As the young fairy began her search for the Hellfire Dragon’s lair, she started thinking to herself. "Now let's see, if I'm going to find Ridley, I'll have to do what he did. Now where were those places again?" She puzzled as she flew, unaware that she was crossing a forest without light, when suddenly, the sound of footsteps caught her attention. By the sound of the pattern, she guessed it was a group. "What was that?" she said to herself, listening to the footsteps come closer and closer. All of a sudden, an ax flew by her and hit a tree. She turned around and jumped at the sight of the blade. When she turned back, she saw a group of creatures she had never seen before. They looked like reptiles, but they stood on their hind legs like humans. They wore very ancient looking armor, and used ancestral weapons. There appeared to be five of them. The center one looked at her with intimidating, yellow snake eyes. He gave an order to the other four. "Get the fairy." As soon as he said it, the others began to chase. The fairy turned tail and started flying as fast as her little wings could take her. "Sweet ancestors!" she said as she flew. After flying for her life about halfway through the forest, she found a hiding place inside a hole in a tree. She quickly got quiet and waited for the creatures to leave. "Where'd she go?" one of the soldiers asked. "Looks like she got away." the leader answered. "Should we keep looking?" "No. It's not worth our time. Let's head back before the sun rises. We don't want to keep Lord Ridley waiting." Soon after the creatures had left, the fairy was flung out of the tree hole. "Ow! Who did that?" She looked up and saw a squirrel chattering angrily at her. " Wow. Okay, then. Next to being chased by ferocious reptiles, that was the strangest thing that's happened to me all day." She turned back to face where the creatures had left. "But were they talking about 'the' Ridley? Maybe I should follow them." And so she did. She followed them quietly out of the forest, and into the wasteland. "Watch your step, people. Those craters can be very slick." the leader stated. The fairy continued following. "Wow. This place is really creepy." she said to herself. She followed them up until they reached the base of a mountain. When they went inside a small cave, she decided to fly up to the peak. When she reached the top, she noticed a much larger cave entrance. "What might be in here?" she wondered. She decided to explore, and entered the cave. Once she was deep enough, light started fading away until all that was left was the light around the fairy. "The cave's creepier than the wastes." She turned around and started flying backwards. "I wonder where I am?" She suddenly bumped into something. "What was that?" She reached behind her and felt something gooey and sticky. "Ugh! What is this?" When she pulled out her hand, it was covered in a green colored goo. Then she heard a growl. She turned around and met a pair of red eyes. She chuckled nervously,"You can have this back." She wiped the goo on a scaly nose. The creature before her made another growl, and then blew smoke out of the nostrils, knocking the fairy out of the cave. When she recovered from the blow and dusted the smoke remnants off of her skin, she heard the growl again, then turned around shuddering. She looked into the cave and saw the red eyes coming closer. And as they came towards her, the sound of footsteps could be heard. A figure came out of the cavern. It was only then when she realized that it was a dragon, with a body black as night, silver horns and spikes, and a blade at the end of the tail that curved very slightly to one side at the bottom half and slightly the other way at the top, with pricks at the base. The wings and underbelly were a very dark violet. The very sight of this creature immobilized her in fear. The dragon stood at least eight feet tall on all fours. She began to speak slowly, "Are you Ridley?" The creature responded to her in a sorrowful tone,"Indeed, I am Ridley. But why are you here on my turf?" "I only wanted to know if the stories about you are true." she told him. "Or more likely just another hunter wanting to claim my head." the dragon responded. "No! I would never do that. I really am here to learn about your existance." she immediately replied. Ridley only looked at her suspiciously. "Well, you are a little too small and scrawny to be a hunter,” he proclaimed. He then asked,"Those who seek answers are often disappointed in the end. If you're here about stories, which one would it be?" The fairy gave him a confused look. "Is there more than one?" "One speaks the truth, the other is filled with lies meant to convince those who hear it to leave me be. Though even through these stories, they rarely do. One tells the curse, while the other talks about it like a blessing." The fairy maintained the same expression. "I heard the curse, but I think I'd like the blessing better." "If you've heard the curse, then you've heard the truth. I am little more than a monster." "You were human. You all make mistakes." She tried to comfort him, "It's not like you knew what would happen." "I was human," he said angrily, "and I knew perfectly well what would happen. I just didn't believe that it would." He continued furiously, "I will speak of this no longer to the likes of you. You are but an intruder who pollutes my land, and you'll find that I don't take too kindly to uninvited guests. Now get off of my mountain!" "But I was only trying to..." she said in a nervous tone. "Leave!" the dragon shouted as a light of green energy formed in his mouth. He suddenly launched a corrosive stream at her. The fairy screamed as she flew out of the way. She was able to avoid most of the acid beam, except for her arm, which was barely struck, but enough so to leave a burn mark. After being hit, she flew off the mountain, and went back to the forest. ---------- After flying for over half an hour, the fairy started to feel weak, hungry, and tired. She eventually collapsed from exhaustion. She had been out for quite some time before coming to. When she finally woke, she realized she was in what seemed to be some kind of tree house. She looked beside her and saw a basket of fruit. She fluttered over to it and picked up a grape. "Don't mind if I do," she said as she started chowing down. While she was enjoying her grape, she heard the floor squeak behind her. She swallowed the grape hard and turned around. She looked up at a huge bird standing over her. She jumped back in surprise and pressed herself against the wall. Its feathers were a combination of red and orange, and its eyes were the color of amber. "Hey, don't be afraid. I'm not gonna hurt you," the bird assured with a chuckle. "Then quit looking at me like I'm lunch,” she replied. "Sorry," he added, "So how does it feel?" "How does what feel?" she asked. "Your burn." "Oh, that." she said looking at her burned flesh. She gently touched it and felt pain. "Ow." "Wait here." The bird flew off. About a few seconds later, he came back with a peculiar plant in his mouth. It looked like an aloe leaf, but it was white and seemed to have a glow around it. He broke a piece off, and handed it to her. "Rub it on the wound," he said. She gave him a strange look and began to rub. In the blink of an eye, the wound disappeared, as did the pain. "But how... What is this?" asked the fairy. The bird smiled and answered. "Heaven's Aloe. A very rare plant with instantaneous healing effects." He made an expression of startled realization,"Where are my manners? The name's Zephar. I'm a phoenix, if you hadn't noticed already." "Oh!" the fairy said as she flew up and wrote her name in sparkles, "I'm Alicia." "Well, Alicia," Zephar said, "what were you doing up at Mt. Chronicle?" "Exploring," Alicia immediately replied. "Really? That's not exactly a good place to explore," Zephar said with a disturbed look. "Why not?" she asked. "Because of Ridley and the Urkrai," he answered. “What’s an Urkrai?” "A very cold, vicious, and intelligent reptilian race. They're always searching for a strong and worthy leader, even when they already have one," he said with hatred in his voice. "You must have a death wish wanting to go up there." he added with a puzzled look. "I was curious," Alicia replied. "Well, that almost got you killed. You're lucky you only got the fume of Ridley's breath." "I know," she said in disgust. "Ridley's a real nasty piece of work." Zephar explained,"And until this day, only the very brave or very foolish climb his mountain." "Yeah, I noticed." she said holding where the burn used to be, "I wonder which I am." "You could be both. Seems to me like you have an interest in him." "Yes," she said gladly, "I heard a story about him." "Was it the one about his curse?" the phoenix asked. "Yes," she answered. "You heard the story, heard about where he resides, and you went looking for him anyway?" he asked again. "I'm a fairy. We get curious very easily." "I'm surprised your kind aren't extinct yet." he said sarcastically. "Well, we kinda can't die." "That's no reason to put yourself in harm's way." "I know. But I can't help it." Zephar jumped and flew up to a perch. "Tell me something," he started,"do you know why Ridley attacks anyone that comes along his mountain?" "No idea," she answered. "Because he's afraid," he told her. "Of what?" she curiously asked. "Everyone. He's all alone, and believes no one wants anything to do with the likes of him. Some folks think he’s evil. Because of this, he pushes them away before they have a chance to hurt him first. At least that's what I believe." Alicia gave Zephar a positive look and responded. "Well there's only one way to know for sure." She fluttered toward the window, but was stopped by Zephar. "Wait a minute! You're not actually thinking of going back up there, are you?" he said in a nervous tone. “Oh, I’m not going back up there.” The phoenix gave a sigh of relief, until the fairy spoke again. “No, ‘we’re’ going up there, together,” she said with a smile. “Are you crazy?" he said nervously, "I can't go back up there." "Back?" she said with a puzzled look, "You've been up there before?" "Only once," he replied with a sad expression, "I went up there for the same reason you did. I managed to get out, but not unscathed. I lost a lot of feathers, and I’m lucky I didn’t end up as fried chicken. I'm too scared to go back." "Come on," she said, pulling on his wing,"Aren't you even a little curious?" "Not anymore," he answered. "Come on," she said beggingly. "No," he argued. She began to stare at him very sadly. He tried to resist, but eventually gave in with a huge sigh. "Alright, fine. I'll go." Alicia cheered happily and flew out the window. "I just know I'm gonna regret this," Zephar said before following her out. ---------- After making their way out of the forest and through the wastelands, Alicia and her new friend, Zephar, ascended to the top of Mt. Chronicle, where they were hoping to find Ridley once more. Well, one of them at least. "Alicia, I have a very bad feeling about this," the phoenix said with a nervous tone. "Don't worry so much, Zephar. It'll be just fine," she replied in an excited way. They finally reached the peak where Ridley supposedly should still be. "I'm sure this is the place where I saw him." She looked around for the Hellfire Dragon, but did not see him. "If we're going to confront him, we'd better do it now. The sun's gonna come up soon," Zephar said with a concerned expression. "So? What's the big deal?" she asked. "It always rains on the mountain during the day," the phoenix answered. "It does? Why?" she asked again. "Nobody knows," he replied. "Can we just find him and go home?" They stopped talking and entered the cavern entrance where Alicia first encountered Ridley. "Why is it always so dark in here?" Alicia asked in a frightened voice. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because it's night and we’re inside of a cave?" Zephar said sarcastically. The fairy went from frightened to angry and responded. "Well you didn't have to say it like that, you big, red jerk." "Touchy," he said while walking through the darkness, "How can something so small have such a big temper?" As he was walking, he bumped into something."Ow! I think I bent my beak." He gently rubbed his beak and felt in front of him. "What did I bump into?" he asked himself as he felt through the darkness. He touched something, then his eyes widened. "What is this? Feels scaly." He felt upward and touched something sharp."Ow! Something just cut me!" While he was looking at his feather finger, he heard a quiet groan. His eyes widened again, and he cautiously stepped back. "Alicia, where are you?" he whispered. "Over here," she answered. "Bring your light over here," the phoenix requested. Alicia's body light was the only thing that could be easily seen in the total darkness. She fluttered over to him and shined her light over in front, revealing what Zephar bumped into. "Sweet ancestors,” they said simultaneously as a figure came into light. "It's Ridley," Zephar said in shock at the thought of bumping into him. Then he looked at him curiously. "Why isn't he doing anything?" Alicia fluttered up to the dragon's frontside to see what was up with him."I think he's sleeping." "Are you sure?" Zephar asked. Alicia fluttered up to his chest to listen and see if he was breathing. "I'm positive. He's definitely sleeping," she said when she heard his heartbeat."So that's what a dragon's heart sounds like." When she took her head off of Ridley's chest, his paws suddenly moved, and the claws dug themselves deep inside the rock hard cavern floor. His eyes tightened, and his face tensed up. Alicia and Zephar jumped back, thinking he was waking up. "What's he doing now?" Zephar quietly asked. Alicia fluttered over slowly, and gently opened Ridley's eye. She saw it vibrating rapidly. "He's having a nightmare." she told the phoenix. "How do you know?" "His eyes. They're vibrating so violently." she said, now concerned about the dragon. "What do you suppose he's dreaming about?" Zephar asked. "Well, knowing him, maybe it's not a dream. It's more than likely to be a bad memory he's being forced to relive every night." the fairy suggested. "I've got a good idea of what it is," he implied. Ridley's heart rate started to increase rapidly. He started to breathe heavily. His entire body started to tense up. His teeth showed themselves as he started to bite down hard. A green light started to glow from inside his mouth. When he could no longer stand it, his piercing red eyes snapped open with a terrifying glare. He jumped to his feet and shouted in pain. As he shouted, he fired a corrosive beam of green light at the wall. After he had unleashed his rage, he panted heavily, then began to calm down. His body began to relax, and his grip on the floor eased up. He turned around and saw Alicia and Zephar. He looked at Alicia and started to speak. "What are you doing here?" he said irritably. "Didn't I make it clear that I didn't want you or anyone else on my mountain?" "Yes, but I was never a good listener," she said with a nervous expression. Ridley suddenly turned his attention to Zephar. "And what are you doing back here, phoenix?" "Look here," the bird said in an angry tone,"I didn't want to come here. She talked me into it." Ridley looked at them in disgust. "You'd better have a good reason for coming here." "We do!" Alicia stated, hoping that the dragon would listen, "I know why." "Why, what?" "Why you push others away." "Is that so?" he said as he looked at her curiously, "Enlighten me, then." "You're simply afraid." she started, "Most of the friends you've made in the last five centuries have all passed away. And now you refuse to lose anyone else. But even though you vowed to distance yourself, people from the outside, especially humans, came here, not to befriend you, but to slay." Ridley looked at her unblinking and astonishingly, as though she hit the nail right on the head. "Because of this, you've forgotten how to trust, not only other humans, but, well, everyone that comes along. So you choose to push them away before they have the chance to hurt you." Ridley stood motionless as he stared at her. He took a few steps back, lowered his head, and closed his eyes. As he did, a tear came down from his right eye and slowly dripped down his cheek. "People have always come up here to put me down." he said sadly, "After the third attempt, I started to forget what trust really means. I became afraid of outsiders. For a long time, it's just been me and the Urkrai. But even with their company, it's not enough to fill the empty void in my heart. They're just soldiers trained to follow orders. Sometimes, I wish someone would put a sword through my heart, just to put an end to the torment and emotional pain.” "That sounds awful," Alicia said as she started to feel bad for him. "More than you can imagine." he said silently, "That's why I’ve secluded myself, and why I prefer to remain alone." Alicia fluttered up to him, feeling less afraid of the dragon now. "You don't have to be alone," she said with a comforting smile. She gently touched his paw. When he felt her tiny hand's touch, he jerked away, as though he was afraid. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to be your friend. If you don't believe me, then look me in the eyes." Ridley stared at her straight in the face. But looking at his red glare made Alicia feel uncomfortable, as though he was peering into her soul. Ridley broke his gaze, then thought to himself for a moment. He looked back at her. "Alright," he said doubtfully, "I will choose to trust you." Alicia breathed in relief. "But if you betray that trust, I'll make sure it costs you more than your life. Do we understand each other?" "Yes." she said in a low voice, trying to avoid looking him in the eyes again. "May I ask you a question?" "What is it?" he asked. "Is everything in that story true?" Ridley could only give a sad expression. "It's not something I like to talk about." he said shamefully,"But yes, it is true. I was a human who was thirsty for fame and power. I slayed a Hellfire Dragon to get it, and the spirits repaid me by turning me into one." He looked at his paw with sadness in his eyes,"I'm forced to live in this form, and live a life of fear and exile. What's even worse is that this isn't the true punishment. The real curse is much worse." "You mean an eternal life? One that you would mostly spend alone?" the fairy asked. Ridley nodded slowly. "Is the countercurse also true?" "Yes, according to the spirit that did this to me." He looked away to hide the tears that came down his cheeks, but Alicia had already seen them. "I'll stop talking about it now. I can see it hurts you deeply," she said apologetically. "It's fine." he answered as he wiped the tears with his paw. "Your names?" "What?" she said curiously. "You failed to introduce yourselves." "Oh. Well, I'm Alicia. And this is Zephar." Ridley bowed his head respectfully as a greeting gesture. "Pleased to meet you," he replied. After the greeting, Ridley gave a yawn and was very close to passing out. "Listen, I've had a long and very depressing day. If you don't mind, I'd like to go back to sleep." "That's fine," Alicia assured. Zephar started looking around the dimly lit room, then asked a question of his own. "Where are we supposed to sleep?" "Anywhere that's comfortable." Ridley laid down on a soft bed made of leaves and chipped up grass, which made it very soft, and just big enough for an adult dragon. He closed his eyes slowly and peacefully, eventually going into a deep sleep.