The Legacy of the Rider III: Misconception

by MrAwesome343

Bonus Story: Silus

Bonus Chapter: Silus

A unicorn ran down the dark alley in west Manehattan. Her ruby-colored mane trailed behind her. The unicorn came to a dead stop when she reached the end of the alley. She turned and cowered as she faced her pursuers: a tall man and a dark blue pegasus.

The human snickered. "What shall we do to her?"

The pegasus spoke: "How about we beat that horn right out of her?"

A new voice was heard from behind them. "No, how about you rip the individual strands off her mane and tail!"

The original duo turned to face a man, hanging upside-down from a flag pole above him. He smiled and brought his fist to their faces, knocking them out. He flipped off the flag pole. "You alright?" he asked.

"Y-yes... Thanks, I guess," the mare replied.

"Come on, an alley isn't the best place for anyone to get trapped in." The two stepped out into the light, where the mare could confirm her suspicions. Her savior was the legendary Dragon Rider and King of Equestria, Taro.

"Y-your Highness!" the unicorn bowed.

"Get up, you don't need to bow," Taro replied. "What's your name?"

"Silus," she replied.

Taro looked past her to her magenta flank. Three sparkling raindrops. "Explain to me: how is it that your special talent is rain, yet you're a unicorn?" Taro asked, starting to walk.

"Well, most unicorns are talented at various ground magic, centered around earthly tasks, I happen to be fascinated with the weather. I even conduct the weather over Manehattan and Fillydelphia."

"Really? That's quite impressive for a unicorn."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"I still hate it when people and ponies call me that. Call me Taro." Even after 1734 years, he still hated "Your Highness".

"Yes Taro."

"So what are you doing out here all on your own?"

"Well, I don't exactly have anypony else to be with."

"No friends?" She shook her head. "No family?" She shook her head again.

"I'm on my own."

There was one thing they had in common. Taro was the only one left. Rissa was killed around 441 years ago, and Jarden only 6 years before her. The only one Taro had was the one he was training in case he was a Dragon Rider. Taro's own great-great-great-you-know-the-drill-grandson and the new princess, who raised the sun and moon.

"Why were those two picking on you?" Taro asked, snapping himself out of his trance.

"Because I'm different and alone. Nopony will help me, making me an easy target. Well, except for one other pony a little while ago. But let's forget him. What are you doing in Manehattan?"

"Ursa Minor sighting. I was asked to deal with it. I only just arrived here, and what do I see? A poor unicorn running for her life. I'm going to go patrol around the city." Taro took flight, leaving Silus.

It didn't take long for Taro to find what he was looking for. The beast was on its way to the town. Taro quickly flew down to defeat it. He landed in front of the constellation to fight.

The bear swiped into Taro, who easily dodged. It then tried to step on Taro, but it wasn't strong enough. He drew Kveykva and thrust it into the paw of the monster. It kept pushing down, but Taro stood his ground. Taro drew his strength and shouted: "Letta!" A magic shield grabbed the monster's paw and Taro ducked out from under it. It broke the shield soon after.

Taro flew up to the beast's face and ran up it, jumping off. He landed on its neck and stabbed into it. The Ursa screamed and swiped Taro off its neck and pinned him onto the ground.

Taro had been practicing magic lately. He accessed his abilities just in time for a cloud to appear and zap the Ursa with a powerful lightning bolt. Impressed at how fast he had worked, Taro took action. He attacked the dazed constellation, dealing the final blow.

"Impressive, Taro. Good thing I was here to help you out," said a female voice.

Taro turned from his work to meet the unicorn's eyes. Silus. "What do you mean?"

"You mean you didn't see that cloud zap that thing?" Silus replied.

"No, I did."

"That was my doing," Silus stated with a grin.

"I didn't need any help," Taro said, walking past her.

"Where are you going?"

"Home. Canterlot."

"What, why?"

Taro stopped and turned around. "Why not?"

Silus paused. "Because this is the longest time I've spent speaking to somepony."

Taro turned and started walking again. "Cool."

"What? That's it! Just 'cool?' I've been alone almost my entire life, not even having a full on conversation and you just say it's 'cool?'"

Taro stopped walking once again and laughed lightly. "What should I say then?"

Silus froze for a second. "I-I don't... know. What would anyone say? All I am is a random pony. No home. No friends. ...No sympathy. It would be nice to just start over."

"Oh, I see what your doing now." Taro grinned at her. "Come on. Let's go, we need to catch the train to Canterlot."

"Really?"

"Yeah, why not? I could use some more company."

The ride back to Canterlot was filled with them discussing mainly Silus's life. She had been a weather pony for most of her life, mainly starting after her parents died. She was sent to an orphanage and continued school. No one spent time near her at the orphanage or at the school she was attending. If anypony knew what it was like to be alone, it would be Silus.

Taro walked Silus to the castle, where they were greeted by a few guards. Taro took them up to the third floor, where his room, his apprentice's room was, and the princess's room was.

"You mean the princess stays in THIS room? This place is huge! It's more of an entire BUILDING than a room!" Silus exclaimed.

Taro laughed. "Yeah, I know. Come on, I'll show you to the room you'll be staying in. Kahn!"

A guard ran to his side. "Yes, Your Highness?"

"Come with us and prepare the room this one will be staying at."

"Yes sir. Is she with you?"

Taro turned to the guard pony. "What do you mean?"

"Are you... together? Do I really need to prepare a whole new bed?"

"Yes, I only just met her. She's staying here until she can get a job and pay for her own home."

"Are you..." The guard was interrupted by a female's voice through the hall.

"I must greet our king again!" An alicorn came down the hallway and ran at Taro. "Welcome home, Taro!" The alicorn wrapped up Taro in a hug.

Taro returned it. The alicorn was slightly smaller than the previous princess, Celestia. Her coat was snow white and her mane was a deep red. "Thanks Faust."

The alicorn opened her eyes wide. "Who's this?"

Taro released Faust and looked. "Oh, this is Silus. Silus, Faust."

"Welcome to the castle!" Faust greeted happily.

"Thank you, it's an honor to be here," Silus returned.

"That it is. It's not everyday you get to enter the Canterlot Castle. Where are you from?"

"Manehattan."

"Oh, so he picked you up on his mission, huh? What a..."

Taro cleared his throat. "You know I'm still here, right?"

Faust smiled lightly. "Oh, I know."

A servant pony called from the staircase. "Taro, Faust, ...Guest... Dinner is served."

"I take it that I'm 'Guest'," Silus said.

"Oh, really? What gave it away?" Taro replied sarcastically.

Dinner was finished and stomachs were full. The moon was setting, thanks to Faust, and Taro retired to his room. He was sound asleep when the door opened, arising him. He grabbed Kveykva from the foot of his bed.

"Geez Taro, it's only me," Silus whispered in the dark.

"Silus? What are you doing here?" Taro asked, re-sheathing his blade.

"I didn't want to sleep here alone."

"Why not?"

"Uh... I-I'm scared..."

"How old are you?"

"Can I stay here?"

"Why can't you stay with Faust?"

"I don't know her very well."

Taro sighed. "Fine, but I only have one bed, so you're going to have to sleep on the floor or something."

Taro could hear hoofsteps coming toward him and his blankets shifted. "What are you doing?"

"I don't want to sleep on the floor."

Taro sighed again and went back to sleep.

Rainbow Dash flew through the sky as fast as she could, trying to catch up with Taro. "Slow down!" she complained.

"Come on, captain of the Wonderbolts can't catch a Dragon Rider?"

"Not when he's riding a dragon!"

Taro laughed and jumped off, flying back to Rainbow Dash. "Better?"

"No, that dragon is still here."

Taro grabbed her, making flying his job. "Go on, Thatch. We can fly on our own." Thatch flew down and left them alone.

"Now we can have some peace..." Rainbow Dash leaned in closer to Taro's face, getting ready to kiss him.

"Um... Taro?" Silus asked.

"Not now..."

"Taro?" she said again.

Taro slowly drifted out of his dream, but not before he could muster one final sentence. "Yes Rainbow Dash?"

"Who's Rainbow Dash?" Silus asked.

Taro's eyes shot open. He was holding Silus like he would Rainbow Dash, so many years ago. "Woah!" Taro jumped, pushing her away and falling off of the bed with a thump. "Oof!"

"Taro, are you alright?" Silus asked, peeking over the side of the bed.

Taro rubbed his head. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Two guard humans burst through the door. "Your Highness, what's wrong? We heard..." Their eyes rested on Silus lying down in the mess of the covers. "Oh... Uh, sorry."

Taro looked up at them, then to Silus. "No! No, no, no! That's NOT what happened!"

"Then why is she in your room?" asked the second guard.

Taro opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. "Nothing, forget about it. Just go prepare breakfast."

The guards left and Taro stood up. Silus remained lying on the bed, looking at him.

"What?" he asked, walking to his oak desk.

Silus paused and took a breath. "Who's Rainbow Dash?"

Taro paused now. He leaded on the desk, his back facing Silus. He looked down. "Thousand-some years of not having her and just one night brings me to mention her name..." Taro took a deep breath. "I had a dream about her last night. I held you as if you were her." A single tear fell from Taro's eye, remembering his wife.

"Who's 'her'?"

"Rainbow Dash. My one and only love."

"Where is she?"

He turned around and face the unicorn. "Dead. Long since dead. This was back when ponies still had names like..." He took another breath. "Twilight Sparkle or Fluttershy. Or Rainbow Dash."

"Oh..." Silus shrank, feeling as though she had just killed someone. The dread, the depression. So thick it could be cut with a knife. "What was it like to be with her?" Silus asked, trying to get him to cheer up. It probably wasn't the best idea to do it by bringing up his dead wife, but he smiled gently anyway.

"Wonderful. Happy. Amazing. ...Beautiful. I haven't thought of her in centuries because I knew I wouldn't be able to last too long thinking of her..." Taro's eyes dripped a second tear drop.

"She was special?" Silus jumped off of the bed.

Taro smiled. "More than special. I loved her until the day she died. She told me to find someone else to spend time with."

"And?"

"I told her I couldn't. I told her that she was the only one I would ever spend more than a week with."

"I'm so sorry..."

Taro sniffed. "Don't be. I knew she had to go at some point."

"No, not for that. For not being able to find someone else."

"When we married, I promised loyalty unto death. And as far as I'm concerned, I'm not dead yet. I promised to love her forever."

"Taro, you'll find it difficult to love somepony forever when you actually live forever."

Taro looked Silus in the eyes. "Yeah well... I like a challenge."

Silus smiled. "Good... Come on, Taro. Time for breakfast."

"Go on ahead. I'll be down in a minute."