Return
Seeing trees and foliage once again filled him with relief, even if the forest is filled with dread. He breathed, no longer bound by chains. By some miracle, a filly landed in his tomb and freed him from that wretched place. He cursed that Wizard for many years as he stared at the same spot for many years. And with this filly, he knew that the Primes were still with him. He walked westward with haste, for he did not know the dangers of this place. Ever confident in his skills, however, he thought to himself that should danger ever arise, he would destroy it with ease. And with a filly atop his head, he would not allow any danger to befall her. Whilst walking through, he noticed that the forest was silent. Even a dreaded forest like this should have a bit of ambient noise. Checking his surroundings, he made sure to at least detect a few creatures. He whispered something and his slit irises started to rotate like that of a goat's. With his now heightened senses, he managed to find a few wolf-like creatures, trembling in his presence. It appears that his arrival has decimated the fragile ecosystem. However, the filly atop his head continued on, stating her friends and family.
"And then, there's Spike! He's a dragon, and he's Twilight's assistant! Ya should meet 'em, he's really friendly!" He stopped and pondered as he asked Apple Bloom about it. "Pray tell, little Apple Bloom, is this dragon friend of yours huge?" Apple Bloom replied shortly, "Nah, he ain't. He's just a baby dragon, after all." He nodded and asked yet another question. "Are his wings developing?" Apple Bloom then looked down at the eyes of her ride. "Eenope. He ain't got no wings last time Ah checked!" He nodded sagely, and then he spoke. "Ah, then perhaps he is a young drake." She cocked her head, amusing the mount. "What's a drake?" Apple Bloom asked, almost falling out of his head. He chuckled and gave a sigh. "A drake is simply a wingless dragon, dear Apple Bloom. Is your world not well versed with the different types of Dragonkin?" He looked at the now confused filly. "Eenope..." She glanced left to right, trying to find a specific answer. Thalion sighed and gave Apple Bloom a tired look. She is but a filly, after all. "I suppose I would teach you and your family about it. It might save you in a dire situation." Apple Bloom then giggled. "Yer mane really is long, Thaly!" He glanced upward and asked, "Thaly?"
"It's yer nickname."
"Ah, I see. Normally my nickname would be Kirsh'nen..." He was then greeted with an upside-down filly on his face. "What kinda nickname is Ki- uhh, Krishinen?" He chuckled as he answered. "Kirsh'nen means Bottled Fire. In my culture, a bottled fire means one who has a large desire. It was a nickname given to me by my mother..." He then looked at the ground. "It's a... special nickname." Apple Bloom, ever the innocent filly, patted Thalion. She knew how that felt. "Ah'm sorry..." She knew that Thalion had lost his mother, something that she understood even without an explanation. "You need not apologize, Apple Bloom. It had been at least a few millennium, after all." Quickly changing the subject, he asked Apple Bloom if her family had ever encountered his kind before. The filly shook her head. He then remembered this young drake she spoke of. As such, he decided that there is one thing to do. He grabbed Apple Bloom and placed her on the ground. As he did, he knelt, his arms stretched and elongated. Spikes appeared on his back; his neck twisted and shifted upwards. His head transformed into that of a large reptilian creature, with his horns growing alongside him. His chains were still around his claws. He then looked at a now shocked Apple Bloom, with her mouth wide open. He leaned down and said, "Be not afraid, Apple Bloom. It is still me."
"Yer... Yer a dragon?!" He chuckled. "I am known as a Greater Dragon. Common Dragons do not talk, nor do they possess intelligence. They act with their instincts guiding them. Though, my form is that of which they call a wyvern. Dragons typically have four legs and a pair of wings, much like the pegasi you mentioned." He was massive. Had he stayed that way, there would be no doubt that panic would have been ensured within the Commonfolk. He then cast a bit of his own magic in order to shrink down in size, allowing himself to be as tall as the Djinguuran equines in his homeland. As he finished his spell, he grabbed an awestruck Apple Bloom with his claws and placed her on his head once more. She squeaked and hopped on his head. She then grabbed the two horns in front of her as she giggled with delight. She was on top of a dragon! They proceeded to venture forward, finally seeing what appeared to be a barn. "Are your masters in that area?" Thalion asked, hiding his tone so as not to scare the filly. "Ah'm not sure what you mean by masters, but Granny and Big Mac are there." She paused for a second and then spoke, "Mah sister too, but Ah think she's with her friends." She then had a thought as she gasped. "Ah never told ya about the Elements of Harmony!"
"Oh? Do tell. What are these 'Elements of Harmony' you speak of?" Thalion asked with a bit of curiosity. Perhaps these are artifacts that he can use soon. If it does give harmony, perhaps he might use that to control those pesky lowlife filth. "Mah sister is one of 'em! She's the Element of Honesty!" She gleamed with pride as she spoke. Thalion then stopped walking. He hummed, pondering what she had just said. "Perhaps I can use them for my plans. If I play my cards right, if I play as the hero, perhaps they can help me end the war once and for all." He thought to himself. He then asked with an innocent tone. "Tell me, does your sister have an artifact alongside her?" Apple Bloom then spoke, looking downwards on Thalion. "She has this necklace thingy. It only works with the others, though." He then nodded, confirming his theory.
Then, with a few dashes, they were now standing in an orchard. He glanced at the trees that bore fruit. "Ya must be hungry, huh? Ya said ya were there for five thousand years, right?" Hunger was the last thing he was thinking about. He was in the territory of Commonfolk farmers, ones that looked like they came from the northern city of Ardien. This type of barn can only be seen there. He sat down, leaning his head on the ground, allowing the filly to get down. He then looked at the fruits. "Welcome to mah family's orchard, Sweet Apple Acres!" She stood on her hind legs while she stretched her front hooves to the side. A welcoming gesture indeed.
Thalion then looked around. Trees that bore fruit of different colors were organized and planted in rows.
"Mirthas. You have quite a lot of mirthas..." Apple Bloom then cocked her head. "Mirthas? Ohh, Ah get it! It's what ye call these here apples from where ye came from, huh?" She giggled and then bucked a tree. She frowned soon afterwards when no fruit fell. Thalion then proceeded to pick an "apple" and gave it to the little filly. "Here, eat a bit. I'll get one too for myself, so do not worry." He did so as he picked another one and ate it. It was... refreshing. Five thousand years of no food and no water, and these fruits have quenched both. Apple Bloom looked upon the hungry dragon as she ate one of the apples too. Then, she craved more. She didn't realize that she was this hungry. Seeing this, Thalion picked a lot more apples and gave them to Apple Bloom.
Then, they heard someone speak. "Apple Bloom!" A deep voice echoed from the top of a hill. He was about to assume his battle stance when he realized that the voice came from a stallion. "Big Mac!" Apple Bloom rushed towards her brother and hugged him. She then told the stallion about what happened to her, and how Thalion saved her. Thalion sat on the ground as he listened to the little filly explain with haste, his right arm crossed over the other. He was looking at them. The red stallion then walked towards him. He was shaking a bit, but he still braced himself. "Thank ya kindly... For savin' mah little sister." Thalion knew that this was a stallion of few words. As such, he bowed to him and said, "You need not force yourself to thank me, Big Mac. She released me from my dreadful prison, I released her from my tomb." The red stallion chuckled as he spoke, "Eeyup!"
He then glanced around, expecting this to be a trap, yet for some reason, there were no such things. He didn't want to scare the newly acquainted stallion, so he closed his eyes and activated his heightened senses. No Commonfolk around... He opened them again, only to find two curious ponies looking at him. "Are ya... alright?" Big Mac asked. "I was thinking of something. These 'apples' just made me realize how long it had been since I had food." He lied as naturally as he breathed, for he was checking where those bloody Commonfolk were. Could this be an illusion? With haste, he stood up and cast a barrier, shocking the two ponies. And yet, nothing changed. He sighed as he turned towards the ponies. "I apologize for the tiny scare. I just thought there was an illusion going on. My enemies did something like this before, and as such, I just wanted to be prepared." This time, however, he told the truth.
It was mundane, meeting the older mare. She was quick and witty while still being senile. She offered the heroic dragon an apple pie, one that he appreciated. With no threats from the Commonfolk, perhaps he could manage to do one thing he had dreamed about. Finding peace.
It would seem Apple Bloom was all tuckered out. It was quite an adventure, after all. Before she slept, though, Thalion made sure to make her memorize what he said. "Meeting here t'morrow, exactly at 7:30! Elements of Harmony to meet the one known as thee!" She said with glee, saying her farewells as she leapt towards her bed. As the sun began to set, he found a nice little place surrounded by these apple trees. He refused to sleep, as it was all he did when he was sealed. He was free, but he would not risk flying above the clouds. It might scare the populace.
He then noticed eight figures walking towards the barn. He glared at them, making sure that his presence was known whilst being hidden. Two of which were fillies, much like Apple Bloom. There were two earth ponies, two pegasi, and two unicorns, all of which seemed... depressed. They then shuddered as they tried to pinpoint where he was. Surprisingly, one of the earth ponies with what appeared to be some sort of hat did not even bother to try and find him. He then heard the earth pony with a hat speak.
"Granny? Big Mac? Ah'm home..."
The rest then followed her inside.
Applejack walked inside the barn. What greeted her were two ponies talking to each other like nothing ever happened. Well, nothing that they know of. "Applejack, welcome home, deary! Finally had that time to yerself after weeks o' hard work. Best not let that get on yer head though. T'morrow ya start with work again, ya hear? I ain't raisin' a lazy farm here-" She stopped as she noticed Applejack and the rest of her friends were silent. "Oh dears, what's wrong?"
Applejack fell to the floor. She could not bear it anymore. "Granny! Ah'm sorry! Ah couldn't save her! She's gone! Mah dear sister's gone!" She let out a wail, one that she swore would never do again. It was painful to watch. Sweetie Belle hugged her sister, as did Scootaloo, who was hugging Rainbow Dash. Rarity looked at her sister and hugged her tight. Helping her up, Granny Smith led them to the living room, allowing Applejack to take a seat. Applejack then explained the situation. She placed the bow at the table, her hoof shaking as she did so. She held her head. Fear and despair were in her eyes. She lost a family member.
Everyone grieved. It was silent-
"What are ya talkin' about, ya crazy whipper-snapper! Get up from that there seat and pull yerself together!" She grunted. Big Mac, who stood behind Granny Smith, was at a loss for words. Even he was confused.
"H-huh?" Applejack muttered. This was not the reaction she expected. Nor was it the reaction her friends expected. "What's with all that commotion?" Apple Bloom yawned and went to the living room. Rubbing her eyes, she spoke, "Ah haven't even slept for an hour and it's noisy in here!" She then saw her sister. Before she could speak another word, however, everyone in unison shouted, "APPLE BLOOM!"
A mix of joy and laughter filled the room, with most asking questions while some hugged the poor filly. The once flat mane of Pinkie Pie returned to her now puffy mane. Apple Bloom giggled at the attention she was gathering. Applejack, on the other hand, did not seem happy. She slammed her hoof down on the table, causing everypony to look at her. What they saw before them was a furious mare. "Apple Bloom! Do ye even REALIZE what ye've put me through? How worried Ah was for ye?" The older mare stopped right in front of the filly. "Ah thought ye were... Ah thought..." Apple Bloom shuddered. She realized that she had made her sister cry. She felt awful. "Ah'm sorry, Ah didn-" With tears in her eyes, Applejack grabbed her sister and hugged her. "Don't ya EVER do that again!" She nuzzled her sister, letting her Stetson fall to the ground.
As Applejack released her sister from a bone-crushing hug, Rarity asked the question that everyone wanted to know. "How did you escape from such an awful place? There were blood stains and some broken chains..." She shuddered at the thought. Apple Bloom then pondered for a bit. "Oh yeah! Ah was limpin' and there was blood on mah head. Then Ah tumbled into a room." She was interrupted by Twilight as this piqued her interest. "Were the chains already broken or was there something contained in them? We noticed a sarcophagus as well-" A cough can be heard. "And some fine gems, if I do say so myself." Interrupted Rarity. "Right... The sarcophagus was broken. Perhaps the structure was a tomb of some sort."
"Hold on, hold on, Ah'm getting there!" Apple Bloom pouted. She then inhaled. "So Ah was limpin' and then Ah broke a vase. Ah then ran 'cause Ah didn't want them Timberwolves to catch me. And then, Ah stumbled in these here room. And then, this here creature was behind me. And then, he healed me and then we talked, and that's how Ah got out!" She smiled so innocently.
"Now wait just a moment here, Apple Bloom. Yer tellin' us that a chained creature helped ye escape?" Apple Bloom giggled. "Eeyup! Ah helped him break out!" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were amazed by their friend's feat. Rainbow Dash shuddered at the thought of an ancient beast terrorizing Ponyville. However, she kept her cool in front of her number one fan. "I must say, if this creature had those wonderful gems, then it would have some bit of taste." Rarity said, much to the chagrin of Spike. Twilight then went in front of Apple Bloom and asked. "Do you know why this creature was sealed? Perhaps it was the guardian of the tomb, but we would never know." Apple Bloom then remembered what Thalion said, but before she told them, she responded to Twilight in a surprisingly somber tone. "He was sealed..." She then looked around the others. "He was sealed for five thousand years, or well, that's what he told me." This revelation shocked everypony except the elderly mare and the tall stallion among them. "FIVE THOUSAND?!" There was a collective gasp. "That's older than Princess Celestia AND Princess Luna combined!" Twilight shrieked, a bit of her mane disheveled. "This HAS to be one of the greatest archeological discovery of ALL TIME!" Twilight said, making the pink pony laugh and giggle. "Oooh! I wonder if mister creature knows what a party is!" She then gasped and grabbed Apple Bloom. "HE KNOWS WHAT A PARTY IS, RIGHT?" She said as she shook the poor filly. "Ah don't think he would like that... He was in a war. It's what caused him to be sealed in that there tomb in the first place." Everypony was silent. "Was he with the good guys?" Rainbow asked, wanting to know more about this creature. "If Ah recall correctly, he did say he was 'he who protects and vanquish evil'. He also said that utterin' his name would bring fear to the baddies." This made Rainbow perk up. If he was indeed an ancient being, then she would be talking to a legendary hero. "That... is... AWESOME!"
Apple Bloom finally told them about what Thalion said. "Ah just remembered! If ye want more answers, he's willin' to meet y'all!" Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom then said with perfect synchronicity, "Meeting here t'morrow, exactly at 7:30! Elements of Harmony to meet the one known as thee!" The three then giggled as Big Mac ruffled his little sister's mane. "Looks like we'll get to meet this ancient one. I'm so excited! Spike, get the paper and ink ready; we're going to have a great time tomorrow!" Spike rolled his eyes. "Uh huh, sure Twilight..." This made everyone giggle, but they themselves are excited too. Applejack mostly, as she wanted to thank this creature for not only healing her little sis, but also for saving her. The rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders were getting restless. They want to meet this creature who saved their friend. Rarity wanted to inquire about those gems and some silk that she found. Pinkie Pie, ever the party planner, wants to make sure that this creature would get the best, most amazing "Thank you for saving Apple Bloom and Welcome to Ponyville! Sorry about you being sealed" party. Rainbow Dash wanted to meet a hero, maybe even ask about cool techniques to fight evil. Fluttershy, despite being terrified about meeting a new creature, wanted to meet him since he was kind enough to save Apple Bloom, let alone heal her wounds despite being chained. As with Twilight, she wanted to know more about this creature. Why was he sealed? Did evil prevail when they sealed him? So many questions...
"Oh, by the way. He might be a tad bit, ya know, scary. It's why he shrunk himself to the size of Princess Celestia. If ye want to, ye can ask him to change back to his true size! He was massive!" Spike gulped at the thought. "What is he, a dragon?" He chuckled along with the rest of the ponies. "Eeyup! Though, he said he was a Greater Dragon." Then they looked at the filly. "What? Anyways, Ah'll be yer guide!" She chuckled and then went upstairs. "Good night, y'all!" She said, innocently.
Whispers and mutters can be heard on the table, where twelve beings sit. Each one bearing a mark, a banner behind them, their soldiers and trusted second-in-commands with them. The twelve beings did not speak.
Just then, a massive door opened. Behind that door was a tall being with some sort of hat covering its face. Deep purple eyes emerged from across the room, filling it with silence.
"Proceed with the affairs. Make haste." A rather short being next to the threatening monster ordered.
And thus, the meeting has begun.