9- Forged in Iron
Bound By Scales- Forged in Iron
Point of View: Ken
Shortly after the talk with Princess Luna, I was calmly back at the Temple. Revaan needed to look at some of the transcripts and scrolls in the temple and I was beyond tired after having to handle the craziness of both Gray in his world and Asphyxious back to back. All I needed right now was some much needed sleep. My whole body could benefit from something like that right now.
However, as I began to lay to rest, I heard something. Something that kept me awake. I soon began to realize that this… something… was a voice. Not Revaan’s, Not Fizzle’s, Luna’s or even Applejack or Zinnia’s. No, this voice was… almost like the one I heard when facing against the undead colossus of a Dragon that was under the temple. Coryena. A short while after falling asleep, I was jolted awake, only to find myself in the most weirdest of places. It almost looked like a completely white and endless plane. Whatever it was, it was seriously weird and confusing. Like if you were in the Animus in Assassin’s Creed. Only difference though was that this whole thing… was real. I hope this place isn’t death. I’m TOO YOUNG TO DIE DAMMIT!!!
Around now though was when I began to see a door. It looked like a way out. Hopefully, it was. But I was not completely sure. I just needed to get out of the place I was in. Seriously, it looked like Frank Miller designed it with all the creep walls and shadows. The only reason why I remember that name is because I read an article on him when I was reading an article in the newspaper on him being at San Diego Comic Con a few years back. I have seen his work, but I never actually read any of it. Probably because I was too busy with homework or something.
Anyways, when I put my hand on the door and twisted the handle, the door soon glowed and before me was what I thought was a dragoness. She was just as tall as Revaan and her Scales were the same color as Spike’s. Just with a hint of Lavender on the outer exterior of her hide and green across the belly. Looking down at me, she smiled a little and lowered her head.
“So, you’re the one that’s bound to Revy? I think he made a perfect choice.”
“Revy?” I asked, before the name clicked. “Hang on… You must be Coryena then.”
“Right you are, young Scalebound.” She purred. Now was when I was beginning to wonder a few things inside my head before I decided to speak.”
“Where… exactly am I?”
“In your mind,” She replied. “Consider it your soul room, so to speak. It’s a blank and endless plane right now because your physical body is asleep.” The dragoness soon had me follow her to an opening as something new began to take form. We were at a basin for a cliff outside the Obsidion Hollow and for a minute, I thought I was going crazy. Did I just leave my body!?
“And this… is the spirit realm. All souls of the fallen either linger here, ascend into the heavens or burn in the depths of hell.” I looked around, partially amazed for a minute as we looked at where Canterlot was. Soon though, I could feel something Eerie as we returned back to where we previously were.
“Listen Ken. I overheard your conversation with the Alicorn earlier,” She replied, looking back at me. “I want to be able to help you with preparing yourself for the future dangers you will have to face. The realm of spirits in which we were in is connected to your world and the dangers you face are also connected.”
“Like the one Luna mentioned named Nightmare?”
“Exactly.” She nodded.
“Great, this is kind of like tomorrowland, only that it’s not a pile of sh*t.” I thought mentally, groaning at what the Princess had stated before.
“However, there is a good side to this. Here, I can help train and prepare you for future encounters.” Coryena responded, pointing at my arm. “Your dragon arm allows you to collect the souls of fallen kin and with it, I can be able to teach you new abilities that you can do with your arm. That way, you can effectively use both your weapons and your powers.”
That… was definitely quite useful. However, as I turned a little, I soon began to notice a light blue eye look upon us. “Uhh… who invited Sauron?” When Coryena looked at what I was talking about, now was when her calm self had vanished, now becoming defensive and stepping in front of me.
“Ken, WAKE UP!!”
Those words caused me to bolt up from my bed in a heartbeat. It only took me a few minute to soon realize that I was back in my room, wearing the same clothes I normally do and also had everything else in the same way it was before. However, just with the encounter with Coryena, I felt that someone else would be needing to see me soon. Therefore, I needed to get myself ready. In a different sense. All of my weapons and gear were inside my bag, so I had that covered. I was more focused on what she was telling me beforehand with my dragon arm. I knew that I was able to use the spiritual energy from it to grapple myself to different locations. But… what if there were some other things I can do?
I mean, there should be other ways I can use the energy in my arm for, right? As I went back to the armory, after a brief stop in the kitchen, to restock on soul shards and to put Asphyxious’ token away, I came across a scroll that caught my attention. The scroll was written in Dragon, but it was talking about magic. Personally, I’m not sure if what I’m doing with my arm is magic or not, but some of the abilities that are being talked about in here are much like some of the abilities I’m capable of. It showed the grappling tether, but I also saw other things. Shooting orbs of energy and enchanting my weapons were on there too. Before I got the chance to see if there were any more pages to the manuscript, I felt myself getting pulled back. Jesus. I had only gotten up a few minutes ago and I’m getting summoned again? This is getting kind of old… fast. Still though, it would be rude for me to say no.
I’m actually a little curious about who I was going to meet this time.
Point of View: Connor
F*** f*** f***! I mentally shouted, dodging yet another burst of flames. I leapt from my spot on the ground, quickly activating my iron scales, using my claws to dig into the wall before launching myself towards the emerald dragoness.
She gave a smirk, opening her mouth and launching another volley of flames at me. I gave a grin, my scales protecting me from the flames, though I still felt like I was in an oven. I pushed through the flames, turning my left hand into a sword. “Tetsuryūken!” I shouted, the small blades along the edge of the sword revving like a chainsaw. She countered quick, grabbing the great sword at her side, our blades meeting in a shower of sparks. I gave a grin, my teeth sharpened like fangs as the Iron Dragon Blade cut through hers with a grinding sheer of metal.
The momentum of my lunge forced her to fall back, the dragoness landing on a knee, my blade inches from her neck. “My win.” I said with a smirk, about to laugh before feeling a prickling sensation along my neck. I glanced back, seeing a spike of iron pressing against the back of my neck, the sharp piece of metal connected to her tail. I look back at the dragoness with a chuckle. “Clever.” I said, pulling the blade away, shifting it back to my hand, reaching out to help her up.
She smirked and took my hand, hoisting herself up, her tail shifting to normal. “Like Master said, always keep your guard up even when you think you've won.” her tail slipped back, changing back to normal.
I chuckled. “Yeah yeah I know. He's drilled that into my head the entire time I've been here.” I shook my head for a minute, looking back at her. “And I thought we agreed no breath attacks, Kepesk.”
The dragoness smirked softly. “You said no iron breath, you never said anything about a dragon’s natural fire breath Z’ar ir.” She reached over and ruffled my head, the dragoness a few inches taller than me.
I gave a growl. “Come on, our record is 13-13-14, can you stop calling me new one.” I knocked her hand away.
She chuckled. “I've been around for seven hundred and eighty three years. Many are new ones to me.” I rolled my eyes.
“Didn't stop me from kicking your scaly butt thirteen times.” I said with a smirk. The dragoness rolled her eyes as she lashed her tail quick, tripping me and sending me face first into the dirt. I gave a groan, reaching to use myself up when I winced, feeling a stone nick my hand. “Agh son of a…” I looked at the offending stone, only to stop when I saw it was in fact a scale. “Huh, weird. The only onyx dragon in the temple is Master Thurkear, and he has been in the capital for a week.” I picked up the scale, wincing as something managed to slip past my mental barrier.
“I am Ken Ahkrin, The Scalebound. Call upon me if you need some help, advice or want to tip the scales in your favor.”
I blinked and looked at the scale before looking at Kepesk. “Oi, grumpy.” I said, standing up and walking over to the dragoness. “I think we have something interesting.” I said, telling her the message that popped into my head.
“Interesting. Well try it.” She said, grabbing a sword from from a nearby weapon rack. I blinked and looked at her, shaking my head before giving a sigh.
“If this thing ends up being some interdimensional warlord or eldritch abomination, I'm blaming you.” I turned and held up the scale. “Scalebound, the slayer of iron calls you.” I said, ignoring Kepesk’s snort of laughter. After a few moments of nothing, I was about to turn around before I watched the space in front of me tear open, a bipedal figure walked out.
A few things surprised me, one being the Scalebound, as it said in the message, was actually a human...well mostly. His left arm looked like he got a transplant from a dragon. Other than that, he looked like any other guy I'd have seen back on Earth. “Well, welcome I guess.” I said, unsure of how to properly greet someone who just walked out of a tear in reality.
Point of View: Ken
Shortly after being called upon, I landed on both of my feet as I looked up at the figure that called me here. The title of this person was one thing. Slayer of Iron. Maybe it was another Displaced like Gray. Unfamiliar with how the Displaced worked. As soon as I got up and straightened my bag, I had a glimpse of the one who called me. His hair was slicked backwards and was pitch black in color and his clothes were almost the same in color except for his lightish brown pants.
Speak of the devil, this guy was like Gajeel from Fairy Tail. Just without the piercings… I guess that explains the Fairy Tail emblem on his shoulder.
“Well, welcome I guess.” He said, confirming my thoughts of him being new to the Displaced. I just looked back at him while taking in the scenery… and the stunned look on the face of the dragon that was behind him. Judging from the fact that it was holding a sword, I’d say they were either sparring or taking necessary precautions.
Looking at the human, I sighed. “I’m going to assume you’re the slayer of iron?”
The human gave a nod. “Just a title I came up with considering that's what my magic is made for.” he said, holding up an arm, his skin shifting into iron scales, his fingertips into claw points. He then looked at the dragoness. “And you quit your laughing back there.”
The dragoness gave a smirk. “When your win count gets past twenty we'll see.” She walked over, her blade at the ready just in case. “So this is the Scalebound?” She looked at his arm. “Interesting.” She said, tapping the flat of the blade against the scales.
“Could I ask who you two are?” I said briefly, watching the scales on my arm reflecting against the dragoness’ blade. The blade was soon held back upon me asking the question to them, where I was tempted to draw my own blades, but refused. I did not want myself to be seen as a threat. I soon saw other weapons along a rack and then thought that this looked a lot like the sparring grounds back at the temple. Just not as big in space. The dragon then just briefly looked at the human, who sighed a bit before he began to speak.
“My name’s Connor. Connor Fortino.” he then pointed an iron claw at the dragoness behind him. “And this is Caesin Kepesk. One of the trainers here at the Temple of Zirconik.” He then held out his un-scaled hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Connor. Kepesk. I’m Ken. But I have a feeling you two already know that.” I told them, just as I notice my token in Connor’s hand, pointing at it with one of the fingers of my dragon hand.
The two looked at the scale, Kepesk speaking up. “Well Connor was the one who picked it up. Though I'm curious as to what exactly a Scalebound is.” She said, walking to return the blade to its stand. Connor gave a nod, curious as well.
“Well, basically, my soul is bound to the soul of my partner. An Onyx Dragon named Revaan. My arm is a symbol of our bond and with that, I have some new abilities.”
Connor looked at the arm. “So basically your arm is the same as a dragon’s? Neat.” He said. “Though as far as I’m aware, soul binding magic is completely unheard of among dragons, which leads me to my next question. Where in the name of Kur’s scaly hide did you even come from?”
“My Equestria in Obsidian Hollow, where the Onyx dragon temple is...” I replied, noticing the shocked expressions on both of their faces. “I’m guessing you’re unfamiliar with the Displaced?”
Connor thought for a moment. “Displaced? Well if you mean I’ve been moved from where I’m originally from then yes. Though something tells me that isn’t the definition you are talking about.” The dragon slayer said, crossing his arms.
The flapping of feather wings was heard a few moments later, a small black and white bipedal feline soaring down and landing on Connor’s shoulder. “Connor, I have a message from Grand Master Caex. He said to come and ……” The cat then noticed me, a look of surprise on it’s face. “When did another human get here?” The Iron Slayer then briefly explained how he summoned me with using my Token.
“And as I was to explain to Connor, he isn’t the only one that is stuck in the same position as mine.” I then added on. “Connor, are you somewhat familiar with the Multiverse?”
“I remember the theory. Every action creates branching timelines and universes, where the exact opposite happened, leading to infinite possibilities right?” He said, looking at the scale. “Already knew at least part of it was true, since my great grandparents and their friends came from another world where magic was abundant.”
“Okay, now think that… but a little further.” I told him. “Displaced is short for Dimensionally Misplaced, where one is sent to one of the many multiverses that exist. In mine, Revaan is the last Onyx dragon of his kind and is trying to rebuild his kin to when it once was.” For a moment, I was considering bringing Revaan here. But I saw some problems. I had just arrived after all and bringing him here now might alarm the guards and the owner of the temple. So, I held off on the notion for now.
Connor thought for a bit. “Ah, not just timelines, but ideas and realities. Like games and books are universes as well. Okay that makes sense.” He then did a double take. “Wait, last of the Onyx dragons? Man that sucks.” He then looked at the scale. “So how did this thing let you come from your Equestria to mine?”
“You mean my Scale?” Smirking a little, I began to explain. “Well, that’s my summoning token. It’s a token that a Displaced like myself casts out into the Multiverse, allowing for other Displaced to find it and allowing them to summon you to them or for them to be summoned to you. If you’ve played Final Fantasy, think of how summons works.”
He looked at the scale, slipping it into a pocket. “Interesting, so then since I’m a Displaced, does that mean I have a token, or do I need to make one?” He asked me, folding his arms briefly.
“You would need to make one. But right now, I think your little friend here said something about a message?” I reminded him, pointing to the flying feline that was having it’s tail get into Connor’s face to distract him.
Connor sputtered at the tail in his face. “Ugh, Scratch, fur in the mouth.” he said, sputtering. “But Ken’s right. What was the message?”
Scratch rolled his eyes. “Grand Master Caex wanted you to come see him as soon as possible. He received a message from King Harroc. There’s another group of dragons near Acidava that are believed to be enslaving other races and keeping them as prisoners.”
Connor blinked and before another word could be said, began running off down the hall, Scratch barely holding onto his shoulders. I just looked back at Kepesk, before soon running after him. Whatever was going on, this needed to be handled immediately. He may have gotten a head start, but using the energy in my Dragon Arm allowed me to slingshot myself forward to catch up with Connor.
Connor blinked at Ken suddenly catching up, nodding as he turned a few corners, soon arriving in a large chamber, a single dragon sitting in the center. The dragon was not an anthro one like Kepesk had been, but was instead a large dragon the size of a mansion. Connor ran forward and knelt down. “You wished to see me Grand Master?”
The dragon looked down, however as soon as it did I could see it’s eyes were a milky white. “Yes Connor. The king has sent word he needs your help. He has called for you to join Qumado, Ternesj, and Kaden in their assault on the slavers.” He then turned his head, looking at me. “Interesting, your presence is much like Connor’s, but I can sense the power of a true dragon as well.” He gave a low chuckle, his voice shaking the room slightly. “You have made yet another interesting friend young slayer. Now hurry, the others are waiting just outside the temple gates.”
Connor gave a nod, looking at me. “Feel free to come along if you want. Gods above know we could always use an extra hand.” He then blinked, facepalming himself, realizing the pun he had just made.
“I can join you. Hell, if you need major help, I can bring Revaan here too.” I told him, stretching the knuckles in my right hand as some of my energy began to take form in my hand Almost emerald like in appearance. “You up for meeting him?”
Connor blinked and looked at my hand. “Maybe wait until we get outside if anything. That way we can explain to the others so they don’t go all gung ho on a suddenly appearing Onyx dragon.” He said, leading the way outside. I followed him out to where the other dragons were, holding my bag close to me as we soon approached the small group after a few minutes of walking.
Once we arrived outside, I was greeted with a view of three more dragons, each a bit smaller than the Grand Master. The one on the left was a cerulean blue dragoness, a scar running down her neck from her jaw to her wings, light colored fins running along the side of her head as well as what looked like webbing between her claws. The middle dragon was a bulkier wingless dragon with grey scales and a lighter grey underbelly, spines of yet a third shade of grey running along his back and on his head. The third dragon was a bright white with streaks of yellow, similar to lightning from a storm cloud running along his scales, his wings a lot sleeker and more streamlined than the blue dragoness.
Connor walked over with a chuckle. “Qumado, Ternesj, Kaden.” He bowed his head. “Good to see you three again.” He then turned to me. “They may look intimidating, but these three are friends of mine.” He said with a chuckle, three colored bursts of flame erupting, matching the scales of the dragons before they had all assumed anthro forms, the middle dragon being a head taller than the other two, all their armors looking similar but bearing a few stylistic differences.
Qumado gave a laugh, a strange apparatus around her neck seeming to flow water around it constantly. “So who is the one behind you, Connor?” She asked, pointing at me.
Connor gave a nod. “That’s Ken Ahkrin. He’s like me, someone who was brought to Equestria from his home world. Though he’s got the abilities of something known as a Scalebound. His soul is bound to a dragon partner. Speaking of which, go ahead and summon him Ken. I’ll make sure these three don’t immediately attack on sight.”
I nodded my head as I let my powers surge through the course of my arm. “Revaan, a fellow Displaced named Connor needs our help. I’m summoning you to where I am now.” Shortly after doing so, A tear in the void opened behind me and Revaan landed right next to where I was standing. Looking at me, he then turned to the three dragons next to Connor, eyes glaring a little.
“So… Let me guess…” He said, pointing at Kaden and the other dragons one by one. “Pretty one, stupid one, one with weird powers…”
“Revaan, seriously?” I shot back.
Connor, Scratch, and the three dragons all looked at each other, struggling to hold back their laughter before they couldn’t any longer, their laughs echoing across the courtyard. Connor then gave a smirk. “Seconds in command. Light em up.” He said, his skin shifting into iron scales.
“Guess we follow you?” I asked, using my arm to pull myself on top of Revaan’s back as he stretched out his massive wings.
Connor chuckled. “Considering I doubt you know where Acidava is in this universe.” He said, Ternesj slipping into the ground and digging off like a mole while the other two flew off. His legs extended into iron poles, catapulting him off through the forest. This, in turn, had Revaan take off in pursuit. Barely even giving me a warning before he pushed off at breakneck speeds. Soon, we could see Connor right beneath us as we flew over him and the two other dragons.
“Says the one who doubts.” Revaan grinned, soon going a little farther before heading towards the ground in a nosedive. Soon, The two of us landed on a cliffside overlooking an almost wasteland like peninsula as the others soon arrived seconds later. However, what exactly we saw… was something else.
The port city of Acidava was a stark contrast to the wasteland surrounding it. Intermixed around the city were small groves of trees, the buildings ranging in size from average sized two story houses to almost large warehouse sized buildings. Several ships and large dragons with what appeared to be cargo strapped to their backs were seen coming and going from the large, multi-tiered dock system.
“Well, son of a b*tch.” I swore, a little sickened by how the dragons were being used. If what we're seeing now is only the tip of the iceberg, who knows what we’ll find when we get closer.
Connor landed next to Revaan and I, noticing the look of disgust on my face. “What crawled down your pants and died? It’s just a port.”
“Sorry… I just have a bad feeling of what we may find.” I replied, shaking my head a little.
He gave a chuckle. “Let me guess, thought the ones at the port were used like pack animals?” He smiled, Qumado and Kaden landing next to them, Ternesj popping up halfway out of the ground.
“Yeah. But sometimes, things aren’t always what they seem to be.” I replied, turning around to Connor. “So, what’s the gameplan?”
Connor thought for a bit before turning to Qumado. “Qu, I want you to search the seaside cliffs, see if there’s any alcoves or cliffside passages under the water. Kaden, I want you and Revaan to search the skies, make sure there’s no unwanted parties watching us, as well as keep an eye out for us.” He said before looking at the Earth dragon. “Ternesj, you were given a map before getting here right?” The stone grey drake nodded. “Check the city’s tunnel system for any unmarked offshoots that could be big enough to transport cargo through. And remember, try not to get caught.” He said with a laugh before turning to me. “The two of us are gonna go through the city and see if we can gather some information from the authorities and maybe some workers at the port.”
“Are the authorities expecting you?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as I folded my arms for a brief moment.
He shook his head. “No, thing is, the king has us do this. Show up unexpected, since if they knew we were coming, and were paid off or corrupted in any way, they could cover their tracks before we got here.”
“Good point.” I acknowledged him. “How about I look around the port and you check with the authorities. We can cover more ground like that.”
Connor nodded, Scratch flying over and floating next to me. “I’ll tag along with you, that way we can keep in contact.” He said, pointing to a rune that glowed on the hilt of his blade. “Communication runes.”
“Neat.” I acknowledged. “Alright, I guess we all know the plan?” I saw Revaan nod his head in agreement while everyone else also followed suit. “Seems like we’re all ready Connor.”
He nodded. “Alright then. Move out.” He said, the dragons all flying off while Tern dove back into the ground. “Try not to get messed up.” He said with a laugh before diving off the cliff, using his iron claws to drag along the rock, slowing his descent. I smiled, running off of the cliff into a free fall while using my dragon arm to pull myself to a nearby tree in the distance, gaining almost ten yards distance wise. We both soon took different directions as I walked along the docks. Scratch following alongside me.
Looking at the ships, I noticed that the workers consisted of multiple different species. Equines, Griffons, Dragons, Minotaurs. You name it… one way or another it was there. One thing I noticed was that at some ships, the captains of them were shouting at their workers and forcing to carry packages that were two times it’s own weight. However, shortly after I noticed one ship unload all of their cargo, I noticed another thing.
Almost all of the workers had severe bruises around their back legs. like if they were held down by chains. I can see the markings imprinted into their fur, feathers and hides. It stood out like a sore thumb and it was hideous. I couldn’t look too long though or some of the people that were there would suspect me of eavesdropping. Then again, they would automatically see me as an eavesdropper because in this place, I stood out as a sore thumb.
Hell, you don’t see anyone walking around with a dragon arm everyday now, do you? Or a flying cat for that matter.
Scratch hovered alongside me, glancing at some of the workers as well. “Seems there’s evidence pretty much all around us.” He said in a somewhat somber tone. He then flew over and landed on my shoulder. “Our best bet would be to act as potential customers of the shipping yard. Maybe use the idea that the items we need moved out need to avoid being seen by certain people.” He said, gaining a somewhat sad look as he watched a minotaur walk by, the evidence of shackles visible as the fur around his ankles and wrists had all but fallen out,
“Maybe,” I replied. “But I don’t think I would be that convincing of a customer because of my appearance. It’s like there’s a sigh on my back that says “rob me” or some sh*t like that.” I then took a deep breath as I turned around a corner to look at another ship docked in the shipyard as a thought entered my mind the moment we passed by what appeared to be the local inn. “Where do you think the crewmates of these ships would be right about now?”
Scratch rubbed his chin. “Yeah, it does seem like a bit too cliched of an option, but honestly, Connor and I have noticed this place tends to practically run on them at times.” He said, looking at the inn. “Like I said, cliches. Either they are working below deck on their ships, or about to break into a number about sailing the seas while getting hammered.” He said, looking at me.
“Where do you think they would normally drop off cargo?” I then asked in a low tone. “If they’re trying to hide something from the authorities, they need to find a way to get it under their noses or out of town. They might hide slaves inside huge shipments and pokes holes in the boxes to allow them to breath-”
About then was when I stopped talking. Around now, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and the scales on my arm made my body feel on edge. Like if you were walking into a graveyard in the middle of the night. Something about this place wasn’t right. Not right at all. It felt… haunting in a way as I was looking at a cave with an eerie glow. “Scratch… stay here and contact Connor. I need to see what’s going on inside.”
Scratch nodded, flying down to the ground as he drew his blade,activating the communication rune. “Connor, we may have found something. Tell the others to come where I've activated the locator rune.” He slid his paw across the rune, it flashing green for a moment before returning to a solid white.
He turned to me, resheathing his blade. “While I would recommend we wait a few minutes for the others to get here, I agree that we need to at least see what this is.” he said, seeming alright, but I could see the fur on his tail bristling, showing he felt the eerie energy.
“I should go in and look. You should stay here for when Connor comes.” I told him. “That way, one of us can inform him on what’s going on. Plus, he might trust it more when the news is heard from you instead of me.” It was a valid point. I’ve only known Connor for the length of ten to fifteen minutes. He knew Scratch for possibly way longer than that, so it was more likely for Connor to believe the feline than him. Slowly, I walked inside, sticking along the wall as I entered whatever the hell this place was supposed to be. But… there was a very… off putting smell in the air.
The smell of rotting meat and dead corpses.
Using my dragon arm, I gathered a small bit of energy to use as a light for me to see where I was going. However, once I went deeper inside, what I found sent a chill down my spine.
Along the ground and walls were the body parts of various species, all in varying stages of decay. What was more concerning though were the markings that were drawn along the skin of many of the parts, as well as how several larger torsos seemed to be missing large chunks. Primarily around the left chest where the heart should be.
Like before, a dark feeling began filling the cave, the eerie glow returning as a low hum of magical energy began to fill the air. Was this home to some kind of cult? If so, I might want to see what’s going on so Connor and the others don’t become sacrifices. I should just at least tell Revaan so that way he could tell the others. We still have that mental link going on inside our heads if I’m right.
Point of View: Connor
I stood over the bruised form of a minotaur officer, giving a sigh as I dropped him onto the pile of other unconscious officers. “Should have seen that coming honestly.” I said, picking up my badge. “On my way Scratch. Picked up a bit of information here from our ‘friendly’ officers.” I said, turning to leave the station before a particular folder caught my attention. The symbol on a piece of paper sticking out made my eyes widen. I dashed over to it, looking over the papers, several sections being written in old draconic. “No….no no no. Oh man this is so much worse than I thought.” I ran out of the station, following the badge to the locator Scratch had set up. “Scratch! You there?!”
“Agh! Yeah I’m here. Why the shouting and why couldn’t you just use your badge?” The feline responded back.
“Not enough time. Tell the others double time to your location and tell Ken to wait with the group. If what he found is what I think it is, then this just got a whole lot more difficult than just a slave ring.” I said before leaping over several buildings towards the shipyard. A few moments later I heard Scratch’s voice again.
“Alright. Qu, Tern, Kaden, and Revaan are on their way, about a few minutes out. Though we may have a problem. Ken already went into the cave to try and scope things out.” Damnit, I just hope I can get there before shit hits the fan.
“Uh… Connor. Revaan just got word on the situation from Ken… We got a big problem.” I heard Scratch speak a few moments later. “He’s finding corpses with their hearts torn out and runic markings all over them… Do you think we’re dealing with some unknown cult?”
“If only it were that. From what you’ve told me of Fiore and my great-grandparents, this cult is far from unknown.” I said, soon landing next to the feline with a loud thud of iron hitting the ground. “Acnologia. That’s what some of the files I found at the police station said.”
The feline looked visibly disturbed at the mention of that name. “Then you mean to say they are trying to summon the dragon king from that world to this?” I gave a solemn nod, looking to the sky as I saw three dragons approaching from the air, Ternesj soon arriving by hopping out of the ground next to us.
“We got here as quick as possible. What’s the situation?” Ternesj asked, several small stones and patches of dirt falling off his scales.
I gave a sigh. “From what I found out from the authorities, they’ve been handing over prisoners and turning blind eyes to kidnappings. The slavers are part of a cult that worships Acnologia, an ancient evil from the world my great-grandparents came from.” At the name of the ancient dragon, the trio of lieutenants stiffened before immediately getting into battle stances, their respective slaying elements starting to form around them.
But that was when Revaan abruptly realized something. “Oh no… You three need to hurry… NOW.”
“Revaan what’s happening in there?” I say with urgency, my own iron scales forming around my skin as the trio of slayers run into the caves without hesitation, Scratch shifting to his humanoid form and following after them.
“The ritual has begun… Ken’s in trouble. But that’s not why I’m worried… The ritual is growing extremely unstable. If this keeps on going… Many people will die.”
My eyes widen at this information. “Orn’s basic alchemical rituals made a bang large enough to char a whole room when he was just fusing materials the size of a softball. If what you say is true, then a ritual this size could level the whole peninsula.”
Revaan nodded briefly, before twitching a little in pain and grabbing his right forearm. Something wasn’t right about this. Not right at all. Why would Revaan be hurt right now? I then remembered what Ken said about him and Revaan being linked through their soul, meaning what one felt, the other did as well. Which meant… ”Ken!” I said, rushing off into the cave.
Point of View: Ken
“Urgh… Damned bastard.” I cursed, looking back at the assailant that tried to attack me from behind while I was trying to get a grip on what was going on. If I didn’t react in time, I would’ve been cleaved in half. Thankfully though, I only got hit in the right shoulder.
That was until I realized what my attacker was, forcing me to grab my swords. “Oh son of a-!” The attacker then slammed it’s oversized weapon into the ground, causing it to shake violently as I tried to move out of the way. Only to feel that more people were coming.
The hulking behemoth looked almost like a patchwork mix match between a minotaur, a dragon, and a demon. It stood to it’s full height, horns scraping the top of the tunnel as it began to swing again, aiming for me. This guy was seriously reminding me of Berserker from Fate Stay/Night because of his hulking size and the amount of power it was putting into it’s attacks. Further down the tunnel the light of torches and spells could be seen, indicating the cultists were getting closer.
That was until I felt someone familiar near by. Turning around, I was beginning to see a humanoid like figure run towards me. Wait a second… Is that-? “C-Connor!!?”
A large iron pole launched forward, pushing the frankenstein berserker back, the iron dragon slayer landing next to me. “If we weren’t dealing with a catastrophic situation, I’d deck ya for running in here alone.”
“Get back!! We got a bigger problem-!” I began to say, before having to push him out of the way as this behemoths attack lands right in between us. “This guy is blocking the way to the damn ritual!”
He turned and glared at the beast. “That so?” He then turned to me. “You may want to step back and cover your ears, this can be a bit loud and messy.” He turned back towards the creature, taking a deep breath, his body seeming to swell a bit as his magic gathered in his lungs. I rushed to place my hands over my ears to prepare for what came next, taking Connor’s advice and ducking for cover. “Tetsuryū no... Hōkō!!” His voice seemed to echo before he curled his hands in front of his mouth like one would when blowing through a pipe. As he did, the magic released, a vortex of wind and metal shrapnel slicing through the cave, tearing through everything in it’s path. When the wind stopped and the dust cleared, there were several pieces of the berserker torn up and littered around the passage.
“Well, that’s one way of doing it.” I said, looking back at Connor as I got up and pointed in the direction where the ritual was taking place. “Come on, we need to hurry if we’re going to stop this thing!” He nodded, heading off down the passage, giving one of the berserker’s pieces a kick for good measure.
“You never know with those undead abominations.”
“I hear ya. But right now, the clock's ticking. We need to get over there and put a stop to this!” I reminded him, running ahead as he followed behind. We both soon made it to the site of the ritual, but what we found wasn’t good. Not by a long shot. Magic was tearing everything apart around us and looked like it was going to bring the entire cave down on our heads.
“C-connor, what do we do now?!” I asked him. Only to see his expression change. “Connor? Connor, talk to me.”
Connor shook himself from what felt like a trance. “S-Sorry. All this magic kinda zoned me out for a sec.” He said, looking around the chamber to see the cultists locked into the ritual, and what looked like a large, pitch black egg in the center of the large circle. “Seems that rather than try and have Acnologia possess a grown person, they are trying to give him a true body of his own.”
“I don’t think this means that this is any less dangerous now, is it!? If this goes on any longer, we and a lot of other people are going to die!” I told him, wondering if he had some sort of plan in his head in order to stop this.
Connor gave a low growl. “First things first. We need to take out the cultists guarding the casters. Once those are out of the way I have an idea that will take care of the ritual and keep this place safe.” He said, both arms changing into swords, the jagged teeth on the edge starting to rev like chainsaw blades. I nodded my head, preparing my dragon arm while holding a sword in my other hand.
“You first.” I told him, waiting for him to act.
He gave a chuckle. “Normally I’d say age before beauty, but let’s just bust some skulls.” It was at this point he sent word to Scratch, the feline and three dragons bursting through a wall, attacking the cultists and other berserker demons in the room. He leapt from the edge of the tunnel, hacking his way, dodging a few strikes here and there. I used my dragon arm’s grapple ability to yank two of the cultists away while swinging my sword to cut the claws off of the third one to prevent them from casting any spells.
“You okay over there!?” I asked.
Connor gave a grunt, using his swords to block an absolutely massive broadsword swung by a berserker. “N-Never b-better!” He shouted, pushing forward and taking a bite out of the sword, spitting several shards into the beast’s eyes to disorient it before cleaving it down the center. I looked at the ritual before looking at Connor again. The size of it was growing by the second and accelerating fast.
“Connor!!” I yelled, trying to warn him. But the noise was getting louder and I wasn’t sure if he could hear me. “W-WHATEVER YOU WERE GOING TO DO, DO IT NOW!!” I shouted as loud as I could, hoping that he was able to hear that.
He gave a grunt, kicking the final berserker into a stone spike Ternesj had set up. “Qumado!” He shouted, the aquatic dragoness running over. “I need you to build up the biggest electrical charge you can.” He said before running towards the circle of cultists, his arms turning into iron poles that wrapped around the circle, connecting each cultist. He detached himself from it at the last second. “NOW!” He shouted, the dragoness practically glowing with energy as she launched an arc at the ring, the cultists all frying as they chanted one last word, the waves of magic all arcing inward and flooding the black egg.
The egg began pulsing with a dark light, magic filling the air once again. Scratch ran over to me. “The egg absorbed all that magic but it can't hold it all. Before it would have just been a wave of energy destroying a few buildings, but like this….it’s like a nuke about to go off.”
Connor gave a growl. “Qu, Tern, Kaden, activate your escape runes and get out of here. Get as many people out of the city as you can.” The trio nodded, runes lighting up on their armor before they vanished.
“W-what about you!!?” I asked, yelling towards him.
He gave a chuckle. “I’ve got an idea to keep this thing from leveling the peninsula, only downside is, I can’t completely dampen it, only focus it in a single area. Namely the size of this chamber.” He then looked at Scratch. “I need your help buddy. We need to use that technique.
Scratch’s eyes widened “You are serious aren’t you? He gave a mental sigh “What about Ken?” He glanced over at the Scalebound. Connor glanced down at his badge, relaying his plan to the feline. Scratch gave a nod, flying over towards Connor.
“What are you doing?!” I shouted, running over towards the two.
Connor tossed Scratch his rune badge, the feline grabbing it and flying back over to me. “We need you to hold onto this.” He said, placing it in my left hand. I looked up at him about to say something before it hit me. The other dragons had teleported out using runes. I looked down at the rune only to see it flash red. I tried to drop it and run to Connor, only for the ground to give out under my feet, my vision going black for a second before I found myself back on the cliff face just outside the city. “CONNOR!!” I shouted out, just as a large pillar of light tore through a chunk of Acidava.
Point of View: Connor
Moments after Ken was teleported
I gave a sigh, looking back at the blinding egg. “Sorry about this Ken, but it was either send you back or get you stuck with me.” I walked over, Scratch landing at my side.
“Once you do this, there’s no telling when you’ll come back you know.” Scratch said, landing on my shoulder as I knelt down in front of the egg. I nodded and activated my iron scales, only this time, my hair and clothing shifted to iron as well. Heaven’s Wrought Iron. An ultimate defense spell capable of containing massive amounts of power, but at a cost. The user was turned into an iron statue, frozen in time until the magic ran it’s course.
I remember when Grand Master Caex told me about it.
The large dragon gave a solemn look at me. “Connor, you have learned well in just a few short months. Able to fight on par with a few other high level students and even a few masters.” He said with a chuckle. “However, there is a danger coming. One that Terra as a whole must be kept safe from.” I looked at the dragon. “And I’m able to help?” Scratch looked up at the blind elder dragon. He gave a nod.
“In order to prepare you for this event, I am giving you knowledge of one of the Iron Dragon’s most powerful spells.” He said, his tail snaking around, tapping on my forehead. After a bright flash of light, the knowledge of the spell was carefully stored in my mind.
“Thank you Grand Master. But, how will I know when the time is right to use such a risky magic?” I said, kneeling and bowing my head.
Caex gave a smile and rested his head on his front claws. “You will know when the time comes young human.”
I felt a low growl rumbling in my throat as I delved into the deepest reaches of my magical well, pulling every last bit of energy I could into this spell. The egg began to glow brightly, signaling it was about to go off. Scratch poured his magic into me as well, his fur and body joining the metallic transformation. We both opened our eyes, our voices synchronized as we unleashed the spell. HEAVENS WROUGHT IRON! The magic poured out from us, flooding along the floor of the cave and it’s walls, turning a large portion of it to a glowing white metal, some of the magic circling around the egg as it detonated, the pillar of light decimating the cave and the ground above us. Thankfully the magic kept it contained to a large pillar. I closed my eyes as I felt the magic taking it’s toll, sealing my movements and rendering me an immobile statue. Before my mind faded, a few words were all that crossed it. “Ken…..sorry. Looks like we won’t be having that spar after all.”
Point of View: Ken (After the teleportation)
I just stood there, shocked to my core. Falling to me knees, I could not believe what just happened. It felt like a part of me just… died. I don’t know how I was to cope with this when I felt like I could’ve done something.
I felt Revaan fly down next to me, trying to get my attention. But the only thing I had on my mind was Connor. I could’ve done something. Anything! It didn’t have to happen like this. Now I just felt helpless. How was I supposed to protect Applejack and the egg back home if I couldn’t even save a friend?
Qumado and the others flew down. “We managed to evacuate the part of the city over the cavern. Where are Connor and Scratch?” She asked, looking around. Kaden blinked and looked at my hand, seeing the rune badge absently clenched. His eyes widened.
“No….he didn’t….” The other two followed his gaze, seeing the emblem held in my hand. He grabbed my by my jacket and practically roared in my face. “Tell me you didn’t just leave him behind!!”
“N-no… H-he told me to go. I wanted to go back for him… But the badge took me away.” I tried to say to him.
Kaden was about to shout more but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned back to see Ternesj. The earth dragon shook his head. “You’ve known Connor for months. Can you honestly say you are surprised he pulled such an idiotically heroic stunt?” He said with a soft, yet sad smile. I though, still felt helpless… mixed with anger. Taking my dragon hand, I slammed it into the ground next to me, causing a small crater as I looked towards the others. “What… the hell… are you talking about?”
Qumado gave a sigh. “Connor. He was serious when he needed to be, but when he was just hanging out with the friends he had made, he would always put their happiness above his own,” She shook her head sadly. “Even with something as simple as cleaning the temple, he would always help out the new initiates.”
I thought of it… but then wondered something. “What exactly did he do?”
The three looked at each other, Kaden nodding. “With each class of dragon slayer, there are certain techniques that are considered perfect techniques. Whether it be attack or defense. It seems Elder Caex entrusted him with the Iron Dragon’s ultimate defense.”
Ternesj then looked out at the hole in the city. “But such power only comes at a price.” He said, looking out, the light reflecting off of something, a small glimmer catching his eye. I looked towards it, seeing what exactly was causing it.
It was Connor and Scratch. Encased in Iron from head to toe. Standing still in position like they were turned into a statue. “Oh god… Connor…”
Qumado walked over to the statue, gently placing a hand on it, her eyes flashing for a moment. “Oh my…..They...They’re still alive…” She said in a bit of shock.
Ternesj nodded. “Heaven’s Wrought Iron. An iron cage designed for creatures the gods themselves fought. The price however imprisons the caster in iron as well. There’s no knowing when the spell on them will come undone though. It could be days, it could be hundreds if not thousands of years.”
“It just depends on when the caster’s magic runs out?” Revaan then spoke, almost like he knew the answer, even though it sounded like he was asking.
Ternesj nodded. “Though because the two of them pooled their magic together, it could be quite a long time before the magic of the seal runs out.”
I looked back at them, shaking my head. “Time between worlds is different. What could be days or years for one person can be just hours for someone else. It just depends… Still… we need to tell Caex. He would want to know about what happened.” I turned towards Revaan, however, he was looking elsewhere. To the remains of a burned down home.
And the gray unicorn colt that was just outside it, looking at the destruction that happened and crying a little. “Oh my god… It’s a survivor.”
Qumado walked over, gently kneeling down next to the colt. “Are you okay little one?” She said in a gentle tone, draping a wing softly over the child’s back. When I walked closer, I began to realize something. The colt had injuries around his hooves and he looked to be starving. Oh my god, this one used to be a slave.
The colt just shook its head, almost scared by the dragon that was trying to comfort him. I went down on my knees, trying to help him. “Easy… we’re not going to hurt you.”
“N-no chains?” It muttered the question, looking at Qumado and I.
The dragoness gave a soft smile, reaching out to gently ruffle his mane. “No chains little one. They won’t hurt you anymore.” She said, gently lifting the colt in her arms.
“What’s your name?” It asked, still a bit timid as it looked at the other dragons. The dragoness gave a soft smile at the colt.
“My name is Qumado, and these are my friends. Ternesj, Kaden, Ken, and Revaan.” She said, pointing at each one when she said their names.
“Can you tell me my name?” It then asked, shocking me personally. Qumado blinked, looking sadly at the colt.
“You were there since you were just a hatchling weren’t you?” She said, gently stroking his mane. “What happened to your parents little one?”
“What’s a parent?”
The trio of dragons looked saddened at this. “Your mother and father. The ones who helped bring you into this world.” Kaden said softly. “You never got to know them at all either?” He turned and gave a low growl. “Not just enslaving races, but taking infants and making them slaves from birth? This is just disgusting.”
“He needs someone to raise them.” I said, looking at the others. “We need to give him a new life. One that isn’t of fear.” I turned to notice that this little one actually had a cutie mark on it’s flank. A star with some cosmic swirl right behind it. Hmm… “I think I thought of a name.”
The young colt looked at me before looking at everyone else. “Y-you have?” I nodded my head, pointing to his cutie mark so he would notice it.
“Starswirl. You cutie mark has a star and a cosmic swirl on it. So, you get Starswirl.” I explained, looking at the others. “What do you guys think?”
The others thought to themselves for a bit before nodding. Qu gave a nod. “Sounds good.” She said with a smile.
“Okay. First things first though, we need to get Starswirl back to the temple and tell the Grand Master what happened… He would want to know about what happened to Connor.” I sighed, looking back at Starswirl as Revaan landed next to me. “Hold on tight, little one. We’re going to get you someplace safe.” The colt nodded, hopping behind me and wrapping his forelegs around my waist as I looked at Ternesj. “After you.”
Ternesj nodded, delving back under the ground as Qu and Kaden took off into the sky, leading the way back to the temple. “Oh wait.” Kaden said suddenly before turning back and flying towards the crater. Moments later he came back carrying the petrified Connor and Scratch. “It wouldn’t feel right just leaving them behind.”
I nodded in agreement. If anything, Connor should be in the place he called home when he woke up. That’s the least we could do right?
Soon, we made our way back to the temple and went into the room where the Grand Master was waiting for us. Alongside a few… guests. Alongside the elder dragon were King Harroc, as well as the Princesses. The four were having a discussion but stopped upon hearing the doors open, the three that could see turning while the grandmaster lowered his head solemnly, well aware of what had happened already.
The two princesses and the king were surprised to see Revaan and I. But they were even more shocked at seeing Connor and Scratch. Encased in Iron. The king’s eyes widened in shock, turning towards the grand master, the princesses running over towards the group, staring slightly slack jawed at the statue of their friends.
Harroc looked at the elder. “He used that technique didn’t he.” The elder merely gave a slow nod, closing his eyes for a moment.
Celestia turned at the king’s words. “What technique do you mean?”
“Heaven’s Wrought Iron.” I said, remembering the name that Ternesj previously said, looking towards the dragon since he knew more about it than me.
Ternesj then told the princesses the description he had told the others and myself, explaining the situation that had occurred at the port city up until the explosion. “The two sacrificed themselves to contain the blast. Otherwise the entire city of Acidava and the peninsula for miles back would have been erased off the map.”
“By the stars…” I heard Luna say, looking back at her sister. But what surprised me was when she turned to look at me. “Young one… who are you? I have not seen one such as yourself before-.” The Alicorn stopped speaking the second that she saw my arm.
Harroc nodded and stood next to the Alicorn sisters as well. “Indeed. In my nine hundred and seventy seven years of life, I have not seen one like you either.”
I looked back up, turning to Revaan for a second before looking back at him. “Indeed… However… explaining about myself might be… complicated.”
Harroc gave a nod. “I see, well I need the four of you to come and discuss what exactly you discovered in Acidava.” He then looked behind Qu, seeing the horn of the small colt hiding behind her. “And it seems you’ve brought someone with you.”
“He’s the only survivor of the city that we found. This colt was forced to be a slave since birth and did not have a name or parents. He needed a place to stay and cope.” I said, trying to sound professional with my speech. “I will make sure to explain the circumstances of how Revaan and I came here at your earliest convenience.”
The king gave a nod, Celestia and Luna walking over, both kneeling down and smiling at the colt. “Hello little one.” Luna said softly, reaching out to gently tousle the colt’s mane. The colt whimpered shyly, hiding behind Qumado.
The dragoness gave a soft laugh, gently nudging him with her tail. “It’s alright young one. These are the Princesses. They keep the land of Equestria safe and happy.” She then turned to the sisters. “We took the liberty of giving him a name before we came here. We chose the name Starswirl.” At this name the two princesses looked surprised, glancing down at the colt’s cutie mark.
“These two… safe?” The colt asked in a quiet whimper, looking at them with a pair of fearful eyes.
Qumado gave a smile and nodded. “Safe as can be.” She said, gently nudging the colt forward, the two princesses gently hugging the colt.
Harroc smiled at the scene before turning to the four. “We should let them have their moment.” he said with a soft laugh, heading to a private side room where they could discuss what happened. Leaving me with Revaan, the two princesses, and Caex. I did say that I was going to explain to them about myself. But with Harroc talking with the others on the side and the Princesses occupied right now, I wasn’t sure if I was going to get the chance to talk to them at all.
“Ken,” I heard Revaan say from behind me. “I’m going back to the temple. Take as much time as you need.” With that, the Princesses soon noticed him as he disappeared through a small tear in the void. Returning to Obsidian Hollow. However, it was then I realized that Harroc had also seen his departure as well.
The group all stared in shock at seeing the large Onyx dragon simply tear a hole through reality and leave through it. “What in the world..” Harroc simply said with wide eyes and a slightly slacked jaw, the princesses mirroring his look.
“Well, that got their attention.” I mentally said sarcastically. “Revaan just went back to my world. To the Temple where we call home.” By then, my arm was glowing slighty because of the brief surge of magic that came with traveling between Rifts. “You wanted to know about me? I guess now might be the right time to ask.” I was slightly still bothered by what happened to Connor, but I wasn’t going to let that affect me now. Not with a dragon king, two princesses and a grand master who seemed eager to find the answers to the questions they had.
Harroc gave a nod. “Indeed. What exactly are you? Your arm is like that Onyx dragon’s yet your body is human like Connor. And if that was a tear in the void, then how did you come by our world?”
“I am what exactly Connor is. A Displaced. Someone who is dimensionally misplaced into one of the multiple different dimensions of Equestria. For me, I am a Scalebound. The dragon that you just saw leave was my partner Revaan. We have a bond that is represented through my arm and the abilities that I have. Also, our souls are linked. Any pain I feels is reflected on me as well. And if he dies… I die too.”
Luna walked over towards me. “Different Equestrias thou say? Tell us, from when in your Equestria art thou from?” She got a somewhat surprised look from her sister. “What? We were bored one day and listened to our scholars when they were researching the multiverse theory after Connor had arrived. Time can be different in each world.”
“That is actually the case. In my Equestria… Revaan is the last remaining Onyx dragon alive. We’re trying to do our best to restore the civilization it once was. That’s why he made a pact with me.” I sighed a little. “Which really bothers me when I think about what happened today. I could’ve done something to help Connor, but instead, he used his badge to send me out of the area before he casted that spell on himself. How am I suppose to help Revaan when I was unable to help him?”
It was then that Elder Caex spoke up. “Princesses, perhaps you should show the young colt the gardens. They are quite beautiful this time of year. Harroc, attend to your men. I wish to speak with the young Scalebound in private.” He said softly. The Princesses nodded, gently leading the colt out of the room while Harroc and the trio went off to debrief about the mission. Once they were alone, Caex motioned for me to come closer. “Now speak young one, the concern for your partner is not all that eats at you is it?”
I looked back at the dragon before sighing. “There’s more to it though… I was unsure about saying it in Luna’s presence.”
Caex gave a slow nod. “Tis not just your own friend’s future that has you worried, but events of our future as well isn’t it?” I gave a soft look of surprise. He gave a low chuckle. “You don’t get to be a Grand Elder just by being old you know. Though my eyes no longer see the world around me, I can still see the ways the world will change.”
“Well… It’s a mix of both. Tell me… do you see any changes with Luna?” I asked. “Because the disappearance of the Onyx… was based on that change.”
The elder gave a sigh. “You speak of the nightmare do you not?”
I nodded my head. “Yes. Or more specifically… Nightmare Moon. Her magic led to corrupting the Onyx dragons and now, just as we're starting to make progress, there’s signs that she might not be gone for good like we were to believe.” I sighed again, looking back.
He gave a soft nod. “And you worry not only for your friend, but your hatchling as well.” He said, lowering his head.
“Wait… How-?”
Caex chuckled softly. “The scent of an egg clings to you, and it is so mixed with your own it makes sense to reason the egg is yours.”
“Well, you got me on that one.” I sighed. “I want to be able to help them and be able to protect the newborn once it hatches, but with what happened today… I’m unsure if I can be able to protect them.”
Caex’s tail moved around, gently bopping me on the head. “Tell me young one, would the friend who gave himself to save thousands of lives today want you to be moping about like a child who lost it’s toy?”
“No…” I said before thinking about it a little. “No he wouldn’t… There are just a lot of things I don’t know. Things that could make a difference… Hell, I’m still trying to understand being able to see the souls of fallen dragons.”
The elder dragon lifted his head a bit and looked at me with one large eye. “The sight of those who have passed on? Interesting. But your problems are not as bad as you think. You are worried for the future of your family, and are scared of making bad choices. Every species on Terra has a single, unanimous word for that.” He gave a soft chuckle. “A word I'm sure you've heard before.”
“What’s that?”
He chuckled softly. “Fatherhood.” He said with a slight smirk.
“Oh… I see. You mean like the instinct of protecting family?” I asked him. “I think I see what you mean.”
He gave a soft nod. “Just remember not to go crazy with worry. Kur knows how many couples I've seen split because one or both were so paranoid.” He laughed softly. “Have faith in your family and friends young Scalebound.”
“Thank you.” I replied briefly “Should we let the princesses and Harroc come back in?”
He gave a nod, the side room opening as the four dragons walked back in. Celestia, Luna, and little Starswirl came back in through the other door, the young colt asleep against Luna's shoulder. Harroc walked over, gently placing a hand on my shoulder, giving me a soft smile.
“Welcome back everyone.” I greeted them as they returned.
The group smiled. “So Ken, you explained where you are from, but not exactly how you got here.” Celestia said with a smile. I remembered that, pulling out the scale that was my token.
“How I got here was that Connor found this. It’s my summoning token and many Displaced cast theres out into the void with the hope of it being found by another Displaced. Fortunately for Connor, he found mine.” I set it down on a small table that was next to the princesses. “That also brings me to what I need to ask next. When he does wake… can you make sure that he can reach me? Time may pass differently between worlds, but Connor is more than a friend to me. He and Scratch were like family.”
The Alicorns looked at each other before smiling and nodding. “Any friend or family of Connor's is friend to us as well.” Luna said, taking the token and tucking it away.
“We’ll make sure he gets the message.” Celestia said with a smile.
“Thank you. I really appreciate it. May you all stay safe in the days to come.” I told them, looking back towards Harroc. “Are there anymore questions you need to ask me, your highness?”
Harroc thought for a bit. “Hmmm, as far as I can tell there is nothing more I need.” He turned to the grand master. “Anything you would ask Caex?”
The dragon scratched his chin for a moment, his eyes seeming to gain a glow for a second. “Should you return, bring aspirin.” He said with a soft chuckle. “You're gonna need it.”
I nodded my head, acknowledging the comment. “Thanks. I believe I should return back home. May the stars watch over you in the days to come.” I said, using my arm to open up the way home as I stepped inside, disappearing from the grand hall. And from the home of a friend.
End Chapter 9
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TL:DR XD jk jk. Was a pleasure working with you as well.
6707281 Why thank you. I plan to include her more in future chapters, but this is good for a start
Somber and sad, yet with a happy overtone, good job on this crossover to both of you.
6725876 Thanks
Good god... What a sacrifice....
7748203 Wait til later on
9 chapters in and most of your story is crossovers, sorry but it hurts to read this.