Not Everyone's a Hero

by Rainwalker12

Chapter 1: Prelude

Chapter 1: Prelude

“Dusky, you are hereby banished from the land of Equus for crimes against the races of dragons and ponies!” Princess Celestia’s decree rang across the silent room.

An ash-grey unicorn colt of about 9 years of age struggled from his place between two golden-armored guards, a dull gold tail thrashing around in anger. A ragged black cloak just wasn’t able to cover the symbol of a cloak with stars dotting it adorning his flank. A golden band around his spiraling horn suppressed his magical abilities.

“Let me go! I did what was needed!” He called out in a slightly accented voice alluding to a foreign nature, attempting to pull away from where the guards were leading him.

A white unicorn with a blue mane, Captain Shining Armor, stepped up from his place near the Princess. “To normal ponies, ‘what was needed’ wasn’t the murder of 37 innocents!” Shouts of agreement began to erupt from the crowd of guards, and Celestia called for silence.

“Staying here will only lead to more violence. As of today, you will live our your life in an alternate world, where you will have no need to hurt anyone further.” Dusky began to writhe even more furiously. One of his eyes and part of his face were covered in heavy burn wounds, closing the eye shut, but the remaining golden eye burned with rage.

“How could you call them innocents after what he did to my people? My tribe? My brother?! Those… dragon-lover ponies deserved to die for associating with-”

One of the guards holding Dusky struck him across the back of the head, and stars filled the vision of the criminal. He held back a whimper of pain, and his struggles ceased for a moment before continuing at full strength.

“Let the banishing commence!” A guard pulled a curtain off of a tall object to reveal a large mirror, silver-studded with a strange milky property to the glass surface. Celestia’s horn glowed for a brief second, and the glass turned into a swirling vortex of colors.

The guards began to drag Dusky closer to the mirror, quite obviously a portal now, and he resisted the entire way. However much he pulled himself away, he was no match for the strength of two trained guards, and he soon found himself within a hoof-length of the vortex.

“Dusky… I’m sorry it has to be this way, but you’ll find peace in this new land, I’m sure of it. Away from-”

“Yes, away from all your… enemies.” A deep voice rang out, drawing attention to the sole dragon in the room.

Nearly reaching the ceiling of the chamber, his light blue scales only slightly stood out from the shadows, and long horns drooped down across the sides of his head. Dragon King Torch leered down at the much smaller pony, who froze for a moment in the glare of the titan before doubling his efforts to charge him. Torch stomped a foot on the ground, and bent his head down to stare into the eyes of the pony who had slain those under his rule. .

“We would simply hate it if you needed to be taken back to our labor camps, like we wished, or even-”

“I’LL BE BACK, AND YOU’LL ALL PAY!” Dusky shouted, his lip curling in hatred. A small grin grew across the great dragon’s face, and a puff of smoke drifted out of his nose and he huffed in amusement.

“We’ll see, little pony. We’ll see...”

“Dragon King Torch, I ask that you not antagonize the criminal further.” Celestia stepped forward, causing Torch to bow his head and step back.

“As you wish, Princess.” Although Torch seemed to be finished, Dusky continued to glare at Torch even as the guards pulled him forward further.

Celestia raised her head before the prisoner, pointing a hoof at him with trace amounts of rage in her eyes, and began to repeat her earlier verdict. “Dusky Dune of the Lower Glade, I banish you from the land of Equus for all eternity. You are condemned to live out your life far from that which you wish to harm. We hope that in time you will come to accept these conditions and live peacefully in your new home. Guards… send him through.”

The guards surrounding him pulled him closer to the strange mirror. As they forced him closer, he began to hear odd whispers and a strange pull towards it. “W-What is this? Where am I going?” He cried out, and the noises intensified.

Six unicorns surrounded the mirror, and with their horns aglow six runes of varying colors lit up on the mirrors frame. A red mist began to leech from the runes, creating a rather ghostly aura that stripped the strength from his bones and sapped his will.

In the moment before he was tossed through, it felt like the mirror knew he would be entering whatever it held inside it. His mind began to fray as the lure of the mirror took hold, not too unlike what had haunted the forests of Dusky’s home. The feelings were gone with a burst of pain as a hoof connected with his butt, sending him flying through the portal. A bit rough for a colt as young as he was, but he had committed atrocities unheard of in Equestria for the past… well, almost forever, so it wasn’t unexpected to the battered unicorn colt.

And then Dusky entered the mirror.

A feeling of suction swept across his entire body, and he felt the strange sensation of being pulled and twisted in impossible directions, his body contorting and shifting as the rainbows spiraled past him in the void between worlds. His bones cracked and reformed as his skeletal structure changed, and his flesh bubbled as fur melted to accommodate his new alien genes. None of it hurt, but it wasn’t exactly pleasurable either. The pressure came to a head, and a light appeared in front of him. For a moment he was weightless, like a newborn bird learning to fly for the first time, and then his body met a hard concrete floor.

Dusky tumbled across the steps, the bright light around his new location blinding him. He groaned and tried to stand up. However, his new appendages didn’t make that easy; he now had a fleshy growth at the end of each changed hoof, with the front two having five flexible tendrils and the back two… well, they were covered in strange objects, but through shakily moving them around he could feel five short stubs on each “hoof”.

Dusky slowly tested out his new form, spending the next couple of minutes learning to stand. His body seemed able to balance itself on just the back two legs, and he was soon able to jerkily stumble around. The second he was able to stand, he rushed to where he had come from.

Before him rose a statue of a pony, bereft of a horn, wings, or a cutiemark. Choosing to ignore the irregularities for now, he set his sights upon a mirror embedded in the base of it. He traced the rim of it with his new appendages, finding that it was slightly warm to the touch. He tapped the mirror itself, and his finger sank through the surface into space beyond. Encouraged, he began to fit his entire arm inside, but once he got up to his wrist it froze, and with a painful push he was forcefully ejected from the portal.

“DAMNIT CELESTIA!” He shouted to the world, his voice slightly hoarse but otherwise unchanged. Taking a moment to glance around and at himself with his one good eye.

Dusky was dressed, the feeling of cool cloth comforting to him in the hot air around him. A garment consisting of a dark gold material wrapped around his upper half, holes allowing for his upper limbs and neck to move freely, and ended about where his new, modified hips began.. Another garment, this time dark grey, stretched down from his hips to his knees, allowing for plenty of easy movement. Black object covered his lower former-hooves, and it took him a moment to recognize them as shoes. Growing up, Dusky’s tribe hadn’t had easy access to modern luxuries, and shoes were seen as a non-necessity.

He glanced in the mirror; its swirly quality had faded, leaving a clear surface where he could easily see his face. Dusky’s skin was grey as ash where it showed, and his rather long gold hair fell down to his shoulders in messy clumps. Angry red splotches covered his left eye and parts of his cheek, the skin retaining an odd stretched and strained quality, and the eye remaining clamped shut. He’d been able to open it in the past, but eyesight from that eye was blurry and it hurt to open it, so he just kept it shut since the…incident. Hopefully, it would heal in time. If not, well… he’d deal with it.

Now that he was gone from Equestria, probably for good, Dusky felt…actually, he was still really angry. For the time being, he felt a bit disconnected from the situation, as the inevitable uncertainty and fear hadn’t set in yet.

There seemed to be nobody around as of yet, but Dusky knew that could change, so he picked a path and made his way down a street to the right.

As he staggered forward, the first creeping tendrils of uncertainty began to advance in his mind.

Making a plan always calmed me. Okay, so what do I have? Nothing to trade, or money if this place has any. One pair of clothes, weird as they may be. No place to sleep, so I’ll find an alley or park or something, I’ve done it before. No food…that’ll be hard, but I could always beg or steal, it’s not too difficult. Ponies, or whatever I am here, usually take pity on younger kids. Now I just need to get my bearings and find out exactly where I am.

As Dusky took a left and left the grounds of the building he came out near, another creature crossed his path. This one looked to be the same type of creature as him, standing bipedal like a minotaur, yet her skin was a fair orange color. A stetson hat sat upon her head, and she appeared to be about the same height as Dusky. She gave him an odd look as he stared at her in curiosity, and continued walking past him. Dusky shook off his shock and vaulted forward, walking towards her.

“Hey, wait! Can I ask you a couple of questions?” The girl turned at the question and cocked an eyebrow.

“Uh, sure. What d’ya need?” She spoke with a thick southern accent, which was foreign to Dusky’s ears.

“I’m kinda…new here. Would you mind telling me where we are? And what that building with the pony statue is?” Dusky asked, hoping it wouldn’t seem weird.

The girl’s eyes were drawn to his eye, and Dusky saw her take a step back as she took in the scars. She turned to face him completely and smiled nervously as her demeanor changed completely. “Oh, new here? I’m Applejack, by the way. Nice to meet ya!” She stuck out her hand, and Dusky replicated the strange gesture. Applejack grabbed it and yanked it up and down in an apparent variation of the hoof bump. “Anyway, ya probably know this but we’re in Canterlot. Not the biggest town, but still pretty large. Right now, we’re super close to the Sweete Shoppe, a really nice cafe! That place back there’s Canterlot High School, which you and ah’ll be goin’ to in a couple’a years. By the way, how old’re you? And what’s your name? Ah'm twelve” Applejack cocked her head, stepping closer.

Foggy froze for a moment. He'd only been alive for nine years back in Equestria, but apparently these creatures matured slower. Capitalizing off of their similar height, Foggy grasped at her age. “T-Twelve. I mean, I’m twelve, and my name’s Dusky; Dusky Dune. Thanks for all the help!” Eager to get out of the conversation, Dusky pivoted and walked in the opposite direction that she was originally going in.

“No prob! We're the same age, so I’ll probably see ya in school when summer’s over!” Dusky heard her call but didn’t look back.

School? Yeah, right. I’m basically an undocumented immigrant here. How would I be able to register for a school without documents?
----------

Dusky continued his walk in the hot summer sun, stopping only to drink from any public water fountains he crossed. He tried not to stray too far from the school, as that was where the portal was, and after asking around a bit (pretending that he was looking for a friend), he found himself outside a small homeless shelter. He’d been living in one for a little while before he was banished but left after only a few days. The one in this version of Canterlot looked crowded, to say the least. The building itself exuded a grimy aura, and the sidewalk leading up to it even looked cracked and broken. It stood two stories high, with large clouded windows.

Dusky hesitantly crept up to the dirty brown door, and with a twist of his hand, it opened with a creak. Dusky jumped at the sudden noise, then steeled his nerves and moved inside.

The interior of the shelter was brightly lit, fluorescent bulbs embedded in the ceiling. The lower floor was all one large room, with countless bunk beds set up in rows. A staircase led to the upper floor, and the sound of running water emanated from past it. A tall purple-skinned woman with short red hair met his gaze from a desk near the door. Dusky walked up to the desk and gave her his best puppy-dog eyes.

“Excuse me, lady, would it be okay if I stayed here for a night or two? My parents are out of town, and I lost the key to our house. It would only be the one night until they get back, and I’m super tired. Pleeease?” He whimpered, false politeness layered thick in his voice.
The lady sighed, seemingly convinced. “Of course you can stay here, kiddo! If you need anything at all, just let me know!”

Score! Dusky internally celebrated, nodded at the woman in thanks and walked past her to a bed in a far corner. Lying was all too easy, Dusky had found out. Everyone in Equestria had been so… trusting, nothing like back home. He hoped everyone here was so easily manipulated, it would make his life much easier.

He had no belongings, so his bed was much simpler compared to the other beds covered in shopping bags or filled with haggard men and women. He sat down on it and contemplated his next move,

I should probably take a shower here, and snag a toothbrush and a few essential toiletries. As for a place to sleep, they’ll call someone to get me if I stay here for too long. In the morning I’ll look around to see if there’s a good place.

A raucous laugh came from a corner, and an obviously drunk man stumbled into the bed next to Dusky.

Here’s to a new life…

This is gonna suck.

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Fire. Consuming, scorching, burning. Previously a means of warmth, of safety. Of shelter.

Now turned to a killer that ravaged the small town.

Cries rang out through the air as Dusky staggered across the streets he once walked with pride, now covered in ash and the rubble of broken homes.

“M-Mama?” He cried out, but no answer met his ears. The only sounds were the crackling of fire and the wails of his people dying.

Dusky broke into a run, dashing through ruined streets and jumping over fallen trees that had once characterized the village. He passed the ruins of the old farmhouse where the nice donkey had lived, past the schoolhouse he’d only spent a few years in, even past the lumber yard, only burning stumps and fallen trees left.

He skidded to a halt in front of his house. Fairly untouched, somehow. He raced forward to open the door, then paused.

The door… trembled. The entire house shook for a moment, and Dusky jumped back as it exploded.

The young pony was sent flying from the blast, burning pain racing through a leg caught in the blast. He staggered to his feet, and froze as a loud thump sounded behind him.

Dusky turned shakily to stare into two enormous, glowing red eyes.

He jerked awake with a gasp, sending a blanket flying and nearly banging his head on the roof of his car. His heart raced a mile a minute, and his breath came out in short gasps.

I haven’t had that nightmare for a while. Damn, now I’m not going to be able to fall asleep again, that sucks.

He checked the time on his cheap, battered cell phone, which read 3:25.
Ugh, now I’ve got to find something to do for the next few hours until school. Maybe…
“Foggy? What’s going on?” A voice sounded from the passenger seat.

Oh damn, I must have woken her up. “Uh, sorry Scootaloo. I… I woke up suddenly, and probably woke you up too. Just go back to sleep, and I’ll wake you up for school.”

The purple-haired girl nodded sleepily. “Okay.” She turned the opposite way, and soon her breathing slowed into the rhythms of sleep.

The troubled teen sighed and laid back down in the seat of his car. One would think that since his banishment, he’d be able to live a normal life. Nope, not for him.

First of all, he was homeless.

It made sense, after all. He’d been banished from Equestria with a total of zero bits, nobody to look after him in this new world, no legal documents, nothing. He’d lived with a nice old man for a while, but that was in the past and he refused to think of that time now. Now he lived in his battered old truck with a friend of sorts, a girl named Scootaloo who he’d met in his old alley before he got his truck. He was 17 now, it’d been almost an entire five years since he’d been banished. Four of those were spent on the streets or in his car, and only one was with the old man. Due to a lack of funds, he hadn’t had his hair cut often, so it fell in a shaggy mop down to his shoulders. Usually it was tied back in a messy ponytail, but today it just fell free. His face was rather scruffy, and a rough beard was starting to form as he hadn’t had a chance to shave in a while. The gym’s showers and bathrooms could only do so much.

Second, his name wasn’t Dusky anymore. He’d… taken on the identity of a boy about his age with a similar skin color named Foggy Horizons. He knew the old Foggy was long deceased with little coverage on his death, so it was easy to simply slip into the role. He’d been able to go to school since his change, and the mantle of Foggy Horizons became his life.

Dusky was long since dead. Only Foggy remained, and he would be stronger for it. That was how the world worked; the bigger and stronger thrived, while the ants and mice of the world struggled and perished.

But every once in a while, an ant managed to take down a lion.

And Foggy wanted… no, he needed to be that ant.

Foggy let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, feeling it crystalize in the cold air above him. It was the middle of fall, and he was definitely feeling it now. His part-time job at Pizza Pal’s Pizzeria wasn’t enough to make him able to afford gas to power the car’s heat through the night, so all that covered him was his dirty winter coat and a fraying blanket. Scootaloo was smaller, so she was able to bundle up in a smaller but better-maintained blanket. Foggy spent most of his sleeping hours rather cold, but he’d be out of this world before it got really cold, hopefully. The window was lowered a crack, just enough to let cold air in to stop them from suffocating

Still, the coming days until his hopeful return would be wracked with cold. It wasn’t quite the chill of winter yet, but it was enough to make him uncomfortable.

Now that he thought about it, he’d had a pretty shitty life since he came to the human world. Homelessness, poverty, the constant ache for revenge, and other various troubles. Sure, there were periods of less difficulty, like living with the old man, but now thinking about that time left a bitter taste in Foggy’s mouth.

It would all be worth it in the end, though. The next cycle was almost upon them, and if their plans went accordingly, he would be back in his true body before the sun set tomorrow.

All of his work, all of his careful planning and deals made, all of his had almost come to fruition. All those hours spent in the science lab during lunch, training his body in the gym, working furiously in his car after school and between work shifts, all that time planning his sweet, sweet revenge… it would all be worth it.

----------

Foggy breathed out, a cloud of smoke following it. The nicotine from the cigarette held between his fingers sent a rush of pleasure to his brain, and he felt the pressure of the day fade away as his entire body relaxed.
Smoking wasn’t something Foggy was exactly happy about, and using a lighter honestly terrified him, but it got him through the day. He technically wasn’t legally allowed to, so he snuck off to the janitor’s closet or the bathroom whenever he needed a smoke. The day had been particularly stressful so far; he and Sunset Shimmer, his partner in crime, had skipped their first three periods to iron out the plan; Sunset would travel through when it opened up tonight, grab the artifact, and get out. He, Foggy, would simply sleep and wait until the next day, when she would use it for her plans and help him get through. He needed her for her influence, and she needed him for his knowledge on this world and his ideas. The entire thing had been his plan, after all, once he’d heard of the ‘Elements of Harmony’. A silly thing, they were, but with power untold.

Without him, Sunset wouldn’t have a clue of what to do. She used to be a pampered student of that devil Celestia, and all those spell ingredients and work that Foggy had struggled to attain and complete in the Lower Glades was done for her by servants. Foggy was used to needing to make plans fast and act quickly, and while Sunset had other strengths, without him she would be rather helpless in his eyes.

While Sunset had resources and money, due to the fact she’d come through the portal with a sack or two of literal gold coins and jewelry, Foggy had ideas.

And in the right hands, that was more powerful than wealth any day.

With a snort Foggy threw the stub of his cigarette down and stomped it out, turned on his heel, and exited the small closet. He couldn’t waste too much time; he couldn’t afford to get kicked out of school with the way things were. If he did they’d look into his life and find the broken mess of his “family”, and he’d be sent to a foster home far away faster than he could say “Canterlot.”

And maybe, just maybe, deep down Foggy couldn’t help but need to learn more, to become more powerful.

Because as everyone who was anyone knew, knowledge was power.

Well, combined with brawn in this world, that was. What was the point in being smart if you anytime you tried to use your smarts you got beat down? Back home in the Lower Glade unicorns traditionally trained their bodies, but that was just because anyone not fit enough died in the forests. Here though, the nerds were bullied and the popular or strong reigned supreme.

Here, Foggy thrived. He wasn’t the most liked, and he didn’t have the friendship that Equestria saw as so vital, but he had his mind and his body. They rarely failed him, and in the end he would win. He had to win.

And now all he could do was wait.

Patience is a winning man’s skill. And I don’t intend to lose.

Author's Note:

This is my first big fic, so let me know what you think! I dont mean Foggy to be angsty or emo or anything, I'm going for a more angry antihero/villain. Let me know if it's weird or anything!