Let There Be Light: Sc.22


                                            >The first thing you notice when you pick your head up off whatever you fell asleep sitting against is how little you ache.

                                            >Despite falling asleep upright, you feel pretty good.

                                            >Noire’s draped across your lap, still soundly asleep.

                                            >Her warmth is suffusing your legs, with soothed away the pains of the ascent.

                                            >But there’s another warmth burning against your back.

                                            >You are a heat sandwich

                                            >You look around to see a huge tail, stretching from where you sat to a proportionally huge dragon four or five arm-lengths away.

                                            >The arc this tail describes is filled with sleeping unicorns, packed in so dense that some are piled up against the dragon’s side.

                                            >Adorable.

                                            >The dragon who spoke to you yesterday insisted Noire stay the night.

                                            >Noire specifically, which surprised you, since for once you had taken a front-and-center place with the interactions.

                                            >She of course respectfully acquiesced to your presence as well when Noire made it clear you were a package deal.

                                            >Which made you happy to hear, even if in retrospect your status as an item had existed unofficially long before the two of you formalized it.

                                            >Also a little jealous it needed to be said at all.

                                            >But now that you look out at this circle of draconic tail containing a multitude of unicorns, you suspect you know why things went down in that order.

                                            >This dragon must hoard ponies.

                                            >You chuckle to yourself at the thought.

                                            >What other strange things might dragons hoard in the future?

                                            >Papers and texts, like a library?

                                            >Plants in a garden or orchard?

                                            >Food?

                                            >Which would be crystals and rocks, you suppose, so not that unusual.

                                            >Certainly enough of those around you, even the glowing ones lighting this cavern, which by some  mysterious magical means had dimmed for the night and are yet to return to their full brightness.

                                            >That was the unicorn’s work, obviously.

                                            >One of those is already awake, in front of the also-alert dragoness.

                                            >The leader, you supposed, who did the ligthshow that told the unicorns to play nice.

                                            >They’re conversing not too far away, only the dragon’s idly tapping tailtip between you and them.

                                            >Certainly close enough to hear the mostly one-sided conversation.

                                            >“We may need as many as three. Much time and effort. Winter’s gone. We may find more plant-food for you. This would still take a forage time.”

                                            >The unicorn nods.

                                            >”We will need your help. Soften rocks to work faster. Handle runoff.”

                                            >Another nod from the unicorn.

                                            >The dragon looks around the cavern, then. “Gem-finding friend can see best paths. We melt until we find good concentration.”

                                            “So what’re you planning?”

                                            >The dragon swivels her head around to look at you. “Good morning, First One. We speak of expansion.”

                                            >While the dragon can just crane her long neck around, the unicorn needs to walk a short distance to remain involved.

                                            >The dragon continues, “If we expand, we can help others. My friends here can help the work. In return, guests bring them tribute of plant-foods.”

                                            ”Well I don’t know if I’d call it tribute, but sure, that sounds like a great idea. Would help with the seasons too. Keep some reserves for when the unicorns may have a harder time growing crystals when food is scarce, and they can regrow the reserves when food is plentiful again.”

                                            >The dragon and the unicorn share a look.

                                            >”We should make that six,” the dragon mutters.

                                            >The dragon’s head snaps around to look behind her, towards the cavern’s main entrance.

                                            >The unicorn’s head follows, but more out of curiosity than alertness.

                                            >You can hear the sounds of something approaching as well.

                                            >A large head pokes out of the tunnel, followed by a long, serpentine body.

                                            >You can’t quite identify what the head is supposed to be, but that’s fine; you know how you and Noire had designed the second type of dragons you created, based off oriental patterns. The heads could be whatever.

                                            >The dragoness stands, waking up all her little ponies, some of which squeak in alarm as they gently tumble off her side to land atop others. A dragon on the other side of her – until now obscured by her bulk – also stands. Likely her mate, since the other pair had left before nightfall the day prior.

                                            >“Greetings, Long One,” the dragoness speaks.

                                            >The newcomer dips their head. “I heard the Creators were here.”

                                            >”They are,” the dragoness flicks the tip her her tail towards you and Noire, as Noire just starts to stir from all the commotion.

                                            >The guest gives something you assume is supposed to approximate a smile, but it’s hard to tell from his only vaguely mammalian facial features and too many teeth.  “I wished to pay my respects, and make a request.”

                                            >When Noire stands, you finallycan as well, and you take the opportunity to do so and stretch.

                                            “Yeah, sure. Don’t have to be so formal about it. We were just discussing… exchanges of favors. If you can give us a lift to our next place, we’ll hear you out.”

                                            >The newcomer dips his head again. “Of course.”

                                            >You look over to Noire, who’s blinking blearily, and mumble,

                                            “Come on, we have more visitors. Make a good impression.”

                                            >She shakes herself and straightens, but takes her a couple seconds to figure out what’s going on.

                                            >You turn to the dragoness in the meantime. “I guess we’re leaving earlier than expected then. Thanks for having us.”

                                            >She smiles, and looks to Noire. “Thank you for your presence, First One. And hers.”

                                            >You feel another pang of jealousy at that look the dragon gives her.

                                            >Definitely a pony hoarder.

                                            >You take a step, then stop again to physically turn Noire in the right direction, before heading towards the more serpentine oriental dragon, your still-sleepy partner doing her best to look alert – and doing a fairly convincing job, in the circumstances -  as she follows behind.

                                            >The long dragon turns to exit the tunnel, and you have to stop to let the last of his tail enter before you follow, enough time for Noire to get your gear on her back and yours.

                                            “Sorry to change our plans on my own, there.”

                                            >Noire shakes her head. “Good.”

                                            “What is?”

                                            >”You in charge. Good watching you lead.”

                                            “Would be nice if they engaged with you more I think. Well, besides the dragon last night. But maybe they’d get some real religion going, you know?”

                                            >Noire looks at you, blinking. “Why not about you?”

                                            “I’m not some prophet or wise man.”

                                            >She smiles. “After last night?”

                                            “Well, alright, maybe a little.”

                                            >At the mouth of the cave, the three of you are once more buffeted by strong winds.

                                            >That strange almost-familiar head turns to look at you, voice straining over the sound of the gale. “Where will you go?”

                                            >You look to Noire, who extends a wing in a direction.

                                            >The dragon nods. “Good.”

                                            >He then lowers his front body, allowing you to climb on.

                                            >Without any knowledge of your past life, you obviously don’t know if you’ve ever rode a horse or other animal before.

                                            >But no human’s ever climbed aboard a flying serpent, you’re pretty damn sure.

                                            >At least a thinking creature doesn’t need reins to steer it, and can be trusted to mind its rider.

                                            >Even still, or perhaps because of that, you feel bad about how hard you clutch the line of fur running down the dragon’s spine.

                                            >Noire of course can fly on her own, taking a position to your right as the two of you soar into the sky.

                                            >Fortunately the strong winds lessen away from the mountain, but your passage itself creates a strong enough resistance to keep you holding on tight.

                                            >In the back of your mind you know Noire’s watching you, ready to intervene should something happen.

                                            >That’s not going to allow your lower monkey brain to relax.

                                            >The mountain was, in fact,  the only potential obstruction, and thus the only reference point, for you to latch onto.

                                            >Now that it’s out of sight, there’s nothing but sky ahead and land far, far below.

                                            >The dragon turns back to face you. “May we stop for a moment?”

                                            >You nod.

                                            >Instead of an expected descent, however, he just pauses in mid-air, the rushing wind dying away along with your speed.

                                            >Noire drifts closer, flapping her wings to stay aloft where the dragon simply floats.

                                            >She looks down to the ground, then back at the dragon. “Is this where you wanted to speak to us?”

                                            >“We wished to ask you about the land.”

                                            >”Go on.”

                                            >The dragon looks down to the ground himself, sweeping his head side to side as he takes in the landscape. “We wished to ask if you would permit us to change your works by carving new rivers.”

                                            “Heh. Channels below, channels above.”

                                            >The dragon looks back at you. “Hm?”

                                            >You shrug, then grip his fur a little tighter when you realize how much that simple gesture shifts your balance on his back.

                                            “The dragon we stayed with last night was planning on blasting out new caverns, and now you want to cut new rivers. It hasn’t even been a year yet and you’re all taking initiative on making a home.”

                                            >Before the dragon can reply, Noire laughs. “It is only natural, Anon. They will have to take charge eventually.”

                                            >You look over to her in surprise.

                                            “Did you plan this all along?”

                                            >”Of course. It will be their home after all. You merely set the pattern, the groundwork.”

                                            >The dragon looks surprised – at least you think it’s surprise – at her assignment of responsibility.

                                            >She continues, “The two of us cannot be everywhere, however. They will need to take over the job themselves eventually. Think to the ponies of the hillside, as well as the dragons you mentioned. I gave them such power for a reason. We cannot be the only ones shaping the land.”

                                            >The dragon looks to her, then. “We have your blessing, then?”

                                            >She nods back. “Yes. Before Anon and I set out, I was intending to make a more varied landscape for you all anyway.”

                                            “Hey, on that note…”

                                            >You take your backpack off one shoulder and carefully reach around to remove your slate.

                                            >Noire would probably catch whatever you drop, but it sure would be embarrassing.

                                            >Casual as you try to play all this, you do want to maintain a good impression.

                                            >Once you have the slate and its stick in hand, you start sketching some half-remembered mountain images.

                                            “So back home a lot of mountains were very, uh, irregular I guess you could say. The one we just left had varied features, but the way they ringed the mountains, and how smooth the caverns inside were, I’d say you intended it to be volcanic?”

                                            >Noire nods.

                                            “Well I shouldn’t have to tell you all the ways mountains form, and I probably wouldn’t do a good job anyway, so I’ll just skip to results. A lot of mountains can come up in bands, all jagged and craggy and whatnot. And sometimes you can get these long ridges that are steep on one face and slope gently on the other. Either of these could create boundaries of sorts. This stuff made by tectonics can become more irregular due to glaciers. Which a lot of them have on top anyway.”

                                            >The pattern you show Noire is almost fractal, with braching ridges and crests spreading off a central line in all sorts of different directions. Arrows indicate glacier runoff in valleys between them.

                                            “Was thinking the glaciers could provide tons of opportunities for your rivers to form.”

                                            >Part of you expected surprise, but when the dragon’s head came around to admire your work, he simply nodded.

                                            >Water was, after all, his element.

                                            >Heh.

                                            >Noire looks back to the ground. “Nothing lives here at the moment. This is an acceptable location. I was hoping for more once-volcanic features for the other dragons and unicorns, but there is no reason we cannot raise another elsewhere.”

                                            “Is there any reason you want to keep things somewhat physically accurate? You could do whatever you want.”

                                            >”It is important to establish expectations.”

                                            “Well if vulcanism was supposed to be nearby, you could do hot springs too, wherever you next drop some.”

                                            >Noire nods, but she’s focusing intently on the land below.

                                            >Which suddenly seems to contract beneath you, either side pinching in.

                                            >You shake your head in shock, blinking.

                                            >You’re certain you would have heard something that cataclysmic, a terrible tectonic travail inflicted on the island.

                                            >But below you is just the same.

                                            >Except-

                                            >For a moment, you see two different landscapes, one superimposed on the other.

                                            >One the rolling hills you’d been flying over for awhile now.

                                            >The other a huge chain of rocky features and glacier-topped peaks, running in the direction of your flight to reach here.

                                            >You first close one eye, then open it and close the other.

                                            >Both images remain.

                                            >No. Not now.

                                            >Now just one.

                                            >The image of hills slips away from your mind, like a barely-remembered dream.

                                            >You’re reminded of your first days here, Noire simply erasing an offending cliff-line, obliterating the land to invite in the sea.

                                            >As she changed the land, it looked as if it had always been that way.

                                            >Here is just the same.

                                            >No features were shoved aside, displaced by the rise of these mountains.

                                            >In fact, they hadn’t even risen.

                                            >She simply insists on them, and they had always been.

                                            >This, at least, gets a reaction out of the dragon.

                                            >He looks around the land, slowly at first, but then increasingly frantic.

                                            >”Is something wrong?” Noire asked.

                                            >”I…” He shook himself – a motion which reaches back to you slightly, requiring you to grasp at his long mane again – then settles down. “I was not expecting it.”

                                            >She smiles at you. “it does provoke that sentiment.”

                                            >She flaps up to the dragon’s head. “I have prevented them from beginning to melt for a month. You should be able to see from here where new rivers may stem. You and your friends are free to carve the land as you wish; I leave the course they will take to you.”

                                            >He finally tears his attention away from the land. “Thank you, Creators. We will try to make our work as beautiful as yours.”

                                            “Can I ask a weird question?”

                                            >The dragon turns back to look at you.

                                            “I get the desire to create, but is there any other reason? You can’t just rewrite the world like she can. It’s going to be a lot of work. What do you get out of it?”

                                            >”Nothing. We have the power. You instructed us to do good with it. We see all the creatures below, clustered around rivers and streams, where plants grow. We wish to give them more room to thrive.”

                                            >You grin.

                                            “Good answer.”

                                            >”May I ask you something in return?”

                                            “Shoot.”

                                            >The dragon blinks, but seems to understand the response you now realize may not quite translate. “We had believed she made the physical world, and you formed its mind. But here you direct her, and she forms according to your design. Why is this?”

                                            “Why? That’s uh, a hell of a question.”

                                            >”I made this world for him,” Noire offers. “To be a reflection of what he learned, a perfected image of his home.”

                                            >The dragon cocks his head. “You are inspiration, then.”

                                            “Yeah, I’m her muse, I guess.”

                                            >”What was your home like?”

                                            “Well, as far as I know, we didn’t have something like her meddling directly in what mountains go where.”

                                            >You chuckle.

                                            “Back home everything went the long way. This would’ve been a hundred million year project, you just saw. But we had a huge world filled with incredible places and things. If I could put even a fraction of it here, I think I’d have done my job for her. I hope I can pass that beauty I know on to others.”

                                            >The dragon is silent, for a moment. Then, “You do this for us?”

                                            >You can’t help but laugh.

                                            “You were part of it, though a more fantastical part. From my people’s hearts and minds, rather than from our environment. But all the same, yes. I hope to make a place you all may enjoy and flourish in. I guess in that respect we’re the same, just my “power” is my memory.”

                                            >The dragon is silent in thought then turns back to the ground. “Where would you like to next see your works, Creators?”