The two stopped at the entrance of the Knight family mansion, and Mystic was starting to shake in his hooves. It's easy to be brave in your head, but actually getting those words out is something completely different. If he actually said those things to his father then he would be...
"Take a deep breath Mystic." Aura advised.
Mystic jolted up and turned to Aura. "I get it that your scared, really I do. But there comes a time when you must stand your ground and muster up your courage. Bottling up these feelings will only end badly for you in the future."
But before Mystic could respond, the gates to the mansion opened up and the two could hear the sound of wings flapping getting closer and closer to them.
"MYSTIC!!!"
Gladius, Mystic's older brother flew as fast as he could and embraced his younger brother with his wings. "Thank Celestia your okay! I thought I'd never see you again!" He cried tears of joy, clinging onto Mystic tightly.
"Gladius." Mystic looked up and saw that Gladius was in terrible condition. His grey coat was all dirty and frazzled, his eyes bloodshot red with bags under them and his wings were a complete mess. Just what happened to him while he was gone?
"How did you escape? Did you have help?" Gladius starting to ask many questions but he didn't need an answer when he saw Aura right in front of him. immediately Gladius got all protective and stood in front of Mystic as he flared his wings and blades extended from the tips.
"And just what in Celestia's name are you supposed to be?"
Aura stood there calmly and just stared directly into Gladius' eyes. The grey pegasus shifted his hooves prepared to strike but he felt Mystic hold him back. "Don't hurt him, he was the one who saved me and bring me back here!" The young colt pleaded.
"He did?" Gladius asked in surprise.
This information slightly lowered his guard but he had to be certain about Aura.
The God stepped up and slowly walked up the the older pegesus and took a knee. "I can see that you are uncertain about me due to my appearance. But rest assure that I mean you no harm. I am but a humble traveler who saw somepony in need. And if you still don't believe me, then look into my eyes and see if I'm lying."
The two stared at each other for a moment while Gladius read Aura. And he didn't see any nefarious intent in his eyes. "You aren't lying." Gladius retracted his blades and folded his wings as he fully calmed down.
"I'm sorry about my behavior, its just..." He draped his wing over his little brother. "After what happened I was a bit on edge, and it didn't help that you look so much different then us."
"No worries, I'm used to it." Aura chuckled and pushed his stood back up. "So your Mystic's older brother then?" He held out his hand. "I'm Aura Kaiser, It's a pleasure to meet you."
Gladius returned the gesture and nodded. "Likewise, and my name is Gladius Knight. Thank you for bringing my little brother back here. Though I do have to ask; how did you save him exactly, wasn't he taken to a Dragon base?"
"He was. I just sneaked my way in while incapacitating any dragon in my way." Aura explained, which made Gladius' jaw drop.
"You single handedly took out a base of dragons by yourself?" He shockingly asked. He then remembered reading a report that his father read stating that a dragon base operating in the slave-trade business was taken down and when the guards authorities arrived they found every dragon knocked out and tied up with a note from someone names 'A'.
That was when it all clicked and he connected the dots. Mystic was sold to a pack of dragons as a slave, Aura saved him and the report. "You're 'A' aren't you? The one who took down that dragon base?"
Aura crossed his arms and smirked. "Guilty as charged. Though to be honest..." His glasses flashed and his voice grew dark. "I would of done much more if they forced me."
A chill ran down Gladius' spine when Aura said that. He actually did consider killing the dragons. "So why didn't you?"
Aura sighed and gave him a straight answer. "Because I believe that there are fates far worst then death. I prefer killing, but push me and I will.
Hearing this, Mystic looked at Aura with a confused look. "So does that mean that you killed before?"
"Only because I had to." He kneeled down to Mystic and put a hand on his head. "I wish I didn't have to, but unfortunately, that's just the way life works."
Gladius understood what he was saying; he too had to kill others before. And while he didn't like it, it was just something that had to be done. "I hear what your saying, and I think you made the right choice keeping them alive. They might have other bases around if they the guards can get them to talk."
Mystic then heard heavy hoofsteps and his fear grew and grew. His father, Gallant Knight had an unamused look on his face that hid large amounts of anger and fury.
"So... you came back."
His voice was cold yet had a hint of aggression as he looked at his younger son. Mystic's heart started to beat faster while his mind began to run rampant with fear.
Aura noticed this and patted the colt's back to comfort him. "Stay strong, you got this."
Mystic looked at his father and slowly took a few deep breaths. Then he hopped out of Gladius' embrace and walked over to Gallant.
Gladius was concerned for his brother he saw Aura's arm blocking him. "This is something that he needs to do. It's best if we let him or else he would regret it for the rest of his life."
The teen pegasus was still worried, but he knew that Aura was right about this. He couldn't fight Mystic's battles forever, now was the time for him to take this on himself. He just wished that it won't end badly.
Gallant snorted and glared at his youngest son. "Doesn't matter what I do you just keep coming back."
'Wait, keep coming back? So that means that this has happened before?' Aura thought as he felt his anger rise.
Gallant groaned and turned around. "Well since I'm stuck with you, I might as well continue to hammer you down until you are somewhat capable of becoming a guard." He scoffed and picked up a wooden sword.
"No."
Gallant stopped dead in his tracks and turned ti his son. "What did you say runt?"
Mystic started to muster up all the courage he could and look his abusive father in the eyes. "I said no. I am not going to take your abuse anymore."
Back at the gate, Gladius couldn't believe what he was hearing. Mystic was actually standing up for himself, against their father above all else.
Gallant went over to Mystic and towered over him. "It seems like you still don't know your place. You are a Knight and by tradition you will be a guard whether you like it or not."
"Well I don't want to be a guard! I want to be an Alchemist!" Mystic screamed at the top of his lungs. "All my life you've resented me. Treated me like trash and forced me into things that I hated." He stomped his hoof onto the ground and gave a determined look at his father as he let years of pain out.
"Well I've had enough of it! I will never be a guard like you want and I won't let you dictate my life anymore!" Mystic declared and started to take deep breaths from all that yelling.
Gallant on the other hand had a very enraged look on his face. "So you've finally grown a backbone." He scoffed and drew his sword.
The light reflected off it as he raised it over his head. "I won't tolerate such disobedience from a worthy shit like you."
Gallant swung his sword down and Mystic closed his eyes waiting for the strike to happen but instead he heard a clanging sound. He opened his eyes and saw Aura blocking Gallant's sword with his own.
"I knew you were a terrible father, but to actually attempt to kill your own son?" He pushed harder and disarmed Gallant then pointed his sword at his throat. "You really are lower then low."
Despite the situation he was in, Gallant scoffed and used his wing to slowly move the sword away. "As his father I can do whatever I want with him. Even more so since I am also the head of the Knight family, he has no choice!"
Aura hummed and got an idea. "Then how about a little wager?"
Gallant raised an eyebrow, a bit curious as well.
"A 1-on-1 duel between me and you. If I win then you step down from your role and let Mystic pursue his goal of being an Alchemist." Aura proposed with a confident smile.
Gallant laughed and grinned sadistically. "A duel against me? You must have a death wish." He picked up his blade and sheathed it. "And if I win, not only will I kill him, but you will become a my servant for the rest of your life human!"
"Don't do it Aura! He's..." Gladius tried to reach out to him but Aura smirked.
"Deal. When do we start?"
Both Gladius and Mystic were stunned by this. Aura had just challenged Gallant Knight, their father and captain of the royal guard, to a duel. Either he's really confident, or really crazy.
Gallant's eye glinted as he redrew his sword. "Right now you damn hairless ape."
Gallant ran at Aura with intent to kill but Aura slid underneath him and twirled his sword. He then thrusted it at Gallant but he was caught off guard when his blade bounced off his wings.
"What the..." Gallant unfolded his wings and flew towards Aura. But he quickly jumped onto a tree branch expecting Gallant to slam into to but he was suprised when he used his wings to slash the tree clean in two.
The tree started to shift and fall to the ground causing Aura to leave his position and land back down. "Just what kind wings are those? They're as hard as steel and sharp, are they even real?!"
Gallant flew up higher and grinned. "Oh they're real, and you haven't seen anything yet human."
He flared his wings causing Aura to put his sword up ready for any approach that Gallant tried but then...
"Get out of there Aura!"
Mystic cried out to him but it was all in vain as Gallant flapped his wings and a few feathers flew off of his wings and right towards Aura.
The God was caught off guard by that and narrowly avoided the feathers but a few of them grazed him, causing blood to leak from the cuts that they made. When Aura turned around he was that the feathers were embedded in the ground as if they were darts.
"Like them? This is a trait passed down between the pegasi in the Knight family." Gallant stated as he landed and flared his wings again, showing that they were reflecting light the same way as a sword. "Our wings and feathers can become as sharp as daggers capable of cutting through even the scales of dragons. This is why the Knight's have remained as the Royal Guard's elite for over 2,000 years! And my wings..."
He glared at Aura and fired more feathers at him. "Are the sharpest out of them all!"
Gladius and Mystic gasped as they saw the feathers closing in on their friend. But Aura rolled his eyes and slammed his hands on the ground, causing a wall of stone to rise up and block the feathers like a shield.
"What the... Since when could Humans do magic?!" Gallant demanded.
Now he was the one to be caught off guard as the wall lowered and revealed a smiling Aura.
"That is what's called Alchemy." Aura stated as he moved his arm in a under motion and a stone fist erupted from the ground and nailed Gallant from the side, causing him to crash through the stone fence.
Gladius' mouth was agape. Just who was this human?
"Nice one Aura! Show him the power of Alchemy!" Mystic jumped into the air as he cheered.
The rubble from the fence started to shake making Aura put his guard up and his sword close to his body as he waited. Gallant flew up from the rubble and snorted. "Lucky shot human. Now your dead."
Gallant dived toward Aura and spun around like a living buzzsaw, even more when Aura blocked the attack and sparks formed as his blade locked with Gallant's saw like attack. Aura dig his foot into the ground and forced Gallant off then he slammed a hand on the ground causing a pillar of earth to slam under Gallant and straight into the air. Then Aura constructed another pillar underneath himself to launch him towards Gallant.
The pegasus recollected himself and flew at Aura with full speed with his wings pointing outward. But Aura was prepared for that as he swung his sword as hard as he could on the base of the wings causing them to bend. Then he used the momentum of his swing to move above Gallant and deliver an axe kick right in the space between his wings and sending him crashing back down.
Dust blew over both Gladius and Mystic as they watched Aura land back in his feet and sheathed his sword. When the dust cleared it showed Gallant in a crater badly beaten with his wings all crooked, yet he still had energy to get back up and stand.
"You think you've won? I still have fight in me." He grabbed onto his wings and snapped them back to normal. "I am Gallant Knight! Captain of the royal guard and head of the Knight Family! And I refuse to lose to a fucking human!" Gallant roared and ran towards Aura.
"Just give it a rest already." Aura said as he clutched his fist and slammed it into Gallant's head hard.
The pegasus collapsed and twitched until he fell unconscious.
"And that takes care of that." Aura dusted his hands and picked Gallant up. "Is there a hospital nearby?"
Gladius blinked a few times. His father actually lost. Was this human a gift from Faust or something?
"Hello?"
The pegasus came back to and looked at Aura. "Oh right. We have a hospital a few blocks down. But I have to ask; why are you taking 'him'?"
Aura went to the two brothers and hurled their father onto his shoulder. "Because he still have to answer for his crimes. Once he's healed, he's going to the authorities and the law will take care of the rest."
He started to walk off towards the hospital with Mystic following him. "He'll just keep doing this you know."
Aura laughed and looked at the colt. "Then I guess that means that I'll be seeing you and your brother quite often. You good with that?"
Mystic's eyes sparkled and grew wide. He was going to stay? The colt started to smile as he walked closer to Aura.
"Of course!"