Dragicorns
One day in the magical land of Ilonata, a herd of unicorns went out to search for a lost foal. It had wandered into the deepest parts of the forest the night before to play a game of hide and seek with the other little unicorn foals but forgot to return home once it got dark. Usually, unicorns were quite skilled at blending into their backgrounds, so they could disappear behind trees and rocks with surprising ease. Their glittering coats and shining manes didn't give them away when they crept into the shadows. But the seeking unicorn didn't notice the hiding foal's shining mane, and no one came to look for it when it disappeared, which was probably why it got lost. The unicorns went into the forest and searched. They searched by the river, among the ferns, and behind the rocks and trees. But no matter where they looked, there was no sign of the missing foal. But suddenly, they discovered a trail of little muddy hoofprints that looked like they must have been left behind by the foal. It had rained the night before, so it made sense for the foal to leave behind muddy tracks, as the ground usually became rather sloppy when it rained. The unicorns decided to follow the tracks to see where they would lead them to, and maybe, just maybe, they would find the foal and take it home. The tracks led the unicorns to a cave, where they stopped and paused for a moment to observe it. From what they had heard, this seemingly regular-looking cave was the home of a powerful and territorial dragon called Zenyr the Majestic. She had golden scales adorned with jewelry, her horns were like a crown upon her brow, and her wings were wide and strong. She was beautiful, but also very ferocious. According to legend, her cave was filled with hoards of gold, precious stones, and other treasures. A lot of the creatures in Ilonata thought she must have been very rich if she had collected so much gold. But no one even dared to mess with Zenyr, because if one was to sneak into her cave and steal a treasure, she would immediately fly into a rage. She didn't like it when her loot was stolen, as it was incredibly valuable to her. If someone stole anything from her hoard of treasures, she would give a mighty roar, stretch out her massive wings, and tear out of the cave in pursuit of the thief. Once airborne, she would scan the area, sniffing the air with her long, scaly snout. If the thief was nearby, she would catch them red-handed and punish them for their actions by burning them to a crisp with her fire breath. Once the thief was nice and toasty, she crush them under her massive clawed feet and gobble them up in one bite. Then she would take the stolen treasure back to her cave in hopes that no one would steal it again. Yes, incinerating a thief and eating them was quite an uncivil way to stop them, but that was just what fierce dragons did to make their enemies pay for getting too close to their territory. The unicorns had never gone into Zenyr's cave before, and they knew that if they did, it would be a very dangerous task. None of them wanted to anger her by waking her up from her daily naps or touching any of the treasures she collected, so they made sure to keep their distance from her. Calimero, one of the members of the herd, was the most unsure out of the other unicorns. Long ago, one of his ancestors fought a dragon, and the battle ended quite horribly. That's why he decided not to fight any dragons as long as he lived, because even though he had powerful magic like other unicorns, he didn't know what kinds of damage dragons could cause. But even though the unicorns were nervous about setting hoof into the mighty Zenyr's cave, their leader, Nadira, was certain that the missing foal had huddled in there to escape the rainstorm. Hopefully, Zenyr didn't notice the foal when it decided to use her home as a shelter from the rain. If she did, then she could have reduced the poor thing to charcoal. Even though they were worried, the unicorns agreed that they had no choice but to enter the cave to see if the foal was okay. In single file, they carefully crept into the large cave, being greeted by all the beautiful jewels and riches that Zenyr had stored away and had been protecting for years. But they couldn't get distracted by the treasure, even though it was rather tempting. They had to stay focused on what they came for. When they reached the end of the cave, they saw an unusual sight. There was Zenyr in all her majestic glory, but she was laying on the ground, her eyes closed and her tail wrapped around something. However, even though her eyes were closed and she was in a resting position, she didn't seem to be sleeping. Like most other dragons, she would breathe heavily and puff out smoke from her nostrils when she slept. When the unicorns found her, they couldn't hear her breathe heavily or see any smoke coming out from her nostrils. They also didn't know what he was hiding behind her tail. "Is she asleep?" asked Pearl."I don't think so," said Nadira. "If she were asleep, she'd be breathing. I can tell she's not breathing because her body isn't moving up and down. She could be in a coma or something.""How is that even possible?" asked Wynn. "She's one of the strongest dragons in the land! There is no way she'll be able to fall into a coma since no one will be able to knock her out. She usually knocks them out before they can by toasting them to a crisp with her burning hot oven breath."Feeling slightly nervous but also a bit curious, the unicorns decided to inspect this dragon and figure out why she was unresponsive. Suki and Lily carefully moved Zenyr's limp tail to discover a nest of three dragon eggs. "My goodness!" cried Lily at this amazing discovery. "I didn't know Zenyr was going to become a mother!" Felicia and Nestor placed their ears next to the dragon's body to see if they could hear anything, just to make sure she was still alive. "I can't feel her breathing in the slightest," said Nestor. "I can barely hear a heartbeat," said Felicia. Wynn, Calimero, and Silvester carefully turned the dragon around on her back and saw a huge gash near her neck and scratches all over her chest and underbelly. The gash was also dripping blood. As Wynn looked down, he could see that Zenyr's wound had left large splotches of blood all over the ground. "Holy horse droppings!" he exclaimed, feeling both horrified and disgusted. "She must have been brutally murdered!" "But who could've killed her?" asked Silvester. "I thought dragons were indestructible creatures who can easily defeat their enemies by engulfing them in their billowing flames." As Calimero observed Zenyr's wounds carefully, he concluded that it must have been a bigger and more powerful creature who killed her. A creature that could win against a dragon easily in a single battle. As evidenced by the scratches left on Zenyr's body, that creature must've had very sharp talons. "I believe she was attacked by a thunderbird," he concluded. "A thunderbird?" said Felicia. "That's outrageous! A thunderbird wouldn't sneak into a dragon's cave." "Well, maybe it might have heard about Zenyr's collection of treasures and decided to steal some for itself," said Wynn. "Or it might have wanted to steal something else from her," said Suki. "What was it?" asked Silvester. "I think it might have been these eggs that were wrapped around her tail," said Lily, pointing to the dragon eggs. "She was probably just trying to protect them so they wouldn't get stolen or destroyed because there might be three baby dragons in there that haven't hatched yet." "I think Lily is right," said Pearl. "Out of all the treasures Zenyr has collected, the eggs might have been her greatest treasure by far. She must have cared for them well in hopes that once they hatched, they would grow up to become mighty dragons like her." "Yes, and I believe that the thunderbird might have heard about the eggs that Zenyr laid, so it decided to steal them and have the unborn hatchlings for itself," said Suki. "What I think must have happened was that the thunderbird flew into this cave to steal the eggs, but Zenyr saw what was happening and knew she had to fight the winged beast to protect her hatchlings." "It seems that she had one heck of a fight with that bird," said Wynn, observing the dead dragon's wounds, which were no longer bleeding. "She tried as best as she could to take down her enemy, but since thunderbirds are much more powerful than dragons, the thunderbird might have used its lightning powers to attack Zenyr and used its talons to pierce her flesh." "That's very likely," said Calimero, observing the wound on the dragon's chest. "The gash left near her seems to be in the shape of a lightning bolt." "How tragic," sighed Nadira. "One of the mightiest dragons in the land sacrificed her life to save her hatchlings, whom she will never be able to meet once they're born. She might have given them plenty of love and kept them warm under her wings. Without her to take care of them, the eggs won't hatch, as they might get too cold or be taken by predators. I feel very sorry for her since I have never been able to become a mother myself. For a long time, I have tried to have a foal to raise and train to become a graceful, talented unicorn like me, but to no avail." Nadira slowly walked over to the eggs and gently touched one of them with her hoof. She could feel that the eggs were still warm. Suddenly, she had an idea. She turned to the other unicorns and told them her plan. "I shall take the eggs and raise the hatchlings as my own," she declared. "Since their mother will not be there to take care of them, I will take her rightful place.""Are you sure that's a good idea, Nadira?" asked Lily."I don't think it's a good idea at all," said Nestor. "No, it's not," agreed Felicia. "Dragons aren't friendly, magical creatures like us. They're horrible beasts!" "Yes!" said Wynn. "They're flesh-eating monsters!""Many of them have very ferocious tempers, no matter how well they are raised," said Suki. "None of us want fire-breathing predators in the unicorn forest," said Pearl. "They could do a lot of great damage.""You must leave those eggs here in the cave," said Calimero. "Maybe another dragon will come to look after them until they hatch.""I certainly shall not," said Nadira, putting her hoof down. "I have always wanted to have children, so I will take the eggs back to the forest and raise the hatchlings as my own. From what I've heard, not all dragons are evil. In fact, some of them are actually friendly, and if I raise the baby dragons after they've hatched, they could be friendly as well once I train them to develop proper unicorn etiquette. Anyone who disagrees with me is nothing but a paranoid coward with a mind full of doubt who believes in old legends too easily."And so, with her magic, she fashioned a sling out of a few hairs from her tail and the shed scales of Zenyr, adorned with jewelry. She placed the eggs within, cushioned by dry moss and the softest hair from her mane, and laid the sling upon her back so the eggs were warmed by her body. She was determined to take the eggs home and care for them, and no one was going to stop her. The unicorns followed her out of the cave, making sure they found any evidence of the missing foal along the way. When they returned to their colony in the forest, Nadira's sister Ainsel galloped over to them and announced that the foal had come back by itself. Nadira was very pleased. She showed the dragon eggs to Ainsel and placed them carefully on a large rock under a tree with just enough shade and sun. The other unicorns were still a little doubtful about Nadira's decision. They did not know how long it would take for the eggs to hatch, or how she was supposed to feed them once they did hatch. But Nadira remained resolute. She had learned a lot about dragons, so she knew exactly how she had to take care of the eggs. Although it would take a while for them to hatch, they would in their own time, and with just enough care. Nadira carried the eggs and took care of them for weeks, and months. She always made sure to check on them and keep them clean. Both at night and during the day, she kept them warm and dry so they would grow faster. Until one day, the eggs finally hatched, and three beautiful little dragonets nestled peacefully at her side, exhausted after the ordeal of birth. She licked them clean and fed them a mixture of shed eggshells, crushed ore, and fat, juicy fish from the river, for she knew that metal and animal flesh were part of a dragon's diet. Two of the baby dragons were girls and the third was a boy, so Nadira named the girl dragons Serenity and Grizelda, and the boy dragon Lance. She knew that, with just enough training, her dragon children would grow up to become as kind, sweet, and gentle as her. And so, Grizelda, Serenity, and Lance lived among the unicorns, learning their ways. The young foals in the forest were fascinated by them, and even though they looked rather strange, the unicorns seemed to accept the little dragons into their colony. Every day, the little dragons lived on flowers, oats, fruits, green-leaf vegetables, and candy corn when they couldn't find any metal or animal flesh to eat. Since they could breathe fire, they were able to toast their food if they wanted to so it would taste better. They developed the super-strength and super-speed of a typical unicorn and learned all the games that the young unicorn foals played. They challenged each other to find the most nuts and berries, raced up mountains, frolicked along the shoreline and splashed about in the waves, tested each other's strength, and became very good at camouflaging, which made them experts at hide-and-seek games. Sometimes, when they didn't feel like walking on two legs like some other dragons did, they would trot and gallop on all fours like the other foals. Over time, the older unicorns who were doubtful of Nadira taking care of baby dragons began to see that with her care and patience, the dragons weren't as harmful as they imagined. One day, Melainie, a pegasus who was a friend of Nadira's, dropped in for a visit. She and Nadia stood at the door of the stables, when Melainie saw the little dragons among the unicorn foals. "Hey! Those aren't unicorns," she said. "Those are dragons!" Nadira smiled at her and said, "Those aren't any dragons. They are my children. I took them home and raised them when their mother-to-be was killed during a fight with a thunderbird. But don't worry, these little dragons won't hurt you. I have trained them to be polite and graceful, just like proper unicorns.""How strange," said Melainie, not feeling convinced enough. "For a long time, I thought dragons were ferocious predators who melted their prey with their fire breath and tore up their flesh with their sharp teeth." "Not all of them are," said Nadira. "I'm sure there are plenty of dragons out there who are as benevolent and friendly as us unicorns. I don't believe in the old myth that all dragons are evil, but unfortunately, some of the older unicorns in my herd do, which is why they keep telling me to be careful while raising my children. But as you can see, they haven't caused any harm at all, because they know how to behave like us unicorns while retaining their roots as dragons.""Are you sure about that?" asked Melainie, seeing the little dragons gallop on all fours like the unicorn foals did. "I think you raised them a little too well. All the time those little dragons have lived with you probably made them think that they're unicorns, too.""Oh, that's nonsense!" said Nadira. "They might walk like unicorns and eat like unicorns, but I think they still remember that they're dragons. I've seen them roast their food with their fiery breaths, and they eat metal and animal flesh like regular dragons do. They also have a better sense of hearing and smell than us unicorns do, not to mention they can see exceptionally well in the dark. But I don't think they've learned how to use their wings yet." But Melainie was not convinced. "If they haven't learned to fly, then I'm positive that they think more like unicorns than dragons," she said. "I will show them that they can fly like regular dragons are supposed to." "Excuse me, ma'am, but we're not dragons or unicorns," said Grizelda, spreading her wings widely. "We're dragicorns!" "Dragicorns?" said Melainie. "Part dragon, part unicorn," explained Grizelda. "Even though we're dragons, we've learned to behave the way unicorns do from our dear mother. We might not have one horn on top of our heads, but we have two on each side. Even though we can't do any magic, we can still breathe fire and stuff." "We don't fly. We trot and gallop," said Serenity, prancing around on all fours. "That's what unicorns do." "Wait, we fly?" said Lance, looking at his wings. "Is that what these weird things on our backs are for?" "Yes, it is," said Melainie. "If you want to retain your dragon roots, you must learn how to fly." "Go ahead," said Nadira. "Show them how to fly."She opened the stable door and allowed the dragons to trot out. Although they were fairly heavy compared to the foals, Melainie carried the dragons on her back and spread her wings, hoping they would notice and do the same with theirs. "You are not unicorns but dragons," she said. "You do not gallop but fly. So go, spread your wings, and take off into the sky." The little dragons stretched out their wings, preparing to take off into the sky, but they stopped to look around and saw the unicorn foals galloping off to play hide and seek, so they jumped down to join their friends. They could not miss out on the fun. "I told you they haven't learned to use their wings yet!" said Nadira as she whinnied with laughter. Melainie, on the other hand, was quite unamused by the dragons' unwillingness to fly, so she decided to try something else. The next day, Melainie returned to the forest to try another method to help the dragons return to their proper roots. This time, she had brought a cardboard cutout of a thief with her. She was going to show the dragons what they would do if their possessions ever got stolen. "Little dragons, do you see this?" she asked, putting up the cutout in front of them. "What is that?" asked Grizelda. "It is a thief," said Melainie. "They sneak into other creatures' properties and steal their possessions. Do you know what dragons do to get those possessions back from the thief?""What do they do?" asked Serenity. "They pursue the thief and punish them by burning them to a crisp with their fiery breaths," said Melainie. "Then they crush the thief beneath their feet and eat them while they're nice and toasty.""That sounds gross," said Lance. "We use our breath to roast food, not other creatures. Besides, I don't think burned corpses of bad guys would be very edible." "Wouldn't it be easier to ask the thief to give your stuff back instead of burning them alive?" asked Grizelda. "Well, thieves are generally bad guys, so they probably won't listen to you even if you ask nicely," said Melainie. "That's why a lot of us creatures have different ways of stopping thieves, and for dragons, cooking them alive is one of those ways. ""That's nasty!" cried Serenity. "We would never eat other creatures! We would rather eat flowers and fruits.""And candy corn!" said Grizelda. "They're a lot tastier!"The little dragons dashed off to find some food that they could eat without killing it first. Melainie couldn't help but watch in confusion as Nadira whinnied with laughter again. "Face it, Melainie," she said. "No matter how hard you try, you will never convince my children to return to their regular dragon roots. While they are aware that they're dragons, they will always be part unicorn. No one will ever be able to change that."But Melainie was not going to give up. She was going to show these dragons what they were once and for all. Very early the next morning, the dragons were woken up by the sound of Melainie's voice calling out for Nadira. Their mother opened the stable door and saw the pegasus waiting for her. "Nadira, give me one more chance with your dragon children," said Melainie. "Do you know what time it is?" asked Nadira, feeling a little grumpy since her beauty sleep was interrupted. "It isn't even dawn yet. Are you crazy?""Come with me," said Melainie. "Fetch the dragons." Reluctantly, Nadira led the dragons out of the stable. She carried them on her back as she and Melainie went into the forest. "Where are we going?" asked Nadira. "To the cave where you found the dragons before they hatched," said Melainie. "This might be my last chance to help them return to their proper roots." They went across the river, past the ferns, and through the trees, carefully retracing the path Nadira and the other unicorns took when they were searching for the lost foal, until they finally stopped at the cave that once belonged to Zenyr. They walked right in and saw all the treasures Zenyr had collected over the years. However, her body wasn't there anymore, so other dragons must have found it and took Zenyr out of the cave to have her cremated. It was a draconic tradition to burn the bodies of those who had died. Once they had entered the cave, Grizelda, Serenity, and Lance hopped off of Nadira's back and looked around in awe. They couldn't believe how much gold there was. "This place is amazing," said Grizelda. "Is this a place where a dragon lives?" "This was once the home of your mother-to-be, Zenyr the Majestic," said Melainie. "She was a mighty dragon who collected gold and treasures. She stored them all in this cave, and she protected them from thieves. Whenever someone stole a treasure from her cave, she would chase down the thief and burn them alive." "She did?!" exclaimed the little dragons all at once. "Yes," said Melainie. "She was not one to be messed with. Unlike the unicorns, she did not have a single benevolent bone in her body. She never cared for anyone or anything else besides herself and her treasures. She was the kind of dragon who was extremely dangerous and could burn victims who rubbed her the wrong way. Some dragons like Zenyr often manipulate other creatures and are rather greedy. It's a good thing you didn't become like them due to your upbringing by your unicorn mother.""So, what happened to our dragon mother?" asked Serenity."While she was tending to you when you were just eggs, a mighty thunderbird tried to sneak in and steal one of her treasures," said Melainie. "That treasure was you, the three eggs she was taking care of. But she fought back. She didn't want that bird to take you away, because you were her greatest treasure by far. Unfortunately, while she was able to protect you, she lost the fight. The thunderbird ultimately attacked and killed her, for thunderbirds are much more powerful than any dragon will be. Zenyr sacrificed her life to save you, and she would never be able to meet you once you were hatched. When Nadira found you in the cave, she decided to take you and raise you as her own children. When you were finally hatched, she trained you to become graceful and talented like she was. Because your unicorn mother was so patient and caring, you grew up to become kind, harmless creatures. It's very rare for most dragons in Ilonata to be raised like that. You were very lucky to have Nadira as your mother." "Gee, I guess we are," said Grizelda. "I can't imagine what our lives would be like if we were raised by our dragon mother.""If she hadn't been killed, she might've taught us to be cruel and greedy like she was," said Lance. "Our unicorn mother really raised us well," said Serenity. "None of the other unicorns really cared that we're different from them, and we don't care if we're different, either.""And that's the way it should be," said Nadira. "Every creature in Ilonata, large or small, should be treated with respect. Many dragons have come and gone, but not all of them are as malicious as Zenyr was. In fact, there have been some benevolent ones as well. All dragons are different from one another. Big or small, nice or mean, greedy or generous, it doesn't matter. No two creatures are alike, and I'm sure you will be able to teach others that when you get older." "Now that you have inherited Zenyr's wealth, I believe it would be better for you to give some of the gold and jewels to creatures who need it instead of keeping it all to yourselves," said Melainie. "In fact, there could be plenty of creatures in the land who wished they had such fine treasure," said Nadira. "Go see for yourself."The little dragons immediately darted off and looked around for some fine jewels and gold to give to other creatures in Ilonata. Their eyes settled on some beautiful jewelry that Zenyr stole from human nobles. They decided that this would be a good place to start. They could return the jewelry to their rightful owners and give some of the gold to humans who were poor. What their dragon mother once stole, the little dragons were going to give back. Nadira seemed to know what her children were planning to do, so, using her magic, she fashioned three baskets out of a few hairs from her and Melainie's tails and the dragons' shed scales. Then she gave each basket to Serenity, Grizelda, and Lance, who gathered as much gold and jewels as they could and threw them in until the baskets were full. They also put on some of the jewelry that they were going to give to humans once they reached the mainland. "I think we're ready," said Grizelda. "We can come back here if we ever need to gather more jewels and gold," said Serenity. Once they knew that the dragons had the right amount of riches they needed, Nadira and Melainie led the dragons out of the cave. At that moment, the sun’s first rays shot out over the horizon, and suddenly the land was ablaze with light. The golden sun rose majestically, dazzling them. The little dragons stretched out their wings to greet the sun and feel the life-giving warmth on their scales. "Well, children, I believe your time has come," said Nadira. "Your journey to becoming the most benevolent dragons in the land starts here and now.""I'm sorry that we have to go," said Grizelda. "We're going to miss you, since you taught us so much about living like unicorns.""Can we come visit you another day?" asked Lance. "Certainly," said Nadira. "You can tell me all about your grand adventures. I bet the other unicorns would love to hear your stories.""I think we'll make good friends with all the other creatures in Ilonata," said Serenity. "Just because we are dragons doesn't mean we're evil or greedy. We want to show others that we can be delightful.""Yes," said Nadira. "For now, it's time we parted ways. Gather around so I can give you one last affectionate gesture, to show how much I will always love you." The little dragons gathered around their unicorn mother to bid her farewell before they set off. Nadira gave them each a nuzzle on the head, which is how unicorns kiss. "Goodbye, my little dragicorns," said Nadira. "Goodbye, mother," said the little dragons. Looking at the rising sun, the dragons’ heads stretched up, and they suddenly remembered that they could fly. Their wings stretched outwards, their claws clutching their baskets of jewels and gold, and their legs leaned forward. And then, without really moving, feeling the updraft of the wind, the little dragons leaned forward and were swept upward, higher and higher, lost to sight in the brightness of the rising sun. They would never live among the unicorns again, but there was something they had learned from their mother. They were able to show all the people and creatures of the land that looks weren't always what they seemed. By giving away some of the gold, jewels, and treasures that Zenyr once hoarded, they gained the appreciation of everyone they met. As the years went on, the dragons became beings of great power and majesty, and were much more revered than Zenyr ever was. Because of their selflessness and generosity, the three dragons were dubbed Lance the Redeemer, Serenity the Protector, and Grizelda the Kind, the friendliest dragons in Ilonata. The creatures of the land saw them as heroes rather than monsters, and it was all thanks to Nadira, who managed to tame the beasts inside them. Maybe one day, Serenity, Lance, and Grizelda would be able to teach others to embrace their inner dragicorns, too....
RachelandJessica23
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