Baa-Ram-Ewe!

by Darkonshadows

14. Pom wasn’t entirely correct.

-The next day, Frozen Fortress, Shanty-

This place be looking like a big playground. I wish I could be playing here, but apparently Dragon be wanting to meet us. I am understanding that there were no hard feelings for me beating up a monkey. They be getting beaten up all the time so much that they don’t want to hold any grudges aside from wanting to do better next time, male or female they get beaten down and they don’t seem to mind it one wit as they always get up for more

I be respecting their spirits.

“Why this Dragon be wanting to meet with Ocellus and me, we being as uninteresting a sight as a pirate shoveling food into a box at a buffet.” If I was ever allowed into a fabled buffet, then I certainly would be eating all I could.

“Don’t honestly know and monkeys aren’t exactly saying much about yesterday.” There was a great concern in Pom’s eyes as she be looking my way.

We soon be coming upon Baboon, he be an amazing fighter with just raw strength alone. If he put in the work, could he be actually putting up a real fight with Skunk and his friends?

“Yes, you’ve told us that things got weird when he got a gold scale where you placed your hoof.” Ocellus is being very fun when you can get her out of her shell in a figurative sense, she even be doing a great impersonation of me. “From how you described Dragon, it almost sounds like he resembles a changeling starving for love and affection”

Baboon grumbled loudly as motioned for us to follow him.

“There’s a reason things got weird, but I’ll let Dragon do all the talking.” Baboon commented dryly as we were led to a staircase carved out of stone and down towards a ledge leading into a lake. “All I can say on the matter is, he’s been doing a lot of thinking. Dragon, I have done as you have asked!”

It not being dark in here confused me until I saw the glowing crystals lining the walls of the place, the rumbling in the water drew my attention and I saw him rising from the waters. I could feel my ears moving backwards and I slowly be positioning myself behind Pom.

“So... this is your group…” He rasped as he leaned down to look at us.

“We are the rest of the group, yes.” Ocellus was quivering as she be looking up at his blackened scales and size. “You weren’t kidding he is intimidating. I'm Ocellus.”

“Yesterday you did me a grave disservice Pom, but you have also given me a new perspective and I will do something for you for giving me said perspective…” Dragon be looking at Pom when he said that, he then be noticing me behind her. “Is she yours?”

“By blood, no… but I am her current acting guardian and will defend her with my life.” Pom be stuttering slightly and moving protectively in front of me. She be actually meaning that? It makes my chest fill with a warmth of a cloudy day on the beach where the sun isn’t burning as harshly, it be feeling nice. “Her name is Shanty, she likes humming, learning and eating more than her own body weight in food.”

“I just be always feeling hungry, but Pom and her friends be helping me a lot with that.” I stated positively with a slight grin up at him.

“Okay, what did you mean when you said I did you a great disservice?” As Pom spoke, she be moving forward and much closer to him before sitting down. I chose to move to being behind Ocellus, I am not being nearly that brave or dumb. “I’m sorry if I upset you in any way.”

“I’m quite sure that you mean that without even knowing what exactly it is that you did, but do not worry. I promise that I mean you no injury, I will keep this promise even if I do see you again after this as unlikely as that will be…” Dragon be narrowing his eyes along his snout as he lowered his head down in front of Pom. Some of his teeth jutting out of his mouth be looking quite dangerous to be near. “From what I’ve observed of you, you are a timid creature with an overactive imagination… but you do have the idea of how things could eventually end up. You were even right in saying that I cannot speak against The Heavens, but the most surprising thing you said yesterday… was that I was still 'Guardian of The Valley'. That, among many other things, had a ring of truth to them, but not everything you said was completely correct.”

Dragon be wheezing slightly and he be giving Pom a glare.

“You would have me blame The Heavens for my misfortune, in this you are not correct. Listen to me before you say anything, for I am deciding your fate here today!” Dragon quickly cut off whatever statement Pom was about to make. Pom closed her mouth with a click of her teeth, she was shivering as she leaned away from Dragon with a leg raised protectively across her chest. “The Heavens do have some blame for my current state, my inability to fly and my burns, but… I have a larger share of the blame in my own misfortunes. I dislike the fact that you even cried for a monster like me and of all the options you stated, you have already performed the fifth one. That being a miracle of hindsight by stating that my guardianship was never revoked.”

He gestured to Pom and she looked a little upset.

“So what does that mean for you, does it mean you’re going to continue doing what you are?” Pom be talking about him destroying The Valley or at least taking control of it. “What exactly do you have planned for us?”

“To answer your first question… why yes, I am going to continue making Baboon and the monkeys do my bidding. It may not occur to you, but you are not me and were not present for what happened.” Letting out a growl that devolved into a chuckle. “I now fully believe that I deserve what happened to me and I would not have otherwise learned my lesson if The Heavens did not strike me down nearly as hard as they did. I actually think that what they did to me was brilliant in scope and I think they actually did me a great favor doing it too. In turn I will soon be doing a favor of equal importance for all of you, the outsiders that have come into The Valley that I am supposed to be defending.”

“Have you gone insane from being stuck in here for so long?” Smolder be asking with a flat look and crossed limbs. “This 'The Heavens' thing did kind of put you through the wringer and I’d still be pretty mad at them personally.”

“I am quite sane and I really must praise The Heavens… for their discretion and subtle ways.” Seeing Dragon grinning had me shivering my timbers I didn’t even know I had. “I hadn’t seen or thought of it before, but I can certainly see it now.”

“What did you see?” Pom asked with a tilt of her head and more than a moderate amount of curiosity that I’m sure we all be feeling now.

“Let me tell you, as Guardian of The Valley my job was… quite superfluous… ‘boring’ even.” Groused out Dragon and he hissed slightly, before diving into the water. After twenty seconds of us looking between one another, Dragon popped back up. “The Valley was at peace for a long, long time when I was still smaller than Panda… nothing exciting ever happened around here and my job was the easiest one in the world. I just had to protect The Valley, when it didn’t need protection from anything… up until my fall. Until The Heavens decided to test me and actually make things interesting once I failed them and… what they have done is this… they gave me a challenge unlike any other.”

“A challenge?” Smolder raised her right brow slightly.

“I do love a good challenge, plus The Heavens have made things much more interesting around here. I will not hide the fact that I have become a monster, of that I’m quite aware, but my folly has become a thing of great entertainment and now The Valley needs protection… heh-heh-heh… from me…” Dragon snorted a small blast of flame and dipped his nose into the water for a few seconds. “As for what I’m going to do with you…. it’s quite simply really… my job.”

Dragon’s eyes widened slightly when he said ‘my job’ and he be propping his claws together above his chest.

“Your job… you mean as Guardian of The Valley?” Pom seemed to perk up slightly.

“You are outsiders trespassing in The Valley, however you did not come with intention to invade or cause suffering, but you will cause emotional suffering once you leave to go home. As the friends you’ve made here might never see you again, but you got here through magic in the first place and that’s how you will leave.” Dragon soon started to move away from us out into the lake. “This leads me to the disservice you’ve done me. You stated that I couldn’t do it and that I didn’t have to strain myself trying, I beg to differ and do not need you worrying about me. I laugh at the fact that you think I’m an invalid from all this agony. I still have my mind and will, The Heaven do not control my actions… though they do guide them in this one action. I will see you home regardless of whether or not it uses up this single shred of hope on my belly.”

He be grabbing something and then turned around to motion to the golden glowing scale on his belly with his right claw, in his left were four strange crystals.

“This golden scale is a sign that I have a task to do and it will be difficult and intensive on me, but… it is a challenge I will face fearlessly.” Dragon slowly meandered back over to us with the crystals clutched in his grasp. “I will meet my eventual fate without fear, whether I win, lose or otherwise… but you will not be here to witness it. Even if I were to get rid of Skunk in this method, I fear he would only come back stronger or as you stated Pom… he may get a much more suitable replacement. I wish to actually see if Skunk will bring me down, so I will not be doing something like this to him as he is a part of The Valley and he will not leave until our, 'apparently', fated battle.”

“Are you going to let up on the cruelty towards those loyal to you, maybe just a little?” Pom received a flat look from Dragon.

“Yeah, bullying your minions doesn’t end well and builds resentment. Having once been a minion I would know, our queen left our hive when we all changed for the better and she eventually got turned to stone because she couldn’t let go of being power hungry. Feeding on love wasn’t doing my people any favors, sharing it however… well let’s just say I looked more like you do at the time.” Ocellus approached to be right next to Pom, I followed her and Smolder did the same. “You seem much… nicer than her at least.”

“I may treat them better emotion reader…” Dragon look to the stone roof above us, before he turned back to us. “Now enough talk, back away and let me prepare to create a portal to your home realm. Baboon, get the salt!”

Dragon set the four crystals on the ground, Baboon came back with some salt. The remaining salt, once most of it was used to place a curved path between the four crystals to create a circle, was used to make something shaped like a dragon's head in the middle of the circle.

“Wait a few minutes for me to gather my strength to perform the spell, do not waste my time or this opportunity I am giving you. You have time to say your goodbyes to Baboon and the monkeys, they will send any message to those who you befriended in The Valley, my forces will make sure that they receive them.” Dragon soon dunked himself into the water wheezing and gasping, he be hurting a lot and Pom is being worried about him

A ninja monkey got out a flat piece of papyrus and looked to us.

“Mr. Baboon, I want you to thank Fox for being my friend these past few days.” Pom bowed to Baboon. “I also want you to tell everyone that this isn’t where we belonged and that we’re sorry that we couldn’t stay longer. Also thank you for being good friend too.”

“Don’t mention it, I’m just doing my job as Dragon’s best, and only, general!” Baboon stated proudly while puffing up his chest.

“I want you to tell Crane thanks for the tips.” Ocellus was trying not to look at anyone. “She’ll know what I mean.”

“Tell Rabbit that while he was a jerk, he was a pretty cool for a big one.” Smolder grinned. “Oh and tell everyone we said good bye and that it’s been fun, we can’t forget that.”

“I want you to be telling Turtle that I be thanking him greatly for helping me get better.” It was now my turn, I had met many a new friend in The Valley… but what did I have to go home to? Did I actually want to stay? Would Dragon even let me? I be looking to Pom and made a decision I be hoping to not regret for the rest of my life. “I also be wanting you to tell Skunk that I be having a great time with him, but I still be having pirates back home to prove wrong and that I can be just as great as they are.”

“Heh, kind of like me.” Baboon patted me on the back and I smile up at him. “I can appreciate the thought of proving yourself tough to others kid, it’s the story of my life even if I’m not always a winner. Remember that every loss, no matter how insignificant, is a lesson to be learned and I learn quite a lot.”

-The Valley, one hour prior, Empty Equestrian Campsite, Fox-

So they were going up to face Dragon today, I was worried about Pom and her friends. Pom said that Dragon wasn’t going to hurt them and meant them no harm personally … I readily believed her even without proof, but I still had a feeling something bad was going to happen soon and I couldn’t quite put my paw on why.

“Hey Fox, have you seen Shanty?” Should I tell Skunk? He’d go running off to face Dragon if he knew, should I tell him the truth or lie to him. I remember that time when we were all blaming the monkeys for everything under the sun, even when they weren’t responsible and with no evidence to support said accusations.

“Well… they are… currently-visiting-Dragon-in-his-territory.” I blurted that last bit out hoping he wasn’t being too attentive.

“They’re where?!” Skunk shouted, I probably should have lied to him. “We have to go help them!”

“Skunk, wait! Oh no…” Rubbing my paw at my forehead, I sighed loudly. I couldn’t let him go there all alone by himself.

He might unintentionally cause a lot of problems and could get Pom’s group hurt, especially if they are only being simply treated as guests. I don’t trust Dragon to be a good host, but I trust that at least Baboon could be friendly towards them.

“Hey, where’s that squirt running off to so quickly Fox?” Rabbit asked as he came flopping foot over foot into the camp, he must have recently finished his patrol.

“Follow me Rabbit, he’s heading to Dragon’s lair and we have to stop him before something happens to him!” I immediately set off in a run with Rabbit following right behind me.

“Oh yeah, this sounds like a good time, count me in!” Despite his demeanor, Rabbit really does care about Skunk and keeps his heart hidden underneath his constant oafish bravado. I just wish he would show his softer side more often. I do love Rabbit and yet I don’t think I could ever get with him until he learns to stop acting like he has to be tough all the time. There’s also his thoughts on girls that needs a bit of adjustment, otherwise he was a decent friend and he was quite adorable in his actions. That he even creates works of art about me is actually flattering, and a little disturbing. “I seriously hope the squirt doesn’t get in over his head, why is he going out to face Dragon?”

Why is it always times like this when he openly shows his emotions honestly?!

-Dragon’s lair, present, Pom-

“I have added extra precautions to the portal that I am going to create, because I don’t trust that there won’t be interference when I create it.” He grumbled audibly as he started channeling magic. “I expect something to go wrong as soon as I open it. I will prove to you Pom that this will not be too much of a strain for one as mighty as I!”

He was apparently trying to resonate our magical signatures to Equus. It doesn’t matter where on Equus we ended up as long as it wasn’t in a volcano, at the bottom of the ocean or in the middle of immediate danger. Dragon had told our group what he was doing and was meticulous in making precautions for our safety.

Slowly his glowing claws spread outward and a portal opened up at the end of the ledge where he set things up.

On the other side was a four legged purple dragon with a dragonfly looking back at us confusedly.

The portal shifted to a strange spinning bipedal creature breaking boxes that stopped his destruction to look at the portal curiously, he tilted his head at us as he bit into a piece of fruit that came out of one of the crates he broke.

The scene suddenly changed to a strange looking monkey in what could only be a giant machine fighting three little big eyed strange flying things with rounded beanbag like limbs.

The aperture changed one last time and it seemed to be in a forest pointed at a familiar place.

“That’s Ponyville, it looks like it’s opened up just inside the Ever Free Forest, let’s go!” Smolder immediately started for it with Ocellus, as did I before a shout distracted me.

“Dragon you better let them go or whoa-no…!” I heard a loud yelled as skunk came tumbling down the stairs and was rolling straight at Dragon’s set up.

Dragon glared at Skunk’s arrival and I looked back to the portal to witness a disheartening sight.

Before any they could reach the portal in time it changed locations to a strange city in a misty valley, which was when both Smolder and Ocellus sadly went through it with wide eyes. I turned back to see that Skunk had destroyed one of the crystals for the portal.

Looking to Dragon, he suddenly heaved himself at the portal and grabbed a hold of it.

“Go if you do not wish to be separated from your... friends! I will not be able to... hold it to its location for long.” At Dragon’s words I made my way for the portal and stopped to look back at Shanty who was moving towards Skunk.

“We not be hostages Skunk, we just be going somewhere else. It’s been fun and I be wanting to do this so you can remember me quite fondly!” Shanty gripped both sides of a dazed Skunk’s head as he sat on the spot where one of the crystals used to be and then kissed him. She was using her tongue and all, this caused Skunk to bright red and send a massive blast of noxious looking green gas out his backside with his eyes wide open. “I am really liking you, but I don’t be thinking we would work out. Okay, I be coming! I be thinking about staying here Pom, but I want to go on more adventures with you and eventually prove to those pirates that I can be being better than all of them when we be getting back! I’m not being ready to settle down, even if Skunk is being really cute.”

Where did Shanty learn to kiss like… oh right, lived on an island that had pirates and might have witnessed the act enough times to know how to do it herself.

Shanty darted right past me and straight into the portal and I was about to follow her, but I hesitated. I looked back as Rabbit, Fox and Baboon were all coughing and flailing on the floor from the blast of Skunk’s stink.

Luckily the stink had been aimed at the entrance instead of at Dragon who was currently holding the portal open.

“Dragon… thank you, for trying to get us home.” I said to him softly with a small smile as he held the portal open with gritted his teeth. He glared at me fiercely, but there wasn’t actually any heat in it.

“Yes, yes, I’m doing something nice!” Dragon screamed at me angrily. “Now go through portal you ingrate, I can’t do this forever and if it changes before you go through, then you might never see your friends again!”

I quickly hurried and leapt through it to find myself rolling across the grass where I slammed into a tree and a peach splattered on my face messily. I blinked blearily at the sight of the portal above me through the peach juice running down my face and saw Dragon’s claws releasing their hold of it.

Did I go to the same place as Ocellus, Smolder and Shanty?

I heard crying, I slowly sat up and saw Shanty weeping. Both Ocellus and Smolder were currently trying to console our poor little goat.

-Dragon’s lair, Dragon-

It is done…

I turned to the interlopers in my lair.

Skunk stood up and looked angrily at me.

“Do not fret ‘Skunk’, they are safe where they ended up. This was to be a one way trip to their home… a trip which you have bungled!" I angrily flared some fire in his direction, but my intention was not to hit him. I did, amusingly enough, make him jump back a little. “At least my precautions bore fruit and they ended up in a place that is safe from here… and me… I offer you a choice Skunk. You can either leave freely with your friends, or we can start our fated fight here and now. Now choose...”

Skunk looked torn between wanting to fight me for sending our visitors on their way, hopefully the precautions for a world with enough mysticism to open a pathway back home for them worked.

"They were not in any danger from me." I looked Skunk in the eyes and he looked in mine, we stayed this way for a bit. "Go back to The Valley and tell my old... 'friend'... Panda that I have done my job for our visitors.”

Once he was out of sight, I moved my left claw away from hiding the lonely golden scale.

Author's Note:

Skunk Fu is over with.

Next is ??? with plenty of combat, not that Pom wants to have anything to do with it.

Comments

[Little_Draco]

As long as we get no humans in any cross overs here, i cant wait until the next adventure.

[Shadowshame]

This was interesting... I'm wondering if there ends up being a giant crossover at the end of all this

[AllenVth]

Shame that Skunk Fu is over. I was starting to like them a lot. But adventure awaits no one.