I fiddled with my equipment as the Dragon of Green and White Scales, or 'Tracker', as the creature known to me only as Miss 'DragonFriend' called him, and said creature both did whatever they were doing, out of earshot. Anything to try and ease my racing thoughts. Contrary to what 'Tracker' 'said,' I had huge doubts that they were here just for me to make Miss 'DragonFriend' a dildo.... I mean come on, tracking me down for something like that?! She could probably get what she 'needs' from a shady merchant in Traxti City... There was no need to spend however much money it was (probably a lot), and probably many weeks’ time, just to track a nobody dragon out in the middle of nowhere.

I briefly even thought of trying to flee, but, if they managed to specifically track me down, and in the middle of the Zebrarian Savannah, no less, something tells me that I would fail miserably... unless,maybe, I went to the Razorback Expanse... I shuddered violently at that thought. I had only heard the rumors of that place, and it was enough to convince me that it would be a death sentence to go there, and that was from dragons, who most would consider to be the apex predator of the world!

"Rye'lath?"

"Ahhh!" I jumped over my cart and ducked down at suddenness of the voice of the DragonFriend. I quickly peeked over to see Miss DragonFriend blushing hard. Now that I wasn’t in a panic, I could get a good look at her. I didn’t recognize her race. The only thing that she could be compared to was a colorful winged, single-horned centaur, but her features were not bovine at all. I was not going to ask just yet, as it could come off as rude.

"I'm sorry, Rye'lath," Miss DragonFriend apologized while still blushing and holding a hooved leg over her mouth. Though it sounded sincere, I could see a glint of amusement in her eyes. I suppose I probably did look funny, leaping over my cart like a scared manticore cub. "I didn't mean to startle you."

“It's okay, Miss DragonFriend…” I reassured Miss DragonFriend. It wasn’t her fault that I was so jumpy. I then mentally fumbled when I noticed the lack of a certain dragon. “I... where is the Dragon of Green and White Scales?”

"Miss DragonFriend?" Miss Dragonfriend questioned. Between her tilted head and pursed lips, it was clear that she was confused at me calling her Miss DragonFriend... I mean, DragonFriend is her name... right? I suppose it could be because calling a lady 'miss' might be something that is not done in her culture... Master Alagoas would be upset at me for sure... "OH! Oh! I see. You misunderstand, DragonFriend is a title, one of many, actually, that I have, not my name... My name is Twilight. As for Tracker, he has left for home. I only needed his tracking skills.”

"Please believe me when I say that I didn't track you down because of some fantastically made up and exceptionally evil, illegal, or amoral activity that you may or may not have done. I tracked you down because of the skill you put into creating a mechanical moving relief..."

Mechanical moving relief? I wondered. I had no idea what she was referring to. To begin with, what is a mechanical moving relief? I quickly racked my brain for anything that could match to what 'DragonFriend' meant before it hit me. Oh, the sign from Master Alagoas' forge. "That was nothing special… I got the idea from a music box... that I didn't and still don't want to mess with. It was a way for me to tinker with that, without actually tinkering with it. I'm more of a tinkerer. I usually don't build up from scratch unless I need to."

“Alagoas said as much, but rest assured, your skills, if that mechanical relief is anything to go by, are what I will need.”

“B-but for a didlo!?” I stuttered, trying to find an excuse to get out of this mess in as polite way as I could, without resorting to a forceful no. “Any blacksmith could make a life-like one from a mold!”

“Sadly, a regular didlo will not ease my heat, and with my mate unable to perform…” Miss Twilight sadly shook her head. “Trust me, I have tried every conceivable model and material…”

“I… I’m sorry Miss Twilight I didn…”

“Relax Rye’lath.” Miss Twilight stopped me with a hoof to my mouth. “You would have had no idea...what I was hoping was that one that was life-like in, uh…. movement… would… help.”

“I see… But couldn’t you have magicked up the dildo to do that?”

“Let’s just say that magic during the act is…” Miss Twilight shuddered, “ill advised… and leave it at that.”

I wasn’t going to argue with that, as I had no ability to do magic, outside of my firemail, and I didn’t know what kind of magic, if any, Miss Twilight could do… However, I would assume that she could, from what she said. “Miss Twilight I don’...”

“Rye’lath… please… if you are able...” Miss Twilight whispered as she looked down, a few tears falling. “I am getting to the end of my rope with this. I… I am long lived, Rye’lath, and each subsequent heat cycle is more grueling and longer than the last. I just can’t go another heat cycle without something to relieve it…”

I couldn't stand to see a female in a state like this. It was clear that she was in distress over this ‘heat’ problem, and, if it’s anything like the minotaur rutt, then I could understand. Those few weeks every year were not the most pleasant, at the forge. As much as the idea was a bit awkward for me, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t at least give it a try. “Okay, Miss Twilight, I shall help, though I don’t how much help I can be...”

“Thank you, Rye’lath…” Miss Twilight sniffed, blushing in embarrassment. “I’m sorry… I... It’s just that I have been dealing with it for so long… and…”

“Please, Miss Twilight…” I awkwardly rubbed the back of my head. “Don’t apologize… I said I would help, and by The Voice, I will help… no matter how embarrassing it is...”

“Thank you…” Miss Twilight whispered her thanks again.

“If we are going to do this, we’d best be going…” Miss Twilight, thankfully, quickly switched subjects. I blinked when I saw her horn glow pinkish, as she telekinetically pulled out a large, hobbled together map out of her bags. I have never seen magic like that before… but then again, I was not familiar with her race. The map, from the looks of it, covered not only this area, but all the way to Dual Springs. “Hmm… It would take weeks to get to the Migration, much less Dual Springs...”

“Miss Twilight, why do we need to go to The Dragon Migration?”

“I have a friend that I need to speak to in person.” Miss Twilight explained as she pulled out a new scroll and a strange rod filled with ink, if I’m smelling right, from her bag. I patiently waited as she wrote out a particularly long letter. My jaw dropped when, after reading over her letter, she rolled it up, sealed it, and then lit it. Why would she do that? A second later, the scroll was gone, and its ashes floated away with a glint of magic. Did I just see a non dragon using firemail? How!?

A few moments later, a different stream of ashes collapsed in front of Miss Twilight and flashed, with a pop, into a scroll. Miss Twilight was quick to open and read the letter. “Okay, a dragoon airship is on its way, though it might take a few days…” Miss Twilight sighed as she laid down in the shade of the tree that I had tied my cart to. “While we wait, I am really curious about your metal box of instruments, and what you may have discovered on weather phenomenon.”

I held back excitement as I joined her in the cool of the shade. I was really glad she didn’t want to discuss the didlo. It was awkward when the Dragon of Green and White Scales first mentioned it, and it still is. Her wanting to discuss weather was encouraging; maybe she has some knowledge on lightning that I’m missing. It’s so hard to find someone that can give me information on lightning that is not muddled by myth and misconceptions.

“Rye… wak…”

“Rye’lath! Wake up.”

“I’m up, I’m up,” I yawned, opened my eyes and stretched. Looking about, I saw that it had to be late morning, from the position of the sun. I wasn’t surprised at how late it was, as last night’s discussion, like many over the past week, had gone on quite late. The question I had right now, though, was why I was awakened. “What is it, Miss Twilight?”

“The dragoon airship is nearly here.”

“Thank you Miss Twilight, I...”

When Miss Twilight told me that she was going to contact a dragon to get an airship to be able to transport Miss Twilight, myself and my cart, I was a bit skeptical. I had heard about the dragoon airships from my parents. I had always thought that it was a bit of an exaggeration. I mean, a wooden sailing ship large enough to easily carry two or three fully grown dragons and fly!? But here I was, seeing one quickly approaching from the north. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was clearly flying, I would have thought it one of those large sailing ships that I'd seen from a distance. Unlike those, this one also had a flattish bottom.

“Amazing sight, isn't it?”

I nodded dumbly. That it was. As I watched it descend, I almost wished I had one to make gathering weather information easier, though I did consider Miss Twilight’s suggestion of balloons. The only down side to her suggestion was the risk of losing my equipment. Currently, I really didn’t have the ability to get replacements for some of them.

My awe turned to fearful panic in a flash as a purple and green scaled dragon walked down the ramp that had been lowered. The sparks coming from him, along with a diamond studded bowtie he was wearing, were initially a curiosity, nothing to worry about. That was until I saw on his snout a patch of golden scales in the shape of a dragon's paw. I may have only heard about it from my parents, but I knew exactly what I was seeing: a DragonWyrm! How did I get stuck with a cruel fate like this, that Miss Twilight would have contacted a DragonWyrm?! I can’t, for the life of me, remember the names of any of the living DragonWyrms! Gah! Why didn't I pay more attention?! I was in trouble, I just knew it.

As the Dragon of Purple and Green Scales got closer, I could feel my heart racing as I franticly tried to calm myself down and come up with the right way to address him. How does a dragon even speak to them? Much less someone like me?!

“DragonWyrm Heart!” Miss Twilight called out as she ran right up to the dragon, without missing a beat. “Windjammer said nothing about you coming.”

“What!? I can’t surprised my favorite lil’ pony?” ‘DragonWyrm Heart joked, sticking his tongue out, grinning like a mad dragon.

“DragonWyrm Heart!” Miss Twilight giggled as she reached out and hugged him.

“Rye’lath?”

“Rye’lath!”

“Huh? What?” I blubbered in confusion, looking around until I saw Miss Twilight looking at me with a worried look. “Sorry, Miss Twilight, I, uh, seem to have zoned out… I thought I had seen a DragonWyrm.”

“That’s because you did.” A baritone voice to the right and behind me explained. I slowly, in fear, turned to see the dragon I had seen before, smirking at me.

“Twi, it seems you found a dragon that is a genderbent you, with just a bit of Fluttershy in the mix.”

I get how he could compare me to Miss Twilight, but who, or what, is this Fluttershy!? I wondered, wishing that I could shrink.

“Yeah, just a bit…” Miss Twilight giggled, a hoof covering her mouth. “Would also make Rarity swoon right onto a fainting couch.”

“Yeah, she would…” DragonWyrm of Purple and Green Scales chuckled in turn. “Spotlight and I would have had no chance if he addressed her like he does you…”

“Relax already, Rye’lath!” DragonWyrm of Purple and Green Scales suddenly stared at me, frowning and shaking his head. “Rarity was a pony who had ‘cultured’ tastes, though she would have insisted that you called her Lady Rarity, not Miss…She was… special...”

“Well.” DragonWyrm of Purple and Green Scales clapped his paws, his mood going from sad to happy so fast that I almost didn’t catch that his mood had saddened to begin with. “I have to get back to the Migration and my clan. The Migration will be heading to the next stop in the next few days, and there is a chance that we could get another new clanmate!”

“I’m surprised that you didn’t bring He of Hourglass with you, so I could meet him.”

“Twi…”

“I know, I know.” Miss Twilight waved a hoof, silencing the rest of DragonWyrm of Purple and Green Scales’ admonishment. “He needs time to adjust before adding more to his plate.”

“Anyway, Windjammer has agreed to take you two to Dual Springs and Hourglass… if it comes to that…” Take us to Hourglass? I wondered. Dual Springs, I get, as it has everything we need to make the didlo… Oh, wait, that could be where Miss Twilight and her mate lives… my thoughts drifted away as I watched DragonWyrm of Purple and Green lean down to nuzzle Miss Twilight. “Take care, Twi.”

“I will, DragonWyrm Heart.” Miss Twilight whispered back as DragonWyrm of Purple and Green turned and prepared to take a leap and fly away.

“Oh, and Twi,” DragonWyrm Heart stopped and looked over his shoulder, back at us, grinning. “Keep Mr. Flutterdragon here safe from the big bad Windjammer.”

“HEY!” ‘Windjammer’ roared out in mild anger from somewhere on the airship, though the poorly stifled snort that came right after betrayed his mirth.

I was really beginning to rethink agreeing to help. I didn’t think that I could handle all of this non-stop teasing, for however long it would take us to get to Dual Springs. Well, it wouldn’t be so bad if I knew what was so funny, at least half of the time.

“You ready?” Miss Twilight asked as we disembarked the Spiked Punch, after just over two weeks of flying. I had debated asking why such a strange name, but didn’t, and from experience with sword names, that was probably for the best.

“Yes.” I said, though I really wanted to say ‘not really.’

As we walked into Dual Springs, I felt a bit surprised and nostalgic to see that the town looked exactly as I remembered it. Though, given how little I ever went into town, it was possible that it had changed a lot, and I would not have even known it.

My anxiety rose as we walked through town, the residents watching us, or more like me, as we went. I knew not if it was from recognition or me being a dragon, and the reputation that comes with it. Most dragons had a reputation of being rough around the edges and hot headed, both figuratively and literally. Why couldn’t we have landed on the other side of town? The forge is, or was, on the edge of town, and I could really do without the stares.

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before I could see the forge ahead. As soon as I got a look at it, I slowed to a stop. It was clear at a glance that Master Alagoas had taken great care in maintaining the sign. It looked like it had been freshly painted just yesterday, and I couldn't hear any grinding, squeaking, other odd noises that could indicate any wear and tear over fifteen years, just quiet whirring. It was clear Master Alagoas had kept it in top shape.

Why? I stopped and stared down at the ground in shame. Why Master Alagoas... why would you keep the mechanical sign I made?

"Rye'lath?" Miss Twilight put a hoof on my shoulder as she questioned me in concern.

"I can't do this…” I turned away from the forge and walked a few steps before collapsing on my haunches, sniffing. “I got so caught up in my own projects that... I... I forgot Mas… a friend..."

"Rye'lath... I..." Miss Twilight walked up and sat down next to me. “Look, I know how you feel... I, too, made the same mistake, once... I got so wrapped up in studying that I hurt a friend so badly that, in order to spare herself pain, she closed herself off in books, telling herself that friendships only led to pain…”

“Did you...”

"Yes…” Miss Twilight answered my unfinished but implied question with a far off look. “Took a bit of work..."

“What kind of books?” I asked, trying to delay what was coming. I just wasn’t ready to face Master Alagoas yet.

“Anything and everything…” Miss Twilight shrugged before she looked me dead in the eyes. “but that is not important. What is important is that you don't give up on this without giving it your best go. If it fails, it fails. At least then, you can be at peace that you tried your best.

"But..."

"Rye'lath?" The voice was soft and unsure, but I recognized that voice. It may have been fifteen years, and the bass voice may now have some gravelly tones that come with age, but I knew that voice. I slowly turned to see that it was Master Alagoas, who, except for a few streaks of grey and some wrinkles around his eyes, was the same minotaur blacksmith that I remembered.

"M-Master Alagoas! I..." I didn't get any further before I was wrapped in a bone crushing hug, a typical greeting between minotaur friends, the ‘bone crushing’ part of which is not easy, with me being a dragon. But what was not normal shook me right down to my core. His whole body was shaking hard, and I could feel tears dropping onto my shoulder.

In the entirety of the five years that I was apprenticed under him, I had never heard him cry, or even seen his eyes water. He also never cursed or even winced when he got injured, which was quite often. Blacksmithing is not without its dangers. Cuts, abrasions, rashes and burns were all too common, even for a skilled blacksmith, such as Master Alagoas. I had it easy; as a dragon, I was practically immune to heat. I remember giving Alagoas quite a scare when I tripped and fell face-first into the lit forge. Sure, he knew that dragons breathed fire, but he was not so convinced that I couldn't be hurt by it. Also, the only way that a sword could cut me is if it hit me in such a way that it hit my scales just right.

I couldn’t handle it, anymore, and started crying myself, wrapping my wings around Master Alagoas, and nuzzling his cheeks, our tears mingling. Even though he was the Master, and I was the Apprentice, he was also like a second father to me.

“Come,” Master Alagoas said as he pulled out of our hug, sniffing once before turning and beckoning myself and Miss Twilight to follow him into the forge, “you must tell me how things have been for you.”

“See...” Miss Twilight whispered to me as she trotted past me, while I was still in shock.

“Rye’lath.” Master Alagoas called out as leaned out out the forge store window. The tone was one of a gentle command, but I could tell by his eyes that it was more asking than ordering.

“Coming, Master Alagoas!” I blurted out, shaking off my hesitation.

Author's Notes:

There you go! Best way to flesh out an OC 1st person narration!

Please comment, up vote, fav (especially that first part.... don't make me go all crazy Pinkie on you) Your comments can be especially helpful to me. Just like that list for evil overlords... you know that list right? Especially the one that states: "One of my advisors will be an average five-year-old child. Any flaws in my plan that he is able to spot will be corrected before implementation." Except replace one of my advisors with commentators and flaws in plan with flaws in story...