Chapter 1- A Day of Surprises and Questions
After getting Dark back into his hospital bed, the girls and Spike went out of the room to talk about him in private. Considering they've never met a creature like him before, and hearing of where he came from, there were plenty of questions that needed answering.
"Thanks for letting me do most of the talking," Twilight thanked her friends. "Given the condition we found him in, I thought it would have been better if we kept the questions to a minimum, less we overwhelm him." She then turned to Pinkie. "And thanks, Pinkie, for showing such restraint. Knowing you, I'm sure you're anxious to throw him your 'Welcome to Ponyville' party and try to befriend him as soon as you can."
The pink mare just smiled. "Don't worry, Twilight. I've learned a while back that there's a time and place for a party and I doubt that I can fit an entire 'Welcome to Ponyville' party in one hospital room and besides I think the ponies that work here are still a little upset about the last time I tried to throw one so it wouldn't be a very good idea to do it again so I'll just have to throw him one in Sugarcube Corner when he gets better but if I'm going to do that then I better go and get started on the party preparations for when he's finally released from the hospital so see I'll see you all later."
And in a pink blur, she was gone to prepare for her party, leaving the others to talk about what to do next.
"Anyway," Twilight continued. "What do you girls think of him?"
Rarity was the first to answer. "Going by what he said and what we've seen of him, I'd say he's rather brutish in my opinion, between him talking about fighting dragons in the middle of nowhere and seeing that scar on his shoulder. And what was with those mismatched body parts? Is he another draconequus like Discord? Because one is stressful enough, and another would be far too much for me to deal with."
"Now, Rarity!" Fluttershy spoke up in a rather scolding tone. "You remember what Discord said about him being the only one of his kind. And besides that, you know he's calmed down and has been helping us with his chaotic magic. Well, mostly helping anyway."
"Well Ah don't know about y'all, but Ah believe he was tellin' the truth. Besides, you could clearly see it in his eyes that he truly did believe that he lived in this village, and that he lost both his forelegs and tail," Applejack said.
Twilight though about that for a moment. "If he was telling the truth like you said, then that would explain why he was surprised to see them. But that still doesn't explain how he got them, or those wings of his. And why have I not heard of this village before now? As a princess, I'm suppose to know of all of Equestria's cities and towns, despite its size."
Not knowing something always put Twilight in a bad mood, which would have caused her to start pacing if she didn't notice something off. She looked to Rainbow Dash who appeared to be lost in thought, and unusually quiet.
"Rainbow?" Twilight called. "What's up? You've been rather quiet this whole discussion."
Rainbow looked up to Twilight. "I just can't get over his wings." This led to a few groans, knowing that Rainbow's love for flying would lead her to checking out his wings. "What I mean is that his wings looked sorta like a dragon's wings would be. Because, let's face it, pony wings never get that big or even look like that. I mean, they're just as big as Princess Celestia's wings, if not a little bigger. And besides a dragon, her wings are the biggest ones that we've seen."
"How'd you know what dragon wings look like?" Applejack asked. "Besides Spike who has no wings and that one dragon Flutters cleared out that was smokin' up Equestria, when did you actually take the time ta look at a dragon's wings?"
"It was when Twilight, Rarity, and I followed Spike when he joined the Great Dragon Migration," Rainbow answered smugly before turning to one of thought. "Although, none of those dragons had that specific type of wing."
"Well either way, if we want answers, then there's only one pony who can give them," Twilight spoke as she turned to go back towards Dark's hospital room, hopefully to get all of her questions answered this time.
Back in his room, Dark awoke from passing out. Now that the initial shock had passed, he continued to look over his new arms and claws. Trying to get a feel for the new limbs, he stretched his arms and flexed his claws, becoming more familiar with them. But that didn't stop him from wanting to know how it was that when he was sure he was dead, he instead turned up alive with Nocturne's arms, tail, and wings.
Whatever the reason is, it can't be good. Then again, perhaps I shouldn't question it so much and just be glad I'm still alive. Besides, I could get used to these claws, though walking might be a bit tricky. The tail shouldn't be an issue, but the wings are definably sweet. I finally get to see the world like mom and Light did. Those happy thoughts quickly died down with that one realization. I'm the last of my family... of my village. Nopony else survived Nocturne's attack except me.
His sad thoughts were stopped when his guests enter the room, minus one pink pony which he remembered was named Pinkie.
Sure an easy name to remember, he thought, chuckling to himself. "Hello again, ladies, Spike," he greeted as they walked in, which they greeted back.
"We have quite a few questions to ask you, if you're feeling up to answering them?" Twilight asked, getting a small smile and nod in reply. "Great! So, Dark, what did you do in this village of yours? And please try to refrain from lying, because Applejack will know if you do."
Dark looked to the orange mare who smirked at him with a twinkle in her eye.
Guess I better tell them everything then, except for the part about me being a Dragon Slayer. Don't wanna freak them out or anything, he thought before giving his answer. "As I said earlier, I was the village's guardian. While we did have a small militia to defend the village from diamond dogs that would burrow into the mines, bigger threats like dragons would be too much for them, and that's where I came in. That, and I was also the village's blacksmith. When I wasn't forging or repairing their weapons and armor, I would be working on tools like hammers, shovels, pick axes, hoes, etc."
Twilight was writing this down with a parchment and quill she conjured up, taking notes. "And how old are you?"
"I'm twenty-two right now."
Spike, hiding a mischievous grin, spoke up next. "So, he's just a year older then you girls are. So then, what are you exactly? I mean, you look like a pony, have a unicorn horn, and have a cutie mark, but at the same time you have these dragon parts."
That was the big question they all wanted to ask, and looked to him for his answer. Dark however, looked questioningly at the little dragon.
"What do you mean? I never found my cutie mark," he questioned.
"You might wanna look again, because you do have one. Kinda cool looking too," Rainbow replied.
Pulling the covers down and looking at his flank, Dark saw that there was indeed a cutie mark. It was a bright flame of red, orange, and yellow, which was casting a dark shadow on the ground in the shape of the fire. He stared at it for a few more seconds before asking himself out loud, "When the heck did this happen?"
They looked in confusion, not sure by what he meant.
"Excuse me, darling," Rarity spoke. "What do you mean exactly? Surely you would remember when you got you're own cutie mark."
Dark just shook his head. "Before I passed out fighting Nocturne, I didn't have one. Now I wake up and here it is, so I must have been unconscious when I got it." He paused for a moment, not knowing what day it was. "By the way, what day is it today?'
"Friday," Rarity answered simply.
Dark's eyes widened hearing that. "Nocturne attacked the village on Sunday. That means that I've been unconscious for five days?!" he asked in a raised voice, emanating a roar from his throat. He promptly covered his mouth with his claws out of embarrassment of accidentally roaring at them, even if it was for a moment. "Sorry about that. Well then, do you know how I got this far then?"
"I'm sorry, but we have no idea how you got to where Rainbow and I found you," Twilight apologized. "When we found you, though, you did have a cut on your head, and a few more on your coat. My guess is that you either walked here on your own while unconscious, or you have some sort of memory loss, either by that head injury, or something traumatic happened and it's repressing your memories. You did say a dragon attacked your village, right?"
Dark sighed. "Yes. His name was Nocturne, a dragon we thought to have been a myth until he showed up and attacked the village. Though if it's alright with you, I'd rather not go into detail. Long story short, I'm the last of the villagers."
This brought a collection of gasps from everyone present and bringing some eyes to start watering.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, mostly to Fluttershy who was on the verge of crying for the loss of those poor ponies. "I should have warned you before speaking up."
The apology seemed to work in quieting her down, then she looked back up to him. "It's alright. How are you holding up, though?"
A smile graced his muzzle. "I'm coping with it for the most part. Thank you for asking."
Though sad, her caring question did make him feel a bit better. Seeing as how his mood was lifted, Spike broke the silence.
"Wait, were getting off track here. You still haven't told us what you are?"
His attention redirected, Dark taped his chin with a claw while thinking about it for a moment. "I suppose I'm what you would call a kirin," he answered, getting looks for an explanation. "A kirin is the hybrid offspring of a pony and a dragon. However, both of my parents were ponies, so I guess I would be considered an artificial kirin."
While Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Spike were blushing with now knowing that something like that was possible, Twilight looked gitty as a schoolfilly.
"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, a wide smile on her muzzle. "I knew the name sounded familiar, but never though that I would actually get the chance to meet one. Tell me, what's it like?" she asked with anticipation.
I'm starting to fear for my safety a little bit, Dark thought to himself as he slowly inched back in his hospital bed. "I'm not sure really. I mean, I just woke up to find I have these dragon limbs. One night I pass out as a unicorn, and today I wake up as a kirin. Although, now that I think about it, my nose does feel a bit more sensitive to smells, and I feel like I can see better. Though my chest does feel kinda warm in my left side, and a little cold in the other."
"Don't worry about it," Spike began explaining. "Dragons have a great sense of smell, your eyes are draconic, and as for the warmth in you chest, that's just your fire sac, all dragons have one that lets them breath fire. Though you got me on the last one. What kind of dragon was it that attacked you anyway?"
As Spike explained what Dark was feeling, Dark decided to try his fire breath. And after taking in a deep, quiet breath, he breathed out a small steady stream of fire away from the others. Happy of his small accomplishment, he was about to try it again, but then stopped when he saw the girls and dragon looking at him like he were a foal with a new toy.
"Sorry." he blushed before he answered the little dragon. "He was a race of dragon thought to had been myth called the Scaleless Dragons. There are six in all, each representing an element of nature. Also, these eyes of mine, are they a sort of gold color?"
"Yea, they are," Spike answered.
Figures I would have his eyes as well, Dark thought, but was interrupted by Rainbow.
"So, if those dragon parts originally belonged to this Nocturne guy, then how did you get them?" she asked.
"Sorry, but I have no idea. Remember, I passed out in the middle of the fight, so I don't know if I actually defeated him or if he let me go. Or again, how I acquired these new limbs. Though I'm not gonna complain about it, I was always curious of what it was like to fly after watching my brother flying around."
This made Rainbow smile widely. "Flying is the greatest thing ever! There's no greater freedom than the feeling of the wind flowing through your mane and wings while you soar through the open skies." Then a thought hit her. "If you want any help with learning how to fly, I'll help ya out. I'm already helping with Twilight's flying, so another won't be a problem for somepony like me."
He smiled at the offer. "Thanks. More than likely I'll take you up on that. Although, I should do something for you in return."
Rainbow scoffed at that. "No way. I don't take payment for helping somepony who really needs it, especially if it involves flying."
"I have a question, if it's alright with you that is?" Fluttershy quietly asked which Dark nodded to, making her smile a little bit. "What kind of animals lived near your village?"
That was an easy question. "There were a few birds, some fruit bats, and the occasional lizard, but because of the dragons surrounding the village, animals didn't tend to dwell. Except for Sugar and Spice. They were twin bangle cats, and were the family pets. They were easily the sweetest, and cutest pair of cuddly kitties. Although, while Spice was more open with others, Sugar actually preferred me over the rest of the family, and didn't really care for strangers. Except for maybe one or two others, but that's about it."
Rarity was the next to question him, but was interrupted when Pinkie appeared in the window. "Hey, what kind of frosting do you like?"
Not knowing where the pink pony came from, or how she climbed through the window, Dark slowly answered her.
"Chocolate or vanilla. Either is fine with me." And with that she was gone again, leaving Dark confused as he looked back to the others. "How'd she get through that window? Wasn't it locked... and on the second floor?"
Twilight just shook her head. "When it comes to Pinkie Pie, you'll never know how she does what she does. Believe me, I tried."
Dark just nodded, figuring it best to just let it go.
"Anyway," Rarity continued. "What exactly happened to get that scar on your shoulder? I take it that it was from one of those dragon raids you told us about?"
That was a touchy subject he didn't like getting into. "If it's alright with you, I'd rather not talk about it. It's a rather sensitive subject. But no, it's not from a dragon." He raised up his head to see an understanding nod from Rarity.
"Well then, another if you would, though I must ask first as to what limits you want set with what we ask you. We wouldn't want to be rude and accidentally offend you by invading your privacy too much," she asked.
"Don't worry about it," he said, brushing off her worries. "I'm not that easy to offend. Besides the scar, I'm an open book for all your questions, so feel free to ask."
"In that case I'll get straight to it then. Did you have a fillyfriend?" Rarity asked him, gaining her friend's attention.
Dark shook his head. "Never had a fillyfriend."
"But why not? Surely you must have had at least one or two who had an eye for you."
"Sorry," he replied with a shrug. "But it was Light Wing who was the one mares chased after. Besides, with my line of work, lack of a cutie mark, and how shy I am when trying to ask a mare out on a date... it just wasn't for me."
"And what about now? Cutie mark aside, you're no longer at risk of fighting dragons on a regular basis anymore right?"
Dark raised a claw and opened his mouth to protest, but couldn't come up with a proper counter argument. Rarity did have a good point there. With him no longer having to risk life and limb every few days to a week, he could pursue a relationship if he chose to.
"Huh, I suppose your right about that. Though it would still be hard to do, since I tend to get nervous when trying to ask out a mare I like."
He heard a snicker and looked over to Rainbow who was trying to talk while holding back a laugh.
"So let me get this straight. You make a living by fearlessly defending a village from dragons, but you're scared of asking a mare out?"
Dark just nodded, looking a little glum at the reminder of his poor luck... and cowardice.
Rainbow managed to hold back her outburst as Applejack stepped forward. "So this village ya lived in, what was it like before... ya know."
"Actually, it's kinda boring for the most part," he started. "Due to the dragon's fire breath, we had to rebuild the village a few times. Now all the houses are made of stone, and the doors and window shutters are made from metal. You know, since wood is flammable and rock and metal generally aren't. Anyway, we have a lake that we manage to keep clean somehow, a wheat field, some apple trees, and a mine full of untouched gems and some ore which we barely touched, except for when we needed some of it for repairs. We also have the stonewall our village was named after. Thirty feet tall and fifteen feet thick, with a reinforced steel gate one foot thick. A real piece of work, in my opinion anyway."
"So there's an entire mine filled with untouched gems?" Twilight asked. "Now I understand why the dragons raided your village so often."
"I actually believe the gems were just a bonus. My guess is the real reason they tried taking those mines is for the Draconium it held."
Twilight stopped writing and looked over to see Spike tremble slightly, then looked back to Dark. "Isn't that a rare red metal that's suppose to be highly lethal to dragons, and can nullify their fire?"
"Yep, but we only found one small deposit, and could only make one weapon out of it. So instead, we put the ore in my chest at the forge. Then again, we didn't exactly dig that far from the main chamber either."
"So what was your family like?" Applejack asked, family being an important subject to her.
Dark actually smiled when thinking back on this subject. "My dad, Brick Set, was a tan earth pony with a blond mane, and blue eyes, who worked construction. My mom, Swift Wing, was a dark-green pegasus with a dark-brown mane, and emerald eyes, who would help look out for dragons when she wasn't foalsitting. My sister, Lilly, who was twenty, was a tough earth pony with a light-blue coat, blue eyes, and blond mane who, despite her feminine name, would actually help my dad by breaking rocks and boulders with her bare hooves to help shape them for him to use. And lastly is my little brother, Light Wing, who would have been eighteen, was a metallic-blue pegasus, who's feathers were actually white, had a blond mane, and had mom's emerald eyes. And as for him, if he wasn't hanging out with whoever his fillyfriend was at the time, he would be out practicing his flying. Still, though, he was a good guy in the end."
Applejack looked slightly upset. "You said your brother would have been eighteen. Did somethin' happen ta him?"
Dark nodded. "He, his four friends, and our cousin, Big Beard, volunteered to go out on a mission to go outside the village and get help. But that was almost a year ago, and since no help came and none of them returned, they were all proclaimed to be dead. We've had a few groups attempt it before that I remember of, but at least one or two of them would come back alive, unable to sneak past the dragons. And I couldn't do it since I was the village's best defense against the dragons. If I did go, then the village would have been nothing but ruins by the time I got back."
Fluttershy raised her hoof to ask another question. "So, um, what is it you like to do when your not, well, working?"
"You mean like a hobby?" Fluttershy sheepishly nodded in reply. "Well, with a bit of help I actually learned how to cook from mom and dad, and I would study magic in a secluded location by the village. So yeah, my hobbies were cooking and experimenting with magic."
Twilight's ears perked up at the words 'magic' and 'experimenting'. "So what kind of magic do you like to study?" she asked.
"Well, I knew when I was fourteen that my special talent had something to do with fire magic, so I guess that's when I started looking into the other branches of unicorn magic, believing that my cutie mark would have something to do with another element." He looked to his cutie mark. "Though I kinda wish I was wrong now." Seriously, it just had to be the one branch of magic that I was hoping it wouldn't be.
She looked to his cutie mark again and thought for a moment before she realized his other element. Eyes wide, she looked back and locked eyes with Dark.
"It's dark magic isn't it?" she guessed.
Clearly nervous now, he nodded back. "Pleas don't banish or imprison me!" he begged. "I studied and tested all the other branches of magic except dark magic and I know I promised I wouldn't cast it and know it's taboo but the only time I did cast a dark magic spell was when I thought I was completely finished from fighting Nocturne and I didn't think that I would survive so I figured no harm in using one now and-" His blabbering was cut off by a purple aura closing his mouth.
"Take it easy," Twilight said with a slight giggle before releasing her hold on Dark's mouth. "You aren't in any trouble. Although dark magic is seen as taboo in Equestria, you knew about the risks involving it and refused to use it until the very end when you thought you were going to die to defend yourself and your village, right?" Dark silently nodded. "Then nopony can blame you. I myself have both seen and casted dark magic, and for me, it left a bad taste in my mouth after doing so. Beside that, according to your cutie mark, your special talent is both in fire and dark magic, so this should also give you a bit of leeway."
"It's almost exactly like your name when I think about it," Fluttershy spoke up. "By the way. Do you know why your parents gave you that specific name?"
"Yep. From what they told me, apparently shortly after I was born, my mom was holding me in her hooves to let my dad get a look at me when I accidentally shot a black flame out of my horn." Dark chuckled from remembering the story his mom and dad told him. "Poor dad wasn't very happy that I burnt off his moustache, though, and asked the nurses if he could return me." This little story caused everyone in the room to laugh at Dark's dad, and his poor moustache.
The room door opened up, revealing a brown stallion in a doctor's coat. "Ah, good to see you are up and about. Hello, ladies, Spike," he greeted his patient and guests. "I just came to check up on you and tell you that, despite some of the injuries you were brought here with, you are completely healed up and can leave whenever you're ready."
After the doctor left the room, a realization hit Dark like a kick to the crotch. "Ah crud, the hospital bill! I completely forgot about it! Gah, I knew I would regret not bringing my saddlebag with me that night."
Twilight looked over to the wall on the other side of the nightstand. "Actually, you did," she said while levitating Dark's light-brown saddlebag. "You were wearing it when we found you, but we didn't open it. It's actually a little heavy."
She guided it over to Dark who took it in his claws and open the left flap, looking at what it held. To everyone's surprise, his left saddlebag was filled over half way to the top with a mixture of bits and some gems.
"Guess I did some packing before setting out after all," he chuckled as he started opening the right one, revealing some apples, a canteen with water, and a large black waterproof cloak.
Twilight smiled knowing that their new arrival would be relatively secure for a while, and wouldn't be in debt for his stay at the hospital. But she soon lost that smile as she excused herself, levitated Spike onto her back, and walking out of the room. Few minutes later, they returned to see Dark standing up the floor on all fours, adjusting his saddlebag around his new wings.
"Ready to go?" she asked, which Dark nodded to, and followed Twilight and her friends out of the room and towards the lobby to pay for his stay.
After Dark paid his fee and signed a bunch of forms, they left through the front doors which he held open with his claws for the others, showing Celestia's sun setting over the horizon.
"You will be staying with Spike and I tonight," Twilight said looking up at Dark, who was walking alongside her and stood almost a head taller then she did, while continuing their walk into Ponyville.
He looked back down to Twilight with a nervous look. "Thank you for the offer, Twilight, but I don't wanna intrude on you any more than I already have. If you could point me to the Inn, then I'll just use that."
Twilight just shook her head. "Nope. I'm not having a friend of mine stay at an Inn. You're staying with us, even if I have to have Applejack hogtie you."
Dark was a little taken back by this comment of her thinking of him as a friend, and the threat of being hogtied... again.
"Why would you consider me a friend? I mean, we've only known each other for one afternoon."
Granted he did make a point, but Twilight had her own reasons, though simple as they were. "Yes, it's only been a single afternoon that we've spent with you, but it was time well spent. During that time, we all learned a lot about your home, family, life, and hobbies. We also learned that you're an honest stallion since Applejack never called you out on a lie, Fluttershy was actually somewhat comfortable around you, which is more than what could be said of just about every stranger she's met and even most ponies she knows, and your rather polite to others, especially to when it comes to mares I've noticed." That and I wanna try running some tests, considering this is a very rare hybrid that I'm dealing with! she thought to herself with great joy.
Dark looked over to the others who all nodded in agreement with what Twilight said, even Spike who was sitting on her back, agreed. "Alright then," he relented, a warmth filling him with how friendly they were to him. "If you insist, then I'll stay with you for the night. But tomorrow, I should look for a job and-"
"Eenope," Applejack interrupted. "Tomorrow, you're takin' the day off ta relax. Just because you've been released from the hospital, don't mean that you can start lookin' for work right away. Besides, Pinkie will wanna give ya her tour of Ponyville. And if that alone doesn't tire you out, then the 'Welcome to Ponyville' party she'll be throwin' will."
Dark couldn't, or rather, wouldn't try to argue with Applejack, due to his dad's advice on mares, so he just agreed with her and continued to followed them into town.
The sun had set by the time they got to town before they split up, each heading to their respective homes with Dark following Twilight and Spike down the road to her crystal castle. Dark was going to start questioning why it was made of crystal, but quickly put that thought out of his head, figuring it to be very rude of him to ask about his host's choice in architecture.
Though the outside of the castle didn't look all that big, the inside definitely did. It actually did seem a bit bigger on the inside, but he chalked it up to some magical enchantment, not wanting to try and think about that type of magic again. He knew both time, and space magic, were dangerous subjects, and really didn't want to get another migraine from thinking about it like he did when he first tried to study them. He grabbed the door handle and closed the golden door after Twilight and Spike walked in, after which she started to explain some of the layout of the castle.
"Ok, on the first floor here through the left door is the kitchen, the right is the dinning hall. Through the doors straight ahead and third door on the left is the main library, down the same hall on the right is the lounge, and further down the hallway is the throne room. Up the stairs and to the right are the bathrooms, to the left and down the hallway is where the guest rooms are. And finally, the third floor is where our rooms are, so if you have any questions or need us for something, just knock and one of us will be there to help you," Twilight explained.
Dark looked around and nodded. "Thank you, I should be good now that I know where the important stuff is. Though right now, if it's alright with you, I think I'll just head off to bed."
"Sure, I understand," she answered. "So we'll see you in the morning then?"
"Yep, see you two in the morning. Also, what would you two like for breakfast?" he offered his hosts with a honest smile. "So long as I'm here, I'll make breakfast for you two as a part of my thanks for letting me stay."
"You don't have to do that, but if you insist, then could you make some omelets with hash browns and toast?" she asked.
"Sure, and how about you, Spike?"
"I'll have the same as she is, with some gem crumbs sprinkled in the omelet. It's been a while since we've had omelets for breakfast," Spike replied, licking his lips at the thought of having a good breakfast and not being the one to cook it for a change.
"Alrighty then, in that case you two have a good night and I'll see you at breakfast."
"Goodnight," they returned, each heading to their rooms to turn in for the night.
Dark entered his room to see a queen size bed with red bed and pillow sheets up against the right wall with a nightstand and lamp beside it. On the left wall was a single wardrobe closet, a dresser with a mirror on the wall beside the door, and in front of him was a window showing the a beautiful night sky.
I've never seen the night sky look so quiet and peaceful before. This is definitely a site that I can get used to, not to mention the clean air, he though as he stared out, smiling at the night sky while watching the moon glow bright and the stars twinkling. Nor have I ever smiled this much in one day either.
He sighed contently which turned to a yawn, telling him to head off to sleep. Walking beside his bed, he levitated his saddlebag off to the side of the nightstand, pulled back the covers, and crawled into bed, ready for a good night's sleep.
Meanwhile, Twilight was sitting up in her bed, getting in some last minute reading before heading off to sleep herself before she heard what sounded like someone struggling. Perking up her ears, she could hear Dark grumbling to himself, but was soon able to make out one clean sentence.
"How the hay are you suppose to sleep with these things!?"
She knew he was asking himself out of frustration of trying to keep his wings contained while trying to get comfortable, and couldn't help but let out a giggle as she remembered her first night of having to deal with that exact same problem.
A few hours ago in the Canterlot Castle throne room, Princess Celestia was finishing up the last of her paperwork of the day. Between documents that needed signing, dealing with greedy nobles, and Prince Blueblood... again, Celestia was eager to retire for the night. That is, until she saw a trail of green fire flying in through an open window and manifesting a scroll sent by Spike. She smiled, always happy to receive a letter from Twilight or one of her friends, so she happily opened it up. What she read wasn't something she was expecting.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Early this morning, Rainbow was helping me work on my flying when we came across a young stallion who was passed out on in the fields south of Ponyville. Since he had a head wound and multiple cuts across his body, we immediately brought him back to Ponyville General Hospital, and got him treated. His name is Dark Flame, and wouldn't you believe it, but he's an actual kirin! This alone is making me excited, but what's even more so is that after he woke up, he let us question him about basically anything we wanted, despite his memory loss which we believe he got sometime last Sunday night. Overall, the girls and I talked about him when he was paying his hospital bill and agreed that he's a sort of gentlecolt, polite, honest, well mannered, and caring about the safety of others. However, for all of these positive traits and what he's told us, there are a few things he said that I find rather disturbing, and still question.
He claims to be from a place located on Equestria's south-eastern borders called Stonewall Village, which according to him, is deep within the mountains, and has been blockaded and attacked by dragons for the last two hundred years. This alone is concerning me because if the dragons have invaded Equestrian soil and have been trying to occupy a village, then this could very well cause us international problems. He believes they were after the gems and the Draconium that were in the mines the village was built around, and honestly, it's starting to sound more plausible when I think about why they would attack. He also brought up the name of a supposedly mythical dragon that was responsible for destroying Dark's home, leaving him an only survivor. Though he didn't give much for details, he told us that it was a Scaleless Dragon named Nocturne. I've never heard of this dragon before today, nor this race that he belongs to.
But, there's one other thing that has me worried. Dark's cutie mark is representing his mastery over fire magic and unfortunately, dark magic. Though a pony would be happy to get their cutie mark, he was clearly not. He knows of the taboo Equestria holds on such magic and the dangers of practicing it, but I still feel kinda bad for him. Having your special talent be something that isn't allowed in your own country can't be doing him much good, especially with him having to deal with the loss of his fellow villagers and family. So, I have decided to let him stay with Spike and I at the castle. I will have wards placed to track him, and we will be keeping an eye on him until we feel a bit more comfortable with him wander around town. This isn't by any means a matter of mistrust, I would just rather error on the side of caution, just incase.
Anyway, I was hoping that perhaps you could clarify some of these things that Dark brought up, and perhaps offer some guidance on how to handle him. I await for your reply whenever you get the chance.
Always your faithful student,
Princess Twilight Sparkle
P.S. Tell Princess Luna I said hello.
Though Twilight checking in on her younger sister always made Celestia feel happy for Luna, the rest of the news, namely about the village being under siege for the last two hundred years, brought a feeling of shame and anger to her. All that time and she never even heard of so much as a rumor of this happening. She needed to confirm this for herself.
Celestia called out to her guards to go fetch Captain Iron Guard. Within minutes, a gray unicorn stallion with a white flat-top and brown eyes, approached the throne and saluted.
"You sent for me, Your Majesty?"
"Yes, Captain Iron Guard. I have just received a letter from Princess Twilight that she has found a young stallion who says that his village has been blockaded and attacked by dragons for many years at the south-eastern border in the mountains." The captain's brows furrowed, his gaze hardening as the princess continued. "I want you to send a platoon of your best to investigate this claim, and have them immediately report back anything that they find."
"At once, Princess Celestia. However, may I request that I go as well to oversee this mission personally, Your Highness?" the Captain of the Royal Guard asked.
"Request granted. It will bring me some peace of mind knowing that you'll be there running things. Just make sure that everypony will use caution when entering those mountains, and bring anti-dragon equipment with you just incase," she answered, a brief smile gracing her before quickly turning serious as a thought crossed her mind. Standing up, she walked down from her throne to the meet the captain at eye level. "Also, and this is very important," she began in a low voice, just above a whisper. "Besides the troops your bringing, Princess Luna, and myself, nopony else it to know of this, especially Prince Shining Armor." Iron Guard nodded before giving a salute and galloping away to begin his new mission.
Celestia turned to look out the window and let out a tired sigh. Who knows what that stallion would do if he found out his sister was housing a kirin. Perhaps tomorrow I will pay a visit to Ponyville and meet with him myself, Celestia thought to herself as she lowered her sun, signaling the end of the day.
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Nice job! I like it!
6498462 Thanks for the positive comment. Feel like this chapter turned out better then the last, although this one I didn't write after working a triple shift at work so that probably had something to do with it.
6499861
I wasn't being negative about your story but I just wanted to point out some minor mistakes, Which happens to all of us me included. Sadly I do not know anyone who is willing to do the pre-reading and/or editing, I would do it myself but since i have not that much free time on my hands I'm not able to perform such a task.
I just want to finish this comment stating that I still like the story even in it's unedited state.
*salutes* Private Derpy, signing out once again.
6500650 I'm sorry, I should have been a bit more specific on my comment. By no means did I think you were being negative and I'm sorry if it seemed like I was.
I did say after all that constructive criticism was encouraged and I am re-looking over the chapters constantly to look for any mistakes or just pondering what I could have done better. But in the end I do thank you for the warning on my mistakes and am attempting to better prep. the chapters before I release them. Also, thanks for offering the pre-reading and/or editing, but I completely understand that you have your own stuff to take care of so no worries, and thank you for the support.
Also, I have a second story set up just incase this one doesn't make it. This is the other story I mentioned in the description, though I do hope this current story will pick up a bit both in quality and approval.
Different thing: where in the fandom did Applejack being a lie-detector come from? She's not, otherwise "MMMystery on the Friendship Express" would have been an extremely short episode.
Edit: I wasn't going to write anything but I have to stop here. I've had trouble with some reactions being ones I thought didn't seem logical or make sense but Rarity's question takes the cake. Just for context to make you understand why this feels off for me is that we have a man who has admitted that he is the sole survivor of his isolated village. No one in that village survived. Rarity then asks, "Do you have a fillyfriend?" The only answers to that are "No" and "I did, thanks for bringing up the horrible memories and forcing me to confront the fact that my former fillyfriend burned in the village along with my friends and family." Further the question is so out of no where without any logical lead up that it causes mood whiplash and makes it feel forced. Less like the character asked it and that the plot demanded that this story eventually turn into a romance so we must establish that he does not have any prior romantic relationships.
This just got a whole lot more interesting! He fused with that dragon he fought and became a Kirin, that's pretty impressive!
Does the guy have no emotion whatsoever? He was completely calm throughout the whole questioning affair, even talking about his dead family. The part where Rarity asked about his romantic interests felt SUPER forced. It felt completely out of place. I mean, hey we just met, are you interested in shagging anybody? It felt all sorts of wrong.
6861128 AGAIN
bensvelk kobtish! *hacks and coughs foe a sec*
)
Pardon my draconic, it's a bit rusty. Good job! I loved it. Can't wait to see were this goes!
(so when the next chapter due.
7467286
Yeah, he was kind of flat monotone like "oh hey, I have claws and wings now. well s***.
But then again, some of my characters would do that.
For example, "Oh, my best friend is actually a figment of my imagination caused by a severe case of multiple identity disorder? Okay, so?"
I would've thought that Celestia would've heard of nocturne due to her being so old, or at least have heard a myth about scaleless dragons. Other than that, great story!
This was a really good chapter! A couple of grammar mistakes, but nothing major! I love this story!
The beginning was disappointing, but honestly, I like this character. He's one of, if not the, most sensible character/s I've come across.
love the fact that Celestia's first reaction wasn't 'KILL HIM AT ALL COST, HES EVIL BECUASE HE CAME FROM A VILLAGE NEAR DRAGON TERRITOR I DIDNT NOW ABOUT!!!!!!' like in most stories.....So great story!!!!!
7467286
Yesssssssss that's so trueeeeee....that and also I wished he picked a much more unique name instead of Dark Flame....sounds like a name a edgey 14 year old kid would come up with....imma still read this tho cause it still has caught my attention
*your
*you're
This says 'the a'
I am pretty sure you mean 'sight'
This suddenly stops being italic
*err
Also, 'in case' is 2 words
I should think Princess Celestia is experienced enough to know to say 'take', not 'bring'
(and, as before, 'in case' is 2 words)
How is that rude? 🤔
6501185
gutes kapitel mein freund (German) (^_^)
That is called a Kirin I believe. (Monster Hunter World is on my brain)
There we go.
Yeah reading this story and pretending what I reccomended in the previous chapter is what happened makes this chapter feel much better and less wtf is up with dark and everyones reaction to his familys death. I can very confidently say that small change will only help the story and since itd be so easy to implement, just change a couple sentences and add a couple paragraphs, I really think you should make that change.
One thing that bothers me is the time frame of the blockade. 200 years is to longe. I mean how did the village survive before Dark picked up the role of protector?
Why do I feel like the village is gone and it has been for many years?
I'm getting time fuckery vibes... Dark's been alive for centuries or something after his fight with Nocturne, when the two merged together, and somehow got amnesia'd making him forget centuries of existence... Or maybe Alternate Universe fuckery? His last spell slurped him and Nocturne into the Equestria we know, while also merging them together
The doctor learned of MC waking up after the Mane Six was nearly finished interrogating him… shouldn’t that be the other way around?
I’m not sure MC is a kirin. He seems more like a dragon-pony. I don’t think kirin have fire sacks or wings…