• Published 17th Mar 2015
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The Dragon King's Rebirth - Sipioc



(2nd person story). You are the Dragon King, feared throughout the world until your reign of terror crosses into Equestria. A fateful battle against the Alicorn sisters leads to your death, or so it seems.

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Chapter 9 The Practiced Introduction

Chapter 9

The Practiced Introduction

The pony children filed into the school room, the air thick with gloom as though it were a funeral. Taking your typical seat in the back proved impossible as several children had dashed to claim these seats and were in the middle of crowding them. Some two, even three, to one seat, each vying to push the others out. Their goal was simple; to be as far away from the front and therefore, far from the "dreaded substitute" teacher; Ms Austere, who now sat behind the desk, telekinetically flipping through papers in a dull maroon aura; a spiritless look about her.

You reluctantly chose a seat to the front left of the classroom nearest a window, providing you at least with a view of the courtyard. It was 'pleasant' enough, and worst case it would provide a quick, albeit precarious, exit.

It also did give you a good look at the teacher's desk. Unsurprisingly it was considerably larger and made of heavier wood. The usual occupant, a Ms Cheerilee, had her name written on a small sign on the desk as well as a few class drawn pictures to add to the whole look. Currently however, the surface was commandeered by the few personal effects of the mare before you. A few pencils of varying size, were arranged in a row, each sharpened to an equal point and all the exact same length. A plain white feathered quill sat in its holster with what appeared to be red ink, a taboo color in schools often associated with more than a few of your letters home. To the far right sat a slender can, of some sort, with a funnel on the end that pointed out. Lastly a large old fashioned basin with water and a block yellow soap, adorned the left side of the desk.

As if on cue, Ms. Austere placed the clipboard down and began to vigorously scrub her hooves with the soap and then wringing them out in the basin. The whole thing rather pointless as she then proceeded to walk around the desk on the hooves she just got done washing.

"Whoa, WHOA!" -THUNK!!!-

Your reflection on her odd habit was cut short as the ruckus behind you grew to a peak. You turned to see that in the fight for chair supremacy had caused two colts to go so far as tipping their prized desk over. The resulting crash caused the mirthless mare to finally take notice, an irritated look creasing her features. Without any delay she produced the can with a funnel from the desk in her magic.

"-SKIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!-"

The klaxon broke through the small space cut threw everyone like a knife. Your nearness to the front already came to bite you as your ears were assaulted by the piercing sound. You grabbed them to your head and felt your teeth grind from the shriek of the horn.

The room was reduced to silence as the horn floated to its spot on the desk, fillies and colts were frozen in place, their own hooves to their ears, hesitant to remove them for fear of another volley of the terrible sound. Your own ears still rang, the high pitched ding faded slowly as you glared at the mare. 'I already decided: don't like you.' You thought to yourself as you lowered your hooves, however your ears remained folded back in your clear sign of irritation.

"Proceed to your seats, or you will stand for the day." She said plainly, her threat coming out matter-of-factly.

The remaining children proceeded to any open seat, save for the two colts who were now pinned by the desk, one's efforts to free himself impeding the other resulting in the two making utterly no progress.

"Snails, get off!" Griped the small pudgy green colt as he tried desperately to move out from under his gangly school mate.

The dull unicorn in question simply guffawed at the others efforts. "That tickles, Snips!" A series of barely stifled giggles could be heard from the class as the two continued to struggle. The mare merely rolled her eyes and righted the desk using her magic, the pair flopping out onto the floor. 'Snips' managed to get to his hooves sooner and glowered at his slow witted friend. His words were cut short when his eyes met with the stern looking Austere's, sending him scampering to the nearest open desk. 'Snails' was not so fortunate.

"Well? Stand up, for goodness sake." Commanded the substitute, exasperated at the pitiful sight before her.

The stringy mustard colored colt complied. A grin on his face as blushed. "Heh-heh, Sorry bout that, ma'am."

"'Sorry' is not enough," Ms.Austere replied looking down at the mustard colt from her rimmed specks, "this little, 'episode', has cost us..." she paused and removed her watch from her pocket once again, "two minutes and twenty one seconds of our day." The watch returned to her pocket as she turned and walked to the front of the class. "We will need to make it up out of morning recess."

This was followed by a series of groans and various other sounds of protest.

"For that, it will be an even five minutes to make up." She said addressing the class. To this no sounds of protests were made, proving that this group were quick learners. Snails took a seat directly behind you, his heavy breathing and unfocused stare already getting on your nerves.

The pink and grey fillies from the steps, chose to sit in the immediate front of the class in the seats to your right, and we're now snickering at the slow unicorn's expense, having him sink lower in his seat, his blush returning.

"Very well, we shall begin with taking attendance." The substitute teacher pulled a clipboard from the desk top and began reading off names. "Applebloom?"

"Here." Said the yellow filly raising a hoof and quickly slinking back in to her seat.

"Button Mash?"

"Yeah." Replied a brown earth pony colt who was a wearing a strange yellow and green, propellor hat, that turned in a nonexistent wind.

"The proper response is 'here' or 'present'." Ms. Austere correctly sharply, "Sit up and take off that ridiculous hat!"


The colt quickly sat at attention and removed his headwear, placing it beneath his desk, where it still spun.

"That's better." She said as she continue back to the list. "Dinky Hooves?"

You took a few seconds to glance around the room, matching the names to faces as they were called off. It was your way of scouting ahead, take stock of your surroundings, but most importantly: seek out potential threats.

'Fifteen students total, five male, ten female.' Already this gave you some sense of ease. For the most part, male bullies had been your problem, still you wouldn't count these... 'fillies' out. After all, they traveled in packs. Taking note of that, you further broke the room down.

'Eight Earth type, stronger, sturdier, can match my limited strength, few seem bigger than me, though.'

There were only two pegasi in the room, and you had met them. Scootaloo and Rumble sat next to each other diagonally to you. 'Not as strong, but swifter, more agile.' You further scowled at Rumble as he gave you a toothy smile from the back of the room when your eyes met. 'I haven't forgotten about you, you smug little...'

"Flint Hearth?"

You were pulled from another one of your famous mental threat sessions at the mention of your name. A class worth of eyes fell on you and you turned to the front. Your gaze falling to the slate grey mare.

You sat up slightly, "Present." You complied, your tone even with just a hint of derision.

"It says here it is your first day." Ms.Austere said glancing at, what was obviously a note from the usual teacher.

"It is." You responded flatly.

"Very well, come up here and introduce yourself to the class then." She said barely hiding her sigh at the what she must of view a waste of time. Frankly, you agreed.

"No." You said, rather frankly, to be sure. You had no desire to speak to them or her, and you'd hope this formality could be forgone.

Apparently, she wasn't in agreement. Her eyes went wide at your blunt, yet calm audacity. If the room hadn't been silent before then it was now.

"It was not a suggestion, young colt." She said, heavily punctuating your age and gender. She came around the other side of the desk and motioned a hoof to a spot in the front of the class. "Front and center! Or I will drag you up here by the ear."

"I'd like..." 'to see you try' would have been the entirety of that sentence, until you remembered that you had made a promise to 'be good'. With a small huff you moved from the desk and revised your statement. "...to introduce myself."

You stood at the front of the class feeling their huge eyes dig into you. It was always unnerving at how big ponies eyes were, expressive, colorful, and massive. Especially the younger ones. Was that intended to be cute or off putting, cause both made you queasy. After a brief shudder, you cleared your throat and began, through a gritted toothed smile, your practiced introduction.

"My name is.... 'Flint Hearth',"
"I am ...8 years old,"
"I moved here from...Manehattan, with....my...parents."
"I am a normal....earth...pony."

Rehearsed or not, hearing yourself say these things always was difficult, so you wished to be done with the whole thing as quickly as possible.

"Nice...to meet...you." You finished insincerely, forcing a smile that was just as hollow and practiced as the speech. You felt the resulting silence that followed to be a sign that you had fulfilled your end of the social bargain. You proceeded to make your way back to your seat. Three steps into your retreat a timid female voice you hadn't heard before, came from the back.

"Y-you got a cutie mark?"

You stopped and turned scanning the room for the one who asked. When you couldn't pin point the asker, you merely rolled your eyes and continued walking. "That's what I'm told."

"So what does it mean, anyway?"

This time you could see who asked, and they asked quite snidely. Diamond Tiara, you'd heard her name in roll call, also you were warned on your way in by Sweetie Belle that she was "a terror". You looked her up and down. She was pink, she had purpled swirled hair, a tiara (go figure.), and an unmistakeable air of superiority about her. 'I don't see it' you thought unimpressed.

"A lizard? And a...trash can lid?" This one came from her grey cohort to her right; 'Silver Spoon', also a 'terror', made worse by the fact that she was Ms. Austere's niece. "Your destiny is pest control?"

"I don't think so," You said nonchalantly as you continued to walk, "your all still here." You muttered, apparently incomprehensibly, as you returned to your desk.

You had halfway mind to snap back at them with more gusto, defend your mark, but it was obvious that this was trap. Baited insults if you'd ever heard one, so you'd ignored it.

"It 'taint' no 'lizard'!" Apparently someone was gonna stand up for you, for you. Judging by that mixture of 'ain't' and 'it', it could only of been... "That's a dragon, plain as day." Said Apple Bloom planting her hooves on her desk in indignation, on your behalf, apparently.

"Yeah!" Another voice perks up from the back. "That isn't a trash can lid either!" Squeaked a familiar white unicorn.

"We were totally with him when it happened yesterday!" Spoke that last member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, completing the circle. This left you feeling slightly embarrassed, but more confused than anything else. 'What are they doing?'

"Wait." It was Rumble to speak this time. "Is this the colt you were telling me about?" He looked with wide(er) eyes to you then his fellow pegasus, "The one that fought off a giant monster from the forrest, single hoofed?"

"Uh huh!" Beamed Scootaloo. "Smacked that creep right on the nose and yelled him back into the woods, it was epic!" She said, posing with an expressive hoof in the air.

"Whoa!"

"No way!"

"That's sooooo cool!"

At this point the whole class had begun to crowd you, questions were flying at you from all over and they had left their desks and had begun to in incircle you to get a better look at your mark. This made your hair stand on end and your ears to slump down. You were the center of attention, surrounded and exposed, centuries of instinct told you to flee, but their numbers and close quarters made this impossible, as your exit, the open window, was also cut off. Just as it seemed you would have to claw, or rather buck your way out, a familiar shrill horn cut though the noise and confusion.

"That will be quite enough." Austere huffed indignantly. "Return to your seats immediately." The class scuttled back to their seats hurriedly. "Another outburst like that and the four of you will be cleaning erasers during recess." She said returning her trusty horn to the desk, this time in more centered and accessible position.

'The four of us?' Two things bothered you about that, one: that the initial instigators, "Pinky Tiara" and "Grey Spoon" apparently weren't included in that count, and two: you were. You looked over your shoulder as Ms. Austere turned to the board and began scribbling math problems.

Your eyes met with the three fillies, in addition to Rumble and a few others. Each gave you various signs of what you guessed was support, from a nod, hoof pump, to a wink, or a combination of the three. You really didn't know how to feel about that, but you turned to see that the pink and grey "terrors" eyed you with more of a spiteful look, which made you feel more at home. Without further thought, you merely shrugged it off and began copying the problems down, after all the day had just begun and it was already proving to be a long one.

Author's Note:

Not too much going on. Comment please!