//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Home // Story: Strength of a Brother's Bond // by Trexorb //------------------------------// Chapter 12         “What do you mean you’re leaving?” I asked.         “I’m sorry, my friend, but I’ve been away for too long,” The white drake replied, looking down at the floor. “My hoard. My family. They need me.” Rex smiled at me as he stood at the entrance of my tent.         “I understand, family is important,” I nodded sagely, knowing the importance of family. I still didn’t understand one thing... “but do you really have to leave me alone in this village? I don’t think I’m on best terms with them.” Still stuck to my bed, I looked over to the tired blue pony, Sol, who was nodding off in his chair. It was barely morning, with the sun just rising off in the distance, so not many peo- er ponies were awake at this time. I was um... ‘put to sleep’ earlier than the others, so I was the first to awaken, only to see Rex preparing for his departure back to his hoard. It has been awhile since he’s seen his sister and grandpa. “Don’t worry, my friend. Just remember they don’t hate you entirely because you’re a dragon, so keep on smiling.” I smiled at Rex’s encouraging words. I never really noticed till now, but Rex is actually one of the few friends I ever had, that wasn’t after anything, like my money. Now, here in a new world, I started all over. I have nothing, and yet he’s the first friend I made since I arrived. It’s always nice to know that I actually have a friend in this world now. Someone who can actually raise my spirits and-   “Though, they will try to kill you because you destroyed their village. So good luck with that.” Rex grinned. Oh wait... This bastard is leaving me dead to the dogs. Rex! You asshole! Before I could make a comeback against him, he exited the medical tent, leaving me alone with the blue pegasus. I heard the sounds of wings flapping and soon, he was off towards the skies going back home. Home. A place of comfort and warmth. A setting where you can be at peace. Sanctuary from the hostilities of the outside world, where you feel like you belong to the one’s you love. It’s not suppose to be a prison or a jail cell, but it’s where your heart is at. Yet, I have no home now. Not in this world, nor this town. My real home is back on earth, with Drew. I really hope he’s ok now, safe at least until I reach him. I started to think of what his captor was doing with him and quickly shaked my head, not wanting to imagine the possibilities. I looked at the slumberous pony, who has just fallen off his chair and was still knocked out with drool coming out of the corner of his mouth. From what I heard, ponies will be keeping a close eye on me, and from the mumbles of Sol, I guess I’ll be busy with some debts to pay.. Guess that means I have to be here for awhile. Meaning this will be my new home. With that thought, I sighed and leaned back against the bed to the best of my abilities, trying to get some rest. Hopefully tomorrow will be better than today. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “I told you! I didn’t do it!” “That’s a load of manure! We saw you fight against those ponies. You even burned down all those homes!! I bet that crashed airship is yours too!” Stone-Edge accused, tugging at the rusted chains that restrained me. Stone-Edge and I were just having a pleasant little chat while Sol went out to grab some lunch or something. “Why the hell would I have a fucking airship, you dumbfuck?!” Very pleasant indeed. I get it, but this was getting ridiculous! They’re accusing me of destroying their village and capturing Drew. Are these ponies really that racist to blame another species rather the obvious truth? “‘Cause, you scaley freak, you got no wings! An airship like that could easily hold your weight,” He then slapped me across my face, which just confused the hell out of me. “And watch your language, drake! Or I swear by Celestia’s sweaty tampon, I’ll put broken glass in your mouth, Close it shut and sew it all together if you keep it up!” I immediately shut my mouth close and thought of my next few words carefully. For ponies, these threats are seriously NOT for children. I’m really regretting not watching that show now. Few things: First, he just called you fat. Hehehehe. *Ahem* Second,you just got bitch slapped by a pony! HAHAHAHAHAHA! *Cough Cough* Hmmm, right. And third, you can survive glass, you idiot! You’re a dragon! With razor sharp teeth that can chew through gems! GEMS! You really are a dumb piece. Maybe I should have taken that two-headed dragon piece. At least two heads are better than one. “Oi! Shut up! I’m smarter than a damn two-headed dragon, I’m not fucking fat, and if that pony tries to slap me again, I’ll bite his hoof off!” “Is that so, huh?” The captain said, glaring daggers at me. I froze as I realized my mistake. Instead of thinking with my mind towards Ava, I acted on rash impulse and shouted my response. Meaning Stone-Edge heard all what I just said.The pony walked heinously towards my bed, slowly taking his time as his dagger eyes kept piercing my body. Annnnnnnnnnd you're screwed. Welp, I’ll see you in the afterlife... and by that, I mean Tartarus. Say hi to Jack for me! Tell her I’ll give her back her virgins soon, just not as virgins when she gets them.... In fact, avoid talking about me as it is with her. Before I could make a proper response to who the hell Jack was, a blue blur rushed through the entrance of the medical tent, crashing onto Stone-Edge and landed in an awkward position with the blue blur on top of the captain. “Ummmmmmm.... H-hey there, S-Stone.” The pegasus stammered. “Solar, you got ten seconds to explain why you’re INTERRUPTING MY INTERROGATION!” Interrogation? More like false accusations! I’m innocent! “Ummm.. uh... well you see...” Sol sputtered, glowing red in his cheeks. “That’s because this dragon’s innocent, Captain.” A strong, but feminine voice spoke. We all turned towards the entrance to see a young looking white unicorn trott in, wearing a blue collared shirt with a yellow bowtie. Her cutie mark was of that of two angel wings, which relaxed me somewhat. Cutie mark means that it’s the ponies special talent. That must mean that she’s a very kind-hearted person- errrr... pony. I really hate changing the person to pony.... I need to meet more humans. …. Wait a minute... She has fire around her.... “Um... Mayor Hoofington! What are you doing here, ma’am?” Stone edge said, struggling to get the pegasus off of him. “Hi Angel!” Sol casually waved towards the white unicorn, him sitting on top of the brown earth pony. “Hello colts,” Angel genuinely smiled, while she fixed a stray hair from her short, blue mane. “Love to stay and chat, but I need to talk to this drake in private, if that’s ok?” “Wait a minute... You’re a hum- MMMMMPHHHH” I felt my entire jaw snapped shut from a strong force. Looking at the mayor, I noticed her horn was glowing a faint golden color, as she angrily glared at me. “Even if he is innocent, I need to speak with this dragon in private.” She turned to faced the captain, as he just pushed Sol off him and stood at attention. “Also, Stone-Edge, you’re needed at the mines, asap. There was an unscheduled explosion in the tunnels and the miners down there are still trapped. So double time it, Captain. You got lives to save.” Stone-Edge saluted the mare and galloped out of the tent, fulfilling his orders like the soldier he was. The mayor turned her gaze towards Sol, who was sitting awkwardly on the floor, rubbing his left hoof over his foreleg, while whistling a tune. After a few minutes, the mare got impatient of the clueless pegasus and cleared her throat quite loudly, grabbing the attention of the pony. Once Sol realized he wasn’t really needed in the tent, he nodded towards the white unicorn and exited the medical area. Once he left, I felt the pressure on my mouth relaxen as Angel sighed and shook her head. “Confound these ponies. They drive me to drink.” She muttered. I couldn’t help but chuckle as she facehoofed herself. Looking back towards me, Angel’s horn suddenly glowed again, giving off some more light than before. I anticipated for her to break my neck or torcher me now that I was alone with her. With this thought I closed my eyes and waited for death to hurry. After a few seconds, I realized I wasn’t being murdered. Opening my eyes again, I looked around and noticed that the tent itself was glowing all around, with the same glow as the one from the unicorn’s horn. Soon, the magic dispersed, making the room darker and filling it with an odd and eerie silence. “The hell was that?” I finally asked after a few minutes of silence. Looking at the unicorn, she was panting a bit, wiping some sweat from her forehead. When she was much calmer, Angel cleared her throat as she trotted over towards the bed. “Noise cancelation spell. Learned it from the library. They can’t hear us and we can’t hear anyone outside.” She explained. “So now they can’t hear us say, oh I don’t know, that you’re HUMAN?!” I screamed the last part, wondering if the magic really worked. A few more minutes of silence proved that no one can hear us and that we can’t even hear the outside world. “How did you know I was human? I thought I hid it pretty well.” She pouted as she sat on the bed with her hind legs sticking out. “Well for one, I don’t think ponies are able to sit like that without hurting something unless they know what they are doing,” I pointed out, to which she blushes slightly on her mistake. “and another thing is that you didn’t freak out so much when I cuss or say ‘hell’. Either you’re a very disturbed pony or you were human once too, and now living with the ponies.” “Wait, you were a human too?” She asked with hope in her eyes. ….. Great going, genius. Guess THAT secret’s out. Any more you want to tell her? That didn’t go as planned. Well you better start explaining yourself! Before I knew what she was about to do, Angel had her forehoofs on the bed as she looked sternly in my eyes. “So you’re human as well? Well, then I’m going to do to you what I’ve only done to one other pony, so don’t get too scared.” She grinned as she gazed upon me with half open eyes.... Oh god. Oh me! She’s gonna either kill you or rape you! Quick, scream for mercy! No wait, don’t. Rapist like it when you scream. Just don’t move and you’ll survive with minimal damages. Actually, theres the psychological trauma, so that’ll take six months or more to heal. Theres also the- You’re not helping at all! I’m sure she doesn’t mean anything like that. Just don’t move and you’ll be fi- AHHHHHH, HERE SHE COMES! SAVE YOURSELF! AHHHHHHHHHH! Just as Ava and I were screaming our heads off in my mind, the mare suddenly had me in a chokehold with both her hooves around my neck, constricting the life out of me. It wasn’t really rape, but it was still close to killing me. I started choking on the mare’s death grip, wondering why god would do something like this to me. I NEED AND ADULT! I NEED AN ADULT! I’m the one about to die! Well, I’m stuck in YOUR mind! Meaning I’ll die too! HELP! RAPE! Shouting isn’t helping! IT IS FOR ME! Ignoring more of Ava’s screams and protests, I noticed that my chest was getting wet and that the unicorn wasn’t purposely trying to strangle me, but was an attempt to hug me. Looking down, I saw the poor thing crying her eyes out, whimpering and muttering a few nonsensical words. Not wanting her to feel down like this for too long, I tried to hug her back and rub her mane to calm her, but the chains restricted me from doing so. So I just layed there awkwardly chained to the bed as a mare on top of me cried her golden eyes out. After ten minutes of uncomfortable, one-sided hugging, I decided enough was enough. “Um... Not to sound rude or anything, but can you please get off me and tell me what the hell is going on?” The mare loosened her hold, though not completely letting go. She looked at me with tear filled eyes as she simply said. “Thank you.” “Uhhhhh.... What?” I’m am confused as all hell. Is the rape over? I had my eyes closed the whole time. There was never any rape and you don’t even have eyes! Well I like to pretend, ok? Don’t have to be such a meanie pants. Sighing, I look back towards Angel, who was now off my body and standing on the floor next to me. I couldn’t help but wonder what made the mare cry all of a sudden. “What’s with the sudden crying... and what did you mean one other pony?” I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. It really didn’t make sense, it was like a child was writing out her story and didn’t know what he/she was doing. *Cough* Yah... let’s not go too far and break the fourth wall now. “I never really hugged any other person before, let alone a pony. There was only one I would allow, because he was.... different.” Still doesn’t explain why she would hug me. Has she never seen another human in a long time? “Who was the other person then?” She ignored my question as she examined a chain with her hoof. “*Sigh* You know, I wasn’t always the mayor of Dragon’s Gate.” She said as her horn started to glow. INCOMING SAPPY BACKSTORY!! Shush! I want to hear what she’s saying. Fine, fine...... I’ll get the popcorn. “I became mayor after the town’s second dragon’s raid. Only a handful of dragons attacked, but it was enough against the newly established town.” I heard some clattering noises coming from the locks. Looking at my restraints, I noticed the locks on my chains were being unlocked as she continued. “A giant red dragon swooped down and swallowed the previous mayor. I was actually about to be consumed next... If he didn’t save me.” Angel had a sudden smile on her face as she thought about her savior. “This pony was an old friend of mine. He came out of nowhere having only armor and sword. With some help from some of the local villagers, they killed off the red dragon and saved the town.” With her face still damp from tears, she giggled a little as she retold her adventure. “After that pony saved me, I couldn’t help but fall heads over heels for him. He was strong, determined, handsome, and very humorous. He always seemed to look after me and wanted to protect me. Then... we had to hold an election to see who would be the next mayor,” Her face scrunched up as she continued to work on the last stubborn lock. “I didn’t want to even be mayor, but apparently the ponies thought it would be best. When the voting was over, I was it. He even tried to be supportive... till he had to leave to help. He left me thinking that he can help the world if he gets rid of all the harmful dragons.” Wait.... hates dragons? Oh please don’t tell me that it’s.... *CLICK* “Ah! There we go. Anyways, he left with his friends a few years ago and I haven’t seen him since,” She wiped away a tear as she magiced off the last of the locks off of me. She turned her head away from me as I finally moved my body off the bed. I started to stretch more as Angel sat on the floor and sighed before saying. “Well I haven’t seen him till now.” “Now? What changed? Can’t be th-” “The attack on the village? Yes. That, and you being here.” “.... What?” I is confuzzled as well. “You brought him back here. You brought back my husband.” Brought who back? All I had with me was Rex, and he’s gone now. It can’t be Rex... Can it? Her? With a dragon? But... How does it fit? Ignoring Ava’s stupid questions, Hey! It is a legit question!, I decided to just be blunt about it and ask her straight forward., “Your husband.... Mayor, your husband doesn’t happen to be-” “My Husband is sir Lancelot Hoofington, the infamous dragon slayer and protector of Dragon’s Gate!” ….. ….. ….. Well... I didn’t see that one coming.... I need to work on NOT being surprised by details like this. I couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed and jaws dropped as I looked at the mare. My mind seemed to have turned to mush from hearing this new information. Angel either ignored or never saw my surprised look, but when she turned to face me, she went to a full on tackle. The tackle had me come back to reality and gasp for air. Still standing, I look down to a laughing unicorn, with tears streaming down her face. This was when I realized these were not tears of joy. “You brought him back... and here he is, mad. He’s delusional.... He wants to do nothing but kill ‘the shield dragon’. What happened to him?” She clutched onto me again, hoping to find some comfort in hugging the dragon that almost killed her husband. For christ sakes, don’t you start getting emotional too. I almost killed a mare’s husband! Almost! Doesn’t mean you did. So don’t start crying and just help this girl back to her feet.... errr hoof. Damn this equestrian language. Besides, you help her, she can help you! Yah... I guess you’re right. I know I’m right! I’m a god, so you can trust me. Technically, you’re not a full fledge god yet, Correct? ….. Right, that’s encouraging.... Deciding to help calm the mayor, I sat down on the floor and held the mare as she kept on going saying “He wasn’t always like this.” and “Why would he attack the village?” Things that I couldn’t answer. I still need to find out what made Lancelot tick that way. According to Angel here, he was nice and kind... but what turned him? When I was still thinking about what could have changed the sword pony, she calmed down and looked at my face, wiping a tear away from her eye. “D-do you think y-you can do me a favor?” She asked. I thought about it before accepting it. She’s just a broken mare whose husband tried to destroy the village. Might as well try and help out a fellow human. Can’t be anything that bad.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “I have to do what?!?” This can’t be serious! I thought I was out! Freed! I didn’t even think that I would have to work that much while I was here! Let alone do some task as tedious as this! Sol waved his hoof dismissively, laughing at my response to his request. “Oh, quit complaining. A dragon like yourself should easily be able to do this!” Sol and I were just outside the village limits, looking over at the area around us. The smell of the sweet scented air filled my lungs as I took everything in. It’s been a few days after Rex had to leave for his family.It felt great to be able to finally move out of the medical tent and walk on my own two feet. I healed quite quickly and was able to even be unchained after some convincing. Though it didn’t explain why I had to BUILD A FREAKING WALL AROUND THE WHOLE DAMN TOWN!         I heard more begging and pleading than convincing. Actually had one of the guards tear some mane out before he took you off your chains. You are sooooo mature.....         Shut up. I don’t need a childish, god-in-training to bother me in my own head! Don’t you have something more important to do than bother me?         Hmmmmm well...... Hold that thought         I felt lightheaded after he said that, having myself quickly shake my head to clear the pain. “But what you’re asking requires at least a team of strong me- um.... stallions to help build this. I’m only one dragon. ONE! I can’t do this by myself!” I’m gonna be honest, I don’t do much outdoor work. Usually the gardener does the menial things for the yard, but neither me nor my brother have done any physical task in.....  well we never did, from what I can remember. We were rich back home, so sue us. Sol turned his back towards me, facing the village ahead. “Complaining isn’t going to get the job working.” He shouted back. “Besides, you owe the village if you want to repay your debt. This is a start.” With that, he flared out his wings and took off towards the village, leaving me alone with the piles and piles of stone bricks near me. “Well... That was awfully nice of him. I think he likes you.” I froze as I heard the voice whispered. Slowly, I turned my head to face the voice, wishing that I was just going crazy and not actually believing who it could really be. “‘Ello sweetie!”  There in front of me, was Ava floating in mid air, having his wings flapping to hold him up. Both of his hands were under his chin and his two dark holes stared at me wide as he smiled at me creepily. Ava was out of my mind..... Out of the ‘daydream’ area... And in front of me.... Calling me sweetie? ….. “What the hell are you doing here?!” I flipped out, falling flat on my ass. I glared at Ava as he moved around, now crossing his arms and giving off a smug look. “Well, I was on my way to this gay, gypsy, bar mitzvah for the disabled, when I suddenly thought-” “NO! NO! NO! Please don’t finish that thought!” I picked myself off from the surprise summons and looked over the floating god-in-training. He seems to be real and acts the same way as he did in the ‘daydream’, when he’s not serious apparently. “Awwww, you’re no fun,” He teased, floating over to one of the piles of stones and smirking. “but you should probably start already. Don’t want to piss off the village anymore with your destruction. Besides, you don’t want to have a crying pony on you again, do you?” I tried to grab Ava for reminding me of the reason why I was doing this, but as soon as I did, my claws only fazed through him as if he was nothing more than a ghost. My eyes went wide as I looked at this crazy humanoid, as he nonchalantly looked over his nails. “Good luck with that, trying to strangle me. Whether you like it or not, I’m out here now! Out of your head, just how you like it. Though, I can’t really do anything to anyone else except you....”  He gave a more devious grin as I went to grab a random stone from the top and angrily placed it on a line that was marked for me, not exactly enjoying how things will be going for me now. I sighed as I knew this was going to be tedious, time consuming, and more importantly a waste of my goddamn time. “Um..... I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The pre-god moved around to be in my field of vision, looking at the first stone I placed down. “The hell are you talking about?” I asked, grabbing another heavy stone brick, grunting at the weight of it. “That’s not the right one either...” Ava said. I dropped the stone I was holding, having it land near both my feet, and looked sternly into the wannabe- god’s eye..... sockets. “What do you mean by that, huh?” I said with venom spitting out. Ava just floated around the line that was guiding my build curiously. “Well, you’re gonna need stronger material on the bottom to help hold the other stone bricks on top. That brick right there,” He pointed to the first one I layed out. “Isn’t going to help much.” “Well, if you know so much, why don’t you do it then?” Ava gave me the “Are you serious?” look and went to grab the stone that was on the line, only for his hands to go right through it. “Hello! I phase through things, whether I like it or not!” He spoke with heavy sarcasm. “Can’t really help you. Sorry ‘bout that.” “This is stupid. I’m not building a damn wall!” Annoyed, I sat on the stone brick that was near my feet, thinking of a way out of this town. “I mean this village isn’t really the nicest and not all of them believe that I’m innocent just because I’m a dragon! This town’s racist! Rex even said this was one of the few places that dragons are accepted into pony society. I sure don’t feel accepted.” “You know you could just always, oh I don’t know, get up and leave. Nothing here really holding you back.” Ava said as he floated towards the open field, moving away from the village. …...... Oh yah.....         Slowly getting up, I started to follow the fez wearing god-in-training, knowing full well that if I leave, I can’t come back without trouble happening. Good riddance then. These racist ponies... God, I hope I don’t meet more ponies or any creatures that are so accusing and racist as them... Something tells me thats not gonna happen.         Passing the white guideline for the stone wall, I stepped over it, towards freedom. Freedom from doing such manual labor. However, when I was only just a few feet away from the white line, I remembered something very important....... *BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT* …... “RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-” Ponies have magic. Which means they can put up electric-psychic barriers  to block me from my sweet, sweet freedom. Smart little devils. The force of the electricity was the same as if it were a thunderstorm was striking lightning at a repairman who was working on an open circuit at the powerplant.         In other words... “AAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH-” Very, very painful.  Once the electricity stopped flowing through my body, I stood there, paralyzed and dazed as smoke from my now burnt body filled the skies.         Ava floated besides me, magically summoning a drum set next to him. He grinned like a madman as I stared off into space.         “You could say that that was quite.... Shocking.” After the horrid joke was said, the drums did a rimshot, while Ava bowed towards no one in particular.  “Thank you! I’ll be here all week! Tip your waitress.”         I lost consciousness  before I could give a rebuttal. At least now I’ll get some peace and quiet... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The mayor was watching inside her small room, through the only window that looked on at the chained prisoner. Guards inside the room with the prisoner did their best to try and restrain him as the monster tugged and wrestled against the stallions. The room was dimly light as there was only one lantern to brighten the viewing room. Angel just stared through the window, not moving a single muscle, as she sat and watched the struggle go on. She didn't know how to react to this. All she could do was stare with tear-filled eyes as the beast punched yet another stallion across the room Just then, Sol came bursting into the room, screeching to a stop just next to the mayor. Angel turned her back towards the hyperactive pony, whipping her eyes from past tears, as she said. "W-what is it you want, Sol?" The blue pony seemed to ignore the mayor's question as he sat next to her and looked through the window. "So... this is how he's acting now." He said as a guard's face smashed against the window and slid down the glass, leaving a small trail of drool. "Kinda sad to see him like this, you know. What do you think happened to him?" Breathing in, Angel regained her composure and and looked onward as well, seeing now the guards were using a different tacit to subdue the prisoner. "He keeps saying that he has to finish his mission. Something about killing a William or something... Anyways, Sol," She said, ignoring the guards finally chaining the monster against the wall. "What do you need now?" "Oh! Yah." Sol faced the mayor with a smug look on his face. "That red dragon tried to escape, but apparently your spell worked, Angel." "Well that's good then." The mayor smiled, glad to see her plan worked out. "We should probably go see if he's ok though. Honestly don't remember how much volts I set it too." Sol nodded and both ponies turned to leave to viewing room. Just before the door closed, however, Angel looked back to see the exghausted guards all leave the prison room, as the angered beast yelling and screaming for freedom, thrashing around in his magic chains. She felt a single tear fall down her eye as she turned to leave the poor beast. "I'm so sorry Lance.... I'll find out what's wrong and fix you soon. I promise." With that, the doors shut behind, leaving the ex-dragon slayer to scream against the heavens, his mind controlled and rewritten to do one thing. "I'LL KILL YOU WILLIAM! ONCE I'M FREED, I'LL END YOU AND YOUR MISERABLE EXISTENCE!!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~         Waking up, I found myself looking up towards the now cloudy skies, with the sun about to set off in the west. Laying on some burnt grass in the fields, I recalled what happened to me and why I feel so sore again. Looking around me, I was surprised to see the Sol sitting next to me, staring at me curiously with his head slightly tilted, and the mayor standing over the white line, looking quite regal and proud in her attire, but her face showed she was annoyed.         “I see you tried to run away, but it’s not going to be that easy.” Angel smirked. “I had a feeling you would do something like that. So during the silence spell, I took the precaution of adding another spell to the mix.”         “Hmmmm, well that explains why she was so tired from such a simple spell. Hehehe, I like her!” Ava giggled behind her, excited at the change of events.         Groaning, I lifted up to a sitting position as I grabbed my throbbing head. Rubbing my forehead gently to soothe the pain, I ask, “What kinda of a fucking spell does that?”         Sol’s facial expression changed drastically, from the curious smile to a now disappointing frown. Angel ignored my vulgar language though, already used to it since she is human.                  “It’s a bit of a complicated spell, really. Lets just say that I had to mix a shield spell with an elemental one, making sure the magic doesn’t contradict each other and then have it only sync up with your genetic structure with-”         “She just made it so you can’t leave the village without seriously getting fried,” Ava Interrupted as Angel continued to explain about how she got the spell to work. “In other words, you’re stuck with the ‘racist ponies!’” Oh fucking joy. Well, at least I got the simplified version.         I’m not that big in science, let alone the explanation of it. Usually, if something can’t be solved by science or hasn’t been proven, I’ll just call it magic till then. As much as I want to know about magic and all the science behind it, I rather not have a whole detailed explanation telling me how it should and should not work, and where it comes from. I’ll just stick with “It’s magic, deal with it!” Sure, I have magic in me now, but I rather not judge it or question where it comes from and just be happy I have it. Though I am confused at why the language has to be latin....         “I’m more surprised you hadn't figured it out yet...”         “Figured what out?” I whispered as the mayor continued on with her explanation, aiming it towards Sol as she used hoof motions to help explain.         “You know that story where you learned latin from that professor back at school?” Where’s he going with this?         “Ummmm, yah. I remember. He kept saying crazy latin words when he was angry, then telling us what they meant when he was calmer. What about it?”         “I.... um.... may have just implanted that memory while going through your head when you first arrived here.”         ….         “YOU DID WHAT?!?!” He implanted fake memories in my head?! What else did he do while he was in there? That son of a mutherfuckin-                  “Um.... Did I say something wrong?” Angel asked from where she was sitting.         “Uhhhh... I meant that could you repeat please? I’m having trouble hearing with electricity going through my head right now.” I smiled sheepishly to help prove my point. Sighing Angel started back over, something about how dragon’s can’t be affect themselves, but my shield could be traceable to have the barrier know when I leave, or something of the sort.         Turning back towards Ava who was now besides me, laughing his ass about what just happened.         “Don’t think you’re out of this! What do you mean you implanted memories into my head?! What were you even doing in it?!” I harshly whispered to the fez wearing psychopath.         “Hehe... Um *ahem* Well, to be honest, I didn’t want a dumb piece going around, right?”         “You’re not helping yourself, you know that?” I angrily growled at Ava.         “Well it's true! Anyways, Latin here is what is used to help unleash all that dragon magic you have in you. I gave you that dumb excuse of ‘Teacher got mad, now I know Latin!’ to not raise any suspicions that I sorta... cheatedandhadyouunderstandandspeaklatin..... for a good cause, of course.”         “.... We’ll talk about this later!” I snarled at Ava, who flinched involuntarily. Realizing that Angel was about to be done explaining, I refocused my attention back to the conversation at hand.         “... And then I said ‘Oatmeal? Are you crazy?’” Angel said bewildered as she waved her hoof up towards the air for added effects. Sol clapped happily while Ava and I stared dumbstruck at what just happened. The mare somehow went from the explanation of how she mixed two spells together to the creation of Equestria. How do ponies keep doing that?         “Um... that’s great and all, but I think it’s getting late.” I said, quickly changing the subject so they wouldn’t noticed I missed out the entire talk. Only to add emphasis to my point, Sol covered his mouth to try and hide a yawn, but failed. Angel looked at the sleepy pegasus. “Go ahead and sleep, Sol. I’ll see you in the morning.” Lazily nodding, Sol brought out both his wings and took off towards the town, though at a rather sluggish pace.         Angel then looked at me and sheepishly smiled. “Sorry to do this to you, but I made a promise to this village to help protect it. You have to do this at least. Pwease? For me?” She then proceeded to try and use her sappy puppy dog eyes on me, which had no effect on me what so- Oh god now she’s pouting. No, stay strong, William. You can say no to h- Oh god now the she’s whimpering like a little doggy.... You can do this! Stay str-         “LOOK AT HER!” Ava shouted, throwing both his hands in her direction. “HOW CAN YOU RESIST THAT CUTSIE WOOTSIE FACE?! JUST HELP FINISH THE DAMN WALL AND BE DONE WITH IT! If anything, it can even further prove your innocence and have the villagers trust you more.”         Mumbling on how the world is against me, I agreed to help the damsel in distress. In which she responded quickly, changing her sadden look to instant happy. Noticing that the sun was now gone and that she got what she wanted, Angel led me towards the now deserted town, as everyone was turning off their lights in their cabins to get some shut eye. It was actually pretty peaceful, without all the ponies glaring at “the damn drake” who “destroyed our village”. Sighing at the thought, I mindlessly followed the merry unicorn as we were en route for my tent. Looking towards the mayor, I asked. “Isn’t there any place more comfortable to sleep on? Say... a bigger bed?” As a response, the unicorn only laughed hysterically at my question and started a return trek back to her home. Sighing, I went inside the medical tent to find everything was where they were last left off. “Well, can’t get any worse, right?” I said to Ava as I dragged myself towards bed and flopped on top of it, emitting creaks and cracks from the body slam. Ava only chuckled as he snapped his fingers, changing his clothing to that of pink pajamas with a weird curly haired pink pony all over the cloth. He also still had his fez on too. “I have to ask, what’s with the fez?” That’s what I said, but what I actually sounded like with the pillow covering my mouth was, “Mwaaah wahaa maaah haa?” “Oh this?” He pointed to the red colored hat that adorned his head. “Why not? Fezzes are cool. That’s what a good friend of mine said...” But I didn’t hear what he continued on about, cause I was out like a light. Cause, you know, being struck by a magical lightning bolt can wear you right out. Once Ava realized that I was counting sheep, he sighed as he looked around the room. "*Sigh* Well, I still can't believe I'm stuck with you again, and you don't even remember. I just hope I don't make the same mistake twice...... Hehehe, or else HE would have my head on a platter." Ava giggled like a maniac as I started to snore loudly through my sheets. Deciding he should get some rest to recharge some energy, he summoned a queen size bed out of his fez, and tucked himself in as he cuddled with a mint colored pony with a lyre as a cutie mark. “Whoops! Wrong one.” He chuckled as the doll disappeared in a flash, only to be replace with an exact replica except for one tiny detail we shall not go into. “Who knows, maybe I'll let you remember tomorrow.” He sleepily said. He eyelids gained weight as he slowly closed them to drift off to dreamland “What could possibly go *YAAAWWWWNNN* wrong?” And like that, he was out, happily dreaming in his own little world. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~         On a full moon night like tonight, the usually darkness of the outside world seemed brighter, if not more calmer to the captain. The brown earth pony was wearing his uniformed armor, steel and all covering his hooves and body. He marched in tempo with five other night guards that were on the same mission as him. Under the mayor’s orders, Stone-Edge and his men were to find out what caused the unexpected eruption and get the trapped miners out of the mines. That’s what the mayor told him, that’s what he told his fellow guards, and that’s the order they will carry. Exiting out of the trees and bushes, the guards soon come face to face with the mountain that held their trapped villagers. At the base of this gigantic stone mountain was the entrance to the infamous Dragon’s Lair, an old dragon’s cavern that was turned into a mining facility. Once the dragon “disappeared”, the empty cave was manufactured into the center of the mining operation, with multiple tunnels going off in different directions to try and grab as much gems and rocks as possible. These tunnels were filled with rich minerals, being Dragon’s Gate main source of profit.  Except there was one small problems with mines..... “What are we gonna do about the rocks blocking the entrance, sir?” a young guard asked, as the whole team surrounded the entrance of the cavern. “We move the darn rocks, that’s what! Cobalt, Mythril, and Adamantite, see what you can do about the entrance.” The captain ordered the trio of unicorn brothers. They immediately nodded and set off to work, using their magic to demolish and move the rubble that stood in the way of their mission. “Steel Wing, fly around and see if theres any survivors nearby. Some must’ve escaped from the explo-” *AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH* The leader was interrupted by a uneasy screech coming from the rubble, scaring the trio still from their work. All guards were wide eyed and quiet, listening for any more sounds that might emit from the cavern. Frozen for a minute or so, Stone-Edge shaked his head to regain control of the situation. “Forget everything else I said. All units, dig now! There’s a survivor in there and we gotta move it. Double time!” At his command, all the guards used their magic and hooves to smash the rubble. Soon, after enough damage, the ruble collapsed, leaving a small opening into the mouth. Taking a small breather, the captain told his plan to his comrades: Go into the mines and find as many survivors as possible. A simple plan, but after that scream, they had to be prepared for what’s to be in there. Going more into the details of his plan, the team decided it would be best to go into teams of three, so that at least one unicorn will be in each team to teleport the ponies out in case of trouble. Before they could even begin their trek down to the miners, the rescue crew could see something manifesting from the caves. It looked to be something big and on four legs... and running fast! “A survivor?” Not taking any chance the captain was ready to give the orders. “Quick Cobalt see if-” “HELP ME!” Voices screamed off in the distance. “PLEASE! HELP! GET THIS MONSTER AWAY FROM ME!” The sound of multiple hooves were echoing in the cavern, meaning multiple ponies were running from something. “Horseapples! Come on ponies! Lets get a move on.” As soon as those words left, more screams echoed loudly in the tunnels, having a poor rookie shake vigorously in his metal boots. The sounds of hooves seemed to stop for a moment, then continue onwards faster, but yet with less noise. Before anyone could react, the erupt sounds of huffing and heavy breathing filled the echoes of the hooves. The sight of a lonely earth stallion sweating, galloping for his dear life soon was seen by the guards. “Ponies?! OH THANK CELESTIA! Please! You have to get us out of-” *WHACK* The guards stood rigged as they saw the ponies body drop and skid on the gravel below him, with a new tool attached to his body. A steel pickaxe being carried by magic was struck directly on the pony’s head, bashing out the skull and red liquids oozing out of his new wound. The tool of destruction was covered with a familiar aura of unicorn magic, as red eyes pierced through the shadowy depths of the entrance tunnel. The guards, even with all the training and procedures, were slowly backing away in fear. Even Stone-Edge couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed at the pick that had just murdered an innocent pony. A harsh voice echoed throughout the cavern as the pick returned to the owner hidden in the darkness.  A voice so childish, yet very stern and crossed that nopony would dare go against it. “STAY AWAY FROM MY HOME!!!” The strength of the voice alone rebounded off the stoney walls, having the entrance to the cavern collapse as all the guards covered their eyes to protect from the dust and rocks. “*Cough cough* What *cough* what do we do now *cough, sir?” Cobalt asked as he used his magic to fan the dust away. The rest of the guards were dusting themselves off as Stone went to look at the blocked tunnel. “Well, we don’t go in there *cough* for now... Wait..” The captain started a head count, only to find that two heads were missing. “Cobalt... where’s your brothers?” The captain asked. Cobalt’s eyes were as wide as saucers as he hurried to look at the remaining guards. “No... no no NO NO NO! NOOOO!” The stallion panicked as he looked around his surrounding, hoping that his dear old brother’s would still be alive, at least breathing or teleported away to escape the rubble. Cobalt’s answer’s were praised when he heard their voices come from behind the rubble..... and then his prayers diminished as he heard two bone shattering cracks and screams. Cobalt’s face only stared in horror of what monster could’ve done this. “Cobalt,” Silver Wing said with sympathy, holding onto the now crying stallion’s shoulder. “We need to retreat back to the town and update on what’s happen. You’re the only unicorn with us outside, so we need you to teleport us... please?” The poor pony sniffed and wiped his still crying eyes as he nodded his head, understanding that the faster they get help, the faster they can rescue his brothers from down in those depth. “They’re not dead, they’re just trapped.. o-or captured and used as hostage. Y-y-yah, that’s it. Lets get help right away!” The group could only feel sorry for the crying pony as he told himself excuse after excuse on how they could not be dead. With a false hope, the unicorn charged his magic, aiming for his teleportation spell to take them back to the village. “I’ll be b-back, guys. I-I promise!” He shouted through the rubble, as the magic teleported the whole team away and back home. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Home. A place of warmth and comfort. Where your loved ones are there to love and nourish you the whole way. Where you can feel safe and protected from the most dangerous things. A place where you feel belonging. Now, home is gone..... for so many.... For the drake, flying home to an empty hoard and an empty family. For the guard, returning to a home with grave news of his brothers. For the dragon slayer, trapped like an animal, with a loss of his freedom and a loss of his mind. For the mare, confused as ever as to whether her judgements are righteous or not as she lays on a lonely bed made for two. For the colt, who has no belonging, no name, no family, and no peace, believing slaughter is the way to live now. And for the piece, whose only real place of home is when he’s with his only beloved brother, following a demented fake god to play in a game thats corrupted in itself. Home is where the heart is at. Unfortunately, these broken hearts have no home. A/N: Quick thing I want to point out.... I have no idea what I'm doing, but it's somewhat working.... That is all! Now to the next one! Also, if there's any grammar mistakes, please let me know. Kinda hard to do this without an editor... Oh well, Ciao~! Also a big thanks to SwiftEthan for looking out for a TON of grammar mistakes! You are the man!