Dragon Diaries: Galactic Problems

“Hey, Galactic! Can you help me with something?” Unicorn called out from her room. 

Ugh, not again. “Coming!” I called back. She was always looking for new ways of making herself prettier or better-liked. I slowly made my way to Unicorn’s big room. 

“Yeah? What do you want?” I asked when I walked into her… well, en suite is the only way to describe it. It was frilly and huge. The walls had sparkly gold wallpaper, and the artwork around the room depicted different glittering angels in different poses. Every surface had some sort of beauty product, even though Unicorn didn’t really need it. And then there was the ubiquitous smell of lingering perfumes. It had a very Unicorn feel to it.

“I need help trying on this necklace, I can’t get the clasp.” Here we go again. I fiddled with the clasp of the ridiculously sparkly necklace, nearly getting my tail caught in Unicorn’s frilly bedsheets. I can’t believe she can sleep in those, I thought, while Unicorn was looking in the background-lighted mirror, her gold scales shining.

“Hmm, it needs something more….” Unicorn said slowly, “I think I’ll have to put some scale varnish on…. And some shadow…. Yep! Ok, out!” She pushed me out of her room and slammed the gleaming mahogany door behind me. I turned around and knocked on the door.

“Not even a thank you?!” I yelled through the door. “And what could you possibly be dressing up for? Mum and Dad aren’t hosting another party for weeks!” I heard a noise on the other side of the door that could’ve been a snort.

“I’m getting ready for a date!” Unicorn called while obviously doing something to her face because the words sounded slightly stretched.

“It must be a blind date from all the glitter you’re wearing!” I mumbled.

“What was that?!”

“Nothing, sis!” I went back to my room and picked up the book I was reading. It was a fascinating book about the history of kings and queens. We don’t have those anymore, everyone decided we dragons can take care of ourselves. Although it was quite entertaining to read about what used to happen in those days.

“Galactic, honey! Can you come here, please? Your dad needs help with the solar panels again!” We’d had a lot of storms recently and our solar panels weren’t the most reliable.

“Argh, Mum! Why can’t Unicorn do it? She’s a Sun dragon, for tail’s sake!” I really can’t see why Dad picked Mum out of the thousands of dragons in the world. I REALLY can’t.

“Sweety, Unicorn’s busy! She’s getting ready for a date!”

“Was that what the family’s fortune spent on?”

“Oh, darling, don’t worry, we’ve put some that away for you to have a good education!” My mum really doesn’t get sarcasm. I don’t even know why I try anymore. I sighed.

“Fine, I’m going now.” I walked onto the landing and jumped over the knee-high bannister. I spread my wings and made a graceful landing. 

Hmm, not too bad, I thought, unconcerned. When I landed, I saw my mum talking to one of the servants. I decided to ignore the fact that the girl was crying and walked out the door.

When I opened the door, all I saw was light. We really need to get brighter lights in our house, I thought as my eyes adjusted.

“Gal, are you out here yet?! I can’t hold this much longer!” I don’t mind the nickname, but my dad is the only one allowed to use it.

“Coming Dad!” I flew up to where he was adjusting the panels, “Sorry I took so long.” My dad shifted the solar panel on his back.

“That’s ok, kiddo, Just help me reattach this to the roof and we can play cards.” I landed next to my dad, pulled the loose wires out of the tape and handed them to him as I looked at the gardens surrounding our grand house. They went on for about a mile before they disappeared out of view down a hill. The gardens were done in a swirly style with colourful flowers and beautiful trees blended in carefully. There was only one straight ‘path’ and that was the drive. All the others curved and twisted until you didn’t know which way the house was. You can guess who designed it. My mother is sooo impractical sometimes.

“Alrighty then, I think we’re done.” I turned back to see my dad grinning at me. “Should we go have a couple of rounds of Benie, Galactic?”

“Sure, that would be great! Race you there!” I jumped off the roof and plummeted down the side wall. I spread my simmering silver wings as I felt my dad’s shadow cover me. He had the biggest wings I had ever seen on anyone. His glossy black scales were speckled with dark blue and white in a random pattern all across his back and wings. His underbelly, which I could see as I twisted in midair, was a very dark blue and spread to the middle of his tail. My mother and father looked almost identical except for their colouring. Where my dad was blue, my mum had a beautiful purple-y-pinkish mixed in with her midnight-black scales. I zoomed through the door and crashed into my extremely sparkly sister. 

“Mmff!” My exclamation was smothered in Unicorn’s poofy dress. Not many dragons wore dresses or trousers or shirts anymore, it was a very old-fashioned thing. But Unicorn, ever the exception, looked quite nice in one. When you could see her. Today, she was a walking, talking mound of purple, gold and silver. She glared down at me. 

“WHAT are you doing?” She looked at me disdainfully from her painted eyes.

“Uh, I was trying to get in, but I couldn’t quite see through the door. Something was blinding me. I now realise that it was-” My dad elbowed me.

“It was your stunning beauty, darling; you look wonderful.” My dad gave me a look out of the corner of his eye that clearly said, not now, not when she’s going to be gone soon.

“Oh, well, good.” My sister looked slightly bemused like she was sure I was going to say something different to what my dad said, but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was going to be.

“Come on, dearest, we can’t be late for lunch!” My mother said in a sing-song voice. She dragged Unicorn out the door and they headed down the drive. Probably to another chauffeured limo filled with things they didn’t need.

Many hours later, when it was dark, my sister and mother walked in the door. I was sleeping, and the noise from the door woke me up. I tip-toed out to the bannister, careful to stay in the shadows. Mum and Unicorn were talking in frantic, hushed tones. I strained to hear.

“...but it’s twisted!” Unicorn said exasperated “I know you think he’s nice but I think he’s delusional! It’s not right! He should’ve told me he was a Midnight dragon! I never would’ve come!” 

“Yeah, I know, but think of the rewards! He said he knew how to make you rich! How to make you a queen!” My mother hissed, “You can’t just throw away a chance like that!”

“Ugh, fine. It’s just…..” Unicorn and my mother moved down the hall. I couldn’t catch the rest of their conversation. I crept silently back to my room and shut the door. As I lay on my bed, I thought about what I had heard. What did Mother mean by Unicorn being queen? I thought a little more about it until I slipped into an uneasy slumber.

I woke to my sister stomping down the hall right outside my bedroom. I stared at the plain white ceiling while I heard her go past. When I was sure she was far enough away from my door, I quietly opened it and peeked out. The heat hit me first. My eyes watered. Whenever Unicorn got angry, she became really hot and glowed. Right now, it was like sticking your head into a furnace. Wow, she must be really mad. I better not get in her way. She was also glowing so brightly she could’ve powered our solar panels for a month. All I could see of her were her oval-shaped wings and her frilly back. Leave it to Unicorn to be born with frills. She was stalking down the hallway, glowing brighter with every step. In the end, I had to look away as she reached the plain door at the end of the landing. I closed my door right as the banging started. BANG, BANG, BANG!! I heard the door open on its creaking hinges. Uh oh. Poor Erida. 

Erida is our tutor and she’s really helped both of us improve over the last couple of weeks she’s been here. Our last tutor left in a storm of tears. That was Unicorn’s fault. Unicorn didn’t like learning much, so whenever a tutor pushed her a little too far…. Well, let’s just say it was never pretty. I thought it was a shame. I really liked Erida, despite the annoying homework she gave us. I’m guessing she gave Unicorn something too hard for her delicate comfort zone.

“WHAT IS THIS???” Unicorn thundered. I could hear it clearly halfway down the long landing area.

“Oh, that? I thought you would be ok with that. It’s algebra.” Woo-hoo! Go Erida! I silently cheered. She was doing a lot better than most of the tutors so far. Most of them would be shaking and stuttering by now. One of them even fainted at the sight of Unicorn coming his way.

“YEAH, I KNOW THAT. I WANT TO KNOW HOW I’M SUPPOSED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HANG X MEANS!!!”

“It’s right there on the paper, dear. It says “To find the meaning of x, complete the problems below and write the equivalent number in the space given”. It’s pretty straightforward.”

    “THE ONLY THING PRETTY HERE IS ME!!! THAT ISN’T CLEAR AT ALL! WHAT THE HANG DOES ELQUITENT MEAN?!”

“It’s EEE-KWIV-E-LENT dear. And it means equal to.”

The light seeping under my door intensified.

“EQUAL TO WHAT??!!” I smelled smoke, which couldn’t be good for the papers I could hear my sister waving around. Unicorn made a faint shrieking sound. “AND NOW LOOK WHAT YOU DONE, YOU MISERABLE LIZARD! YOU’VE SINGED MY SCARF!!” The heat intensified so I could now feel my feet and claws getting uncomfortably hot.

“MOTHER!!!!” Unicorn screeched “FIRE THIS HORRIBLE DRAGON AT ONCE! I NEVER WANT TO SEE HER AGAIN!” 

“Ok, darling. I’ll get her out now. You just go cool off. Maybe talk to your dad.” My mum walked past my door, and it appeared Unicorn had taken Mum’s advice, considering the fact my feet weren’t burning anymore. I have no idea why we have so much wood in the house with someone like Unicorn living in it. As soon as I felt her leave, I opened my door and went out onto the landing.

“Wait, Mother!” I called down the hall. “Don’t fire Erida, I would like to keep her as my tutor. I really like her.” My mum looked at me with a frown on her face.

“But Unicorn said she was terrible. I only want the best for you two, you know that. Why would I keep a rubbish tutor?”

“But she isn’t rubbish! Only Unicorn thinks that. I like her and think what she teaches us is great.”

“Well, maybe we can find another one like her then. You know what Unicorn will do if she finds out Erida isn’t gone. She’ll blow up again. I don’t think it’s very good for her when she does that, so I think Erida has to go. Sorry, sweety.” I closed my door, shutting out the words of my mum as she fired Erida. Well, I hope the next one is nice. 

After Erida had been escorted off our property and Unicorn had calmed down, which took a while, there was a knock at the door. I crept down the unused staircase and peeked around the opening, trying to see who it was without being seen. A servant opened the door, and a sorta-handsome-looking Midnight dragon stepped through the opened doorway. He was about my sister’s age (20), and he was holding a small but expensive-looking box. This must be the dragon Unicron was talking about! Wait, was he proposing?! He can’t do that! He’s a MIDNIGHT dragon! 

Everyone knows you only marry within your own type! It’s extremely rare to have kids who are different types than the parents, and that’s why Unicorn and I have been kept at home (well, mostly just me) because it would’ve been strange to see a Moon dragon hanging around with a Sun dragon and two older Galaxy dragons. Although it’s commonly known that Galaxy dragons have the most changeable genetics of any type of dragon, so it wouldn’t have been too bad, but a Midnight dragon proposing to a Sun dragon?! That’s not right.

He ventured further into the house and then I heard a noise upstairs. It sounded like something heavy fell down and then someone scrambling to fix it while causing even more damage to the item. A door flew open and Unicorn stomped out onto the landing, glowing and sending waves of heat down the bottom floor.

“Ah! Unicorn! Just the dragon I wanted to see! Darling, I think we should talk privately and then I have something I would like to ask your parents. Well, that is if we agree, but I’m sure you’ll come to see things the way I do soon enough.” Well, maybe there were more dragons in the world that are immune to Unicorn’s rages than I originally thought. The Midnight dragon stepped forward, his short, tasselled tail swishing behind him. He raised an eyebrow, still looking at my sister as she stared at him in shock.

“Comet? Why on EARTH are you here? I thought I had made myself perfectly clear; I won’t even think of dating a Midnight dragon. I don’t care how much money you can supply me with once your dear parents are dead, I’m not interested. Go take your silly cross-breeding petitions to someone else. They’re not welcome here.” Unicorn said in an imperious voice.

“Yes!” Mother’s voice floated from inside the room Unicorn had emerged from, “We are impervious to your wealth and charm, however much of it you may have.” She appeared in the doorway, striking a silly pose, obviously trying to be casual yet elegant and failing dismally on both points. She looked like she was about to faint, but was trying to cling desperately to the doorframe. Comet, the Midnight dragon, swept into a deep bow, holding it a second too long for it to be mocking.

“Ah! Galaxia! How good it is to see you this fine afternoon. I know you both do not wish to even associate with me, but I assure you, if you let me talk to your stunningly beautiful daughter, I will never bother you again if that is still your wish.” When Comet had finished speaking, he stood there, looking at both dragonesses as if this next answer might make or break him. Unicorn glanced back at Mother and they shared a look that only the two of them could understand.

“Alright, fine,” Unicorn said haughtily, “But only for 10 minutes max.” Comet bowed again and asked if they could have the talk downstairs, seeing as he didn’t have any wings. Unicorn consented and she flew gracefully down to meet him and they walked into the parlour. That room probably got the most light in the house, thanks to the huge bay windows.

I crept from my hiding spot and crouched next to the hing of the parlour door, as that was the best place to listen from. I had lots of spare time when I was younger and finding out what everyone was saying was one of the many games I used to play to pass the time until the next meal.

“So, what is this all about, Comet?” Unicorn’s voice came crisp thanks to the gap in the door and the frame.

“I know we only barely touched on this topic when we first met, but I think you and your whole family would benefit greatly from my knowledge. As you may have guessed, my little proposition about becoming queen will be very tough, but I can guarantee a good outcome if you just hear me out.”

“Go on.” Unicorn’s voice was slightly bored but also a touch annoyed.

“Well, my family has been working on a little, shall we say, experiment, in our own town, for many years, and we believe we have finally found the proper way to control a dragon’s mind without using any sort of magic or powers that might come naturally or not. I would like you to just consider for a moment, being a queen whom everyone loves, obeys and worships. How would you like that? And it all starts with a palace hotel.” There was a pause at this point, where I assumed Unirocn was holding the image of her being adored and showered with gifts and jewels.

“And how would a hotel help?” Unicorn’s enquiry finally came. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I whirled around, finding Mother staring at me like she was trying to fry me.

“And what do you think you’re doing, missy?” She said, yanking me by the arm into a standing position. I scrambled for an explanation.

“Oh, um, Unicorn, uh, dropped something! I found one of her jewels on the floor and I was just looking at its sparkling beauty before giving it back.”

“Mm HMM,” Mother looked at me sternly, “And where might this stunning gem be now, Galactic?” Ohhh, she was good. I blinked, trying to buy myself some extra time.

“I dropped it under the door?” That was all I could think of.

“Well, maybe you’ll be more careful next time. Go to your room right away. I don’t want to see you spying on anyone ever again.” 

“Yes, Mother.” I hung my head and vowed to find out what Comet and Unicorm were up to.