Equestrian Skies (closed)

[RainbowFoxxy]

The blue dragon's mouth opened in a cavernous yawn. He stretched languidly, his sleepy ears blinking into the newly rising sun. The first light of dawn was always a glorious thing and Rivulet was usually up much earlier than this particular morning. He had worked late last night, putting the finishing touches on a map of Yunasi that he was making. It was a folded three page map, a lovely piece of work to behold. Many details and tiny drawings adorned the work, as much art as it was useful. Now it lay finished on his cartography table. The remains of many candles also lay on the table, their wax spent burning away the night hours as the dragon worked. His nimble claws had worked faithfully with the quill and ink to produce something he could truly be proud of!

He turned in a smooth circle, his gait looking more like gliding than walking as he went into his cave to retrieve his map. He had placed a flat stone right outside his dwelling onto which he now placed the map. Though his magic was not all that great he could preform a few simple spells. One of these was to cast a charm of protection over maps. It made them water proof and resistant to tears and scuffs.

"You are finished. It is time to seal you in place." He nodded solemnly at his work as it rested on the flat stone. The air around him seemed to stir as the dragon's water-like magic flowed about. It moved the fur that covered his spine as if it was suspended in water. Once he had conjured enough magic forth the dragon lifted a claw towards the map. A light breeze flowed forth, fluttering the map slightly. Then it was done. Nothing about the map's appearance changed but it was now protected by a magical safety charm.

--

Soon after casting the spell Rivulet was making ready to leave. He would scout the skies of the land he had come to live in. Though charts and maps of these lands existed there, there was not one of his own creation in their midst. He would make his own map of Equestrian lands. He would put in details as he saw need. One of the first steps in creating to his liking was to learn of those who inhabited the land. That way the map would reflect not only the land but the creatures who lived in it. He knew little of these ponies and wanted greatly to know more.

The blue eastern dragon lifted silently from the cliff at the edge of his dwelling. He carried a home woven sack of supplies on straps over his front legs. The pack rested securely on his back. Inside were his charts, logs, and quills. He would have an adventure of discovery!

An hour later found the dragon flying past the pinnacles of the Solstice Heights and into a land full of interesting ponies!

[Zeig]

 

The trees down below seemed to both merge and separate with one another, reds and oranges and yellows striking distinct chords against each other, then falling away as pesky cliffs and mountains tore them apart. She, personally, didn't mind the mountain range's range, not when the high cliffs ferried in cold winds and lifting breezes, but she could see how a tree might find it particularly annoying.

"I love to sing-a! About the moon-a and the lun-a and the Spring-a. I love to sing-a!"

Although, it wasn't technically spring anymore, Yuri was eighty-five percent sure, and it hadn't been for weeks. The trees had slowly lost their beautiful verdant hue over those weeks to be slowly replaced by a respondent array of bright, and light, colors. It was always a shame to watch those same colors eventually fall away into ugly browns, muted and boring...but, such was the way of the seasons. After all, without a winter there could very well never be a spring.

Unless, it was spring all the time. That, Yuri didn't think she would mind all that much.

For now though, the white eastern dragon was content with her small collection of beautiful leaves that she clutched possessively in her claws, five precisely and meticulously plucked leaves that had no equal in color throughout the entire land, she was sure. One was still a lush green, but the others showcased the autumn season with aplomb, right down to the special leaf that boasted a hybrid mixing of red, orange, and yellow, all at once. What exactly she was going to do with them, Yuri had yet to figure out - but the alchemists back home often dried and preserved plants for their potions. Perhaps she could do the same.

So long as she was careful not to crush the leaves before she had a chance to do those things. It was a delicate process.

Mingling with the ponies was also a delicate process, Yuri had slowly been figuring out. Most were as nice as jellyfish, if not surprised by her swooping about. She, did need to watch the swooping however, as many ponies did not appreciate a dragon flying down at them from a great height.

...Like that fellow over there, at that great height. If she were a pony, she probably wouldn't like that.

...Except she wasn't, and the way its blue body was moving...

Without even considering it, Yuri was spiraling upwards in a tight coil, her wind magic giving her greater speed and a streamlined path as the white dragon shot towards the blue, snake-like creature floating through the sky. It became increasingly clear that it wasn't a snake the closer she got, which only let one, swooping conclusion that had Yuri grinning so wide that her gums hurt.

Just a little.

"Salutations!" the white eastern dragon yelled out in greeting, and came screeching to a halt mid-air lest she collide with the other dragon and tangle their long bodies together. That didn't stop her from stretching once she got her magic under control, ending up slowly spiraling around in a loose circle as her body coiled and loosened within itself. "I had not expected to see another dragon from my homeland in Ponyland!" she exclaimed bluntly, having no qualms bringing her face close to the male's in order to get a better look at him. "Where are you flying to?

 

[RainbowFoxxy]

Rivulet had seen the white form snaking its way through the sky. His eyes bulged as he looked on, trying to see what type of dragon was coming his. Could it really be another from the east? He was certain he was the only one in the land of the ponies. The closer the other dragon got the more assured he became that it really was another of his kind.

 

By the looks of it, a female!

 

It had been a long time since the blue dragon had been able to converse with another eastern. He had run across various other dragons but he considered them crass and harsh of words. For none spoke more softly, or more wisely than those from the east.

 

"Where are you flying to?

 

As she glided about him in slow looping circles, Rivulet felt his heart giddy with excitement. She the fact that she was here, just inches from his face actually, was almost overwhelming to him. Still, he kept his calm. Composure was key. Wasn't that a fact for all from his homelands?

 

He began to loop slowly as well, taking his time to look her over. She was younger than he, though by how many years he could not be sure. The wind magic coursed through his flowing mane as turned his head sideways, considering his words.

 

"Nor had I expected to meet one such as yourself." Something like a smile hovered over his wise features. "No, not in a long while have a seen one of our kind, much less in this land."

 

He nodded up ahead in response to her question. "I am headed out over the lands of the ponies. I am a cartographer. A maker of the finest maps in all the land. I find it of utter importance to study the ways and cultures of those in the lands I map out. It adds the depth and character to my creations... it makes them..." He looped a large loop.

 

"...come to life!"

 

He flew for a while, his body undulating effortlessly through the skies. His flight was different from before now that there was another in his company. "I would like to meet some of these ponies but it appears I have met you first." He smiled again, his face very close to hers once more.

 

"I am called Rivulet. What may I call you?"

[Zeig]

 

Joy!

Watching the flight of the eastern dragon did wonders for Yuri's spirits - high enough to being with, they threatened to soar into the sky as freely as the blue male himself moved. Certainly, there were times she would be flying and glance over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of her body as it swiveled and curled behind her, but it was not nearly the same as watching another dragon make the same movements. The sight of his long, slender body coiling and unraveling as he moved through the air was both so foreign and familiar, that Yuri felt an unusual spike of longing fill her, thinking of her parents back in Unyasi.

She wondered if they were off flying along the beaches, as they always did this time of year.

But that was then and this was now, and the white dragon smiled happily at the other, completely at ease with the lack of distance between their faces. "I am Yuri!" she exclaimed cheerfully, and deigned spelling out the pronunciation. He was an eastern dragon, of course he would know how her name was spelled! "That is what you may call me. And I am glad, for you have met me first!"

As exciting as it was to speak to another eastern dragon, Rivulet's words were what really whipped Yuri into a frenzy, causing her to once again break into a free-flying loop around and with the other, unable to contain her excitement. "Yes yes! I, too, am wishing to meet the pony kin! They are so fascinating," she confided in the other, finally tearing her gaze away to look down upon the mountain they hovered over, as if a pony might be wandering around underneath them.

"The elder striped ponies told many stories about the ones across the sea - that they have a magic far beyond any spell or potion that can be crafted," Yuri extrapolated, wonder and awe clear in her voice as she drifted a bit from the sky, as if she were unconsciously lowering herself towards ground level. "It is why I traveled many leagues from home to come here - to meet the ponies!"

It was no wonder Rivulet wished to meet ponies, too, for his...mapmaking. What had he called it? Cartoegraf? Though a sudden thought struck Yuri, making her visibly wilt a little. Rivulet wished to record the beautiful lands they flew over, and meet the ponies that lived in them...was he planning on leaving now? He had obviously been mid-flight somewhere, perhaps to some wonderful location he meant to record on his maps...had she interrupted? Did he need to leave?

Was she going to be left alone?

...Wait.

"Idea!" Yuri exclaimed suddenly, zooming back up into the blue male's face in her excitement. "I can come with! We can meet the ponies together - and you can draw your maps along the way yes? Two heads are better than one," the white dragon reasoned, though what exactly she was reasoning, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that being with someone else was much more fun than being alone, and if he wanted to meet the ponies, and she wanted to meet the ponies, then...

What was that pony phrase? They would be like two peas in a blanket!

 

[RainbowFoxxy]

The body of the blue dragon twisted and coiled as he snaked onward through the sky. Sometimes dropping in altitude, sometimes gaining height. So interested he was in this other of his kind that flying had become an afterthought if indeed a thought at all. The two looped loops as they conversed, Rivulet feeling as if he had known the white dragon for all his life. 

 

"I can come with! We can meet the ponies together - and you can draw your maps along the way yes? Two heads are better than one,"

 

Yuri spoke close to his face and his eyes widened. He had just been expecting that she would come along with him. No need for her to ask, dragons of their kind in this strange land were better off being together, or at least that was what Rivulet had already come to the conclusion of. She need not ask, they were already flying together.

 

"Yes, that is a good idea." He spiraled down, his body carried by the every flowing magic that exuded from his being. Then he shot back upwards, twisting his way towards the sun in pure enjoyment of these past few moments. He very much wished them to continue. "We are already flying together Yuri, no need to stop now."

 

In his mind it really was as simple as that. Came flew closer, backing through the air as he spoke to her. "Yes, let us meet the ponies together. Perhaps we could find some there?" He pointed with a claw towards the pinnacles on the horizon.  "I have heard of that place, it is called..." Sometimes pony words did not come so easily to him. "Canterlot." There, he had said it correctly.

 

The dragon beamed with pleasure as he flew on, headed with his new friend to meet the ponies.

[Zeig]

 

Additional joy!

Yuri nodded her head furiously, as if she hadn't at all been worried about being left behind and alone, oh no. Rivulet himself seemed to take in all in glide, never questioning her welcome along his trail, which was somewhat a surprise in an of itself. All the ponies she had met so far had been nice and welcoming, unquestioningly, but there was still that awkward...surprise?...at a dragon inviting herself along their path. She hadn't been scorned, not at all, but neither had they been so immediately willing.

Perhaps he simply felt more comfortable with a dragon to take her request as a certainty. Aranak and Huscurl, too, had done much the same, now that Yuri thought of it. It was as her mother said, truly. Dragons of a scale, fly like a pale...wind.

Or...yes. Yes, that was it.

A familiar word had Yuri breaking out of her thoughts of half-forgotten sayings however, causing her head to perk upwards much like a hound as she followed Rivulet's pointed claw. "Canterlot!" she exclaimed, body twisting in excitement. "Yes, I am hearing of Canterlot! It is the royal city of the ponies, and ruled by beautiful and powerful ponies. Many centuries ago, they could not decide whether they wanted a pointed horn or feathery wings, so they took both!" The white dragon pursed her lips slightly, before shrugging. "Or so I've heard. I believe I would be choosing the third horn, myself."

Perhaps they would have a chance to meet with these powerful ponies themselves! Oh, that would be wondrous. Yuri could hardly contain her glee as the shining pinnacles of the royal pony city drew ever closer, pink eyes scanning the myriad towers in her sights. Eventually, a very large one with a wide opening caught her attention, causing her to flap one claw in Rivulet's direction. "Here!" she called out, before started her descent onto smooth stone.

Or at least, it looked like stone...very shiny and white. But...it, felt nothing like stone, it was too smooth. Yuri clacked her claws hesitantly against its surface, before looking towards Rivulet with a smile. "These are the balconies," she confided to him knowingly, with a sage nod of her head. "The wing ponies use them to fly into and out of their homes."

...Though, it would probably be more effective without this barrier in the way. Yuri hesitantly brought one claw up against the surface that was separating the two of them from the homely looking interior she could see from her position, a frown on her features.

How were they suppose to meet the pony kind now?

 

[Blueblood]

It was just that time in the morning when Prince Blueblood enjoyed his second cup of coffee.  Breakfast was some time ago, and the business of beginning the day, catching up with the news and correspondence, had been gotten over with.  Soon, more weighty matters would have to be tackled, which required a further fortification of caffeine.  Today, it would be engineer's reports of train performance in Stalliongrad, and what means they used to deal with the unfaustly cold.  The stallion was already shivering in memory of his last visit that far north.  *Thank Celestia it's not winter yet down here.*

 

Given how nice the day was turning out to be, in fact, Blueblood decided to have his mid-morning cup out on the balcony.  Telling the maids to bring the carafe out when the fine Mexicolt blend was finished brewing, he trotted up the palace stairs to the balcony, only to be suddenly confronted by a dragon staring in through the Prench windows!

 

"Agh!  Guards, there's a dragon outside!"  The Prince shouted in alarm, before taking a second look outside.  "Two Dragons!"  He called out again, higher-pitched this time.  Hardly dignified, but then again, Yuri and Rivulet had caught the unicorn at a disadvantage.  Possibly, if he'd already had his coffee, Blueblood would have handled the situation with more calm and insight....

[RainbowFoxxy]

Rivulet had been looking in through one of the windows when Blueblood came out towards the balcony. As the stallion shrieked out the dragon took a few steps back, his claws clacking on the balcony surface. He eyed Yuri for a moment.

 

"I have not had many meetings with the ponies," He turned his purple gaze back to the stallion. "But perhaps we have not made the best meeting with this one?"

 

The blue dragon decided if they were going to meet ponies he should try to interact with this one. The stallion seemed upset and so Rivulet put on his most unassuming position. He came closer to the windows and hooked a claw around one of them. He swung it gently outward and then slowly held out his claws.

 

"Greetings pony...I am called Rivulet and this is my companion Yuri," He motioned his claw towards Yuri and continued with his reedy way of speaking. "We are but travelers of your lands, hoping to learn of the life of the ponies. You are a pony, perhaps we can learn of you?"

 

As often occurred Rivulet's wind magic was swirling about his body. It did so often when he was interested in something, causing his blue mane to swirl about.

[Zeig]

 

Screaming was not good...yes?

No.

Yuri couldn't help the reflexive recoil of her body at the sudden yelling, ears falling back onto her head in alarm as the white pony inside the glass shouted aloud to some, presumably, distant ponies. She didn't miss Rivulet's statement either, causing a worried furrow to appear on her forehead. Yes...perhaps this hadn't been the best meet and greet...but where else should they have landed to meet the ponykind? On the ground, far removed from this pony who was so much closer on the balcony? Pah! Seemed very silly, to her!

Rivulet was handling the screaming pony much better than her, however - which was to say, the other dragon was taking some action while she was gawping through the glass. It seemed but a clever twist of his class that had the glass swinging open so that they had a clearer view of the pretty white pony, a view Yuri wasted no time indulging in as she slithered further inside next to Rivulet.

"Yes, learning!" the white eastern dragon added earnestly, head bobbing furiously along with the other dragon's words. "Much learning. There is much we are desiring to learn from ponies!" Excitement once again rising, Yuri couldn't help but rise into the air to glide further into the room, her slender and serpentine body easily swirling around both the chamber and pony as if she were simply swimming.

They felt rather strange, these huts did...undoubtedly smaller than the ones she and her family lived within, back in Unyasi...but much larger than the zebra huts. And much more shiny than either of them. With just one simple passer-by, Yuri could count at least five surfaces upon which she could see her reflection, like so many sparkling seashells along the seabed. It was only enough to send her into gleeful shivers, right there on the shining floor.

But there were much more interesting things than not-seashells to be looking at.

"For instance - this!" Yuri exclaimed, floating close to the white pony to point one claw towards the cloth he had wrapped around his neck - wrapped in a very peculiar shape. She knew some zebras wore jewelry, large golden chains around their necks and dangling from their ears and hooves...but this looked nothing like them, black and dull. "You are not the first pony I have seen with these, cloths," the white eastern dragon extrapolated, and resisted the temptation to run her claws over the material.

For now.

 

[Blueblood]

Blueblood stood paralyzed as Rivulet opened the balcony door as casually as if it were his own.  His limbs were stiff, refusing to move as the dragon opened his mouth and... introduced himself?

 

Once the initial shock had worn off, the polite tones of the sinuous blue dragon began to impress themselves upon Prince Blueblood's mind.  Specifically, they impressed upon the pony the unlikeliness of an immediate future in which he was eaten.  He felt a little foolish, therefore, about his initial outburst, but there was still a wariness in his eyes as he regarded the two dragons that had entered the room.  "Well, ahem... greetings, then, travelers."  He bowed slightly to Rivulet and Yuri, trying to past over his panic with formal manners.  "I am Prince Blueblood, of Canterlot."

 

He sipped his coffee, only slightly spilt by his jolt, as he tried to get straight in his head what the pair's business was.  "So... are you foreign exchange students, cultural ambassadors... or just tourists?"  Blueblood said the last with the slight weariness that everypony who lives in a famous place eventually feels about the hordes of trippers that periodically descend upon their home.  It's like bad weather, except you can't do anything about it.  It was a hard answer to determine from their behavior; Rivulet was polite enough, but Yuri seemed to have little sense of personal space.  He backed off a step or two as he pointed at his cravat.

"Hm, what?  Oh, yes.  Cravats are rather in style this year; many of mine are styled like shirtfronts, though, so I've had to get them replaced.  Honestly, I'm a little glad of that.  They looked quite silly."  It never occurred to him that about half the nouns he was using might be total gibberish to a dragon, though he did note that neither of them seemed to be wearing anything.

[RainbowFoxxy]

Rivulet took a few steps closer as his friend examined the pony. From what he knew it was not proper to come as close to ponies as dragons might come to each other upon first meeting. They preferred to keep a distance between them. The blue dragon had always found this a bit odd. How was one to be caught in the flow of another if the two did not move close together? And still, the ponies seemed to share bonds with each other. Perhaps something like what eastern dragons could share?

 

"Prince Blue...blood?" Rivulet cocked his head to one side as he tried to understand the name. The words felt odd on his tongue so he spoke them again. "Prince Blueblood." Why would a pony name themselves after blood? Very odd indeed. The dragon reached into his traveling bag and pulled out a stylus and a scrap of parchment. He scratched down a note and spoke in his reedy tone.

 

"The dragons of the east and ponies have not not much interaction. Please forgive our ways if they do not match your customs." He took a curious glance as Blueblood sipped his coffee. The smell coming from the cup was anything but inviting.

 

"We are wanderers, travelers in your lands. You are a Prince. What does a prince of ponies occupy himself with?"

 

The two dragon bodies took up much space in the room as their air magic made their manes move about. It would be an overwhelming situation for most though Rivulet took no notice. The space was adequate for dragons after all.

[Zeig]

 

The shiny white stallion was being very informative about the piece of cloth wrapped around his neck in a funny little bow, but for the life of her Yuri could not understand what he was saying. And not from lack of intelligence or familiarity either, no.

She had simply stopped paying attention.

"Prince," the white eastern dragon breathed softly, so soft that she doubted the two conversing creatures had heard her. And she knew, really she did, that it was quite rude of her not to be paying attention when this Prince, Blueblood, had so kindly taken the time to explain his strange fashions to her. But Yuri simply could not help herself, so fixated on the word that the cavern roof might have fallen on her head and she wouldn't have taken any notice, and she was only vaguely hoping that her eyes weren't glinting like opals caught in starlight.

Such a glint in the eyes, so she had been told, was not a very comforting visual for a pony to behold.

"Yes, please tell us," Yuri was quick to continue with her companion's question, finally landing so that her claws were against the floor even as her long neck stayed stretched towards the white stallion. "There are others like you, yes? Though," here Yuri gave way to pause, pulling back slightly to stretch her neck around the pony's head to view his back, "you are not having wings? The Princes and Princesses of your fair land have both wings and the horn, yes?" That was what she had heard anyways - what made them special.

That, and their ability to fight off evil with just the power of their relationships and minds, of course.

 

[Blueblood]

While Prince Blueblood was still unclear as to whether the two dragons were ambassadors or tourists, he was reasonably certain that this was not in any way a formal visit.  Of course, this could simply be the formal way of going about things, according to dragon etiquette, but the Prince couldn't detect the sort of gravity (others would say pomposity) of manner that such events usually foist upon dignitaries.  It was hard for him to detect anything, in fact, other than the rather overwhelming presence of two dragons in the room...

 

*Sip*  But no need to let on that one's nerves were still shaken.  They were guests, of course, and in any case, they seemed receptive to a few points on manners for next time.  "I do wish you had sent some sort of notice ahead that you were coming; we like to provide welcome for travelers from a far place, but that's difficult to do on such short notice!  Er, which reminds me, have you had breakfast yet?"  He hoped so; the kitchen staff would not be pleased with the pony who told them that they were working extra hours to feed two draconic appetites.  If eastern dragons even ate pony food; didn't dragons eat rocks, or something?  No, gems, that was it.  Well, plenty of those around the palace.  Maybe Auntie Celestia wouldn't miss them...

 

"We are wanderers, travelers in your lands. You are a Prince. What does a prince of ponies occupy himself with?"

 

Ah, nice conversation piece.  A little more at his ease, Blueblood opened his mouth, and-

 

"There are others like you, yes? Though, you are not having wings? The Princes and Princesses of your fair land have both wings and the horn, yes?"

 

Oof.  Right in the insecurities.  It took a little more effort to swallow down and hide his wince, but the Prince managed to keep a steady, friendly tone as he replied.  "Well, mostly, yes.  We're not born with them both; we earn them after performing some great work or taking on some great stewardship of magic."  Which, of course, begged the question of why he alone hadn't achieved alicorn status, but he anticipated the question.  "Actually, that's what do these days.  I work towards earning my wings.  Right now, I'm trying to do so by assisting other lands in eliminating scarcity, and thus conflict, in the hopes that no more wars break out in their country... or ours, for that matter."

[RainbowFoxxy]

The blue dragon listened intently as the white pony went about answering his questions and those of his traveling companion. Rivulet took to the air as he listened as he often did. The dragon it more comfortable and allowed him the ease of focus when his claws were lifted slightly off the floor. He crossed his front claws in what he interpreted to be a polite manner as the prince speculated on the status of his soon coming wings. It was too bad the ponies needed wings to fly, all that flapping and such. The wind magic swirled about Rivulet as he continued to hover.

 

Rivulet nodded silently at the mention of breakfast. His kind dined on only dew drops for the far off eastern mountains and only once a year at most. He could not be sure of the consumption habits of the creatures from Yuri's section of the east, as of yet neither of them had mentioned the subject.

 

Right now, I'm trying to do so by assisting other lands in eliminating scarcity, and thus conflict, in the hopes that no more wars break out in their country... or ours, for that matter.

 

"Ah, you are an am-bassa-dor then?" Rivulet found his way around the word. Some phrases were a bit difficult in pony dialect. A similar word did exist in eastern dragon tongue so the meaning was not foreign. "You visit these lands and bring them what is needed. Truly, you are a generous Prince!" Rivulet came closer as he spoke his praise. Why not get very close when giving good words to another?

[Zeig]

 

Yuri could not have been more awed if she tried.

Instead, she settled on staring nearly bug-eyed at the shiny white pony, transfixed upon every word that was uttered from his perfectly shaped pony mouth. She was learning so much in so little time that it was altering everything she knew about pony royalty, and subsequently shaking her entire world up.

Or, it would have, if her claws had been firmly planted on the floor.

They weren't however, which was lucky for the eastern dragon because she would have had a worse time processing everything with the floor shaking beneath her claws. The royal ponies were not born with wings and the horn...they earned them! By saving kingdoms and rescuing damsel dragons in distress! Er wait, no, the story involved a shining white pony saving another shining white pony from atop a terrible dragon's hoard...but that wasn't the point!

The point was, that unlike dragons who simply accumulated fame and fortune by the size of their treasure hoard, ponies had to earn their acclaim. And not by collecting a few opals here and there, oh no! Instead they...they...

"Wow," the white eastern dragon whispered, claws held over his snout in awe, "you are bringing peace to the pony lands, and all lands? Amazing!" Amani, and Unyasi at large, had been a peaceful, tranquil place, but even Yuri was not blind to the fact that other lands suffered far worse fates. And this shiny pony was diligently working to cease such travesties..."You will be getting the wings, surely, for such nobility!"

Well, what did she expect, truly? She'd already heard great tales of the pony royalty, but to hear it now, from one of the royalty itself, was...well.

'As the ponies say - awesome!'

So gleeful was Yuri over her newfound information that she didn't even register an offer of breakfast, hungry for something more than sustenance. "How do you, assist, these other lands, then?" she questioned, long body sliding around to corner the pony in opposite of Rivulet. "Do you travel to them? But you cannot fly their without the wings, which you are getting but do not yet have. Oh! You fly there on giant metal dragons, yes?" Yuri answered her own question, remembering the large contraption she had accidentally-on-purpose hitched a ride on for his mistaken travel into the lands of the Car-a-boo. And she also remembered how several ponies had poured forth from its belly, like molten lava from a volcano.

Colorful, pastel colored lava, so shiny and pretty. Just like the pony in front of her, and Yuri couldn't help giving into the urge she'd had right from the start, gently running a claw along the shiny pony's neck.

So soft.

 

[Blueblood]

"Ah, you are an am-bassa-dor then?  You visit these lands and bring them what is needed. Truly, you are a generous Prince!"

 

"Well, I suppose you could say that, yes."  The Prince demurred; he was particular about titles, and that was one which he was technically not qualified to claim.  Official Equestrian Ambassadors had to be approved by either of the Diarchs.  On the other hand, what he actually did would not be all that different, and explaining how names could be different, but not the things themselves would likely be a waste of time.  Especially when trying to communicate the distinction to a foreign culture.  You had to pick your diplomatic battles.

 

"You are bringing peace to the pony lands, and all lands? Amazing!  You will be getting the wings, surely, for such nobility!"

 

"Here's hoping, in any case, hehe."  Blueblood was trying to be as subtle as possible in his retreat, but he was getting pretty close to the wall by this point.  Not that it wasn't nice to be flattered by polite foreign dragons, far from it!  But still, having the long, sinuous creatures loom over him so still unsettled his subconscious mind, not to mention the fact that being so close was hardly considered good manners for those who had just met this morning!  *Steady on, old chap, different cultures and all that.  Think of this as a... preliminary exam.  Need to get on with all sorts, after all.*

 

Taking a breath, he began to answer Yuri's questions on transport.  "Well, we call them airships; they're flying vessels.  Mind you, I prefer sea travel myself; I'm something of an accomplished sailor, actually.  But, when a pony needs to get somewhere fast- NYEIGH-eigh-eigh-eigh!"  The sudden, unexpected touch from the dragoness caused Blueblood to rear up and whinny, dropping his cup with a crash upon the floor.  He might have actually overbalanced had he not hit the back of his head against the wall, coming back down on all fours with bump.

 

"Ow, ah... that's, um, a sensitive spot."  Blueblood offered the explanation tentatively, as he gingerly prodded the back of his head and smoothed down the nape of his neck.  It was true, though; that was the spot that was usually only nuzzled by close friends or lovers.  Personal space encroachments were one thing, but a stallion had to draw the line somewhere!

[RainbowFoxxy]

As the prince reared up and let loose a whinny Rivulet's eyes bulged and his fur seemed to stand out on end around his face. The blue dragon backed off just a bit, wondering why what Yuri had done had merited such a response. In eastern dragon culture having one's mane groomed by another was not uncommon. He was unsure of what the issue of a traditional pony noise meant but it looked as though the prince had been startled.

 

"You must excuse us prince Blue...blood. Myself and my companion are overcome with wonder at learning of you and your princely pursuits." As he spoke Rivulet's eyes returned to normal and his wind magic stirred softly. "It is difficult to restrain the inquisitive nature of the eastern dragon."

 

Rivulet tried to steer the topic back to comfortable conversation. The prince seemed to enjoy talking of his pursuits and so he continued the subject. "Airships? Vessels that fly?" Rivulet allowed the thought to sink in. "Those from my lands travel by wing or magic.  We have no need to flying ships." His eyes lit up. "Would we be able to see these airships you fly in? Who controls them? How do these ships fly?"

[Zeig]

 

They could not have timed it better had they rehearsed beforeclaw.

As it was, Yuri couldn't help the sudden convulsing spasm of her body as the shiny white pony let out the most ferocious of yelps, dropping his cup and flinging backwards as if he'd been burned. For her part, the white eastern dragon veered backwards the same way Rivulet did, ears dropped low on her head in alarm as she clutched her claws to her neck, wide-eyed. To her further mortification, an embarrassed flush was rapidly making its way up the back of her neck, and if the ground could, just open up and swallow her whole, she would be fine with it, perhaps.

'Oh no oh no. Okaasan will be belting my hide when she is hearing of this!'

Her first thought was, naturally, a fear that she had unintentionally cut the pony's shiny neck with her claws. While her own weren't particularly sharp or deadly, it was so, so easy to forget that the pony kind did not have scales, only soft fur and fragile skin. Despite the various ponies she had met - and the hundreds more she'd yet to meet! - Yuri was still not used to the differences between pony and dragon, and it showed.

The Zebras back home had not minded at all, but perhaps their fur was coarser, more resilient than these Equestrian ponies? Wild winters and rough living would harden a coat much better than these beautiful, but sheltered structures.

Deep in her own shame as she was, Yuri could only hunch miserably into herself as she silently thanked Rivulet's continued speech, taking any pressure she might have felt off of her and onto him. But even the dismal thoughts spiraling around her head were not enough to fully distract the eastern dragon, and despite herself, Yuri couldn't help but perk upwards at the blue dragon's questions, sparked by the white pony's own answers.

'Airships! So, that's what it was!'

Yuri knew what ships were, of course - but an airship? A ship that flew in the sky like a large metal dragon? If she hadn't seen - and ridden! - one herself, she might have been hard pressed to believe such an idea. Ponies were such clever creatures!

Clever, and very, very sensitive. After just a small moment's hesitation, Yuri craned her body low to veritably slink across the ground, attempting to carefully pick up the smashed cup pieces in an effort to make up her egregious error. She made sure to keep her head low and submissive, craned upwards at an awkward angle, to show her repentance, though she still couldn't help the furious nodding she did along with Rivulet's questions.

She was only dragon, after all!

 

[Blueblood]

The whole situation had gone from genial to awkward in the space of a moment, and the Prince, ever sensitive to social cues, felt almost as embarrassed as his dragon guests at the sudden change in atmosphere.  Being a Canterlot gentlecolt, however, he was better at concealing his feelings.  And, what was more important, being a pony now making a serious attempt to become something half-decent in the stallion line, he went so far as to venture an apology and an explanation.  "I'm... sorry, it's just... I'm not really used to being touched."  That was more of a personal/royal idiosyncrasy of Blueblood than a general equine trait, though.

 

He was, in any case, relieved at a chance to change the subject, which occurred as Rivulet brought up the subject of airships.  "Oh, there's a dock in Canterlot if you want to go an see them.  I'm afraid I'm not familiar with their inner workings much, but I do have a friend that builds his own.  In fact..."  He magically reached into the pocket of his dressing gown, bringing out a courier's note.  "He actually wanted to see me today.  Stop by his workshop to meet his helpers, it seems.  Well, I don't suppose he'd mind if I brought a few foreign guests, right?"  He smiled at Yuri and Rivulet, hoping to pick the mood back up to it's previous level.

[RainbowFoxxy]

An invitation to meet a pony who built airships? That sounded like a true learning experience to the blue dragon. His eyes lite up in anticipation and he hovered an inch or two closer to Blueblood as the stallion finished asking if they would like to join him.

 

"To meet one who builds airships would be...extraordinary!" The dragons magic flowed about him intensely, causing his mane to almost stand out on end. "We could learn so much from your friend and his helpers!" Rivulet sucked in a breath and quell his words and also allowed himself to move back a little. He would need to get used to the customs of the ponies if it indeed was his wish to befriend them. 

 

"Thank you for your invitation Blueblood. We would very much enjoy attending you to visit your friend." His eyes widened again which for Rivulet was equivalent with a smile. The gesture really looked nothing like a smile and very well could be interpreted as disturbing to others not of his kind. These thoughts did not enter his mind. The blue dragon had a lot to learn about pony culture.

 

"You must excuse us for before..." He was hesitant to bring up what had just happened. it seemed Blueblood wanted to move on from it, however Rivulet felt it best to apologize once more. "We are unused to pony ways and customs." He turned towards Yuri for a moment and then back to Blueblood. "We are as it seems...very eager learners."

[Zeig]

 

Her resolution to remain at a respectable distance would last this time, yes.

But it was really, really hard to keep it, when all she wished to do was give the stallion a giant hug worthy of such an noble pony!

"Huzzah!" Yuri crowed, her entire body lifting into the air with her claws spread akimbo, much like she had seen ponies jump into the air and spread their limbs with joy. As it was, she took up much, much more space than a pony, resembling more of a loosely twined pretzel snack, but the white eastern dragon didn't care much for that. All she cared about was the fact that her little blunder hadn't made the shiny white pony turn them away in a huff, could take them to see these airships being built, and best of all, was willing to lead them onwards to meet some new ponies.

And her Okaasan would never need to hear of it. Ever.

"Yes, we are much sorry!" the white dragon was quick to agree with her blue companion, her entire body beginning to twine around the white stallion like a giant snake, "please forgive us, we will not be touching you again!" More ponies, more ponies! Meeting more ponies!

With her body almost fully wrapped around the shiny pony, Yuri's front claws came up to grab the stallion 'round his middle, veritably squeezing the Prince to her belly as if he were an oversized plush - he was certainly as soft as one! Her long, lithe neck downwards to press her face almost against the pony's, mindful of his long horn as she stared deeply into his pretty blue eyes, smile pulling her snout so wide it felt liable to rip at any second.

"We go now, yes?"

Yes!

It took little to no thought at all to untwine her body, though she still kept a firm grip on the shiny pony, and the same amount of effort had her circling the ceiling of the room once, twice - before a gush of wind followed her flight to the open balcony and back into the sky, her prize clutched between her claws. Though, she briefly remembered that being carried in such a way was quite uncomfortable for the pony, and with a little toss, the stallion was sent upwards into the air while Yuri moved underneath him, timing her flight so that he landed near her head, within easy reach of her horns to hold onto.

...Though why the ponies she'd met felt more comfortable holding onto her horns, Yuri did not know. She'd always loved riding on her father's tail end, being whipped back and forth by the natural twisting and spiraling movement eastern dragons had.

"To the dock of Canterlot!" Yuri cried, head swiveling back and forth over the city sprawled beneath her - before glancing towards Rivulet, both to make sure her blue companion was there and to ask a much needed question. "Where, is the dock of Canterlot?"

 

[Blueblood]

It was not only dragons that used the widening of the eyes to express emotion.  It had often been observed that the irises of ponies would seriously dilate when some surprising or amazing thing was set before them.  Blueblood, therefore, was not really disturbed by Rivulet's expression, though he was rather bemused at how easily the dragon was amazed.  "I see that you are rather eager.  I suppose you haven't gone out much-  YIEE!"

 

The Prince's question, and resumed calm, was suddenly broken off by Yuri's enthusiasm.  Or rather, not so much by her enthusiasm as her bodily seizing him and launching into the air!  Not exactly having a head for heights under the best of circumstances, the unicorn found himself too paralyzed with shock and fear to protest until the young dragon was well and truly airborne.  At that point, struggling for freedom would be a severely bad idea, given the drop that he now saw below him.

 

Words caught in his throat as Yuri tossed him onto her back, and by instinct Blueblood grabbed her horns to steady himself.  "I'm not good with heights..."  He practically whimpered, before clearing his throat and assuming a weak smile.  Ambassador, don't forget.  Can't let a little fear get in the way of cultural rapprochement.

 

"Er, ahem..."  He swallowed dryly, cautiously extending a hoof in towards the outskirts of the city.  "See that tower, where the stone shelf meets the mountain?  That's the docks.  My friend's workshop is the brick building a little way's down from the base."  He began to wonder, now, what Java would actually think about suddenly bringing two dragons upon his doorstep.  Remembering all the surprises that pony had sprung upon him, however, the Prince figured turnabout was fair play.  At least, if he managed to divide their attention, maybe he'd get some personal space back...

[moonshineTheleocat]

The dock to the engineering lab the prince had mentioned was sitting on the side of a mountain range adjacent to the main city of Canterlot. It overlooked a large and open valley where Airships maneuvered carefully into the designated docks to unload their cargo, or for maintenance.

 

Java was standing outside. His hooves on the railing as he just stares out into the open sky with a wistful expression. The skies were nice and clear. The wind was blowing freely. And the sun was smiling down to equestrian with it’s warm rays. Days like these… he takes an extended break to just day dream. Dream about what it would be like to have wings. Defy the power of gravity and fly up high in the sky with the birds and dragons.

Wait dragons?

The stallion blinked. His body leaned over the bar with his eyes squinting to get a better look at the two creatures. Yup… definitely dragons. Oh… and some handsome pony on one of their backs. Wait… is that the prince?

Java grinned as he saw them come closer. Oh… now this is just awesome.

[RainbowFoxxy]

Rivulet launched into the air right along with Yuri. His eyes bulged with excitement as she flung the prince up onto her head and he swirled around her as they flew.

 

"The docking station!" He called out as they flew forward towards the aforementioned location. Rivulet spiraled about as he took in the wonderful sight! The airship truly was a magnificent craft! It must be. What else could an airship be than magnificent? It must be! Blueblood had spoken well of the craft and he surely knew what was a feat of pony invention. They had been so fortunate to meet Blueblood as the first pony they had encountered. Certainly he was showing them wonderful sights!

 

The docking station was coming clearly into sight now. They were closing in on the area where they could land. There was a pony outside! The next pony they would meet no doubt! Rivulet's claws clattered on the docking floor as he made his landing. It was more elegant than the last as the station had much better traction than the palace roof. The blue dragon's head whipped this way and that as he took in as much of his surroundings as he could. It was all so interesting!

 

He moved quickly towards the brown pony that had been standing with his hooves on the railing.

 

"Greetings pony!" He tried to restrain himself from coming too close. He was slowly learning but still well within the realm of personal space. 

[Zeig]

 

In hindsight, Yuri supposed it had been foolish of her to ask where the dock was.

The general direction yes, because in the air, direction was in all dimensions, forwards and backwards and up and sideways. So that had not been foolish. But upon getting closer, it became exceedingly obvious where the dock was, and for one sole reason.

"The metal dra - ship!" the white dragon breathed, hardly noticing Rivulet's excitement or the way the shiny Blueblood clutched at her horns. There it was, just as she remembered. What she had previously thought to be a large metal dragon of some sort - albeit a very fat one - was, in fact, an airship, a construction built by ponies to fly in the air. It looked just the same as the one she had hitched a ride upon, but Yuri had no knowledge of whether it actually was the same. Knowing now that these airships were created, it was possible that they were all created to look the same.

Which would be a shame. The airship would look so much better with some flowing purple fur running along its spine.

She didn't give too much thought on any more aesthetic changes, however, as she caught sight of a pony standing at the edge of the docks. Was it the shiny Prince's friend, standing there? Perhaps it was, perhaps not, there was only a single way to find out.

Her body - nosedived towards the dock, fully perpendicular and going full speed, and Yuri was beside herself with joy as she leveled off almost at a ninety degree angle to the ground, her lithe and twisting body moving in ways a western dragon's could not. Her wind magic whistled and rippled as she flew along the dock still going at her full speed, so close to the ground that her claws scraped against it, head mimicking Rivulet's as she attempted to take in everything at once. Yuri refrained from immediately speeding off further into the docks however, because there was a brown pony to meet.

Brown! Like the Cara-boo!

With an abrupt turnaround, Yuri flew back over to the railing, immediately moving to curl up around the brown pony twice so that her head ended up just a bit above the stallion's head. "Hello friend!" she cried, settling her claws upon his brown shoulders, "we are Yuri and Rivulet, and you are the friend of our shiny Prince, yes?"