The clear blue sky greeted me as I emerge from the shadows. I didn’t stop to see where I was in fear that someone might see me and make a profile of my appearance. I flew higher and higher until I felt the cold frost begin to gather on my skin. Only then did I stop and look down on where I was.
It was Equestria, for which I was glad for. From the angle of my flight, it seems that I came out of Canterlot itself. It may have been because of the parallels of both universes.
Now to see if I this was my Equestria.
Wrapping my tail around my legs in a downward spiral, I squeezed both limbs together. I also wrapped my wings around my body and began my descent from the sky. I angled my drop towards the Everfree and increased my speed with some manipulation of the wind while reducing the air resistance further.
I fell so fast that I don’t think that anyone would have gotten a clear view of what I was. I reached the ground in seconds and unfolded my wings with a snap, sending gales to the ground and into the forest. The wind magic that I added immediately after made sure that the drop wouldn’t have killed me.
I landed down with a thud and sunk in a small crater made from the excess force. The forest was quiet as the roars of the gale died down.
I stood up and cracked my neck for a moment. Those types of entry stung, even with my dragon form. But other than the landing they were my best choice whenever I needed to infiltrate someplace heavily guarded, or if I didn’t want to get spotted from the sky. Anyone close by for my entry would have been blown back and before they regain their bearings I would already be in the shadows.
That was actually a very extreme version of my skill, [Jump]. In the game it was an attack that inflicts a random amount of damage ranging from the character’s normal attack to their critical hit. Here, though, that no longer applies. It relies more on physics now instead of the game’s description.
Looking around, it looks like I scared off all of the animals in the area. I landed quite a few distance away from Ponyville and the zebra that lived in the forest. If I wanted to confirm that this was my world, then I’ll need to find either Applejack or Big Mac. And fortunately for me the farm isn’t that far from where I was.
With another application of [Shadowwalk] I entered my own shadow and made my way to the farm.
I wasn’t able to find Applejack on the farm. But I did find the big red apple.
“Psst. Big Mac”
“Eeyup!” he stopped pulling a cart full of apples and looked around, searching.
“Quick question. Who’s your favorite uncle?”
“Uncle Rahy?” The stallion’s head whipped around once again, this time looking for me specifically.
“Thank God.” I sighed in relief. “I’m in the right one.”
I pulled myself out of the cart’s shadow and Bic Mac was looking at me oddly. I dusted my hands and met his questioning look.
“I accidentally got sent to another world.”
He raised a brow.
“No, this one was different. The last one was an artificially created space inside the dimension by an ancient spirit.”
His lips quirked a bit upward.
“No. They didn’t worship me in this world. And no, none of them offered themselves to me.” I frowned. “How many times do I have to tell you that it’s true. I wasn’t making any of my stories up. I did meet those sea ponies and they wanted me because of my blood.”
And now his chuckling as he made his way to the barn with the cart.
“And Salt Water was real. She was a great mare.” though I don’t think she’s alive anymore.
“Eeyup!”
I think that was sarcasm.
I sighed. No point in convincing him. “Say, Big Mac, where’s AJ?”
He stopped for a moment and pointed over to town. Maybe she was in charge of the stall today?
“I’m going to go and say hi before I get going again. See ya, Big Mac.”
“Eeyup.”
I watched him enter the barn before I dove inside the shadows again. Applejack gets a bit cranky when I pass by but don’t say hello. Hopefully I can see Applebloom as well.
The town was oddly silent when I arrived. There wasn’t a single pony out in the streets, but there were some in the houses. Something about all of this smelled fishy.
I went to the marketplace and also found it empty. By this time of the day the place should have been bustling with activity. I knew that because Granny Smith would have been at the stall with Applejack while Big Mac and I would be back in the farm bucking apples. That was how it was back then. To find this place so deserted sent warning bells ringing inside my head.
I searched the whole town, worried about Applejack. I went in and out of houses as fast as I could while also checking the streets and alleys. Thankfully I found the mare with Twilight Sparkle and the zebra Zecora on the edge of town. Even though I found my surrogate family, a new kind of worry replaced the old one as I saw them looking at Applebloom. The filly was tap dancing with a panicked expression while covered with tattoos. She also had a metal ring being played by her tail like a hula-hoop and two spinning plates balanced on sticks on the top of her head.
No, wait. Those weren’t tattoos. They were Cutie Marks. All of them were Cutie Marks.
Damn. Old memories flashed through my mind. I recalled a scene similar to this one. I remember ponies all covered in tattoos and doing random things associated with said tattoos.
I took out my [Diary] and opened it. An old entry of mine suddenly started to write itself on the page, detailing my experience of the odd malady.
I encountered something odd today. I saw ponies covered in Cutie Marks and saw every single one of them doing what the marks represented.
There was a pegasus doing farm work, a unicorn doing the weather, and an earth pony drawing a magic circle in the middle of the street.
Those were only some of the few that I found odd, considering their pony race. The disease was called Cutie Pox, apparently. They force ponies to perform the talent the Cutie Mark represent and don’t stop until the pony is dead or all of the talents were done and fulfilled.
In the case of the latter group, they would always have the urge, or need, to perform their marks no matter how much they don’t want to. This could be prevented by knocking out said pony, but it continues as soon as they wake up thus repeating the cycle once again.
I hope they get the cure here soon. Knocking out Hard Glare again and again for the last five days is getting harder when I can’t get a wink of sleep because I need to reapply the spell every two hou--
Great. She’s awake again.
Oh, right. Now I remember. Hard Glare was a pegasus I met in Baltimare. The cause of the epidemic was a kind of tea that a pony named Taste Buds was selling at the time. The cure was supposed to be some kind of flower, but I was too tired to write about it and forgot it after waking up. I didn’t do anything to Taste Buds, though. His business was ruined from what I recall and no one even wanted to buy anything he sold.
“Applejack.” I called out to the mare from inside her shadow.
She jumped slightly from being startled. Her head whipped around looking for me like her brother did.
“Uncle?”
Twilight Sparkle and the zebra turned, hearing her call.
“Ryu’s here?” Twilight Sparkle did the same thing Applejack was doing, only in a more frantic manner. Maybe she’s mad that I didn’t say goodbye when I left?
“Uncle, where are ya?”
“Stop looking for me, Applejack. It looks suspicious.” I said from inside the shadow. “Now correct me if I’m wrong, but does Applebloom have the Cutie Pox?”
“How do you know about the Cutie Pox?!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. I didn’t like the way the ponies in their homes turned to her because of her outburst. “Don’t tell me you came all the way from the Paleopony period!”
“Don’t be stupid, Sparkle. I may be old, but I’m not that old.” I grunted. “I came to Equestria in the late Pre-Classical era.” Where I had to learn how to speak Ye Olde Equish just to communicate with others. Me speak like caveguy, though.
“Then how do you know of the Cutie Pox?” she asked. She still didn’t stop looking around.
I saw another Cutie Mark appear on Applebloom. Then she started lifting a dumbbell with her tail.
...
...You know. I always had suspicions that earth pony tail and mane were actually tiny strands of muscle fiber and not hair at all. I’ve seen them perform acts that should be impossible with hair, yet do it anyway. From what Applebloom was showing me with that dumbbell, there might actually be some truth in that random thought after all.
Back to Sparkle’s question. “Something similar happened in Baltimare a few centuries ago. An Earth Pony was selling tea that started the disease. A unicorn that gained a precognition talent because of the Cutie Pox managed to guess the cure. They had it shipped to the city within two weeks.”
I was a bit worried when Applebloom started juggling bowling balls. I fought down the urge to take them away since I knew that if I did she’d only be forced to look for something heavier to juggle. The only thing keeping her from making a mistake were her artificially acquired talents.
“Taste Buds was the scion of a very wealthy family.” I continued. “They threw away their entire fortune just to keep the ponies silent of their son’s mistake. But that didn’t stop their businesses from closing down entirely because of the event.”
“Ya know the cure, then, Uncle?” Appejack asked.
“Unfortunately, no.” I told them. “All I know was that the cure was some sort of flower and that there was a special procedure needed to make it grow.”
Applebloom seems to have heard our conversation. “Uncle Rahy, is that you?”
I went over to her shadow and tried my best to sooth the panicking filly. “There, there, Applebloom. Yes, it’s me. Just keep calm, we’ll get you fixed up in no time.”
“Then…”
“We have Zecora here with us.”
“Zecora?” Applejack asked. She and Twilight Sparkle looked over to the zebra who had a smile on her face.
“Ah, the hunter in the Everfree. Do my ears deceive me?”
I smiled as well inside the shadow, moving over back to the older mares. I looked at the zebra with amusement. “No worries, dear, for I am he, the one you met walking in the forest of Everfree.”
The zebra chuckled as the two ponies with her looked confused. “Such a pleasant encounter to find somepony for a quick relaxing banter. But now is no time for rhymes, I’m afraid. Young Applebloom is still in need of our aid.”
“I’m sure you already found the way to help Applebloom and save the day.”
“Indeed. I already have the solution.” she took out something from the basket hanging on her side. “With the Seeds of Truth we’ll put this problem to a conclusion.”
“Well, what’r we supposed ta do with ‘em?” Applejack asked. “We need ta hurry.”
“Do not be so quick, my pony friend. These do not grow similar to the trees you tend.” Zecora said. “For these seeds to grow, one must tell the truth. It matters not who says them, but they must be pure and absolute.”
I poked a single dragon finger from out of the shadow behind Applejack’s hoof, then used my wind magic to drill a hole in the ground. The three mares looked down at the little twister between them with a bit of fascination. After the hole was dug I used my invisible telekinesis to levitate the seeds from Zecora’s hoof to the hole and covered it. Hopefully no one noticed my finger.
I saw a cowlick suddenly spring out of Sparkle’s mane, and her eyes regained that manic look in them like last time during her “Tardy” episode.
“You’re invisible!” the lavender mare exclaimed before she started waving her hoof around her in hopes of finding me.
That’s… adorably funny, I have to admit.
“No time for that now, Twi.” Applejack said. “The seeds ‘r already planted, now soMEPONY TELL THE TRUTH!”
I looked around the closed houses to see if there was anyone who was willing to spill their secrets just save my surrogate niece. I could only sigh when no one did. I suppose that was a little too much to do for a stranger.
“Quick, Sparkle.” I said. “Tell us. Did you actually make a scheme where you would strap me down on a metal table just so you could extract every historical detail I had in me?”
That snapped the scholar out of her little episode. “What?! No! Of course not!”
I looked at the seeds. There was no movement.
“Sparkle…” I said slowly. “Are you lying to me?”
“Twilight!” Applejack exclaimed.
“No, of course not!” the unicorn denied. “I didn’t plan on doing anything like that!”
The seeds conspicuously didn’t move.
“Maybe not...” I relented. “But you must have been planning something similar!”
“NO!”
“Uncle!” Applejack exclaimed. “Stop picking on Twilight!”
“Meh. It was worth a shot.”
“WHAT!” Sparkle cried out. “You were picking on me?!”
“...You make it sound like I was on to something.”
“...No?”
Suspicious.
Just then, Applebloom gained another Cutie Mark. It showed a picture of a tornado. The little filly began to twirl in a way that would probably make every ballerina in the world green with envy. If she worked on her form she probably would have been accepted to any ballet school in Equestria.
“Waahhh!” Applebloom cried.
Oh dammit. Becoming a living pony tornado was definitely not a safe talent. Her legs were out stretched and her mouth was open while she screamed. The blood in her body would be forced to the tip of her hooves, and I don’t even know what her spin would do with the blood in her head. Worst of all was that if another Cutie Mark appears she’ll stop abruptly.
And that’s bad for her neck.
I phased out of the shadow dimension and into the shade of a nearby house. I ignored the sudden gasp of every pony in the area and dove straight at the filly tornado. She was spinning so fast I can’t even pick out any details of her face.
[Mind’s Eye]
With the help of the psychic skill, my perception increased significantly and my eye for detail rose as well. With both of them raised my ability to predict moves based on muscle movement was increased.
In the game it was a skill that increases the character’s hit rate. When I use it, however, it allows me to predict the highest probable move of whatever I see in front of me. And right now I’m using it to time Applebloom’s movement so that I can grab her while following through the direction of her spin.
I saw my chance and took it. The filly took me with her as her twirl continued. Because she was an earth pony she had no trouble carrying my weight, but I had been dragging my feet as I held my grip on her. She thankfully started to slow down, but I had to keep my arms firmly around her since her body still refused to stop.
As the dust cleared I was on my back, with the filly still struggling in my grip. I grunted every time her hoof hit me in the face because of her tap dancing and moved her higher when one of her hind hooves came a little too close to my privates.
“Ah’m sorry!”
“It’s fine.” I told the filly. I was still on my back and holding her close. “I don’t feel them, anyway.”
“Applebloom!” Applejack ran up to us but kept her distance from the filly’s uncontrolled hooves. “Are ya alright, Uncle.”
“Peachy.”
I ignored the looks of horror the ponies the houses were giving me. Their thoughts don’t really matter as my family's safety came first. I’ll make them pay if start something with the Apples just because they were associated with me.
I felt the filly on me stop waving her hooves. Instead I started to feel her vibrate. Dammit. I might need to cast [Sleep] on her and get her the cure later.
“Wah! Ah can’t stand it anymore!” the filly cried out. I still held firm just in case. “Ah admit it! Ah didn’t earn mah Cutie Mark!”
I saw the soil where I buried the seeds start to move thanks to my still active [Mind’s Eye].
“They're all fake!” Applebloom continued. “Ah figured the Heart's Desire would help me get what Ah wanted most! So when Zecora left her hut, ah mixed up a special potion and put the rest of the Heart's Desire in it!”
Oh I am going to scold her after this.
The Seeds of Truth quickly grew from the filly’s confession. It sprouted from the seeds and grew straight into a flower. I plucked it out of the ground with my telekinesis and hover it in front of the filly.
Applebloom didn’t hesitate biting down on the flower and started chewing. She swallowed it all in one gulp and sighed in relief.
I held her by her sides and raised her up. We all watched as how the assortment of Cutie Marks vanish and left her with her normal yellow fur and lack of Cutie Mark.
“Applebloom!”
“Are you okay?”
I placed the filly down beside me as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo came running up to her. They both looked worried for their friend. Which was good. She’s going to need them later.
“How about you, Uncle?” asked Applejack.
I didn’t move from where I was lying down, but huffed a long winded breath. “C’mere AJ.” I said, waving for her to come closer. When she did, I pushed her hat down over her eyes.
“Hey!”
I chuckled a bit before looking up the morning sky. I sighed. “Well. I feel so exposed right now.”
I could feel the eyes of every pony in their houses. I didn’t even need to see their reaction. They way their doors stayed shut and locked told me enough.
“Ryyyyyuuuuuuu!”
“Hukk!”
I let out another grunt as a pink pony landed on my stomach. I looked up to the pink party pony giving me a cheerful smile. I rolled my eyes and gave into her demands. I reached up with one hand and started petting her head, also scratching her ear every so often.
“Mmmmm…”
She held on my wrist and kept on smiling.
“Pinkie, stop.” Applejack said. “Yer embarrassing yerself.”
“No I’m not.” Pinkie Pie said. “You should try it, AJ. It feels nice!”
“Ah know it’s nice. But ya don’t do that in public!”
“She acts like a pup.” I commented.
“Don’t encourage her!”
I grinned at my flustered little apple and moved Pinkie to the side so that I can get up.
“This was certainly surprising.” I said. “I wasn’t expecting the Cutie Pox to make a comeback after being forgotten for centuries.”
“When did you get back, Uncle?” Applejack asked.
“Just a few minutes ago. I won’t be staying long, though.”
“Yer leavin' again?”
I looked down to see Applebloom giving me an adorable wide eyed stare. Her friends behind her were also doing the same.
“I need to, Applebloom.” I said, crouching down to pet her head as well. “The Dragon Migration is coming soon and I need my skills to be sharp in the coming months.”
“What’s the Dragon Migration?” Scootaloo asked.
“It’s when the dragons will be traveling from all over the lands to go north. They stay there for a whole year to hatch their eggs.” I said.
“You have eggs!” Sweetie Belle squealed excitedly.
“Not me, dear.” I said, pressing on her snout playfully. “I don’t have any. The other dragons, though, do.”
“How come you don’t have an egg, Uncle Rahy?” Applebloom asked. “Don’tcha have some special somepony?”
My lips pressed into a thin line as I looked anywhere but her. “It’s complicated.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s Secretly complicated.”
“What?” the three fillies tilted their heads in confusion. I need to change the subject before they start pressing on. I could feel three sets of eyes on my back, but I saw Applejack looking uncomfortable in the corner of my sight.
“Let’s not go there, girls.” I said. “For now let’s talk about you, Applebloom.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You.”
Then I started using [Evil Eye].
Equal to Fluttershy’s of Stare, it paralyzes those caught in my vision to stay still out of fear. I don’t know how Fluttershy’s work but mine uses a minor mind control via psychic eye contact. It makes my target’s brain fear me, and depending on the intensity it can be crippling or unsettling.
Right now I’m trying to unsettle my little niece.
“What’s this I hear about you stealing?”
All three girls made an audible gulp. I forgot that the skill works on everything in sight, not like in the game of vs one only.
“What did we learn?” I asked.
“Stealing is bad.” Applebloom recited.
“And…?”
“Ah shouldn’t be in such a hurry to get mah Cutie Mark.”
I looked at her and her friends behind her in another table. I knew this wasn’t gonna last. I could see it all in their eyes. Children will be children, I suppose. It’s not like I could or wanted to take that away from them.
I sighed and looked around the room. Applebloom was with me in one table while Applejack, Twilight Sparkle and Zecora were with the other two Crusaders in another. Pinkie Pie was in the kitchen baking.
We changed our venue since scolding the girl out in the streets would just embarrass her in the eyes of the town. We were in Sugarcube Corner. The Cakes were upstairs with the Missus pregnant and due in a couple of weeks. The stress of meeting me probably wouldn’t be good for her so Mr. Cake was told to stay by her side while Pinkie was left with the store.
I picked up the little filly from her seat, minding my sharp claws, and gave her a hug. “I still don’t get why you want to be a One Trick Pony.” I put her down then shooed her to her friends.
She gave my hand one last nuzzle before going over to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Applejack, Twilight Sparkle and Zecora took her place at the table.
“Well, the cat’s out of the bag.” I shrugged as they came over. “Too bad I won’t be here to see what they’ll do after knowing I exist.”
“Now ah can tell yer lyin’, Uncle.” Applejack said after taking her seat beside me. “Yer actually glad ya’ll ain’t gonna be here when the ponies step out of their houses.”
True. It’s times like these when I prefer to run away from the attention and prolong my absence as much as possible. Thankfully I have a valid excuse, this time.
“Meh.” I grunted just as four cupcakes were expertly tossed to our table where they landed perfectly without even disturbing the frosting on top. This just goes to show that even if unicorns have their magic and pegasi have their weather abilities, Earth Ponies are the most talented of all the races hands down.
Pinkie Pie joined us at the table after giving the Crusaders some sweets. However, she took a seat on my shoulders instead of the ones around the table and used my horns to steer my head left and right. Now she oddly reminds me of Allie.
Everyone present was laughing at me. Applejack looked a bit envious, though. I used to give her shoulder rides when she was a filly and she had fun from being up so high. But she stopped asking for them when she grew up.
I kinda miss those times, and Pinkie’s making me nostalgic.
Now if only she’d stop tilting my head side to side then maybe I could relish in the memories. I think I’m starting to feel sick, and the cupcake I’m eating wasn’t helping at all.
“So, Uncle, ya said you were joinin’ the Dragon Migration?” Applejack asked.
“Ask Sparkle, she probably knows what it is.” I said, swallowing the last of my cupcake. I pinched Pinkie’s flank on my shoulder where she squeaked and giggled from it but still continued to play with my horns.
The apple mare turned to the librarian for answers. Twilight Sparkle was also looking at the party pony with a bit of envy. Pinkie was actually touching me, and she was probably wondering how my transformation work. I bet she’s wondering if my new appendages were real or just magic constructs.
If I had to guess, she’s probably like that because my transformation was pretty much giving evolution the middle finger.
“Hm?” the librarian finally turned away from me after noticing Applejack’s stare. “The Dragon Migration? Yes. I know of it.”
The Crusaders on the other table shifted their attention to ours, looking curious about the subject.
“It happens once every generation.” Sparkle explained. “Dragons from across the land all fly north over the Crystal Mountains and continue on beyond the ocean. Researchers have tried to find where they were going, but each and every one of them were scared off by the dragons.”
“Of course.” I snorted. I switched from pinching the pink pony to tickling her sides. That finally stopped her from messing with my horns. “This is a pretty sacred time for dragons. We didn’t want any poachers--”
“Researchers…”
“--Poachers, taking the eggs from their parents.” I turned to the unicorn with a glare. “You have no idea how many of them wanted to break open an egg just to see what’s inside. They were lucky that the dragons only scared them off, not get burned to a crisp. The Dragon Migration is meant to hatch newborn pups and not a place for scientists to gain new specimen.”
I tried to continue with my glared. I really did. But then Pinkie started playing with my horns again.
My head tilting from side to side really didn’t look intimidating,
Placing both my hands on her sides and the tip of my tail on her back, I renewed my tickling.
“Eeeeek!”
Tremble, little filly, to the might of my dragon powers! I have enough strength to knead your muscles and make you feel the tickles, no matter how well built earth ponies are. Repent for making me look less intimidating. Repent!
“I give! I give! Hahahaha!”
Lifting her off my shoulders, I placed her over my lap. I wrapped my arms around her as we both laughed together.
Ah, it’s really hard to resist Pinkie Pie. She acts too much like a filly. If she wasn’t so insistent with her party for me, I probably wouldn’t have any trouble loving her like the rest of my family.
“And there goes the tense atmosphere.” I said, rubbing my face on the giggling pony's own. "Thanks, Pinkie."
"No problem, Ryu." she said, not even hesitating to return the act. "You really should laugh more. Smile!"
She tugged both my cheeks, somehow, with her hooves and stretched out the smile that was already on my face. My fangs were fully bared and she didn't even look disturbed by them.
“And that’s another o’ mah friends that ya like.” Applejack piped in, looking pleased with my interaction with the party pony. “Ah knew they’d wear ya down.”
“Bah!” I ignored Applejack’s words and carried on in nuzzling the happy pony on my lap. Why couldn’t AJ have acted like a filly every once and a while, like Pinkie here.
Well, she did have to act more mature for Applebloom’s sake. She pretty much replaced their mother in the family.
I tried not to notice the way Sparkle looked down on the table dejectedly.
“Aw, don’t worry Twilight.” Pinkie said, noticing her friend’s expression. “You’ll get him soon. Right after I throw him a party!!”
“No Party.” I deadpanned at the mare who kept grinning on my face.
“You said poacher…” Twilight Sparkle said carefully. “What do you mean by that?”
“When I said poacher, I meant Poachers. Plural.” I said. I shifted my tail’s tip towards Pinkie so that she might have something to play with while I talked. I wiggled it in front of her. “In recent years, dragons are more friendly now than they were a thousand years ago. If those researchers tried following them back then, then none of those ponies would have come home alive.”
Pinkie giggled when I poked her belly with my tail, then dodged every attempt of hers to catch the appendage.
“Now, the dragons are encouraged to use non-lethal methods during the Migration, but they are still allowed to kill if ever any poachers managed to get too close to the eggs.”
I reached out with one hand towards the table of the Crusaders, and grabbed the empty air. When I pulled it back, something followed my arm’s movement. Inside my telekinetic grip, straight from under the table, a purple lizard was stuffing his face with jewels.
“Spike!” Sparkled exclaimed.
“Uhh…” he gave the unicorn a sheepish look and tried to hide the bowl of gems behind his back.
“Behold.” I said, shaking the lizard in mid-air. “The result of poachers taking eggs.”
All attention went from Spike then over to me. Even Pinkie stopped playing with my tail. The young reptile dropped his bowl of gems and would have spilled them if I hadn’t caught them in another telekinesis.
“Tell me, little pup.” I said. “Where did you come from? The only dragons living here are the ones who want to isolate themselves from their own kind, and even then they are all adults. How about you. What’s your excuse?”
Twilight Sparkle broke my hold over the young lizard, and used her own magic to carry him over to her side.
“Spike was born here. I hatched him in Canterlot.” she said. “It was when I was a filly and when I got my Cutie Mark.”
“Hmm… That’s actually pretty impressive.” I said, shifting the pony on my lap to make her more comfortable. “But to find a dragon egg in Canterlot… Celestia, or her guards, probably confiscated his egg when they found it.”
“Wait. You mean…” Spike trailed off as his voice trembled.
“It means you were taken from your parents, Spike.” I told him sadly. Some dragons may throw away their eggs, but none would ever be willing to give them to another race.
Twilight Sparkle wrapped the young reptile in a hug when he started trembling.
“A lot of creatures are curious about the dragons.” I continued. “They would do anything just to unravel the mystery of the drakes. I’ve taken down a lot of poachers in the past, and most of the time I wasn’t able to save the egg that they took. You are very lucky, Spike.”
The lavender unicorn wrapped him in her hug tighter. The Crusaders stepped away from their own table to comfort him as well.
“Do you know how dragon eggs are hatched, Twilight Sparkle?”
“Umm… isn’t it the same as any other hatching spells?” she asked hesitantly, patting her assistant on the back gently.
“No, Sparkle. You don’t magically incubate a dragon egg to make them hatch.” I said. “They hatch depending on the amount of magic poured into them. Their types also depend on the environment in which they were hatched. If two dragons of differing types make an egg, then they have the choice in which type their hatchling would be.”
“Wait. What do you mean?” she asked.
“There are five types of dragons in the world, with one being the most common than the rest.” I began to explain. “Fire, Water, Earth, Wind and Magic.”
“Magic?” Sparkle repeated. Being that it was her element, I shouldn't be surprised.
Spike temporarily composed himself to look at me. He looked ready to cry any moment now, but managed to hold his tears back. The current topic managed to distract him from his emotions. For now I’ll try to tell him more of his kin to provide at least some semblance of comfort.
“Yes. Magic.” I pointed over to the purple dragon and grabbed him with my telekinesis, then carried him over the table so that he was directly in front of me. I ignored the exclamation that came from him and the unicorn.
Pulling out a piece of paper from my pouch and materializing the feathered pen that came with my [Diary], I quickly wrote down a note.
You are fat.
I showed it to him before rolling it up. I placed it before the pup's mouth and I gave him a strong poke on his belly, forcing him to send my message with his enchanted flames.
It pays to know the ins and outs of the children you take care of.
“What did you do?!” the lavender unicorn asked as she looked on in horror at the wisps of fire heading out of the store.
“I showed you an example of a Magic type dragon.” that seemed to have snapped her out of her trance. I pulled out one of my bigger gems from my pouch and slipped it into the frozen dragon's claws as an apology.
“It still wasn’t nice writing to somepony that they’re fat.” Pinkie suddenly commented.
I grinned at the former residents of Canterlot as the other one finally realized what I did. They knew exactly to whom that message was going to and there was nothing they could do to stop it.
“Do you want me to finish, or would you like to stop here now so that you can send your own message to Celestia?” I asked the frozen duo.
“That’s not nice, Uncle.” Applejack said, giving me a reproaching look.
“It was a good prank, though.” Pinkie said with a smile.
I patted the pink pony on the head while looking at Applejack with a tiny smirk. “See? This one gets it.” I also patted the frozen Spike still on the table.
“Oh no, Oh no! What do I do?!”
On the other side of the table, the unicorn was having a panic attack. The Crusaders, Zecora and Spike started laughing at her expense. It was enough of a distraction for the pup, at least.
“Don’t worry. I made sure to sign it before sending it.” I lied.
I grabbed Applejack’s uneaten cupcake on her side of the table then shoved it into Pinkie’s mouth when she started to say something.
Bad Pinkie. Don’t ruin the prank.
The unicorn started to calm down, nodding to herself in reassurance. “Ok. Ok… So long as the princess didn’t think it was me…” she turned to me with a glare. “You did sign it, didn’t you?”
“Of course I did.” I said, smiling as serenely as I could. Unlike the Apple family, I knew how to lie with a straight face.
I clenched the hand that Pinkie wasn’t licking for leftover frosting and grabbed Applejack’s muzzle with my telekinesis. I knew the girl had a built in lie detector, so she was probably going to call me out on that lie.
“So what about the other dragons?” Spike asked, moving away from the top of the table and taking a seat on an empty side. He was still holding on to the Quartz that I gave him, not eating it yet.
“Indeed.” Zecora added. “I am also curious to hear. What the type of dragons that all creatures seem to fear.”
I smiled at the zebra. “The Fire types are the ones so brash. They think that those not of them are nothing but Trash. The Magic types are the scholars of their kind. They breathe out different fires, you will find. The Water types are serpents of the sea. If you find them, they may help you for free. The Earth types are giants living deep underground. Look for them on the surface and none will be found. The Wind types soar high in the sky. They love to wander with their ability to fly.”
“Uh…” I looked to the lizard. “Translation please?”
You can kiss my tail you uncultured runt. You’re lucky I’m still feeling sorry for you.
The look on my face must have sent my message clear. He shifted nervously in his seat then looked at Sparkle for help.
Said unicorn was also looking confused.
What? Was I too vague? Were my rhymes not that good? Did I stutter somewhere?
I rolled my eyes. “Please tell me you understood at least, Zecora.”
That got me a chuckle from the zebra. “Yes. I understood what you wish to portray. But not all ponies understand the rhymes we say.”
“To each their own.” I grunted. I took my hand away from Pinkie and froze her spit on them. It’s still probably going to smell. I’ll just burn my hand later to get rid of it. “I really should get going again. I’m going to see if Gilbert is still alive.”
“Gilbert?” Applebloom asked. She and other other Crusaders were squeezing themselves on Sparkle’s side of the table after I took Spike away from them.
“Is that your pet?” Scootaloo asked.
“No.” I told her flatly. “If the old Griffon heard you say that he would have been furious.”
“Griffon?” Pinkie asked. “You know a Griffon? Does that mean you know Gilda?”
“Just because their names both started with Gil doesn’t mean they’re related.” I said, patting her on the head. I placed her on my side and stood up, stretching out my wings wide from sitting down on the floor for too long.
“Whoa.”
The Crusaders voiced their childish awe at my wingspan. It was long enough that they almost touched the walls on my left and right sides. Spike and the other ponies, save for Applejack, were also looking at them with the same expression.
“Anything else before I go?” I asked.
“Um…” it was Spike who tried to gain my attention. “Can you tell me more about the dragons? Maybe after you come back?”
“Tell you what.” I said, bending down to level our eyes. “With your guardian’s permission, I might even take you during the Migration.”
“Really?” his eyes shone with excitement. He looked over to the uncertain unicorn and pleaded. “Can I, Twilight? Please?”
“I… I don’t know, Spike.” she said.
“Think of it like this, Sparkle.” I said, gaining her attention. “This might be a chance for him to get to know himself and maybe, just maybe, even find his parents as well.”
Spike’s eyes widened and turned to me. It’s possible. If my hunch is also correct, then I already know who his father is. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any other dragon that was able to manipulate their flames with Spike’s level of control until their hundredth year.
“My parents?” he asked, his expression hopeful yet pondering as well. “I never really thought about them before.”
Applejack went to his side, placing her hoof on his little shoulder. “You should go, Spike.” then she looked at Twilight. “You will let him go, right, Twilight?”
The look that my little niece gave the unicorn made it clear that she wasn’t allowed to say no. I couldn’t help but look at Applejack sadly as I straightened my posture. Family was very important to an Apple. To her especially.
“I…” Twilight Sparkle hesitated. “I don’t know.”
I went over and picked up Applejack into a hug when I saw her expression tighten. “Hush, now.” I told her gently. “She’s also his family, remember that.”
That was enough to calm the mare down. I placed her down again and rubbed her head through her hat.
“You shouldn’t worry, Sparkle.” I told the unicorn. “I’ll make sure that he’s safe.”
She hesitated a second longer, but the look Applejack and Spike made finally forced her to make a decision.
“Okay.”
I could tell that she still wasn’t sure, but her words were enough to make the dragon whoop a cheer in his seat.
Now. How the hell am I going to explain this to the other Elders?