The Dragonblood
The Dragonblood
By Max Rinker
*Note* The OC in this fanfiction isn't a self insert. I would never put myself in that kind of high rank in the My Little Pony universe. That would be unfair to other bronies with OC's.
Celestia…
I don’t have much time. I know you think I’ve been dead for a thousand years, and I apologize for not telling you sooner. Knowing you, you’re probably thinking this is just your mind playing tricks on you or that this is a weird dream, but it’s really me. I’m alive. I survived the blast. Whether you think this is real or not you must tell the truth. You must tell your people about me and my kind. You must tell them about what really happened during the Great Equestrian War. I know you made a deal with the dragons to never speak of me and my people to anypony. It’s time you do the right thing. Your people have the right to know. I’ve decided to come home. I’ve been gone for far too long. The population of Draconica needs to expand and it needs to see more of the world. I’ve kept them here so long that I forgot that most of them have never seen the outside world. I will be at the Summer Sun Celebration, and some of my people will migrate back to Equestria with me. I must go now. It’s time to wake up. You need to raise the sun after all. I’ll see you at the celebration… Wake up…dear sister…
Celestia woke up in a sweat. The bed sheets had rolled of the bed and she felt like she had been kicked in the face. She dragged herself out of bed and went to the bathroom. She washed her face a bit and noticed she looked pale. She kept wondering what that dream was about.
“That voice sounded so familiar…” She spoke to herself. “It called me sister…”
She looked in the mirror once again and remembered who that voice was. She remembered everything about him and what he had done for Equestria…
“No. No that’s silly. He’s been dead for a thousand years. But…Why would I dream such a thing?” She said.
As she kept thinking about it a knock came on her bedroom door.
“Sister? Is something wrong? You were screaming a few minutes ago.” Luna said.
“I’m fine Luna. I just had a weird dream…” Celestia replied.
Celestia knew this would only increase her sister’s curiosity, but she didn’t care.
“What was it about?” Luna asked.
Celestia was staring to get a headache. She washed her face a little before she replied.
“There was a voice telling me to tell the people the truth.” She said.
“What truth?” Luna asked.
Her stomach started to churn. She knew she was either sick, or feeling this way by thinking of him…
“I’m not sure.” She lied. “I think it’s time I raise the sun. I’ll meet you on the balcony.”
“Okay. We will be waiting.” Luna said.
Celestia listened as Luna’s hoof-steps grew quieter. She went outside her room into the long hallway, admiring all the paintings and valuables. She passed a few guards and eventually came out onto the balcony. Luna was waiting like she said she would and greeted her sister. Together they did their usual routine and the dawn finally came. Luna went back inside and went into her room. Celestia stayed there and watched the landscape light up. The wind was blowing through her mane like a whisper from another pony. She heard a familiar bird call and Philomena landed on the railing and tilted her head at Celestia. Celestia began thinking of him again. He gave life to Philomena and other phoenixes all those years ago. Just looking at Philomena made Celestia think of everything that happened when she and Nightmare Moon fought and everything before that. She remembered when he was born. She was about Twilight’s age back then, maybe a little older. She remembered her parent’s giving him that red and fiery liquid. She remembered the day he died and it would never leave her. That day made a scar she was forced to wear for the rest of her life. She went back to her room and got in bed pulling the sheets off the floor onto the bed to keep her warm.
“Maybe I’m just sick. That’s probably why I had that dream.” She said in her head.
She closed her eyes and went to sleep.
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It was around noon when Celestia woke up again. This time she felt better and didn’t have any weird dreams, but she still remembered what the voice had said.
“Tell everypony huh? I’d have to tell someone I trust…” She said.
She thought about it for a while before she finally decided to tell the holders of the Elements of Harmony.
“They are the most trustworthy ponies I know. But how would they react?” She said. “I’ll invite them over tomorrow. I’ll tell them everything.”
She got out a quill pen and paper to write to Twilight.
My faithful student Twilight,
I must ask that you and your friends come up to the castle tomorrow. I need to tell you all something that I haven’t talked about for a very long time. I couldn’t speak of it before because I am under an agreement. But I can bend the rules a bit.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
She sent it over and waited until the next day.
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The next day was warm and cloudless. Birds were flying freely without the chains of gravity pulling them to the ground, everypony was relaxing in the warm summer breeze, and all was peaceful. Twilight and her friends arrived and greeted Celestia and Luna at the statue garden entrance. The two sisters took them to a part of the garden with statues of famous and infamous ponies throughout Equestria’s history. This area was only available to ponies that were invited personally, so no one else was there. It looked like nopony had been here in a very long time. They all saw that the Discord statue was moved here after his return. None of them knew any of these heroes and heroines, not even Twilight. Most of them were very interested in these ponies though, but Dash only took interest to statues of famous Pegasi such as the founder of the Wonderbolts or soldiers in the Equestrian Air Force.
“Princess? When are you going to tell us that important thing you wanted to tell us?” Twilight asked.
“Soon my student.” Celestia replied.
Celestia was trying to avoid telling them the whole time. After about five minutes Rainbow Dash noticed one they missed, sitting alone in isolation away from the other statues.
“What about that one over there Princess? We never looked at it.” Dash said. All their heads turned to where she was pointing. Celestia grew nervous. There was no turning back now. The statue depicted him, the one from her dream. She sighed.
“Do you really want to know about that one?” Celestia asked. The blue Pegasus nodded. Celestia sighed.
“Okay then. Are you fine with me telling them sister?” Celestia asked.
“Yes. We are fine with it. You couldn’t keep it away from them forever. They have the right to know.” Luna said.
“You’re right. Well, let’s not waste any time.”
As they walked over to the statue, the six noticed it wasn’t made of marble like the other statues. Instead, it was masterfully carved from obsidian. It showed a male Pegasus wearing military armor raising a sword as if he was shouting “CHARGE!” They all looked at the golden sign that read,
Raiden
Il Piu Grande Sangue
Di Drago Che Sia Mai Esistito
“What kind’a language is that?” Applejack asked.
“That is the language of the dragonbloods.” Celestia said.
“Language of the dragonbloods? What does it say?” Twilight asked.
“It says, ‘Raiden. The greatest dragonblood who ever lived.’” Luna said.
“What in tarnation is a dragonblood?” Applejack asked.
“A dragonblood is a pony with dragon’s blood running through their veins,” Luna said. “When a parent wants a dragonblood as a child, they have the child drink dragon’s blood. This ceremony mostly happens when the child is just born.”
“That’s repulsive!” Rarity complained. “How can anypony stand to drink blood?! It’s horrid!”
“Yes, it may seem disgusting, but when the process is complete, the child’s eyes turn blood red, they gain unnatural strength and durability, and they can use very powerful magic.” Celestia explained.
“That sounds awesome! Are there any dragonbloods that are still alive?” Dash asked.
“Don’t get your hopes up. The dragonbloods have been extinct ever since the end of the…”
She stopped, knowing that she would regret what she was about to say.
“The what?” Twilight asked.
Celestia gave a big sigh.
“The Great Equestrian War,” she said.
They looked confused, especially Twilight. She had never heard of the great equestrian war. She had studied many wars in the past, but not this one.
“You see, when Nightmare Moon enshrouded the world in eternal night, she declared war. It went on for five long years,” Celestia said.
“Wait, wouldn’t everypony freeze to death?” Twilight asked. “Everyone in the world had to go to underground shelters where it was warm. They were provided with food and water so they wouldn’t starve,” Celestia explained. “Anyways, when my troops started running low, I thought it would be the end, but…”
She stopped again starting to tear up a bit. She sniffed.
“Raiden put an end to it.” She said.
“What do you mean by that?” Fluttershy asked.
“He flew up, higher than any Pegasus had ever gone before. He went into outer space, and came crashing through the atmosphere into Nightmare Moon’s castle, causing an explosion that reached a five-mile radius, destroying everything in its path. I went to the crumbling castle and found my sister crawling from the wreckage. That’s when I used the Elements of Harmony and banished her to the moon, as you already know. I had to figure out how to use the elements before I used them. I tried looking for the soldier that saved us, but his body was gone.” Celestia explained.
“Wait. If he was just a soldier, why would you look for him? He did his job. He served his country.” Dash asked.
Celestia was slightly angered by her comment, but remembered she didn’t know.
“He wasn’t just a soldier. He…”
She stopped and started to cry. After a few moments she got herself together and spoke in a soft voice,
“He was my brother.”
The six were shocked. Celestia and Luna had a brother? Why didn’t they tell anyone? Celestia started to cry again. None of them had ever seen her this upset. She calmed down after a few minutes later with her eyes dripping wet with eyeliner smears, but she didn’t care.
“Why didn’t you tell anyone about him? That’s a huge piece of history!” Twilight exclaimed.
“Let me explain. After the explosion, the dragons saw the potential threat that dragonbloods had on society. So they attempted genocide and succeeded. They chased the dragonbloods to Manehattan where they were killed. They stopped giving blood so dragonbloods could never exist again, and I had to make a deal with them to never mention dragonbloods to anyone, ever. Not even Raiden, but they’ve probably forgotten the deal since nopony knows what a dragonblood is anymore. Except you six,” Celestia said.
They were shocked. They knew dragons were stubborn, but not evil enough to kill thousands, possibly millions of ponies. This was unjust, but they couldn’t do anything about it since its all history now. Celestia dismissed them and they went back home.
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As they took the train home, they kept talking about Raiden. Celestia was still hiding something, and they were sure of it, but they thought it would be rude to keep pushing her. Twilight offered to go to the Canterlot archives the next day and see if there was more information about him. They agreed, and offered to come along with her.
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When Twilight got home she decided to take a nap since the sun was starting to fall towards the horizon. As soon as she fell asleep she woke up, and it was morning. Her head hurt, probably because she was coming down with something. She took her temperature, and noticed it was normal. She went downstairs to greet Spike who was making breakfast.
“Hey Twilight, how’d you sleep?” Spike asked.
“It felt like I time traveled.” she replied chuckling.
“Oh, I hate it when that happens. I always get a massive headache, and I can hardly breathe. Anyways, I’m making some French toast do you want extras?” he asked.
“No thanks, I’ll just have a little.” Twilight said.
“Okay, more for me.” He said excitedly.
When they finished eating, Twilight decided to see if the word dragonblood came up in the dictionary. Unfortunately, it only described it as the blood running through a dragon’s body. For some reason it also mentioned it was an extremely hot beverage. She placed the dictionary back into the shelf and heard a knocking at the door. Spike opened the door and her friends walked in.
“Are you ready Twilight dear?” Rarity asked.
“Oh, just let me get a few things ready.” Twilight said.
She put a magnifying glass, and a duster in her saddlebags so she could read the papers in the archives. They were old and the text was often tiny.
“Okay, I’m ready.” She said.
They all walked out the door and headed to the hot air balloon since the train tracks were under construction for the weekend.
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The flight there was smooth besides the cold wind blowing in their faces. When they landed, they were so excited they forgot where the archives were. They had to ask a guard to lead them to it. They went to the classified section, which Twilight had full access to and began their search. It took three hours until Pinkie found something.
“Hey! Look! This book says dragonblood on it!” She said in excitement.
“Let me see.” Twilight said.
She opened to the first page and saw a familiar Pegasus.
“Hey, it’s Raiden!” She exclaimed.
“What does it say?” Dash asked.
“It’s long, but I’ll go through it. The most notable dragonblood of all time was Prince Raiden of Equestria, who helped stop Nightmare Moon’s reign in the Great Equestrian War. His two sisters, Celestia and Luna, were the Goddesses of the sun and the moon while Raiden was the God of the Earth we stand on today. He made sure nature was in balance and brought good harvest to the earth ponies who shared it with unicorns and pegasi. Raiden and his sisters were not around until after Equestria was founded, which is why there was so much hatred and not enough food for all the races beforehand. Not only did he control the Earth, he controlled the skies and the sea. He could also create phoenixes with his fire. He could control weather with his will, but eventually gave all pegasi that job. He was the God of music and could play any instrument masterfully. His favorite instruments were the guitar and the ocarina. His best selling song was ‘Johnny B. Hoofe.’ He was also the God of shadow. He was a master of stealth and could blend into any environment. He could transform into anypony. He could have been a legendary thief, but he never resorted to thievery for his own selfish needs. And lastly, he was the God of dreams. He made sure everypony had a good night sleep, but he sometimes let a specific dream come in to give a specific pony a message. It could be a warning or a message that something wonderful will happen.” Twilight read.
She stopped to take a breath.
“Wow. A single dragonblood was more powerful than two alicorns.” Rarity said
“It says here that dragon’s blood is 65% more magical than alicorn blood, but when regular ponies found out how dragonbloods were made, it had been two thousand years since Raiden became a dragonblood, and dragons had evolved. And during their evolution, their blood lost some of its magical abilities. Newer dragonbloods were somewhere in between alicorns and unicorns in terms of magical abilities.”
“Wait, why don’t dragons use magic if it’s so powerful?” Dash asked
“They do, but they only know how to breathe fire and ice with it. They never learned anything else.” Twilight said.
Pinkie Pie was sitting in the corner thinking to herself when Twilight noticed her.
“Is something wrong Pinkie?” Twilight asked.
“Of course there’s something wrong!! How could those mean old dragons just destroy an entire species like that! Who gave them the right to not even think about all the lives they were ending?” Pinkie yelled angrily.
“Pinkie calm down!” Dash said.
“I will not calm down! Those poor dragonbloods must have been so scared. I just want to walk up to a dragon and KICK HIM IN THE FACE!”
She began pouting, trying to calm down. Her friends had never seen her this angry. Except that one time when Applejack broke her Pinkie promise. She eventually calmed down, but didn’t forget why she was angry. As they kept reading, the language changed to dragonblood, probably for young dragonbloods to learn more about their species, so they stopped and went back home.
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It had been a few weeks since Celestia told the six friends about Raiden. Most of them still remembered him and his story, but had to get back to their work. Twilight still wanted to know more. What if a dragonblood is still alive somewhere? What kind of spells could they use? Were they as powerful as the book said? She was starting to get a headache. A few minutes later Rarity came barging in with her red glasses on and tape measure around her neck.
“Twilight! I’ve been making dresses for our friends for the Summer Sun Celebration this week and I need to take your measurements again.” Rarity said out of breath.
“Why? Don’t you have my measurements already?” Twilight asked.
“Ugh. Sweetie Belle used the paper for drawing and erased the measurements.” Rarity replied.
“Okay, I’ll be over there in a minute.” Twilight said
“No, you’re coming over right now.” Rarity said.
She then grabbed Twilight with her magic dragging her to Carousel Boutique. Twilight knew better than to struggle when Rarity was in her serious mode. When they got to Carousel Boutique, Rarity was working fast, but gently and with precision. She kept Twilight there so she could see the dress being made. The end-result was stunning. The dress, of course, had stars on it, but she used a special fabric that made some stars look far away and others look closer. The dresses she had been making were for the after-party once the sun had risen. Rarity dismissed Twilight and told her to pick the dress up on the day of the celebration to keep it well preserved. It was sundown and Twilight was tired from standing so long. On her walk home she looked like she spun around in circles for too long. The sundown was beautiful. The clouds were that pinkish color and the sky was golden orange. The sun looked like the sun rising in “The Lion King” but in reverse. Twilight ws so focused on it that she bumped into the library sign and jumped back. She opened the door and was greeted by Spike cleaning the floor.
“Took you long enough. Your dinner’s getting cold.” Spike said.
“Love you too Spike.” Twilight replied as she walked into the kitchen.
“Why didn’t you bring me with you?” Spike asked.
“I was being dragged against my will! How could I have told you?” She asked.
He sighed and continued cleaning.
Twilight ate her dinner rather quickly so she could get to bed quicker. That night she dreamed of dragonbloods. They fought dragons, used magic she had never seen before, and she even met the legendary Raiden himself. She imagined him having a white coat and a black mane. He was very nice and a true gentlecolt. He was wise and answered all of her questions like he knew literally everything. It seemed so real. She never wanted to leave. But, unfortunately, the grasp of reality woke her up. She was frustrated at first, but remembered something. Wasn’t Raiden the God of dreams? She started to wonder if he was sending her a message. She knew he was dead, but what if he could still send messages in the after-life? Was there an after-life? She put those questions aside and went downstairs for breakfast. As she ate she heard a knock on the door and went to answer it. When she opened the door she saw ponies screaming and running for their lives. She looked in the distance and saw that Canterlot was up in flames and all the buildings were destroyed including the castle. Dragons were flying in the sky burning all the buildings in Ponyville. She tried to run, but a dragon landed right on top of her. She woke up with Spike wiping sweat off her forehead.
“Good, you’re awake. I heard you screaming while I was making breakfast.” Spike told her.
She was sweating so much she could fill up a pan, her throat and mouth were as dry as a desert, and she felt very cold.
“I think I’m coming down with something. Do you know what I was screaming?” Twilight asked.
“When I came in you stopped screaming and started mumbling ‘Io sono vivo. Aspettatevi me.’” Spike said.
“Do you know what that means?” Twilight asked.
“No. Do you want me to look it up?” He asked.
“No. I’m sure it’s nothing.” She said.
“Okay. If you need anything, call me alright?” He said patting her shoulder.
As Spike left the room Twilight looked out the window, but didn’t see anything unusual. She laid there wondering why she had a double dream. Spike called a few minutes later announcing that breakfast was ready. She went down with her bed head and ate her food slowly. She drank quite a lot of water, but her throat was still somewhat dry. As she ate, she watched the door like a cow looks at an oncoming train. Eventually, she heard a knock on the door.
“I’ll get it.” Spike said.
“No! Wait!” Twilight said.
She was too late. Spike opened the door and invited a blue Pegasus into the library. Twilight was hiding under the table when Rainbow Dash asked,
“What are you doing Twilight?”
Twilight opened her eyes to see a pair of rose-colored eyes staring at her.
“Um, nothing. I-I thought there was an earthquake.” Twilight said relieved.
“Okay? I just came to see if you had the next Daring Do book.” Dash asked.
“Uh, which one were you on?” Twilight asked.
“The tenth one.” Dash replied.
“Okay, let me go check if we have it.” Twilight said.
Twilight walked over to the D-section in the library and picked out “Daring Do and the Philosopher’s Stone.” She walked back to the Pegasus and gave her the book.
“You’re going to love this one, trust me.” Twilight said.
“Thanks Twilight. By the way, are you okay? You look a little under the weather.” Dash said.
“I am feeling a little light-headed. I’ll probably just sleep for a bit.” Twilight said.
“Okay. I’ll meet you and the others at Rarity’s place early tomorrow morning for the celebration.” Dash said.
“Wait, it’s tomorrow?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah. You forgot? Guess you really are sick. Think you’ll be able to make it?” Dash asked.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Twilight said.
“Well, I’ll see you then.” Dash said as she took off into the sky.
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As Twilight lay in her bed she couldn’t stop thinking about the celebration. She remembered Celestia telling her that everypony from all the major cities were coming to the celebration. The celebration was being held in Canterlot as usual because of the extra space. After a while she fell asleep. This time there were no dreams about dragonbloods or dragons. Instead, she dreamt about something unusual. She dreamt about Fluttershy trying to help an injured mockingbird. She tried to help, but some force wouldn’t let her. Eventually the mockingbird fell to the ground dead and Fluttershy cried. Twilight woke up with Spike shaking her. It was four in the morning.
“Time for the celebration.” Spike said.
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Spike and Twilight ran over to Carousel Boutique where they got dressed up and ready for the event. They saw the carriage that Celestia sent over had two royal guards pulling it. It was pure gold and came with a table and food to eat on the way.
“Well, it’s been a whole year since we defeated Nightmare Moon and became friends.” Twilight said
“And we’ll always be friends no matter what.” Rarity added.
“Let’s keep it that way.” Applejack said.
They all hugged and got in the carriage. They all talked about the day they met on the way to Canterlot. When they got there, they were extremely excited to see Celestia waiting for them as they stepped out.
“Hi Princess!” Pinkie said excitedly.
“It’s good to see all of you again,” Celestia said, “The main event is at six, so you have an hour to look around. I got you all VIP seats over on that balcony.”
She pointed to a small booth on a small tower to the left of the stage. The booth was made of glass and looked very well crafted.
“Thank you Princess.” Twilight said.
“You’re very welcome my student. It’s the least I could do.” Celestia said.
The six took off looking at all the attractions and buying souveneirs. Pinkie, of course, was buying all the sweets in sight, Rainbow Dash went to the Wonderbolts autograph session, Fluttershy was looking at toys for pets, Applejack was browsing random booths, and Twilight was walking with Rarity looking at jewelry. Twilight still couldn’t get dragonbloods off her mind. It seemed like sompony was keeping it crammed in her head. Rarity asked if she was alright and she said she was tired. She looked up at the morning sky. Luna had done an amazing job as she always does. Eventually, the trumpets sounded off saying it was time for the main event.
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As the six friends got into their seats, they all waited patiently for Celestia to make her appearance. Some light was starting to spill over the horizon, and the night was beginning to be pushed away. When the Princess finally walked on stage, the crowd went wild. They all cheered, “Raise the sun! Raise the sun!” Celestia closed her eyes and leaped into the air, flapped her wings, and raised the sun. The crowd became so loud that ponies in Califoalia could probably hear them. But the cheering was shattered by an extremely loud noise. They all looked up. An enormous dragon swooped by and landed behind the stage. The dragon was at least 100 feet tall. His scales were black with red markings and gold tips. His eyes were red and enraged. All the guards were too scared from the dragon’s sheer size to help Celestia. Celestia could only stare back at those eyes, petrified. The dragon shouted,
“WHERE IS THE DRAGONBLOOD!?”
Celestia raised her voice and said,
“Dragonbloods have been extinct for a thousand years! Now leave! You have no business here!”
“YOU LIE!! HE’S HERE! HE WILL DESTROY THIS ENTIRE CITY IF HE WANTS TOO!”
The dragon’s voice was getting angrier. All the ponies in the area were either running for their lives, or standing there wondering what a dragonblood was. The six were shocked that a dragon had come this close to a major city. Well, Spike did destroy some of Ponyville, but this is Canterlot we’re talking about.
“Even if a dragonblood was here, he or she would neve destroy a city with civilians in it! Now leave!” Celestia’s voice was also getting angry.
The dragon had reached his limit. He raised his right and swung. Everyone looked away or screamed. But there was no crash. Celestia didn’t even scream. The six friends looked and saw the unthinkable. A Pegasus guard had stopped the dragon’s swing from hitting Celestia. His left hoof was raised and had a blackish glow around it. A black mist enveloped the Pegasus and changed his form. Standing there was a Pegasus whith a white hood and steel armor. The six knew right then and there that this Pegasus was a living, breathing dragonblood. Celestia opened her eyes and couldn’t believe it. The dragonblood turned his head towards Celestia. She couldn’t see his face because of the hood, but knew he was looking at her. He nodded his head to the side as if to say, “Go.” She nodded and ran to the nearest guards. The dragonblood turned his head back to the dragon and met it’s eyes. The dragonblood quickly lowered his left hoof and raised his right hoof sending the dragon high in the air as if it weighed nothing. He jumped up to an unbelievable height, grabbed the dragon’s tail, and threw the dragon into some buildings. The buildings collapsed with loud sounds of twisting metal and cement cracking. Dust clouds rose from the wreckage as the dragonblood landed on his hooves. Hundreds of civilians fled in horror, but some were too shocked to move. The six stood there shocked. Fluttershy was hiding under her seat, too scared to even shiver. The dragonblood stood there tall and proud. He was a little taller than Big Mac, but slightly skinnier. The dragon got up holding his head looking angrily at empty space trying to locate the dragonblood. When the dragon finally found the dragonblood, he breathed his fire. The dragonblood raised his hoof and absorbed all the fire into it. He launched a fireball at the dragon knocking it back a few yards. He jumped at the dragon and kicked the side of the dragon’s face sending it flying through more buildings causing more destruction. The dragonblood launched another fireball through the dust clouds causing a huge explosion sending hot metal and pieces of buildings everywhere. The explosion started a fire that could be seen from at least 25 miles away. All the civilians were running for their lives now. The fire blocked the exit to the tower the six friends were in. The glass in front of them was unbreakable. Even Applejack’s bucking didn’t work. Luckily, the tower was ventilated so they wouldn’t suffocate. Twilight kept watching the dragonblood fight the dragon. It was shocking to see how serious the conflict between their races was. They resort to so much violence just to get a point across. Was this how war was? Was this how much the dragons hated dragonbloods?
“I’m scared you guys,” Fluttershy whimpered, “What if that dragonblood hurts everyone after he’s done with the dragon?”
“I don’t think he would do that Fluttershy.” Twilight said.
“What?” They all said.
“I mean he lifted that dragon as if it weighed nothing. He could kill that dragon with that much magic. But look, the dragon keeps getting up. The dragonblood looks like he isn’t using his full potential.” Twilight said.
“What if that is his full potential? What if he isn’t strong enough to kill a dragon?” Dash asked.
“All I’m saying is that it doesn’t add up. It looks like he’s using more defense than offense.” Twilight said.
“But how do ya know for sure?” Applejack asked.
“I don’t. My gut just tells me he won’t hurt anypony.” Twilight said.
They all looked back at the fight. The dragon began throwing pieces of buildings at the dragonblood, who dodged them rather swiftly. Then the dragon threw a large piece that caught the dragonblood off guard. And out of nowhere, the dragonblood unsheathed a sword and cut through the flying concrete slicing it in half. But that was the dragon’s plan. As soon as the pieces flew past the dragonblood, the dragon grabbed him and smashed him into a building repeatedly. The dragon then threw him at another building causing it to collapse on top of the dragonblood. The six gasped. The dragon roared in victory.
“Sweet Celestia…” Dash said.
Some guards came in saying that the fire was put out and they could go outside. They all went out nervously. The dragon began to fly away. They looked at the dragon with anger in their eyes. Twilight looked over to the rubble covering the dragonblood. Then she noticed something.
“Is that smoke?” She asked.
All their heads turned. The pile of cement and metal had smoke coming out of it. After a few seconds it burst into flames. The fire then shot up to the sky probably past the stratosphere. The dragonblood walked out without a scratch. He raised his hoof and pulled the dragon back down to the ground. He stomped his hoof on the ground making roots grow out of the ground and wrapping around the dragon’s arms and legs. The dragonblood looked back at the six for a moment then looked back at the dragon. He flew up about 50 feet and raised his front legs to the side in a cross formation. Pitch-black clouds rolled in. The wind was picking up. They could all see the clouds were pulsing with lightning. As they closed up, the only light in the area was from the lightning. Thunder boomed, shattering ears. The dragonblood raised his hooves skyward then slammed them down causing the biggest and longest lightning strike to come crashing down on the dragon like an armageddon flame. And in that classic cartoon style, you could see the dragon’s skeleton. It went on for 10 seconds. But when it was over the dragon was still breathing.
“How in the hay is that dragon alive!? Nopony could have survived that!” Dash exclaimed.
The dragonblood removed the roots from the dragon’s limbs, but the dragon was paralyzed, and breathing long exhausted breaths. The dragonblood walked over as the clouds were clearing up, staring at the dragon’s face with remorse. The dragon opened his eyes and stared back with fear and surprise.
“Why didn’t you finish me? You had the chance. I’ve never seen a dragonblood with such power.” The dragon said.
The dragon closed his eyes and sniffed the air, then opened his eyes with shock.
“Wait…It can’t be…You have the same scent…but how?” The dragon asked.
The dragonblood finally spoke.
“Our skin is fire-proof,” He said in a powerful but young and soothing voice, “the explosion couldn’t hurt me. I do not wish to fight anymore. I will heal your wounds instead, but you better get out of my sight when I do. Do you understand me? We’ve already done enough damage to this city.”
Celestia and Luna walked next to the six during this and stared with them.
“I’ll agree to your terms dragonblood, but why are you so forgiving? This is all my fault.” The dragon said.
“It wasn’t all your fault. Not alone at least. I am also to blame for fighting you. But I had my reasons,” The dragonblood replied, “Now hold still.”
The dragonblood put his front hooves on the dragon’s snout, and in a big flash of light, the dragon got up and stretched its wings.
“Now get out of here.” The dragonblood said.
The dragon nodded. He turned around and flew off towards the icy mountains. The dragonblood turned around and faced Celestia and Luna. He started walking towards them until some guards came to protect them with their swords drawn. He stopped. The guards were not going to budge without a fight. Their hooves were planted on the ground so firmly, they looked like they were growing out of the ground itself. He grabbed his sword and held it out to his side. The guards readied their swords and were ready to fight. But the dragonblood threw the sword to the side, out of his reach. He pulled a wristband looking thing (with a blade attached to it) off his right hoof and threw it away as well.
“Guards stand down. He means no harm.” Celestia said.
The guards backed away and she moved towards him.
“Thank you for reasoning with the dragon. You may have destroyed some of the city, but with your magic I’m sure that won’t be a problem.” She said.
“Not at all. And you’re very welcome, ‘Tia.” He said.
Celestia looked surprised.
“What did you just say?” She asked.
“That’s what me and Luna used to call you, remember?” He replied
“Who are you? Remove your hood.” She said.
He sighed.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He said.
He removed his hood slowly. But when it came off, they all gasped. Celestia dropped to her knees and went pale. The dragonblood opened his eyes to show blood red dragon eyes, which changed to normal eyes. The six already knew who it was. It was the dragonblood from the statue. It was Raiden. He let Celestia catch her breath. The six were staring at him in pure amazement. He was quite young, a little younger than Luna. He was a little shorter than Luna and was well toned. His cloak had what looked like a citrine stone as a clip. He might have been born in November, but it could just be a personal favorite. His hair was somewhat wild, but looked natural and probably never touched a drop of gel. And his coat was a dark grey color. He had a scar on his left eye and his left hear had a cut. This Pegasus had clearly seen a lot of action. But something about him made the six feel comfortable being so close to him. Eventually Celestia met his eyes, but still couldn’t believe it. His aura was the same as it was a thousand years ago. He chuckled.
“Still can’t believe it? Heh, I wouldn’t either if I was you. Take your time.” He said.
“H-how? How did you survive the blast?” She asked.
“If I’m going to tell you that, I might as well tell the whole story.” He said.
“Please tell us. We’d all love to know.” Twilight said nervously.
He looked at her and chuckled.
“If you say so. It’s a long one, so don’t fall asleep on me,” He said.
“After the blast, some other dragonbloods took me to a hospital in Manehattan. I was weak and could barely move. I felt drained, like there was nothing left but my mind. The doctor was especially surprised that I wasn’t badly burned from the explosion. Then the dragons attacked. I made a flier saying that the whole population of dragonbloods in Equestria had to migrate to new land. We ran from the dragons as fast as we could. We eventually out ran them and reached what we now call Draconica, a floating continent in the sky.”
“So the dragons were chasing you? Not the other dragonbloods?” Celestia said.
“Yes. They were. And they got pretty close to killing me.” He said.
“So, there’s more land than just Equestria?” Twilight asked.
“Yes. The surrounding continents were ruled by other species like griffons, zebras, and dragons. They were very welcoming when we first came. The griffons helped us build settlements and the zebras gave us crops to plant and medicine for the wounded. The dragons, unfortunately, were not so friendly. They attacked very often until I put up a barrier to keep them out. We’ve been making peace with some of the groups of dragons, but the rest are too stubborn to listen. Anyways, when we built our settlements, some of our scientists were still curious about how I survived the blast without any scorch marks. They put me in a room and set the room on fire. I had a gas mask so I could breathe, and I came out without any scorch marks. We tested with other dragonbloods and got the same result. We then came to the conclusion that dragonblood skin is fire-proof.” He said.
“Wait. If you were alive this whole time, why didn’t you write to me to let me know you were alive?” Celestia asked.
“I wanted too as soon as I woke up. But I was on some heavy sedatives and couldn’t use my magic. Heck, I couldn’t even speak until a few days later. And by that time we were already in Draconica. I had to send a message through the guard’s mind to write the flier.” He said.
“I see. Couldn’t you have sent another dragonblood to deliver the message? Couldn’t you have teleported a letter?” She asked.
“I had to get all the dragonbloods away from Equestria as fast as possible, so I couldn’t think about that at that moment. When we got to Draconica, the dragons were puppy-guarding the whole continent. Anypony that went outside the barrier was immediately attacked. I couldn’t teleport a letter because it’s too far away even for my magic.” He said.
“What do you mean too far away?” Twilight asked.
“Well, there’s a certain distance teleportation spells can go. The farthest I’ve ever gotten was about a thousand miles, and Draconica is three-thousand miles away from here.” He said.
“Is there a difference in distance for unicorns, alicorns, and dragonbloods?” She asked.
“It depends on how much magic they can use. You could probably reach about 100 miles if you practice with it. Not only could you teleport a letter, but your whole body. Watch this.” He said.
In a bright flash he was gone. It had been a few seconds before he came back with a blue and white baseball cap and a surfboard.
“Just went down to Califoalia.” He said.
“That’s incredible!” Twilight said. “But what did you mean when you said I could do that?”
“Well, you are the element of magic. Twilight Sparkle.” He said smiling.
“H-how did you know my name?” Twilight asked nervously.
“He’s the God of dreams my student.” Celestia said.
“I know that, but how do dreams explain how he knew my name?” She asked.
“It’s not exactly dreams,” He answered. “It’s more specifically sub-conscious.”
“What in the hay is that?” Applejack asked.
“It’s the deepest darkest corners of your mind. It’s where you keep secrets, information, and it’s where dreams are created.” He said.
“So you don’t create dreams for every single pony on the planet?” Dash asked.
He laughed.
“Now who told you that?” He chuckled. “No, no. You do it all on your own. What I do is alter dreams to give messages or to just have a little fun. So, basically, I can know everything about you whenever I want. But I don’t go too far in, I just get the basic information and I go about my day.” He said.
“So you know all our names?” Rarity asked.
“Sure. Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash.” He said.
They blushed. They asked him to tell them more about themselves. He told them what their special talents were, he told them about their past and how they got their cutie marks, and he told them their fears. He was reading them like an open book. Then Twilight remembered something.
“Wait. Were those dreams about the dragon and the mockingbird from you?” She asked
He looked at her and nodded.
“Indeed they were. They were warnings.” He said.
Twilight was confused. The dragon obviously represented the attack. But what did the mockingbird mean?
“How was the mockingbird a warning?” She asked.
“Do you know what they represent?” He asked.
Pinkie jumped in excitement.
Ooh! Ooh! Pick me! Um, wings! Birds! Flying! Ugh, just tell us!” She said.
Raiden chuckled.
“They represent innocence and kindness.” Raiden said. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t destroy crops or nest in unwanted places. They just sing their hearts out. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. I think you can figure out the rest.”
Twilight thought about it and realized what he was warning her about. Raiden turned his head towards the buildings as the fire department came.
“Well, I have a little cleaning up to do, heh.” Raiden said.
He flew above the city and rebuilt everything with his magic. Pieces of buildings and metal supports connected like legos. The fires were absorbed into his hooves and his citrine stone glowed. The city didn’t look brand new, but just like it did before the fight. As Raiden descended Celestia remembered something she wanted to ask him. She walked over to him and asked,
“Does this mean you wish to rule with me and Luna once again?” She asked.
His face shot from pride to surprise in an instant. Everyone knew this was the moment the two sisters and their brother would reunite once again. He sighed.
“No.” He said.
They were shocked.
“Why not?” Celestia asked.
“I don’t wish to rule over anypony. That’s not my business. I’ll still keep my royal status. I am entitled to that. But you and Luna are to rule over Equestria. I don’t think of myself as greater than others. I think of everyone as equal.” He said.
“What of the dragonbloods? Are you not their leader?” Luna asked.
“I guess so, but I don’t title myself as higher than they are. Even though I am a God, they are still equal to me in spirit. All ponies are created equal. All ponies are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” He said.
“So are you planning on moving some of the dragonblood population back here like you said in my dream?” Celestia asked.
“Yes. But some will remain in Draconica. We need to keep that land for all the food we produce there. I was thinking those mountains over there would be a good settlement.” Raiden said.
“Very well. I’m assuming you’ll still live with us up at the castle right?” Celestia asked.
“Of course. Where else would I go?” He said.
Pinkie gasped.
“I just realized you’re back home! You know what that means? It’s party time!” She said.
“Maybe tomorrow. I’m really tired and seriously need a bath.” Raiden said.
“Awww. Well what should the theme be? Should it be a welcome home party? A normal party? Ooh! Maybe a ‘we’re glad you’re not dead’ party! What do you think Rai?” She asked.
Raiden fell on the ground laughing his head off.
“HAHAHAHHAHAH. *gasp* No one’s ever called me that before. HAHAHAHA. Whatever you think would work will do.” He said.
“We should get going.” Celestia said.
Raiden nodded while giggling.
“Why don’t you six come along? We could give you all a room for the night.” Celestia said.
They agreed in excitement and walked along with the Princesses and Prince. They all asked Raiden questions and really got to know him. He was just a normal stallion. He was very calm, wise, and fun. They knew right then and there that he was more than just a Prince. He was a new friend.
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As they arrived at the castle, Raiden noticed nothing had really changed since he was gone. The six followed him to his room. The door had a torch that asked him a question in dragonblood, and he replied,
“Silenzio fratello (Silence brother).”
The door then opened with dust flying everywhere. His room was quite nice. It had some armor and swords on the wall and looked very clean, like it had been cleaned everyday. He had a few guitars lying around, and other instruments. Twilight noticed some clay flutes of different colors. She guessed they were ocarinas. His bed wasn’t very soft, but he said it helped his back after he hurt it in a flying accident when he was young. He kept it because it was more comfortable than his old mattress. He had a platform for a porch, which was directly above the pool. He said he loved jumping off of it into the pool when he was young. But as he grew, he kept hitting the bottom of the pool and got some blisters from it so he stopped. He had a table with a candle next to it and a fire ruby next to his quill pen. He also had a pocket watch with a phoenix on it, which looked at least five thousand years old. He said it was from his father before he died. It was the best way he could remember him. He started to tear up until Rainbow Dash patted him on the back. Eventually he jumped onto his bed and immediately fell dead asleep as he hit the mattress. Celestia showed them to their room where they went to bed after dinner. They told ghost stories and other slumber party stuff until they fell asleep. Twilight wondered if anything would change now that Raiden was back. She put it aside and went to sleep.
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As time went by, dragonbloods migrated back to Equestria and fit in well with other ponies. These dragonbloods were different from Raiden. Since Raiden had alicorn parents, he was immortal even though his blood changed. Newer dragonbloods weren’t immortal, but live longer than normal ponies. As they settled in the mountains, they named their new town Icara since it was so close to the clouds. Dragonblood earth ponies and unicorns stayed on the mountain while dragonblood pegasi lived in the cloud district above the mountain. Some dragonbloods moved to Ponyville, some moved to Canterlot, and all the surrounding cities, but most stayed in Icara and Draconica. There were dragon attacks in Icara, but the dragonbloods took care of them pretty easily. Raiden seemed to hang around Ponyville more often than Canterlot. He helped Applejack with harvesting apples, he taught some Equestrian Air Force stunts to Rainbow Dash, he helped Fluttershy with animals, he often went to the library to read books or discuss literature and science with Twilight, and he posed for Rarity when she started making outfits for colts and stallions. Pinkie had him perform rock songs at parties and even at concerts, which made his band, “Icarus,” very popular. Once he was a special guest at the schoolhouse to tell his story of the war to the students. They took it very well, except Diamond Tiara who thought he was lying, and at the end they hugged him for his lost friends in the Equestrian Air Force and Army. He sometimes helped train the Wonderbolts for upcoming shows. He showed them new tricks and stunts to perform, such as free falling. All they had to do was just fall and not open their wings until the precise moment. Everything was as perfect as could be. But the conflict between dragons and dragonbloods was far from over. It wasn’t beginning, but it was reaching its climax. Fortunately, it was mostly going on in Draconica. Raiden still had his duties, and he would not rest until justice was made. We can only hope that one day, there will be peace.
THE END