This was it, the day I could finally get my own dragon. I raced above the crowded dragon market, my blond mane flashing in the morning light as I made a beeline for the dragon pens. My bit pouch clinked against my flank with the money I had been saving for the last ten years, and my slightly dirty grey wings pumped against the light breeze as I sped past other Pegasi. Angry remarks and swinging hooves met my abrupt passing, but none ever connected, either against my body or in my ears. My sole mission was to get to the dragon pens first.

My blue and green-flecked eyes flashed from side to side, picking out the signs posted that led me to my destination. My freckled nose picking up the smell of the pens as I grew nearer, and my lips twitched into a grin as I rounded the corner to the pens. The sun shined through the grey clouds to beam down on the wooden structure, and I almost slumped with relief that I had beat the crowd to the pens. Usually when a new shipment of dragons came in from the breeding farms they only stayed there for half of the morning before they were all bought up. I knew that if I hadn’t gotten here very early, none of the good ones would have been left.

Ever since I was young, I had dreamed of owning a dragon and competing in the Dragon Circuit. It was the most prestigious dragon racing organization in the world and no one wanted to be in their ranks more than me. Only the best dragon riders could be racers in the Circuit, and I knew that even though I had never ridden a dragon of my own, I was a natural-born rider. I had only been six when my parents had taken me on my first dragon ride, and in an instant I connected with the creature so deeply that the green Slipscale had stopped listening to the ranch hands altogether and reacted only to my requests. The ranch owner had told my parents that I was destined to be a top racer, and even at that young age, I knew it was my purpose in life to do so. From that point on I got together with my friends as much as I could, honing my skills with their dragons while I waited for the chance to purchase one of my own. I knew that I would have to qualify to get into the Dragon Circuit, and the only way to do that was to own a dragon myself. You couldn’t simply ride a dragon in the qualifying trials on loan, it was utterly idiotic to think that would work. Not to mention I would have to race with that dragon until he or she became too old to race anymore, meanwhile my friend would have to essentially give me their dragon until it is too old to be of use anymore. Like I said, idiotic. So that was why I needed to wait until I could get a dragon of my own. I knew I would never be able to afford a top-bred racing dragon as my first, but with the sack of bits in my saddlebags, I could at least get a decent starter. At the age of eighteen, I was at the perfect point to start my career, and nothing was going to stop me from fulfilling my dream.

Not a second after the thought crossed my mind, I felt a swift pull on the straps that held my bags to my flank, and with a yank the right pouch was ripped from my body as the pickpocket raced by me. All I could see was his grey eyes and a thin lock of black mane sticking out from his hood, his muzzle covered in a bright red bandana. His hooves gripped my bits in a tight embrace as he raced away, his black cloak billowing behind him as I yelled and began pursuit. I had saved that money for ten years, and I was not about to let some lowly pickpocket take away my chance at glory without a fight. I yelled for help as we passed other ponies in the air, but even though the sky was so packed it was near impossible to maneuver, nopony even gave me a second glance as I chased after the thief.

I must have followed the young colt for ten blocks, his gender and relative age being revealed when his bandana flew off in the wind of his passage and I caught a glimpse of his young complexion. He had to be around the age of eight or nine, but damn this kid was fast. My lungs felt like they were about to burst, but I pushed through the pain, knowing that if I gave up I would never be able to get a dragon. The dusty brown colt must have been at the end of his rope as well, because he ducked into a back alley and tried to drop through a rain gutter to the sewers below. His attempt at losing me backfired when his cloak snagged on the rim of the gutter, effectively halting his movement long enough for me to catch up with him and yank his sorry hide out of the ground. I hadn’t realized how angry I was, but the shear amount of force needed to lift the kid with just my jaw must have been enormous. Apparently the kid knew it too and immediately dropped the sack at my hooves.

I held the kid aloft, his wide eyes barely an inch from mine, and I snarled in his face, “If I ever see you again, I’ll make sure you make it back to your house in lots of little pieces. I worked too hard for these bits to let you take them from me. So help me I’ll make you suffer like you can’t imagine if I ever see you again,” I tossed the kid back and heard his breath wheeze as he smacked into the stone wall of a clothing store, “Now, get out of my sight.”

I could have sworn the kid was about to die of a heart attack, but apparently his brain had enough power left to get his legs moving. He scrambled to his hooves and raced down the way we had come, and in that instant I slumped to my knees. My heart was racing at a mile a minute and I could feel my ribs straining with every heaving breath. I knew I had over-worked myself, but it had been worth it. The bits were mine once again and I could now get back to the pens. I snatched a glance over my shoulder at the sun, only to realize I must have been after the kid for a good part of the morning. The sun was now only a few degrees short of directly overhead, and I realized with a sinking heart that almost all of the dragons would have been bought by now. I would be lucky to get a dragon that had four working limbs and half a brain, if there were any left at all. I sighed and picked up my savings, feeling the reassuring sound of the metal clinking inside the leather as I slowly stood up. The next shipment of dragons wouldn’t come for another month, and even then I knew the pickings would be far worse. Today had been the first run at the end of the breeding season, and from this point on the quality of dragons would go down as the weaker and less appealing hatchlings were sold in place of their stronger and more admirable siblings. By the last run of the season only the runts would be left, and only the absolutely desperate would have any interest in the stock at all.

I turned around and started walking back home, feeling like a deflated balloon that had once been filled with Helium. I was only a block from home when I was roughly jerked off of my hooves and spun around to stare into a pair of black eyes. I was shoved back and I fell on my butt as I registered the group of ponies surrounding me. In an instant I spotted the three claw marks over an inverted pyramid that decorated the left peck of their blood red shirts. I knew I had just been chosen as a victim of the Blood Claw Riders, the most notorious gang of thugs in the whole country. Different sects and gangs were spread around the world, but the most resided in Equestria. Police forces had given up trying to capture all of the agents and had resigned to damage control for lack of better options. The Blood Claw Riders were known for removing limbs and even heads if they didn’t get what they wanted, and most of the time their dragons did the removing.

Behind each of the members was a black Whiptail, their sleek bodies and flared wings standing about twelve feet tall apiece. Their long and thin tails, for which the breed was named, swung back and forth in smooth motions as they waited for their rider’s orders. The dragons had long necks, lifting their heads well above their bodies even though their shoulders only reached the rider’s heads. Black saddles with the same marking as their riders’ shirts were strapped just above the wing bases, at the other end of their long necks. In total the number of riders and dragons reached sixteen. I knew I had no chance and so did the riders, twisting their faces into crewel grimaces as they looked from me to the massive stallion that had shoved me and back again.

The rider standing before me was the only one not smiling, his black eyes cold and calculating as he stared me down. I felt like a gnat under his gaze and when he spoke it only made me feel smaller, “I heard from one of our members that you attacked him after he borrowed your bit pouch.”

He nodded to a pony in his dragon’s saddle that I immediately recognized as the colt from earlier. For a second I though he was sleeping, but then the deep red stain across his chest and the savage cut across his throat told me otherwise. It was a well-known fact that Blood Claw Riders took failure amongst the ranks very seriously, and if a rider failed in his mission, it was the same as signing a death warrant. If your local gang didn’t get you, then the network across the globe would find you at some point. It was only a matter of time until your past caught up with you. Apparently this kid had been dealt with gently. A simply slash across the throat was considered merciful to the Blood Claw, while more serious failures were slow and painful. Sometimes the rider would be kept alive for days until the pure agony stopped their heart. It was a fate no one would wish on their worst enemy, and it wasn’t just used on fellow Riders. Ponies had gone missing under mysterious circumstances in the past, and it was due to the sheer lack of evidence that marked the disappearances as Blood Claw abductions. Nopony ever crossed the Blood Claw and lived.

“You see,” the blood red unicorn said as the kid slid from the saddle and fell to the ground with a sickening thud, “he was given an easy assignment, and yet somehow failed to get your money out of your possession. Had he simply lost the money I would have thought something was up, but one of my boys here saw you scare the kid so much he nearly wet himself,” he paused and the others snickered under their breaths, “I have to say you impressed me with your actions. Not everypony would hunt down a Blood Claw member to get back something that belonged to them,” he stepped forward and lowered his head to my level, “Unfortunately that makes you a threat to us and we can’t allow that. Hope you didn’t have any plans for the rest of your life kid, because you just forfeited your life to us.”

With that said he stepped back and the other seven stallions walked in to surround me. I was too petrified with fear to fight back or even cry out. Nopony would have helped me even if I had. I sat limp as four of the unicorns grabbed my limbs with their magic and lifted me up, pulling me taught so that my front and back legs were in the shape of an X. One of the dragons lifted its head up and over my chest, opening its mouth to reveal three rows of needle teeth and a forked tongue. Its red eyes looked me up and down like a prize steak and then it slowly lowered its head to my chest, its teeth just starting to prick my flesh as it stared into my eyes.

All of a sudden a tremendous roar shook the whole block and forced the unicorns to drop me as they covered their ears. The dragons cowered like they had been hit, and I looked around in shock as I tried to find the source of the sound. It didn’t take long to spot the dragon walking out of the alley to our left, its dark blue body covered in feathers from the waist up to its crown. Two great wings beat the air, the cobalt feathers speckled with white and the undersides a warm cream in color. From the waist down the dragon was covered in smooth scales the same blue as its feathers, and a long, muscular tail whipped in anger as the beast walked into the light. It had six horns adorning its head, all jet black and slightly curved as they popped from underneath the feathers covering its head. The only part of the dragon’s upper body that was not covered in feathers was its face and ears. The ears seemed roughly shaped like those of a pony, only smaller in comparison to the creature’s head. Both the ears and the face were covered in white scales that were spotted with the darker blue, and its eyes were a brilliant emerald green, the slits narrowed in anger as it bared its teeth at us. One look at the triangular teeth was enough to warn against any wrong moves. Each was about two inches long and an inch wide at the base. Even from twenty feet away we could see the serrations that ran along the edges.

“Uhh, Boss,” one of the grunts asked, “why didn’t you tell us these ponies could afford guard dragons?”

“Because they can’t,” the leader said as he hopped onto his dragon, “it must have gotten away from its owner and gotten lost. Don’t worry about it. We can defeat it easily and then take care of the brat.”

His Whiptail hissed as it reared in challenge to the navy dragon and soon the others followed suit. I was utterly forgotten as they formed a semi-circle to face the dragon as a unit. The dragon didn’t even flinch and drew back its head as its great lungs inhaled. I was just about to wonder what it was doing when it flung its head forward and blue flames shot from the beast’s mouth. The Blood Claw never knew what hit them as the flames engulfed their bodies and dragons. Only the leader managed to scream in agony for half of a second before his body turned black and crumbled to dust. The dragon closed its mouth and the flames slowly settled down to nothing. All that remained of the Blood Claw group was a curved row of black ash. I was rooted to the spot and felt like fainting as I realized what had happened. The dragon had just breathed fire! Only the dragons of old had the power to do such a thing. After Mythic Song created the collar their ability was suppressed using the magic in the collar. It was impossible for a collared dragon to breath fire. Then it hit me, was the dragon wearing a collar? My eyes latched onto the place on the dragon’s neck that would have been covered up by the collar, but all my eyes met were glistening feathers. I screamed out loud as the dragon turned its gaze to me, but I still couldn’t move out of sheer terror.

It must be a Rouge, I thought to myself, a dragon born in the wild and free of pony control.

I scrambled backwards as it walked up to me, my wings pinned to my side in terror, though for some reason the dragon had lost all of its threatening behavior. Its lips had lowered to cover its teeth again and it seemed almost cautious as it walked forward, as if trying not to frighten me. I only stopped backing up when my tail hit the stone wall of the building behind me and I was forced to halt. The dragon advanced until it was maybe ten feet from me. At this distance I could actually see how large the dragon was. It had to be twenty five feet from nose to tail, if not more. The wings, which had been folded against its back, were sure to be at least that wide if not more to support the dragon’s weight in flight. At the shoulder it would have reached well over a foot above my head and adding the rest of him it must have been eleven feet tall. It had a more stout neck than the Whiptails, and its muzzle was more defined and muscular than the slim features of the Whiptails. In fact, its whole body was more like a barrel with defined muscle groups along the legs and wings. If dragons could be body builders, this one would definitely count as “ripped”. Now that I thought about what it looked like, I had no idea what species this dragon was. I knew everything there was to know about every one of the known breeds, and I had never seen a dragon like this one in any of the books I had read or the documentaries I had watched.

My train of thought was interrupted as the dragon lay down and moved its head forward. It had a shorter neck than the Whiptails, but it would still be able to reach me given how close we were. I closed my eyes as it lowered its head to just in front of my face, and waited for the end. I knew wild dragons ate ponies, I just never thought I would end up one’s dinner. I waited for the searing pain of teeth entering my flesh, but for some reason it never came. All that happened was I felt a subtle touch on my cheek, and then full contact as the dragon rested its muzzle against my neck.

I hesitantly opened one eye to look at the dragon, only to see its eyes staring back into mine. I flashed back to the Whiptail as it prepared to bite out my heart, but for some reason this felt different. There was no malice in this dragon’s gaze, only calm interest and what I thought was curiosity. I hesitated for a moment, not trusting myself to do the right thing, before lifting my hoof up to touch the dragon’s cheek. His eyes stared back into mine and he did not flinch under my touch. His pupils were wide ovals instead of the narrow slits from before, and I slowly moved my hoof along his face until it reached the feathers beyond his cheek. They felt like satin under my touch and I couldn’t keep myself from rubbing them lightly to get a better feel. The dragon closed his eyes and a deep rumble emanated from his chest, but as I stopped moving he opened his eyes again and pulled back his head, lowering it to lie in front of my hooves. He angled his head so that his muzzle rested in front of my hooves instead of going between them, and he looked up at me with what seemed to be a pleading gaze. I hesitated for a moment, not quite understanding what he wanted, before lowering my hoof to rub against his feathers again. He closed his eyes and tilted his head into my leg, as if asking for more. The rumble started again and I realized the dragon was purring. It was acting like an oversized cat! I felt like he might like it better if I rubbed his ears. Some dogs liked to be rubbed in that area and I figured he might like the same. I moved my hoof up slightly to just behind his ear, where the feathers shifted into scales. I rubbed firmly and the dragon freakin’ groaned. It actually groaned under my touch! At this point he was pushing into my leg so hard I was about to lose my balance, so I slowed down my rubbing just a bit so as not to make him push me over.

He opened his eyes and inside my head I heard a deep voice, Why did you slow down? That felt really good.

I yelped and rolled out of the way, causing him to lift his head up to avoid being kicked. I scooted back a few feet and then stared at the dragon, trying to get my heart back in my chest instead of my throat. My wings were flared behind me in preparation of flight, although I was too shocked to pay them any attention.

“You can talk?!” I asked, not believing what I had heard in my mind.

The dragon nodded, But only to those who are able to listen. You have a rare affinity with dragons that allows me to speak to you. I chose to save you because I need your help. There is a darkness in your society that you cannot see. Only the free dragons know the truth, and I have been sent here to put a stop to the darkness before it can destroy the world.

“But why aren’t you just eating me and then going on a rampage through the city?” I asked, “I thought all wild dragons were mindless beasts that could only think of killing and mating.”

He bristled slightly, causing his feathers to stand on end along his spine, That is a lie spread by those who wish to use us for their own gain. Dragons were never the ones to start the fighting. We lived in peace until ponies started the wars that threatened to destroy us. We only attacked in self-defense and nothing more. Granted a select few went too far and attacked the innocent, but they were few and far between. The wizard you know as Mythic Song spread the lie that dragons could be controlled if you used his collars. You are no more in control of them than you are in control of me. Only Mythic Song can control the collars, and therefore, the dragons. He seeks to build an army of slave dragons to take over the world, and everypony is blind to his plans. We know what he wants because he learned his magic from us. Had we not shown him how to use dragon magic then we would have never been enslaved. I am the last of the Brightwing Clan, and it has become my duty to kill Mythic Song before he can unleash his army.

I took a steadying breath as I realized he wasn’t going to kill me, “Okay, say I believe you. What do you need from me if you know so much already? Why not just go after Lord Song and kill him if he’s such a bad pony?”

The dragon let out a gusty sigh, the feathers lying flat on his back once again, I cannot just kill him because he is the leader of the Dragon Circuit. Only those who win the Draconic Heaven Championship are allowed to see him. I cannot enter in the race alone because I do not have a collar or a rider. I would be captured and imprisoned before I could even get close to him. That is why I need you. Without a rider who can understand me and be willing to let me have free will, I will never get the chance to kill Mythic Song. What is your answer? Will you be my partner or not?

I slowly stood up and looked the dragon in the eyes, trying to not show fear, “I will help you, but are you sure we really need to kill Lord Song to stop his plans? Couldn’t we just convince him to free the dragons or something?”

You cannot reason with one who has no honor and will sacrifice anything to get what he wants. He hissed, only a fool would believe something so naïve as that.

I winced, although given this was a dragon I was talking to, it would make sense that pony aversion to killing would be a foreign concept to him. “Alright then, I’ll help you. Umm, would you mind telling me your name? I think it might be a bit rude to call you ‘dragon’ all the time.” I bowed my head, hoping I hadn’t offended him.

He tilted the corner of his mouth in the beginnings of a smile and said in my mind, It’s Nilakanta. It means “blue-throated” in dragon tongue. If that’s too hard for you to say, you may call me Nilak for short.

“Nilak,” I said it slowly, trying it out in my mouth, “I think that will do nicely,” I walked up to Nilak and offered my hoof, “Are you familiar with a hoofshake?”

He nodded, taking my leg within his own talons, making my hoof completely disappear from view, I understand it means an agreement has been made, though I also know ponies are prone to breaking their word.

I shook my head, “I don’t think anypony would be stupid enough to double-cross a dragon. It would be utter suicide.”

Nilak chuckled deep in his throat, On that we agree. So, where is your house? I think we should get out of here before somepony finds us.

“Oh! Right, follow me.” I turned and walked down the road to my house, pushing open the gate in the back and letting Nilak into the backyard. We had a dragon stable built already in preparation for my purchase of a dragon. I had never thought in my wildest dreams that it would be home to a wild dragon when it was complete, “Well, it’s not much, but it’s all we have.”

Nilak walked in and looked around the stable, his eyes coming to rest on an old collar that had been given to us as a pet project when one of our neighbor’s dragons died. It no longer functioned because it had been cut to remove it from the dragon’s body, though I had at one point thought I could put it back together and get it working. It would function to the point that it could adjust its shape and was one piece, but the suppressant aspect was completely shot. Whatever magic that had been implemented had been released when it had been cut off. Nilak reached out and picked it up with two claws, looking over the collar before lifting it over his head.

“Wait!” I yelled, “What if it takes over you?”

He chuckled, Do you really think I would put it on if I had any doubts about the magic within? Remember we were the ones who taught Mythic Song to use dragon magic, so it would seem logical that we can sense if it is active. Besides, I can’t be your partner if I don’t have a collar. This way I can be with you at all times and still be free in mind and body. Oh, and one more thing. If somepony asks you what breed of dragon I am, tell them I am a Gryphonwing. It should be close enough that they believe you. If word got out that a Brightwing had been captured and collared, Mythic Song would know something was up. So far as I know he has never seen a Brightwing, so as long as my true bloodlines remain a secret we will be safe until the time is right.

I nodded, “Very well, I’ll be back in the morning to check on you,” I looked over my shoulder to see the sun setting in the distance, “Well, goodnight Nilak. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.”

With that I closed the door to the stable and walked back into my house, feeling like my life had been turned upside down. I knew I was going to have one hell of a headache in the morning from all I had seen and learned, but right now everything seemed to come to me through a glass wall. I knew it wasn’t going to last, but for the moment, I let myself be numb to the shock, trying to hold onto my composure until I could get a handle on things in my mind. I fell into my bed and was asleep in moments, images and sounds of dragons fighting people haunting my dreams.