//------------------------------// // 2- Home Sweet Home // Story: Bound by Scales // by FrostTheWolf //------------------------------// Bound by Scales- Home Sweet Home Point of View: Ken         What… The hell… just happened? One moment, I was talking about the band I found that belonged to a girl named Zinnia. Next moment, she and one other girl were spat out of a void dragon and was now in my room. Did something with that band cause her to appear right in front of me? And her speaking as well also caught me by surprise.         “What the hay-?” Maple spoke, catching the girl’s attention.         “Oh, hey there,” she said, sitting up. Her wings flexed slightly before folding behind her back. “Who’re you guys?”         “I would ask you the same thing,” I said back to them, flexing my dragon arm. It seems like that though… caught her attention.         “Ooh!” she squealed, rushing over and gripping my arm, squeezing my bicep. “Hunky! Flex for me, you stud!”         “What the fu-?” I backed up. “Look lady, I had only just ended up here like a few hours ago. Mind telling me how you two just got here? Because I think Maple and I need answers.”         “Huh?” she asked, clearly confused. “But… you summoned me.” She paused, looking to the other girl, who was just pulling herself to her feet. “Her though? She’s a friend of mine who decided to tag along.”         “That’s a lie and you know it, Zinnia,” the green-skinned girl groaned, holding her head. “I collapsed. I’m guessing you got summoned when you caught me.”         “Summoned? Care to explain?” I asked, taking off the band on my left shoulder.         “That,” the winged girl said, pointing at the band. “Is my token, sent across the Multiverse of Equestria’s to all the Displaced lucky enough to find it. You can call me to you from my world using it.”         “So this token brought you here when I called your name?” I relayed to her. “I’m still sort of new to the concept. And just when I thought being a Scalebound and having a bond with a dragon the size of a two story building was problematic.”         “Huh, sounds like a pretty cool way to be Displaced,” she chuckled. “I’m Zinnia, Delta Guardian of Equestria and the only Draconid in my world.”         “Ken Ahkrin,” I introduce myself, “The definition for me is Scalebound. Right here is my new friend, Maple Leaf.”         “I’m Whiplash,” the green girl said, walking over and holding her hand out. “I’m a… what am I now, Zi?”         “Floranid,” Zinnia replied without missing a beat. She blinked a second later. “Huh. That was weird.”         “Yeah…” Whiplash said, shaking her head. “I’m a Floranid. Used to be a Pegasus. Nice to meet you.”         “Same. I just hope that Revaan is doing fine with Mystic back at the temple,” Maple sighed. “That mare can drive almost anyone crazy when she talks about magic and history.”         “Sounds like Princess Celestia’s old student,” Whiplash chuckled, shaking her head ruefully. “So where in Equestria are we, exactly? I don’t recognize this place.”         “An old Onyx dragon temple that in the walls of a cliff in a place called the badlands,” I recalled from an earlier conversation with Maple. “Most of the civilians here are Changeling outcasts and a few ponies that had to flee when their town got destroyed a month ago.”         “Ah, of course,” the Floranid sighed, smiling ruefully. “Chrysalis’s attack on the wedding?”         “What!?” Zinnia cried, eyes wide. “What attack!?”         “Before you arrived, Zi,” Whiplash chuckled.         “Oh, good.”         “The wedding was two years ago,” Maple mentioned. “Most of the refugees came when they were caught in the crosshairs of Lord Tirek when he broke out of Tartarus.”         “That…” Whiplash said, holding a finger up. “...has not happened yet.”         Zinnia reached into a small red back that hung at her waist, pulling out a notepad and a pen. “Lord… Tirek…” she muttered, writing the name down.         “I’m guessing your writing that down for future reference?”         “Eeyup,” Zinnia said, shoving the pad back into her bag. “Don’t want Darkrai getting a hold of him.”         Right… Must be some sort of Pokemon related realm. “Hey Maple? Can you go check on Mystic and Revaan. I would like to talk to Zinnia and Whiplash a little bit more.” The changeling nodded her head as she left the building, leaving me with the two other girls. Not only that, but she closed the door behind me… Ah crap.         “So…” Zinnia cooed, sitting on a desk and leaning back on her hands, pushing her chest out. “You wanted to… ‘talk’?”         “Hmm…” Whiplash hummed, one of the vines wrapped around her upper arm extending until it hung from her arm. She grabbed it, suddenly whipping it at Zinnia, catching her across the leg and making her cry out. “You into that?” she asked suddenly.         I felt a bit of warmth across my face, but redirected my focus. “Can I ask you about the Displaced for a moment? What exactly are they?”         “Oh, great,” Zinnia groaned. “He’s a bloody Displaced Virgin!” She sighed, standing back up. “You bought something cool from a shady guy at a con, blacked out and woke up in Equestria, didn’t you?”         “No. I bought a Dragon wristband from a giftshop vendor in Tokyo and when I woke up after blacking out, that band now became my newfound arm.” He explained, showing the scales and the teal claws.         “I get it now!” Whiplash cried out, slamming a fist into her palm. “Scalebound! Your arm was bound with scales!”         “Yeah… Anyway, they’re not all the same, it’s just that seems to be the most common. I was sent from a mental asylum and got to screw the girl that did it the night before.” Zinnia smirked at his blushing face. “Basically, some kind of Void being will take a liking to you and-”         I snickered when I heard her say that. “Like how you two were acting seductive just a few moments ago?... Sorry, that just came out. I apologi-” He stopped when a familiar red leather bra landed on his face. “Well...” Some time later         It had only been a couple of hours now and I was sitting on top of the roof of the place that Maple allowed me to stay in. A place where I can call home. The changeling was right now asleep. Taking a nap with Zinnia’s friend, Whiplash as I looked over the city. Revaan looked to still be with Mystic, but it seemed like whatever they were doing was making the city feel more… alive. The buildings looked less like mud off of the walls and more colorful. Vibrant lights also began to appear in numerous places as I had a look into the distance. Putting my coat back on and placing both of my sheathed swords on my back, I was about to go. Until I heard some footsteps behind me.         “Trying to follow me, Zinnia?” I asked, turning around to see the woman dressed again, her jacket zipped enough to only show a small amount of cleavage.         “Eh,” she shrugged, stepping up beside me. “I got bored. What’cha doin’?”         “Just looking over the city. I was going to check on Revaan if you wanted to come along. He’s the dragon that’s my partner,” I told her. “Wanna come along?”         “Sure, why not?” She chuckled. “I wonder how much he’ll flip out at a second half-dragon.”         “That depends… We’ll have to see once we get there.” I told her, walking towards the huge structure in the back that I remember Revaan walked off to with Mystic. Following the path and moving against the uphill incline, both Zinnia and I soon made it to the top, where it looked like there was some sort of excavation site here.         “Hey, Revaan! You in there? I got someone for you to meet.”         The only reply that was heard was the sound of him walking out and his growling tone. “Good to see you, Ke-.” That was when he noticed Zinnia, who about a fourth of his size. “Oh? Who’s the… young one?”         “Hey there!” the Draconid called, smiling casually. “I’m Zinnia. I’m from a parallel dimension.”         The dragon raised one of his brows as he lowered his head to where it was in front of Zinnia. Smelling the air, he then spoke. “Really? And if I were to believe you, then how did you come here?”         “Yeah… Zinnia, Revaan’s new to the whole concept as well. Go easy on him.” I reminded her, who just shrugged me off without a care in the world.         “Hey, it’s simple really,” she said. “All-powerful beings took us out of our homes and shoved us into different versions of Equestria across the Multiverse. I sent out a Token, you found it and called me over, and then we did it.” She shrugged again. “Simple.”         “Well that tells me why you smell like Ken and Ken smells like you,” Revaan chuckled. “You are a very lucky drake, Ken.”         “Yeah… that’s not the… only thing.”         “Oh, yeah,” Zinnia laughed. “He’s in my hoard now.” She paused, seemingly thinking something over before turning to me. “Oh, by the way, you should probably know that another Displaced named Umbra is my girlfriend. So she has a higher power than you in the hoard for now.”         Right… Kinky… Anyways though, now for a question that just came to mind. “You mentioned power. Where would that put myself and Revaan?”         “Well you’d- wait… Him too!?” she cried, staring up at the gargantuan drake. “I mean, I’m not against it, but… who’d he-... And why!?”         “That… I can adapt.” He replied, his body glowing to decrease his size down to our level. “So you know, I am the last Onyx dragon of my kind. The only other one out there is my son and I have yet to find him. I will be part of this if it helps my kind survive in the years to come.”         “Oh… Fair enough,” she shrugged. “Again, I’m not against it.” She paused, sighing and shaking her head. “Anyway, the power… imagine a wolf pack. You’ve got the Alpha, which is me, the Alpha’s mate, which is Umbra, and then right under them is the Betas - you guys.”         “So we come in third?” I ask, given the order that she stated those roles in.         “Yeah, basically,” she nodded. “I guess… You’d have a branch of your own? I dunno, I haven’t really thought it out much in terms of structure.”         “Right… Hey Revaan? Where’s Mystic?”         “She’s inside, trying to read the inscriptions on the wall-.”         “OH COME ON!! HOW IS THIS SO BUCKING HARD!!!!”         “With no success.” Revaan sighed deeply, I could hear books flying and being thrown against the wall.         “Let’s go hurry before her rage leads her to tearing down this entire place on accident.” I told them, being the first one to enter with Revaan and Zinnia following in behind me. The mare noticed me as I walked in, startled by my sudden appearance.         “R-Revaan-!!” She yelled, pointing a hoof towards me.         “Easy there, that’s my partner Ken!”         “No, not him. The other one!!” Turning around was when I realized that Zinnia was right behind me.         “Oh, hey!” Zinnia called, waving. “I’m Zinnia. Just a visiting friend.” That did no less to calm Mystic down, but it was a start. She was looking at some inscriptions on a back wall that looked like a entrance to a pathway, but couldn’t solve it. Mostly because she couldn’t read the language to it. When I offered to help, all she did was smirk and follow up with her saying “go ahead and try.”         I smiled, reading the symbols carefully and placing my right hand on the door. Zinnia stepped up beside me, a distant look in her eyes as she placed her left hand next to mine. The scripture on the door read that Two Souls can make the body whole again. In this case, it seemed like the body was the door as the magic began to engrave itself into it before the huge slab split itself in two. Leaving Mystic slackjawed.         Behind the door was two separate paths. I looked back at the four of them and looked at Mystic. “Revaan, can you and Zinnia check on what’s on the left? Mystic and I can look at what’s on the right.”         Zinnia smirked, throwing a smouldering look over her shoulder at the drake. “Oh, goody,” she cooed. “All alone in a dark, just the two of us…”         While she was saying that, Mystic and I worked our way through the hallway. At one point though, Mystic turned to me and then asked me something. “Was your friend being serious just now?”         “Honestly, with her, anything can happen.” I told her. I just hoped that Zinnia was not doing anything too extreme.         It was only ten to fifteen in with exploring these newfound rooms that I had flinched briefly in pain. Like my body was thrown against a wall or floor as we looked inside the temple’s main chamber. It was huge enough to fit Revaan in here, so Mystic and I agreed that we should wait on Zinnia and him-.         Chomp         I heard the sounds of biting and teeth as I grabbed my right shoulder in pain. Turning my head, I can now see what appeared to be mammoth sized bite marks across the curve where my neck and shoulder would meet. Sure of course, I can heal myself, but I’m beginning to think that the scars might last a while.         Whatever Revaan is doing, he is really taking his sweet time with it. It still allowed for Mystic and I to look around and explore a little. Until we saw both Zinnia and Revaan coming through the other doorway to where we were.         “Oh, uh…” Zinnia said, blushing. “Hey guys… What’s up?”         “Where were you two?” Mystic asked.         “And are you two alright? I felt like I was being thrown against the floor and had this show up recently.” I pointed out to them, showing the teeth marks.         Zinnia flinched back, hissing. “Yeah… that was me. Sorry, we got... “         Revaan chuckled. “Frisky.”         I just sighed, face… pawing myself and looking at Zinnia. “Really? You just try to leap at the first opportunity you see, do you?”         She flinched again, hurt crossing her face. “... I’m sorry, Ken…” she murmured, averting her eyes. She quickly grabbed her jacket and closed it up. Until Ken said something that had her stop what she was doing.         “I’m not mad at you. You just need to be aware of certain things. Being a leader of a hoard is like leading an organization. Each member has their own responsibilities. Also, like in marriage, you need to be faithful to the person you’re with rather than go behind their back.”         Zinnia looked to him for a second before her eyes filled with tears, collapsing in on herself. I raced to where she was, asking for Revaan and Mystic to give us some space. As they proceeded into the heart of the temple, I stayed behind with Zinnia, holding her close and trying to calm her down. “I-it’s okay. You don’t need to cry… What’s wrong?”         “Ken…” she whimpered, face buried in his chest. “I already have a girlfriend… and she doesn’t even know about this…”         “Know about what?” I ask her.         “This!” she cried, pushing away. “Us, the hoard, anything! I saw her once, and most of that was spent-!” She paused, sobbing quietly. “I-I don’t just want us to be focused on sex all the time…”         “We won’t.” I told her. “I see you for more than that. I see you for a beautiful, strong woman that can manage her own in any situation thrown at her and I am thankful that you gave me the opportunity to be in your herd.” I then sighed, hugging her a little closer. “I joined because I want to meet new people and learn about the world I’m in. Not for the added bonuses. I joined so that way I can learn about you as a person. Think of it… If it weren’t for you, we couldn’t have made it this far into the temple.”         “And if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be bound to me for all of eternity…” she muttered in response. “In a Dragon’s eyes, at least…”         “If I’m bound to you, that’s okay. You introduced me to a new worlds and a horizon of new possibilities. You helped explain to me what I am. You helped give me a purpose.” I told her, kissing her on the forehead, “It’s because of you that I am who you see me as now.”         “...You’re sweet, Ken…” Zinnia sighed, smiling slightly. She wrapped her arms around me, cuddling up to me. “Thank you. I think Umbra would love to meet you.”         “I would love to get to know the two of you more.” I replied, smiling a little. Until I realized something that she mentioned earlier. Something I needed in order to meet other Displaced like her. “But wouldn’t I need the same thing you have? Like a token?”         “Oh yeah…” she muttered, pulling away and standing. I followed her up wordlessly. “You have anything you can use as a token, something that’s unique to you?”         “Hmm… Let me see…” I said, trying to feel for anything in my pockets. It was then though that I had noticed a dragon scale on the floor. It looked like the size of a chipped shark tooth and was Onyx in color. “Could this somehow work?”         “Yeah, that’d work,” Zinnia muttered. “You just have to put a message into it and throw it into the void.”         I raised an eyebrow. I was going to question the logic behind it, but restrained myself from doing so. Instead, I sighed, saying the first thing that came to mind. “I am Ken Ahkrin, The Scalebound. Call upon me if you need some help, advice or want to tip the scales in your favor.” After saying that, I chuckled when looking at Zinnia. “Hey, It might sound corny, but at least I can get the message across right?”         Zinnia held a hand over her mouth, struggling not to laugh. “It’s fine,” she giggled. “It’s kinda cute, really.”         “Aww, why thank you. That’s what I was trying to go for,” I replied sarcastically. “So, now to send it into the void…”         “I got that covered,” the Draconid chuckled, placing two fingers in her mouth and giving a shrill whistle. The same dragon that had dropped her in my room earlier appeared, seeming to grin at her. “Hey buddy!” she cried. “Do me a favour and send Kenny’s token out?” The drake nodded, opening it’s mouth wide and leaning down. I tossed the scale into the dragon’s mouth, watching as it swallowed it whole before disappearing into the void. Then, I looked back at Zinnia and grinned at her.         “You know that being called that is a pet peeve of mine?” I told her. “My family is half japanese and my name is suppose to mean Sword. Not to remind me of the kid on South Park that dies almost every episode.” I smiled though, placing my dragon hand on her shoulder. “But just for you, I’ll let it slide.”         “Sorry,” she smiled.         “It’s alright… You know… for being a dragon, you make me think that you’re a sister because of how much you’ve helped me. I hope the rest of the hoard can treat each other like family… Which reminds me… don’t we need a name for it?” The thought actually surprised Zinnia herself, who only replied by cursing herself out for not thinking of one. I eased her a little, calming her down before asking her something. “Did you have any ideas?”         “Well…” Zinnia mused, crossing her arms gingerly. “My last name, maybe? It’s Kazoku.”         “Family… That sounds perfect.”         “We shouldn’t see the hoard as just a hoard then. We should see it as a family, and each member in our family as our brothers and sisters.” I replied. “... Hang on… the last name… sounds familiar…” Realizing this, I rustled through my pockets, hoping that what I was looking for until my dragon hand gripped it. I always kept a mini journal on me and inside it was the last postcard my mother had ever sent me. On the front was the statue of the dog, Hachiko, that was located in Shibuya, Japan. On the backside of the postcard was a picture. Wallet sized. But it showed my mother with one other woman overlooking the Tokyo Highrise.         “Huh. Why’ve you got a picture of the b*tch of the Kazoku’s?”         “Hey, excuse you. This was the last postcard my mom had ever given me-. Wait a second… That other woman is related to you?” The last statement from Zinnia caused me to be thrown off my game as I soon realized what that meant.         “Yeah, she’s my mom…” she muttered, sighing. “Not much of one, though. Threw me out as soon as I turned sixteen.”         “Ouch… Rather not talk about?” I asked her, just making sure that I didn’t strike a nerve.         “Eh, it’s fine,” Zinnia shrugged. “Like I said, she’s a b*tch. I don’t care.”         “Hey, don’t worry about her.” I told her. “Let’s just focus on right now instead of looking back at the past. How does that sound?”         “Sounds like we’re back to talkin’ about my hoard,” Zinnia giggled. “You sure you’re not just as obsessed as I am?”         “I’m not. I’m just glad to be somewhere I can call home.” I smiled, patting her on the back. “Wanna explore the temple a bit more? I’ll be with you this time.”         She smirked at me, opening her mouth to say something before seeming to catch herself, instead going for a simple; “That’d be nice.” We turned and wandered off in the general direction that Revaan and Mystic had gone in, Zinnia slowly reaching out and holding my hand. I’m not sure if she realized, but… oh well.         As we walked in, I noticed a fire pit inside the center of the room and Revaan lighting it with his fire just as we entered. In seconds, the temple soon came alive as color began to fill the vague room and now it looked like the inside of a castle of royalty. Revaan soon noticed us and grinned. “It seems like you arrived just in time. I just restored the Heart of our home.”         “Heart?” I asked, confused.         “The heart of our temple is what keeps this place safe and alive. It’s known by our kind as Unahzaal Yol or Eternal Fire. The flames of our magic are the reason why my ancestors call this place as a sacred haven. It will be the same for us in due time.” Revaan smiled. “I hope this will be a suitable living place for our hoard, right Zinnia?”         “Your branch?” the Draconid mused, letting go of my hand. She spread her wings, flying up to survey the room in it’s entirety, nodding approvingly. “Yeah, seems big enough.”         “Perhaps… or the entire hoard. I will welcome all members inside. We have lots of homes that are vacant and yours for the taking. I will remain here and Ken can be here too if he wishes. You are also welcomed here, Zinnia. You are an honored guest in this realm and for that, we welcome you.” I smiled, congratulating her for the announcement and for Revaan allowing her to live with the rest of the community.         There was silence for a minute as she presumably took it all in before…         “I call dibs on the palace!”         Revaan smirked, looking back at her. “You said for there to be multiple branches. This temple has multiple living quarters. The heads of each branch should grow accustomed here. I believe there are enough rooms to accommodate.”         “Right… Um…” Mystic shyly spoke. “I’m just gonna… go back to… Maple and the others. I’ll leave you three here.” With that, the Unicorn teleported herself away, leaving all three of us on our own inside the heart of our new home. Zinnia really loved the scenery and then pulled me by the hand once more, yanking me on accident.         “Come on, Scales,” she teased, smirking at me. “Let’s go explore the rooms!”         I smirked, following her lead. “Sure thing, Zi. Revaan? Wanna join us?”         “You two go ahead,” the Dragon yawned, curling up by the firepit. “I’ve had a long day and I need to get some much needed rest.” As he lowered his head, Zinnia continued to pull my hand as the two of us entered the closest room nearby. Both of us were excited to see what was behind the first set of huge doors as the moon’s light reflected into the hidden city. End Chapter 2