//------------------------------// // Dragon's Wrath // Story: Calming Sigh-- with a Breath of Fire // by Laze Around //------------------------------// I lunged using every fiber of muscle I had in my legs. I need to finish this quick. All I have to do is puncture a critical spot and I’ll have one less stallion to worry about. Thanks to the [Aura] that was wrapped around my body, all of my movements had an additional explosive power that increased the distance of my dashes and physical damage that I deal.   Balio and Sunder jumped back further into the stage and readied themselves, shifting to their sides.   As I made it to the stage, I stomped down on the wood, splintering it, as I made another dash to the right side. I threw my sword to the left side of the stage before I stopped on the far right. They followed me with their eyes and shifted their stance accordingly, though Balio cast a wary glance at my thrown weapon.   Using my telekinesis, I grabbed the burning sword in midair and aimed it at Sunder’s back. I created another burning [Mind Sword] in my hand, gaining Balio’s attention, and charged at him while pulling my first sword towards his brother’s back at the same time.   Balio shifted and his right leg started crackling with electricity. “[LIGHTNING!]” He forced his leg forward into a kick, sending a discharge of electricity into the air, where it homed onto my position and accelerated.   I didn’t bother dodging it and merely shifted the fire of my sword into electricity. I stopped, slashed at the incoming spell, and spun.   My sword left behind a trail of electricity, and as soon as Balio’s spell hit the trail, his lightning spell followed my sword’s path.   I completed my spin and ducked, throwing my sword at the wide-eyed Balio with his own spell following the path of my weapon.   Sunder grabbed his brother and both of them dove to the side. My first sword had slowed because of my counter, but it came at Sunder just in time of his jump. The brown stallion cried out in pain when my burning sword blazed a path over his back.   My swords collided in the middle of the stage and both shattered on impact, spraying fire and lightning all over the area.  Balio’s spell dispersed when the sword that it followed shattered, disappearing along with the discharged sparks.   Sunder hissed and started rolling on the floor with a badly burnt layer of flesh on his back. Balio worried about his brother and glared at me.   I didn’t give them time to recover and plan. Raising my hand above my head, I conjured up an [Inferno]. The blazing ball of fire grew at an alarming rate, feeding off my magic and the air around us. I could feel the space around me immediately dry up, and Balio hurried over to his brother in a panic.   ‘Die’   I swung my arm forward, and the [Inferno] followed my gesture.   ‘Disappear’   Sunder was still writhing on the ground until Balio hoisted him up.   ‘Burn’   The fire was almost there. With Sunder dragging his hooves, there was no way they would make it.   I watched with glee as the fire—   --Dispersed   My eyes widened in shock. Then I glared above. There, hovering above us was Celestia, sending me her most hateful glare. “Don’t interfere, Celestia!”   Balio and Sunder panted from the adrenaline rush, sending their gratitude to the alicorn. They were encased in a golden bubble of magic: Celestia’s barrier spell.   I snarled at the princess, before gathering a large amount of magic and preparing for a barrage of [Sirrocco]. I tried throwing my arm forward, but a glow of velvet blue magic covered my arms, preventing me from aiming them.   I growled and turned my head enough to look behind me. Luna was there, her horn glowing and giving me a look of disapproval. “And you as well…” I growled.   Balio and Sunder started laughing at my expense, with Sunder making faces my way. “Yeah, fuck you! Thank you pony things!” sending his gratitude to the Sun Princess.   My temper flared and my eyes glowed. Raising one leg up, I stomped down hard and sent a [Quake] into their direction.   The ground rippled under my foot as if it was water. The ripple moved and went straight into the Balio and Sunder’s direction. They screamed in panic as the wooden stage shattered and sent shrapnel and splinters in the air, all of which were aimed towards them thanks to my telekinetic nudge. “AH! What the hell! You couldn’t do that before!!”   A bright flash caught my attention above and, like a shooting star, Celestia dove between the wave and the two stallions. The shockwave created by her crash blew the debris away, as well as crushed the ripple in the ground.   I was about to cast another spell when my whole body was covered by Luna’s magic glow. She lifted me off my feet and slammed me into the wall farthest from the stallions, keeping me there by pressing her magic continuously.   My body strained under the pressure, and I gave Luna a glare. “Luna, if you don’t release me now, then I would make sure that you and your sister will not be able to interfere any further than you already have.” Luna frowned, her stance was firm, and her head was lowered to point her horn at me. “We art surprised, Ryu. We have never seen thy face twisted in such malice. Even in the time when both mine sister and I scoured the land for thee, thy face only showed annoyance and panic. But now, thou hath shown the face of anger and hate, throwing spells with the intent to kill, not to distract, like you did with Us many years ago.”   Behind her, I saw Celestia walking closer to her sister, with her own horn glowing and ready for a spell. Following Celestia were Balio and Sunder, both of them were grinning at me, walking behind the Sun Princess in a relaxed manner. “Stop this at once, Ryu.” Celestia commanded. “We don’t know what this two have done, but this violence will cease!” “You don’t know these two like I do, Celestia!” “Whoa, someone gained a temper when they grew up!” Balio declared mockingly. “Yeah, someone really became prissy.” Sunder laughed with his brother, before wincing from the burn on his back. “Where’re you friends, baby dragon? Did they leave you behind again?”   My vision went red.   I haven’t noticed before, but I was breathing hard. It wasn’t from exertion from using too much magic in such a short time, or exhaustion. I was angry. Very angry. I don’t know why, but my control over my own emotion was slipping.   Balio and Sunder separated the original Ryu from Teepo and Rei, both of whom were like family to him. Rei found him when he was passed out in the Cedar Woods and took him to their home even when they had nothing to eat. Teepo willingly reached out to Ryu even though he was a complete stranger.   Balio and Sunder destroyed his family; them, McNeil, and Loki. And now the two of them are here, looking for me.   I won’t let them destroy my family.   I won’t let them destroy what I worked so hard to obtain!   The walls on my back started to crack as I pushed against them. My magic flared and gathered into my core, where the blood of the Brood in my body started reacting.   “[ROAR!!]”   A loud and primal sound of rage escaped from my throat. I felt the whole room shudder, with the walls bouncing off my roar and amplifying it. The stained windows that depicted Applejack and her friends’ accomplishments also cracked at the sides.   Celestia’s magic glow combined with Luna’s as they pressed me against the wall. No matter how hard I strained and pushed, their combined effort froze me in my spot. It only made me angrier.   Then a hoof covered my vision, and pain erupted from my face. My concentration broke, and the magic circulating in my body fluctuated.   Luna cried out in distress as I realized that Sunder had closed the distance between us and was now raining down punches and kicks all over my immobile body. Balio assured them that they were only helping the princesses subdue me.   I gritted my teeth as I continuously healed my body after every blow. Balio and Sunder’s physical physique weren’t just for show; they were both fit and well muscled. I could feel my bones crack and my flesh bruise continuously under Sunder’s onslaught. My eye flashed when I caught Sunder winding back for another punch.   [BONE BREAK!]   With Sunder’s next blow, his fist collided with my face. As soon as he made contact, I sent a concentrated psychic impact straight into his arm, penetrating through his bones and muscles. He screamed agony and stumbled back, holding his mangled arm and staring at it with horror. “Sunder!” Balio cried out to his brother. He and the princesses shared the same expression as Sunder as they gazed at his arm. I healed my wounds with [Cure] and gathered magic for another spell.   [Magic Ball]   An orb of magic manifested in front of me, gaining the attention of the four. Then it discharged into a flash of blinding light.   [Shadowwalk]   Using the shadows that it created, I sunk into the one behind me and appeared in front of the two blinded Alicorn princesses. Both my hands grabbed their heads and gripped them tightly.    [Mind Flay!] [Mind Flay!] [Mind Flay!]   Three pulses of psychic blasts went straight into their brains. They both tumbled back as I let them go, collapsing onto their sides as the concussive headache and lingering psionic effect ravaged their minds.   I spun around and swung my fist straight into Balio’s side, where he had been standing beside the princesses and spouting lies about justice and friendship while his brother tortured me with pain.   Creating two [Mind Sword] constructs as he stumbled back, I switched my grip and held the swords in reverse, with their blades pointing downwards. I slipped into his guard and stabbed my swords down, piercing through both his thighs. The stallion screamed in pain, grabbing my wrists on reflex. I shook off his grip and placed both palms on his abdomen.   [SIMOON]   The explosion of fire and wind sent the stallion flying back to the side of the assembled stage. I jumped back to the side as soon as I heard Sunder screaming out his rage, his mangled limb hanging limply by his side. He pulled out a short sword from his lower back and swung it down at me. I dodged, and grabbed his wrist on the upward follow through.   [Myollnir!]   Pure magic converted into lightning ran throughout Sunder’s body. “AHHHHHH!!!!” The stallion screamed as thousands of voltage went up, down and through his system.   I twisted his remaining good arm, forcing him to drop his sword, then threw him over to his brother. I raised both my arms and aimed at their location.   [Typhoon]   The air around us gathered and converged into a single spot, right where the two brothers were still recovering. The spell would have gathered air pressure and detonate into a series of wind blades, shredding anything into ribbons within a few meters radius. But after my spell gathered enough pressure, I added another spell.   [Infer--!]   Then I saw something under the stage’s curtain. A pony was there; her hooves wrapped around one of the play’s props. She was trembling in fear, with tears running down her face.   I quickly looked behind me and saw Twilight Sparkle beside her mentor, her horn glowing and trying to dispel the psionic effect of [Mind Flay] that addled the victim’s thought processes. Close to them were the others, with Luna faring better than her sister when it came to attacks to the mind.   The room was mostly empty now; with the only ones remaining were the two brothers, the Element bearers, the princesses, a ring of guards, and the mare on the stage. I didn’t even hear the audiences' scream of panic when I went after the two stallions.   Turning back to my unfinished spell, I growled as I cancelled it. Damn it! How did I lose control?! Walking up to the mare in the backstage, while keeping half of my attention on the maimed, bipedal stallions, I placed a hand on the mare’s nape, where she whimpered at my touch. I don’t need this right now. I really don’t.   She was scared, and confused, with self-preservation locking her hooves around the stage prop like a lifeline.   [Command]   I hummed a tone; a soothing note, along with my sound based psionic. Her trembling diminished almost instantly and her head turned to me. When she saw my face, however, she almost screamed.   “Hush.” I commanded, and she obeyed thanks to my [Command]. “You’re safe.”   I hummed another soothing note, slowly trailing my fingers from her nape to her hooves. I helped her let go of the prop and wrapped her in an embrace. She tensed in my arms but didn’t struggle.   I changed my humming and turned it into a hymn; something mournful, yet soothing at the same time. It wasn’t a song that was taught to me. I only learned it one day thanks to the harmonious magic that the ponies give off in Equestria.   The mare slowly started to relax when I started caressing her mane and nape, her trembling almost disappearing completely.   “Go.” I whispered.   I nudged to the side, directing her to the direction of the door behind the guards. She turned and looked at me with an expression of fear and hesitation. I repeated my command and, thanks to my spell, she ran as fast as she could towards the exit.   I sighed for a moment in relief. But that only lasted for a moment before an overwhelming sense of shame came over me.   I almost lost control. Damn it, that was what I’ve been training so hard to avoid.   Dejection added to my shame, and I couldn’t even make myself look at the owner of the orange hooves that trotted up to my field of vision.   I turned to the side so that I wouldn’t be able to look at her. I don’t want her to see me like this. Instead I went and looked at Balio and Sunder, writhing in pain, but no longer in the ground. Both of them glared at me, and I found my calm once more as I examined the damage I dealt. Sunder’s right arm was mangled and useless, and a horizontal line of burnt flesh was cauterized on his back. He was using his left arm to support his brother up. Balio still had two swords stabbed through his thighs. His abdomen was burnt and cooked, and his front side was suffering from different degrees of burns. “You’ll pay for this, kid.” Balio said through gritted teeth. “Do you have any idea who we work for?!” I put a hand on my chest and pulled out my [Diary], searching for the names that I’ve written down so many centuries ago. “Balio and Sunder…” their names appeared on the pages. “Those that were associated with them was a guy named McNeil, the guy who hire you two to kill three orphan kids living in the forest. You burnt down their home and waited for their return from being accessories of a crime they didn’t know was a ploy from a greedy villager. That was where you attempted to kill them.” Behind me, Applejack and the other girls gasped. “There’s also that time where you tried to sell a dragon to the king of Wyndia, only for that dragon to wake up and turn back into a child not even old enough to be thirteen. Then you kidnapped a princess, forced her and the child dragon to flee for their lives, capture them again and their new companions, forced them to fight a tournament that would have gotten them killed and finally attempted to murder those children and the friends that they’ve managed to gather.” I put my book back inside me, and look at the two stallions. Applejack and rest of the ponies present were looking at the two with horrified expression. Balio and Sunder didn’t even look ashamed of what I just said. “So what?!” said Sunder, looking enraged. “We did those things for a reason, we also needed to eat, you know?! Who the hell do you think you are, making us look like bad guys, huh?! You don’t even fucking know what we went through!” I stopped glaring at them and froze. “What gives you the right to judge us.” Balio gritted out. “You know nothing about us!” I felt a twinge in my chest as I looked at the two battered stallions. That’s right. In the game, their only role was to be the antagonist for Ryu and his friends when they were younger, it never delved into their past. The only things known about them was that they were criminals, they were greedy, and wouldn’t hesitate to kill to make money. Given the setting of the game, it was probably the most profitable job in the entire region, no matter how questionable it was. It makes one wonder why they’d work like that, and how did they end up working like that. “You two…” I trailed off. “You’re orphans, too, aren't you.” “Yeah, genius.” Sunder spat. “Congrats on figuring that out.” I scowled, and thought it over. Balio and Sunder were unique characters. They were the only anthropomorphic stallions that were in the game. In the Breath of Fire Series, there were several clans throughout the its world: Dragon Clan or Brood for Ryu and Teepo, Woren for Rei, Wing Clan for Nina, Grassrunner for Momo, Grassmen, being the only closest clan Peco has any relations to, seeing that he was a sprout from the Yggdrasil tree, and the unique Guardians created by Myria herself. The Woren had tiger-like characteristics; yellow striped fur all over their bodies and a bushy tail. The Wing Clan were humans who had wings that they used to fly, but they degraded over the generations. Grassrunners had dog-like traits, much like how Worens have tiger-like traits. Grassmen were the plant-like people of the series. And the Guardians were like gargoyles in appearance. There were still other clans in the game, but none of them match Balio and Sunder in any way. “You two…” I muttered. “You aren’t natural, are you? You have the ability to combine yourselves into a single being; a being that I’ve only seen in one place… In Myria’s station, where she kept her test subjects.” “SHUT UP!” “You’re like the Guardians.” I muttered, my eyes widening at the realization. “You two were created by Myria, weren’t you? That’s how you’re here, that’s how you’re both alive. You’re both from the samples that were at the station.” “You’re wrong!” Sunder shouted. “We’re not like that! We’re real! If that’s true then how the hell do we remember you, huh?! If we’re fakes then how the hell did we recognise you?!” “If you work for Myria, then it isn’t that hard to imagine.” My eyes narrowed as I scowled. “She created the Guardians and even swayed the minds of other people that the Brood were evil beings out to destroy the world. If she can create the Guardians, then it would be logical to think that she could create other beings as well.” I raised my arm and aimed at Balio. The blades in his thighs shattered and the stallion screamed. “Bro!” I ignored Sunder’s panic and used another spell. [Vigor] The ponies behind me grimaced as they watched the injuries on both stallions healed and mended. Sunder’s arm was a sight that sent Miss Rarity running behind a pillar and regurgitating her lunch. “I’ve always found it strange, you know?” I continued, as the two stallions before me panted from the nauseous healing process. “I noticed that the monsters that were near Myria’s chamber were almost perfect replicas of all the monsters that I fought throughout original Ryu’s journey.” Balio looked up, having caught the way I addressed the original Ryu from the game. “I fought three stallions that looked almost exactly like your combined form.” my eyes narrowed. “There was even one the looked like Mikba’s demonic form; the Nue from the mountains in the Yrall Region; Gazer from the lighthouse; the Angler from the Black Sea; the squids on the black ship; hell, even Rocky the Rooster from McNeil’s chicken house was there.” Balio and Sunder slowly stood up. I may have healed them, but that doesn’t mean that they’re ready for another clash so soon. There would still be lingering pains in where their injuries had been. “And it all began with you two…” I glared at them. “The Nue was easily dealt with, but it was only after you two came that everything started. Ryu and Teepo awakened their Brood heritage after your attack, and you chased Ryu around until he met with Garr.” It may have been a game from where I came from, but everything about that seemed a little too convenient to happen in real life. Ryu and Teepo were the only Brood left who could transform into their dragon forms. Was it fate the they met each other? Or was it because someone had been manipulating things behind the scenes? If… if that was true then… “Uncle?” I looked behind to find Applejack trotting closer. “What are ya’ll talking about?” “Give me a moment to think about it and I’ll tell you.” I looked back to Balio and Sunder, daring them to do anything at the moment. “You two, stay there and keep quiet. I need to think about some things.” “Don’t burn your brain out.” Balio commented sarcastically. My magic flared and a spike of ice rose up under his legs. It stopped just before touching his groin area. Balio stumbled back in panic at seeing the spike of ice. “Okay! Okay! I’ll keep quiet!” I snorted before going back to my thoughts. Let’s think back to where this all began. Myria was a goddess that came to the Dragon Clan, intending to grant them their wishes. The Clan fought over the wish and almost destroyed the world because of it. Then they sealed her away-- That’s… not right. They sealed her because they didn’t want to fight for her wish. They also labeled her as evil because of it. This still all goes back to Myria. Myria was a goddess, right? And the only gods ever known to the Breath of Fire series were from the Breath of Fire 4: the Endless. If I remember correctly, Myria was also an Endless. There was also Deis, who was in all four Breath of Fire games. In the third game she was Myria’s sister, and in the fourth game she was revealed to be an Endless. Damn it, what were the Endless again? They were gods; that was how they were portrayed. They were shaped by the thoughs of the people around them. They also… they also grant the wishes of their worshippers-- My eyes widened. In the fourth series, the Endless were summoned to fulfill the wishes of those who summoned them. It was never mentioned in the game of where Myria and Deis came from; their original dimension. It was possible that they were summoned into the first three games' universe before the series began; that they were never really a native of the world at all. There was also something else… In the fourth game, Momo was in that world's Wyndia. She was a Master for Ryu and the rest of the party. There was a part in her dialog where she says that she felt that she didn’t belong there, like she was from another dimension. She also mentioned something about bright flash of light. But the only flash of light I remember in the third game, where Momo and the rest of the party couldn’t escape from, was during the time where they were leaving Myria’s station after beating the goddess. They were using the elevator downwards when the explosion of the crumbling station reached them. It's possible that there was an alternate ending to the game. If all of those were real: the Endless granting wishes; the Endless being gods; the Endless being shaped by the thoughts of the people around them-- 'Tis they who determine how our power shalt be used. 'Tis their desires that shape us. The Endless be not good, nor be they evil. The Endless are. They become gods or devils according to the desires of those who summon them. Words long forgotten suddenly sprang up in my mind. I stumbled back and grabbed my head. Having psionics does that from time to time. There were times when epiphany would come to me. Still, if those words were true, then… Myria was innocent? Endless were neither good nor evil, they just Are. It was the Dragon Clan who made her the way she was. They… influenced her. Their strife and slaughter… Is that why she was so different in the third game? Was it because the Dragon Clan were mostly at peace, and that there were no more Evil Dragons who wanted her wish? Did she try to exterminate them all because she was afraid that they would influence her again? It’s… In a twisted sort of way, it kinda makes sense. The Dragon Clan demonized her, and in turn she demonized them. “Heh..Heheh. HAHAHAHAHA!” That's funny. No, it's actually hilarious; so hilarious that it was sad as well. “Ryu?” “HAHAHAHA! Is that it?!” I looked back and face Celesta. “A misunderstanding. A big fat misunderstanding! It looks like that is what this is all about!” “I think he broke, bro.” Sunder whispered. “Don’t say that! She won’t like it if we tell Her that her boy toy broke.” Balio hissed. “YOU!” I pointed at the two, which made them both straighten up on reflex. “Why did you come here?” “Uhh…” Sunder mumbled, before looking over to his brother. “We- uh… we were just told to find you?” said Balio. My eye twitched and my finger trembled. “And..? Is that all? You said that you were sent after me, that can’t all be, fucking, it?!” Applejack’s attention snapped over to me. I rarely, if ever, cuss in front of her. I don’t care, though. I’m so… fucking… I DON’T EVEN KNOW!!! Balio and Sunder huddled closer together, which in all honesty pissed me off. Why the hell are they looking at me like I’m crazy? Fuck them! FUCK ALL Of THEM!! “ANSWER, DAMN IT!” “She just said to find you!” Sunder answered in panic. “Her exact words were ‘He’s here, find him’, and that’s it! I swear!” cried Balio. I held my head in my hands and gritted my teeth. “FFFFFFUCK! THAT’S IT?! SHE DIDN’T TELL YOU TO BRING ME TO HER BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY?!” The both nodded eagerly without saying a word. I was breathing hard again. This time there were tears running down my face. “HEH… HEHEH… HAHAHAHAHAHA!” I started laughing loud and started pulling out my magic. The ground under my feet cracked as I expelled out every ounce of mystic energy I could. This is fucking hilarious. They were here just to find me. It was me who attacked the messengers. I started the fight. HAHAHA! It’s so funny, right?! The punchline for my years of anxiety and depression over the goddess that I thought was out to get me! FUNNY, RIGHT?! “NO!” I roared in rage. “THAT CAN’T BE ALL OF IT! IT JUST CAN’T!” I looked up at the two stallions, who were now starting to tremble at the sight of me. “THIS IS A TRAP, ISN’T IT? A PLOY TO MAKE ME LOWER MY GUARD? THAT’S IT RIGHT?!” Both of them shook their heads quickly. “We don’t know! We were just told to find you.” This time I shook my head. “NO. NO.NO.NONONONO. YOU’RE LYING! IT’S A LIE! IT’S--guh!!” I clutched my head in pain. The magic continued to pour out from my body. I didn’t know how much I’ve pulled out, but I starting to feel the strain. My body throbbed as my dragon genes wanted to awaken. I have to stop. My body’s starting to hurt badly. I feel like I’m being torn apart. BUT WHY THE HELL WON’T IT STOP! “Uncle!” “Get back, Applejack.” Ggg..n, Rainbow… Dash… keep her...gguh… away. “Let go of me Rainbow!” Pain… “What’s happening?!” ...being..ugh… torn… “Shit, shit, shit, shit. What’s happening, bro?!” “I don’t know! Agh, those injuries still sting! Damn that kid grew strong.” ...help… me… My mouth opened as I tried to scream. What came out were grunts and whimpers of pain. All that waiting… ...voices… aag... Yeah. What a bummer… ..in my… head… agh.. We shouldn’t do this… He made his choice… So fuck that, I’m gone… ...what… are you… saying…? We’re saying that this is Goodbye… Then my world, my mind, my body, only knew pain Balio and Sunder watched as the dragon that they’ve been set out to find grunted, whimpered, and screamed in pain. The magic coming off of him was unbelievably thick, and even though a few minutes had already passed, the kid was still pulling out more. Both of them looked at each other. They knew that this wasn’t normal. If the kid doesn’t stop, he’ll burn himself out and die. Their attentions went back to the dragon kid and, along with everyone else, flinched when he opened his mouth and howled an inhuman roar from his throat. They watched as small orbs of light came out of the dragon, his screams rising every time one of those things appeared. One, two, three… again and again they continued to appear from him, and, every time, the brothers wanted to cover the ears like what the other pony things were doing. Then it stopped. The magic that had been pouring out of the kid’s body just… stopped. Above his head were the balls of light, now turning into different colors. The dragon kid collapsed and panted. He was pale, as in really pale. He didn’t look like that murder machine that almost finished them off a few minutes ago. The eighteen orbs in the air spun around and some of them collided with each other. Instead of hitting, though, some orbs were absorbed by others. Eighteen were now left to six, and all of them were pulsing with power. “Uncle!” Balio and Sunder looked at how the orange pony thing went over to the dragon. It-- she was fussing over him while the rest were staring at the orbs. Then one of the orbs spoke. “Pfft. Pitiful, ain’t he?” Holy shit, it spoke! “None of this would have happened if we stayed.” “Shut the fuck up, you hypocrite. If you wanted to stay then you should have fucking stayed.” “...” “Yeah. I didn’t think so.” “C’mon! Let’s go, I’m getting bored here!” “You shut up, too, brat! But yeah, let’s get the hell out of here. Let the fucktard rot like he should have years ago.” “Wait!” “Applejack…” “What’s wrong with Uncle Rahy?! What did you do to him!?” “You’ll know soon enough once he’s awake.” “And until then, we have better things to do.” Celestia trotted up, looking at the orbs sternly. “Which would be?” “Not hold back. Goodbye ponies, and tell the Whelp to come find us if he wants us back.” The six orbs shot out of the windows, punching through the stained glasses. They split off in different directions and disappeared from sight. Balio and Sunder looked at each other before they nodded. “Let’s report this first.” Balio said. “Yeah. Things are a bit tense around here.” Sunder agreed. They grabbed each other’s wrists and flared their magic, before disappearing from sight. Down by Applejack’s hooves, Ryu continued to stare into nothing, unable to feel, and completely numbed from the pain. His eyes slowly closed, with his body feeling… Empty. His dragon genes were gone.