Guardians of Harmony: Rise of the Knights

by Postwarmonkey50

Chapter 9: A Knight's Trial part 5

Author's Note:

Hey everyone, just wanted to say I'll be gone for the weekend, but I promise I'll be back soon to finish what I started. Count on it.

At the same time, Silver was slowly beginning to wake up from a different location, making him groan as he slowly began to sit up.

“Oh man,” said Silver as he rubbed his head, “I haven’t felt this poorly since Rarity, and I did that Triple Order for the Fashion Week show a few years back.”

He looked around and noticed that the area wasn’t familiar to him. However, when he looked at the trees and a few others, he recognized the landscape, for they slightly resembled his old video game, the Witcher 3. He remembered that during his dark days of living in loneliness, he used to play it all the time, trying to cope with the loss of his parents.

“Wow,” said Silver as he looked around. “Never figured that I would be in a place that’s almost Witcher level.”

He slowly began to stand up, wondering where he would go. For he still needed to learn where he was supposed to go. He followed the signs that showed which way the town was. But as he traveled, he realized that even if he got to a town, there would be those who wouldn’t treat humans equally. If there’s one thing, he knows about most villages, they don’t accept outsiders to be in their village. But as he walked around, he heard a cart coming. He quickly hid to ensure that he wouldn’t be found.

He slowly waited until the cart had passed. Silver kept his position, not wanting to give himself away. That was until the cart suddenly stopped. Things were silent for a few moments until…

“You okay there?” asked a voice.

“Shit.” muttered Silver. He slowly got out and revealed himself to the stranger.

However, when Silver got a look at him, he was surprised to see an anthropomorphic wolf. He didn’t seem like a threat, though it’s hard to tell with the scars over his fur, he must’ve been through a lot.

“Uh, yeah, um…I’m fine.” said Silver as he approached the wolf. “Do you happen to know where I am? I seem to be lost here.”

“We’re near the village of Wolf’s Bane Haven,” said the Wolf. “There happens to be an Inn there. They’re trying to send out a contract to others to slay a beast that’s somewhere in these lands.”

“Mind if I come along?” asked Silver. “I’m new around these parts and don’t know where else to go.”

The Wolf looked at him with a flexed eyebrow as if studying him. After giving some thought, he nodded and said, “Very well, you can come along.”

“Thank you.” said Silver as he approached the cart. “I promise to pull my weight, too, I won’t hold you back.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” said the wolf as Silver boarded the cart. “What’s your name?”

“Jim Silver,” said Silver as he boarded the cart, “But folks at Equestria call me Silver.”

“Equestria, huh?” said the wolf as he commanded the cart to move using his Grogu Beast. “Never heard of that place, I imagine it’s pretty far.”

“Farthest as you can imagine.” said Silver, then he looked at the wolf and asked, “What do they call you?”

“Name’s Lobo.” said the Wolf. “I also happen to be new to these lands. Work tends to be hard to find nowadays, so I travel to find what I’m looking for.”

“Good to know.” said Silver as he looked ahead, but then he saw that the Wolf was offering him a cloak.

“You might want to disguise yourself.” said Lobo as he looked ahead. “Folks don’t take too kindly to outsiders, but we’ll find a way to manage.”

“Got it.” said Silver as he put the cloak on.

“Don’t worry,” said Lobo “We’ll find you a new outfit too once we get there.”

“As I said, I’ll pull my weight around,” said Silver after he put the cloak on. “I won’t let you down, promise.”

The wolf merely smiled, for the way he offered to help shows that there is indeed some generosity in there.

Soon enough, they made their way towards the Town, allowing them to find a place to park their cart, disembarked, and headed straight towards the nearest shop. They began to look around, but Silver noticed the store owner had a problem with things at the back, even these were so disorganized it would take him weeks to figure things out.

Silver couldn’t stand to see the store clerk struggle, so he decided to help organize things and fast too. The clerk was surprised to see how well the stranger was organized. Soon enough, the entire shop was neat and organized, with Silver handing him a list and manifest showing what items were there and helping sort things out and fixing things that could’ve spelled disaster.

“Thank you so much,” said the Store Clerk as he shook Silver’s hand. “I can’t thank you enough for helping me out. Wish I could repay you.”

“There’s no need.” said Silver with a smile. “It’s always good to be generous to those who need it. When things don’t work out, we always stick together and help those in need.”

Silver then walked out as the Store Clerk smiled with so much gratitude.

“Wait,” said the Store Clerk, causing Silver to stop and turn around. “I have something for you as a way of saying thanks.”

Soon enough, Silver walked out dressed in a new outfit, as well as a mask to keep his face concealed, except for his mouth and a cloak over his head.

“I have to say, I’m impressed.” said Lobo as he walked out of the store. “Normally, no one would help a stranger like that.”

“Well, from what my wife taught me,” said Silver, “It doesn’t matter how different you are or how little you have, sometimes, it pays to be generous to those who have nothing. Sometimes helping those in need through generosity, it is always best to help those in need.”

Lobo kept his face hidden but smiled underneath, for that’s a feeling he knows all too well. He then realized something and said, “Maybe he can help me after all.”

They made their way to a local inn, where the populace was mixed with griffons, hippogriffs, centaurs, and so on. There were also plenty of wolves all around. Silver kept his disguise and made sure no one would see through his disguise.

“Come,” said Lobo as he directed Silver to the bartender’s table. “Let’s get a drink while getting some information.”

They sat near the table, allowing the bartender to bring them some meat and drinks. As they drink, Lobo asks, “I assume you know who I am.”

“Indeed, I do,” said the bartender. “Been a while since we had one of you pass here a while back.”

“Do you have any work for us?” asked Lobo.

“As a matter of fact, we do,” said the bartender while handing them a document about a dragon. “About before you lot showed up, there happens to have been a dragon a while back that kept raiding some of our supplies.”

“What kind of supplies are we talking about?” said Silver as he was curious “Food being the obvious supply.”

“You catch pretty quick, but most of our food storages are alright, but this dragon stole blueberries and half of our milk storage. No idea what she would use them for. Dragons always take meat, but she didn’t bother them, she seemed interested in those items.”

“So, you wish for us to deal with it.” asked Lobo.

“That you should,” said the bartender. But then he leaned in and said, “And there’ll be an extra reward if you’re able to take care of another problem.”

“Another?” asked Silver.

“There happens to be a sorceress that also resides from the Grand Hall up the mountain,” said the bartender. “The Grand Hall happens to be where we held the festivities, but it’s been very difficult ever since she took it over. We can’t throw the festivities here, otherwise, it’ll attract the attention of some unwanted creatures.”

“We’ll take the payment upfront,” said Lobo. “After that, we’ll survey the situation. Once were done, we’ll be able to do the job.”

“Oh, thank you, kind sirs, ‘said the bartender, relieved to hear that.

“Where was the dragon sighted last?” asked Silver when he and Lobo finished their meals and drinks.

The bartender showed them a map behind him and said, “The dragon has been sighted up on that part of the country uphill. We know that place well, it used to be our largest factory to make rum for this and other villages. If the dragon is removed, we’ll be able to get some workers to fix the place up to restart the business.”

“Thank you.” said Lobo as he paid for the meal. “We’ll be on the way.”

The two of them exited the placed and made towards their cart, with Silver saying, “So the dragon has taken refuge inside the brewery. A strange place it would use to hide in, though.”

“If the dragon’s there, the factory must be big.” said Lobo, then looked at Silver. “We will need to act fast.”

“We’ll see if it’s sleeping first.” said Silver “Dragons are more dangerous when they’re awake.”

“You have some experience with them?” asked Lobo.

“I uh…my wife has told me a lot about dragons, even showed me.” said Silver, thinking about Spike and the constant times he’d tried to flirt with her since before he got there.

“I see.” said Lobo as they continued to trek their way to the top.

They continued to walk up the path, the villagers weren’t kidding when they mentioned how far it was. Then again, Silver couldn’t blame them, for you need to be farther away from home instead of next door when it comes to business. For it spells trouble if they do something like that.

Soon enough, they had reached the top. Silver was surprised to see how big the place was.

“Whoa,” said Silver as he looked at the building. “For a small village, they do have a big business.”

“Folks can’t get enough of their wines,” said Lobo “Any other place buys them twice the price because of how it tastes.”

“Look,” said Silver as he pointed at the hole in the roof, “That must be where the dragon flew in.”

“Then let’s go.” said Lobo as he and Silver walked down the hill.

They made their way to the entrance. But instead of rushing in, they quietly opened the door and peeked inside. They slowly walked in, with Lobo stopping Silver and pointing to the left. There were tons of berries and canisters of milk standing next to the large machine. But what caught their attention was a type of crystal underneath the large machine.

“I’ve never seen that before.” said Silver.

“They use those crystals to make the wine cold to keep it fresh.” said Lobo “Therefore, the trip would last very long, and by the time the wine is at the normal temperature, the ones who buy them would’ve already stored them at a place where it could be served and drink.”

“And from the looks of those crystals,” said Silver as he took a closer look, “They look brand new as if they’ve been recently installed.”

“There’s twenty more of them.” said Lobo as he looked around. “That would explain why the villagers” reported only specific crystals were taken.”

Silver looked at the tap nearby. He saw something that caught his attention: what appeared to drop coming out. He looked to his right and saw a cup. He picked it up and placed it under the tap while turning it on. The tap slowly dropped the contents in it before he closed it.

Silver looked at the contents, sniffed them, and then tasted them. To his surprise, it was…

“Ice Cream?” muttered Silver.

Silver then realized something. The milk, the berries, some of the ingredients, especially the machines. They led to a conclusion, which caused him to groan and say, “Now I know what the dragon needs them for.”

“You do?” said Lobo.

“Yeah, she’s busy ice cream binging.” said Silver.

“What’s ice cream?” asked Lobo. Silver handed the cup over, causing the wolf to taste it.

“Ice cream is sometimes enjoyed as deserts, snacks, or in this case…” said Silver as he pointed at all the wine-making machines “Stress eating when you’re greatly upset.”

“Let me guess, your wife?” asked Lobo.

“Unfortunately,” said Silver while rolling his eyes, “She eats a lot of that stuff.”

They suddenly heard crying, which caused them to be quiet and look in the direction where it was coming from. They slowly walked towards the noise as it grew louder and louder. When they took a peek, they saw a dragon, appearing to be a female, consuming ice cream while crying and sobbing simultaneously. They could see tons of buckets around as if she had been consuming a large amount of them.

However, when Silver looked at the dragon, its color scales looked familiar. It was all white, but instead of spikes on the dragon’s head, it was hair. Silver was curious, causing him to walk over to the dragon, much to Lobo’s shock.

As Silver got close, the dragon noticed, causing her to toss the bucket, with Silver merely turned left to dodge it.

“Don’t look at me!!” shouted the dragon. “I’m hideous!!”

Silver, remembering when he saw how Rarity had complimented the serpent at the Everfree Forest on their first adventure, decided to take a page from how she calmed the beast.

“Why would you ever think that?” said Silver, which confused Lobo on what he was doing.

“Because I am!!” sobbed the dragon. “Look at me, I used to be so beautiful, but now I’m a monster!!”

“That’s preposterous.” said Silver. “You are still very beautiful.”

The dragon sniffed and said, “I beg your pardon?”

Lobo flexed an eyebrow at that as he watched the human.

“For one thing.” said Silver as he started, “The whiteness of your scales. They say that snow may be cold but also very beautiful. Your scales are like the color of the snow, if snow can be beautiful, so too can the color of your scales.”

The dragon was slightly surprised, causing her to slowly observe her scales. They were white, just like the snow, which she found quite surprising.

“Oh my,” said the dragon as she looked at her scales. “They do look like snow, don’t they?”

“Exactly.” said Silver, making himself realize that he was getting through to her, but he continued trying. “And your wings. Yeah, sure, they may look different, but the way I see it, you’re just a beautiful angel who’s misunderstood. You were just misunderstood because no one can see an angel when they see one.”

The dragoness looked at her wings and realized they may look different, but he didn’t see it. Silver suddenly caught a hint of growling, which he realized was coming from Lobo. At first, he was curious, but he let it slide as he tried to get through to her.

“And your hair.” said Silver. “Oh my gosh, your hair. They may be a bit messy, but the way I see it, they run like silk.”

He walked over and could feel a piece of her hair dangling. “And they even feel like silk, pure even.”

The dragoness rubbed her hair and realized it did feel like silk. She couldn’t help but blush at the compliments, even if he seemed different.

“And your body…” said Silver as he pointed at it. “Your body shows how attractive you really are, it shows how hard you worked to maintain such a beautiful body.”

Now the dragon felt really flustered over his compliments, while Silver could feel the grinding of someone’s teeth and claws scratching on what would be a wall. Silver noticed that Lobo looked like he was going to lose it. But he ignored it, for he was close to breaking through her.

“And those eyes,” said Silver “Those eyes of yours, they shine so bright that the most beautiful of diamonds.”

That seemed to do it. He could tell he had gotten through to her. The dragon slowly leaned forward and said, “My…you really know how to speak to a woman, don’t you?”

“Sometimes, when some think that they’re not beautiful, they tend to be in despair,” said Silver as he slowly went to the dragon and rubbed its muzzle. “But they don’t realize that there’s beauty everywhere, they just don’t take a moment to soak it in before judging so harshly.”

The dragon sniffled again, saying, “Oh, if I wasn’t already married, I would’ve taken you in a heartbeat.”

“I get that from time to time.” said Silver.

He then noticed two large ice creams in larger buckets. He walked over and scooped himself a small bowl while taking the bigger one for the dragon. Thankfully they had spoons in them, so it would make the conversation easier. He sat across her while he focused on the dragon.

“Now then, tell me.” said Silver while handing her some ice cream while accepting his own, saying, “What seems to be the trouble? Why do you think of yourself differently?”

The dragon sniffled once more before accepting her ice cream and ate it slowly to explain her situation.

“Well, it’s like this,” said the Dragon as she was chewing on some ice cream and tried to explain her situation. “I wasn’t always a dragon, you know. I was once a Princess of this kingdom. I became the ruler after my father passed away. I did my best to rule my kingdom. Until one day, the sorceress, jealous of my beauty, suddenly turned on me and…and…turned me into a dragon.”

“Really?” said Silver. “Was there another reason why she did what she did?”

“No.” said the dragon, “I didn’t even do anything to her.”

After containing his anger, Lobo snuck beside him and whispered, “It was a while ago. The beauty was part of it, the other part was that she was selfish because she kept hoarding things to herself like a spoilt brat.”

“Wow,” muttered Silver. “Was my own wife like that before I met her?”

He looked at the dragoness and said, “And you chose to hide out here ever since?”

The dragon sniffled and said, “Yes.”

Silver stood up and asked, “What’s your name?”

The Dragoness sniffed and said, “Belle.”

Silver smiled, walked over, holding her dragon claw, and said, “Well, Belle. My name is Jim Silver. But everyone back at my home calls me Silver.”

Belle looked at the human and smiled a bit, with Silver saying, “So how about we go out there and find a way to help you.”

Belle was slightly surprised but asked, “Why are you helping me? We’ve recently met, and you’re willing to trust me. Why?”

“Because you’re my friend,” said Silver, which surprised Belle. “Just because were different doesn’t mean we don’t have a place in the world to help those in need. Sometimes being generous can help one cleanse ones soul.”

Belle had never considered that before, while at the same time, she heard someone else.

“Who else is there with you?” asked Belle.

“Another friend.” said Silver, then looked in the direction and said, “You can come out now.”

Lobo slowly appeared, but he kept his hood over his head to hide his face for some reason, why, Silver didn’t know, not yet anyway.

“Apologies.” said Lobo. “I didn’t know if I should make my presence known until I knew it was safe.”

“It’s alright.” said Silver “Now then, about the Sorceress. Did the villagers say

anything else about her besides what they already told us?”

“From what I could tell,” said Lobo as he thought about it, “She would sometimes hit the villages near the ocean. And since there are only four villages capable of that, I’d know of one she might go to.”

“Then that’s where were heading.”

The three left the factory and traveled to where the sorceress resided. As Lobo said, they continued to take the road that led them straight toward the village near the ocean.

Silver looked at what she was hauling, and as it turned out, it was an entire cart filled with canisters and large cups. He looked at her with a flexed eyebrow, with Belle noticing as she noticed him staring.

“What?” said Belle.

“Why are you carrying that with you?” asked Silver.

“What?” said Belle. “I need it in case I need to calm down again. Besides, they taste so good.”

“They sure are.” said Silver, but then he also knew another thing about Ice Cream.

“But aren’t you afraid that they’ll melt?”

“Oh, not to worry.” said Belle. “These are specially designed to keep things cold. Meaning the Ice Cream couldn’t melt, no matter how hot a day.”

“Really?” said Silver, then he muttered silently. “Wow, Ponyville would have a field day if they had stuff like this.”

But then he thought, “Then Pinkie would probably go overboard with the ice cream again.”

They continued to follow the path that would lead straight to the village, while at the same time, Silver had secretly been putting something together using materials he had somehow obtained during his first travel. After an hour of walking, they finally reached within view of the village.

“Village up ahead.” said Lobo.

“We’d better get going.” said Silver “The Sorceress might be up to no good.”

They soon approached the village. The villagers didn’t seem bothered by the large dragon. Belle kept looking around with pure nervousness, fearing that folks would fear her, and ran away as they did before. However, he gently patted her foot, gaining her attention, showing his smile, indicating that she didn’t need to be afraid, not as long as friends around didn’t think of her differently.

However, as they walked, she overheard the village children talking.

“I wished our village was in such a poor state.” said one child.

“Yeah, no thanks to that stupid princess.” said the second child.

“Yeah, that bitch made everyone’s life miserable.” said the third “Always taxing us, always taking what little we have. Honestly, why’d we have a bitch like her around?”

The Dragoness got angry as she growled while flames were coming out of her nose. That was until she felt something stop her and saw Silver looking at her angrily.

“Don’t even think about it.” said Silver.

“But they dared insult me. Me, a princess.”

“Yeah, and for a good reason.” said Silver, but then he changed his attitude while saying, “Instead of being angry, why not give them something to take their mind off of things.”

“Like what?” said the Princess.

Silver looked at the Ice Cream canisters and had an idea. He went to the back and took one and three bowls. At first, the dragoness was shocked to see one of her ice creams be taken away, but she didn’t want to cause a scene, making her grumble.

Silver was close enough and said to the kids, “Excuse me?”

The kids looked at him and wondered what he was, with one kid saying, “What are you supposed to be?”

“Someone who likes to give a tasty treat.” said Silver.

He opened the canister, revealing the Ice Cream. The kids then wondered what it was while, at the same time, allowing Silver to dish the ice cream into the cubs with their own makeshift spoons. He handed it to them, allowing the kids to accept them. At first, they were curious about this until one of them tasted it. Within a split second, one of the kid’s faces lit up, and they smiled wonderfully.

“Mmm,” mumbled the one kid through her mouth. “This is so good.”

“Yeah, these taste amazing.” said the second.

“Come on, guys,” said one of the kids to the others.” This is amazing.”

Soon every child came together and had some ice cream. They all enjoyed it, with Belle watching as the children enjoyed some ice cream. She couldn’t help but notice how all of them were smiling. She couldn’t stop smiling, even if small, for watching a child smile was something she hadn’t seen in a long time.

After the ice cream and the children left to do their own activities, one child said, “Thanks for the ice cream, Mister. I wish there was a way to repay you for something this delicious.”

“Your smiling is all the thanks I’ll ever need.” said Silver with a smile before the child left.

Belle was surprised to have overheard what he said. At the same time, Silver comes back with the empty can, and Belle asks, “Why did you do that?”

“Sometimes in life when one has nothing,” said Silver, “Sometimes it pays to be a little generous to those who have nothing. A little generosity can help a long way. My wife once taught me that.”

Belle thought about it. In a way, she was once like that too. That was until…

“Help!!” shouted someone. “The Sorceress is causing trouble!!”

They looked toward the other side of the village, where they saw smoke rising. Thinking that the Sorceress was there, they needed to take immediate action. They soon made their way toward the other end of the village. Silver signaled Belle to stay there while Lobo and Silver checked it out. They took a peek and saw that the Sorceress was casting a spell that caused a fireball to be shot.

Silver couldn’t make out who it was, but as he squinted his eyes, he noticed that the hair looked familiar, but he couldn’t place his finger on it.

The Sorceress sighed and looked to her right, saying, “I’m so bored.”

“SURI?!!” shouted Silver, but clamped his mouth shut and quickly hid.

The Sorceress turned around but noticed that no one was around.

At the same time, Lobo looked at Silver and said, “You know her?”

“From somewhere else.” said Silver.

But before he could explain anything further, they heard someone clear their voice. This surprised them, making them slowly look to their left, and they saw the Sorceress crossing her arms and looking at them with a flexed eyebrow.

“Uh…” said Silver before he chuckled nervously and said, “Hi there.”

“And just what do you think you’re doing here?” asked the Sorceress.

“We’re here to stop you.” said Lobo as he got up. “And to have the princess restored to her former glory.”

“Oh, please.” said the Sorceress as she used her magic and tossed him away, making him crash against the barn. She then looked at the human and said, “And now for you.”

“Hold it.” said Silver as he raised his hand. “I’m not the aggression type, that’s never solved any problems.”

The Sorceress flexed her left eyebrow. She noticed that the strange creature hadn’t kept his defenses up and didn’t look like he wanted to attack her.

“Why are you doing this?” asked Silver. “Why did you turn the Princess into a dragon.

I know you couldn’t have done any of that without reason. If you did what you did, you must have a reason, didn’t you?”

The Sorceress kept her focus on him, and she noticed that he did wish to know, he wanted to hear her out. She took a deep breath to calm down, then landed in front of him while sitting on a wooden rail.

“If you must know.” said the Sorceress as she thought about her past. “Long ago, the Princess and I used to be best friends when we were little. Over time as we grew older, she became beautiful. But she also became cold about a month before she took the crown. I was also jealous of her beauty. But when she took the crown, she left me behind, took my home away from me, and kept taxing and taking away what little the people had. Eventually, I had enough and decided to teach her a lesson by turning her into a dragon.”

“Really?” said Silver. “Wasn’t that a bit harsh? Didn’t you try to talk to her?”

“I tried that for years.” said the Sorceress. “But no matter how hard I tried, she left me behind like I meant nothing to her anymore. She even used her own friends, which is why they broke apart and left her long ago.”

“Kinda sounds familiar.” said Silver.

“What do you mean?” asked the Sorceress.

“My wife was also like that.” said Silver “Long before I met her, she took her friends to see a play, but she let someone use her generosity to their advantage. She ended up enslaving her friends and guilt-tripped them into doing what she wanted. It was a miracle that they even bothered to stick around. And when they wrote a friendship Journal to help teach others to learn about friendship, the readers ended up getting the wrong message and ended up boycotting her business and thinking that she didn’t deserve to exist, not to mention they thought that she wrote a bunch of lies on it.”

“Wow,” said the Sorceress, “That must’ve been rough.”

“You have no idea.” said Silver as he rolled his eyes.

Before the conversation could go any further, the Sorceress saw something, causing her to quickly push the human out of the way and for her to jump away, while at the same time, a great fire had been blown, revealing it to be Belle.

“You!!” said Belle. “You have some nerve to show your face around here.”

“Well, look what the cat dragged in, ‘said the Sorceress as she floated in the air.

“I was once a beautiful Princess, and you took it away from me!!” shouted Belle.

“I took everything away from you?!” shouted the Sorceress back. “You were the one who took everything away from the villagers!! Pushed everyone away who actually gave a damn about you!! I looked up to you more than anyone, and suddenly, you treated us like garbage from out of nowhere?! I tried to reach out to you for years, and suddenly you also took my home away and had the gall to say that it’s my fault all this happened?!”

Belle got angry and shot her fire at the Sorceress, which caused her to fire an ice spell to stop it in its tracks, which ended up creating a smokescreen, which the Sorceress had planned. Once it cleared, the Sorceress floated above and said, “If you wish to settle this,” said the Sorceress sternly, “We’ll finish this at the Grand Hall. I’ll be waiting.”

The Sorceress flew away, with Belle angry that she got away again.

Silver got up and rubbed his head, for he got his head hit a bit.

Belle shouted, “You dare talk to the enemy! After what she did to me?! Who turned me into a monster?! Why I ought to...!!

But before she could continue, she felt a strong slap on her face. Belle held onto it and, in shock, looked at Silver, who revealed that he was the one who slapped her. At the same time, as Lobo arrived, he saw Silver get angry and yell at her.

“Shut the fuck up, you worthless bitch!!” shouted Silver, which shocked Belle as he continued, “She wouldn’t have acted out this way if it wasn’t for you!! You two used to be best friends ever since you were little!! And before that, you ended up taking the crown, and you were so selfish you pushed everyone out of your life!! Including your own best friends!! This whole thing is your fault too!! You treated everyone like slaves, you took their homes away, you took what little they had left, and you abandoned your own friends!!”

Belle gasped and said, “How dare you.”

“I dare because if something is wrong, it’s wrong!!” shouted Silver. “I don’t care how royal highness you are or that you used to be a princess!! You are mean, cruel, greedy, rotten, bossy, and bratty, and nobody likes you!!”

There was complete silence for a moment, and before he could react, Belle suddenly shed tears, bawled in crying, and ran away.

Silver groaned in frustration as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Then muttered, “No wonder the Sorceress turned her into a dragon.”

“That’s not far from the truth.” said Lobo, gaining Silver’s attention as Lobo stood next to him.

Silver looked at Lobo and said, “I knew she’s a princess and all, but the way she’s been acting, I can’t believe they made someone like her a princess.”

“You can blame her father for that.” said Lobo.

This gained Silver’s attention, he said, “What?”

“Her father’s why she’s like this.” said Lobo. “I won’t go any further than that. If you want to know, you need to talk to her about it.”

Silver looked in the direction that she ran. He realized he wasn’t very nice to her, making him groan in frustration as he said, “Why the heck does this always happen to me? This is the Friendship Journal all over again.”

“Friendship Journal?” asked Lobo.

“Long story.” replied Silver, then he looked ahead and said, “I need to make things right.”

He walked towards the direction where Belle ran. He continued to follow the path, realizing that this would lead to a different part of the beach somewhere. As he took a few more steps, he heard the sounds of sniffling, making him realize that she wasn’t that far. As soon as he got around the corner, the dragon sat there, sniffling as tears ran down, looking at her reflection in sadness.

Silver walked over to her and slowly sat next to her. He didn’t make any noise, for he sat there, waiting for her to open up until she was ready.

“What?” said Belle as she was still filled with tears. “Come to say something ghastlier to me?”

“Not really.” said Silver as he looked at the horizon. He remembered how he got Suri to open up, so he attempted to do the same for her.

“Ask me this,” said Silver “What made you go down that path in the first place?” Belle continued to look ahead of the horizon, thinking about her past. No longer able to hide it, she sighed and revealed the truth.

“When I was a little girl,” said Belle, “I was born under a wealthy family. Royalty, if you will. I cherished many friends with all my heart, even if we were very different. I even married to a one who loved me for who I was and became the husband I always wanted. I was very happy.”

Then she looked down in sadness. “But my father.” she started. “My father was a very cruel man. He did many things that we were not proud of and made us question our family’s heritage and legacy. He wanted a son, but he had me instead. He was cruel, he molded me into what he wanted me to be. Someone cruel. After he died and I took over, I mistreated the villagers as my father did. I drove my friends away, even my husband. The Sorceress was my best friend, but I ended up pushing her away and taking everything away from her, which is why she turned me into a beast.”

She looked ahead and was saddened while tears were falling. “When I took over, I tried hard to be better than my father, but his ghost still shook me terribly. I became a cruel ruler, just like he wanted me to be.”

She looked down again and said, “I didn’t even bother apologizing to her and those I hurt. I was so fat with pride, rotting in stink holes and stewing in my own anger, I chose to try and survive through this nightmare.”

She then looked away and said, “But you couldn’t understand.”

On the other hand, Silver looked ahead and said, “You might be surprised.”

Belle looked at him with a flexed eyebrow.

“Like you, I was also born into a wealthy family. When I was six years old,” said Silver, “I wanted to make myself presentable, wanting to impress everyone, but then I misheard the whole thing. They preferred to be with my sister than me. I ran back into my room and thought she had ruined my birthday. She came in and tried to talk to me, but I got violent and angry at her for what she did. My friends didn’t want to spend time with me because they thought I was a waste of space. Then in my anger, I threw a cake in her face, and she ended up running away, crying. But she didn’t pay attention to where she was going. And…she fell down the stairs, killing her instantly.”

Belle was shocked by the revelation, she placed her hand over her mouth.

“After she was buried, I found the gift she got me in my closet. I realized too late that she was trying to save my party, and the kids didn’t want to be my friends in the first place. I had never felt so alone, so defenseless. And I carried that guilt with me for years.”

He looked away and said, “And a year later, both my parents died in an accident. I kept blaming myself more and more. Though I may have riches and everything, I was the sole heir. It couldn’t replace my family. I felt broken…so empty…that I didn’t have the will to live. So, I sold my home and everything and bought a property somewhere secluded where no one else would even think about looking for me. I even

stacked up enough supplies to last me ten years so I could probably die of loneliness.” Belle shed a few tears, sympathizing with Silver.

“But then came an accident that killed me.” said Silver. “But somehow, I survived and was teleported to a different kingdom.”

Silver couldn’t help but smile and said, “Then I met Rarity. She accepted me without a second thought, offered me a job, and took me in. We ended up working together, spending a lot of time together, and eventually fell in love. We got married shortly after that, even gained a daughter, naming her Crystal Gem.”

He looked at Belle and said, “I also had everything robbed from me, but because of my impulsiveness, shortsightedness, and idiocy, I lost everything. But I got a second chance because fate had something different in mind. Like, I know Fate has something in store for you. You need to believe and actually try to help those in need.”

“But how do I do that?” asked Belle. “I’ve been following my father’s path and wallowing in guilt and anger, I’ve forgotten what that’s like.”

Silver placed his hand on Belle’s, gaining her attention, Silver smiled and said, “You start by taking the first step.”

Belle pondered in thought about this, and in the end, she couldn’t help but smile over Silver’s words of encouragement. She then asked, “So where do we go from here?”

“If I remember.” said Lobo as he approached the duo, gaining their attention as he said, “The bartender from the town said that the Sorceress resides at the Great Hall.”

“Oh, the Great Hall?” said Belle as it piqued her interest. “It used to host so many elegant parties there. And thankfully, I know the way.”

Silver stood up and said, “We got a long walk ahead of us.”

“Allow me.” said the Dragoness as she rested on the ground “Climb on my back, and I will take you there.”

“Are you sure?” asked Silver.

“I’m positive, darling.” said Belle.

“Very well then.” said Silver as he and Lobo climbed on her back.

Once they sat down, Belle spread her wings and flew to the sky, heading straight towards the Great Hall and confronting the Sorceress.

*********************************************************************

******************

After a long flight, they could finally make their way toward the Great Hall upon the

mountain. Belle could land at least a few feet away from the entrance, with both Lobo and Silver climbing off and looking right at the entrance.

“Such wonderful memories.” said Belle. “I remembered mother took me here when she organized the celebration.”

“But I assumed your mother passed away and your father had forbidden you to attend these events.”

Belle looked at Silver with a flexed eyebrow and said, “Sometimes you terrify me when you make a guess.”

“It’s a force of habit.” said Silver.

“So how do we proceed?” asked Lobo.

“We’ll need to scout it out first,” said Silver. “Then we’ll devise a plan before we do anything else.”

“Agreed.” said Lobo.

“I’ll go scout on ahead,” said Silver. “You two stay here and watch my back.”

Belle and Lobo agreed as they stayed behind so Silver could scout things out. He walked towards the doors of the Great Hall and slowly opened them. When he took a peek inside, to his surprise, it was the Sorceress singing while wearing a beautiful dress as there were many male spectators, which he assumed were her henchman.

(Sorceress)

Gotta get your old tuxedo pressed

Gotta sew a button on your vest

‘Cause tonight you’ve gotta look your best

Lulu’s back in town

Gotta get a half a buck somewhere

Gotta shine your shoes, and slick your hair

Gotta get this guy a boutonniere

Lulu’s back in town

You can tell the mailman not to call

You ain’t comin ’home until the fall

And you may not get back home at all

Lulu’s back in town.

After watching that performance, Silver was quite surprised by her singing. He whistled and said, “Wow…I’m impressed. She really knows how to dress and sing in style too.”

At the same time, Lobo and Belle arrived and looked through the door.

“What’s going on?” asked Lobo.

“She’s performing for her audience.” said Silver as he pointed at her.

They saw her singing in there, which surprised Belle.

“My word.” said Belle. “Such a voice. And such an amazing dress. Why didn’t she tell me how talented she is?”

“Probably because you were too busy being like your dad.” said Silver.

“Er, good point.” said Belle.

Soon the lot of them walked in, with the Sorceress saying, “Thank you, thank you, you’ve been a terrific audience. Are there any requests?”

“I do!!” said a loud voice while a table was launched at the Sorceress, shocking the audience as they saw that Silver, Lobo, and Belle were in the same room, causing Belle to throw another table at her.

“Insolent dragon.” said the Sorceress as she was now angry. “You dare to strike…?”

A chair was tossed at her back.

“You dare to strike…?”

A table was tossed to her right.

“You dare to strike…?!” said the Sorceress, completely annoyed.

A tablecloth was tossed against her face, temporarily blinding her, before she grabbed it and tossed it away.

“Quit it!!” shouted the Sorceress as she was now ticked off. Suddenly she was shocked as her pupils had shrunk a bit, she was shocked to see what was coming, and she muttered, “Oh no.”

Suddenly, a giant piano was tossed against her, crushing her onto it. Silver looked at Belle in shock and said. “Why would you throw a piano?!!”

“Oh,” said Belle as she was now embarrassed. “Beg pardon darling,” said a blushing

Belle. “I sometimes get too deep in the zone.”

The piano suddenly exploded, revealing the Sorceress in her full robe as she was ready for a rumble. She looked at her henchman and said, “Well, don’t just stand there, defend your mistress.”

The Henchman charged toward the group, with Lobo pulling out his sword, Silver holding a mace, and Belle ready to use her fire. Soon the fight began to break out as they began to fight.

Lobo used his sword to block left and right, but with every perfect chance he got, he punched one to the left, punched one to the right, delivered a strong kick to the one, and finally, used the bud of his sword to knock one out.

Silver used his mace to bash them left and right while trying to avoid their attacks. Silver kept dodging them left and right, with him saying, “I gotta remember to thank Rarity for the self-defense class she signed me up for once.”

He noticed another two coming towards him. He suddenly ducked backward, dodging their attacks as they knocked themselves out. Silver got back up and said, “And to thank her personally for our private yoga lesson.”

Belle used her fire to keep them at bay, while at the same time, she used her claws and tail to smash them and tossed them away, but also to ensure that she didn’t hurt them, for she knew that they were just innocent pawns and victims for what the Sorceress was doing. And to be fair, what she did wasn’t any better either.

Once they were done, they faced the Sorceress, with Belle saying, “It’s over, Serena. Please turn me back to normal, this has gone on long enough.”

“Oh, I don’t think so,” said the Sorceress.

Silver then suddenly remembered something from old folklore. That when magic is involved, it always comes with a price. He didn’t know if that would apply now, especially since Equestria barely does something like that. But he knew that he had to try.

“You lot remind me of my last pawn for pushing past his limit.” said the Sorceress as she suddenly charged up her hands with her magic. “But me? I could do this all night.”

Just before another fight could come out, Silver shouted, “Wait!!”

Lobo, Belle, and the Sorceress looked at Silver, wondering what he was doing.

“If I learned a long time ago,” said Silver as she dropped his mace and looked at the Sorceress while he asked, “Magic always comes at a price when it comes to asking for something.”

“And your point is?” asked the Sorceress.

Silver stood straight, took a deep breath, and asked, “What would I need to give you to lift your spell over the Princess.”

The Sorceress flexed an eyebrow, but she simply smiled while powering her magic down and said, “Well, now you’re getting interesting.”

“Silver, what are you doing?” said Lobo, with Silver reassuring them that everything would be alright.

The Sorceress flew down and landed on her hooves, walking over to Silver, both Lobo and Belle tensed up, thinking that the Sorceress might be up to no good.

“I want something from you that’s very precious.” said the Sorceress as she told him, “Something that you worked very hard to conceal.”

Silver then instantly knew what she was talking about as he slowly closed his eyes while she said, “Something that, when lost, you can never regain. Something…so shattering.”

Ten Minutes Later,

After cleaning the mess up after the henchman was cleaned up and the townspeople arrived from far and wide, Silver was standing on the stage and did the unexpected while the piano started to play.

(Silver)

Am I blue?

Am I blue?

And these tears, in my eyes, telling you

Silver continued to sing in front of a large audience while a spotlight shone on him, with the audience watching him, all of them were in awe when they looked at him, even Lobo was impressed when he looked at him.

(Silver)

Am I blue?

You’d be too

If each plan that you had, done fell through.

Belle and the Sorceress were crying as they wiped their tears with the handkerchiefs that Lobo provided just in case.

(Silver)

There was a time

I was your only one.

Now I am the sad and lonely one.

The Sorceress was impressed by what he had given, something that no one could imagine.

“Beautiful.” said the Sorceress as she admired his voice.

“So, you’ll keep your end of the bargain?” asked Lobo when he looked at the Sorceress from the corner of his eyes.

“A deal’s a deal.” said the Sorceress, who then looked at the dragon and wolf. “He can stop now.”

“Are you kidding?” said Belle as she leaned over. “Not on your life.”

They continued to watch him sing under the spotlight as everyone watched him sing.

(Silver)

Now she’s gone.

Now I’m through.

Am I blue?

Now she’s gone,

And were through.

Am I…blue?

3 Minutes Later,

After the song, everyone in the Great Hall began to cheer while they clapped their hands, for he sang amazingly. He soon stepped off the stage and rejoined Lobo, Belle, and Sorceress, giving him flexed eyebrows and smirks.

“Didn’t know you could sing,” said Lobo.

“My mother and father used to sing me that song when I was little.” said Silver. “Heard it so many times I even practiced to sing for them. But after they were gone, I didn’t see the point anymore. But I sometimes sing without anyone else hearing.”

“You mean you didn’t even sing it for your wife and daughter?” asked Belle.

“No.” said Silver, but then he looked away and said, “But maybe someday.”

“Still,” said the Sorceress, “You have performed well. You truly have a precious gift. And per our agreement, I will lift the spell.”

And right on command, the Sorceress cast the spell, causing Belle to glow brightly. Within mere moments, she turned back to normal. Silver was surprised, for Belle looked exactly like Rarity. But he had to remember she wasn’t his wife, so he had to play it safe.

Belle was very happy that she was back to normal and with clothing that she liked.

“Oh, it feels so wonderful to be back.”

“You sure are.” said Silver. “But remember what we promised.”

Belle remembered for she did promise him that. Belle looked down with closed eyes and sighed. She walked over to the Sorceress with a saddened expression.

“Serena.” said Belle while she rubbed her arm, “I’m…so sorry for what I put you through. What I put everyone in the kingdom through. You didn’t deserve any of that. My father… molded me to be what he wanted and forced me to become something that turned me into a monster. When he died, and I took over, I tried so hard to be better than him, but his ghost shook me terribly. I became a monster, just like he wanted me to be.”

She looked at her with tears and said, “I should’ve tried harder to reach out to you. I should’ve tried to fix things. But…I was a coward. As a Princess, I was supposed to have courted you with the respect you deserved. And for that…I am sorry.”

The Sorceress Serena had been quiet for a few moments until she finally wrapped her arms around Belle, taking the former dragon by surprise, making her smile and hug her.

“Apology accepted.” said Serena, then broke the hug, but still held one another as the Sorceress also looked sad. “But if anyone should apologize, it’s me. It wasn’t fair or right of me to turn you into a dragon. If only I’d tried harder to reach out to you, none of this would’ve ever happened.”

“I think that were both at fault here.” said Belle. Then she had a determined look but still kept her smile and said, “But to make it up to the people of this kingdom, let us throw a feast for the people, something to help spark the special kind of bond that keeps us together, no matter what comes in the way.”

Serena smiled and said, “I think I’d like that.”

“That may be fine and all,” said Lobo, gaining their attention. “We have the food, but we do not have the dessert.”

“Dessert?” said Belle. Then she suddenly smirked and said, “I think I can help with that.”

Half an hour later, the entire Great Hall had been filled with people, with tables filled with food as many enjoyed the good food and company, as well as the musical entertainment they provided for the people. Everyone, even the children, danced and enjoyed the ice cream.

From atop the stage, Belle, Serena, Lobo, and Silver watched as the people were happy and enjoyed the festivities.

“Congratulations, Princess.” said Silver before he looked at her. “The festivities are a huge success.”

“Everyone played a part in it.” said Belle. “From now on, I vow to never be what my father wanted me to be. And be the Princess I always wanted to be.”

“That’s good to hear.” said Silver. “And I hope you and Lobo will continue to live that life.”

Belle looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, him saying, “I know he’s your husband.”

At first, she was surprised by his saying, “When I complimented you, he got really jealous, and it looked like he wanted to rip me to pieces because of those compliments.”

Belle couldn’t help but shake her head of amusement, saying, “My husband’s always been the jealous type.”

“That’s nothing.” said Silver. “You should’ve seen what I did to a couple of folks who insulted my wife?”

“Really?” asked Serena when she and Lobo came over and overheard the conversation.

“What did you do?”

“I uh…” said Silver “Shoved one of their heads into another’s ass.”

They were surprised by what he did, with Lobo saying, “Wow, and I thought the last guy I roughed up had been through a lot.”

“What can I say.” said Silver. “My wife’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, even our daughter. I don’t know where I’d be without them.”

Lobo couldn’t help but smile and said, “Truly, the power of Generosity lives in you. Therefore, I’d like to give you something.”

He then pulled out what appeared to be a large chest and placed it before him. “As our way of saying thanks for helping us.”

Lobo placed the chest on the ground and opened it. Silver looked inside and saw a strange-looking object with what appeared to be a Rapier in tow.

“This is called a Driver,” said Lobo as he showed it to Silver. “It belonged to a group of protectors, Knights if you will. They always give their all when facing dangers and ask for nothing in return. Their generosity to others knows no bounds. And given what you have given us, it shows that you are worthy of wielding this.”

The Driver in the chest glowed green, causing it to float up and land right into Silver’s right hand, while the weapon did the same to his left. Silver looked at the weapon and stood up, holding his hand behind his back and his sword like a gentleman in a fencing tournament.

“Perfectly well balanced. Light, yet with a very strong metal to it.”

“You know your weapons.” said Lobo.

“I get by.” said Silver as he lowered his weapon.

“Now that you have what you need,” said Serena as she approached Silver, “promise that you’ll continue to use the weapon for good.”

“I promise to give my all.” Silver bowed to them.

Belle approached Silver and kissed him on his right cheek, then said, “Continue to be a Knight for those around you.”

Within a moment, a vortex appeared beneath Silver, signaling his trial was over. Before he disappeared, he said, “Take good care of your Princess Lobo.”

“And you take care of yours once your quest is completed.” said Lobo.

“Count on it.” said Silver before he vanished.

“There goes a brave man,” said Lobo.

“Come, we have much to do after the festivities.” said Belle.

“Indeed.” said Serena, “It’s time to let the world know the knights have returned.”