//------------------------------// // Rude Awakening // Story: The Dragonborn Comes // by StressmanFIN //------------------------------// A/N: The second chapter of my release bundle, this one is written mainly from the ponies POV, enjoy. ------------------------- The whole Apple family had gathered just outside the barn, besides Granny Smith who had somehow managed to miss the whole incident and was still sleeping soundly, mere minutes after they heard that strange yell and the crash. "W-what do ya think it was?" Asked Applebloom, worrry evident in her voice. "Ah dont know, but whatever it was it's probably still in there." Replied Applejack. "Eeyup." Spoke Big Mac in his usual stoic voice. Opening the door just a crack, Applejack peeked inside. The inside was an utter mess, towards the back end, a gaping hole adorned the ceiling, allowing Luna's moon to cast it's light on the interior while stray strands of hay danced around in the light draft that was now present, what caught her attention however, was the messy pile of hay bales that just the previous day had been neatly stacked. She recoiled slightly however, when she heard light snoring coming from that very same pile of hay. "Somethin's definitely in there." She said without turning away. "Applejack!" A distant voice called out for her. When she turned to face the speaker, she saw the rest of her friends who were quickly galloping towards the farm, still dressed in a variety of nightgowns, with Rainbow Dash flying ahead of them. "Applejack, you okay?" She asked "Ah'm fine sugarcube." She turned to the others "But what are the rest of ya doing here?" "Well we... heard that bizarre... shout come from here... so we came to make sure you're okay." Replied Twilight Sparkle, still trying to catch her breath. "Wait a minute, ya mean ya'll heard that all the way in Ponyville?" "We all heard it darling." Answered Rarity, who was trying to straighten the rollers in her mane. "Yes, sound tends to travel quite far in the air, especially if the winds are favorable, which they are tonight." Continued Twilight. "Whoa, did you notice you have a pretty big hole in the roof of your barn?" Said Rainbow, who had flown high up to get a better view. "Ugh, yes Rainbow we noticed, that's kinda the reason we're out here." Answered Applejack matter-of-factly. "After we all heard that 'shout' there was a really loud crash, woke us all up. So when we came tah' investigate, we see that the whole barn's a mess, with that hole in tah' ceiling, but that's not all." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "There's somepony snorin' in there too." At this the group changed nervous glances, all except Pinkie Pie, who had a smile on her face. "Why would somepony go through the roof if they wanted to sleep when they could just use the door." She began tapping her chin with a hoof. "Well Dashie maybe but she's here and not there and her home is made from clouds and not wood which tends to give ouchies if you dive through it. Unless yo-hmmphmhp." Her voice was muffled by Twilight's hoof on her mouth. "Yes Pinkie, we know. So anyway, we need to figure out what exactly this creature is that's in there." Twilight gestured towards the barn "and if it's dangerous." "W-what if it's a m-monster?" Fluttershy squeaked. "Don't you worry none Flutters, if it's a monster i'll send it back where it came from. In ten seconds flat." Rainbow declared and threw a few punches in the air for emphasis. "Well, there's only one way to find out." Continued Twilight. The others simply nodded "Applebloom, go back inside for now." Applejack said to her younger sibling. "Aww, but ah' wanna' see that monster." "Now sugarcube." She replied sternly. Applebloom merely sighed in defeat as she started trotting towards the farmhouse, one she was out of sight, the six mares and Big Mac entered the barn, the snoring beginning once again, slowly they made their way closer to the source of the sound. Once they were close enough, Twilight's horn lit up as she began to scour the pile of hay with her magic, once she felt it contact something solid, she proceeded to pull it away gently, so as to not wake up the sleeping creature. She was shocked however when it came into view, so much in fact that she lost her concentration long enough for it to fall into the floor with a loud clank. 'That sounded almost metallic' She thought. "Ow." They gasped in unison as the strange creature groaned and began to stir. "By the godsh, haven't ah had enough falling down for one night?" It muttered as it shakily lifted itself, the ponies gasped again when it stood to it's full height. What they saw before them, looked like something straight out of a nightmare. It was a bipedal creature, standing easily twice as tall as the rest of them besides Big Mac, a black skin adorning it's whole body which had a seemingly metallic sheen, with parts of it glowing in a red light, making it look even more monstrous. Spikes protruded from it's shoulders, head and forehooves, with them ending in wicked claws which Twilight reasoned could easily tear through pony flesh. Where she guessed it's eyes should be, she saw only two black, soulless pits. What she found odd however, was the way the creature was swaying slightly, like a leaf on a wind. While they couldn't see it's eyes, they could feel it's gaze burning through them, as if it was studying them. "Whooaa." It spoke "Oh greats, another of those wacky hallushinationsh, i'm sheeing colorfully horshes." It spoke with a heavy slur. Before anypony could respond however, Rainbow had already closed the distance and was now hovering at the creature's eye-level staring it straight into those dark pits "So who do you think you are? Coming in here like you own the place, breaking up AJ's barn and scaring my friends?" She said with a scowl "I ought to teach you a lesson." "Rainbow get back!" Yelled Twilight "It might be dangerous!" What she didn't expect however was when the creature started snickering and then broke out in full laughter, stumbling around a bit before recomposing itself. "What's so funny?" Rainbow asked with slight irritation. "Y-y-you." It responded and pointed a clawed finger at Rainbow. "What?" "Yesh you, sheriously, how could anyone poshibly take your threatsh sheriously? When wash the last time you looked at yourshelf in a mirror?" "Huh?" Rainbow was now clearly confused. "Aw comon do ah have to sphell it out for ya? yous is a little flying skyh-blue horsie with a... a." the creature broke out in another laughing fit "Rainbow-mane of all things! Ah mean... Rainbowsh..*Hic*" "Aw darns... *hic* Now ya gave me a darnsh... *Hic* Hiccup. Gimme a shec'." He, atleast they thought it was a male from the deepness of it's throaty voice, gave a few strong blows to his chest before letting out a long and deep belch "Ah, muchs better..." Rainbow immediately grimaced at the display "Eugh! Nasty!" Pinkie on the other hoof was rolling on the floor in a giggling fit "He's so funny!" She yelled, still giggling. Applejack though wasn't as confident "This feller's drunk outta his cups, ah dont like this." "Now, where wash i?" He began "Oh yesh, a little skyh-blue horsie with rainbowsh mane trying to intimidate me. No way yous chould scare even a hatchling." He leaned his head forward so that it was almost touching her muzzle. "If anythingsh i find your little bravado... Adorable." This caused her cheeks to blush a bit, not out of embarassment, but out of rage. Rainbow was practically seething at this point. This stranger was clearly insulting her, and she wasn't going to take any of it. "Oh yea? You think i'm funny? Let's see if you think that way after i do this!" Before he could respond, Rainbow had already flown back and delivered a strong tackle to his face, seemingly knocking his whole head off. Everypony gasped as his 'head' landed on the floor but when they turned their gazes back on him they were greeted by a grinning, scaly and reptilian face with yellow eyes and black scales. three pinkish scars running diagonally across his face. What really scared them however, was that he looked very much like a Dragon, complete with the sharp teeth that were lining his mouth. "You call that a punch? Evensh Mudcrabs hit harder than you little horsie." He spoke with a mocking tone while still grinning. When he turned his head to the others, he seemed to notice their horrified gazes "Whatsh with the shtares? Never sheen an Argonian before?" He asked. "What's an Argoonyan? Are you some kind of reptile? Iguana? Alligator? Ooh ooh i should definitely introduce you to my friend Gummy who's an alligator, i'm sure you could be best friends." Pinkie was by some miracle balancing herself on the stranger's head while looking straight into his face from an upside-down position and smiling widely. "Uh? Huh? Wuh?" His drunken mind was struggling to comprehend what had just transpired. When it dawned to him just how close she was to his face, he seemingly snapped "Ahh! A pink freak! Get away fro-" He was cut off when he tried to punch her off his head but thanks to his stupor only succeeded in punching himself in the jaw. He groaned in pain and began cradling his hurt jaw, the pain bringing him to his knees. Big Mac, seeing a chance to take this monster down, decided to charge at him before spinning around and bucking him in the face. "Huh?" Was all he could utter before a sickening crack echoed throughout the barn. "Big Mac! Was that really necessary?" Twilight yelled, shocked at the clearly excessive force he had used. Big Mac glanced behind him towards the creature before speaking "Eeyup." Unsurprisingly, Fluttershy was the first to recover as she galloped towards the creature that now lie motionless, ever so concerned for any hurt creature, pony or otherwise. "Oh... My gosh." She whispered, horrified by the sight. His snout had caved in, lower jaw was disfigured and blood was trickling out of his mouth and nostrils. Before Fluttershy could tend to his wounds however, his body was engulfed in a golden aura and the ponies watched in awe as his injuries began to heal before their very eyes. Once the light had subsided, the bleeding had stopped and all the previous deformities had disappeared, as if the wounds had never been there. Although the three scars at the side of his face remained. "W-w-what was t-that?" Fluttershy asked with a shaky voice. "I'd guess healing magic." Twilight replied "But i've never seen this kind before, or the sheer magnitude of it. Not even the most powerful and experienced unicorn doctors can repair wounds that severe that fast. Atleast not without completely exhausting themselves." She turned to Big Mac with a scowl "What were you thinking? You could've killed him!" "He's better off Twi, ya saw how drunk he was, unpredictable too. Better to let him sleep it off." Applejack countered. "I guess you're right AJ." "Umm, what about those? That is, if you dont mind me asking." Fluttershy pointed a hoof at the various objects strapped on the stranger's back and waist. Twilight gulped audibly when she recognized exactly what Fluttershy was pointing at, various scabbards adorned one side of his waist, with a blunt club-like weapon on the other side and what she believed a hilt and a piece of wood pointing over his shoulders. "I believe those are his weapons, i'd better take them for safekeeping." And with that she promptly removed them with her magic and placing them in a neat pile next to the wall. "Though why he'd need so many i have no idea." She began tapping her chin with a hoof "If i'd have to guess, he's probably a warrior or a soldier from a foreign land. We can't leave him here though, i'd better take him to the library and inform the princess, she'll know what to do." Without wasting anymore time, she lifted him and his equipment with her telekinetic grip and proceeded to trot towards the barn doors, her friends following close. Before they got too far however, Applejack turned to her older sibling. "Big Mac, could ya go inside and keep an eye on Applebloom while we're gone?" A simple "Eeyup." was his answer. The walk back to Ponyville had been uneventful. The streets had been empty at this time of night, even after pretty much everypony in town had heard that loud shout earlier tonight, for which they were thankful since it meant nopony would see their curious companion who was floating slightly above them in a purple aura. After they reached the library, Twilight promptly entered, her friends following behind her, when a familiar voice called out to her. "Twilight is that you?" "Yes i'm back Spike." And with those words, Spike quickly made his way down the stairs "You were gone for so long, i was starting to get worried." He turned his gaze to the floating stranger "What's that?" He asked while pointing a claw at him. "The thing that crashed into mah' barn and wrecked the roof." Applejack answered with a slight scowl. Spike turned to face her with a raised eyebrow before returning it to the stranger. "I'll explain later Spike, for now, can you go get a quill and paper? I need you to take a letter after i take him." She glanced at her floating companion "To the basement." "Sure thing Twi." He left to perform his task. Once he was out of sight, Twilight made her way to the basement placing her load on the stone floor after which she made her way back to the ground floor, locking the door behind her. Returning to the common area where her friends and spike were waiting, the latter who had a quill and paper in hand. "I'm ready Twilight." Spike said. After she placed the stranger's items beside the nearby wall, she began reciting. Dear Princess Celestia. At the time of writing, earlier tonight Ponyville was shook by a sudden and loud "shout" that echoed across the town, which to my best knowledge composed of the words Feim, Zii and Gron. When we heard that these words echoed from the direction of the Sweet Apple Acres, me and the rest of my friends went to investigate. In the barn, we discovered a strange reptilian creature who claimed to be Argonian, dressed in an equally strange armor that had fallen through the roof of their barn. While 'he' did not seem overly hostile, besides a few slanderous words. He was in a highly inebriated state and after being knocked out by Big Macintosh, i brought him to the library for safekeeping, and to try and sober him up. I'll await your response in regards to what to do with him. Your faitful student. Twilight Sparkle. With the letter finished, Spike sent it with a puff of green flame "So who's this other guy you discovered at Applejack's barn?" He questioned. "Well what little we could gather from his drunken rants, he is from some previously unknown reptilian species named Argonians, who are not related to dragons oddly enough, since there is a staggering resemblance. And if i had to guess from that armor and weapons he was wearing, he may be a warrior, or a soldier from some distant land, who also possesses, at least some, magical capability." Twilight started beaming when the realization hit her. The concept of meeting a visitor from a far away land, who was also capable in magic endearing to her. "Cool... Check out that wicked sword." Twilight was cut from her reverie when Rainbow had flown to the items she had confiscated from the stranger and was now eagerly pulling at the hilt of one of the swords, trying to unsheath it. "Rainbow be careful! Those are not to-" She was cut of when RD managed to loosen the blade from it's sheath and it made a loud crackling noise. "Yikes!" She yelled, the shock causing her to drop it, what surprised everypony present was when frost began to spread onto the surrounding floor where it now lay. "Whoa. That's... cold." Spike was flabbergasted by how a sword could cause the floor to freeze up, Twilight was equally shocked, hastily she lifted it from the floor with her telekinesis, taking a closer look at it. The hilt was made from a golden coloured alloy she didn't recognize and the blade was colored light blue and seemed to be made from some slightly transparent, crystalline material, almost like glass. 'No that can't be it, glass would be far too brittle to be used on' she gulped 'weapons.' She turned it a bit in her grip, making the blade glisten in the library's soft light, while she knew little about blacksmithing, even Twilight admitted it was clearly of master craftsmanship. What caught her attention though, was the constant crackling noise it was making, like breaking ice. The blade also felt unnaturally cold to the touch, as if raw blizzard was barely contained within. "It's beautiful." Rarity's eyes were sparkling at the display "See how it reflects light as you turn it? It's almost like a fine-cut gem, so dazzling." "It's a weapon Rare." Applejack corrected her. "True darling, but you have to admit it's still quite a piece of art. Why it's like practicality and art melded together." she sighed and blushed slightly "Just imagine how much more handsome the royal guards would look if armor could be fashioned from that same material." While Rarity got lost in her imagination, Twilight had placed the sword back in it's sheath whereupon the crackling instantly ceased. 'Binding magic into weapons? Just who is he exactly? What more is he capable of?' Her mind was brimming with questions she had thought to ask the stranger but was brought out her thoughts when she suddenly yawned, "Oh my, everything that's happened tonight made me forget my need to sleep." She giggled slightly. "I guess we all should head to bed and get back on this at morning." While hesitant to leave her alone with the stranger, they eventually conceded when Twilight had assured them she had everything under control. Once they had left, she and Spike made their way to their bedroom. 'Tomorrow is going to be such an exciting day.' she thought as she closed her eyes and within moments, was asleep. -------------------- A/N: And there you have it, the second chapter of my first story, might have to go back to edit it at some point as i'm not quite convinced i got all the glaring errors removed.