"Why is that, friend? Surely the capitol city is the best place to learn of Equestria and its pony kind?" she asked, though this time with a bit of wonderment in her voice. Aranak didn't put up a protest at Huscarl's words, so he was probably in agreement with the other male.

 

[Huscarl]

Once again finding himself in a similar situation, it seemed.

 

Yuri asking that question alone was proof that she didn't have much knowledge about Equestria, It's not surprising, nor blamable, she was a foreigner  in the land and unfamiliar with the society that was in place around these parts. Huscarl did notice, that she kept on moving, zipping about his cave with her magical flight ability, not content to stop for anything in Equestria, her snake like body twisting and turning in the air, occasionally coiling for a few moments, to elegantly uncoil. Despite being in the company of her for some time now, it was still fascinating to see her take flight and move in a way that he had never laid eyes upon before.

 

Regardless, Aranak seemed content to with his selection of book, an ancient pony book on military tactics and formations named 'Testudo', if he remembered correctly, it was created by a general a long time ago in order to format pony formation when fighting dragons... An interesting read if he was ever to have the patience to read it all the way through. Yuri still had to make her selection, and by no means was Huscarl going to guess what her selection of book was going to be, she was already hard enough to figure out. 

 

"Well, Canterlot is the capital and where you can learn the most, you are correct... but" Huscarl sighed. "I have no idea where Amani is, but it isn't Equestria, so I'm afraid you're going to have to abide by the customs of this land, and in short, ponies don't like dragons" Huscarl said, as if a teacher to a student. "Of course, some ponies may make the exception, but in general, flying into a city is a big no-no. Alright?" He said, a toothy smile laying claim to his expression. Looking at Yuri as he explained, he had never quite noticed her eyes to this detail before. In contrast to his own eyes, they were wide, round, a strangely appealing pink gaze that soaked up the surroundings like a sponge, prancing about the room voraciously demanding more information, so fitting to Yuri's personality.

 

His own eyes were small, somewhat evil looking, with a silver colour that shined whenever he saw the light. Aranak suffered from the same type of eyes, however they matched the colour of his scales, that being completely red, excluding the iris. 

 

Snapping back into reality, Huscarl looked back at Yuri. "I'll tell you more on the flight to Ananak's horde, after you've chosen your gift, of course!" He said, retaining his sincere smile as he suggests.

 

Huscarl gave a sigh of relief in his mind, reading all those books on friendship paid off! Not all dragons are nasty and horrible, some just have boisterous personalities, full to the brim with pride. All you needed to do was to get familiar with them, flatter them. This definitely was a day to remember!

[PyroBlaze]

Well, Huscarl explained it well enough to Yuri. Aranak looked away from the two as they spoke, giving a bit of a snort as Huscarl finished.

"Then again, you could always just do it anyways and fight off anypony that gets in your way. That's what I tend to do when they won't let me in someplace." He said from his position, not even looking at the two. Really, he just did what he wanted and took care of anyone in his way. What was the point of being a dragon if you were afraid of a few ponies?

"Yes yes, I suppose we could head there after you two are done here." He said after mention of his hoard, looking at the two finally.

[Zeig]

 

 

How strange. This was what one might call a moronic oxen, yes?

Yuri let her pink gaze drift back and forth between the two males, eyebrows furrowed in concentration and a bit of bewilderment. If Huscarl was to be believed, dragons could not and should not fly into pony cities, for ponies did not like dragons. Which was a strange thing to hear in the first place, leaving the white eastern dragon to float a bit sadly towards the grounds, ears falling back onto her head. She had heard that Equestria was the most friendly of places, full of ponies that welcomed one with open arms. Not like many of the areas back in the homeland, jealously and fiercely guarded like gems on a pile.

But if Aranak was the truth teller, than dragons could and should enter pony cities, regardless of their feelings! Fight off ponies that might resist and enter barred gates? But would that not be a terrible thing to inflict on the cities of Equestria?

It was all very confusing, enough that Yuri gave a quick and rather vicious shake of her head, as if a hard enough jolt could set everything in her mind to order.

Eventually, the eastern dragon could only draw on her own intelligence - and her parents had always said, no matter how badly she wanted something, taking by force was a very wrong thing to do. It had to be the same for ponies…right? "Yes," she said faintly, bringing her gaze back towards Huscarl in deference to his explanation, "I understand." Well…her plan to visit the capitol of Equestria had quickly evaporated like the morning mist.

Now what?

Now…now, another dragon hoard, and Yuri felt her ears perk back up as Aranak abruptly agreed to take them to this hoard. Joy! Another chance to lay eyes on a hoard, perhaps obtain some knowledge on their collection! The white dragon immediately lift off from the ground, spiraling in a tight circle to length and weave over towards some nearby piles, eye ridge now furrowed in concentration. Yes…yes first, she wanted - no, needed! - to find her gift. A book, her first collection for her hoard…


And perhaps it was by chance that Yuri flew by a green book sitting rather innocently on top of a smallish pile, causing her to abruptly pull short, long body coiling up behind her from the sudden stop. Yuri paid no mind however, as he grabbed the book from the pile, running a claw gently over the plant picture that rest on the cover, before opening up to the first page. And indeed, more plants greeted her, causing a gleeful smile to spread over her face. She had no idea what sort of plants this book spoke up - normal, magical, rare, pony plants?! - but it would make a fine collectible, nonetheless.

"This!" she exclaimed, and flew back over to Huscarl to shove the book cover almost in his face. "I have chosen this." Yuri lovingly brushed off an imagined piece of dust from the cover, before carefully tucking it under one foreleg to look expectantly at the other two dragons. "Now we are seeing to Aranak's hoard, yes?"

 

 

[Huscarl]

"I'd assume so" Huscarl frowned. It must've been pretty heartbreaking to hear that her trip was essentially ruined due to the fact that her access to the capital was restricted, sadly due to pony societies view on dragons in general. Huscarl felt compelled to give her a hug, as she slumped depressingly closer, and closer to the ground in sadness. However, two things stopped Huscarl, firstly, his confidence was promptly screaming at him not too, and secondly, he didn't exactly know how too. Other than a moment ago, Huscarl had never given or received a hug in his entire life, Yuri's snake like body made it challenging to give a hug to anyway, he didn't even know how he would be able to initiate such an action...

 

However, Yuri was seemingly quick to recover, as she sprung up off the ground within a moment and started prancing about his lair as if she was a pinball. Well, at least the hug dilemma was solved... Now she seemed as if she was over the moon.

 

Huscarl nodded at Aranak, he was right. Dragons did have the physical superiority over ponies, and if Huscarl or Aranak was to use this naturally given strength for example, they could easily terrorize a village of ponies. Aranak, of the two obviously seemed much more 'willing' to use this option.

 

"Ahhh, Yes of course!" Huscarl replied, having the book almost touch his snout. "The Botanic Gardens of Canterlot...". It was a tourist booklet, for ponies when they entered the botanical gardens. It displayed many pictures of the plantlife that's on display. Well, at least Yuri would have a picture book of something from the capital! 

 

"I dare say we're all ready to go" Huscarl mentions, as he flies over to the dimly lit entrance hallway. "Shall we?" he smiles, as he picks up and lights a torch to guide himself and his guests out. 

[PyroBlaze]

Aranak raised an eyebrow at Yuri's excitedness. It was probably for getting to see another hoard, which he supposed was understandable. She didn't seem like the type to take his approach to those getting in the way, but oh well. He wasn't going to force his beliefs onto her. At least not right now he wouldn't be, perhaps another time. He watched as the excited dragon showed off the book she had chosen to it's previous owner before asking if they were heading out.

 

Well, looks like it was time to head home for a bit. He likely would have been going there anyways to drop off the book he was carrying, as he hadn't brought a bag or anything with him. He walked over to Huscarl as the male held a torch and waited. Aranak supposed one torch was enough, so he didn't pick one up himself, standing by as he waited for the group to move out. He remained silent during the walk back out of the cave, stopping outside as he allowed Huscarl some time to close his door and hide the lever again.

 

"Alright, let's go." He said simply after the smaller male had finished, taking to the air without another word as he turned around in the air, getting his bearings before heading off in the direction of his own lair.

[Zeig]

 

 

Yes! Another dragon's hoard to visit!

"Wah-hey!" Yuri exclaimed happily as Huscarl took the lead, following closely by Aranak. She didn't bother with a torch stick this time, simply flying after the light flickering in front of her. Soon the open skies were back, allowing the white dragon to take in a deep breath of fresh air. Although she knew that caves were the preferred homes of many a dragon, she was more used to the outdoors, of draping herself across tree branches or coiling up on a river bank.

Of looking up at the stars, and wondering where the constellation "Draco" hung in the night sky. Or how ponies could envision twisting dragons in only a few starlit dots.

Yuri quickly shook herself out of her thoughts at the sudden gushing of newly flared wings, Aranak launching himself into the air without a word. Her body coiled up underneath to propel her upwards, elongating and spiraling as she easily caught up to the red male. Huscarl too was in the air, leaving the three of them to once again soar the sky.

Briefly, the eastern dragon let her head swivel around in the direction Canterlot lay, smile falling slightly as she remembered the words from both males. "Why then?" she prodded, drifting closer to fly next to Huscarl, who had promised to tell her more about pony kind's aversion to dragons during the flight. There was little else to do when flying, though the sights passing below them oft drew her attention. "Why do ponies view us so unfavorably? Have we given offense?" That was the only conclusion she could draw - dragons were very powerful, and magical. Possibly, some dragons had long ago caused unrest in ponies, leaving them all fearful ever since.

Which was just, not fair. How was she to sample the dumplings of ponies if they were all in fear of her?

 

 

[Huscarl]

After leading the party of dragons out himself. Huscarl promptly pulled the lever to the great metal door leading to his cave, as the metallic door slowly closed shut, the sound of a latch behind the door was enough to satisfy Huscarl about the security of his home, as he slid the boulder to cover the lever and ensure his lair will go untouched until his return. 

 

He looked up at the night sky, the moon standing imperial over all of the land, the stars accompanying it, as they brightened the night sky magnificently. Huscarl wished there were more books describing what laid beyond the sun, the moon and the stars. Was it never ending? Was it infinite? Was there something else entirely?  Just a few more ever present questions that accompanied Huscarl throughout his journey of life. 

 

Aranak was first off the mark, remaining silent, as he took to the sky, followed by Yuri, who had propelled herself from the ledge, and was twisting through the air. Not wanting to be left behind, Huscarl followed suit. The three of them must of looked ominous from any who was to look upwards, three specters of darkness, Phantoms traveling high above the ground. 

 

Huscarl's attention was caught by Yuri, who had asked why ponies have such an anxious and somewhat fearful view of Dragonkind. "Well, you see You-Rae" Huscarl said, once again emulating like a teacher to a student. "There are lots of dragons in Equestria, what I'd assume to be mine, and Aranak's species of dragon are the most commonly found native to this land" Huscarl had to choose his words carefully. "We, are named 'Sky Dragons' by the ponies, there are also 'Water Dragons' what take a more snake-like form... similar to yourself!" Huscarl smiled, as he spoke to Yuri. "However, I don't think they can fly..." He continued getting off track and beginning to ramble, easily forgetting himself and thinking.

 

"Oh!" Huscarl quickly snapped back into reality, realizing he was mid conversation "Sorry! To answer your question. Us Sky Dragons are known to be ruthless, uncaring, greedy and selfish creatures in comparison to other creatures found around the land... and honestly? They aren't wrong in thinking that. If a sky dragon want's something, they'll take it as they please, non-caring of the consequences it may cause for pony families". 

 

The smaller red dragons eyes began to drift away from Yuri's face. 

 

"Many, many, many moons ago... I was a little hatching, and if you aren't the biggest and strongest, like Aranak over there, life can very well be overwhelming" Huscarl frowned "So very overwhelming..." Huscal sighed, as he looked back to Yuri. 

 

"I'm sorry, I'm sure Aranak will testify about our species uncontrollable lust for power and material items, my horde alone was a perfect example!" 

[PyroBlaze]

Aranak flew towards his hoard, his attention divided between finding his way back from an unfamiliar location, and listening to the conversation behind him. That first problem resolved itself as he spotted Canterlot though, giving him a landmark to work off of as he adjusted his course and flew straight towards his lair. It seemed that Huscarl and him were not actually that far apart in terms of location of the hoards, just on opposite sides of Canterlot.

 

"Yes, ponies fear dragons, typically. Probably because of a mix between us being stronger than them and what Huscarl said." The larger male looked back momentarily before turning his gaze back to where he was going. Well, it seemed they were crushing Yuri's dreams of visiting Canterlot... Oh well, it was probably for the best.

[Zeig]

 

 

She wasn't entirely sure what the other dragon was speaking of, but a deaf dragon could hear the threads of distant, painful memories coating Huscarl's voice.

Yuri nodded along thoughtfully to the red male's words, reluctant to speak and break the spell he had woven. She hadn't grown up around other dragons herself, but with her parents and the kind citizens of Unyasi as her only comparison, it was rather difficult imagining a group of similar beings as anything but caring towards one another.

And her suspicions about pony kind's aversion to dragons seemed to be mostly correct. These, 'Sky Dragons' as they were called - and if Huscarl were to be believe, the sort of dragon he and Aranak had been born as - were not the nicest creatures in Equestria, and as such, had been cast out by ponykind as thieves and drifters. How terrible. Yuri knew full well what sort of dazed obsession could fall upon a dragon if their mind arose to it - had experienced it herself a few times, growing up - but to think that Sky Dragons had let their greed grow so uncontrollably that they cast their entire race off as vagabonds to be forever shunned by ponies?

Her world suddenly seemed a lot bigger than just a few moments before.

"I see," she repeated her earlier words, glancing over towards Aranak as he spoke up briefly. Definitely a dragon of few words, but at least he was willing to show them his hoard. The white eastern dragon mulled over everything she had just learned a moment longer, before tearing her pink gaze away from the falling towers of Canterlot and back over towards Huscarl. "But surely ponies are just, or nearly as strong as we?" she questioned abruptly, memories of bedtime stories assaulting her good senses. "In Unyasi, there are tales of fearsome warriors who wield harmonious magics of old, powerful enough to defeat even the most terrible of enemies! Surely a clutch of dragons cannot be so worrisome to all of ponykind?"

 

 

[Huscarl]

Feeling the wind hit his face as he flew, he concentrated in suppressing some rather unsavoury memories what are would be better left forgotten. Now that Yuri was starting to learn about how this society operates, he wondered what her plan would be now... Would she return her village? Heartbroken about her adventure? Would she stay? Braving the cultural norm, try to make a difference?

 

A little later, Yuri piped up again.

 

He grumbled a little as she finished her question, "It's all quite confusing" Huscarl replied, as he tried to put his answer into words. "Sky Dragons aren't a formed unit, we are all prideful and incredibly headstrong, nine times out of ten we work solo, the fact that we are travelling in a three is absolutely incredible!" He said, with a hint of genuine surprise in his voice. "So, Ponies don't really have to worry about a planed attack from us, since we're so disorganised. As for the ponies defences?" He scratched the scales underneath his chin, "Some of the expertly arcane minded ponies can overpower us with spells, and of course, some of the pegasi can fly circles around us... But other than that? The only ones that pose a real threat are the Alicorns, but they're only members of the royal family!"  He considered.

 

"In fact, I believe that an Alicorn could defeat me even when I become fully grown!" He smiled, but then he realised. Is Yuri fully grown? He pondered, as he decided to ask. "You-Rae, at what stage of life would you say you're are presently at?" She seemed to be a teenager, much like Huscarl, but he obviously couldn't be sure. 

 

He looked over to Aranak, his massive bulky body flying in front of him. "How much further?" Huscarl called. He sure was in the mood to return home, as he lead the group as a vanguard.

[PyroBlaze]

Aranak idly listened to the conversation going on behind him as he flew towards his hoard. Really? Yuri seemed to have more faith in ponies than was warranted. Huscarl seemed to mostly set the record straight, at least. He looked back momentarily as the smaller male questioned how far they were from their destination.

"Shouldn't be too much further." He replied simply before turning his gaze to Yuri. "As for what he said, there are ponies that could defeat a dragon, though they are generally few and far between." He added before turning back to look where he was going.

After a bit more flying, they reached the mountains he called home, and he couldn't help but smile a bit as he flew down and landed on a seemingly barren mountain.

"Ostium apertum." He said simply before the other two could catch up. Part of the mountainside opened up, swinging inwards, snow and all. The snow on the slab of rock did not move at all aside from staying with the rock itself as the doorway was opened for them. He glanced at the other two before walking into the cave.

It was a relatively short walk through a tunnel that had just enough light to see by before it opened up into a space that had to be at least as large as Huscarl's had been. There were piles of various things such as armor and weapons, but the majority of the items strewn about were gems and precious metals. There was also various jewelry around among the other items. He flew up to the top of the tallest pile, turning to face his guests as he looked down at them from where he stood.

"Welcome to my hoard!" He said, putting his book down near the top for later.

[Zeig]

 

 

Ah-hah! Yes.

Alicorns.

"I see!" the white dragon repeated yet again, though with much more enthusiasm in her voice as she drifted around to Huscarl's other side. "Yes, we have heard of these - these Alicorns in Unyasi. Mighty warriors, and very rare!" And indeed, legends of the Alicorns had spread even to the most remote parts of Unyasi. Two Alicorns, if she remembered correctly, that have been around for thousands of years. They took on the burden of sun and moon, and defended Equestria against all evils. If the legends were even have true, then it was no wonder the dragons of Equestria left pony kind well and truly alone.

Yuri might have peppered Huscarl with more questions about the Alicorns, since he clearly seemed to be the more knowledgable and well-versed of the two Sky Dragons she was flying with - but his sudden question caught her off guard, causing the eastern dragon to accidentally lose her flight path and bump into Huscarl. "Pardon!" she called hastily, and flew back a little to both regain her movement and consider her words.

Life stage…

"Supposing…" she began slowly, the words forming carefully from her lips. "Supposing I am not a full grown adult of my species…but not a hatchling either!" she amended quickly, lest the two dragons think she a young one newly hatched and not at all fit to be traveling to other dragons' hoards. "I am between transition of new sprout to healthy tree base." What was that word? "Something like a grown sapling?" she hazarded, hoping the analogy would be enough information to answer the dragon's question.

Luckily for her, Aranak suddenly dove away from the two of them, coming to land on a snowy mountain, similar to the one Huscarl had led them too. Surely that meant they were at his base! Yuri quickly followed him down, idly taking note of the stone that had presumably been pushed to the side by the red male, before following him in, eyes easily going wide at the sight that awaited her.

"Magnificent!" she cried, for it was to her eyes - though each treasure meant different to each dragon, gems and jewels she could understand far easier than books. Yuri twined through the air, eyes roving over the precious metals that glinted and glistened from every corner of the cave, along with a few pieces that would have seemed out of place if not for the jewels that glittered from them. The eastern dragon twisted down to one such item, head tilting to the side slightly as she studied it.

For it was rather strange, to her eyes. Long and thin it seemed, and made of some sort of silver metal - though the top of it was golden, and dropping with gems that seemed embedded in it. The sharp looking silver part of it, however, was completely bare, and half hidden in the pile of coins it was propped up in. Mystified, Yuri reached one claw for it, ready to pull the object out of the gold and inspect it further.

[[ OOC : Yuri is reaching for a sword, in case that wasn't very clear! Kinda hard to describe a sword without actually naming it, heh. ]]

 

 

[Huscarl]

Unyasi?!

 

Yuri was from Unyasi?! This was an interesting tid-bit of information. Huscarl had only previously heard the village that Yuri had originated from, but the land of the zebra? That definitely narrowed it down.... intriguing, though he was under the assumption that from many pony maps that Unyasi was in the south, rather than in the east? Regardless, It's no matter, He'd have the time to inquire about it later whe.....

 

Huscarl felt a bump into him, and an awkward pardon as he turned his head to Yuri, listening intently to her explanation of her age. Not an adult or a hatchling... That would either indicate she's an adolescent or a teenager, much like himself, as he once again scratched the scales underneath his chin. "Well, that's an interesting way of putting it..." Huscarl replied, referring to her unique linguistic ability, smiling. "That would either make you older, or younger than me...." Huscarl shrugged "I'm afraid I'm not within the knowledge of my date of birth".

 

While talking to Yuri, Huscarl didn't even realize that Aranak has taken a dive and was already standing upon a snowy peak. The entrance to his lair, already open! with Aranak already strolling in, Yuri quickly following, her flight giddy in excitement as she quickly hoped to lay her eyes on another horde, both disappearing within the tunnel. Huscarl frowned, as he followed suit, diving into the cave in order to catch up. 

 

The tunnel at least, was much more well lit than his own, he didn't hear any leaks of water too, what made Huscarl slightly jealous. But the smaller red dragon swallowed his pride as he looked forward, a yellow reflection from the masses of gold almost blinding him. "Woah..." Huscarl ushered, Aranak's horde definitely had more colour to it. As he walked around some of the piles of objects Aranak had collected within his life. remaining astonished. Golden crowns, scepters, globes, glistening weapons and jewels of any kind. 

 

Well, Aranak had definitely horded a retirement plan for himself.

 

Huscarl picked up an opal embedded crown, and comically placed it upon his head, giggling a little under his breath as he grabbed what seemed to be a royal scepter in his left hand. Looking around the horde, he noticed Yuri carefully examining what seemed to be a sword... a very finely crafted one at that, probably made for an ancient king long, long ago.

 

A playful idea had entered into to his head, an idea he had read in a book once upon a time ago.

 

"You there! Sir knight!" He called to Yuri, flying over to her, assuming the character of a king. "Retrieve the sword from the stone and assume your rightful role as my trusted aide!" he joked, holding back laughter. "Peasant!" He shouted, pointing the scepter at Aranak. "Where is my dinner! You should be working the kitchens! Shoo! Shoooo!" He waved his right hand in disgusted fashion at Aranak, closing his eyes arrogantly, a smug smile creeping upon his face, arms folded. 

 

He sure hoped the two was fans of adventure stories.

[PyroBlaze]

Aranak stood on top of the pile as he watched the two react to his hoard before beginning to look through it. He kept a close eye on the two of them as they searched, making sure they didn't take anything aside from the one item they were allowed due to the agreement. Yuri seemed to be interested in a sword, while Huscarl had placed a crown on his head and picked up a scepter.

Really? He was going to start bossing them around in the middle of another dragon's hoard? Aranak glared down at him, though he decided to simply lay down on the pile instead of going down there.

"No." He stated simply, casting an even gaze down on the two. He was not one for games, especially when said games served no purpose at all.