The Dragon King's Rebirth

by Sipioc

Chapter 4 Welcome to Ponyville

The massive behemoth of iron and steam, careened at high speed down the tracks, worming its way threw tunnels carved into the very stone that had stood for ages and would stand for more to come. The clack and rocking of the cars behind the locomotive made a rhythmic knocking that some aboard found soothing.

You, however, were too sick to notice. You had found traveling on subway cars in the city that you suffered from a pestilence from the very fiery pit known simply as 'motion sickness'. Usually, you could cope with short rides or Sparks would merely fly you where you needed to go, which oddly didn't make you sick, and you would both meet Cozy there.

"Like a race!" He would say in his excited manner, adding some levity to the alternative method of travel you felt should be bothersome to him. Why he would put up with such pathetic weakness on your part was beyond you. Still, there were times when you got into the thrill of getting to the station ahead of the hulking tube of metal seeing the look of surprise on Cozy's face when the doors opened and there you two were; the victors over public transportation.

This was not possible for this trip, as you all had to travel for an entire nineteen hours on the clacking, nausea inducing contraption of your displeasure.

"If I ever meet the pony who invented these things, I will disembow-uhhhg." You vowed to yourself under your heavy breath, as another bump in the tracks gave you another rotten feeling of vertigo.

At the moment, your head had remained where it had been since your last, humiliating, mad dash to the lavatories. Propped on the forelegs of the purple maned mare who called herself your 'mother'.

"Ponies didn't invent trains, bud." Corrected Sparks as he glanced at you over his book. "The swine folk did that." He said smiling down at you from his seat across the way, a sympathetic look about him.

'I remember the Svine.' You thought back to your days on Zerileth. 'Their ingenuity and ability to create and forge metal was legendary, even back then.'

This drive for crafting often led them to encroaching on your domain in search of raw materials and rare ore, to which you took pleasure in making it far too costly to continue.

'How clever they were though'. Remembering all the armors and weapons they came up with to ward you off. 'It's only natural that they would come up with something that worked on me eventually.' Your memories drifted back to past attempts at stopping, even killing you. All seemed kind, compared to this interminable feeling of wooziness. They had even come up with a tank like creation that, also failed.

'Unlike ponies, they tasted better, especially...roasted.' You devilishly grinned.

The memory of your last barbecue was a grave mistake as your recently emptied stomach threatened a repeat upheaval at the thought of food of any kind. Your groaned and further curled into a ball attempting to regain mastery your traitorous bowels.

Through it all, Cozy merely allowed you to remain on her legs.

'Your just enjoying every little bit of this, aren't you? A freebie cuddle time?' You thought as your eyes flickered up to meet her own. She looked at you filled with pity and understanding, and that just made you feel sicker. Still, you'd never admit that this laying position on her legs with the warmth of her body and the smell of her about you, did make you feel...less bad, somehow.

"It's okay sweet heart, were are nearly there." She cooed, brushing her hoof gently through your sweaty mane. "Just think of all the fun things that you can do when we get to Ponyville."

"Have you even met me? Do you have any idea what wrong with what you just said?" You grumbled a little more bitter than you had intended as your stomach managed to settle, while the compartment continued to spin.

Her eyes saddened for a bit. "This is a chance to start over, Flint. For all of us, but you especially." She now gazed at you intently. "Even as a foal you were always so stubborn, so independent, so...sad." That last one caught you by surprise, as you found yourself lifting your head from her legs, the shaking car, momentarily pushed back from your mind as you looked skeptically into her eyes. "You are so strong, Flint. I saw it when I looked into your eyes for the first time, and I see it now. I believe you could take on the world, but you need to decide if you really want to do that alone. If that's what you truly want."

Another surge in the rails brought the sickening feeling back, but you slowly lowered your head back down to her forelegs.

'She has no idea what she is talking about.' You thought trying to push her words from your mind, and yet a lingering ember stayed. You didn't know what it was; not yet.

"Ponyville. Next stop Ponyville, arrival thirty minutes." The voice of the lamb chopped conductor came bellowing down the hallway.

"There it is, gang." Sparks said, looking out the window.

Once again you summoned enough equilibrium to turn and look for yourself. From the top of this hill you saw a small little hamlet in the distance. It consisted of several buildings, most no more than two stories in height. Wooden in its construction, painted in soft mellow hues. The overall architecture lacked the grand scale and rigidity of the cityscape, and from here reminiscent of something out of a story book.

'It is a lot smaller.' You thought as you then realized you were pressed up against the glass to better see the town.

"Look, you can just see Canterlot Mountain." Cozy added, motioning to the purple peak that hung like a monolith in the horizon.

'Canterlot. Capital of Equestria. Seat of Power. Home to the Royal Sisters.' Your eyes fixed now on the mountain.

'They are there, right now, I can feel it.' The memory of the the Sun and Moon Goddesses played in your mind, ready for battle, decked out in full armor, a look of shear contempt on their faces aimed directly at you. Old wounds that had been inflicted on a body long turned to dust, throbbed on your own now.

The train turned and made its descent into the valley, removing both the mountain and the town from view.

----------------

It didn't take long for you too see all that Ponyville had to offer. Cozy had begun work at the office the very day you all arrived, Sparks too had made prior arrangements, working at the local hydro-electric power plant just outside of town (though the necessity for one so massive for a small town, struck you as odd). That left you to wander the streets on your own.

You weren't really looking for anything, rather getting the lay of the land for future purposes whatever that may be. In your current form the one advantage you could have was knowledge, and knowing where things were, meant you didn't have to stoop so low as to ask for help later.

Cozy had used a word to describe the town; quaint. The wooden structures, thatched roofs, and old timey look to everything gave you your own impression;

"Boring." You muttered to yourself flatly.

You admit, that despite the fact that you hated Manehatten, there was at least something to do or see. Here, despite its reputation for sporting all kinds of trouble; from Parasprite swarms, Tartarus spawned multi-headed canines, and the town itself located just outside the dreaded Everfree Forest. You were dismayed at the lack of a single incident. Though perhaps you were hard to please.

'Or bitterly indifferent.' You concluded. It was true that your life for the past eight years had been that of contempt. Whereas you refused to embrace your position as a pony child, you had come to accept that this was your life, and some aspects therein. You were one of them, but you refused to be them, and until you would die (again) that would be the norm. But, what you would do with this life until then? You had no clue.

By now you had found your way to the market. Various vendors were passing out their wares from flowers, produce, and various other useless trinkets. You did have to admit it was refreshing that you weren't at risk of being trampled like in the city. Ponies that did get close, excused themselves and went around you. It was also about that time that your stomach chose to speak up and make a request of you. The scents of the market had been another redeeming quality to this Podunk, and you had been given a few bits from Sparks to....

-BARK!-BARK!-BARK!- -BARK!

Your train of thought derailed as your ears were assaulted with the fierce barking of a brown and white dog. The animal stared at you intently, teeth bared, but making no attempt to come at you. You returned the dog's stare, staring directly into its eyes, daring it to make a move. Your only response had been to the sound, you remained still and relaxed, this too was something you were used to.

Animals, it seemed, didn't like you, and would often act like this. Whether it was your demeanor or something inexplicable that only they could sense. As the dog prepared for another volley of yipping it's owner saw fit to intervene.

"Winona! What in tarnation is wrong with you?" An orange mare, wearing a ridiculous hat, stepped out from her fruit stall to wrangle the mutt. The dog looked incredulously, at its owner than to you, as if it's reasoning was so obvious, only to be grabbed by the collar firmly, and pulled back to the pony's side with a slight whimper. The vendor looked up at you. "Sorry 'bout that, partner. Don't know what got into her."The orange pony drawled apologetically.

"Don't worry, little fella, she don't bite." The hat wearing pony reassured you, looking down at the dog who was still glaring at you. "Anyhow." She transitioned, scooting the beast behind her stall and motioning you to come forward. "Howdy, son! Name's Applejack. Sorry again about the scare."

You merely shrugged. You stepped forward and glanced at what the Apple pony was selling, and found it to be completely apples.

'With a name like "Applejack" I wondered why I'm surprised.' You thought to yourself. That was one thing that always confounded you about ponies. That, despite being told that one could 'grow up and be anything' ponies tended to become a derivative of their birth name. Whether there was societal pressure or general acceptance to this, or even some form of serendipity, you weren't sure, but it made you wonder where your name,"Flint Hearth", would lead you.

"Say, don't reckin' ah've seen yah around b'fore." She used a hoof to tip the Stetson back slightly as she looked you over. "You must be part ah that new family they moved in a few days ago."

You gave a noncommittal nod in response.

"Well. Welcome to Ponyville, Sugarcube!" She said giving you a cheery smile, that you rolled your eyes at, a gesture she apparently missed.

"Doing a little exploring of the town, ah take it?" She gave you a grin.

Again, you afforded her a nod. Already you felt that the conversation was going nowhere and were tempted to walk away, when an apple was thrown your way.

"Think fast". Said Applejack playfully as the fruit came hurtling toward you.

Thousand year old instinct took over as the fruit was expertly caught in your maw. Your teeth, flat though they may be, pierced the tender skin, rewarding you with an nostalgic spray of escaping liquid to go down your throat. The taste of this, was...different, better even. It may have been your different biology but the red fruit you now held in your mouth exploded with flavor. You took the apple from your mouth and examined it closely. It didn't seem any different or unusual than any other at the stand, but you were surprised at just how good it tasted.

"Wow, nice catch!" Applejack said with a chuckle. "On the house, consider it a 'welcome to the neighborhood' gift, at least till Pinkie Pie gets a hold of yah."

"Who's gonna do what?" You said confused, with a mouthful of the delicious goodness.

Applejack just laughed again. "You'll see."

You regarded her for a moment before you again focused on the apple in your hoof.

"Oh!" Applejack looked up past you and smiled at whom, you assumed was a customer, to which, you graciously stepped aside."Afternoon, Princess."

You immediately froze.

The apple that had once been your center of world, fell to the ground. All around you, you saw ponies smiling, and quite a few bowing, all of their eyes locked on the figure you sensed a few feet behind you.

'One of them is here!?' You briefly panicked in your mind. 'I figured they were watching me, but why would they come here now?'

Many of the ponies now went back to there business as the female voice behind you greeted them warmly. "Good afternoon every pony! Hiya Applejack!"

You couldn't recall which one it was, but you didn't care as a realization came on you. 'I'm close enough now, so they can take time out of their day to taunt me, rub this curse in my face, torture me further.' Blood began rushing to your face as rage, two thousand years old began to to boil over your tiny frame. The dog sensed the change in your mood and began to bark again. All sound in your mind was muffled, and your ears buzzed with your delirium. You lowered your head and clenched your teeth, as your body rumbled with your fury, your years of composure leaving you. A part of you wanted to remain calm, you didn't know for sure if you were being watched and you didn't want to blow your cover in case they didn't know about you and chose to do something worse to you. But you didn't care anymore. The years of taking it on the chin, the bullies, the isolation, the humiliation, even the acceptance of your punishment shattered in your mind and spilled out in heavy breaths coming from your now seething form.

"Hey are you alright little guy?" Came the voice from behind you as you felt a hoof come to rest on your shoulder.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH ME!!!" You bellowed, ending all conversation within the entire market.

Your anger had exploded, as you recoiled from the hoof and whirled around to face your tormentor. Her eyes were beset in a shocked and hurt face, the hoof that had no doubt been on your shoulder retracted up to her chest. She had wings and a horn, and that was where the similarities to the Celestial Sisters stopped. Instead of a white or dark blue she had a lavender coat, her mane didn't flow ethereally, and her still horrified eyes were a moderate violet.

'That's....not.... them.' You stared dumbfounded, your white hot rage dropping as you once again froze.

The entire market was dead quiet, save for the dog's incessant barking. No pony moved. You stood there in utter shock, unsure of what to do. Your anger reduced to utter mortification. Winona continued barking filling the silence that threatened to suck the life out of you. After what seemed like an eternity, the Alicorn who wasn't whom you thought spoke up. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

You stared at her, you trembled in the anger that was still seeping out of you, as you felt something warm begin to flow in your eyes, something that had NO business being there. The dog was now barking and growling a few feet from you.

SHUT UP!!!!

With break neck speed you turned to the mutt and let out ever ounce of rage that you had built up that caused birds in the surrounding buildings take to the air and flee in terror from. The dog crumpled into a whimper and covered her eyes with her paws. Whatever was said thereafter, you didn't know, cause you found yourself running, you didn't know where, you didn't know why, but all you knew is you had to get out of there.

Back at the market the two mares gave each other speechless looks.

"What the hay?"

Author's Note:

Happy Easter Y'all

The day the Christ died for our sins and came back as a rabbit to hides colored eggs.

Hope you like what I left in your basket.

Forgive me Applejack, I didn't mean it! Your hat is the best!

Comments

[Astropye]

Well, this is turning our better than I thought it would. Hope to see more soon, and keep up the good work!

[Sipioc]

5829356 I'd like to think I'm hitting my stride.

Thanks for the support

[MrPip42]

Okay! Back to reading and commenting.

Interesting chapter i'd say, the one thing that popped out to me was the "thousand year old instinct" that came when chomping the apple. I liked how you are adding more of Flint's past into his current predicaments, like a dragon's animal instinct, if you really want to delve into the dragon instincts at some point it'll become...well physical so i'm interested to see what happens with that.

I like also how you even made Flint like how an intelligent dragon is portrayed. Wise, strong willed but with major anger issues, as shown QUITE well in this chapter.

But I have a question, I get why he got mad at this "Princess"(who I totally don't know who it is) but if he heard her and she didn't sound like the princesses he knew, wouldn't that have popped the question in his head "who is that?". It may just be "he's too mad to think straight" but I was just curious.

[Sipioc]

5862878 Thankya for the feedback. Yeah I felt that despite his physical limitations, size, lack of wings, and inability to digest meat I felt that he would still have the innate reflexes of a predator, stalking, coordination, and even ferocity.

As for the princess, come on now, infer!

-Lives in Ponyville.
-Friendly with AJ
-lavender coat, violet eyes

Let me give you a hint T. Sparkle, no that's no good...Twilight S.

As for the voice, you guessed it, he simply reacted regardless of who it was, Princess is his trigger word apparently.

Thanks for commenting

[Waifu Crossbreed]

This guy reminds me of wrath

[Waifu Crossbreed]

5865212 oh no.. this isn't why harambe died! this isn't why harambe died! this isn't why harambe died! He got triggered

[Seeking Dusk]

Either Manehattan needs to update it's Social Studies curriculum, or Flint never really payed attention in class to know about the fourth Princess and her town of residency.

...

They do teach that in school, right?

[Hipparcos]

The level of cringe present in this chapter is enough to destroy any lesser men.

I nearly was.

[Sipioc]

7823457 Well hopefully you can carry on.