//------------------------------// // The Other Guy // Story: My Son, My Soldier, My Hero // by That_Random_Pony //------------------------------// Draco watched and waited for Twilight to finish her magic equations. She had her tongue stuck out as she carefully and hesitantly finished the question. She moved it over to Draco, who went over the answers in his mind then looked at hers. He smiled widely and turned to the unicorn.  "You did it!" he exclaimed.  She jumped up squeeing, then hugged him hard. "I thought I'd never get it!" she laughed. Draco helped her stuff the homwork into her bag, then went for his Guard plushie. "Okay, so I'll hide and you try to find me, but you can't look in the east wing." "And don't hide there like last time!" she pointed her hoof. "That was cheating!" Draco laughed and nodded. "Okay, go!" He ran as fast as he could down the hall, made a sharp turn to run past the barracks, then ran into the utility closet. The maids used it to keep usual cleaning things: mops, brooms, buckets, soap, sponges and other stuff. He placed the brooms over him to act as cover while he squatted beneath them.  He stifled his giggles when he heard small hoofsteps running around outside his hiding place. The door opened slowly, and he was ready to jump out since she found him. "Where's Draco?" he heard his cousin's voice. "Oh, he's hiding somewhere," Twilight chimed. "He's a really good hider, but I'll find him!" "I need to speak with him," Blueblood insisted. Draco quietly moved the mops around to look out the opening Twilight had left. "When you find him, tell him I want to talk."  Whatever it was, it sounded important. "Alright!" Twilight said with a smile. "I'll tell him after I win!" She galloped off, forgetting where she was checking in the first place. When he was sure Twilight was gone, and Blueblood was heading the opposite way, Draco left the closet and ran after his cousin. "Blueblood!" The blonde prince turned, and Draco stopped just a few feet from him. Blueblood sighed with annoyance, since he'd been hoping he could just tell Cadence he at least tried. "Yes, I was," he sighed.  "What is it?" He'd never heard Blueblood looking for him, so he knew it had to be important. Blueblood lowered his head and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry." "Hmm?" Blueblood snorted and glared at his cousin. "I'm… sorry," he emphasized each syllable. Draco stared at his cousin for a minute. "For what?" Blueblood narrowed his eyes, and his brows furrowed. "What do you mean 'for what'?" he nearly screamed. "I apologize for mistreating you." "But you've been so nice," Draco laughed. "My hands are always dirty, so I know now I can't dirty your nice. And since you're always so busy, you can't play with me or come see me. It's not your fault!" Blueblood was either staring very hard, or glaring just as much. His cousin had to be the most idiotic, ignorant, autistic creature alive. He was going to tell him, but then he looked at that smile. Whenever he intended to put him down, it did the exact opposite. Draco actually thought he was looking out for him, when he wanted nothing to do with him. Why was this colt so blind to his intentions, even when his other friend, Raining Crash or whatever, said it herself? Was he just that stupid?  Or… …did he really believe him? Did he take every insult as advice, because he was just trying to ignore him, or mock him? Or did he really admire him, and listen because he looked up to him? "Blueblood?" The prince snapped back to reality and looked at  his cousin.  He motioned for Draco to come closer, then whispered in his ear. "Just, this once," he warned. Draco smiled happily, wiping his hands on his shirt and pants to clear off any grime. He wrapped his arms around Blueblood and squeezed gently, trying not to get overexcited. The prince put a hoof around him, letting the boy have it his way for once. When seconds turned to minutes, he cleared his throat, signalling Draco to move back. "Right, so, I'll see you some other time, Draco," he said formally. Draco smiled widely while his cousin walked down the hall and rounded the corner. "Found ya!" Draco jumped up, then spun around and saw Twilight giggling. "I knew you were in the closet!" Draco laughed. "Okay, your turn!" "Actually," Celestia said as she came closer. "It's bed time, Draco. Say goodnight to Twilight." Draco's smile vanished completely, his mother's entrance reminding him of his punishment. "G'night, Twilight," he sighed, giving her a hug. "We'll play tomorrow, right, Princess?" she asked. Celestia glanced to her son, who was looking away from her. "Maybe," she said. "Now head to bed. You have your first exam tomorrow morning." Twilight nodded, galloping to her room while Draco started for his own. "Goodnight, Mom." No "Mama" or "Mommy" or even "Ma." Ever since he was grounded, it was simply "Mom" or "Mother." She preferred neither. He still had that bit of anger, and he never wanted to have anything to do with her. His nightmares still came, but he preferred crying alone or trying to stay awake. Whenever she tried to console him, he'd shuffle away or even leave to sleep in one of the empty guest rooms. She wanted to see the son that loved seeing her, that would go to her for anything.  She'd do anything to have him back, but she was only drifting farther and farther apart from him. Celestia sighed softly as she made her way to their chambers, where Draco had already taken his position at the far side. She settled in gently, so as not to disturb him, but the weight shift made that harder. Even with his back turned to her, she could tell he was awake and looking out the window.  She nuzzled his head, but he shrugged her off. "Goodnight, Draco," she whispered. "I love you." He curled up tighter, refusing to look at her. Hours passed, and he turned back to see his mother sleeping with a sad frown. His own guilt surfaced briefly, but she had him grounded for a month, so it left quickly. He huffed and went back to staring at the window, until he glanced at the toy staff. "Just be brave, like me!"  Taking a cautionary glance to his mother, he slowly got off the bed and grabbed the Star Swirled the Bearded staff. He put some socks on, then quietly snuck into the hallway. Creeping through the mostly empty corridors, and hiding from the few guards still awake, he reached his cousins quarters. He left the staff outside, and snuck in. Cadence was snoring away on her bed, a textbook underneat her head. Blueblood slept more regally, with his breaths even and calm. Draco went over to his mare-cousin's dresser and started quickly looking through them.  He found all sorts of fashionable dresses and capes, and a few weird-looking socks, but nothing amazing like Blueblood said. The next drawer had some of her school supplies in it, and a few mirrors and makeup bags. He sighed silently as he reached the third drawer. He moved the clothes aside, then gasped when he saw it.  A sparkley golden cape embroidered with silver near the borders, and a velvety-red silk inner layer. It had to be it. This had to be the cape that would keep him safe.  Draco slung it around his neck, tying the threads tightly near the base of his neck. He snuck back out into the hall, picking up his staff and sneaking towards the guard barracks. He had to stifle his giggles from their ears, since their snoring was louder than Cadence's. Draco wondered how they didn't wake each other up. After taking a guards helmet and getting out, he stood in front of the abandoned tower entrance. He adjusted the over-sized helmet on his head, and nervously gripped his staff. "Be brave," he told himself. "Just be brave, like Rainbow Dash." With an audible gulp, Draco started up the stairs cautiously. The howling winds were even worse on a windy night like this one. And without a light, things got pretty dark fast. The golden cape offered some illumination, but he could only see a few inches in front. He yelped when his foot missed the landing, and he jumped up pointing his staff all around.  With a sigh of relief, he looked at the terrifying door carvings. His shaky hand pushed opened the metal door. A plume of ancient dust blew into his face, making him cough and wheeze for a moment. He put a foot in, then the other, and slowly entered the forbidden room. It looked almost like his mother's but everything was black and what looked like a dark-blue.  His foot pressed down on a rope, and he heard a bunch of screeching sounds. His heart beat rapidly, and he looked around for the source. The frantic spinning made him run right into the skeleton of a unicorn, it's eyes glowing red. Draco screamed as he struggled to throw it away from him, just as another skeleton draped in dark wizard robes fell on him. He thrashed around, falling into the floor and seeing another skull.  A draped ghost-pony swooped above him screeching, making him use his staff to try and hit something. He screamed all the way, from when he finally got up, to when he started stumbling over to the balcony. The skeleton's robes covered him, and put the skull right in front of his face. His scream cut off as he felt himself trip over the ledge.  A new terror surfaced when he finally threw the skeleton off, and he saw the castle below him. He screamed as loud as he could, crying as well while he fell. The beating in his chest worsened as he saw the castle coming closer. He'd be another stain on the roof, or he'd crash through and splatter on the carpet or marble of the halls.  No. Draco gasped, then screamed as a massive migraine shot through his head. A strange tingling passed over his body, just before he smashed through the roof. He crashed through marble and wood into a heaping mess on the ground. Every bone in his body was broken, but he was still breathing, even if his rib was jammed through one of his lungs. The helmet was dented and crushing his skull. He cried in pain, hoping somepony would come soon to help. Or if the pain would just go away. I can help. He whimpered silently as the migraine pounded his head even more, and parts of his pajamas felt wet. The side of his head also felt bloody, but he couldn't tell either way.  Be well, child. We still have the one responsible to end. Draco tried yelling, but all that came out was bloody gurgles and grunts. His legs began to crack and slither under his skin, the same for his broken arms. The rib puncturing his lung pulled out, realigning itself with the rest of his rib cage. Though he didn't know it, his nose cracked back into place along with an ear and his limbs. The gored wounds from the structure closed painfully, but otherwise he was fine. Now. Let me show you what you should have done long ago. Draco screamed loudly as the migraine reached maximum pain, then his mind went berserk. All the times Blueblood gave him helpful advice, his mind seethed with rage and hatred. His mother yelling at him and grounding him made his mind get even angrier. And the fight with Dune was what peaked his blood-boiling rage. His eyes turned completely dark, and his other canines came in. His nails sharpened slightly, and he roared as demonically as possible. "BLUEBLOOOOOOD!"